The week leading up to Earth Day on April 22 was a challenge for a group of Upper Valley folks who had taken the No Plastic Pollution Challenge – we were committed to not buying plastic. No plastic. Do you have any idea how challenging that can be? Bread bags, cheese wrap, ketchup bottles, yogurt cups, chip bags, cider jugs, peanut butter and mayonnaise jars, take-away cups, frozen food bags, maple syrup jugs, you name it, all soon-to-be-disposed-of plastic.

Two million single-use plastic bags are distributed every minute throughout the world – used for a moment, tossed, and then remain in the environment for centuries as they break down into tiny particles that infiltrate our soils and waters and bodies.… Read More

Many people don’t know there are good jobs in manufacturing, right here, says Chris Hamilton of Fuji Dimatix, which invents and produces commercial-quality inkjet printheads. Kids can buck the trend that says they have to leave the Upper Valley to find a good job after high school. Next fall, a pilot program bearing the impressive name STEM Internship: High Tech Manufacturing and Engineering, will link 16 Lebanon High School seniors and some students from Thetford Academy with Hypertherm and Fuji in a semester-long internship. “The program covers the entire business,” explains Tim Renner, a team leader at Hypertherm’s tech training institute.… Read More

The word nurse is defined by Webster as ‘a person trained for the sick or infirm, especially in a hospital’. While that may define, what nurses do, it does not explain who they are. Nurses are your friend, there to hold your hand. Nurses are your parent, there to assure you that all will be okay. Nurses are a companion, there to listen and fulfill even the smallest requests. Nurses fill the role of any person you need, at the very instant when you are at the greatest and worst moments of life. So, during Nurse Appreciation Week, we would like to take a moment to honor those who are there for us, our nurses here in the Upper Valley.… Read More

The word nurse is defined by Webster as ‘a person trained for the sick or infirm, especially in a hospital’. While that may define, what nurses do, it does not explain who they are. Nurses are your friend, there to hold your hand. Nurses are your parent, there to assure you that all will be okay. Nurses are a companion, there to listen and fulfill even the smallest requests. Nurses fill the role of any person you need, at the very instant when you are at the greatest and worst moments of life. So, during Nurse Appreciation Week, we would like to take a moment to honor those who are there for us, our nurses here in the Upper Valley.… Read More

The word nurse is defined by Webster as ‘a person trained for the sick or infirm, especially in a hospital’. While that may define, what nurses do, it does not explain who they are. Nurses are your friend, there to hold your hand. Nurses are your parent, there to assure you that all will be okay. Nurses are a companion, there to listen and fulfill even the smallest requests. Nurses fill the role of any person you need, at the very instant when you are at the greatest and worst moments of life. So, during Nurse Appreciation Week, we would like to take a moment to honor those who are there for us, our nurses here in the Upper Valley.… Read More

The word nurse is defined by Webster as ‘a person trained for the sick or infirm, especially in a hospital’. While that may define, what nurses do, it does not explain who they are. Nurses are your friend, there to hold your hand. Nurses are your parent, there to assure you that all will be okay. Nurses are a companion, there to listen and fulfill even the smallest requests. Nurses fill the role of any person you need, at the very instant when you are at the greatest and worst moments of life. So, during Nurse Appreciation Week, we would like to take a moment to honor those who are there for us, our nurses here in the Upper Valley.… Read More

An aging population requires greater health care services. Like it or not, as we age, the need for greater, and more intensive care increases. Nurses can provide much of that care, and the information patients need to access care. This is one of the reasons Laurie Harding was motivated to start the Upper Valley Community Nursing Project.

Harding, an RN with a strong background in community health care, began the program with Dr. Dennis McCullough about five years ago. Their goal was to assist communities in recruiting professional nurses to work for towns, and local parishes, in helping direct elderly residents to receive the proper health care services.… Read More

What is your favorite quote?
“Each of us has a fire in our hearts for something. It’s our goal in life to find it and to keep it lit.” Mary Lou Retton

What Disney character would you be and why?
Snow White. She enjoys people with a variety of personalities and is happy in her home.

If you had to give away 50% of your assets today, how/where would you distribute them?
I would set up funds to fully staff nursing homes. I would donate to cancer and mental health research.

What famous person would you take on a world tour?… Read More

What is your favorite quote?
We sleep safe in our beds because rough men stand ready in the night to visit violence on those who would do us harm.

If you could be invisible for a day, where would you be?
The Governor’s Office to see what goes on when there are no reporters or tv cameras

What Disney character would you be and why?
The Beast. He gets respect.

What song most describes your life right now?
Foghat’s Third Time Lucky

What do you love most about living in New Hampshire?
The outdoors, the seasons changing, the lakes and rivers, the hills and mountains

If you had to give away 50% of your assets today, how/where would you distribute them?… Read More

If you are cruising through Lebanon or West Lebanon, and suddenly you glance in your rear-view mirror and notice flashing blue lights, you should pull over as quickly as possible. Don’t stress out. You’ll no doubt be greeted by one of the professional and friendly officers of the Lebanon police force.

Women in law enforcement is nothing new, but it has been a growing trend throughout the United States for some time and the City of Lebanon is certainly no exception. Just how long? Women have served in organized law enforcement in our country almost from the beginning. Today we are discovering the advantages of deploying both female and male officers, capitalizing on the synergy that develops when the gifts and talents of those crime fighters are combined.… Read More