Valley News from West Lebanon, New Hampshire • 2

Page A2 Valley News Saturday December 24 2005 ihtjim kenyoni Bv Wilson Ring December Donations an asset for the area" Saffd said Currentlytbere are about 450 Vermonters in Iraq The majority of them areserv-ing as part of a brigade combat team in Ramadi a city about 75 miles west of Baghdad Chief Warrant Officer Nora Adams a pilot said that the mission to Bosnia helped prepare everyone for their current mission think we just gained a good background a good solid base of what our mission is and also a good understanding of what a deployment is like what it's like to be away from home" Adams said in the statement mission Is to evacuate wounded soldiers and in some cases civilians from the point of injury to the next level of care company comnjiander Maj Roger Drury said in a release 1 The Black Hawk helicopters can be used to transport patients between hospitals and -deliver supplies About two-thirds of the soldierfkrc veterans of an earlier deployment to Bosnia as part of peacekeeping operations -tljere That earlier deployment helped prepare the soldiers for Iraq Saffo said brought to the table a wealth of real world information that makes them mont National Guard spokeswoman Lt Veronica Saffo hoping it's a bor-' ing mission But if they're needed they're well trained They stand readytq perform their The Vermonters are based at the Burlington International Airport A Massachusetts contingent is based in Westfield -The soldiers left Vermont in September and arrived in Iraq earlier this montji They expect to spend about a year on the ground in Iraq The unit which includes pilots and sup- port personnel will fly missions between Baghdad and the Kuwait border Associated Press Writer Montpelier About 40 National Guard members of a helicopter unit have begun their flying operations jn( southern Iraq Guaid officials said yester-- day The Vermonters of Company 3rd Battalion 126th Aviation Regiment are flying medical evacuation missions out of bases near Diwaniyah 'about 100 miles south of Baghdad and Nasiriyah about 100 mil northwest of the Kuwait border far they're doing saidVer- Thetford Police Contract Aba Oshayack takas a bita of pizza whila directing traffic yastarday outside tha Hanovar Co-op Foodstora Tha Co-op was among employs rs who fad employees yastarday to ease tha pressure of one of the busiest shopping days Of the year Oshayack a Norwich resident is on break from Keene Stata Collega Valley News Jaura Hmjcx Pizza Other Perks Ease Madness By Jessica La Merilynn Boume is starting to worry The'' checks coming in to listen this December as they have in past Decembers During the first three weeks of the month donations were down 20 percent compared with last year Tm holding my breath between now and Dec 31" Boume executive director told me Thursday still hoping have some moraangels crane through for December is the key month for many charities: Americans make nearly half of their charitable contributions between Thanksgiving and Christmas The holidays put people in a giving mood The Internal Revenue Jan 1 deadline for making tax deductible charitable contributions is another incentive Whatever motivates people matter Boume is just glad they give listen is one of the most importantnonprofiLs the Upper Valley has For 33 yearsjhe Lebanon-based organization has helped those who need help the most" When a family gets down on its luck Listen finds a way to help with the rent and utility bills for amonth or two listen pays for underprivileged kids to goto summer camp Every week Listen feeds senior1 citizens' ahd families with young children at free community dinners Leftovers are wrapped up and taken home to become lunch or supper Maybe both Sohowyou know why Bourne sits down at the computer in her Lebanon office every couple of days and calls up the latest donation figures How Listen does in December will help determine what it can do for the Upper Wiley's needy during the next 12 months Last December Listen received $55000 in cash donations going to take an incredible final week to reach that amount this year Why are donations down? The people who give $500 or more are still coming through even giving a little bit more than usual But the number of donors who send $100 or less has dropped understandable Heating oil is $250 a gallon Gasoline is well over $2 This December people have as muchdisposable income as they've had in past years Some must choose between their favorite charity and the company that delivers their fuel oil only part of the problem Across the country charities are suffering the repercussions of what is known in the philanthropy business as In the past year Americans have given $13 billion toward the Indian Ocean tsunami relief effort and close to $22 billion for hurricane relief inthe Gulf Coast If not tapped out donors are at least worn out The Red Cross chapter that serves the Upper Valley knows this better than most other nonprofits After Hurricane Katrina struck in late August the national Red Crass ordered its chapters to put all of their efforts into hurricane relief The local chapter raised nearly $12 million' for hurricane relief thanks largely to the Upper generosity and thoughtfulness Schpolchildren staged musical concerts bringing piles of change thtt they had collected to the Red Cross office in Hartford Students at Tuck School of Business conducted a massive fund-raising drive resulting indnnations Bin for more than two months the Central Vermont-New Hampshire chapter raise money for local causes As a result it is in a bind Its annual holiday campaign has raised one-third fewer dollars than usual putting the Red Cross $20000 behind last pace Unfortunately the Upper Valley has had its own share of disasters Since Oct IS the Red Cross has responded to a dozen house fires in the Upper Valley providing temporary housing clothing and groceries for families with nowhere to go From watching the evening news reading the morning newspaper and trolling the Internet we have become a nation of But said Beth Finlayson executive director of the local Red Cross chapter family that gets burned out nobody thinks I talked with several charities that indicated Decetrixr giving was on a par with past years That's good At the same time however they all indicated that demand for their help is up The Upper Toys for Tots campaign headed by the Marine Corps Reserve is getting more requests than ever Those needing help are changing too parents work but each making $750 an hour and got four said Richard Gallien the cochairmam got oil bills tojay and gas keeps going up Those are the families that are Poverty in the Upper Valley is often invisible We have scores of homeless people living in cardboard boxes underneath bridges There old men holding out plastic cups seeking loose change at traffic lights an Route 12A as we rush to finish our Christmas shopping We rely on organizations such as Listen the Red Cross and Toys for Tots to figure out which families need help and then make sure they get it There's no rest far the weary when hardship never takesa holiday 'Jim Kenya can be reached at JinU(enyatvalUyjut said West Lebanon had its usual holiday flurry with a twist: Christmas Eve is a Saturday and Saturday is already a busy shopping day don't know what to said Stephanie Sykes general manager at the West Lebanon Best Buy about the fust Saturday Christmas Eve since 1994 The big sellers have been mp3 players digital cameras and TVs and of course the red-hot Xbox 360 Best Buy had a few of the coveted game system Thursday but sold out in about 10 minutes Expecting still another surge in shopping today Sykes said she has planned to of candy and candy and more she said with a laugh Employees will work normal shifts and some will get gift certificates to local eateries as rewards for good work Sykes said There will aLso be free food available all day Sykes said If employees had to trek down Route 12A for lunch be she said go for lunch and spend the whole time in the Best Buy will close 81 5 pm today when the holiday for employees can really begin Jessica Lee earn be reached at jleeQvnewtcom or (603) 727-3234 Temple manager of the checkout said the Coop had been out of carts at 8:30 am and employees customers outside to bring the carts She sat with four other women in next to the lounge because all the there were full lialf-dozen Co-op employees including directed traffic yesterday cars as others do airplanes and pizza slices steaming in the add at their request Fifiekl said the has been directing traffic in the parking lot on Thanksgiving and days leading up to Christmas for years Cleveland information technology stood at the parking lot entrance cars to stop and then pointing forward when he heard there was an space through his headset Abe Qshey-ack a student at Keene State College for the holidays and Jerremy of Lebanon a systems analyst at had the other two headsets early afternoon not rocket science by any means but really appreciate Townsend Valley News Staff Writer Hanover Some people got an early start on their vacations by using yesterday for shopping or traveling but it was no holiday for retail employees who faced harried customers at work and traffic when they tried to leave Some stores such as Best Buy in West Lebanon and the Hanover Food Coop have developed strategies to handle the shopping rush and they try to be as effective in keeping employees happy and energetic toa do a nuniber of thirigs so that they feel got a place to go and get away from happening said Rosemary Fifield director of education and member services at the Coop The employee lounge upstairs at the Hanover food store looked like a slumber party with employees eating pizza and ice cream with their soda while watching Jack Frost the 1998 Michael Keaton movie Amos Daisey beverage manager said the store had been since we opened the But upstairs workers can back a in the lounge and with the movie on talk about Regional Briefs Linda department grocery followed back room chairs A administrators signaling received weather Co-op crowded the three about 10 Scott director signaling them open 22 home Townsend the Coop yesterday customers By Jessica Lee Valley News Staff Writer Thetford The selectboatd can- celled its Monday meeting and the town's contract fa state police coverage will lapse before the next scheduled meeting on Jan 2 last police chief Joseph Anthony resigned in October and town officials have been trying to identify the next step for police services ever since Interim Police Chief Jim Lancta who has said he would like to be permanent top officer has been the only officer since last day on Halloween The selectboatd also con-' tracted with Vermont State Police fa up to 20 hours of coverage per week But that contract only lasts through Dec 31 And the board has rut extended it said Selectman Mike Brown The board decided to cancel this meeting because on the day after Christmas only three of the five selectboatd members could attend The board also put off a decision during last meeting when only three members were present to meet with Lanctot The board could hold a special meeting to extend the contract but none has been scheduled Brown saidIf the contract ends next weekend Thetford residents will still be able to call on state police Lanctot said With the contract there is a state police officer in the area fa up to 2D hours every week Lancia explained and without the contract officers will not be assigned to Thetford But if a resident calls with an emergency and Lancia is na available state police will respond as they do now LanctTC said Lancta said the delay in making a decision about police services is He told thcLselectboard several weeks ago he wanted to know what police department was going lobe likeby Dec31 Lancta said and he still has no answer Lancia has said repeatedly he wants to be a part of a chain of meaning a police department with a chief think it's going to be a matter of a couple of months before they come up with Lancta said seems to want to fix Board members have said they are devising a contract for a new police chief whether it is Lancta a someone else and want to have as many opinions from residents and town officials as possible before making a final decision Jessica Lee com be reached at jleenewsjcom or (603) 727-3234 News Show Examines Disappearance Haverhill (ap) The case of a college student who disappeared after a car crash here almost two years ago will be featured on the ABC newsmagazine 2020 next month Maura Murray a 22-year-old nurv ing student at the University of Mas- sachusetts in Amherst was last seen on Feb 9 2004 walking away from her car" on Route 112 iq Haverhill Police said they have no evidence of foul play and have searched the area repeatedly Sharon Rausch whose son is engaged to Murray says she and her son were interviewed in New York earlier tips month for a show to be aired Jan Moray's father also was interviewed $30810 in the fust year and $32515 in the fourth year The best qualified teacheis will be paid $54226 in the fust year and $58399 in the fourth Anderson said Salaries for the fifth year have not been determined since the schools had planned for a four-year contract The teacheis union asked for the five-year deal Former UVM Dean Dies Burlington (ap) Retired Army Col Thomas Whitfield Dowe Sr a former dean of the University of College of Agriculture has died Dowe died Tuesday at the' Vermont Respite House following a lengthy illness He was 86 He graduated from Texas Univer-shy in 1942 and immediately entered World Wiir II as a second lieutenant with the Second Cavalry Regiment in the Ninth Armored Division He was awarded the Bronze Star He foughl in the Battle of the Bulge ahd served as a platoon leader troop executive officer and troop commander After the war he received a degree and doctorate from Kansas State University He and his wife Betty Ann moved tO Vermont in 1957 where fie became dean of College of Agriculture and Home Economics in 1965 In 1979 he traveled to Argentina Brazil Colombia and Honduras on agricultural missions He retired from UVM in 1983 He is survived by his wife two daughters and a son Divers Recover Body Lunenburg Vt (ap) State police divers yesterday recovered the body of a man in a pond after his truck broke through the ice Thursday night police said Roland Diufour 32 of Luiienbetg drove his truck and a trailer carrying an ice fishing shanty onto the paid Thursday night when the truck fell through the ice Police were called to scene around pm Thursday Divers recovered the body at 10:30 am yesterday An autopsy will be performed to determine the exact cause of death Barre Teachers Contract Ratified Barre Vt (ap) Barre two school boards and teacheis have agreed to a five-year contract The deal approved by teacheis Wednesday and ratified by school boards Thursday ended the strike Health care contributions were at the center of the contract dispute (hat led to the strike Teacheis had profxsed paying 14 percent of their premiums a 5 of Salaries whichever was less That provision was removed in the latest contract deal Teacheis will pay JO percent of their health care premiums in the fust year and 20 percent in the fifth year said Dorothy Anderson superintendent of Barre schools The contract will give teacheis an average pay raise of 3 percent annually a district spokeswoman said Teacheis' will receive a base pay of Three Charged In Snake Dispute Concord (ap) Three people have been charged in a robbery over a snake that died Authorities say Jonathan Lugg 18 of Concord Meagan Champagne 19 of Loudon NH and Wayne Blake 21 df Allenstown NH used a plastic gun on Dec 14 to threaten and take money and a phone from a man who had sold one of them a boa constrictor that later died Police say the three wanted their money back and later threw the gun and phone in the Merrimack River Authorities did not identify the victim a say how much money was taken The three face a variety of charges Blake who is accused of holding the gun during the incident was charged with armed robbery NK Guard Troops Might Be Deployed About 150 members of the New Hampshire National Guard axild be headed to Iraq next summer Officials have not yet issued a specific order for the troops But Maj Greg Heil-shorn a Guard spokesman said 'preparations have already begun He said officials have begun screening soldiers to be called up It will be a repeat trip (p the Middle East fa some of the soldiers There are about 140 New Hampshire Guard members currently in Iraq and Ahanistan but 110 are scheduled to return home soon There are about J59000 U3 troops in Iraq right now Wire reports.