Gatsas: Responded to teacher’s request for books
Manchester Mayor Ted Gatsas and employees from City Hall will make a special visit to McDonough Elementary School this afternoon to deliver over one thousand five hundred used books to third grade teacher Megan Canning. City employees donated the books throughout the month of March as a part of a city-wide Read Across America Book Drive prompted by a request from Canning. While the books will be donated to the school, some will given to children to bring home and to classroom libraries.
In a statement issued Friday, Gatsas praised the book drive saying, quote:
“This was a great effort for an exceptional cause that began with a letter to my office by Mrs. Canning and grew into something much greater. The generosity of city employees was overwhelming and exceeded all expectations. Reading is the foundation of learning and it’s important that every child has books to read at home to supplement their classroom learning time.”
McGillen: Needs a wall
The crime wave that’s battered the little town of Candia has taken on an outsider flavor. The Candia Police Department arrested four Manchester men on possession of controlled or narcotic drug charges last month. The department also took a man into protective custody for “alcoholism” and arrested another for theft. Neither were Candia residents. Candia’s cops continue to hammer the highways, issuing 1 0 8 motor vehicle warnings and a whopping one motor vehicle summons. The outsider invasion had Candia Police Chief Michael McGillen calling on the Board of Selectmen to build a wall around the town. G O P presidential front runner Donald Trump has offered his services.
Implicates innocents.
On a serious note from Candia, someone circulated a flier prior to the school board’s discussion of a proposed policy on the use of sports teams, locker rooms and bathrooms by trans-gendered students, announcing “PEDOPHILES are coming! WARNING!! PARENTS….” The flier gave the date and time of the school board meeting and listed the Girard at Large Web site, Oh My BLOG!, the name of our blog page and Ann Marie Banfield, a contributor to our blog. As host of the show, I will state, unequivocally, that neither I nor Banfield had any prior knowledge of the flier. We both learned about it on Friday night courtesy of a phone call from Union Leader correspondent Jason Schreiber who called to inquire about it. Banfield did publish an article about the policy on Oh My BLOG!, but it had nothing to do with pedophilia. We’ve linked to it from this news read so you can read it for yourself. Rest assured, we will have something to say about it this morning. In short, we are not amused.
News from our own backyard continues after this.
Manchester: Weekly collection begins today
Curbside yard waste collection begins this week in Manchester. Starting today, pick up will be weekly on residents’ regular trash days for the next six weeks. After that, it will be every other week. Residents must place yard waste and other materials at the curb by 7 a.m. on their regular trash collection day, and waste must be in paper bags, bundles or barrels with an orange city yard waste sticker. Workers will not collect individual branches or stumps that are greater than three inches in diameter or three feet long. Visit Manchester N H dot gov slash yard waste for more information.
Livingston: State of the Schools
In addition to its regular meeting tonight, the Manchester Board of School Committee will hold a public hearing on the proposed budget for the coming fiscal year. Residents will have the opportunity to voice their opinions on this budget in the Aldermanic Chambers at City Hall beginning at six. At the board’s regular meeting, scheduled for seven o’clock, Superintendent Debra Livingston will present what she’s calling the quote “State of the District.” We have linked to the agenda from, this news read for your convenience.
Tomorrow night, the Board of Mayor and Aldermen will hold a public hearing on the budget proposed by Mayor Ted Gatsas beginning at five thirty in the Aldermanic Chambers.
Libasci: Church “feels the challenge”
The Most Reverend Peter A. Libasci, Bishop of Manchester, issued a statement following the release of Pope Francis’ Apostolic Exhortation on the Family, otherwise known as Amoris Laetitia. The much anticipated writing follows two synods, or gatherings of bishops, archbishops and cardinals, which caused strife within the church as the pontiff seemed to marginalize the voices of more traditional clergymen in favor of those who’ve railed against church doctrine for years. The discontent led to the demotion of Vatican official Raymond Cardinal Burke, who recently headlined an event in Manchester for Northeast Catholic College. We carried it live and have linked to it from this news read for your convenience.
Burke: Demoted by pope
In his statement Libasci said the pope issued a challenge to all Catholics to better appreciate the gift of married love and to more attentively listen to those who feel wounded. Libasci said they are to be accompanied with compassion, not judgment. Said Libasci, quote:
“The Church feels the challenge of a changing culture and must reassess its efforts in helping those who, for example, are divorced and remarried to know that they are welcome.”
Libasci said the diocese will make a concerted effort to expand and strengthen initiatives to help married couples deepen their relationship with each other and with God, help parents build up and develop their parenting skills, and help families strengthen their relationship across generations.
That’s news from our own backyard! Girard at Large hour ___ is next!
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