Also on today’s menu:
Record Ice-Out Date On Winnipesaukee
House Passes ‘Students’ Freedom To Read Bill’
Search and rescue personnel on March 16 found the body of Ashley Turcotte, 32, of Barnstead, on New Road, less than a mile from where she had last been seen. Turcotte had been reported missing in January.
About 70 law enforcement officers, volunteers, and New England Canine set out to cover a 1- to 1.5-mile radius around Turcotte’s car, which had been abandoned at the Barnstead Town Hall and contained her debit card, about 9 a.m. Saturday.
Rob Russell, owner of 2A Tactical gun shop in Barrington, has led a team of volunteers in the search for Turcotte every weekend since her disappearance, using drones equipped with thermal imaging cameras. New Hampshire Fish and Game Conservation Officer Lieutenant Adam Cheney said the remains were in a densely-wooded area which helped to explain why the drones were unable to spot Turcotte’s body.
Cheney added that weather conditions had kept her remains from decomposition, and Barnstead Police Chief Paul Poirier said authorities do not suspect foul play and do not consider her death suspicious.
Discussion: The discovery of Turcotte’s body ends weeks of speculation about what happened to her, and, while it was people who finally made the discovery, the effort has revealed how drones can be used to complement the efforts of K9s and volunteers in all sorts of searches. Russell said the Chinese-manufactured drone he uses can generate a QR code along the way that he can share with law enforcement to pinpoint a location.
Record Ice-Out Date On Winnipesaukee
Emerson Aviation officially declared ice-out on Lake Winnipesaukee on March 17, following a 4:37 p.m. flight. The previous ice-out record was March 18, while, in a typical year, ice-out occurs around the third week of April.
Ice-out is the date that there is enough open water for the M/S Mount Washington to navigate to all of its ports of call around Lake Winnipesaukee.
Dave Emerson emphasized the unusually warm weather by noting, “We only had one day of ice-in this year, which was incredible.” Ice-in occurs when all major sections of the lake — not just those used by M/S Mount Washington — are covered in ice. This year, it lasted for about 24 hours before a warm day, followed by a windy day, broke up much of the ice that had just formed. “We never, never got any thickness of ice at all,” Emerson said.
Discussion: The thin ice or lack of ice this year follows a trend toward warmer winters over the last several years. Rather than snow, this winter brought periods of heavy rain which, had the temperatures been lower, would have resulted in huge snowstorms. Relieved of shoveling, many homeowners instead had to deal with water in the basement, muddy roads, and fallen branches from windstorms.
House Passes ‘Students’ Freedom To Read Bill’
House Bill 1311 — the “Students’ Freedom to Read Bill” — passed the New Hampshire House of Representatives on a 194-180 vote. The bill requires school boards to create a “collection development policy” governing the selection of books for the library and prohibits them making the decisions based on the age, race, gender, sexual orientation, or other characteristics of either the subject of the book or the author. They also would be required to develop a policy governing the removal of books.
The New Hampshire School Library Media Association helped to craft the bill, noting that research by the American Library Association found that 47 percent of school books targeted for removal in 2023 featured characters who are LGBTQ+ or black, indigenous, or people of color (BIPOC).
Republican opponents argued that the bill would force librarians and school board members to make decisions based on the identities of the authors or characters, which could make it impossible to remove certain titles.
Discussion: Hearing some of the excerpts from controversial books that were read at a recent meeting of the Newfound Area School Board caused me to be momentarily taken aback, but upon reflection, I returned to my lifelong position that banning books is wrong. For one thing, taking lines out of context can distort one’s understanding of the book; it may be using explicit language to contrast it with an opposite point. For another, some of the most meaningful books are those that challenge our understanding of the world around us. And those are just two reasons for leaving the books in place. The role of parental control is something else, and I’m not sure how to address the concerns of parents who are philosophically opposed to certain concepts without infringing on their rights or the rights of others. That is where the school boards will struggle.
Café Chatter
On ‘Another Strike For Arlinghaus’: Tom Caldwell and Annmarie Timmins, I thank the two of you for being trustworthy journalists. You do research and follow the way you are going to report on an issue. This issue can be one that many are concerned with but are not easily priveledged to follow a maze to follow the facts, the truths. You have satisfied me and I am thankful for the two of you for reporting on the sale of the Laconia State School property to a “developer with such a shady background and inexperience of development such as this is proposed for this Laconia State School property.” I do not take issue with the plans but I certainly do with the owner/developer’s abilities to develop these plans. I fault others, such as our governor, for their impatience and means to hurdle forward.
On another issue, suspecting and labeling anyone hinted to have a mental illness and therefore identified and suspect and not permitted to purchase any weapons. I know many others than anyone with a mentsl illness that I would suspect not responsible with a gun. I know many with a mental illiness that wouldn’t harm or ever kill anyone. I think that anymore who threatens with a firearm or wounds or kills another has a mental problem at that very moment. Blaming the mentally ill is a copout. The blame isn’t the game; the game is the blame.
I appreciate the truth in journalism and trust the news that you two report. Thank you!
— Dorothy Duffy
On ‘What I’d Like To See’: Great comments. Thanks.
— Pete Cofran