The annual meeting of the Pittsfield
Historical Society will be held on Tuesday, January 12, 2016 at the
Society’s headquarters at 13 Elm St. The meeting will be at 7:00 PM.
AJ O’Hara and his crew from NH Electric
Cooperative were back to install the newly painted and re-rigged
sign over the entry of the Scenic Theatre. The crew brought two
bucket trucks and weaved their way around the electric wires that
are so close to the front of the theater to hang the sign. The
Pittsfield Players want to thank AJ and his crew for their help
completing this project.
Candlelight
Christmas Eve
Join your friends and neighbors and bring
the whole family to a wonderful traditional candlelight service this
Thursday, Christmas Eve, 7 p.m., at the First Congregational Church,
24 Main St., Pittsfield. The service includes beautiful music by the
Chancel Choir and the JuBellation Handbell Choir, scripture lessons,
the story of the first Christmas, the sanctuary shimmering in
candlelight and the singing of “Silent Night.” Include this lovely
evening service in your holiday plans. Parking and wheelchair
accessible entry are available at rear of church at Chestnut Street.
For more information, call the church office at 435-7471.
Pittsfield
Middle High School Girls Basketball
Submitted By Coach
Heidi Hall
Kneeling Lt-Rt: Jordyn Pinto, Destinee Ellis, Lindsey
Massey, Kylee Morel, Alyssa Sullivan, Gretchen Hilton. Standing
Lt-Rt: Meredith Smith, Katie Rollins, Brie Hill, Rachel Thompson,
Jaden Vincent, Coach Heidi Hall
The Pittsfield Middle High School Girls
Varsity Basketball team has started their season! The graduation of
five seniors last year has left the Varsity team in a rebuilding
year.
Kylee Morel and Katie Rollins are the two
returning players that will bring experience to this year’s team
with Morel at the point and Rollins working inside.
Newcomers Alyssa Sullivan, Lindsey Massey,
and Brie Hill finish out the starters and add additional inside and
outside scoring threats.
Jaden Vincent, Jordyn Pinto, and Rachel
Thompson will come off the bench to spell the starters and bring
outside shooting experience.
Gretchen Hilton, Raquel Sheridan, Meredith
Smith, and Destinee Ellis round out the team and will play
significant roles in helping build a strong team for now and the
future.
Our first 3 games were against strong
division foes. In the first game Pittsfield lost to Nute 56-31. They
were led by Morel with 10 points and Rollins with 9 points. Alyssa
Sullivan also had a good game scoring 6 points and led the team in
steals with 5.
The second game we fell to Derryfield
39-29. After a slow first half of only scoring 8 points, Pittsfield
came out strong in the second half scoring 21 points and picked up
the defensive intensity. Katie Rollins led the charge with all 9 of
her points coming in the second half. Jordyn Pinto had a strong game
off the bench scoring 5 points in the 3rd quarter.
Our third game was a loss to Epping 50-23.
Rollins was top scorer with 8 points followed by Morel with 7 points
and Lindsey Massey with 5 points.
We will be participating in the Farmington
Christmas Tournament again this year with 3 games scheduled. On
Saturday, 12/26, we play the host Farmington at 6:30pm, Sunday,
12/27, we play Mascoma at 3:30pm, and Monday, 12/28, we play
Newmarket at 2:00pm. We would love to see you there!
VA Plans To
Propose Expanded Disability Benefits Eligibility For Veterans
Exposed To Contaminated Water At Camp Lejeune
Submitted Via Merrill
Vaughan
WASHINGTON – The Department of Veterans
Affairs (VA) announced today that it plans to propose expanded
disability compensation eligibility for Veterans exposed to
contaminated drinking water while assigned to Marine Corps Base Camp
Lejeune.
From 1953 to 1987, water sources at the base were contaminated with
industrial solvents that are correlated with certain health
conditions. Secretary of Veterans Affairs Robert A. McDonald
decided to propose presumptions of service connection for certain
conditions associated with these chemical solvents following
discussions between environmental health experts at the Veterans
Health Administration and the Department of Health and Human
Services Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR).
“The water at Camp Lejeune was a hidden
hazard, and it is only years later that we know how dangerous it
was,” said Secretary McDonald. “We thank ATSDR for the
thorough review that provided much of the evidence we needed to
fully compensate Veterans who develop one of the conditions known to
be related to exposure to the compounds in the drinking water.”
ATSDR determined that the drinking water at Camp Lejeune was
contaminated with perchloroethylene, trichloroethylene, vinyl
chloride, benzene and other petroleum contaminants from leaking
storage tanks from 1953 to 1987. ATSDR also determined that
prolonged exposure to these chemicals increases the risk of certain
health conditions.
Based upon VA’s review of current medical science and ATSDR’s
findings, Secretary McDonald intends to propose creation of a
presumption of service connection for the following conditions:
Kidney Cancer
Liver Cancer
Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma
Leukemia
Multiple Myeloma
Scleroderma
Parkinson’s Disease
Aplastic Anemia / Myelodysplastic
Syndromes
The Secretary’s proposal would also expand benefits eligibility to
Reserve and National Guard personnel who served at Camp Lejeune for
any length of time from August 1, 1953, through December 31, 1987.
These personnel would be presumed to have been exposed to the
contaminated water during their Reserve or National Guard service
and, in appropriate circumstances, to have been disabled by such
exposure during service, thus allowing them to qualify for VA
benefits under the statutory definition of “Veteran.”
This
would make them eligible for VA disability compensation and medical
care for any of the presumptive conditions, and their surviving
dependents would be eligible for dependency and indemnity
compensation and burial benefits.
VA is working on regulations that would establish these
presumptions, making it easier for affected Veterans to receive VA
disability compensation for these conditions. While VA cannot
grant any benefit claims based on the proposed presumption of
service connection for these conditions until it issues its final
regulations, it encourages Veterans who have a record of service at
Camp Lejeune between August 1, 1953, and December 31, 1987, and
develop a condition that they believe is related to exposure to the
drinking water at the base, to file a disability compensation claim
with VA.
VA will continue to grant claims for disabilities claimed to be
associated with exposure to the contaminants that can be granted
under current regulations and review of the evidence in each case.
If a claim for service connection for one of the proposed
presumptive conditions would be denied under current regulations,
the denial will be stayed until VA issues its final regulations. VA
will announce when the regulations are final and presumptive
benefits can begin to be awarded. For more information on applying
for these benefits, visit:
http://benefits.va.gov/compensation/claims-postservice-exposures-camp_lejeune_water.asp.
Veterans who served at Camp Lejeune for 30 days or more between
August 1, 1953, and December 31, 1987, are already eligible to
receive VA healthcare for up to 15 health conditions. More
information, including a full list of covered conditions, can be
found online at:
http://www.publichealth.va.gov/PUBLICHEALTH/exposures/camp-lejeune/index.asp.
Veterans can establish eligibility for healthcare benefits by
submitting VA Form 10-10EZ online at
www.1010ez.med.va.gov/, downloading it at
www.va.gov/vaforms/medical/pdf/1010EZ-fillable.pdf and returning
it to any VA Medical Center or Clinic, or by calling 1-877-222-VETS
(8387), Monday through Friday, between the hours of 8:00 AM and 8:00
PM (Eastern Time).
VA is reimbursing certain veterans’ family members for eligible
out-of-pocket medical expenses related to the 15 covered conditions.
More information can be found at:
https://www.clfamilymembers.fsc.va.gov
Obituaries
Beatrice (Bea) Boudette
Franklin- Beatrice (Bea) Boudette died Monday the 23rd of November
at the Brookdale Senior Living Community in Franklin MA.
Born in 1928 to Rosario and Mederise (nee
Auger) Drolet in Pittsfield NH, Beatrice was raised on a dairy farm
and worked to develop the family business alongside her parents and
sisters Phyllis and Janet.
In 1946 she graduated from Pittsfield High
School and then went on to continue her education at the University
of New Hampshire where she obtained a Bachelor of Science in
bacteriology in 1950.
Upon graduating, Bea moved to Boston MA and was employed as a cancer
researcher for the Children’s Cancer Research Foundation (future
Dana-Faber Cancer Institute). Under the direction of Sidney
Farber MD, Bea was part of the research team that contributed so
significantly to the basis of modern cancer treatment.
In 1961 Bea married a former UNH
classmate, Eugene (Gene) Boudette, a geologist employed by the US
Geological Survey. The couple took up residence in Alexandria, VA
and then later in the District of Columbia. During their marriage
Bea and Gene also lived in Vermont, Maine, Arizona, and most
recently back in their native New Hampshire.
Bea is remembered for her varied
interests, which included gardening, cooking, sewing, and historical
architecture. She was admired for her lovely singing voice and
derived much enjoyment from her membership with various community
choruses and church choirs.
She is survived by her children, Jennifer
and Stephen Boudette, her nephew Lawrence Augustine, and her
granddaughters, Sophie and Vivien Boudette.
The George F. Doherty & Sons Funeral Home
of Dedham, MA, has been entrusted with the arrangements.
A memorial mass will be held at a future
date T.B.A. Online guestbook at gfdoherty.com.
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