A missed opportunity

The Ballistic Engineered Armored Response Counter-Attack Truck has come up again as a topic of discussion in Keene. The City Council recently voted to table a proposal by Terry Clark to return the BEARCAT. The following letter has been published by the Keene Sentinel as a letter to the editor, and has also been submitted to the City Council as an official correspondence, and should be on the agenda for the next Council meeting (Sept 18).

In the wake of the protests in Ferguson, Mo., the federal government has begun reconsidering the programs that give away military equipment to local law-enforcement. Sen. Claire McCaskill said police responses like that in Ferguson have “become the problem instead of the solution.” (more…)

Libertarian Party sues NH Secretary of State over ballot access law

Courthouse StepsThe NHCLU filed suit today against Secretary of State Bill Gardner over a ballot access law that makes it more difficult for parties other than the protected two to get on the ballot.

A press release written by Gilles Bissonnette, Staff Attorney for the New Hampshire Civil Liberties Union reads, in part:

[T]he NHCLU filed a lawsuit on behalf of the Libertarian Party challenging HB1542. HB1542 is a new state law passed this year that imposes onerous restrictions on the ability of third parties to gain access to the ballot in future elections. This law limits voter choice and stacks the deck against candidates who—like roughly 40% of Granite Staters—don’t belong to a major party. HB1542 is wrong and unconstitutional. (more…)

Keene #3 Among Best Places In New Hampshire

Real Estate company Movoto ranked the 30 largest New Hampshire towns and cities in seven different criteria, and determined that Keene was the third best place in New Hampshire!
The criteria included: total amenities, quality of life, crime rate and tax rates, among other factors.

Movoto says, “The city is a bit of a haven to students, offering them an impressive 12 to 1 student-teacher ratio and some great summer temperatures to enjoy the time off of school. If people are past school-aged, that’s fine too, as the place boasts the fifth-best unemployment rate at only 4.3 percent.
As far as things to do, Keene doesn’t fall short. The number of amenities here rank sixth for that criterion.” (more…)

Judge Kissinger dismisses case of Salada, et al. v Keene School District

On Friday March 28, Judge John Kissinger from the Cheshire Superior Court issued this 6 page ruling in the case of Salada et al. v. Keene School District

In dismissing the case, Kissinger ignored the press release from the NH State Senate that was included in the Memorandum of Law filed by the petitioners, and instead cited Webster’s Dictionary to determine “the plain meaning of statutory terms.”

The petitioner’s have note yet decided how to proceed, and may opt to contact State Representatives to inform them of the court decision that seems to be in direct opposition to the legislative intent.

You can read more about the case here, and here.

Salada, et al. v Keene School District: Memorandums of Law

The Cheshire Superior Court gave both sides until March 17 to file further Memorandums of Law before the court would issue a final decision in the case of Salada, et al. v Keene School District. The case was filed by four voters after the February Deliberative Session in which all of the warrant articles that were placed by petition were amended in such a way as to create a nullity.
The following Memorandums of Law were filed.
Salada et al. memorandum of law (1 of 2)
Salada et al. memorandum of law (2 of 2)

KSD memorandum of law

Any new updates to this case will be posted on FreeKeene.com