Also on today’s menu:
Revisiting Child Molestation Conviction
Don’t Miss ‘They Are Gone’ Documentary
Trump Announces Presidential Bid
As the Secretary of State’s Office continues to oversee ballot recounts for close races in the general election, Democrats were one step closer to possible control of the House of Representatives Tuesday after Republican John Greer, whose election-day victory in Coos County District 7 (Berlin, Carroll, Jefferson, Kilkenney, and Whitefield) was 2,447 votes to 2,443 for Democrat Eamon Kelley, ended up being a loss, with 2,450 votes to 2,452 votes for Kelley — a two-vote difference. On Monday, the recount of Manchester’s Ward 6 ended with Larry Gagne, a Republican who initially won, losing to Maxine Mosely, a Democrat, by one vote.
In the contest for representative of Grafton County District 18 (Alexandria, Bridgewater, Bristol, Canaan, Dorchester, Enfield, Grafton, Groton, Hebron, and Orange), Republican John Sellers remained the winner by four votes in Tuesday’s recount, even after Democrat Carolyn Flusher-Lobban reportedly gained 40 votes in a recount of Bridgewater’s ballots. Initially, Sellers led Flusher-Lobban by 35 votes, 4,223-4,188, but the recount brought his tally to 4,229 and hers to 4,225.
At the end of the day Tuesday, Republicans held 201 House seats and Democrats 199, but other close election-day victories are awaiting a recount. Some people interpret such a close split between Republicans and Democrats as a bad sign: that the state, like the nation, remains divided and there will be more gridlock. A more optimistic view is that, with nearly equal representation in Concord, both sides may finally set aside their animosity and start working together to solve the many problems that have been festering. It would be nice to see a return to civility among political opponents so they can find ways to compromise and solve those difficult issues.
Revisiting Child Molestation Conviction
The Grafton County Attorney’s Office will oversee a review of Vermont resident Robert Lamontagne’s conviction on child molestations charges in light of the fact that, during his trial, the state never informed the defense about credibility problems with then-detective James McLaughlin. Now retired, McLaughlin was the star investigator for the Keene Police Department, but he was listed on the state’s Exculpatory Evidence Schedule for a history of lying to superiors and, in one case, apparently destroying evidence. (His name has been removed from the Exculpatory Evidence Schedule pending a court appeal of his inclusion on the list.)
The Exculpatory Evidence Schedule, formerly known as the Laurie List, requires prosecutors to disclose such credibility issues with defense attorneys, and Lamontagne says that, as a result of the state’s failure to do so, he did not get a fair trial when accused of molesting children in New Hampshire in 1990. He was convicted and sentenced to 10 years in the New Hampshire State Prison.
James McLaughlin gained national fame in the late 1990s and early 2000s for arresting “sexual predators” by pretending to be an online teen and engaging the men in sexual discussions that led the men to travel to Keene for sex with the teen McLaughlin pretended to be, allowing him to arrest them.
Don’t Miss ‘They Are Gone’ Documentary
Native Americans make up less than 7% of Montana’s population, yet account for more than 25% of missing persons across the state. In late 2019, filmmaker Jon Decker (now a reporter with the Laconia Daily Sun) began work on an independent documentary examining the issue of missing and murdered indigenous persons in Montana. Natives, especially young women, disappear or are murdered across the United States at alarming rates. The exact cause of this discrepancy is not entirely known due to a lack of proper documentation, policing, and resources. “They Are Gone” explores the causes of disappearances across native communities in Montana, as well as examining legislation efforts, and ultimately documents the perspectives of those who have been hit the hardest by this epidemic.
Completed in 2021, “They Are Gone” was awarded second place in the documentary feature category at the Bigfork Film Festival, and was selected for the Bozeman International Film Festival, the Global Peace Festival, and the Winterland Festival.
Jon has allowed us to share his outstanding documentary on the Liberty Independent Media Project website, and we encourage everyone to view it for a better understanding of what indigenous women (and men) are experiencing.
Trump Announces Presidential Bid
“In order to make America great and glorious again, I am tonight announcing my candidacy for president of the United States.” So began former president Donald Trump’s quest for the 2024 Republican nomination on November 15.
Speaking to an invited crowd from the ballroom of his Mar-a-Lago private club in Palm Beach, Trump spent more than an hour touching on many of the same themes he has been repeating on stage for months: border security, energy independence, crime, and attacks on President Joe Biden’s record in office.
His wife, Melania Trump, joined him on stage at the end of the speech, but Ivanka Trump and Donald Jr. did not attend. Ivanka, who had served as a senior advisor in her father's administration, later released a statement saying she is taking a step back from politics and will not be involved in the 2024 campaign. “This time around, I am choosing to prioritize my young children and the private life we are creating as a family,” she wrote.
Giving Tuesday
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