Todd Palin revs up crowd in Fremont

Todd Palin made a guest appearance today at the annual New Hampshire Snowmobile Grass Drags and Water Crossing competition in Fremont.
Just in case you've forgotten the name, Todd is known in Alaska as the "first dude" ... he's the husband of Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin.
Anyhow, he got a warm welcome from many of the racers and fans who turned out for the big event. He wouldn't take any questions from the press, but trust me, we tried. Secret Service people were everywhere, along with lots of his campaign people who made sure we didn't ask anything, especially about the Troopergate scandal involving him and his wife.
All in all, it was a good time. Todd loves snowmobiles, so he seemed to be heaven.
Here's the story I wrote for the New Hampshire Sunday News:

By Jason Schreiber
Sunday News Correspondent
FREMONT - Surrounded by hundreds of snowmobiles and the sound of roaring engines, Todd Palin was in his element.
He may be the husband of a vice presidential candidate, but he didn’t look like one yesterday.
“He’s a blue collar guy,” John Stevens of Newmarket said after Palin took a moment to autograph his program guide.
Stevens was among the crowd of snowmobile fans who were revved up when Palin visited the New Hampshire Snowmobile Association’s annual Grass Drags and Water Crossing competition at the Brookvale Farm. In his first stop in New Hampshire since his wife, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, became the Republican vice presidential nominee, Todd Palin spent yesterday morning chatting with racers, checking out the newest sleds and watching snowmobilers race across grass and water.
The event was Palin’s only stop in New Hampshire before heading off to campaign in Maine later in the day.
Palin’s visit set the stage for his wife, who is expected to make her first campaign swing in New Hampshire next Wednesday.
A champion snowmobile racer in Alaska, Palin, 44, was comfortable with this racing crowd in his blue jeans and black Tesoro Iron Dog jacket. Before the races began, Palin briefly address the crowd and urged support for his wife and Republican presidential nominee Sen. John McCain.
He said he and his wife have toured the country, listening to the concerns and hopes of Americans.
“One thing is for sure,” Palin said, “voters across America from here in New Hampshire all the way to Alaska are looking for change in how business is done in Washington, and I can say I can’t blame them.”
Palin kept his remarks short because his visit was hardly about talking politics. He was more interested in hanging out with snowmobilers and learning about their cool machines.
Scott Allaire showed Palin the new Arctic Cat line up. Palin told Allaire what he liked and didn’t like about the machine he rode last year in Alaska’s Iron Dog, the world’s longest snowmobile race.
Palin was joined yesterday by his Alaskan buddy Martin Buser, a four-time champion of the Iditarod dog sled race, along with New Hampshire Sen. John E. Sununu.
He took no questions from reporters who trailed behind him every step of the way, even as he grabbed his sausage grinder from the Weare Winter Wanderers' concession stand.
Palin didn’t respond when asked for his reaction to a legislative investigator’s report released Friday that found his wife violated Alaska’s state ethics laws and abused her power as governor by trying to have her ex-bother-in-law fired as a state trooper. Gov. Palin has denied any wrongdoing.
There was no talk of the Troopergate scandal yesterday. Snowmobile fans cared more about the fact that Palin seemed like a “down to earth guy. They said they were glad to see someone campaigning who could relate to their way of life and the sport they love.
“I don’t think he would have been campaigning here if he wasn’t an enthusiast. He’s an outdoors’ guy,” said Allaire, 36, of Essex, Vt., who works as a district sales manager for Arctic Cat.
Palin picked a good event to hit as the crowd seemed largely Republican, though some in the crowd didn't know who he was. "Todd who?" was the response from a few spectators when asked for their reaction to his visit.
While there were some Democrats sprinkled in here and there, even they were leaning toward the Republican ticket this year.
Loyal Democrat Elaine Shuler, 60, of East Kingston, said she’ll be voting Republican this year for the first time.
Shuler said she was excited to meet Palin at the snowmobile drags, a sport she knew nothing about until she researched it online and saw it firsthand yesterday.
Carroll Higgins, 64, of Rochester, had his New England Patriots’ hat signed by Palin. He’s a registered Democrat, but this year he’s likely to vote for McCain.
Higgins, who has no health insurance and recently retired after losing his job at a company that makes car parts, said he just doesn’t trust Democratic presidential nominee Sen. Barack Obama.
McCain’s decision to add Sarah Palin to the Republican ticket was a smart move, he said.
“She brought a breath of fresh air to the campaign,” Higgins said during his first visit to the grass drags.
Tim Leonard, 46, of Newmarket, is a registered Independent and is leaning toward McCain.
“I’m an avid snowmobiler like (Palin) and I can relate to him. He’s the type of guy that if you had a question you could ask him on a blue collar level and not get any BS,” Leonard said.

Get spooked at Haunted Acres

If you're looking for some frightening fun, you've gotta check out the Haunted Acres Halloween-theme park behind New England Dragway on Route 27 in Epping.

The place is absolutely incredible, if you like being scared out of your mind!

I went there tonight and, man, it was pretty frightening, but so much fun. They have dozens of actors who follow you around, popping out from every dark corner. The park has two haunted houses, a maze from hell, and a 1/4-mile nightmare walk. It is so well done, and the actors are fantastic.

It's definitely the most impressive haunted place I've ever seen. Just a word of caution: Don't bring the kids.

Check out their Web site, http://www.hauntedacresnh.com/.

I wrote a funny atory about a boat that was pulled from the dumped and used as a prop at the place. Here's the story for your reading pleasure.

EPPING - An unwanted speedboat dumped at the Epping landfill has found a new home deep in the spooky woods of Haunted Acres.

After learning about the boat sitting in a heap at the town dump, Haunted Acres co-owner John Tracy decided to put the boat to use in a pirate scene at his Halloween-themed park set up in a wooded area at the back of New England Dragway.

“They were glad to get rid of it,” Tracy said of the landfill workers who planned to simply bulldoze over the boat to bury it along with another boat and other trash.

Tracy stumbled across the boat after mentioning to a town employee that he was on the hunt for a boat to be used in a pirate scene. The worker told him about the boats at the landfill, so he went to take a look a couple of weeks ago.

The boat was pulled from the pile of trash and hauled over to Haunted Acres where it was covered with wooden planks and made to resemble a pirate shipwreck, complete with a large canon that fires puffs of fog as frightened visitors pass by.

“It’s actually a really cool scene at night,” Tracy said.

The shipwreck is now one of the newest features at the large theme park, which is set in an 1860s Western ghost town and includes haunted houses, a maze and a walk filled with frightening encounters.

Robert Gaucher, 19, of Newmarket, helped build the shipwreck scene and said it was his favorite at the park this year. When the fiberglass boat first arrived, Gaucher doubted that it could be transformed into a shipwreck. But after five days of work, the mission was accomplished.

“It came out pretty good,” said Gaucher, a maintenance and security worker at the park.

Some people who read a story about the boats left at the dump in the New Hampshire Union Leader recognized the boat at Haunted Acres and asked if it was the same one they saw in the paper, Tracy said.

Tracy is lucky he snagged the boat when he did because the town won’t be accepting boats in the future, selectmen said Monday. Selectman Dianne Gilbert joked that the dump won’t be taking returns, but Tracy said he has no plans to bring the boat back once his park closes after Halloween. He said he’ll continue using the pirate scene for a few more years, and after that, he’ll either trade the scene to another haunted park or sell it.

Tracy said he’s pleased with how the pirate scene turned out and the rest of the displays at the park, which opened last weekend.

“Everything came out really well. We’re hoping for a good season,” he said.

Haunted Acres will be open Thursday-Sunday until Nov. 1. For more information, visit the park’s Web site, www.hauntedacresnh.com.

Palin Power coming to Fremont

Rumor has it that Todd Palin, the husband of Republican vice presidential pick Sarah Palin, is headed to Fremont this weekend for the New Hampshire Snowmobile Association's annual grass drags and water crossing competition.

As we all know, Palin, better known as Alaska's "first dude," is a champion snowmobiler, so he'd be in his element campaigning for his wife at the biggest snowmobile event in the Northeast, perhaps even the country.

I don't have all the details just yet on the possible visit, but I'll be out there to report on it if and when he arrives. Sarah Palin herself will be in the state next Wednesday, making several campaign stops, so be on the lookout.

Vandals target Seacoast United Soccer Club

Now here's a story that'll get your blood boiling, especially if you're among the many soccer parents who enjoy having Seacoast United Soccer Club's spectacular field complex right in our backyard in Epping.

Vandals hit the complex this week and made a huge mess that'll cost at least $15,000 to fix. It's really sad. Declan's Fremont travel team played there on Sunday for the first time and it was perfect. The next day vandals decided to leave their mark.

Here's the scoop.

By Jason Schreiber

Union Leader Correspondent

EPPING - Vandals caused more than $15,000 in damage to a soccer field complex Monday night when they sliced apart soccer nets and large banners, fired paintballs, flipped over portable toilets and drove across one of the fields.

Police are now searching for the culprits behind the vandalism spree at Seacoast United Soccer Club’s outdoor facility on Shirkin Road.

“I don’t know if somebody was trying to be vindictive or wanted to have some fun, but it was just sickening. It’s nothing more than just a kick in the teeth,” said Paul Willis, the club’s executive director.

The damage to Field 4 was discovered late Monday afternoon when members of a team showed up for practice. As many as 14 large banners advertising the names of sponsors were cut up with a knife, along with the soccer nets. The field was littered with the banners and trash that was left behind by the vandals.

Willis said paintballs had also been shot at the shelters that cover the area where players sit. The players and staff cleaned up the mess.

“It was disappointing for the kids down at the field to come and see it. I had boys coming up to me saying, “Why would somebody do this?’” Willis said.

Police Sgt. Sean Gallagher said it was the first case of vandalism at the Seacoast United complex since it opened in Epping in 2006. The club, which has an indoor facility in Hampton, draws players from around New England who regularly use the outdoor facility, which includes four fields made from expensive artificial turf.

Gallagher said it was obvious that a vehicle had driven over Field 4. A tire mark was left on the field when the vehicle apparently accelerated. While a gate is locked at the entrance to the complex, Gallagher said he believes the vandals managed to get around the gate with the vehicle.

Police have no suspects at this time, but Seacoast United is offering a reward for information in the case.

“The damage seems more like it was from juveniles, but who knows,” Gallagher said.

The vandalism stunned parents who showed up for practices last night. “I don’t understand it. Why would somebody want to do that?” asked Lise Cheney of Bow, whose daughter plays on a U11 team.

Parent Karen Stevens of Londonderry had the same questions. Not only did they cause thousands in damage, but the vandals also “hurt the kids who play here because it disrupted their time.”

Christine Eichholz of Stratham said the club has done so much for the community, noting how it has tried to be a good neighbor by allowing Epping and Fremont teams to use the fields.

Anyone with information about the vandalism is urged to call Epping police at 679-5122.

All Aboard! GMA coming to Exeter

I'm still trying to nail down the details, but I've heard that the crew from "Good Morning America" will be making a stop in Exeter on Sept. 24 on their "Whistle Stop" tour. They're visiting several states on an antique train in the weeks leading up to the presidential primary. In the end, the crew will have visited all 50 states over the next 50 days. I'm researching the details of the stop for a story I'm writing, so I'll post here just in case someone wants to check out the crew when they arrive.

Coffin for sale: $150

If you drive along Route 107 in Fremont you've probably noticed a very creepy item for sale on the side of the road. For the past couple of weeks a pine box coffin has been sitting outside a residence near the Poplin Cafe, waiting for a taker. It's wide open with a For Sale sign on it. The coffin carries a price tag of $150. I must admit the coffin is tempting with Halloween around the corner, but I don't think my wife would appreciate it sitting on my front lawn. It could make a good birthday gift for someone turning 40. If you're interested, call 895-9470.

Warning to telemarketers: Don't mess with me

I finally did it. I called the cops on a telemarketing firm that was really ticking me off. I'm sure I'm not the only one who's been getting these calls that show up on caller ID as "Chartered Marketing." They started a few weeks ago and they seemed to come at least once a day. The problem is that when I answered to tell them not to call again, there was never another person on the other end. It was completely dead. I put up with this for three weeks, and finally blew my stack. I don't even know why I waited for three weeks to fight back.
Anyhow, last week I called the number back from caller ID and I blasted the supervisor. I told her that if I got another call from them that I would be contacting local authorities to report them for phone harassment. My argument: When there's no one there for you to tell not to call again, it makes it difficult for you to put a stop to the repeated calls, which I now considered to be harassment. The supervisor told me that it could take up to a month for my phone number to be removed from the system. Still, I warned her that I would be calling the cops if another call came.

Well, sure enough, the next day, at 5 p.m., right as I was attempting to sit down to dinner, the call came. I immediately picked up the phone, and when no one was there to reply, I hung up and called police. I never expected an officer to come to my house to take a report, but within 10 minutes he was knocking on my door. You can imagine the look on my wife's face when the police pulled in to speak with me about a telemarketer. "Just don't answer the phone," she'd tell me. Well, I have a hard time letting this type of stuff slide. I was too annoyed not to do something.

I explained the situation to the officer and provided the telemarketer's phone number. He said he would contact them to see about putting a stop to the calls. Whatever he said must have worked because I haven't received a call since. Sometimes you have to take drastic steps to restore order in your house. The constant calls just added to the mayhem in my house filled with the sounds of sibling battles over who got the bigger pancake or the most crackers.

While the telemarketing calls have stopped, the political polling ones are now starting. Tonight I got one from some group of Democrats. I didn't answer. Hopefully I won't have to call the cops on them.

Lawsuit over student's suicide dismissed

For the past several months I've been covering this tragic case in Raymond of a student who killed himself one day after school following his suspension. The case raised many questions about whether a school and its teachers can be held legally responsible for a suicide. Take a look and see if you agree with the judge, who has now dismissed the case.

By Jason Schreiber
Union Leader Correspondent

RAYMOND - A judge has dismissed a wrongful death suit against the Raymond School District and a teacher, saying they can’t be blamed for the death of a middle school student who hanged himself after problems at school.

Rockingham County Superior Court Judge Kenneth McHugh found that neither the school district nor former special education teacher Susan Allen are legally responsible for seventh-grader Joshua Markiewicz’s death in January 2005.

Markiewicz, then 13-year-old student at Iber Holmes Gove Middle School, used a belt to hang himself in his bedroom closet after he was suspended from school. Before the suicide, he wrote notes on his forearm that said, “I hate Ms. Allen,” “Death,” and “I hope she suffers.”

The suit brought by the boy’s mother, Heidi Mikell of Deerfield, accused the school district and its teachers of branding her son as a troublemaker and driving him to kill himself.

“Whenever a 13-year-old child commits suicide that is a most tragic event. There can be many causes for such action and it is difficult to identify them after the fact. There is a natural tendency for loved ones to want to assess blame against any and all persons that may have interacted with the decedent in a negative way prior to his death. However, legal responsibility is something that cannot be left to speculation or wishful thinking. Here the facts as a matter of law do not translate into legal responsibility for either Susan Allen or School Administrative Unit 33 with respect to the death of Joshua Markiewicz,” McHugh wrote in his Sept. 3 order, which was made available to the public this week.

The lawsuit claimed that the suicide might have stemmed partly from an incident Joshua had with Allen on the day before his death. On that day, Allen accused Joshua of referring to two candy mints as “medicine.” Joshua denied making the statement.

According to the lawsuit, Allen “winked” at him as she reported the incident to the school’s vice principal, suggesting that she lied about the medicine statement and the wink was an attempt to make Joshua realize that he had no power. Joshua insisted that it was Allen who referred to the mints as medicine.

The lawsuit also claimed that Joshua had made suicidal threats at school in the weeks before his death, but McHugh found no evidence to suggest that Allen knew about those threats on the day of the incident with the mints. McHugh wrote that Allen could no have reason to believe that her interaction with Joshua on the day before the suicide would have resulted in his death the next day.

Joshua wasn’t suspended over the mint incident and returned to school the next day. “It was the incident that took place on the day of his death … January, 19, 2005, that would seem to have been much more likely to have caused (Joshua) to make the decision to take his life. On that morning the decedent tipped over a desk and allegedly called his teacher a bitch. It was for that conduct that he was suspended and his mother was asked to pick him up. The decedent then committed suicide at his home a few hours later,” McHugh wrote.

The ruling also addressed Joshua’s suicide notes. The fact that Joshua “left a suicide note claiming he hated everyone and further that he wrote Ms. Allen’s name on his arm and professed his hatred for her has no relevance to the court’s judgment in determining whether or not the conduct of Ms. Allen on January 18, 2005, could have reasonably fit into the category of intentional infliction of emotional distress.”

Middle school guidance counselor Lindy Moule had also been named as a defendant in the suit, but the court recently dismissed her from the case. It was unclear yesterday whether Mikell would appeal. Neither Mikell’s lawyer, William B. Pribis, nor Allen’s lawyer, John P. Fagan, returned phone calls seeking comment. Mikell has an unlisted phone number and could not be reached yesterday.

One rough ride in a hot air balloon

The hot air balloon sits on the ground after landing in Sandown Friday morning.

I always thought it'd be fun to take a ride in a hot air balloon someday...then I had to cover a story on a balloon that had an unexpected "hard landing" last weekend and left a passenger with some pretty serious injuries. I still think it could be a great experience, but it's good to know the risks.

By Jason Schreiber

Union Leader Correspondent

SANDOWN - Ralph Avery was given a hot air balloon ride for his Father’s Day gift, but his ride yesterday didn’t end quite the way he expected after he was injured when the balloon landed hard in a resident’s backyard.

Avery, 63, of East Bridgewater, Mass., was one of seven people riding in the yellow smiley face balloon from Derry-based High 5 Ballooning when it landed in an open area behind a home at 105 Main St.

Fire officials said Avery suffered ankle injuries when the balloon landed harder than expected. Avery was transported to Parkland Medical Center in Derry for treatment.

Fire Chief Bill Tapley said he didn’t know the extent of Avery’s injuries. “He was in good spirits. I think he just twisted his ankles,” he said. Avery could not be reached comment.

Tony Sica, the owner of the balloon company who was piloting the balloon, said the winds picked up unexpectedly, causing the landing to be harder than usual.

“Most landings are soft, but when the winds pick in a balloon, you’re going to have a hard landing,” Sica said.

As he prepared for landing, Sica said he tried to slow the balloon by lowering it into the treetops.

The balloon left yesterday morning from Salem. A hot air balloon pilot for 13 years, Sica said he checked the weather conditions before taking off and everything looked good.

“There was no indication that there would be adverse wind conditions,” he said.

Sica warned the passengers to brace for a hard landing when he realized that the wind would make it tough. “When the winds pick up you draw on your experiences as a pilot to get the passengers down as safely as you can,” he said.

Main Street neighbor Jean Martin was inside his house getting ready to work in his garage when the balloon landed. When the balloon finally came to a stop, Martin went over to check on the passengers. He said he saw a man, later identified as Avery, having trouble standing up. “I felt bad for him,” he said of Avery, “but it’s just one of those things.”

Rescuing lifeguards are revealed

I must apologize for failing to identify the lifeguard in the photo I posted Sunday after the skydiver was rescued during a skydiving demonstration by Skydive New England over Hampton Beach. My story was posted on the New Hampshire Union Leader's Web site, http://www.unionleader.com/, and several people wanted to know who the lifeguards were. Actually, it seems the women who commented were more interested in being rescued by hunky lifeguards.

I have since learned that there were three lifeguards involved in this rescue. The lifeguard in my photo, which, by the way, appeared last night on WMUR-TV, was Nick Africano. He managed to find my blog and posted a comment explaining what happened. Here's what he had to say.
"It's awesome you were there to catch that story and great timing with the picture. I want to give some credit to the guards who got to him well before I did. When he landed in the water two guards swam out for him, Dan Ryan and Pat Murphy. They made first contact and made sure he was OK until I got to him with a rescue board."

Thanks for providing more details, Nick. There was such a large crowd on the beach that I lost sight of the rescuing lifeguards as I was trying to interview the skydiver. With deadline approaching, I had to rush to get the story done and the photo sent in, so I didn't have time to track down the lifeguards that night. Hopefully I'll be able to follow up with them to give them proper credit in the newspaper.

Oops! Winds blow skydiver off course

Here's my shot of a lifeguard high-fiving the skydiver he rescued from the ocean off Hampton Beach.

So I took Kathy and the kids to see the Hampton Beach Seafood Festival this afternoon. I covered it for the paper yesterday and was just amazed at all the delicious seafood at reasonable prices and the entertainment and other fun stuff, so I figured they'd enjoy it. Plus, a skydiving demonstration was planned for the afternoon and I knew the kids would dig that.

The highlight of the afternoon was, of course, the skydivers. Watching them being dropped from the sky over Hampton Beach was amazing. But it seems the news follows me everywhere. With thousands watching on, one of the skydivers got blown into the ocean. It was quite a sight seeing this poor skydiver landing about a half-mile out in the ocean instead of the beach, which is where he was supposed to end up.

Luckily I had my pen, reporter's notebook, and camera to capture it all, leaving the family in the dust.

For more details, read the story below.

By Jason Schreiber

Union Leader Correspondent

HAMPTON - Thousands of spectators watching a skydiving demonstration at Hampton Beach got quite a scare yesterday when strong winds blew one of the skydivers about a half-mile out into the ocean.

Skydiver Fred Cotreau was dropped from the plane buzzing over the crowded beach and said he knew he was in trouble within a matter of minutes. He was supposed to land on the beach like the others, but the wind pushed him too far out.

Many in the crowd gasped as the 43-year-old Cotreau dropped into the rough ocean waters stirred up by Tropical Storm Hanna. A lifeguard rushed into the water to rescue Cotreau, who escaped injury.

Cotreau, co-owner of Skydive New England, was among 11 skydivers who performed in the demonstration around 5 p.m. yesterday as part of the Hampton Beach Seafood Festival.

“I was trying to get home,” a soaked Cotreau announced to the crowd as people cheered his safe return to the beach.

In his 18 years of skydiving, Cotreau said this was the first time he’s ever had a water landing. The incident frightened spectators who feared that he would become tangled up in his parachute and drown.

When she realized that he had missed the landing, Kendra Ferm of Raymond said she worried about whether he could swim, especially in the ocean swells.

Others thought the ocean landing was part of the plan. “Initially we thought it was part of the act, but it was obvious when the lifeguard went out that someone was in trouble. It’s scary stuff,” said Maurice Consoli of Groveland, Mass.

Cell phones and gas pumps don't mix

You learn something new everyday, and last week I was shocked to learn that using a cell phone while pumping gas could create a hazard,

I haven't researched this to find out why it's so dangerous, but I happened to actually read the warning sign posted on the gas pump...you know, the one that warns you to shut your car off when you pump, don't light up ... stuff like that.

Anyhow, I noticed that one of the recommendations was to avoid cell phone use. Can a cell phone really cause a gas explosion if you use it while pumping? If there's an expert out there in cell phone usage and potential gas station infernos, please shed some light.

One batty burglary

Thieves who broke into an Epping residence under the cover of darkness may have a bat to thank for keeping the homeowners sound asleep during their burglary.
Police said the couple didn’t hear a thing when the thieves broke in and stole their 52-inch TV and other belongings, possibly because they closed their bedroom door earlier in the night to keep a bat from flying in while they slept.
The couple usually leaves their bedroom door open at night, but they had closed it on the night of the burglary after they were up late trying unsuccessfully to get a bat out of the main part of the house.
Officers were called to the Jenness Road residence just before 4 a.m. on Sept. 1 when the homeowners eventually awoke and discovered the burglary.
Police Chief Gregory Dodge said the thieves entered the house after removing a screen from a front window.
The homeowners were sleeping at the time of the break-in but were later awakened by their barking dog.
When the husband went to bring the dog outside, he discovered the TV was gone.
“They heard nobody come in and nobody leave. They were reacting to the dog barking,” Dodge said.
Given the size of the TV, Dodge said it appears that more than one thief was involved in the burglary.
In addition to the TV, a knife and digital camera were also taken. The female homeowner’s purse was also found emptied out in the backyard with items taken, Dodge said.
It seems the thieves were careful not to make too much racket. Dodge said they removed items that were sitting on a shelf near the window and placed them in the back yard so that they wouldn’t knock them over. Dodge described the burglary as unusual, saying it’s uncommon for thieves to break in while the homeowners are inside.
Detectives recovered evidence from the scene, including fingerprints that are currently bring processed. Dodge said police have suspects.
Police have received no other reports of either daytime or nighttime burglaries in the Jenness Road area.
Anyone with information about the case is urged to call the Epping Police Department’s Detective Division at 679-5122.

Marketing gimmick is really juvenile

Anyone who's a parent will be able to relate. It's back to school time and we're all hitting the stores to get the kids' fall wardrobe in good shape. Shopping for clothes with young kids is hard enough, but these days it's even more difficult because the freakin' clothes designers have decided to start attaching toys to the clothing to reel the kids in.

While shopping at Kohl's we discovered mini radios, skateboards and other toys hanging from the clothes on the racks. It's crazy. Getting a prize in box of Frosted Flakes is one thing, but dangling a skateboard from a Tony Hawk shirt is another. These toys jack up the prices and attract the kids who, of course, want the toy more than the clothes. Something just isn't right here.

Watch out for West Nile

Time to lather up in Deet.
New Hampshire health officials today confirmed the first case of West Nile virus in mosquitoes found in Kensington. Just when we thought we'd escape the threat of a mosquito-borne illness, West Nile pops up...and you can bet Eastern equine encephalitis isn't far behind.

Here's my story appearing in tomorrow's New Hampshire Union Leader.
By Jason Schreiber
Union Leader Correspondent
KENSINGTON - The town will begin spraying today around the school, town hall and a local park after mosquitoes tested positive for West Nile virus.
State health officials announced yesterday that the state’s first positive case of mosquitoes carrying the disease was found in a mosquito pool in a swamp near the town hall.
The discovery has put state and local officials on heightened alert as they hunt for more mosquitoes carrying West Nile virus and Eastern equine encephalitis, both potentially fatal diseases spread through mosquito bites.
Officials said the positive test came a little later than they expected, but that people shouldn’t let their guard down.
“The fact that it’s later in the season gives us some comfort, but at the same time we want people to be proactive and protect themselves,” said Jason Stull, state public health veterinarian and assistant clinical professor at the University of New Hampshire.
While no mosquitoes were found carrying West Nile virus in New Hampshire last year, six mosquito pools, two animals, and three people tested positive for EEE.Kensington is one of many towns across the state with a mosquito-control program to fight the spread of the potentially deadly diseases.
After learning about the positive test, selectmen and school officials met yesterday with Michael Morrison of Municipal Pest Management to prepare a plan of action. The plan will include spraying to kill adult mosquitoes around Kensington Elementary School, the town hall and Sawyer Park.
The school plans to notify parents about the discovery and the protective measures they should take to keep their children safe.
The town took steps to kill mosquito larvae in the spring.
Mosquitoes infected with West Nile virus have been popping up recently in eastern Massachusetts and Connecticut.
“We kind of saw it coming,” said Morrison, who provides mosquito control in Kensington.
The state began testing mosquitoes on June 1. In this case, mosquitoes were collected on Aug. 19 and the positive test was found when the results came back yesterday.As of Aug. 23, the state’s public health lab had tested 5,676 mosquito pools, four animals, and 118 human specimens from across the state for EEE and West Nile virus.
“We have continued our surveillance efforts this year for these diseases and will enhance local efforts as needed through state-sponsored mosquito trapping,” Dr. Jose Montero, the state’s director of public health, said in a statement. “I am hopeful that this (West Nile virus and Eastern equine encephalitis) season will be short and that we will have an early frost, but people should continue to be vigilant with prevention measures such as wearing mosquito repellant until that time…”

Epping balloon festival taking you to new heights

Some will come seeking a thrilling ride aboard a colorful hot air balloon. Others will come for the wide variety of food, music, and other entertainment.

But everyone who attends the 8th annual Highnote Balloon and Music Festival will come for the same reason: To honor the legacy of Adam McPhee.

The festival will be held Saturday, Sept. 6, from 2 p.m. until dark at the grounds of the Governor Prescott House on the McPhee family farm on Prescott Road in Epping where Adam’s name is grown in the hay field as a memorial.

The festival is held each year to raise money for the Adam McPhee Memorial Foundation and awareness of people with disabilities.

Adam was born with disabilities and was the first student to enter Epping High School with a special inclusion program.

The McPhee family established a fund in Adam's name after he died in 1999, the same year he graduated from Epping High School. Money raised supports local charities and provides scholarships for students who choose a career working with people with disabilities.Over the years, the festival has become not only a celebration for family and friends who knew Adam but a community event that draws as many as 500 people each year to the McPhee farm. The festival has raised about $50,000 for the foundation since it began.

“Adam was very special to the family and to be able to help others in our community and outside our community with the fundraiser is more than enough to keep everybody enthusiastic about it,” said Adam’s brother, Cory McPhee of Epping. “It really has become a staple event in the community, almost like an old home day event.”

Tickets to the festival cost $15 for adults; children and high school students are free. While the music and other events at the festival are held rain or shine, the hot air balloon rides and a fireworks display are weather permitting.

Tethered balloon rides will begin at 5 p.m. Private balloon flights will be available for morning and afternoon departure by appointment by calling pilot Bob Russell at 895-3909.

Music will include performances by Oncoming Traffic, Matt & Howard, and Wayne from Maine with percussionist Jimmy James, the “KoongaBoonga Man.”

Other activities include mechanical bull rides, hay rides, arts and crafts for children of all ages, local artisan exhibit booths, and a horseshoe tournament. Food will be provided by Goody Cole’s Smokehouse and Zampa Restaurant.

For more information, visit the Web site for the festival, www.highnotefest.com.

Additional donations can be made to The Adam McPhee Memorial Foundation, 174 Prescott Road, Epping, N.H., 03042.

Tips keep coming in case of teen missing since 1980

The top photo is of Rachel Garden when she was 15 and disappeared in Newton, N.H.

The bottom photo shows store owner Peter Jewett standing next to a missing person poster hung up at his store in East Kingston within the last week. He is believed to be one of the last to see Rachel before she went missing.

I wrote an update for the paper this week on the search for a Newton teenager, Rachel Garden, who went missing in 1980. While it might seem like a cold case, police are still chasing down leads, hoping to find some clues to point them in the right direction. They've even begun posting new missing person posters around the area, even after all this time has passed.

I had a chance to briefly interview Rachel's father this week for the story that appeared in today's paper.

Here's the story:

By Jason Schreiber

Union Leader Correspondent

NEWTON - It’s been 28 years since he last saw his 15-year-old daughter Rachel, but Stuart Garden still holds out hope that she’s out there somewhere.

“If she is alive, she’s not around here, there’s no question about that, and if she is alive, she’d have another life,” the 70-year-old Garden said yesterday as he reflected on the years of searches that have so far turned up nothing.

Rachel vanished without a trace on the night of March 20, 1980, after leaving Rowe’s Corner Market. The young teenager came into the store that night as she often did, bought a pack of Marlboro Lights, handed Peter Jewett a $5 bill, and went on her way.

“I was leaning against the counter and watched her cross the street. She went down Maple Avenue and that’s the last I saw of her,” recalled Jewett, who owned the local convenience store at the time and is believed to be one of the last people to see Rachel before she was gone.

Over the years, the Garden family has hunted for clues along with state and local police investigators who have followed up on countless leads that have led them to dig in Kingston, Newton and other areas. They’ve searched by air and water, and in recent months, scoured a pond in Kingston to check out a tip.

Private detectives and even psychics have been brought in as well, but still there are no answers for Rachel’s family, her friends, and the police investigators who can only wonder what happened.

In hopes of generating new leads, police within the last week have begun posting new missing person posters in the area with information about Rachel and two photographs, one of Rachel when she was a teenager and another generated by a computer to show how she might look today if she were still alive.

The case is still officially classified as a non-family abduction, but authorities have suggested that she may have been kidnapped and murdered. Others speculate that could have run away.

While Rachel’s father appreciates the work of some of the investigators, he raised questions about the way some of the searches have been handled. “I believe some of the searches that they’re doing are not valid,” he said, declining to elaborate.

The recent effort to hang new missing person posters “doesn’t hurt,” he said, but posters were put up when she first disappeared with little luck. During the initial investigation, there was little publicity about her disappearance, but the Gardens tried to get the word out by hanging posters and giving posters to truckers to post across the country during their road trips.

One truck driver who lived across the street from the Gardens actually claimed to have possibly seen her while he was in Florida shortly after she went missing, but the claim could never be confirmed.

“As time goes on you don’t think much of it because you’ve accepted certain things, but there’s always the thing in the back of your mind that she’s out there,” said Stuart Garden, whose family moved from Newton to Center Harbor about five years after Rachel disappeared.

Like others who knew her, Jewett has always wondered where Rachel went after she left his store.

Jewett, 66, sold the Newton store 24 years ago and now owns Jewett’s General Store in East Kingston.

Jewett knew Rachel and her family well. They were frequent customers and lived just down the street. Jewett described Rachel as a “mini Phyllis Diller,” saying she was an outgoing young teenager who was so full of life.

“I would give anything to have the case solved in my lifetime,” Jewett said. “I would really like to know.”

Anyone with information in the case is urged to contact the New Hampshire State Police Major Crimes Unit at 271-2663.

Coyotes on the prowl

Here's yet another warning about wild animals lurking in your backyard. It's not the bears this time...it's the coyotes. In fact, I've got a pack hanging out behind my house and the other day one of youngest members of the family went dashing across our back lawn. I can handle the flock of 15 turkeys, but the idea of a crazy coyote prowling around doesn't sit too well.

In any case, Kingston police are telling pet owners to keep a close eye on their pets and other domestic animals after a coyote killed a chicken and a duck. The coyote attack occurred on Aug. 11 at a home on Exeter Road where a family keeps ducks and chickens in a secure pen.

Police Chief Donald Briggs Jr. told me that the coyote apparently managed to get into the pen and killed a chicken and a duck. The remaining animals were then removed and put into crates inside the house to protect them.

Police occasionally receive reports of coyotes attacking domestic animals. Even when the animals are secured, Briggs said coyotes can still work their way in.

Pond scum can make you sick

A view of Country Pond in Kingston.

This is kinda frightening. The state put out a warning today about swimming in Country Pond in Kingston because of high levels of a blue-green algae known as cyanobacteria. Apparently ponds across New Hampshire are seeing high levels of this pond scum, and it's extremely dangerous if you ingest it accidentally. It can even be fatal, although fortunately no deaths have been reported in New Hampshire.
This is just good information to know if you swim in a pond or lake here, especially this year when the levels are higher than they've been in 10 years.

Here's my story appearing in tomorrow's New Hampshire Union Leader. This spells out just how bad this is and how serious we all should take it.

By Jason Schreiber
Union Leader Correspondent
KINGSTON - Swimmers and pet owners who use Country Pond were warned yesterday to stay out of the water after the state found high levels of cyanobacteria, a potentially dangerous pond scum that’s been more prevalent because of this summer’s morning sun followed by torrential rains.
“It’s very serious,” warned Jody Connor, limnology director for the state Department of Environmental Services. Country Pond is the latest pond in Kingston to show high levels of the blue-green algae that can release sickening toxins into the water.
Since July 22, the state has issued warnings for Greenwood Pond, Great Pond, and Half Moon Pond in Kinston. Those warnings remain in effect and are among more than a dozen warnings that have been issued for ponds and lakes across the state this summer.
“If you’re in an area where (the scum) is very thick, that’s where you’re going to find the most health effects,” Connor said. Fears over cyanobacteria prompted Boy Scout officials from the Yankee Clipper Council to call off water activities on Country Pond. The Lone Tree Scout Reservation is located along Country Pond, which is often used by the scouts. Council members said yesterday that the pond wouldn’t be used by the scouts until tests come back clean.
With excess phosphorus and ample sunlight, cyanobacteria blooms often form surface scums that are bright green or blue-green and resemble paint chips or bright green balls floating in the water. The cyanobacteria carry toxins in their cells which break down and are released into the water or a person who may accidentally ingest them in the water.
Connor said dogs who swim in areas with a high concentration of cells can drink the water or get the water on their fur, which they then lick off when they get out of the water. Some cyanobacteria produce toxins than can cause acute and chronic health effects ranging from skin and mucous membrane irritations, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea to damage to liver and the central nervous system.
Depending on the amount of toxins ingested, a pet or person could experience convulsions, seizures, or liver disease.
While there have been no reported deaths from the toxins in New Hampshire, Connor said they can be fatal. Deaths have been documented in other states, he said. Connor blames this summer’s weather conditions for creating the high levels of cyanobacteria, which he said are the worst the state has seen in the last 10 years.
The cynobacteria has thrived on the sunny mornings and the heavy bursts of rain in the afternoons where runoff has carried more materials into the ponds.
“A lot of lakes and ponds have low concentrations, but when given the right materials and right amount of food everything is ultimate for their growth. They produce at a high rate and that’s when they become dangerous,” Connor said.
More information on cyanobacteria can be found on the Web site for the state Department of Environmental Services, www.des.nh.gov/beaches.

Stroke commercial nothing to laugh at

I'm sure some of you have already seen this commercial floating around on YouTube, but I just had to share it for those of you who may not have seen it yet. It's essentially a public service announcement put out by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health to drive home the warning signs of a stroke. I know this probably sounds like a total bore, but believe me, it's worth a look. The commercial has a serious message, but I'll admit, it had me in stitches. You'll know what I mean after you see it. I give the creators some credit for coming up with a clever way to get their message out. Even though I laughed until I cried, the message stuck: FAST (Face, Arm, Speech, Time)

Check it out:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bCvIMy_dTmQ