Opinion
Column: How should we assess Sununu’s leadership?
By MATT CLARY
Who remembers Mink? A black bear that for years roamed woods and scavenged trash bins in the heart of the Upper Valley, Mink was named for Hanover’s Mink Brook Nature Preserve, where she often made a den and raised cubs for the better part of two...
Column: When ICE comes for our neighbors
By WAYNE GERSEN
For much of the 20th century, social studies textbooks proudly declared that the United States was a melting pot or a mosaic of immigrants. These books almost always included a picture of the Statue of Liberty and the words of Emma Lazarus’ poem engraved on its base: “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.”
Forum for Jan. 13, 2025: So long, liberals
New Year’s Resolution for 2025: I am divorcing my liberal-left friends. I can no longer be pals with them — especially my old high school cronies. You see, my liberal-left friends from high school are, well, rich. Really rich. They own enormous houses, often more than one. They drive fancy cars and go on lavish vacations. They live like queens and kings.
Column: Books and the magic of Christmas
By MARY OTTO
The new year lumbers in accompanied by dark skies and rain. In a world so messy and muddled, I become thoughtful. Today we live with weather disasters and cultural conflict. We are required to acknowledge countless profound and ordinary examples of man’s inhumanity to man, around the world and close to home. Still, I am again heartened by a look back at December and the Christmas holidays, where hints of magic can sometimes tiptoe into our lives.
Forum for Jan. 11, 2025: New bike lanes
Change can be hard, but with millions spent to resurface a road for the first time in over a decade, it makes sense to address identified safety concerns and community needs — as required by Vermont law.
Forum for Jan. 10, 2025: Plane construction
We appreciate the Valley News’ coverage of Lebanon High School’s Take Flight program (“ ‘We start from the ground up’ ”; Dec. 7). In its first year, it has proven to be an outstanding opportunity for our students, and it would not be possible without the tremendous support we have received from the community.
Editorial: Social media is resistant to fact checking
Facts are the lifeblood of journalism, so any suggestion that they don’t matter is a grave affront to what is now referred to quaintly as the “legacy news media.” (Which is the only legacy the vast majority of journalists we have encountered over 45 years are likely to inherit.)
Column: Kearsarge voters deliver a jolt to lawmakers
By HOPE DAMON
As a New Hampshire state representative serving on the House Education Funding Committee, I attended the Kearsarge School District’s deliberative session last Saturday, Jan. 4. More than 1,500 voters engaged in a civil and robust discussion before overwhelmingly rejecting a petitioned article that sought to impose a budget cap based on per-student district costs. This measure would have severely harmed public education. In this local battle reflecting a broader national culture war in education, 92% of voters decisively stood up to say, “I value public schools!”
A Yankee Notebook: Winters were once a true test
By WILLEM LANGE
I’ve looked out the windows quite a lot this past week, and each time the thought sweeps across my mind: Now, this is the way it’s supposed to be. Snow everywhere, and not just transitory, but settled in to stay a while. Thermometers at 10 degrees or below. It feels as though a cherished friend has returned home.
Forum for Jan. 9, 2024: Kearsarge school budget
As more than 1,500 voters descended on Kearsage Regional High School the morning of Jan. 4 to defeat a last-minute warrant article threatening to significantly reduce the district’s funding, I was struck by how political and emotional school funding support has become in the sad and struggling state of New Hampshire. Today’s overwhelming vote clearly demonstrates that there is support for better funding methods among much of the electorate, but there remains a determined group of free-staters who seem bent on destroying the school system. They were unsuccessful in Croydon in the past, and now they’ve been roundly, and one hopes, finally defeated at KRHS.
Forum for Jan. 7, 2025: Lebanon energy manager
Gratitude for Lebanon energy managerI want to say a much deserved “Thank You” to Tad Montgomery for all his dedication and hard work in the service of Lebanon.As a member of Lebanon’s Energy Advisory Committee (LEAC), I had the opportunity to work...
Editorial: A president whose star keeps rising
The market in presidential reputations rises and falls, like all markets, albeit more slowly and with less volatility. While coverage of Jimmy Carter’s death at the age of 100 late last month has properly celebrated his astonishing post-presidency...
By the Way: The faith of Jimmy Carter
By RANDALL BALMER
I first met Jimmy Carter at a small gathering prior to an academic conference at Emory University. What he wanted to talk about was what he characterized as the “unsurpassed joy” of telling others about Jesus.He was referring, of course, to his own...
Column: A moment of graciousness in the Oval Office
By PETER CLARK
For four decades Jimmy Carter’s presidency has been written off as a model of mediocrity. For so many reasons this is both unfair and inaccurate. I’ll leave it to others to recite his executive and legislative accomplishments, both abroad and at home....
A Yankee Notebook: A week away for the holidays
By WILLEM LANGE
One of the greatest cultural changes during my lifetime has been the democratization of air travel. In my early years it didn’t exist; travel itself was the privilege of the upper classes (a family opinion disapprovingly implicit, rather than...
Forum for Jan. 4, 2025: Censorship in NH
Freedom to read in NH Granite Staters pride themselves on respecting individual freedoms and liberty. That is why it is very concerning that those who wish to censor and suppress speech and information used their bully-blitz emails to bombard Gov....
Editorial: Wanted: A state librarian who’s eager to ban books
“The Live Free or Die state seeks a strong leader who is truly passionate about banning books and censoring other library materials. Reporting to the wing-nut caucus of the Legislature and Executive Council, the successful candidate will be...
Column: We need more people riding bikes, and not just in Hartford
By MAGGIE CASSIDY
That folks have complained about the new bike lanes along the Route 5 corridor in Hartford before, during and since their construction is unsurprising. In America, driving is sacred. Even proud liberals cannot rally around commonsense efforts to...
Column: Time to build a better road system for all
By KARL KEMNITZER
The new bike lanes in Hartford are an improvement, but VTrans did not go far enough. They should be part of a network of safe streets for bicyclists and pedestrians. We’ve been building our streets to serve cars for so long that cars are often our...
A Yankee Notebook: Why do we cling to our health care system?
By WILLEM LANGE
I was checking out at the supermarket the other day, and as usual fell into conversation with the checkout person, an elderly woman. She was sharing a bagger with the next lane over. When the bagger — another elderly lady — joined us, I noticed a...
