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Written by Patrick R. McElhiney

Category: Articles

Published: 11 November 2019

On Friday, November 8th in observance of Veterans Day Quilts of Valor (QOV) held a formal ceremony at the Service Federal Credit Union in Portsmouth to award four quilts to veterans.

Quilts of Valor (QOV) is a non-profit organization dedicated to covering service members and veterans “touched by war” with healing and comforting quilts.

Seacoast Sewing & Quilting is an official QOV quilt shop owned by Jill Patsfield. Volunteer sewers from Seacoast Sewing & Quilting QOV Group has been making quilts for this event for the past year. Awards of Appreciation was given to Jill Patsfield and Vickie Hurd for their continued dedication and support of the Bare Bones Quilters -QOV Group.

An opening prayer was led by Reverend Lee Elliott. QOV Group Leader Charlene Roche presented quilts to four veterans, three from Barrington: (Vietnam) Air Force SMSgt Mark Duwain Longus, (Iraq) Army National Guard Medevac Pilot,1st Lieutenant Jessica Zilm, (MiddleEast) MSgt Gregory Friend and (Research/Rescue) Coast Guard Petty Officer 3rd Class Donald John O’Brien II.

If you know a veteran “touched by war” (WWII, Korea, Vietnam, Gulf War, Iraq, etc) contact your local Quilts of Valor Group, www.qovf.org, or on Facebook NH Quilts of Valor for more information.

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Written by Patrick R. McElhiney

Category: Articles

Published: 05 November 2019

DURHAM, N.H.—The United States ranks 24^th out of 29 countries in government spending as a share of GDP and last in social protection spending, according to new research released by the Carsey School of Public Policy at the University of New Hampshire that uses data from the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development. In comparison, the U.S. ranks at or near the top in military, healthcare, education, and law enforcement spending.

Spending just 7.6% of its GDP on social protection, the U.S. ranks at the bottom of countries for which recent comparable data are available; the median for all 29 countries compared is 16.2%. Government programs within social protection include non-health programs that support those with low incomes and the elderly and disabled, like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (formerly known as food stamps) and Social Security. A country’s level of social protection spending is the primary driver of its rank in total spending.

The researchers also found that, relative to the 28 other countries, the U.S. spends over three times more than the average per resident on the military, trailing only Israel; 70% more per person on public order and safety, making it the highest spending country in that category; and almost two times more per person on health, also placing it at number one.

“The U.S. is a low-tax, low-spending country relative to other countries, particularly when compared to its fellow higher-income countries,” the researchers said. “The purpose of this report is to put these issues on the table in the context of the worldwide norms. No country has a monopoly on fiscal wisdom but looking to other countries offers the opportunity to assess the merits of different approaches to address the shared and distinctive challenges that all countries face.”

The research was conducted by Michael Ettlinger, founding director of the Carsey School; Jordan Hensley, a policy analyst at the Carsey School; and Julia Vieira, a master’s student in public policy.

The Carsey School of Public Policy is nationally recognized for research, policy education, and bringing people together for thoughtful dialogue to address important societal challenges. The school develops and facilitates innovative, responsive, and equitable solutions at all levels of government and in the for-profit and nonprofit sectors.

The University of New Hampshire inspires innovation and transforms lives in our state, nation, and world. More than 16,000 students from all 50 states and 71 countries engage with an award-winning faculty in top-ranked programs in business, engineering, law, health and human services, liberal arts and the sciences across more than 200 programs of study. As one of the nation’s highest-performing research universities, UNH partners with NASA, NOAA, NSF and NIH, and receives more than $110 million in competitive external funding every year to further explore and define the frontiers of land, sea, and space.

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Written by Patrick R. McElhiney

Category: Articles

Published: 09 November 2019

If you were driving around Barrington on Saturday, November 9^th, 2019, you probably noticed that there were many craft fairs going on. We provided coverage to three of the craft fairs, in the following order:

1. Barrington Friends of Music Craft Fair, held at Barrington Middle School from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
2. Barrington Women’s Club Annual Craft Fair held at the American Legion Hall, which is in the basement of the Chapel Nativity, from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
3. Joseph’s Storehouse Presents the 2^nd Annual Craft & Vendor Holiday Festival to benefit Joseph’s Storehouse Food Pantry, held at Journey Church from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

The Barrington Friends of Music Craft Fair held at Barrington Middle School was the biggest event, which has been held for many years now. Upon entering the Craft Fair, we spoke to some of the organizations that were outside near the entrance.

Gregory Friend is the Troop Master of Trail Life USA Troop NH-0777, which is sponsored by the First Congregational Church of Barrington. Trail Life USA is a Christian version of the Boy Scouts, and they teach boys and young men how to be godly by teaching them leadership skills, stewardship, and how to provide service to their community by being a solid member of their community when they are adults.

They’ve been a troop for about 6 years now. Their troop activities include campouts, hikes, developing outdoors skills, and they teach boys and young men how to use personal resources wisely. They also teach how to serve our country and community.

The troop’s volunteerism includes helping at the American Legion, helping members of the community with yard work, and service projects, such as helping to clean up graveyards where there are veterans’ graves. One member re-floored the local Food Pantry, while another project connected Barrington Middle School to the Barrington Police Department by making a decal for police vehicles.

We then spoke to volunteers of the Friends of the Barrington Library, a group that supports the library. They have three raffle baskets, that can be won by purchasing tickets at the Library after today. The winners will be drawn on the night of the Soiree on December 6^th, 2019. It benefits the Friends of the Barrington Library, which will, in turn, provide children’s programs, magazine programs, and summer reading programs for the Barrington Public Library.

Next, we spoke to Roger Gingrich with the new Barrington Library Project. He said they’re trying to get information out that voters can use at the polls. The vote for the new Barrington Library Project will be held on March 10^th, 2020. He provided us three documents with information for voters that you can download. He said, “It feels like you’re out on a lake, and suddenly there’s a crosswind” when asked how he thought the outreach program was doing.

Roger Gingrich said that if we pass the new library project on the March 10^th vote, Barrington Middle School will be paid off 1 year after it passes – so this is a possible negative issue for the library warrant article. He said, “In the end, we’ve got to inform people that this is a need.” He noted that building costs have gone up 7% in the past year. He said, “We’re hopeful that the good things this brings will be recognized.”

We also spoke with Lisa Titus, the fundraising chairwoman for the Special Olympics – Team Barrington, that was offering bags donated by Stonewall Kitchen in return for donations. The bags could then be used to carry items that customers purchased at today’s craft fair. It’s a great way for the kids to fundraise, instead of programs like selling candy door-to-door. There is a total of 75 combined partners, athletes, and coaches in the group. Lisa said that other seacoast towns such as Dover, Farmington, Lee, and Durham don’t have Special Olympics programs, so they will often find Team Barrington and participate with them.

Team Barrington is open to kids age 8 to adults. They compete in bowling, snowshoeing, basketball, track & field, and softball. It’s a year-round program. The kids practice Track & Field starting in April, and then there’s a regional event in May, and then there’s the UNH Summer Games in June. They raise money to pay for the final events, which can cost $75 per each athlete, coach, and partner. Partners help to make sure the kids are going in the right direction when playing sports. The program provides a way for the kids to have something of their own, when they may not fit into mainstream programs, according to Titus.

Inside the craft fair at Barrington Middle School, there were probably nearly 100 vendors, which were selling various items including crafts, books, food including cheese and jelly, woodworking items, glass items, Christmas ornaments, and clothing accessories. We spoke to Pat Gingrich that was there with her business called “The Gingrich Family Busyness”, and she was selling teapot covers that keep your tea hot while you’re having a tea party with your friends. She had dozens of fabric designs that she had created that pop over a standard white thermal shield, which keeps the tea hot.

There was a group called “Help Educate Haiti”, which is a group of 8^th graders raising $10,000 to build a school in Haiti. It’s run through the WE organization at WE.org. More than 4,000 schools were lost in the 2010 earthquake and many children lost their chance of receiving an education. The school would be about the size of Barrington Middle School, according to Stephanie Hadden, who was collecting donations. It’s amazing how much money from the United States can get in other, poorer countries, but these countries need help from us more than ever.

We traveled to the Barrington Women’s Club’s Annual Craft Fair, which was being held at the American Legion. It’s usually held every November and Kathe Houst said that it’s common to have lots of craft fairs on the same day in Barrington. She said one person was in line for a parking spot at Barrington Middle School for 30 minutes and ended up coming to the Women’s Club Craft Fair instead. There were less than a dozen vendors, some of which were members, and some were friends of members. The rest of the small room was full of crafts and items that were donated to the club to sell and raise money.

The American Legion made an agreement with the church to renovate the basement, and with permission, they re-did the floor, plumbing, lights, and put tables in. It’s been a very nice venue to use, according to Kathe Houst. She noted that on Monday, it’s Veteran’s Day, and there will be a free lunch for all veterans at this location. The event will start out at the cemetery at 11 a.m.

Barrington Women’s Club has a raffle that will be going through December, in which many winners will receive gift cards from local businesses that donated them. The proceeds will go towards giving out scholarships to Barrington High School Seniors. The club currently has around 35 to 40 active members, according to Marie Raas. They meet on the second Wednesday of the month for most months, except for January (when it’s too cold) and in July (in the middle of summer).

The Barrington Women’s Club does do an outing in July. They also donate to 68 Hours of Hunger (Barrington). At Christmas time, they get the names of local families from Barrington Food Pantry, and through Adopt-A-Family, they provide the children of these families the things that they want off their wish lists. The Women’s Club also has an annual yard sale every September, and an auction in October for their members and their guests. In June, they have a Lady’s Tea Party.

The Women’s Club in Barrington has its meetings from 11:30 a.m. to about 1:30 p.m. Sometimes they have speeches like they had recently when the Barrington Police Department informed them about scams. Their meetings generally start out with business activities, and then a program, such as a the get-to-know-you better activity of matching baby pictures to current members. If you’re interested in joining the Barrington Women’s Club, please contact them on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/BarringtonWomensClub/.

We then traveled to the Holiday Craft Fair for Joseph’s Store House, which is the food pantry at the Journey Baptist Church. This is the 2^nd Annual Holiday Craft Fair at Journey Church, and all proceeds from the event are going to the food pantry. Joseph’s feeds around 100 families a month currently, in both the seacoast and lakes regions. Joseph’s is a ministry of the Journey Church.

About 200 people attend Journey Church. They just did a Truck or Treat event – which between that and the Craft Fair, are their biggest fundraisers. They currently have a mission, led by Rob Willis, the lead pastor, in the Dominican Republic. The church has sponsored 50 children, and the group is there sponsoring them to get their electricity restored, and they brought much needed medical supplies.

Christmas services are coming up at Journey Baptist Church, and normal Sunday services are held from 9:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. – Journey Baptist Church is located at 8 Eastern Ave in Barrington, New Hampshire, located right next to First Seacoast Bank. For more information, please visit their website at http://www.thejourneynh.com/

 

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Written by Patrick R. McElhiney

Category: Articles

Published: 05 November 2019

New Hampshire Employment Security is hosting the Manchester Experienced Worker Job & Resource Fair on Thursday, November 7th, 2019 from 10:00 am to 2:00 p.m. at St. George Greek Orthodox Cathedral located at 650 Hanover Street Manchester NH 03101.

We encourage job seekers that are looking to re-enter the workforce or make a career change to visit the Manchester Experienced Worker Job & Resource Fair. Those interested in expanding their network with valuable new contacts and meeting recruiters from a diverse variety of private, Government and public-sector employers, all eager to hire for full- and part-time positions ranging from entry-level to management are encouraged to attend this networking and hiring event. This Job and Resource Fair is the perfect opportunity for job seekers who want to get their resumes in the hands of hiring managers and decision-makers. A full list of participating employers is available at www.nhes.nh.gov by clicking on the green job fair link on the homepage. This networking and hiring event is free and open to all job seekers.

Employment Security’s local job and resource fairs are a great opportunity for Granite Staters across the state to explore the abundance of opportunities in our booming economy,” said Governor Chris Sununu. “I want to thank Employment Security for their on-going efforts to provide opportunity to all Granite Staters and ensure direct access to potential employers.”

Commissioner George Copadis of New Hampshire Employment Security said, “The Manchester Experienced Workers Job & Resource Fair is a great opportunity for employers to gain access to a local ready and willing workforce. Hiring employees from the communities where the business is located strengthens your business and makes our communities stronger. We encourage employers to attend and hope anyone looking for employment will take advantage of this free event. We encourage people to come prepared to interview. We are always striving to support our unemployed or underemployed residents to obtain that next good job or career opportunity. People that are looking for work need opportunities like the Manchester Experienced Workers Job & Resource Fair to interact with organizations that are seeking to fill positions. We are excited to help make these connections.”

If you are a job seeker who is unable to attend the Manchester Experienced Worker Job & Resource Fair, you can access job and career services through New Hampshire Employment Security. Our One-Stop Centers provides resources free services, resources, and tools to assist both job seekers and employers with the entire job search process, hiring, and employment needs. NHES has services available online and onsite to assist job seekers including an automated Job Match System, internet access, career assessments, as well as, workshops on job searching, resume writing and interviewing techniques and career counseling to people looking to find new employment.

For more information, please contact Kate LaPierre at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or via telephone at 603-228-4083 Or visit www.nhes.nh.gov.