FRIDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2011
VOL. 20 NO.158
BERLIN, N.H.
752-5858
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Tri-County CAP launches fund-raiser in effort to serve BY BARBARA TETREAULT THE BERLIN DAILY SUN
COOS COUNTY – With public funding for many of its programs declining, Tri-County Community Action Program is embarking on a major fund-raiser to solicit donations large and small to continue its efforts to serve those in need. “We’re facing budget cuts across the board like other agencies,” said TCCAP Executive Director Joseph Costello. In response, Costello and Housing and Economic Development Director Max Makaitis said TCCAP is trying to find ways to become more self-supporting. Just kicked off this week, the fundraiser seeks donations of both money and volunteer time. As a special touch, TRCAP is giving copies of the hardcover book, “Underbelly: The Palm Beach No One Talks About” by David Geliebter to potential donors. The highly regarded book tells the story
of 21 homeless people in the wealthy community of Palm Beach, Fla. “It’s a powerful book,” said Costello. “Some of the stories will just break your heart.” Costello said similar stories could be written about people in the three county region covered by TRCAP. He said TRCAP works to provide aid to the most vulnerable and neediest members of the North Country such as the unemployed, the homeless, senior citizens, low-income families, and victims of sexual and domestic abuse. Makaitis said Geliebter, whom he knows from his days in the financial world, agreed to donate some books to the fund-raiser. Geliebter will sign copies for donations of $500 or more. First to respond to the appeal was Bob Chapman of Chapman Scrap Metal. Chapman Tuesday handed TCCAP a check for $2,000. Makaitis and Costello praised see FUNDRAISER page 10
Bob Chapman of Chapman Scrap Metal made a $2,000 donation to Tri-County Community Action Program for its new fund-raising effort. CEO Joseph Costello (right) and Housing and Economic Development Director Max Makaitis (left) accepted the donation. (BARBARA TETREAULT PHOTO)
Milan man part of color guard for ceremony Liquor store employee gets marking the end of U.S. mission in Iraq BY BARBARA TETREAULT THE BERLIN DAILY SUN
MILAN – As people across the country yesterday watched the closing ceremonies marking the end of U.S. military involvement in Iraq, local people had a particular reason to focus on the color guard. One of the five members of the Joint Services Color Guard was N.H. Air National Guard Senior Airman Ryan Weeks of Milan. U.S. Ambassador to Iraq James Jaffey, U.S. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta, and General Lloyd Austin III all spoke during the 45-minute ceremony in Baghdad. The symbolic ceremony featured the retiring, or casing, of the U.S. Forces flag. The flag is encased or wrapped around a flagpole and brought back to the United States. “It was a tremendous honor to be involved in such a historical ceremony,” Weeks wrote, in an e-mail from Iraq. “We knew how important this was to the United States and especially to the families of those individuals who made the ultimate sacrifice. We wanted to guarantee the ceremony was flawless,” he said. Weeks said he responded to a base-wide e-mail for an Air Force individual between 5’11’’ and 6’1’’ tall to serve on the color guard. He said he hesitated to apply at first because he had no prior color guard experience. But he decided “to go for it” and after a couple of days of
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practice, he was picked for the team. His father, Don Weeks, said he and his wife Pam, were pretty excited when Ryan was chosen and consider his selection quite an honor for the young man. While he expected the ceremony would draw international coverage, Don Weeks said he did not know it would be televised. Nor did he expect to see his son on the front page of just about every major newspaper in the country. The 22-year old Weeks is a 2007 graduate of Berlin High School. He joined the Sr. Airman Ryan Weeks N.H. Air National Guard 157th Logistics Readiness Squadron about three years ago. As an air transportation journeyman, Weeks oversees the
suspended sentence BY MELISSA GRIMA THE BERLIN DAILY SUN
LANCASTER -- Local defendants struck plea bargains in Coos Superior Court on Thursday, with each defendant receiving a suspended sentence in exchange for a guilty plea to lesser charges. Meagan Audette, 23, of Berlin, pleaded guilty to stealing close to $4,000 from the NH State Liquor Store in Gorham while she was employed there earlier this year. As part of the plea agreement a felony theft charged was reduced to a class A misdemeanor charge of theft by unauthorized taking. She was sentenced to 120 days in jail, all suspended for two years on the conditions of good behavior and payment of restitution. Audette, who County Attorney Robert Mekeel said has no prior criminal record, was caught stealing money from cash sales at the liquor store after auditors noticed an abnormally high bottle loss count in two consecutive quarters. That coupled with a high volume of
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