Over her 35-year career serving the citizens of Lebanon, Deputy City Manager Paula Maville has held many different positions, including the top job of acting city manager. Currently the longest-serving employee with the City, Paula has developed a reputation over her tenure for not only fair and ethical leadership, but also for being a trusted mentor and expert practical problem solver. Now, the lifelong Lebanon resident is embarking on a new chapter – retirement from civic leadership – and is reflecting on her decades long service to the City.

“Looking at that life balance is the way to put it. It’s something that I can afford to do, and after 35 years, I want to take a look at other possibilities until I retire completely from working,” says Paula.… Read More

For 40 years, Opera North – the only full-time, professional opera company in New Hampshire – has served as a creative outlet to share the art form with performances of opera, operetta, and musical theater. Opera North’s steadfast commitment to the arts was apparent in 2020 as they were the only professional opera company that performed that summer during the height of the pandemic.

Opera North’s 40th Anniversary Gala was held at The Quechee Inn at Marshland Farms on June 30, 2022. It was a celebratory evening focused on the company’s impact on our community and the wider artistic world, as well as a celebration of the company’s long history and support for opera in the Upper Valley.… Read More

Each year, thousands of Upper Valley residents take part as participants, volunteers, and donors, in The Prouty, the annual fund raising effort for the Norris Cotton Cancer Center (NCCC) at DHMC. This year, the 41st for the event held on July 8 and 9, is no different, as preparations are well underway for another successful Prouty.

Literally thousands of participants take part in the cycling, walking, rowing, golfing and other activities that make up each Prouty event. And each of these participants raise money from friends and family for participating, with the funds raised going towards research, and services for patients at the NCCC.… Read More

Community master plans provide a unique vision for what residents and public officials would like for their towns and cities over a multi-year time frame. Master plans also help guide local decision-making in areas like land use, energy, conservation, recreation, housing & transportation, business, and cultural and historic resources, among other topics. Lebanon, like many communities around New Hampshire, is revising the 2012 master plan using a dynamic new approach of working on a few chapters each year.

This year, the Natural Resources and Energy chapters are being updated as opposed to rewritten, says Planning & Development Director David Brooks. “Some communities do their master plan this way, taking a chapter or two each year, which affords a rolling cycle of updates.… Read More

La Salette Shrine: Hope International Connection and Peace

Most Upper Valley folks are familiar with the La Salette Shrine Festival of Lights display in Enfield, NH during the holiday season, but the shrine is a busy place connected to the Upper Valley Community year-round. Speaking with Father John Patrick Sullivan, the director of the shrine and Roman Catholic priest, one can hear his passion for connecting with people in both his neighborhood, the greater Upper Valley, and the world community.

 La Salette has been a part of the Upper Valley for over 100 years after the Shaker society sold the land to the La Salette group in 1927.… Read More

Iryna’s story begins ten years back, before Russia’s war on Ukraine ever began. Iryna Petrus – now living in the Upper Valley with her 4-year-old daughter Polina after fleeing Ukraine in February 2022 – first came to Lebanon as a student. Iryna had a degree in engineering from a university in Ukraine, but was looking to improve her English by studying at Lebanon College where she earned her Associate Degree in business administration. She also worked at Elixir in WRJ, where she recalls talking to patrons about Ukrainian independence and history: “I was a really proud Ukrainian back then and even more now.”… Read More

The concept of a natural burial as an environmentally friendly option in private and public cemeteries is becoming increasingly popular throughout the country, primarily for its minimal environmental impact, simplicity, and lower cost to the consumer. Historically, natural burials were the norm until modern funeral practices like embalming, caskets made from exotic wood, and non-biodegradable cement vaults evolved shortly after the Civil War in response to the desire to preserve soldiers’ remains until they were returned home to their families. Today, with more than 350 green burial cemeteries in the United States, natural burial practices are making a comeback, and municipal officials and consumers are evolving in their understanding of the benefits and management needs of natural burials.… Read More

At age 79, Quail Hollow Senior Living Community resident Sarwar Kashmeri has achieved stunning success in his career and gained not only national recognition, but international acclaim, as well.

Sarwar Kashmeri is an international relations specialist, author, and commentator, noted for his expertise on U.S. global strategy and national security. He is the host of Polaris-Live, featuring 30-minute live conversations on the business and geopolitical impact of China’s rapid rise to superpower status. 

He is the author of the Foreign Policy Association report The Telegram: A China Agenda for President Biden (2021). China’s Grand Strategy: Weaving A New Silk Road to Global Primacy (Praeger) – his third book – was published in July  2019. It… Read More

Muriel Maville, owner of Muriel’s Donuts in Lebanon, had never baked before opening the shop with her husband Francis in 1967. “I was a mother; I was at home!” Muriel laughs, “I hadn’t even gone out to work. In the beginning I didn’t even know if I even wanted to do it, but it all worked out alright.” 

To say that it worked out alright is an understatement; Muriel’s Donuts has stayed in business for 54 years, with Muriel and her family baking up delicious donuts for a loyal customer base and the new faces that come in to try the treats they’ve heard about from friends and family, and in regional and national publications. … Read More

In summer of 2021, the Lebanon Times attended an inspiring concert on the Lebanon green featuring one of the Tuck’s Rock Dojo bands, a mix of talented high- school and college-age musicians and their high-energy teacher, Tuck Stocking. The singer’s powerful and emotional voice and the driving rhythms and melodies of the instruments playing classic rock songs inspired dancing and jubilee in the crowds. Let’s explore the secrets to creating such passionate and skilled music.

Tuck Stocking and Kata Sasvari, a husband-wife team, started Tuck’s Rock Dojo back in 2009. Tuck has a longtime love of many types of music.… Read More