newspaper columnist challenges Hodes

Republican newspaper columnist and radio host Jennifer Horn recently announced her intention to run against incumbent Democrat Paul Hodes in New Hampshire’s 2nd Congressional District.

Horn accuses Hodes and other Democrats in Congress of wasteful spending and pandering to lobbyists. If elected, she vowed to reduce taxes, make government smaller, come up with long-term energy solutions and fight for immigration reform.
“Congress has failed the American people,” she said in a written announcement. “With spending out of control, taxes threatening to sky rocket once again, and partisan grid-lock having reached new heights, it is no wonder that the American people have completely lost confidence in Congress. This is not the way government is supposed to be and it’s time for a change.”

Later in her announcement, Horn took sharper aim at Hodes.

“Paul Hodes is a do-nothing Representative in a do-nothing Congress. The people of the 2nd district deserve better and they are demanding change,” she said.

Hodes defeated Republican Charlie Bass in 2006 to win his first term in Congress. That same year, Democrat Carol Shea-Porter unseated Republican Jeb Bradley in New Hampshire’s First Congressional District. Bradley is expected to run against Shea-Porter again in 2008. 

Horn writes a weekly column in the Sunday edition of The Nashua Telegraph and hosts “On the Air With Jennifer Horn,” a daily two-hour radio talk show on WSMN 1590 AM. The Telegraph has announced that Horn’s column will be suspended during the campaign.

A mother of five, Horn lives in Nashua with her husband, Bill. She has never held political office. For more information, visit www.jenniferhorn.org.

homeless vigil in Exeter Jan. 30

Exeter’s 19th annual Vigil for the Homeless will take place on Wednesday, Jan. 30, from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. The event also marks the local public kickoff for the Tents of Hope Project, a national effort to educate the public about the genocide in Darfur and its 2.5 million displaced refugees.

The vigil begins at the New Outlook Teen Center at 120 Front St. and will proceed along Front Street to Exeter Town Hall. Participants from Exeter High School, civic and religious groups and Phillips Exeter Academy will join community members at City Hall for music and speeches. Proceeds from sales of vigil candles will benefit Cross Roads House, the Seacoast Interfaith Hospitality Network, Rockingham Community Action and New Generation Shelter.

The Tents of Hope Project is a collaboration between the Congregational Church of Exeter, PEA, the Exeter High School Student Anti-Genocide Coalition, and N.H. Citizens for Divestment. Over the next several months, students from PEA and other community and school groups will paint tent panels with images of remembrance for the genocide survivors who have lost their homes in Darfur. The project culminates with a gathering in Washington D.C. in October. For more information, visit www.tentsofhope.org.

local communities up to the Energy Challenge

Ever rising costs of energy, along with growing environmental concerns, have led to the need for serious analysis regarding daily energy consumption. This issue has no single solution; the situation calls for progressive steps. The Environmental Protection Agency continually looks for new programs to help reduce our impact on the ecosystem. The Community Energy Challenge is the EPA’s newest initiative to promote energy awareness.

A number of local communities, including Dover, Rochester, Somersworth, Rollinsford and Kittery, Maine, have decided to participate in the EPA’s newest energy reduction program. The objective is to improve energy efficiency in public buildings by at least 10 percent.

A total of 75 municipalities have signed on to the New England Community Energy Challenge, a regional program of the nationwide Energy Star Challenge. According to the EPA, the national campaign saved Americans $14 billion and prevented 37 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions from entering the atmosphere in 2006.

Kittery Town Manager Jonathan Carter views this process as less of a challenge and more of an opportunity. “It’s a tool to help sustain and keep costs down,” he said.

First, each town must gauge the energy currently used by public facilities, including schools, municipal buildings and wastewater treatment centers. Once the current level of energy consumption has been established, towns can determine which facilities are using an inordinate amount of energy. Inefficient energy use can be attributed to many different factors, so each town must devise an individual plan for energy reduction. 

Kittery plans to modify Town Hall by adding insulation and getting rid of some vending machines. These steps alone will get Kittery close the 10 percent reduction goal set forth by the EPA’s challenge. Other possible solutions include replacing energy inefficient products, turning down the heat when a building or room is empty, turning off unused electronics and utilizing renewable sources of energy.

Municipalities that succeed at the challenge will be lauded for their energy commitment. Included in this celebration is Energy Star, which will nationally acknowledge the efforts of each successful building.

Recognition may seem superfluous, but as Carter noted, each town must operate as a leader toward a better tomorrow. One of the key reasons Kittery joined the challenge was the opportunity to “bring (energy) awareness to the community,” in hopes that citizens will “follow their lead,” he said. 

Sarah Brown, a member of environmental group Cool Kittery, agrees. “The town needs to be a leader” in efficient and responsible energy use, she said. Cool Kittery also hopes to improve energy efficiency by adding a wind turbine to the town’s transfer station and solar panels to the fire station, and by replacing air handler motors with high efficiency motors.
These steps set a foundation for the movement toward widespread conscientious energy use, which is both an attainable goal and a key component in procuring a sustainable future. 

local brew is rated best in country

On tap for just a couple of weeks in December, the Portsmouth Brewery’s Imperial Stout sold out before many Seacoast fans had a chance to give it a taste. Those who did order a pint last month had a chance to sample what Beer Advocate Magazine calls the best beer in America.

The December edition of Beer Advocate included the magazine’s annual roundup of the top 25 beers in the nation and world. The Brewery’s Imperial Stout rated number one on the national list and number two on the “best beer on Planet Earth” list.

The rankings are based on thousands of individual ratings from Beer Advocate members, many of whom were eager to get their hands on “Kate the Great,” the Brewery’s Russian Imperial Stout.

Located on Market Street, The Portsmouth Brewery’s reputation for tasty brews has spread far beyond the Seacoast among beer connoisseurs. Owner Peter Egelston, who also owns the local Smuttynose Brewery, said the Imperial Stout has become highly coveted in the world of beer collectors. A batch of beer typically remains on tap for months, Egelston said, but Kate the Great was gobbled up with eager anticipation.

“Once the word got out in mid-December that it was finally on tap, it went very quickly, sold out within a couple of weeks,” Egelston said in a release. “This for a beer that we normally have on tap for several months—it was remarkable.”  

The style behind the Imperial brew first emerged in the early 19th century, when British brewers exported the beer to the imperial court of Russia’s Catherine the Great. The dark, rich, malty beer takes a long time to brew and age. Unfortunately, it won’t be available again at the Brewery for more than six months, according to head brewer Tod Mott.

“We’ll brew a batch soon, but it will have to be laid up and won’t be ready to serve until late summer at the soonest. I expect it will go just as quickly then, too,” Mott said in a release.

new fire station in the works

Fire Station 2 in Portsmouth might be moving. The City Council responded favorably to the Fire Department’s proposal to build a new station at 3000 Lafayette Road, according to Fire Chief Christopher LeClaire. The city would pay $1.3 million for the parcel, which is currently the site of Bellemore/Irving Heating and Oil.

Built in 1967, Fire Station 2 no longer meets the Fire Department’s needs, according to LeClaire. “It’s basically a two-bay garage, with an office attached,” he said.

Over the past 40 years, as the department added crewmembers, vehicles and equipment to its firefighting apparatus, the station became inadequate. “We’ve simply outgrown the site and the building,” LeClaire said. 

In August 2007, the Portsmouth City Council approved a plan to tear down Fire Station 2 at 2700 Lafayette Road, to make room for a $3.65 million “green” fire station.

However, the site at 2700 Lafayette Road measures less than an acre, meaning any new facility at that location would be cramped. The new site is 2.5 acres and would allow the city to build a larger station, with drive-through bays and other expanded facilities. The proposed parcel would also mean the station would stay on Lafayette Road, which provides easy access to Route 1 and makes it easier for walk-in reports of emergencies.

“We can build a facility that will serve the city for the next 50 years,” LeClaire said. One way the city will ensure the new station’s longevity is to design a “green” building, which will maximize the facility’s energy efficiency. The fire station would be the city’s second municipal building certified by Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design.

“It fits in with the sustainability practices of the city,” LeClaire said.

Portsmouth Public Library is the only existing LEED-certified building in the city.

The proposal will be reviewed during council meetings in February and March and will then be discussed in a public hearing. LeClaire is confident the proposal will continue to see support from the city.

“Any opportunity the city gets to purchase land on Lafayette Road, it’s too good to pass up,” he said.