Epping boys soccer team upset in Class M tournament
October 31, 2008
Just one of those days.
“It just wasn’t our day today,” said Epping coach Kerry McDermott after his team’s 2-1 loss to Berlin in Wednesday’s opening round of the Class M playoffs. The game was held at the Seacoast United Soccer Club’s outdoor facility.
Berlin, which came into the tournament as the No. 12 seed, improved to 8-8-1 and will meet the winner of the No. 4 White Mountains/No. 13 Winnisquam game in Saturday’s quarterfinal, beginning at 2 p.m.
Epping, which got its lone goal by Dallas Burke off a corner kick by Mike MacLeay midway through the first half, wrapped up its season at 12-5.
Full story from Ken Stejbach
American Red Cross babysitter training class to be held in Epping
October 28, 2008
An American Red Cross babysitter training class will be held this Saturday, Nov. 1, at the Watson Academy building in Epping.
This class, for children and youths ages 11 to15 , teaches them skills in leadership, basic child care, responsible decision-making, and how to respond to an emergency.
The cost of the class is $45. To register, or for more information, contact the American Red Cross Great Bay Chapter by phone, 603-766-5440, or online, www.greatbayredcross.org
Epping boys soccer team tops Newmarket
October 18, 2008
Cam Baer, a junior member of the Epping High School boys soccer team, said he remembers playing soccer on a beach in Florida with his parents when he was a 2-year-old.
It was fun, he said.
A lot of fun, too, said Baer, was Wednesday afternoon’s 4-3 victory over Newmarket, in which Mike MacLeay scored a pair of goals, and Baer and Jamie Loy each added another.
It’s been that kind of season for the Blue Devils, who improved to 10-3 in Class M.
“We’ve had a really good start,” said Baer, the best start in Epping boys soccer history. “It’s good. Very good. Excellent.”
Baer said the reason for it being so good is “team chemistry.
Full story from Ken Stejbach
Hampton students star in Leddy Center’s Peter Pan
October 17, 2008
Boasting a lively, talented cast of 35 actors, the production of the Broadway musical promises to thrill audiences of all ages, said Elaine Gatchell, director of the Leddy Center.
Many familiar faces are back to continue to take the show to new heights, pun intended, as Peter, Wendy, John and Michael fly through the air, with a barking “Nana” in the distance
Elaine Weatherby, a seventh-grader at Hampton Academy, combines her renowned vocal talent with her superb acting skills to capture the character of Wendy, sharing the spotlight with Peter Pan, portrayed by A.J. Pratt, a seventh-grader at Epping Middle School.
Read the full story from Nancy Rineman
Stalled Engine Cause of Epping Plane Crash
October 14, 2008
One man was sent to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries after he was involved in a small aircraft crash on Sunday, Oct. 12.
Epping police Sgt. Sean Gallagher said Paul Aquaviva, 44, of Hampstead, was attempting to land a single-engine Piper Cub when he encountered trouble, crashing into a field on Red Oak Hill Road. Police, fire and rescue crews from the town responded at 12:11 p.m. to the field, which is where the aircraft is kept, Gallagher said.
The plane is owned by landowner Daniel Harvey, who permitted Aquaviva to use the aircraft, Gallagher said. The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating the cause of the crash and will be inspecting the plane. It does not appear the crash was weather related, Gallagher said.
Aquaviva suffered facial injuries in the crash and was transported to Exeter Hospital with non-life threatening injuries, according to Gallagher. As of Monday afternoon Aquaviva was still being treated at Exeter Hospital.
Read the full story from Dave Choate
Pilot Injured in Epping Plane Crash
October 13, 2008
A pilot from East Hampstead was injured in a crash-landing on an Epping farm yesterday, moments after his wife got out of the small, antique plane, according to the plane’s owner.
Phyllis Harvey, who owns the 1939 Piper J3C-50, said she suspects engine failure was to blame for the crash at Red Oak Hill on her family’s farm. A spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration said investigators had yet to determine what caused the crash.
The pilot, Paul Acquaviva, survived the crash with “some cuts and slashes” on his face, according to Epping Police Chief Gregory Dodge.
Acquaviva was taken to Exeter Hospital. He was receiving treatment in the emergency room but was expected to be discharged some time last night, a hospital spokesman said.
Acquaviva had been flying in the single-engine plane with his wife, Nancy, in the front passenger seat, Harvey said. However, she said, he quickly landed and let his wife out because the plane was not running smoothly.
Read this full story from The Union Leader.
Football brings out the kid in Denny Wood
October 10, 2008
When “Big Cop” puts on his New England Hawks uniform and steps on the football field he’s a kid again.
Off the field on his job at the Fremont Police Department, though, it’s Sergeant Denny Wood.
And yes, you can’t miss the former athletic standout at Epping High School. Not when he’s 6-foot-8 and 450 pounds, and looking like a mountain.
“I’m on the downward slide,” laughs the 35-year-old from Fremont, noting he recently lost 22 pounds and feels like a kid again.
Wood will be at offensive tackle for the New England Hawks (5-5) tomorrow night when they host the Southern Maine Raging Bulls (5-5) in the opening round of the New England Football League’s AAA playoffs. The game, which will be played at Exeter High School, is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. The winner will advance to next week’s semifinals and visit either the Lowell Nor’easter or Middleboro Cobras.
During the regular season the Hawks and the Raging Bulls split a pair of games, the Bulls winning the first game, 15-14, the Hawks winning the rematch, 31-7.
It’s semi-professional football at its finest, but there are no four-year, $40 million contracts here.
The players play for the fun of playing.
Read the full story from Ken Stejbach
Epping landfill chief takes his lumps over mattresses
October 10, 2008
Town officials have found themselves mired in a mattress mess.
Mountains of mattresses collected at the town landfill were supposed to be hauled off to a private recycling company but were buried instead. Meanwhile, residents have been charged $10 per mattress and $10 per box spring to cover the town’s cost of having them taken away to a recycling center.
As many as 200 mattresses may have been left at the landfill, but not all were buried.
Jim Freeman, the town’s solid waste supervisor, decided to have the mattresses buried because there is plenty of room at the landfill and he wanted to save the town from having to pay to recycle the mattresses.
Freeman may have had good intentions, but his decision didn’t sit well with some town officials and residents.
Full story from JASON SCHREIBER
Epping residents express safety concerns to selectmen
October 3, 2008
Residents of Jenness Road want help from the Board of Selectmen to keep the road safe.
Resident John Driscoll recently asked selectmen to do something about a plugged culvert which has caused water to back up onto eight different properties in the area, as well as created a dangerous situation for vehicles traveling along Jenness Road.
“With that (culvert) plugged up, the water backs up and sheets across the road,” Driscoll said. “Then, in the winter it freezes, and the Public works guys are out there all the time chipping it away, and laying down sand. Then the water runs over it again, and freezes over the sand. I’m surprised nobody’s gotten killed on that corner.” The culvert, which was plugged in 1994, has been an ongoing problem for Driscoll and his neighbors. His mother lived there prior to him, and couldn’t understand where the flooding issues were coming from until the day they found out the culvert had been plugged.
See the full story from Terrill Covey
Epping Man Sentenced to Federal Prison
October 3, 2008
Jeffrey Lance Brown, 37, of Epping, was sentenced in U.S. District Court in Concord to serve three years in federal prison for being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm. U.S. District Judge Paul J. Barbadoro also ordered the defendant to serve three years of supervised release following his release from prison.
The prosecution resulted from an incident on Nov. 9, 2006 when Epping Police discovered the defendant in possession of a shotgun while hunting. Brown had been convicted in 1991 of bank robbery in Oklahoma and thus prohibited under federal law from possessing a firearm. Brown was identified in the robbery after wearing an Epping High School jacket during the crime.
The case was investigated by the Epping Police Department and the Department of Justice Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Clyde Garrigan.
