LaBarre Jurors, We Thank You
June 30, 2008
The citizens of Rockingham County and the state of New Hampshire owe a true debt of gratitude to the men and women who served on the Sheila LaBarre jury.
These jurors were forced to put their lives on hold, go to court for six weeks, listen to gruesome testimony day after day, and then make the extremely difficult determination of whether a woman who admitted murdering two men was insane or criminally responsible for her actions.
Their careful and thoughtful deliberations sent a murderess to jail, probably for life. Most of us will never bear such a solemn civic responsibility, but these jurors handled it with grace, care and, most importantly, deliberate fairness.
And they did it all for the sum of $20 a day and 20 cents per mile in transportation reimbursement.
Read the full editorial on Seacoast Online.
Epping Wraps Its Arms Around Family In Need
June 30, 2008
The sounds of paintbrush strokes, wood splitters and buzzing chain saws filled the air outside the home of Dan and Debi Bennis.
With little time to keep up their home as they care for their disabled daughter, the Bennises got a big helping hand Saturday when more than 40 volunteers determined to make a difference showed up at their door.
“This is kind of like Epping’s version of �Extreme Home Makeover,’” said Gregg Nye, an Epping police officer who organized the project with Karen Louis, an Epping emergency medical technician.
Crews armed with “Indulgent Indigo” paint, brushes, and lots of equipment arrived at the 31 Plumer Road home early Saturday morning to begin painting and cutting up four cords of wood from the dozen large trees that littered their yard after Public Service of New Hampshire cut them down to make way for larger utility poles.
“It’s overwhelming,” Dan Bennis said as he watched the volunteers working so hard to help him, his wife, and his 15-year-old daughter, Dani, who was born with spina bifida and has undergone 22 surgeries.
The help came at a time when the Bennises face three mortgage payments and other medical expenses related to their daughter’s care.
Read the full story from Jason Schreiber in the Union Leader
GUILTY
June 20, 2008
A woman who claimed she was an angel sent from God to punish pedophiles was sane when she killed two boyfriends whose remains were found scattered around her farm, a jury found Friday.
Because Sheila LaBarre already had admitted that the state could prove her guilty of two counts of first-degree murder, the jury’s only task during the five-week trial was determining whether she was insane when she killed Michael Deloge in 2005 and Kenneth Countie in 2006. She was sentenced immediately to life in prison without parole.
As the jury filed out after the verdict, family members of the victims burst into applause.
“This is for my son,” said Countie’s mother, Carolynn Lodge. “(For) two years, my son could not rest. Now he can rest.”
The burden of proof was on the defense to show both that LaBarre, 49, of Epping, suffered from a mental disease and that the murders were a product of that illness. Defense lawyers argued that LaBarre was a delusional woman who believed every man in her life was a pedophile and who saw herself as an avenging angel. But the prosecution countered that she was a “crude, manipulative, cruel and vindictive” woman who violently lashed out at the men she dated.
Full story from The Associated Press
Also see:
Victims’ Families Denounce LaBarre After Guilty Ruling - WMUR
LaBarre Jury Gets Case
June 19, 2008
Over the six weeks of her trial, the fury and violence of Sheila LaBarre has not been disputed, nor has the fact that she lured men to her farm and eventually tortured them to death, then tended blazing fires that reduced their bodies to ashes. And yesterday, as they handed the case to jurors to decide, prosecutors and defense attorneys split on why LaBarre committed her crimes.
Prosecutors portrayed LaBarre, 49, as a cunning killer, a black widow who preyed on victims for no reason other than her own sadistic enjoyment. Defense attorneys said their client, who has admitted to killing Kenneth Countie and Michael Deloge, is an emotionally conflicted, profoundly disturbed, absolutely insane woman who kills as the boundaries between the hellish world inside her mind and the real world crumble.
Full story from Russ Choma.
Also see:
LaBarre case goes to jury (Fosters)
Jury gets case in Sheila LaBarre trial (AP)
LaBarre Case In Hands Of Jury (WMUR)
PSNH Says It Will Remove More Trees
June 19, 2008
Residents angered by Public Service of New Hampshire’s decision to chop down several large trees in Epping aren’t the only ones seeing more trees disappearing around power lines.
PSNH recently sent a letter to several communities warning that people will notice changes in the way trimming is done around transmission lines after tougher rules were adopted to keep vegetation from knocking out power.
The changes, which include more tree removal than trimming, are in response to stricter national standards requiring utilities to more aggressively maintain vegetation near transmission power lines to prevent outages, PSNH said in the letter.
Full story from Jason Schreiber
Why Are All The Trees Being Cut Down?
June 19, 2008
A huge stump is all that’s left of an old tree that once stood tall in front of Epping Community Church.
Just down the road, Grace Lavoie has two stumps in front of her Main Street hair salon. More stumps sit on her neighbor’s front lawn.
Over the past few weeks, the landscape of the town has faced a dramatic transformation. Large trees that have lined streets for hundreds of years have been chopped down as Public Service of New Hampshire makes way for larger utility poles to carry higher-voltage lines.
But some insist PSNH has gone too far, saying the town doesn’t look like the Epping they once knew.
“The whole appearance of Main Street has been altered,” said Selectman Karen Sott, who questioned PSNH’s “trimming” and why there wasn’t better monitoring as the trees started falling.
Sott and other town officials have heard from several residents furious over the trees being lost along town roads, including Main, Water and Bartlett streets.
Full story from Jason Schreiber
NE Dragway Collects Over 1000 Meals For The NH Food Bank
June 17, 2008
EPPING, NH — Fans of the New England Dragway’s Jet Wars event donated over 1000 meals to the NH Food Bank on Saturday. The Dragway’s promotion offered $5 off admission to anyone who brought urgently needed items to fill the truck parked at the gate, such as canned tuna, chicken, soup or beans, peanut butter, tomato sauce, pasta, rice and beans.
“We were happy to see the support our race fans provided to the New Hampshire Food Bank. Drag racers and fans of the sport have the reputation of always being ready to lend a hand both on and off the track. We intend to keep this program going throughout our entire major event season. It’s a worthwhile cause. We’re glad we could help,” explained New England Dragway Track Manager Joe Lombardo.
“These efforts come at a critical time of need, with food and fuel prices climbing”, said Melanie Gosselin, Executive Director at the NH Food Bank.
Simply put, supply is down and demand is up.
On the supply side, grocery stores and manufacturers have improved their inventory controls, so 100,000 pounds less is being donated per month.
On the demand side, there is a 39% increase due to the shocking price of fuel and the sharp rise in food costs.
The 350+ food pantries that the NH Food Bank supplies state-wide aren’t just a safety net for those at poverty levels anymore. More & more neighbors that would traditionally be considered middle-class are being forced to choose between putting gas in the car or food on the table.
Summer is an especially devastating time for children that survive on breakfast and lunch programs during the school year. Now that school is out, these children are at-risk.
The NH Food Bank is working on creative solutions to provide healthy food to those in need and address the root causes of hunger. The ‘Recipe for Success’ program includes a licensed commercial kitchen for culinary training, nutrition education classes, and the fresh rescue and distribution of meat for protein-rich meals. The Food Bank has also established a production garden, in partnership with the Youth Development Center. The ‘Backpack Program’ allows children to bring home nutritious food in the context of a fun, interactive activity on weekends & during school vacations.
Epping Library News - June 16th 2008
June 17, 2008
The staff of the Harvey Mitchell Memorial Library would like to express its gratitude to all the library friends and families who stopped by during Amanda’s last day to wish her well. After nearly 4 years of service, director Amanda Reynolds-Cooper has taken the director’s position at the Lane Library in Hampton. Epping’s library folk grew to love “Miss Amanda” and wish her the best as she learns the ropes at her new library. While the Board of Trustees runs its director search, the evening assistant, Laurie Dudley, will assume the role of Interim Director, and various staff members will fill in at the circulation desk.
Upcoming Programs:
Dessert and a Movie – a free night for adults! Thursday, June 26th @ 7:45. Licensing rules prohibit advertising of the title, but this month’s movie is based on a book by Philippa Gregory and is set in 16th century England during the reign of King Henry VIII. Bring a dessert to share and perhaps a comfortable beach chair for enjoying the movie on the big screen.
Toy Play Day, Saturday, June 28th from 11:00 to 1:00. Now that it’s summer, think about the BEACH! Bring your favorite sand and water toys to play with and share with other library families. Hopefully the weather will allow outside activities, but even if it rains, there will be crafts, stories at noon with Miss Tracie and time for both playing and picnicking if you so choose.
Summer Reading Program begins next week: Children in preschool through 5th grade may register and pick up a reading log this week, so they can be ready for the games and crafts that begin Monday, June 30th . This drop-in program will run for 6 weeks Monday through Thursday 10 to 2 and Wednesday evening from 5 to 8. Beginning June 25th Preschool Storyhour will change to the summer schedule of 9:15 on Wednesdays and 9:15 and 2:30 on Thursdays.
The library will be closed on July 4th.
For information on these or any other library programs in Epping, call 679-5944.
LaBarre Dragged From Courtroom After Outburst
June 17, 2008
Sheila LaBarre began screaming in court today, insisting she never hurt an animal, and was dragged from court.
“I didn’t harm my animals, I didn’t kill any animals,” she screamed at a psychiatrist hired by the state, who was testifying that he believed that it was possible LaBarre had harmed a number of her pets who lived on her remote Epping farm with her.
LaBarre, 49, has admitted to murdering two men, Kenneth Countie and Michael Deloge, but is pleading insanity. According to LaBarre, she killed Deloge because he admitted that he was harming her pet rabbits and that he was going to hurt her next. Defense experts testified that LaBarre suffers from paranoid delusions that men in her life are pedophiles and harm animals and she needs to protect society and children.
Full story from Russ Choma.
105 Seniors in Class of 2008
June 14, 2008
Under sunny skies, with blue and white balloons billowing in the breeze behind them, 105 graduating seniors closed the chapter on their Epping High School career Friday night.
“Graduation is both an ending and a beginning,” Principal Dixie Tremblay told the graduating class, saying it was a time for students to look back at the memories and friendships they have made before moving forward. “Graduation is truly a fork in the road.”
Graduates made their entrance onto the football field behind the school as Jared Breault directed the school’s band in its rendition of “Pomp and Circumstance.” Wearing graduation gowns in the school colors of blue and white, the seniors marched down a center aisle, stopping to pose for photos before climbing onto a stage at the front of the field. The crowd of well-wishers spilled out around the field, many bringing their own chairs for the ceremony.
Read the full story from Lara Bricker on Seacoast Online.
