Also on today’s menu:
US Strike On Houthis Is Expansion Of Middle East War
TTCC Renovations Are Under Way
Today at 6:30 p.m., there will be a candlelight event, “Light Ashley’s Way Home”, seeking the safe return of 31-year-old Ashley Turcotte of Barnstead, who was reported missing after her car was found in the Barnstead Town Hall parking lot on January 4, with her backpack and cellphone inside. Turcotte is five feet, five inches tall with brown eyes and brown hair. When last seen, she was wearing dark pants and a dark, long-sleeved shirt, possibly with a black or blue winter coat.
Police Chief Paul Poirier said no town hall surveillance camera covers the section of the parking lot where Turcotte’s car was found. Several agencies, with eight trained dogs and civilian volunteers, continued the search on January 11, covering a radius of about a half-mile around the Town Hall lot. Commercially licensed drone operators used aerial devices with thermal imaging and night vision cameras. Earlier in the week, Manchester Police Department’s mounted patrol participated in the search in case a more elevated vantage point might reveal clues as to what happened to the missing woman.
Concerned civilians were asked not to enter the woods themselves, for fear of hindering the efforts of officials who have been trained and equipped for the search.
Discussion: Chief Poirier said he welcomes volunteers interested in joining an organized team in the search, but explained that not only could individual searchers cause distractions or impede the discovery of clues or scent trails, they might get lost themselves.
US Strike On Houthis Is Expansion Of Middle East War
President Joe Biden Jr.’s decision to order a coordinated attack on Houthi rebels in Yemen who have been attacking civilian ships in the Red Sea is about freedom of navigation and world trade, but also expands the war in Gaza which he has been working to contain.
Biden has been slow in responding militarily to the 27 attacks on international commercial shipping by Houthis, instead issuing warnings and taking diplomatic steps to avoid armed confrontation. Houthis have threatened or taken hostage the crews of more than 20 countries, and forced more than 2,000 ships to avoid the Red Sea altogether. On January 9, Houthis launched their largest attack to date, directly targeting American ships. That action led to Biden convincing allies in Australia, Bahrain, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, the Republic of Korea, Singapore, and the United Kingdom to join in a coordinated strike.
Biden has demonstrated a measured but resolute leadership, but the Houthis have ignored the warnings and, after the strike, immediately vowed to respond. Pro-Iranian militias in Iraq and Syria are likely to increase their actions against the American forces in the region as well, making it more difficult for the diplomacy effort to avert all-out war between Israel and Hezbollah, the Lebanese militia, and the political movement backed by Iran. The Houthis are part of the network of allies and proxies — the so-called axis of resistance — that Iran has constructed.
Discussion: Biden’s measured approach is the proper one for a United States president, and provides a striking contrast to the former president, who declined to read the Daily Presidential Briefing on intelligence and security and acted impulsively in international affairs. Military confrontation should be avoided when possible, but continuing to allow the Houthis’ transgressions would not be leadership, either. We live in perilous times.
TTCC Renovations Are Under Way
Leslie Dion, director of the Tapply-Thompson Community Center in Bristol, reports that renovations have started on the main floor of the former Methodist Church, with the first phase taking place in the game room and offices. The offices have been temporarily relocated downstairs, accessed through the entry from the driveway.
The gymnasium remains open during this phase of the renovations. Come spring, a new handicapped-accessible entrance will be installed, with a lift to provide access to the main and lower levels of the building. The existing stairways will be replaced. The retaining wall in the driveway will be fixed and new paving completed.
The TTCC anticipates receiving a $1.5 million grant through 2024 Congressionally Directed Spending through Senator Jeanne Shaheen’s office that would go toward a second recreational facility on North Main Street, but Congress first must approve the funds.
Discussion: Dion notes that there are “a few options” for an additional space that could house a full gymnasium and provide additional programming space. Those options may involve a land trade with the Newfound Area School District. Some members of the community have suggested renovating the fire station for use as a senior center or other community space once the department moves into its new public safety building.
Café Chatter
On “Storm Too Much For Plow”: I am so sorry to hear of Rep. Smith’s death. She was such a nice and kind person and served her constituents well in Concord.
— Susan Duncan
On “You Cannot Leave”: If the orange man is re-elected ... it just might mean civil war, as the once law abiding dems decide to exact the same kind of treatment back on all the MAGAs that would be held responsible for putting him there ... a scary thought ... but the dems have been eerily quiet for too long as they watched MAGAs storm the capital without remorse or regret ... just sayin' Full interview at this link: https://www.msn.com/.../she-rioted-on.../vi-AA1mIKgO...
— Pete Burwen