Picket Line Gay marriage proponents picketed outside Monday night's town council meeting to urge the council to reject a petition brought before them.

LONDONDERRY SCHOOL DELIBERATIVE MEETING Friday, February 5 at 7 p.m. at the High School 500 residents needed to impact school budget

Workforce Housing Ordinance Gets Unanimous Council OK
April Guilmet
Londonderry Times

Following months of debate, Londonderry's workforce housing ordinance was unanimously approved Monday evening, though councilors agreed to work with the planning board to address density restrictions across the board. Councilor Brian Farmer missed the meeting because he was hospitalized.

Though well over 100 people attended the evening's public hearing on a citizens' petition concerning gay marriage, less than a dozen remained inside town hall for the public hearing on workforce housing.

The Feb. 1 hearing was a continuation of a hearing held Jan. 18. The continuation was to allow town officials to conduct further research on potential density restrictions. more

_____________________

Sisters Organize Donation Effort for Haiti at Matthew Thornton
April Guilmet
Londonderry Times

Touched by the plight of the Haitian earthquake victims, two Matthew Thornton Elementary School sisters with ties to the impoverished nation have organized local efforts to assist earthquake survivors.

Olivia Brutus, a fifth grader, and her sister, Morgan Brutus, a third grader, approached Principal Carol Mack shortly after the earthquake in hopes of allowing their school to be a drop-off point for residents wishing to help the devastated nation with donations of blankets, bedding, gently-used clothing and toys. Fellow third-grader Elizabeth Iaconis, who has been best friends with Morgan since the girls attended kindergarten together, joined in the efforts.

Mack immediately gave the girls her blessing, calling on Shanon Gruchot, community relations representative for the school's Parent Teacher Association (PTA), to assist the girls with their collection. more

_____________________

Council Unanimous in Rejecting Baldasaro Petition
April Guilmet
Londonderry Times

It was standing room only at Londonderry Town Hall Monday night, when over 120 residents flooded the Moose Hill Council Chambers hoping for a chance to speak out on whether the council should accept State Rep. Al Baldasaro's citizen petition requesting a constitutional amendment on the definition of marriage. That request also prompted about 60 local high school students to demonstrate outside the front doors, urging the council to reject the petition.

Following a two-hour public hearing, the council voted 4 to 0 to reject Baldasaro's petition. Councilor Brian Farmer, who missed the meeting because he was hospitalized, had sent an e-mail to Town Manager David Caron earlier that day, noting that he agreed with his fellow councilors on the petition's rejection.

Also absent was Baldasaro, who was traveling to Virginia to visit his son. Former town councilor Marty Bove spoke on Baldasaro's behalf. more

_____________________

2009 Nutfield Publishing, LLC

No articles, photographs, or other materials by Nutfield Publishing LLC may be re-published/re-written or otherwise used without the express permission of the publisher.