Union Leader Story on Brigade Employment

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“There is nothing so powerful as truth�

FINAL EDITION

DANIEL WEBSTER

UnionLeader.com

May 22, 2011

Vol. 65, No. 29 • 11 Sections, 146 Pages • $2.00

Speed limit, gas slow NH power boat sales Power vessels: The Legislature last

cause of the economy and the speed limits on Winnipesaukee. week voted to maintain the 45 mph rule on Lake Tom Whalen, owner of Wild Meadow Canoes and Kayaks on Route 25, doesn’t mind. He Winnipesaukee. thinks the 45 mph speed limit on the Big Lake

By PAULA TRACY is too high.

New Hampshire Union Leader “That is very fast on an inland waterway,� said Whalen, “It’s a hostile environment out there.’’ CENTER HARBOR — High-performance speed- As for speedboaters’ consideration of the people boats and the money their owners bring to the plying the waters in kayaks and canoes, “They’re Lakes Region appear to be on the decline be- not looking at you,� he said.

He thinks the high-performance boats that have roared across Lake Winnipesaukee for years are out of place and that they ought to open up their massive engines only on the ocean.

Marc Bourgeois of Governor’s Island in Gilford said the 2-year-old boat speed limit on Winnipesaukee has had an impact on boating and the economy.

TOM WHALEN owner of Wild Meadow Canoes and Kayaks

+See Boats, Page A10

At 15% jobless, NH Guard eyes help on return

1257+(51 3$66

Bypassing a Vermont alternative

“Boats that go that fast belong on the ocean.�

Thoug ugh a 2,000mega gawatt DC transsmission line aalready runs through t northeast Vermoont, utility officiaals say it is not a viable alternative to cuttting a new riight of way thhrough northeern New Hampsshire for the Norrthern Pass prroject.

Option rejected: New

Hampshire opponents of the power-line project will push federal regulators to support a path through the Green Mountain State.

700 deployed: Some

members of the military contingent left for overseas duty without a job at home.

By SHAWNE K. WICKHAM New Hampshire Sunday News

“It just seemed like the right thing to do.�

That’s how Sgt. Brian Gordon of Chester explains why he turned down a job offer last summer, shortly before he deployed to Kuwait with the New

Hampshire Army National Guard’s 197th Fires Brigade.

Gordon, 52, had been laid off from his job at a high-tech manufacturing firm but continued working there as a consultant. Now his company was offering him a full-time position again; Gordon knew if he took it, under federal law, his employer would have to hold his job while he was deployed with the Guard for a year.

Instead, he said, “I decided to turn down the job rather +See NH Guard, Page A10

By MICHAEL COUSINEAU New Hampshire Sunday News

and DENIS PAISTE New Hampshire Union Leader

More than a year ago, Northern Pass officials rejected going through Vermont because it could not piggyback on an existing high-voltage transmission line and would require carving out more miles of right of way than the 40 new miles proposed in Coos County.

Discussion of tapping into Vermont’s line, however, isn’t dead because environmental groups and the state Fish and Game Depart+In Business: If the ment are among Northern Pass project those urging fedtook a path through eral regulators to Vermont, it could cost analyze Vermont more than the one as an alternative chosen through New route as part of the Hampshire – Page D1 project’s permitting process. The Department of Energy typically evaluates alternatives and said it expects to draft a report on the project in 2012 and a final report in 2013.

Northern Pass spokesman Martin Murray said project officials didn’t do a detailed economic analysis of using the existing Vermont direct current line and connecting into an existing DC line owned by National Grid in New Hampshire. The “black and white reality� indicated that running the project from Quebec directly to New Hampshire made more sense, both economically and environmentally, he said. “Placing the project in Vermont was +See Northern Pass, Page A5

Key to routes: Existing 2,000megawatt high-voltage DC transmission line Proposed 1,200megawatt route preferred

by Northern Pass Existing transmission right of way to be used or widened for use

by Northern Pass Alternate routes proposed by Northern Pass

Jon Huntsman, former U.S. ambassador to China, delivers the commencement address to Southern New Hampshire University students at Verizon Wireless Arena in Manchester on Saturday. For more graduation stories and photos, see Pages B1, B4, B7 and B10.

THOMAS ROY/UNION LEADER

Huntsman calls for new ‘industrial revolution’

MAP SOURCE: SOCIETY FOR THE PROTECTION OF NEW HAMPSHIRE FORESTS

Presidential concerns: Former Utah governor

and ambassador to China offers views on Obama and on national and world issues.

By JOHN DiSTASO Senior Political Reporter

TOM LYNCH/SUNDAY NEWS

MANCHESTER — Unapologetic for being “respectful� and “gracious� to the Democratic President who appointed him, potential Republican presidential candidate Jon Hunts-

7RGD\ IN NEW HAMPSHIRE’S NEWSPAPER REGULAR FEATURES City Hall............................A2 Dear Abby ........................F8 Dog Tracks ........................F8 Editorials.......................... B2 Harrigan........................... B1 Legals .............................. B6 Lifestyles ..................F6-F12 Lotteries ..........................A2 Menu Planner...................F7

Movies .............. TV, A&E 2-3 Obituaries .............. B8-9, D6 Pop Culture.........TV, A&E 19 Puzzles..............................F5 Television........ TV, A&E 5-18 Tell Me A Story................F12 Wall Street Journal ..... D4-5 Weather...........................D8 Weddings .......................F11

New Hampshire Sunday News Š2011 Union Leader Corp., Manchester, N.H.

NATION

Is anybody out there?

In case you missed it, the prediction that Judgment Day would arrive May 21 didn’t pan out. Some of Harold Camping’s followers are left confused. +Page A8

NEW HAMPSHIRE

Manchester lawyer disbarred The state Supreme Court has disbarred Manchester divorce attorney Paula Green, and the Hillsborough County Attorney’s OďŹƒce is now reviewing the investigation that led to the court order. +Page A6

Hundreds help Haiti More than 600 volunteers working in three shifts packaged over 100,000 bags of chicken meal, rice, soy

and dried veggies to help feed Haitians in need. The event was held on the Seacoast. +Page A6

POLITICS

Cain enters White House race Herman Cain, a radio talk show host and former CEO of a chain of pizza parlors, announced his candidacy for the Republican nomination for President on Saturday. +Page A3

BUSINESS

Portwalk moves forward The Residences at Portwalk — 36 luxury apartments in downtown Portsmouth across from the new Marriott hotel and Harbor Events Conference Center — is beginning to take shape. +Page D1

man came to New Hampshire this weekend not to criticize Barack Obama, but rather to call for a new “industrial revolution� fueled by domestically produced energy and tax and regulatory reform. +See Huntsman, Page A7

Today’s Letters: Page B2

SPORTS Tampa Bay Lightning’s Teddy Purcell, right, celebrates his goal Saturday against the Boston Bruins.

Bruins-Lightning series tied, 2-2 The Tampa Bay Lightning scored ďŹ ve times in the ďŹ nal two periods to strike down the Boston Bruins, 5-3, in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Championship Series on Saturday. +Page C1

)URP 3DJH 2QH

Page A10 • NEW HAMPSHIRE SUNDAY NEWS • May 22, 2011

NH Guard

Continued from Page A1

than saddle them with holding my spot for me.”

Gordon, a public affairs specialist with brigade headquarters in Kuwait, is among the 15 percent of New Hampshire members of the 197th who were unemployed when they deployed on Sept. 11.

Now these soldiers are within 100 days of returning to New Hampshire, and the National Guard, the state of New Hampshire and other agencies are working together to help them find jobs once they’re home.

Jim Goss is executive director of the state office of Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR), a Department of Defense program that works with employers to encourage support for these citizen soldiers.

Goss said there are plenty of resources to help these guardsmen find work. And they’re not waiting until they get home.

In Kuwait, Col. Peter Corey, commander of the 197th, recently announced Operation Employment Assistance, a brigade-wide initiative to help his soldiers find jobs. The brigade includes Guard units from Michigan, Rhode Island and Washington as well as more than 700 New Hampshire soldiers.

Staff Sgt. James Parker of Pembroke was home from

Kuwait on leave last weekend and stopped in at a Family PreReintegration Workshop the Guard organized in Concord.

Parker, the in-theater coordinator for employment/ re-employment, told the soldiers’ spouses that brigade leaders are encouraging the guardsmen to spend their down time over there updating their resumes, sharpening interview skills and reaching out to potential employers back home. And they’re teaching them how to use “Turbo Tap,” a Department of Defense Web-based program that helps service members access job listings and translate their military skills and experiences into civilian job prospects.

“The bottom line is we’re trying to start now because to get the job you’re looking for, you need to start about three months out, and that’s about where we are now,” Parker said.

“There’s opportunities out there, but ... you have to do something about it,” he said.

“People are not going to come knocking on your door.”

Meanwhile, here at home, New Hampshire Employment Security has been working with ESGR, the Small Business Administration, Easter Seals New Hampshire and local Chambers of Commerce to put programs in place for these re-

Sgt. Brian Gordon, right, helps Staff Sgt. Dawn Cookson raise an American flag over Camp Arifjan in Kuwait in March. Gordon is among the 15 percent of New Hampshire members of the 197th Fires Brigade returning home this fall who will be unemployed.

SHAWNE K. WICKHAM/SUNDAY NEWS

turning soldiers.

Lis Picard, program specialist at New Hampshire Employment Security, said her agency is planning a major job fair this fall for the returning service members, most likely in conjunction with its annual Hire-

a-Vet initiative in November.

NHES is also planning workshops to teach job search skills, including mock interviews and resume-building.

The 197th includes soldiers with a wide range of work experience, Goss noted, from young

people who joined the military right out of high school to folks with years of professional experience. Some soldiers were self-employed or ran small businesses and may need help starting up again.

In some cases, Goss said, the older soldiers have marketable skills, but need help learning how to navigate online resources.

Colleen Powers is director of vocational services at Easter Seals New Hampshire. Her agency is planning a series of meetings with the returning soldiers to determine where they are in their job searches.

They’re also putting together workshops to help them update their resumes, learn networking skills and navigate job search sites.

Powers said veterans make good employees. “They take their jobs very seriously. They show up on time or earlier.

They’re dressed the way they need to be dressed. They’re polite, and they take constructive criticism and responsibility very seriously.”

Gordon is hoping the skills he learned at the Defense Information School at Fort Meade, Md., and developed as a public affairs writer and photographer in Kuwait will help him find a good job this fall. He said the deployment has made

Boats

Continued from Page A1

He used to have a large performance boat, but now operates a 44-foot sport cruiser on the lake, where his children, ages 2 and 6, can more easily enjoy a day.

His old boat and others like it, including Baha and Formula highperformance lines, are no longer readily available and sold at marinas in the Lakes Region, he said.

“These places sold a lot of boats. People would come up to entertain, have corporate parties at their house. They’d have friends up, and they would go out and spend money. You’ve taken that effectively out of the economy” with the boat speed limit, said Bourgeois, who owns MB Tractor and Equipment.

“A few people were causing trouble out there (by speeding), but they should have been dealt with” by authorities, not by legislators approving the speed limit, he said. Canoes paddling from one side of the lake to the other don’t belong out there, he said.

“It’s like riding your bike on 93,” referring to the interstate highway. “It’s dangerous, period.”

On Wednesday, the House effectively sank a bill, by a vote of 276-75, that would have increased speed limits in The Broads by 10 mph, to 55 mph, during daylight hours.

Originally, the bill was to do away with the 45 mph-by-day, 30-mph-bynight speed limit, which is lake-wide.

That bill hit ledge.

The Senate then passed a compromise bill to maintain those limits but allow for 10 mph more in The Broads, a 14-mile open section of the lake.

The House would have none of it.

Many Lakes Region legislators spoke on the bill in Representatives Hall, saying this issue brought in the most mail

John Roskilly at Wild Meadow Canoes and Kayaks on Lake Winnipesaukee in Center Harbor shows off the boat of choice these days — a kayak. Sales of kayaks and canoes are outpacing high-speed performance boats, which are no longer in stock on the Big Lake, thanks in part to the economy, high gas prices and a 2 -year old boat speed limit that the Legislature last week has decided will stay in place.

PAULA TRACY/UNION LEADER

of the session. Many of the letters from out of state wanted the speed limit eliminated.

However, Winnipesaukee Families for Boating Safety, a Lakes Region group pushing for Winnipesaukee boat speed limits, hired a pollster who asked 5,000 people what they thought of the speed limit. More than 90 percent of that group said they liked it.

The vote to kill Senate Bill 27 last week maintains the current limit, which barely appeased Whalen.

“It’s okay, but it could be lowered,” he

said. “Boats that go that fast belong on the ocean.”

Bourgeois thinks the speed limit represents a loss of liberty. He thinks the limit played a hand in the loss of the high-performance line.

Silver Sands Marina used to sell the Fountain performance craft he owned, ranging from about 30 to 36 feet and selling for $300,000 to $700,000.

The Baha line used to be available on the lot at Channel Marine. Not anymore. Formulas were once available in abundant supply at Lakeport Marine,

but now they are a non-stocking dealer.

That means you can order a Formula from Lakeport Marine, but it does not have stock from which to choose.

Boater registrations have held fairly steady over the past decade, with registrations of vessels down to about 95,000 from a high of about 102,000 five years ago.

Canoes and kayaks do not need to be registered. However, manufacturers data seem to indicate more are being sold.

Barry Uicker of Silver Sands Marina in Gilford said the market is pretty solid in the used, 20-foot cruiser type boats, which consume less gas than the larger boats. High-performance vessels are no longer very popular, he said.

Gas prices and the speed limit have likely been factors, he believes.

Some who supported legislation for creating a speed limit originally looked to the success of New York’s Lake George, which was one of the first to establish inland boat speed limits.

In the 1990s, that lake was reaching its boating capacity, with many offshore racing type boats being put in the waters there. Once a speed limit was imposed, the number of high-performance boats dwindled.

Thalia Chase is general manager of Castaway Marina on Lake George, N.Y., where the 45/25 speed limit is maintained by the Lake George Park Commission.

“We don’t have any complaints of the speed limit. Honestly, going 45 mph is fast enough,” she said.

There are not that many of the cigarette boats entering the water on the weekends at the marina, Chase said, nor are they being sold or owned by lakefront property owners.

him a better prospective employee.

“I’ve needed to become more decisive and faster in my decision making and perhaps a bit more mature since some of those decisions have involved safety, weapons and other people,” he said in an e-mail. “I would be a very solid, dependable employee who does what is needed to get the job done.”

Goss said these “citizen soldiers” make good employees for both tangible and intangible reasons. “For the most part, they’re committed, they’re dedicated, they’re motivated, they’re team players. They have a sense of urgency; they work well under pressure.

“And then add into that the fact that they’re physically fit, ... drug and alcohol and conviction-free, things like that, and we think they make pretty good employees.”

Goss likes to joke with would-be employers who ask why they should hire a veteran: “Because they show up for work on Mondays and Fridays.”

Parker said helping the returning members of the 197th find good jobs is a priority for the National Guard. “We want to take care of our soldiers,” he said.

“It’s not somebody else’s problem. They’re our soldiers.”

Saint Anselm to launch FrancoAmerican studies program GOFFSTOWN — Officials from Saint Anselm College and the Franco-American Centre on Wednesday will announce a new partnership to form the Institute for Franco-American Studies on campus.

The mission of the new institute is to promote Franco-American history and culture, to acquire and preserve documents and artifacts, and to provide facilities and services that relate to Franco-American heritage regionally, nationally and internationally, according to a press release.

The formal announcement will be made at a reception at the Geisel Library on campus Wednesday at 6 p.m.

Tom DeBlois, FrancoAmerican Centre president, and Joseph W. Constance Jr., Saint Anselm College librarian, will make the presentation.

Other partners in the new venture include the ACA Library Preservation Consortium and the Alfred Laliberte Preservation Society.

The Franco-American Centre recently moved from its Concord Street location in Manchester to the St. Anselm campus.

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Sale runs May 19-30