Those
Celebrating Birthdays are: February 3, Robert Hildreth, Jr.;
February 4, Daniel Welch, Reny Boyd; February 5, Marty Friedman,
Stephanie Wolfe; February 6, Melissa Harnden, Andrew Webber;
February 8, Ross Morse. A Very Happy Birthday to One and All!
Aubuchon Hardware Sponsors U14 Girls Softball Team
The U14 softball team will be open to girls
who are aged 14 and under as of January 1,
2011, and are from: Alton, Barnstead, New
Durham, Chichester, Northwood, Pittsfield
and Epsom.
Sign-ups will be held on February 5, 2011 from 9:00 am - 12:00 pm at
Alton Central School. The registration fee is $55.00 and the
Registration Forms are available on the Alton Youth League website
( www.AltonYouthLeague.org)
or at sign-ups. Please bring valid birth
certificate to sign-ups. Any questions can be directed to
Rodney Taylor, Manager of the U14 softball team, at 435-7472.
Pittsfield Senior Center will be participating in a back yard
winter bird survey, February 7-13. Would you like to spend an
hour or two on Saturday the 12th and Sunday the 13th observing birds
from your own home? Come to the Senior Center to pick up the
NH Audubon survey materials to help you enjoy this great winter
pastime. On Tuesday, February 8th, from 10 am to 1:00 pm, the
Center will be offering free volunteer income tax preparation
assistance. Call 435-8482 for an appointment.
Department Begins Project For Vietnam War Veterans
By Terri
Moon Cronk American Forces Press Service Submitted By
Merrill A. Vaughan Vice Commander American Legion
Peterson-Cram Post 75 Pittsfield, NH 03263
More than three
decades after the war’s end, the Defense Department has begun a
project to pay tribute to the nation’s Vietnam War veterans.
The
50th Anniversary of the Vietnam War Commemoration was spawned from
the 2008 National Defense Authorization Act.
“It was a very
important time period for veterans, because most Vietnam veterans as
a whole never received the homecoming that our troops receive now,”
said Army Lt. Col. Hunter Holliday, public affairs officer for the
commemoration.
At the center of the project is a website, “50th
Anniversary of the Vietnam War Commemoration,” at
www.vietnamwar50th.com,
which will serve as a clearinghouse for information on commemoration
activities once it is fully functional, a milestone expected this
spring.
“Information gleaned from the website is expected to be
used for myriad purposes, such as to chronicle facts, provide
educational materials, and offer resources for a commemorative
partners program,” Colonel Holliday said.
The partners program
will comprise guidance and materials for agencies, veterans groups,
local government and nongovernment organizations to conduct their
own Vietnam War commemoration activities.
“The website is
expected to play a major role in the campaign,” said Jeff Wilson,
who handles marketing for the project, noting it will be highly
interactive and will include content on historical events, a
timeline, photos, documents, video and audio. A calendar will
list major Defense-sponsored events.
The website offers a
prelude of activities and ceremonies to: • Honor Vietnam War
veterans and their families. • Including prisoners of war and
those listed as missing in action -- for their service and sacrifice
on behalf of the United States. • Highlight armed forces service
during the Vietnam War, in addition to contributions made by
government and private organizations. • Pay tribute to the
contributions made on the home front by U.S. citizens. •
Highlight the advances in technology, science and medicine in
military research made during the war. • Recognize contributions
and sacrifices made by U.S. allies during the war.
“Hopefully
[the commemoration] will be a healing process for the veterans who
were never recognized properly when they came home,” Colonel
Holliday said, noting the volatile political landscape that
surrounded the war.
For more retiree news and information, please
visit www.retirees.af.mil.
School
Lunch Menus February 7 - 11, 2011
PMHS Monday
- Pizza,
veggies, fruit, milk. Tuesday - Shepherd’s Pie, bread, fruit,
milk. Wednesday - Chicken patties, rolls, tomatoes, baked
dessert, milk. Thursday - Burgers, roll, cheese, chips, pickles,
fruit, milk. Friday - Grilled cheese, tomato soup, veggies,
fruit, milk.
PES Monday
- Hot dog with bun, veggie fruit,
milk. Tuesday - BBQ chicken, stuffing, veggie, fruit, milk.
Wednesday - Ravioli, veggie, fruit, milk. Thursday - Salisbury
steak, mashed potatoes, veggie, fruit, milk. Friday - Pizza,
veggie, fruit, milk.
Letter
To The Editor
To the good citizens of Pittsfield: Wednesday,
February 2nd is the Public Hearing on the Budget, at the High
School, in the lecture hall, at 7 pm.
Here are some comments I’ve
heard on the street, while passing out my package that recommends a
“yes” vote on the ballot question, “Are you in favor of repealing
the zoning ordinance?”
How can we possibly raise our tax rate?
Many, many people are un- or under-employed. Many, many people do
not have any medical or retirement packages. How can we pay
more for the increase of our school and town medical and retirement?
What happens to the tax rate when we approve this budget and the
State and Federal government make their cuts?
Not having budgeted
enough money for diesel fuel for the plow and sanding trucks and
heating oil for the town shed, it was suggested we put plows on the
Police cruisers and as they make their rounds, they could plow the
roads.
I have pretty much given up on our tax rate.
The only solution many of us see is to get rid of
zoning and give the taxpayers the freedom to do
business throughout the entire town of Pittsfield.
Thereby increasing our chances of paying the tax
bill through more business opportunity. I will
be at the meeting with my repeal zoning package.
Please help untie
the hands of the good citizens of Pittsfield. We seldom get
the opportunity to vote our rights back. This could be our
once in a lifetime chance.
Dan Schroth Piermarocchi
The
Pittsfield Tiger Cubs from Pack 84 Visited the Suncook Valley Sun to
learn how to communicate through a newspaper. (from left front Corey
Holland, Decota Maura-Giddis, Logan Connor, and Robert Jackman. Back
left Den Leader Patrick Holland and SVS Editor Ross Morse).
VA
Publishes Final Regulation To Aid Veterans
Exposed To
Agent Orange In Korea Submitted By Merrill A. Vaughan Vice
Commander American Legion Peterson-Cram Post 75
Pittsfield, NH 03263
Veterans exposed to herbicides while serving
along the demilitarized zone (DMZ) in Korea will have an easier path
to access quality health care and benefits under a Department of
Veterans Affairs (VA) final regulation that will expand the dates
when illnesses caused by herbicide exposure can be presumed to be
related to Agent Orange. “VA’s primary mission is to be an
advocate for Veterans,” said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K.
Shinseki “With this new regulation VA has cleared a path for more
Veterans who served in the demilitarized zone in Korea to receive
access to our quality health care and disability benefits for
exposure to Agent Orange.”
Under the final regulation published
today in the Federal Register, VA will presume herbicide exposure
for any Veteran who served between April 1, 1968, and Aug. 31, 1971,
in a unit determined by VA and the Department of Defense (DoD) to
have operated in an area in or near the Korean DMZ in which
herbicides were applied.
Previously, VA recognized that
Agent Orange exposure could only be conceded to Veterans who served
in certain units along the Korean DMZ between April 1968 and July
1969.
In practical terms, eligible Veterans who have
specific illnesses VA presumes to be associated with herbicide
exposure do not have to prove an association between their illness
and their military service. This “presumption” simplifies and
speeds up the application process for benefits and ensures that
Veterans receive the benefits they deserve.
To learn about
Veterans’ diseases associated with Agent Orange exposure go to any
of these websites: •
www.publichealth.va.gov/PUBLICHEALTH/exposures/agentorange/diseases.asp.
•
www.publichealth.va.gov/exposures/agentorange/diseases.asp.
To learn more about birth defects in children of Vietnam-era
Veterans: •
publichealth.va.gov/PUBLICHEALTH/exposures/agentorange/birth_defects.asp
•
www.publichealth.va.gov/exposures/agentorange/birth_defects.asp.
VA encourages Veterans with covered service in Korea who have
medical conditions that may be related to Agent Orange to submit
their applications for access to VA health care and compensation as
soon as possible so the agency can begin processing their claims.
Individuals can go to website: •
www.vba.va.gov/bln/21/AO/claimherbicide.htm or •
www.vba.va.gov/bln/21/AO/claimherbicide.htm to get a more
complete understanding of how to file a claim for presumptive
conditions related to herbicide exposure, as well as what evidence
is needed by VA to make a decision about disability compensation or
survivors benefits. Additional information about Agent Orange and
VA’s services for Veterans exposed to the chemical is available at
• www.publichealth.va.gov/exposures/agentorange or •
www.publichealth.va.gov/exposures/agentorange/. The
regulation is available on the Office of the Federal Register,
website at www.ofr.gov/.
Letter
To The Editor
Dear Voters of Pittsfield: Many of you are aware
of the ballot article proposing the repeal of all zoning
regulations.
On the surface, it may sound like a great idea.
But please think it through. Without any zoning, there will be
NO control over the development of property and protection from
unthinking developers and real estate speculators.
Think of it
this way. There will be NO development zones. Anyone
will be able to build a firing range, factory, pig farm, dump,
salvage yard, cluster development, or any other potentially
undesirable business anywhere as long as it conforms to State and
Federal regulations. Lot size and setbacks from another
neighbor’s property will be uncontrolled.
Many of us grew up in a
time when most individuals thought as much about their neighbors as
themselves. People were courteous, and respectful toward
others. Population was also much less.
Today is a different
era. Are you willing to gamble with your piece of mind and
quality of life?
Zoning was put in place, in part, to protect
everyone’s right to peacefully coexist with others.
If all people
lived by the motto: “My rights end when I’m infringing on the rights
of others” there would be little need for zoning. But as you
know, it only takes one individual to make your life a living
nightmare.
The Planning Board is offering an alternative to
nothing. We offer a responsible, carefully
thought out change to the existing zoning ordinance.
No zoning is fool’s
gold.
Ted Mitchell Planning Board Member
VA
National Cemeteries Lead Nation In Satisfaction Survey
Submitted By Merrill A. Vaughan Vice Commander American
Legion Peterson-Cram Post 75 Pittsfield, NH 03263
For the
fourth consecutive time in ten years, the system of national
cemeteries operated by the Department of Veterans Affairs has bested
the nation’s top corporations and other federal agencies in a
prestigious, independent survey of customer satisfaction.
“This
survey is testament to the outstanding service that employees at
VA’s 131 national cemeteries provide to our nation’s Veterans and
their families,” said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki
“It is VA’s privilege to care for our nation’s heroes in perpetuity,
using the highest standards of professionalism and compassion.”
The American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) is the only
national, cross-industry measure of satisfaction with the quality of
goods and services available in the United States. Beginning
in 1999, the federal government selected ACSI to measure citizen
satisfaction.
Citing VA’s consistently record-setting ASCI
scores, the independent Federal Consulting Group saluted VA’s
“commitment to outstanding customer service to . . . Veterans’ next
of kin, as demonstrated by achieving an extraordinarily high ASCI
score.”
More than 100 federal agencies have used ACSI to gauge
consumer satisfaction with more than 200 services and programs.
The Index was founded at the University of Michigan’s Ross School of
Business and the survey is produced by ACSI, LLC.
VA’s
National Cemetery Administration participates in the ACSI every
three years, previously in 2001, 2004 and 2007. This is the
fourth time it participated and the fourth consecutive time it
received the top rating in the nation. For 2010, the National
Cemetery Administration achieved a customer satisfaction index of
94. Its score is nearly 29 points above the average for
federal government agencies, which was 65 in the study.
The ACSI survey polled the next-of-kin or other people who had
arranged for the interment of a loved one in a VA national cemetery
within the previous six months to one year. More than 1,900
people received the survey and 444 responded, a high response rate
for a mail survey.
Using methodologies developed at the National
Quality Research Center of the University of Michigan Business
School, the National Cemetery Administration received ratings in the
categories of “customer service” and “user trust” of 96 out of a
possible 100 points, indicating respondents are exceptionally
pleased with their experience at national cemeteries and willing to
recommend their services to others.
Veterans with a discharge
issued under conditions other than dishonorable, their spouses and
eligible dependent children can be buried in a VA national cemetery.
Also eligible are military personnel who die on active duty, their
spouses and eligible dependents.
Other burial benefits
available for all eligible Veterans, regardless of whether they are
buried in a national cemetery or a private cemetery, include a
burial flag, a Presidential Memorial Certificate and a government
headstone or marker. Families of eligible decedents may also
order a memorial headstone or marker when remains are not available
for interment.
In the midst of the largest expansion since the
Civil War, VA operates 131 national cemeteries in 39 states and
Puerto Rico and 33 soldiers’ lots and monument sites. More
than 3.5 million Americans, including Veterans of every war and
conflict, are buried in VA’s cemeteries on more than 19,000 acres of
land.
Information on VA burial benefits can be obtained from
national cemetery offices, from the Internet at
www.cem.va.gov or by calling VA
regional offices toll-free at 800-827-1000. To make burial
arrangements at the time of need at any VA national cemetery, call
the National Cemetery Scheduling Office at 800-535-1117.
Letter
To The Editor
Citizens of Pittsfield: The Selectboard urges
you to VOTE NO on the repeal of zoning for the Town of Pittsfield.
In the Monday, January 24 edition of the New Hampshire Union Leader,
two stories exhibit the value of zoning. The first story relates how
a company wants to build an asphalt plant in Franklin. Because of
zoning, the company must make a request for site plan approval to
build and operate the plant. Concerned Citizens of Franklin have
raised objections to the proposal. Because of zoning, if the
proposal is approved there will be a public hearing. At the public
hearing, citizens will be allowed to express their concerns or
support for the project.
The second story tells of plans by a
Massachusetts based company to build a landfill in the Town of
Milton. Numerous citizens attended the planning board meeting when
it took up the issue of the landfill. Because of zoning the citizens
were allowed to express their concerns or support for the project.
Zoning gives a forum for citizens to exercise their right of free
speech. Zoning gives that free speech meaning.
Thank you,
Denise Morin Ed Vien Fred Hast Fred Okrent Art Morse
Pittsfield Selectboard
Exciting News from PMHS
Pittsfield Middle High School will be
hosting their first annual Extended Learning Opportunity (ELO)
Celebration Night on Wednesday, February 16, 2011. Students who have
been engaged in ELO Job Shadow experiences will be presenting their
final projects and providing the audience with a presentation
detailing their particular learning adventures.
The community is
cordially invited to attend this event with the students, their
community partners, highly qualified teachers, family, and friends
to celebrate the students’ learning and share in the excitement of
their experience.
There will be a fundraiser dinner, bake sale,
and child care available. A spaghetti dinner will be served from
4:30-5:30. Please mark your calendars and plan on attending one of
the most exciting events ever at PMHS. We hope to see you there.
Please call Sheila Ward at 435-6701 X1117 if you have any questions
Café
Bienvenue At The Pittsfield Area Senior Center Every Tuesday
Lunch at the senior center is extra special every Tuesday when we
set up Café Bienvenue. The café features a soup and salad bar,
along with a sandwich or hot entrée and dessert.
For example, on
February 15th we’ll be serving seafood chowder in a bread bowl, the
salad bar, and selected fruits with pudding.
The suggested
donation of $2.00 for folks over 60 makes the café a healthful
bargain! When you’re in downtown Pittsfield on a Tuesday, stop
into the Senior Center for lunch, and try out Café Bienvenue.
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