Thank you for your interest in and support of the Valley News. We need to raise $60,000 to host journalists Frances Mize and Alex Driehaus for their one-year placements in the Upper Valley through Report for America, a national service program that boosts local news by harnessing community support.

Please consider donating to this effort.

After the Dobbs decision, it is more important than ever to guarantee the right to abortion in the state of New Hampshire. Ours is the only state in New England that has not codified the right to abortion. Instead of enshrining reproductive rights in the Live Free or Die state, the Republican-led state Legislature under “pro-choice” Governor Sununu has done the opposite, implementing the first abortion ban in modern New Hampshire history.

The actions that the court system and state government take on abortion have a direct impact on college students. The CDC reports that over 27.6% of those who had an abortion in 2019 were between the ages of 20 to 24. Young people have the right to protect their health and plan their futures, and that includes decisions about pregnancy and parenting.

With reproductive rights being intrinsically tied to youth, it is vital to have young elected representatives fight for expanded access in the state. As a state representative, Miles Brown would fight back against cruel abortion bans that have been proposed by the state GOP and work to codify abortion in New Hampshire. By voting for Miles on Sept. 13, Hanover and Lyme residents can elect an unabashed abortion rights supporter to show the country that in New Hampshire, we believe in the right to choose.

Better working conditions are something every person in the Upper Valley can agree on, and that’s why I’m writing to urge readers to vote for Nicolás Macri for state House on Sept. 13.

I’ve worked nearly a dozen different jobs on Dartmouth’s campus over my first two years here, including as a dining worker in multiple locations, and as a tour guide and admissions worker alongside Nico. I have seen firsthand the conditions faced by student and non-student workers — I was involved in some of the early organizing efforts for the recognized student dining workers’ union at Dartmouth that won its election unanimously in the spring and secured hazard pay and sick pay for student workers during times of high COVID risk.

I can say from personal experience with these organizing efforts that Nico’s support for unionization and better working conditions has never wavered. Despite not being a dining worker himself, he was one of the few non-dining workers who was nevertheless continually in touch with union organizers throughout the unionization process, offering to be there and be of assistance in any way possible. He has also been firmly in support of expanding organizing efforts across other campus jobs, with the ultimate vision of better working conditions and livable wages for every single worker, student and otherwise, both on and off of Dartmouth’s campus.

Given his first-hand involvement in these issues that goes far beyond just abstract support, I believe that Nico would be an unparalleled strong voice for labor organizing and workers’ rights in the New Hampshire House, and I urge you to vote for him on the 13th.

Sue Prentiss is a great state senator, mother, community leader and paramedic. She has 30 years of leadership experience in emergency medical services. She has proven leadership when it comes to health care and reproductive rights, economic recovery and property tax relief, protection of our waterways and affordable housing. She has been a warrior for reproductive rights and protecting a women’s right to make their own health care decisions. She has advocated relentlessly for working families including seeking solutions to increase affordable housing and improving public education. In a time when so many voices are negative, Sue is a positive voice for all Granite Staters.

I am so grateful to have a voice like Sue Prentiss’s in the legislature. I look forward to the progress Sen. Prentiss will continue to make in the Senate.

The Sept 13 primary is coming up soon so be sure to get yourselves to the polls and vote. In this time of great turmoil, it’s so important to exercise our civic right to vote for our elected officials. Linda Tanner is running for re-election as state representative in District 5 which includes the towns of Sunapee and Springfield. She is a great candidate.

Linda worked as a public school teacher and as an adjunct professor at Colby-Sawyer College prior to retirement. She is honest, smart, hard-working and attentive to the needs of all people. She is a moderate who is measured, thoughtful and kind. She seeks input from people who elected her regarding problem-solving to improve things. She fully supports women’s reproductive rights, voting rights for all Americans, and adhering to the tenets of our democratic constitution.

We need to keep people like Linda Tanner in office and elect more like her who will strive to preserve our democracy that so many have died for. They gave up their lives so we could live good lives without threats and deeds of reprisal simply for disagreeing or questioning leaders about right and wrong. If we want to continue to live in this great country and reap all its benefits, we must vote for responsible people like Linda who respect our democracy and the rule of law that keeps us all safe. We must vote out those who would rule with radical ideas that brings great harm to others and keep despots like them out of our public arenas. If we fail to do this we will one day wake up and find that Live Free in New Hampshire has died.

I can engage young voters

My name is Miles Brown and I’m running in the Democratic primary for state representative in Hanover and Lyme (Grafton-12). I’ve worked closely with local leaders on a number of issues including voting rights, housing and COVID-19. As a freshman at Dartmouth College, I served as a legislative aide to former state Rep. Garrett Muscatel. I know what the job entails and have no doubt that I can balance school work with my responsibilities as a legislator.

I also want to be clear that I have no plans to leave the Upper Valley anytime soon. Though I am on track to graduate from Dartmouth this spring, I fully intend to remain in Hanover. As the only candidate in this race who has served on the executive boards for the Hanover/Lyme Town Democrats, Upper Valley Democrats and Dartmouth College Democrats, I’ll be able to work closely with both students and town residents to foster collaboration on key issues in our community.

Young people have long been underrepresented in government, especially in New Hampshire. It is essential for our democracy that we keep young people politically engaged. If we want to win statewide and elect Democratic leaders like Maggie Hassan and Dr. Tom Sherman, we need to turn out the youth vote in 2022. My role as both a student and candidate puts me in a unique position to increase participation in our elections.

I want a Granite State with accessible health care for all and voting access for all. I want it to be a place where young people can stay and reach their full potential. This state has so much to offer. We need to keep our best and brightest here at home. The future of New Hampshire depends upon it. I hope to see you at the polls on September 13th and I hope I can count on your support!

I can’t vote for Hope Damon myself in the election on Sept. 13, since I live in Newport, but I am happy to urge my neighbors in District 8 to support her.

I first got to know Hope when our children attended Newport Preschool together. But we really got to know each other when the owner announced that she was closing the child care center in just six weeks, leaving more than 60 children in the lurch. We quickly called a parents meeting and determined that our only choice was to try to run the center as a parent-led cooperative. Hope stepped up and took the lead as president of the board.

Many of us worked tirelessly for the rest of that summer so all our kids could have the high quality child care that we depended on. We got help from local businesses, the Newport Early Childhood Education Program, the Child Care Licensing Bureau and from Lisa Poisson, who stayed on as director and kept most of the staff on board. It was a daunting challenge but under Hope’s unwavering leadership, we made it work.

On the Newport Common this week, Hope and I talked about the sense of personal pride we both feel that Cinnamon Street Childcare Center is still serving kids and their families. More recently, Hope has again been involved with a very local education situation, not of her making. Lots has changed since 1996, yet Hope continues to step up when she sees that something must be done for the benefit of all our kids.

Please cast your vote for Hope Damon, a proven leader!

Clever headlines aren’t annoying

Quite a number of months ago, I noticed the Valley News headlines had become very witty, clever and pithy. I find it puzzling to understand why anyone would see these headlines as “annoying.”

As a writer myself, I appreciate the skill required to write a good headline and make a fine newspaper. During these dark times, the Valley News is an important ray of light. The excellent word-smithing of recent editorials, the joy of reading Dan Mackie’s hilarious and often brilliant columns, the ongoing work of Willem Lange and the aggregation of articles from The Washington Post, VtDigger, New Hampshire Bulletin and Valley News staff writers and others make this newspaper special.

From local news (the fine article by Ray Couture, for instance, on the closing of a local hairdresser) to AP coverage of the Ukraine, I appreciate this paper. Thank you!

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