Angry parents turned out at Weare Middle School on Tuesday night to protest the school’s decision to allow a biological male student to use the girls’ bathroom — over the objection of girls who are being forced to share the space The situation came to light when the girls started complaining to their parents about the boy who just recently began “identifying” as a girl Katie LeRoy was upset when her daughter told her about the situation last week The male student had switched from using a single-person bathroom to the girl’s room and others (are uncomfortable) as well,” LeRoy said But school board Chair Christine Heath insisted they were following state law it is the law in New Hampshire that discrimination is prohibited based on gender identity in regards to bathrooms,” Heath said at the start of the Weare School Board meeting and Board Member Daniel Recupero listen to parents Tuesday night upset that a biological boy is using the girl’s bathroom in Weare Middle School Ross Berry (R-Weare) attended Tuesday’s meeting to support concerned parents He told NHJournal Heath’s claim the school’s hands are tied is spin It’s true the state has yet to pass a law explicitly giving schools and other institutions the right to protect women’s spaces from biological males The school could choose to do so right now “They are interpreting the non-discrimination statute in a way that conveniently fits their worldview,” Berry said “I have no doubt the school board would vote to allow boys in girls bathrooms if they were explicitly given a choice.” a public school teacher in another community told the meeting she supported allowing the male student in the girls’ bathroom She cited people who are born intersex to explain that transgender people have always been part of human history “The idea there is only male and female is not scientifically correct,” Brennan said Being born intersex is an extremely rare medical condition affecting an estimated .05 percent of the population It typically refers to people born with both male and female sexual characteristics such as having both male and female sex organs Nobody has suggested that applies to the male student at Weare Middle School Lisa Mazur (R-Weare) said parents and girls should be able to talk about their concerns without being labeled as bigots “Having this concern for girls does not make us transphobic and we’re not bullies for speaking up,” Mazur said Parents have been reaching out to Mazur to tell her the girls are uncomfortable sharing their bathroom with a boy and some of them are refusing to use the bathroom at the school Mazur said the school should allow male students “identifying” as female to use single-person bathrooms or staff bathrooms A bill keeping biological males out of spaces for women and girls is making its way through the legislature Weare resident and Republican candidate for Congress Lily Tang Williams said the school’s policy to allow the biological male into the girls’ bathroom is damaging the school and will be costly for the community “You’re going to push more children to homeschooling and out-of-town schools You need to reevaluate this policy,” Tang Williams said Berry reminded the board Weare’s schools are underperforming 32 percent of students were proficient in English The district is spending more than $21,000 a year per student The district’s also seen a 28 percent decline in enrollment since 2016 Perhaps academic performance should be their priority who had been considering putting his homeschooled children into the public school predicted even more students are likely to leave Not because there is a transgender student but because the handling of the situation raises questions about how the school will teach science and biology “That 28 percent will climb if this goes the wrong direction,” the dad said For Comments, Questions, Or Complaints aboutour articles please contact us InDepthNH.org (https://indepthnh.org/2024/11/20/2-deceased-following-residential-fire-in-weare/) Weare Fire Rescue Chief Mark Roarick and Weare Police Department Chief Christopher Moore announce that two people are deceased following a residential fire the Weare Fire Department responded to 83 High Rock Road for a report of a building fire they found smoke coming from a second story window Once firefighters made entry into the home and extinguishing efforts were underway they located two people who were determined to be deceased The names of the victims are being withheld at this time Autopsies are scheduled to be conducted by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Concord on Thursday to determine the cause and manner of death Get unbiased nonprofit watchdog news sent directly to your inbox The investigation into the origin and cause of the fire is active and ongoing by members of the New Hampshire State Fire Marshal’s Office, Weare Fire Department and the Weare Police Department. Anyone with information about this incident is encouraged to contact the New Hampshire State Fire Marshal’s Office at (603) 223-4289 or fmo@dos.nh.gov The Weare Fire Department was assisted by the Weare Police Department and the Capitol Area Mutual Aid Chief Coordinator State Fire Marshal Toomey would like to remind everyone of the importance of having working smoke alarms in their homes In the event of an alarm activation or visible smoke or fire residents should immediately exit their homes and call 9-1-1 Keep exits clear and accessible at all times and have a home fire escape plan Anyone with questions about home fire safety should contact their local fire department or the New Hampshire State Fire Marshal’s Office No further information is available at this time This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License A generous gift in any amount helps us continue to bring you this service InDepthNH protects independent journalism that holds government accountable to the people Our investigative reporting prompts civil discourse that spurs citizens to action corruption and influence-peddling while giving voice to the disenfranchised InDepthNH fulfills the press’ watchdog role as envisioned by the founders of our democracy InDepthNH.org is published by the New Hampshire Center for Public Interest Journalism Built with the Largo WordPress Theme from the Institute for Nonprofit News Christian Cummings looks back at the gallery during his negligent homicide trial at Hillsborough County Superior Court in Manchester The state Supreme Court has denied a request by a Weare father convicted of negligent homicide in the 2019 death of his lice-infested daughter to have his conviction overturned Christian Cummings received a state prison sentence of 18 months to 5 years Kamryn Cummings died in 2019 at the age of 18 months She suffered from a severe untreated urinary tract infection and hundreds of lice were found crawling on her body in a mobile home on property owned by the defendant’s grandparents Youth and Families (DCYF) prohibited Kamryn from living in the primary house on the property Kamryn and Cochran moved into a bedroom in the primary house because the mobile home had no heat in which eight people and numerous pets lived “was in a state of squalor,” court documents state Kamryn slept in a dirty baby bouncer in the bedroom because she had vomited in her playpen and Christian didn’t know how to clean it and a caged chinchilla was also kept in the room Once Kamryn began living in the primary house one of Cummings’s family members said they thought she seemed “a little sluggish,” had a serious lice infestation and a stomach virus that caused her to vomit Another family member described Kamryn coughing “(l)ike a mountain lion screaming” for weeks one of the defendant’s brothers observed her breathing rapidly for a few hours When the brother expressed his concern about K.C.’s condition the defendant told his brother to “shut up.” 17 animals and seven people were living in the cluttered home the 1½-year-old had hundreds of lice crawling on her body when she was taken to the hospital She suffered from dehydration that followed several bouts of vomiting A police report said the bugs were in her face The autopsy mentions the lice as a factor in her death noting their feeding on her blood created an iron deficiency the jury submitted a question to the trial court asking: “Does the cause of death have to be urosepsis or any of the three?” The court consulted with the parties and by agreement informed the jury that it could find that the cause of death was “any one or any combination of (urosepsis and electrolyte imbalance).” The jury then convicted Cummings Cummings argued the trial court’s answer to the jury question constitutes “reversible error” because the response allowed the jury to rely upon urosepsis as the sole cause of the baby’s death the state Supreme Court determined “we need not decide whether the trial court’s response to the jury’s question was plain error because we conclude that the court’s response did not affect the outcome of the trial.” “We also conclude that the defendant’s trial counsel did not render ineffective assistance of counsel when he failed to object to the court’s response to the jury’s question because the failure did not prejudice the result,” the court found we conclude that the state presented sufficient evidence that the defendant committed negligent homicide Email notifications are only sent once a day Your browser is out of date and potentially vulnerable to security risks.We recommend switching to one of the following browsers: Account processing issue - the email address may already exist Would you like to receive our daily news? Signup today Invalid password or account does not exist Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the email address listed on your account Katie Lipp - Weare School Board candidate Katie Lipp—Credit 2025 Weare school board candidate Lorraine Westfahl—Credit Two newcomers are vying for a one-year seat on the Weare School Board It is the only contested race on the ballot has been a resident of town for 8 years with two children at Center Woods Elementary She is a principal in a behavioral health consulting firm saying in an e-mail “I would like to keep my local politics to Weare and those I would possibly serve.” On Facebook and the local newsletter she said she grew up in eastern Oregon and moved to Weare in 2021 The family has home-schooled their two children Lipp said Weare’s lack of a “strong tax base” has “historically left the school without resources to attract and retain staff … also created a lot of tension that has been hard for the community to navigate.” She wants to help ease that tension through “plain-language” communication “I’d like tolower some of the barriers to engagement so that folks can participate more in these conversations.” Lipp said she supports Article 5 on the warrant which would require the estimated tax impact to be printed with all warrant article which would place a budget cap on school district spending “I appreciate the appeal of a tax cap … but the reality is a tax cap won’t solve things,” she said noting that one-time needs “such as a new sprinkler system” could pull funding from required areas Lipp said she would like to see the state’s Education Freedom Account voucher program curtailed “In theory ESAs help connect kids to educational resources they need but in practice they pull limited state funding away from public schools where the vast majority of our children (are),” she said Hot topic: Petitioned warrant articles reflect two approaches to the local school-funding crunch Article 6 would impose a $24,767 per pupil cap on spending plus inflation – Weare is one of a number of school districts where similar petitioned articles have been placed Article 7 asks that the state reject an expansion of the Education Freedom Account voucher program and develop a “sustainable funding plan that ensures no further strain on public schools or local property taxpayers.” Budget: The proposed operating budget for the town is $20.45 million 4.3% or $838,347 higher than the current budget If the budget and all warrant articles are approved the local school tax rate would rise from $8.67 to $9.93 per $1,000 of assessed valuation adding $504 to the annual tax bill of a $400,000 home Noteworthy articles: A proposed two-year contract for the school support staff would include various increases in salary longevity payments and differential for intensive care Officials say the projected average salary increase for paraprofessionals would be $2,557 in year one and $1,887 in year two The staff does not get any insurance or retirement Editor’s note: The article has been changed to correct the spelling of William Politt’s last name you agree with our use of cookies to personalize your experience measure ads and monitor how our site works to improve it for our users Weare select board candidate 2025 Bruce Fillmore John Stark Regional High School is seen on April 7 Weare voters rejected the operating budgets for both the town and the school district Tuesday and turned a thumbs down on a number of spending proposals Voters approved a raise for non-union town employees as well as a new contract for support staff at Center Woods Elementary School But they rejected warrant articles for a new detective an increased stipend for the Parks and Recreation director giving more revenue from recyclables to a fund for transfer station upgrades paying for wellness checks for police officers and buying an extra Taser for police Incumbent Bruce Fillmore won re-election to the select board over Paul Thoman Katie Lipp defeated Lorraine Westphal for an open seat on the school board Voters rejected by a vote of 920 yes to 966 no a petitioned article to cap future school district budget increases an advisory article telling legislators to create transparency of educational Freedom Account school vouchers Paul Knudson won a three-way race for an open select board seat The school district’s operating budget and a new contract for support staff passed easily Henniker town government operates under a traditional meeting format The meeting to vote on the operating budget and warrant articles will be held Saturday at 1 p.m The operating budget for the two-town school district passed with approval from both Weare and Henniker but a new contract for teachers was rejected but voters in the much larger town of Weare soundly rejected it Weare select board candidate 2025 Bruce Fillmore—Credit Two people are running for the seat on the Weare select board being vacated by David Pratte he attended Bishop Brady high school and NHTI in Concord for engineering currently the WeareCIP Committee and Planning Board “In the last couple of years the select board has “They spent time hearing things that are the responsibility of other boards They have no jurisdiction to make decisions… People get frustrated because nothing is done because they can’t do it.” He pointed to what he called the “open mic” sessions in which people have sometimes complained about aspects of town government Select board meetings are filmed and stored on YouTube meaning “here’s stuff up there from five years ago” of “people airing their grievances on TV.” He argued that this produces “terrible morale” in town employees making it difficult to hire and keep staff “I want to change how they treat people,” he said “It’s nothing dramatic; they’ve got the budget well under control.” Fillmore also criticized state government changes that have put pressure on local property taxes they’ve cut and cut and cut what they give in grant-in-aid for roadwork We used to get a cut of rooms and meals tax,” he said “They’ve increased mandates on what towns have to do at the same time reducing the funding they give us.” did not respond to the Monitor’s request for an interview On Facebook he said he “(has) not come up through the ranks of the town government and I am not intimate with all the issues and policies but I do believe my skillset will get me up to speed quickly.” He also said that “there is finally national hope and I do not think the town of Weare should be excluded.” CONTESTED RACES: There are no other contested races HOT TOPIC: $900,000 taken from the first department reserve fund for a lease-purchase agreement on a $1.25 million fully equipped fire engine It would replace a 1981 machine that is temporarily out of operation Use of a fund that taxpayers previously paid into means there will be no tax impact BUDGET: The proposed operating budget for the town is $9.15 million That equates to an increase of 49 cents in the tax rate raising the annual bill on a $300,000 house by $147 If all warrant articles are approved as well the town tax rate would rise an estimated $1.30 Health and workers comp insurance are a major portion of the budget increase as well as payout of a long-term employee who is retiring NOTEWORTHY ARTICLES: A 3% pay increase for non-union town and library personnel on-call firefighters and staff in town hall A proposal to add $280,000 to the existing Highway Truck and Equipment Replacement Capital Reserve Fund to purchase a new 10-wheel plow truck for the Highway Department A petitioned article to raise $11,000 for fireworks for the annual Weare Patriotic Celebration was amended at deliberative session to zero dollars so it doesn’t matter whether it passes or not WHEN AND WHERE:Election day for candidates and all warrant articles in Tuesday Deliberative sessions are all about local control but it was state actions and their effect on property taxes that dominated much of Wednesday’s discussion for voters in the Weare School District A petitioned warrant article to cap per-pupil spending in the district and another petitioned article asking for “accountability transparency and a sustainable funding plan” regarding the vouchers known as Education Freedom Accounts occupied a large part of the three-hour meeting Kate Bloom was among the petitioners for an article to cap future spending by the district at $24,767 per pupil plus annual increases linked to a cost of living index She argued that something needs to be done to limit increases in school taxes “While decreased state funding to Weare does shift more of the cost to local taxpayers this issue is compounded when schools continue to spend at ever-increasing rates the local taxpayer will be forced to pay for decreased state funding and the uncapped spending increases,” she said “More state spending … will simply subsidize costs that are excessive.” An amendment to raise the amount to $50,000 which would have effectively nullified the article it will go on the ballot March 11 as written Voting will take place at the Middle School from 7 a.m A number of school districts in the state have seen similar budget cap proposals which have faced varied results raised the limit to $100,000 at their deliberative session Marjorie Burke was one of several speakers who said the cap would “tie the hands” of the local school board when faced with unavoidable cost increases such as transportation “Much of the budget costs the board presents are out of their control beginning with the state legislature that does not see fit to honor their constitutional obligation to adequately fund public education,” she said State actions were central to another petitioned article targeting vouchers which asked voters to “call on our state elected officials to … reject any expansion of taxpayer funding for private education until we have full accountability transparency and a sustainable funding plan that ensures no further strain on … local property taxpayers.” The 3-year-old school voucher program gives taxpayer dollars to families to help pay for private It is currently limited to families with income less than 350% of the federal poverty level but the GOP-led legislature is considering removing all income limits said that unlike public schools the voucher program does not provide any details about how it spends the money from taxpayers or what educational goals it meets “We’re just asking for accountability,” he said Lea Cushman said she thought it was “a deflection aimed at school choice” designed “to keep kids in public school even when it’s not the best option for them.” A proposal to amend the article and turn it into a short version asking only that legislators study public and private school funding was defeated No changes were made to the budget or a contract for support staff The proposed operating budget for the next fiscal year starting July 1 is $20.45 million higher than the budget approved a year ago A proposed two-year contract for the school support staff would include various increases in salary covering Center Wood Elementary and Weare Middle schools One unusual aspect of the meeting is that the school moderator had resigned a longtime state representative who did not seek re-election after 16 terms in Concord Family and friends of Leon Taylor wave as fire trucks go by his home while he sits bundled up against the cold on Sunday as he gets surprised for his 100th birthday celebration Daughter Amy Taylor Sweeney makes sure Leon Taylor is wrapped up enough to be outside before the surprise on Sunday Karen Williams gets a hug at Leon Taylor’s surprise 100th bithday at his Weare home on Sunday Leon Taylor at his surprise 100th birthday party on Sunday and Amy Taylor Sweeney make sure Leon Taylor is wrapped up to go outside before the surprise on Sunday Relatives make sure Leon Taylor is wrapped up to go outside before the surprise on Sunday Nancy Taylor gets a hug from a relative during the birthday celebration for her husband and Amy Taylor Sweeney attach a birthday sign before the surprise on Sunday Leon Taylor’s daughter Amy makes sure he is warm as they wait for the fire truck surprise in front of his home in Weare on Sunday Leon Taylor gets a hug and a kiss from his granddaugher Courtney Perron-Walker during the surprise 100th birthday party at his home in Weare on Sunday Amy Taylor Sweeney puts out a 100th birthday sign before the surprise on Sunday Family and friends of Leon Taylor wave as fire trucks go by his home while he sits bundled up against the cold on Sunday 2025 as he gets surpised for his 100th birthday celebration Leon Taylor in a family photo with his two sisters in the 1930s A Happy Birthday sign in front of Leon Taylor’s home in Weare before the fire trucks rolled by to surprise him on his 100th birthday Leon’s photo of him on a Weare fire truck Leon was part of the Weare fire department for 70 years Karen Williams waves to the family and friends of Leon Taylor at his surprise 100th bithday at his Weare home on Sunday Karen Williams says hello to Leon Taylor’™s sons at his surprise 100th birthday at his Weare home on Sunday Leon Taylor’s home in Weare has seen decades of family celebrations Taylor expected to revisit the familiar rituals of those previous occasions — dinner ice cream and pleasant conversation — when his children brought him into his front yard a car parade organized in his honor was gusting past his home along North Stark Highway where Taylor is known to wave to passing cars each morning saturated with the call-and-response chorus of car horns and his family’s cheers owed to an unrivaled milestone: Taylor’s 100th birthday “I wheeled him to the end of the driveway and I said ‘this is all for you’,” recalled Taylor’s daughter Taylor has been many things to his community in Weare Taylor joined the Weare Fire Department as a junior volunteer firefighter Shannon remembers from her father’s accounts that the department owned only one station wagon what the department lacked in infrastructure her father made up for with his ingenuity and dedication He would sit in his chair with the fire radio resting on his chest because he knew something was coming He already had his boots on by the time the phone rang,” she said Taylor fought house fires in surrounding towns and forest fires in the White Mountains finally stepping down after 75 years of service a staggering career that earned a special commendation from former Gov His professional career flourished in another sector where he installed the first milking parlor farms in New England He continued working restlessly until well into his 90s fixing Massey Ferguson tractors for local farmers Taylor contracted the Polio virus when he was still an infant his almost imperceptible limp did not deter him from helping his neighbors or embarking on ambitious pet projects He was a Fish and Game Warden and a Forestry Warden landing often on Lake Horace and stepping out to check children for life vests always helping people with their plumbing or their electrical issues now consisting of eight grandchildren and four great-grandchildren she would be the one to mobilize their community to honor Taylor on his 100th birthday It all happened at warp speed: Early the previous week Williams saw a Facebook post from Shannon asking neighbors to share their birthday wishes by sending cards the family has been taking rigorous precautions to safeguard his well-being Williams watched her brother plan a truck drive-by as a fundraiser for a cousin facing medical and financial hardships Williams’ brother himself sustained a head injury from a fall and she put together a fundraising truck rally for him “I just watched what it did for my cousin and my brother and how they responded I saw the response to these types of events and I thought ‘you know it’ll be a great feel-good moment,’” she said Williams called Weare’s fire and police departments phoned neighboring departments and recruited community members around 40 cars met at Weare Middle School and the procession began Williams was the only non-family member to join the Taylor family at their house before the parade She said the choice to honor Taylor with such an exuberant show of support from his community was obvious “The town has lost so many of our long-term folks ‘old-timers’ aren’t with us anymore.” Williams said the ones that we have that have been so dedicated to serving our town and our people I think it’s worth a little effort to celebrate them when we have the opportunity.” Rebeca Pereira can be reached at rpereira@cmonitor.com JAMESTOWN — The University of Jamestown men’s hockey team’s netminder and captain have been recognized by the American Collegiate Hockey Association’s year-end awards The Jimmies’ Brandon Weare made it onto the All-Athletic First Team as the squad’s goalie while Brad Fortin was named an All-Athletic Honorable Mention he’s an amazing goaltender and he gives our team a chance to win every single time he steps on the ice,” Fortin said “There’s no one more deserving in this league to be … first team All-Athletic goaltender other than him I’m really happy for him and he definitely deserves that accolade.” The duo helped the Jimmies go 24-10-0 and make it to the second round of the ACHA National Tournament for the second time in program history “It’s cool to be an honorable mention for sure,” Fortin said Weare played in 33 games going 23-8-2 with a 2.27 goals-against average and a .923 save percentage tallying 18 goals and 20 assists for 38 points and 32 penalty minutes “I tried to have a big summer last summer and trying to prepare myself the best I could for the season,” Fortin said “(It) continued throughout the season and tried to do the right things on and off the ice and tried to get better every day and make a difference when I can.” Fortin said his selection will serve as motivation for him in his senior season so it’ll be a huge motivation coming into the offseason and summer here to have one last great season and hopefully capture a national championship,” Fortin said Weare and Fortin are the first Jimmies honored by the ACHA since goalie Tyson Brouwer and Trevor Okino were named honorable mentions after the 2019-20 season Please select what you would like included for printing: Copy the text below and then paste that into your favorite email application NH the son of the late Bertrand and Rebecca (Pray) Proulx He was predeceased by his wife Patricia Jo (Schehl) Proulx and son Michael; and two brothers He was a veteran and served in the United States Air Force achieving the rank of Staff Sergeant.  Proulx worked for over 30 years for General Electric where he held the position of Plant Facilities Leader He enjoyed spending time with family and friends and Dominic; nieces and nephews; and countless cousins and friends SERVICES: Calling hours will be held on Friday at Phaneuf Funeral Homes & Crematorium at the funeral home with a celebration of life to follow at 6 p.m Interment will take place at a later date at the NH State Veterans Cemetery It has been suggested that those who wish may make memorial contributions in memory of Mr Proulx to the Wounded Warrior Project or the NH Motorcyclists Rights Organization Toy Run Phaneuf Funeral Homes and Crematorium assisted the family with arrangements or for more information please go to https://phaneuf.net/ Phaneuf Funeral Homes & Crematorium - Hanover Enter your phone number above to have directions sent via text This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply Service map data © OpenStreetMap contributors died Wednesday in an explosion inside a Weare business When a motorcyclist was pinned under the wreckage of a crash Saturday night Zachary Spooner of Windsor didn’t hesitate But by Wednesday afternoon, Spooner, a 27-year-old husband and the father of a 1-year-old, was also gone, the victim of an explosion where he worked — Haynes Mulch in Weare Neighbors and his church pastor said the community is crushed by grief Spooner suffered fatal injuries from blunt-force trauma in an explosion around 2 p.m The state Medical Examiner’s Office has not released the official cause of death Police and the state Fire Marshal’s Office are investigating the cause of the explosion Pastor Bill Stockhaus at Weare Christian Church said he has known Spooner for 22 years Spooner was married in his church seven years ago He and my youngest son were very close growing up,” Stockhaus said Thursday afternoon Stockhaus said Spooner had “a servant’s heart” and the community could always place its trust in him to help others He always made time beyond his regular work to help others,” Stockhaus said Hunt said in the tiny town of Windsor — population less than 300 — Spooner was a doting father of her “grand-neighbor,” and an excellent mechanic who just this weekend helped her husband with some work on his van “He and his wife have been in love since they were 13 years old,” Hunt said “They have the most beautiful young family.” Spooner was raised in Weare and had worked at Haynes Mulch only a short time He had previously worked as a mechanic in Hillsborough Hunt and Stockhaus both said Spooner was a spiritual young man who was always there for others “Always so full of encouragement no matter what “It’s just a shock and a sadness that we don’t get to have an entire lifetime with him,” Stockhaus said dpierce@unionleader.com A 55-year-old Manchester man was killed when his motorcycle crashed into the side of a trailer towed by a pickup truck Saturday night in Winds… One person died in an explosion inside a building at Haynes Mulch in Weare on Wednesday afternoon The scene of a fatal fire in Weare Wednesday A man and a woman are dead after a fire at a home on High Rock Road in Weare The Weare Fire Department was called to 83 High Rock Road Firefighters arrived to find smoke coming from a second-story window which was contained to one room on the second floor The fire was under control around 11:10 a.m Fire Marshal Sean Toomey confirmed the deaths and said both victims were adults The victims’ identities were not immediately released Autopsies will be conducted by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Concord to determine the cause and manner of death Online property records indicate Catherine and Paul Naves own the duplex The home includes three bedrooms in each unit It’s unclear if both units were occupied at the time The Weare Fire Department received assistance from the Weare Police Department as well as the fire departments in Goffstown along with the Capitol Area Mutual Aid Chief Coordinator The investigation into the origin and cause of the fire is active and ongoing 2024 at 7:52 pm ETFirefighters from several communities responded to a 911 call reporting smoke coming from a home and a report of people trapped (Jeffrey Hastings)Firefighters from several communities responded to a 911 call reporting smoke coming from a home and a report of people trapped NH — Firefighters from several towns responded to Weare for a report of smoke coming from a house at 83 High Rock Road Wednesday after a call came in from 911 just before 11 a.m Weare firefighters arrived to smoke coming from a second-floor window of a two-family residence crews immediately entered the building and quickly extinguished the fire and discovered a man and a woman deceased The fire according to investigators was a room and contents fire and confined to one section of the two-family residence Many of the mutual aid towns were cancelled due to the quick knock down of the fire and ample water supply at the end of the driveway The New Hampshire State Fire Marshal’s Office was notified and responded to the scene to assist with investigating the fire and assist Weare Fire NH Fire Marshal Sean Toomey said there have been 21 fire related deaths this year which is higher than any years that he knows of Toomey said there were no functioning smoke detectors inside the area where the fire was in Weare All fatal fires this year have involved structures that did not have functioning fire and smoke detectors Autopsies are scheduled to be conducted by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Concord on Thursday to determine the cause and manner of death The investigation into the origin and cause of the fire is active and ongoing by members of the New Hampshire State Fire Marshal’s Office, Weare Fire Department and the Weare Police Department. Anyone with information about this incident is encouraged to contact the New Hampshire State Fire Marshal’s Office at (603) 223-4289 or fmo@dos.nh.gov I grew up a short bus ride and an even shorter subway ride from downtown Boston and learned important life lessons there Even though I’ve lived in New Hampshire 45 years I chalk it up to envy of my “assertive” driving A common accusation is that we transplants from Massachusetts moved to New Hampshire intending to impose high-tax policies People who think that way have it absolutely backwards The vast majority of us settle here because we prefer what New Hampshire has to offer We come to New Hampshire for any number of reasons Many come for the opportunities for outdoor activities in beautiful settings Dartmouth or other schools and like it enough to stay here I was employed by a manufacturer’s representative selling consumer electronics and a condition of continued employment was that I live within my territory it became clear that Concord was the central point apparently thinking that driving 50,000+ miles a year left me mileage-deprived added to my sales territory the northern edge of Massachusetts We were married in 1984 and bought a house in Weare I’m sure many others have settled in New Hampshire after finding their destiny here I can state with some certainly that the vast majority had no hidden agenda in coming there are a number of mostly recent arrivals who manage to slip under the Granite State’s xenophobia radar a loosely (dis?)organized group of extremists who chose to relocate to New Hampshire with the express purpose of taking over the state’s institutions and remaking them into an everyone-for-themselves libertarian paradise Lest you think they are merely harmless cranks dig into what happened when they took over one small town’s government “A Libertarian Walks into a Bear” is a short easily readable book that describes their misadventures in Grafton some years ago they nearly shut down public schools in Croydon before the townspeople came out to reverse their disastrous budget cuts They have succeeded in electing several of their numbers to the state legislature to use descriptions from the time of my youth “card-carrying members” and others “fellow travelers.” They have garnered outsized influence a representative from Epsom seems out to build a career sponsoring bills that aim to kneecap or even eliminate public education Free-Staters seldom reveal their affiliations with perhaps a little help from news media Some of them will assuredly appear on March 11 ballots using weasel words to disguise the extreme nature of their positions Our informed votes can and must prevent any other communities from suffering the ill fate of Grafton and Croydon Take the time to learn about candidates and issues By doing so we can send a message to the Free-Staters and their sympathizers that we value our institutions and that our towns and our schools are no place for their cockamamie ideas An outspoken Republican lawmaker who said she was fired for her views on transgender issues is publicly misrepresenting the reasons for her termination a Republican State Representative from Goffstown shared on social media last week that she had been fired from her job the morning after she criticized the Weare School District’s decision to allow a transgender girl at the district’s middle school to use the girls’ bathroom “Ironically, I just spoke up at a [school board meeting] last night about a biological boy using the girls’ bathrooms in a middle school,” Mazur wrote on X Mazur’s post went viral and the state Republican party doubled down on the claim on social media and in a fundraising email the owner of the event venue where Mazur had worked said in her first public statement since the incident received nationwide attention that the termination was “entirely and unequivocally unrelated to politics or any recent local events.” “The company has been aware of her political activism for years,” Rynearson wrote in an email to the Monitor “The reason for her termination was an internal reorganization of responsibilities who has operated The Gardens at Uncanoonuc Mountain since 2017 said that Mazur had worked full-time at the company since 2021 Mazur declined an interview request due to her schedule “The timing raises serious questions,” Mazur wrote in a statement “Ending the employment of a valued staff member in such a cold and abrupt manner doesn’t pass the smell test—it sure feels political to me.” Mazur said on the right-wing media show Real America's Voice that she had previously been “pretty friendly” with Rynearson but that when she called Mazur, a second-term lawmaker who represents a district that includes Weare and Goffstown, has been outspoken on transgender issues, sponsoring bills this session that would ban puberty blockers and gender-affirming surgeries for minors a Weare administrator confirmed in a statement that a transgender student had been using the girls’ bathroom the school district allows students and staff to use the bathroom consistent with their gender identity as opposed to their birth gender A so-called bathroom bill going through the legislature would change that law During a meeting in which several people criticized existing state law and the district’s policies Mazur asked the board to allow the transgender student to use “a private or staff bathroom” instead of the girls’ bathroom “Little girls shouldn’t have to be afraid to use the bathroom and hold it all day,” she said   Jeremy Margolis can be contacted at jmargolis@cmonitor.com 2025 at 6:52 pm ETJohn Camden and Joshua Cummings of Concord and David Petriel of Weare were arrested in late March on criminal mischief charges related to the December 2024 incidents (Concord Police Department; News 603)David Petriel (Concord Police Department)Joshua Cummings (Concord Police Department)John Camden (Concord Police Department)CONCORD NH — Three men have been arrested on vandalism charges connected to the destruction of a “holiday display” at the city plaza posted by the Satanic Temple in Downtown Concord in December 2024 John Camden were arrested on Thursday on a criminal mischief charge each was arrested on two criminal mischief counts The men were arrested after a multi-month investigation into several acts of vandalism against the display described as an “occult deity,” “demonic presence,” and “demon goat god Baphomet” after its installation on the city plaza on Dec Editor's note: This post was derived from information supplied by the Concord Police Department and does not indicate a conviction. This link explains the removal request process for New Hampshire Patch police reports Not long after the installation was posted Activists continued reinstalling the display the damaged display was repaired by citizens associated with the display and re-damaged by various individuals thereafter,” police said in a statement Monday online threats were made against the Nativity scene Someone also left a sign on the creche stating That Path Leads To Destruction.” This prompted several volunteers the Christmas tree lighting event organizer to stand guard at the plaza while also inviting city residents to sing Christmas carols Blackden called the police to report the vandals destroying the Temple’s display detectives investigated the incidents which led to the arrests Camden was also previously arrested on Christmas night on an active warrant after an incident at the city plaza Cummings and Petriel are due in Concord District Court for arraignment on April 28 while Camden is due in court for arraignment on May 19 Vandalism against spiritual displays during the holidays tends to be rare in Concord the Baby Jesus was stolen from a Nativity display outside St Other figures in the display were not taken or damaged the Knights of Columbus installed mesh covering the current Nativity scene to prevent the expensive figurines from being stolen or damaged Do you have a news tip? Please email it to tony.schinella@patch.com. View videos on Tony Schinella's YouTube.com channel or Rumble.com channel Follow the NH politics Twitter account @NHPatchPolitics for all our campaign coverage Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts. This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page One person has tragically lost their life following an explosion at a business in Hillsborough County The blast happened Wednesday at Haynes Mulch which is located on B and B Lane in Weare An autopsy on the individual who was killed is scheduled for Thursday Investigators are still looking into what caused the explosion but believe a barrel or tank was involved in the tragedy WTPL ONLINE PUBLIC FILE WTSN ONLINE PUBLIC FILE WEMJ ONLINE PUBLIC FILE FCC APPLICATIONS EEO DOVER UNIT EEO CONCORD-LAKES UNIT EEO NASHUA-MANCHESTER UNIT CAREER OPPORTUNITIES Privacy Policy If you need help accessing the online public file due to a disability, please contact us One person is dead after a fire consumed a single-family home in Weare early Tuesday morning The town’s fire department was called to 77 Sewell Hoyt Road around 1:13 a.m firefighters found “heavy fire” and reports indicated that a resident may still be inside the home One person was found dead; the victim has not been publicly identified An autopsy to be performed by the state Medical Examiner’s Office is set for Wednesday Goffstown provided coverage to the town’s stations Weare police and Capital Area Mutual Aid also helped at the scene The investigation into the cause and origin of the fire is ongoing Anyone who may know something about the fire is asked to call the state Fire Marshal’s Office at (603) 223-4289 What do a Japanese pop star and a freshman at Penn State have in common Penn State fans on Twitter noticed that the #WeAre had a new emoji with it but it had nothing to do with the Nittany Lions the hashtag was taken over by a Japanese talent agency in an attempt to promote its new Netflix special and single is a Japanese agency that promotes up-and-coming Japanese pop bands Starto’s bands also dropped a single in April All proceeds from the song will be donated to the victims of the 2024 Noto Peninsula earthquake Starto also launched a Netflix special documenting a concert with 14 of its bands made up of 75 members and complete with behind-the-scenes footage Starto’s concert was the culmination of the charity work done by the bands and the song while the #WeAre on Twitter was meant to promote the Netflix special about the concert Folks interested in purchasing the single can find details about the song, written in Japanese, here get ready for #WeAre…Better tweets to have a strange connection to a Japanese pop song Joe is a senior journalism major at Penn State and Onward State's managing editor. He writes about everything Penn State and is single-handedly responsible for the 2017 Rose Bowl. If you see him at Cafe 210, please buy him a Miami pitcher. For dumb stuff, follow him on Twitter (iamjoelister). For serious stuff, email him ([email protected]) “What’s funny to me is that after spending so much time telling other people’s stories I conclude my time here by writing about my own.” Jacob Francis and Jayson Archer are each accused of leading violent hazing rituals against new members The rock band debuted its unreleased single “Easy Come Easy Go,” along with crowd favorites like “Gives You Hell” and “Dirty Little Secret.” Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value" Jacob Francis and Jayson Archer are each accused of leading violent hazing rituals against new members.