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Editorial
Safe crossing
We go out of our way to make sure our kids are dressed warmly, eat good food, do their homework and get enough sleep. We want them to be happy, healthy and safe. And although we can't be with them 24 hours a day, a parent's concern doesn't take a break.
So when an incident like the one that happened in front of John Stark Regional High School, in which a student got hit by a car crossing a street, it makes us all stop and think.
What if that were our child? What if we were driving that car?
The girl was not killed, fortunately, and the driver in this incident was not charged with any wrongdoing. Apparently the girl stepped out in the street in front of the car. But the fact remains that there is no crosswalk in front of the school, and no blinking light warning that drivers are approaching a school zone.
And at the speed which drivers travel Route 114, that's an invitation to disaster.
A light and a crosswalk costs some money, certainly, but it's a small price to pay when the lives of our children
are at stake.
Let's take that decision out of committee and do something to get these safety precautions put into place.
Letters
Signs and cutting back brush would help intersection woes
To the Editor:
The Wallace Road and Shirley
Hill Road intersection is dangerous. While the debate goes on with regards to a traffic light, there are some immediate solutions that could be implemented:
• Cut back the brush on the side of the road.
• Put up two additional stop signs and “dangerous intersection”
signs.
The brush and small trees on the northeast side of the intersection
need to be cut back about 10 feet. This will give an estimated 50 to 100 feet extra visibility. The extra signs cost very little and would take minimal
time to put in place.
More police patrols are not needed at that location. I would rather have them patrolling populated
areas of our town.
Mike Pelletier
Goffstown
My gut tells me Folden isn't a criminal for mother's death
To the Editor:
The images on television of Danna Folden being arraigned in court this past week for the negligent
homicide of her elderly mother Mary Folden continues to haunt me, and I feel I must speak up on behalf of Danna. She appeared pale and terrified. Her voice was shaking. She is alone in the world, and I hope someone will advocate for her.
In 2004, I was the owner of a business on Main Street in Goffstown, and I had the opportunity
to speak with Danna on many occasions. My restaurant, The Gardener's Table, specialized
in healthy take-home meals.
I enjoyed seeing my regular customers each week, and one of those customers was Danna. She would come in for a hot meal for herself and always took one home to her mother. She told me on more than one occasion that she was caring for her elderly mother. To me, Danna appeared to be a kind and lonely woman who likely suffered from some kind of disability and/or mental illness herself. She didn't drive or hold a job. She pushed a luggage
cart up and down Main Street, usually with heavy packages
strapped on. She would come in to my restaurant and enjoy a break at one of my three tables. She would stay right up until I closed, and then would heat her mother's meal, wrap it well, and she would be on her way. She was quiet, gentle and a bit "eccentric."
Like the rest of the public, I don't know what was discovered
during the investigation, but my gut tells me that Danna isn't a criminal, and she is the wrong person to be made an example of in the case of elder abuse. Elder abuse is certainly an important issue, and those who are vulnerable need to have someone looking out for them. But Danna herself is fragile and vulnerable. I don't think she was capable of making the decisions
being asked of her. Who was looking out for her all these years?
Did anyone thank her for trying to care for her mother all those years? Just because Danna pushed people away doesn't mean she didn't need help herself. In hindsight, which is always much easier, maybe it was a sign that she did need help.
I was saddened to read in the news that she had no family
aside from her mother. Her mother was described as an elderly, frail hermit. I can only assume that Danna was doing the best she was able to care for her mother, but I don't believe she was capable of making the best choices. It seems that no one was watching out for either of them.
It disheartens me to think of this fragile woman being locked away in jail without anyone to post her bail. I imagine her home, no matter how run down, and her cats offer her safety that no other place can. I hope that this case is solved in another manner and the elderly are protected
without sacrificing the life and freedom of this woman. I hope Danna can return home and have assistance to assure she is safe and healthy. Let's all watch out for those in our community who are sick or vulnerable.
I wish I had sent more food home with her when I had the opportunity.
Brenda Pfahnl
Goffstown
How do you handle complaints?
To the Editor:
I.m writing to the readers of this newspaper to ask them how their community handles citizen complaints against town employees who fail to suitably respond to taxpayer requests, or who ignore citizens. requests completely.
We seem to have a problem with that in my New Hampshire
hometown. I suspect the town employees and department heads in my community know there is no official method in place for ordinary citizens to report and record town employee
indifference or disregard to their requests. It seems to me that the some employees and their department heads take advantage of this situation to avoid responding to the requests of the very people that fund their paychecks.
Certainly other communities in New Hampshire have also experienced this problem and have developed some sort of system to resolve these issues.
Please e-mail me your town's solution to this thorny problem. I can be reached at pauloman@pauloman.com.
Paul Oman
Pittsfield
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