04-25-2014 News

The Board of Commissioners at the Manchester Water Works voted unanimously yesterday to impose restrictions on horseback riding in the Lake Massabesic watershed that has horse enthusiasts galloping angry.  

Water Polluter?

Water Polluter?

At issue is whether or not horse puckey pollutes the water.  Pointing to new guidelines released by the federal E P A, officials at Manchester Water Works say restricting riders in the watershed is necessary to protect water quality.  Horse enthusiasts however say the hay eating animals’ poop provides no threat to water quality and that the dung left by dogs is a far greater threat.  They have vehemently argued that the bacteria the Water Works claims it’s trying to prevent isn’t present in horse droppings and that the Water Works has totally misapplied the federal regs.  For some reason, I’m sure we’ve not heard the last of this.

Campbell runs down ducks

Campbell runs down ducks

The Attorney General’s Office has concluded its investigation into the now infamous Nashua Duck-Gate.  You may recall that Democratic State Representative David Campbell claimed he didn’t know he was driving the wrong way up a driveway at the Nashua Crown Plaza Hotel when ran over a flock of the hotel’s famed ducks, killing five of them.  Witnesses thought he’d had one too many to drink, but after

Dearly Departed

Dearly Departed

Too young to die.

Family run down

Campbell:  Ran ducks down in cold blood, avoided police

Campbell: Ran ducks down in cold blood, avoided police

rolling over Daffy, Donald, Huey, Louie, and Dewey, Campbell took off like Wile E. Coyote and went to a friend’s house where he called another friend, Nashua Police Commissioner Tom Pappas.  Pappas contacted the Nashua Police Department to ask whether or not it was okay for Campbell to visit with the investigating officer the next day, which if he needed to sleep anything off…Anyway, the A G’s Office wrote that despite Campbell’s failure to cooperate with investigators, he refused to be interviewed, and despite writing that quote “While Campbell’s and Pappas’s versions of events in many ways are simply not credible, their actions simply do not give rise to criminal violations.”  So, while they’d considered bringing reckless driving charges against Campbell and official oppression charges against Pappas, they didn’t saying they didn’t believe they could prove them beyond a reasonable doubt.  We’ve posted the report with all of it’s unbelievable details with this newscast at Girard at Large dot com.

News from our own backyard continues after this.

Heroin Summit:  Mara gathers lots of folks at table.

Heroin Summit: Mara gathers lots of folks at table.

The Manchester Police Department held a Heroin Summit on Wednesday, hosting local, county, state and federal officials for a round table discussion.  Manchester Police Chief David Mara and many of his counterparts around the state, have said heroin use has grown to epidemic proportions and is increasing rapidly.  In past interviews with Girard at Large and in public statements, he’s blamed the illegal use of prescription drugs for fueling the heroin epidemic and called on state and national officials to rethink how drug crimes are handled saying quote “we can’t arrest our way out of this problem.”  End quote.  The summit was organized by the Manchester Police Department to begin the discussions Mara says are necessary to attack the underlying causes of drug crime, which he says are hitting all socio economic demographics, and forge a new approach.  Some of those attending the meeting were Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Thomas Andrew, Manchester Public Health Director Tim Soucy, Senior V P of Substance Abuse Services at Easter Seal’s Farnum Center, Dr. Cheryl Wilkie and Senator Kelly Ayotte.

Meanwhile, in response to our inquiry, the department finally announced it is participating in the National Drug Take Back Day.  So, those of you in Manchester who have unwanted prescription drugs in your household can bring them to the National Guard Armory located at 7 71 Canal Street, that’s the one near the Amoskeag Bridge at the northern end of Canal Street, between ten and two tomorrow.  Bedford Police also issued a reminder of their participation.  Bedford residents can dump their drugs at B P D headquarters on Constitution Street from ten to two tomorrow, too.

Shaheen:  Illegal campaign coordination?

Shaheen: Illegal campaign coordination?

Too clever by half and probably illegal tricks are being played by Democratic Senator Jeanne Shaheen’s reelection campaign.  Shaheen’s campaign has been featured in the Washington Post for posting what appears to be the script of a thirty second campaign commercial they’d like an outside group to create and run against possible rival Scott Brown.  Campaigns are forbidden by law to coordinate with outside groups.  By posting the script, Shaheen’s folks are sending smoke signals to Democrat special interest, critics say.  If you think it’s far fetched, consider that vulnerable Democratic incumbents across the country have engaged in this practice.  Shortly after the quote unquote “important message” to the people in their states gets posted on their campaign Web site, and a well placed tweet or two goes out on Twitter, magically third party campaign advertising hits the airwaves in that state using the important message released by the campaign.  How’ bout that?  We’ve linked to the Washington Post article for your edification and posted the comments of New Hampshire G O P Party Chair Jennifer Horn who called the message a brazen attempt to subvert the law and get Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s super pac to run commercials in an attempt to save his loyal friends’ troubled reelection campaign.

That’s news from our own backyard, Girard at Large hour ___ is on the way!