New York Times - Nov. 30, 2009

Today's New York Times featured stories in about as many different varieties as one could fit on the front page. I read a story about Obama needing to supply more troops overseas in order to bring the ones that are currently over there home in a plan to withdraw completely from the war in thr Middle East. I read a story about a man who discovered the peat land in Indonesia was giving off a great amount of harmful gases to the environment, and wants to help improve the water quality in the Kampar Peninsula. I read a story about a man who is feared by high school athletic departments because of his ambitious attitude toward equality for girls athletics. I read a story about the sales of alligator skin diminishing this year after a dismal year last year. My point is that there isn't a real hard news story in here, other than the Obama piece. Nothing really jumps out at the reader when they scan the front page for any big events or stories they need to read. Maybe it's just because there wasn't anything really newsworthy for today's issue, but I feel that editors and publishers could have put together a few more interesting story ideas. Not that many people care about extremely expensive alligator skin except...people who can actually afford extremely expensive alligator skin. I thought it was a poor effort to try and appeal to the majority of the American public. I think that it would be better if they tried to focus the lead story on American issues, not foreign issue like tree harvesters in Indonesia. I know I'm not qualified to make that call, but that's what I would do if I had a say in what was printed in the Times.

Another Death in Amity

In the early afternoon on July 2, another death occurred at an Amity beach, but this time it was a 10-year-old male resident that was the victim of what appears to be a vicious shark attack.
Alex B. Kintner, of Mayfair Court, was swimming with his friends in the waters off Village Beach at 2 p.m. yesterday, when he and his floatation raft disappeared from the surface of the water.
This is the second of what appears to be related shark attacks in the last two days. Village Beach and South Beach (where the first incident occurred) are seven nautical miles apart. However, the police department has stressed that these attacks have not yet been confirmed as shark-related.
Witnesses of the event, including police chief Martin Brody, said they saw Kintner floating in the water when he suddenly disappeared and was not found. No body was recovered, but when the floatation raft Kintner was using drifted ashore, there appeared to be a large bite taken out of it.
Alex’s mother, Marion Kintner, is currently being treated for shock at Amity General Hospital after being present during the time of her son’s disappearance. She is listed in fair condition. There were no other injuries reported from the incident.
Police now believe that the Watson death, which occurred at some point last night, may be related to the possible shark activities in Amity.
A meeting was held last night to discuss the order of operations dealing with the potential shark activities. Chief Brody plans to close the beaches until further notice, while the department will bring in spotters for the Amity beaches to watch for sharks.
The Kintner family has placed a reward for $3,000 for the capture of the perpetrator. Fisherman Ben Quint has submitted an offer to the town’s administrators for $10,000 to hunt down the shark thought to be the cause behind these deaths.
The administration has taken Quint’s offer under advisory, and will discuss the offer behind closed doors.
In the meantime, Amity Mayor Bob Farley and chief Brody have issued their deepest sympathies and most sincere condolences to the Kintner family for their loss.

Body of Girl Found on South Beach

Early this morning, police discovered the body of a teenage girl washed up on an Amity beach completely mangled by an attacker of an unknown origin, police say.
Investigators say the mauled body of Wendy W. Watson, 17, of 23 Sharkstooth St. washed up on Amity’s South Beach, and was discovered after a brief investigation. Police were notified of the missing Watson at 4 a.m. According to another source, a teenage male whose identity is being withheld, Wendy was last seen at a beach party at 11 p.m.
The body was taken to the coroner’s office for an autopsy. According to a confidential source, the original report is that Watson was mauled in a shark attack while swimming late at night. Police have not yet confirmed the report, but are not ruling anything out.
Investigators learned that both teenagers had been drinking heavily during the evening, and decided to enter the water near the South Beach Shoal bell buoy, where police say the attack took place. The water temperature was roughly 72 degrees F at the time of the attack, and the seas were calm, with winds out of the south at three knots.
Police chief Martin Brody notified authorities that no charges have been filed in the case, and that police are continuing their investigation into the incident. In a press release, Brody stated that, although a shark attack has not yet been ruled out, they want to assure all residents and visitors that they are in no danger.
The beaches will remain open for swimming pending the outcome of the investigation.

Fluffy Story

Keepers at the Durham Zoo noticed early this morning that their rare spotted leopard, known as “Fluffy,” was missing from her cage and could be anywhere within the zoo or downtown, zoo experts reported.
The zoo was opened at 7:30 this morning as usual, but only for zoo staff to find Fluffy missing from her cage. Everything seemed normal; the cage was shut and the fence was unbroken, yet the leopard was missing.
Fluffy is a 10-year-old Romanian spotted leopard, a species that is known to be carnivorous and driven to the brink of extinction because of their appetite for young children.
The last time anyone saw Fluffy was last night (Tuesday) around 9 p.m. when the zoo was closed.
Gerry Durrell, the director of the zoo, said that at that time, everything seemed normal.
“We have no idea what time Fluffy escaped or where she went,” Durrell said. “When we opened the zoo at 7:30 this morning and began feeding the animals we immediately noticed Fluffy was missing. We are searching the grounds of the zoo but so far we haven’t a clue.”
Durrell added that at this point it is possible for the cat to be anywhere around Durham.
Kitty Smith, the zoo’s chief biologist, said that Fluffy was a gift to the city zoo from Durham’s sister city in Romania, Durhamvoska. There are only five currently in existence, while Fluffy is the only remaining female of the species.
“It is a priceless animal, and has been at the zoo for five years,” Smith said. “Its cage is alarmed, but no alarms were sounded during the night.”
Smith told reporters that the leopard is black with white spots, weighs 146 pounds and can run up to 60 mph.
“Fluffy is a wonderful, warm, gentle cat who has never hurt anyone,” Smith said. “But if these cats are cornered – or encountered on a dark night – their defense is to kill, and kill quickly.”
The zoo urges anyone who encounters Fluffy to get slowly to the ground and lay still, as the cat may do a lot of licking and sniffing, but as long as she doesn’t sense fear she’s not likely to attack.
Durham Police Chief William Blair said that the police department will do everything in their power, and search every inch of the zoo, to recover the missing cat.
“If possible, Fluffy will be shot with a tranquilizer gun,” Blair said. “But if necessary, we will shoot to kill. If we can’t find her in the zoo, we will begin searching the neighborhood, moving farther and farther away from the zoo.”
He added that they are concerned because of the residential neighborhood in Durham with an elementary school nearby. The goal of the police is to find Fluffy before 3 p.m. when school lets out.
Both the zoo and Durham police have asked the New Hampshire State Police and the state wildlife department to aid in the search. The National Guard will also be supplying five helicopters with infrared sensors to help find Fluffy.

New York Times - Nov. 19, 2009

The first story that really caught my eye today in the Times was about a young boy named Carvett Gentles. It was actually the picture dipicted on the front page that drew me into the story. A young boy who looked like he was 14 or 15 (his real age is 16) was in handcuffs abd being led into a courtroom wearing an all-black suit by policemen on either side of him. My first thought was "how could this young boy have done something so serious to be in handcuffs?" Then I read the caption, and found that he was accused of shooting a 15-year-old girl named Vada Vasquez. I had to read the story by this point, because I was very intrigued as to how a young boy could have even gotten his hands on a gun.

It turns out he was the one "chosen" to shoot a rival gang member, Tyrone Creighton, while coming out of a building in the middle of the day. He fired six shots, one of which went soaring through Creighton's shoulder and puncturing a lung. One stray bullet hit miss Vasquez behind the head just over her ear. She was put into a medically induced coma in order to recover, where she remains in critical condition.

It's a mystery to me how these young kids could have even gotten their hands on a firearm. But what's even worse: how do these kids get into such gruesome violence at such a young age? This boy isn't even old enough to be tried as an adult, and he's already attempted to kill someone with a gun! This is the problem with our country; that kids are brought up in poor households and are taught malicious and violent acts by their parents, friends, or even video games nowadays. It's sad that our country is so violent, but it can't really be stopped, only contained. My thought is to be as encouraging and supportive to young kids as possible, so they grow up with the same respect of their surroundings and the world as their parents did. Being a positive role model goes a long way.

New York Times - Nov. 18, 2009

The headlining story for the Times today is about how New York will become the second U.S. state that will make it a felony if a person is arrested for drunk driving with a child in the car. The recent surge in deaths of children are causing state officials to crack down and the state government to pay strict attention to the subject. I personally think that this shouldn't be a felony in two states, I think it should be a felony in EVERY state. How stupid does a person have to be to get into a car after having several drinks with children? I realize that alcohol impares ones judgement, but you'd think that if a person knew they were going into a situation where alcohol might be involved, that this said person wouldn't bring children along for the ride, or at least have anything to drink if the person was aware they had to transport shildren in the immediate future. It doesn't make any sense to me as to why this isn't a punishable felony in all states, because it certainly should be. If it were, then it would most definitely reduce the number of people who go out and do this kind of thing, and in turn would reduce the number of child deaths resulting from this recurring problem.

The story also talked about this new installment in cars that would be a lot like a personal breathalizer test, and if the driver of the car failed, the engine would not start. This makes sense to me, and will surely prevent many deaths in the United States. It's sad, though, that we have to rely on our own cars now to tell us when it is or is not safe for us to drive. Our judgement is that poor. Oh well, if it's going to save lives, I'm not complaining. As a race we need something that will make sure we're safe if we're not the ones best suited to make that decision.

New York Times - Nov. 17, 2009

I didn't find too many stories today on the front page that I found intensely interesting like I normally do. I could write about how the G.M. company is on the rebound after going bankrupt over the summer, but they first need to pay back the government after they loaned the company a great sum of money to aid their financial situation. But that's the news, and my job as a blogger isn't to write the news again, it's to react to the news. I found there wasn't a whole lot I could "react" to on the front page.

But one thing I found that I personally could write a 5000-word essay on was on the front page of sports (shocker). But the story I want to wrote about doesn't involve a game story, it involves the future of not just one, but MANY Division I athletic programs in New York.

Due to the lack of funding, lack of success and negative press coverage of several Division I athletic programs in the SUNY college system, the state of New York is considering dropping ALL D-I athletic programs in order to meet a more affordable budget. This could be devastating for one of the "second-tier" state in terms of population size. Some programs have had a great deal of success in the past, like Binghamton University's 2008-'09 men's basketball team, which made it to the NCAA March Madness tournament where they played national powerhouse Duke University. They lost, but it was only positive press coverage for the team. However, after releasing six of their top players this past fall for violation of team and federal laws, the program is only experiencing negative media coverage, and it doesn't appear to be getting any better for the program.

Nothing has been decided on officially yet, but it is under serious consideration to drop all D-I athletic programs from SUNY colleges all throughout New York. It's an unbelievable story, and I will certainly be keeping my eye on it as the news continues to develop.

New York Times - Nov. 16, 2009

Just about all of the stories on the fornt page of today's New York Times are pretty negative and depressing, telling stories about the lack of money for immigrant workers in the United States, how it will be hard to get a fair trial for Major Nidal Malik Hasan: the man who shot 13 people at Fort Hood (this is America, you'd think everyone could find a fair trial SOMEWHERE), and how drug companies, despite recently being told they must accomodate harsh economic times, continue to increase their prices. I want to start with the immigrant workers in the U.S. story.

Yes, times are getting rough here financially for many of American families due to the crashing economy. However, our low economy is still much better than that of Mexico's, which is why so many people immigrate here from the south illegally. What really gets me is that, despite the lack of success many other immigrant workers are experiencing, they still continue to come here every day by the dozens. If their families in Mexico have to wire money to those failing to find some sort of work in America, maybe it isn't worth making the trip for. That seems to make the most sense to me.

For Major Hasan, the death penalty seems to be looming down on him as he awaits for a trial. Problem is, his lawyer can't find a court or hospital that will give him a fair chance. The best medical doctor to analyze him and declare him legally insane (so that he could plead insanity) is at Fort Hood, the same medical building where he shot and killed 13 people. The next best place for evaluation in the United States is in Washington. But that isn't an option either, as he served as a psychiatrist there for a number of years, and where people know his anti-American ways. Things just aren't looking good for the 13-time murderer Hasan.

Biddeford Airport Story

It used to be a nice place for the people of Biddeford, Maine to enjoy a nice day, eat at the restaurant and maybe catch a plane out of town. Now, it’s turned into a dividing line that has citizens choosing sides in a city-wide debate.
The Biddeford City Airport, which is the home of 47 planes and a 126-acre property, could be closed down due to elevated taxes and the unwillingness of the citizens to meet the increasing financial burden.
Residents of Biddeford say that their taxes could be put to much better use than supporting an airport that brings in about $56,000 annually from sales of gas, property taxes and land leases. The project would potentially cost $3 million to shut down and demolish, which would be taken from general operating funds.
However, opposing arguments state that the airport serves a very useful purpose, because the closest facility besides in Biddeford is located in either Sanford or Portland. Phyllis Landry, an independent pilot who has been flying out of this airport for 25 years, said that there is too much history and value here for the airport to be shut down.
“Maybe it’s expensive to run, but it’s a great resource,” Landry said. “I know business people who fly in here all the time. I’ve been flying out of this airport for 25 years. I love this airport.”
What many of the taxpayers in Biddeford would like to see is something much more resourceful as a substitute for the airport after it has, potentially, been shut down and demolished.
“We’d really like to see it shut down for good, and maybe put an industrial park in there,” Paul Archambault, Chairman of Save Our Little Airport (SOLA) said. “Or how about a wind farm? We could provide power to the nearby schools. That’s the kind of progress we’d like to see.”
Archambault added that when they started looking at the airport, they came to the conclusion that there is no financial benefit at its existing size and capacity, and that it continues to be a tax burden.
Airport manager Tim Bryand said that the runways and facilities are being used for purposes that aren’t authorized, like for four-wheeling and snowmobiling.
“We have pedestrians, motorcycles, four-wheelers (and) ATV’s all using it,” Bryand said. “They just use it as a backyard and that’s against regulations.”
Landry said that one time about five years ago she was forced to abort takeoff because there were neighborhood children playing in the runway right in front of her plane.
It’s a surprise that someone living next to the airport wouldn’t be frequently bothered by the constant noise and roar of plane engines. But Roland Pelletier has lived next to the airport for 25 years, and said that the noise doesn’t bother him, but the monetary situation does.
“The money is the biggest thing,” Pelletier said. “If it was self-supporting, fine. Let it go. But times are tough in the economy, and we can’t afford to support operations that don’t support themselves.”
The referendum will be on the ballot for the June 4 general election in Biddeford. City manager John Bubier said that he thinks the voters are going to be the ones to settle the issue, which is what he believes City Council really wants.

New York Times - Nov. 12, 2009

In this issue of the New York Times, there is another article about the Fort Hood shooting rampage on the front page, and rightfully so. Since this is the largest shooting on a military base in history, I think it deserves all of the media coverage, because this cannot happen again. This article is basically an argument on who shot down Major Hasan, either Sgt. Kimberly Munley or Senior Sgt. Mark Todd. Personally, I don't think it matters at this point in the investigation. I think the major concern should be focused on Major Hasan and his motives for killing 13 innocent soldiers in a medical base at Fort Hood. He is responsive to doctors, but has not talked to any of the press yet, and probably won't for at least another week or so. But the article focuses on the person who was identified shooting down Major Hasan, which is somewhat relevat right now to the investigation. At first, authorities said it was Sgt. Munley who bravely stood up to Hasan and shot him in the leg, causing him to drop to the ground and cease fire. Now a report has been released that an anonymous soldier has come forward and told authorities that Mark Todd was the real man who took down Hasan after Munley was shot herself and on the ground in pain. Basically, right now it is someone's word against someone else's word. I don't believe this should be the central focus of the investigation at this point, but until Major Hasan starts talking to authorities then I guess we have nothing else to discuss about this national conflict. Maybe someone soon will come forward and admit that they didn't shoot Hasan so we can get going with the operation and investigation at hand.

New York Times - Nov. 10, 2009

First off, I would like to start by pointing out that in my last blog post, about yesterday's New York Times, I mentioned the gunman from Fort Good, Texas. The name of the town is actually Fort Hood, Texas, not Fort Good. My mistake and I retract that error and change it to it's correct title.

There was more on the tragedy at Fort Hood today as well. Two stories were placed side-by-side on the front page, which detailed several new developments in the shooting story. The one that I found to be most interesting was the news article about how the FBI discovered ties to Anwar al-Awlaki, a known anti-America incendiary whose teachings are very strong against this country. The investigation showed that Sgt. Nidal Malik Hasan, the shooter at Fort Hood, was in contact with al-Awlaki through e-mail just weeks before the shooting took place. Officials don't know yet whether or not al-Awlaki had any influence on Hasan's decision to go on the shooting spree. Hasan just recently woke up from a coma in his hospital bed a few days ago, and has since been communicating with his doctors, but no one else.

I think that this guy, Anwar al-Awlaki, must have had a serious impact on Mr. Hasan, because he is a spiritual leader whom Hasan looks up to. If he had been in contact with him, it's fair to say that at least some workds must have been spoken about an attack. At the very least Hasan could have informed al-Awlaki of his own plan to kill several military members. I think that the FBI should invest in finding this man, al-Awlaki, and do everything in their power to find out what he knows. Maybe it doesn't stop with Hasan; maybe there are more men like him out there in our military system, waiting for their time to rise. This attack shows that we could have a serious problem within the veins of our country's defense.

New York Times - Nov. 9, 2009

In what might possibly be the biggest and most disastrous news story of the year, 13 soldiers at the Fort Good military base in Texas were shot and killed on Thursday by not some random terrorist, but a comrade. Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan of Virginia, who's parents immigrated to the United States from Pakistan just years before he was born, shot and killed 13 soldiers, while wounding more than 40 more, in a military medical center as what appears to be mostly a sign of protest. It was said by family members that Hasan was showing signs of disappointment and depression about being shipped overseas to Afghanistan in the next few months. But his skepticism about heading overseas wasn't the only thing that family members say probably contributed to his violent outburst. According to Hasan, before his shooting rampage, other soldiers in the military made fun of him for being Muslim by saying mean things to his face and vandalizing his property. Hasan attempted to be discharged, but to no avail, because the Army is in short supply of pshychiatrists, and desperately needed him over to help on the warfront. So, in any case, Hasan felt that he needed to kill his fellow members of the armed forces in order to prove a point, and to get some revenge. My question is: how is it that Hasan was able to kill 13 people and wound over 40 more without him being taken down within a few seconds? If he was surrounded by that many people at a military base, you'd think they would have him either completely seized on the ground, or even dead within a split of firing the first shot. Granted he was shooting people at a medical center, but that doesn't mean that no one should have a gun. It's a terribly tragic situation, and I am positive a whole lot of changes and rule enforcements will come with the overall sting this leaves the nation's burns.

Theft Story

Safety of student possessions is now in question after stdent body president Charlotte Noreng's backpack was taken outside of Holloway Commons yesterday, witnesses say.

Noreng had reportedly left her backpack, which contained a laptop, iPod, cell phone, and wallet, outside of the dining hall when she went inside for dinner just before 6 p.m.

Commenting on her stolen possessions, Noreng said that she had always felt safe leaving her belongings outside of Holloway Commons.

"I never thought twice about it," Noreng said. "Everyone leaves their stuff outside. Why would anyone target my stuff over the rest?"

Witnesses who saw Noreng leave her backpack outside noticed her iPod sticking out of a side pocket. Others say they saw a male student handling the backpack and surrounding jackets, appearing to be searching for something.

Witnesses say the male was about 5-foot-7 with curly brown hair and wearing a black North Face fleece.

Holloway Commons employee Ingrid Higginbottom, who was swiping student ID's the day the backpack was reported missing, said that she didn't notice abnormal behavior that day, but that there was an unusually large dinner rush that night.

"It would have probably been easy to take something, considering how many students there were milling around outside," Higginbottom said. "I feel bad for poor Charlotte."

Police are expected to be involved since Noreng reported the missing backpack this morning.






Six months after the reported theft of Charlotte Noreng's backpack from outside of Holloway Commons, Rob Cash was convicted in the Durham District Court today.

After being charged with stealing approximately $2,000 worth of Noreng's personal belongings, Cash was ordered to repay Noreng her losses, as well as an additional $1,000 for damages.

Cash's subsequent sentence included probation and 100 hours of community service at Holloway Commons, serving as a part-time janitor.

Cash was arrested when the tracking device in Noreng's computer was located in his dorm room in Stoke Hall. Police arrested Cash at the scene and took him into custody. He was put on $500 bail, which he met and was released until his court date a week ago.

New York Times - Nov. 4, 2009

I thought the most interesting story on the front of the New York Times was the profile/feature piece on the sniffing dogs the police forces use for crimes. It turns out they are used more often than people may think, and have actually put people in jail for long periods of time. They have the keen ability to smell the most intricate details on just about anything, which leads investigators to find what they are looking for, whether that be a person, a body, or more evidence. I think it's incredible that these animals have the ability to do that, and I think it's smart on our part to train them to aid our police and investigative forces. Interesting story, interesting topic.

Another story (well, line actually) that caught my eye was in the Iraq bomb story, which was about how the use of a "nuclear" detector was used at police checkpoints to decipher whether or not some material is radioactive, or may be bomb-material. One man went as far as to say the device, that resembles a wand, was "on the same principles as a Ouija board." Well, to me that means instant failure. I don't believe in Ouija boards in any way, and nor should I. They are based on the fluctuation and involuntary movements in peoples muscles, or the one wise-guy who pushed the "magic eye" towards whatever he wants to see appear. Therefore, if this wand is anything like a Ouija board, I say don't believe anything it says.

New York Times - Nov. 3, 2009

Well, if there's one story that the media have certainly beaten to death in this decade, it is quite obviously the use of steriods and performance-enhancing drugs in major league baseball. The front page of today's NY Times does include a story on the world-wide scandal, but in a different light than all of the typical "so-and-so is using steriods, he's a cheater" articles. This article was about how Alex Rodriguez, third baseman for the New York Yankees, and Andy Pettite, pitcher for the Yankees, both took a different route than most others when they were accused of using steriods. Instead of choosing to do one of the two main things when accused: deny it or hide, they chose to admit their guilt and came clean almost as soon as the news began circulating. The article is about how that strategy really paid off for the two of them, because now they are in the limelight of the baseball stage: the two are playing in baseball's World Series which goes on as we speak. That's apparently the right strategy to take for anyone who is either looking to come clean or is accused of using the banned drugs; come clean fast and get it over with so you can get back to playing and prove that you don't need to use steroids to play well. That's what Pettite and Rodriguez did, and both are playing marvelously in New York this postseason, especially after that metaphorical monkey has been lifted off of their backs. The same cannot be said for Mark McGwire, however, who was jusr recently hired back into baseball after disappearing just months after his failure of a defense at the Congressional hearing years ago. Coming back into baseball for McGwire will only raise those questions all over again, along with new ones since he vanished from the scene. He's in for a whole new battle.

New York Times - Nov. 2, 2009

The story that certainly drawns my undivided attention has to do with a modern problem that people are currently trying to resolve, which is driving and texting. The story by Elisabeth Rosenthal talks about a young woman, who records show was texting before the accident, slammed into the rear of a vehicle on the side of the road, driven by Victoria McBryde. McBryde, 24, was killed instantly, while Phillipa Curtis, the driver of the acting vehicle, was not hurt, but was sentenced to 21 months in prison for violating "unsafe driving" laws in Britain. There are many who believe Curtis should have received a much longer sentence, because technically what occurred was a homicide, and since the driver was in no way impared other than focusing on her cell phone. Police reports show that Curtis was not texting when the accident occurred, but that she had received a message seconds before impact, which may have caused her to lose attention for just seconds, therefore unable to see the flashing lights of McBryde's broken down car.

I think that, although this is a serious problem and should be recognized by the country's legal services, it is something that is hard to contain and even stop. Cars that move at, let's say, 45 miles per hour are too difficult for any human being to look into and deduct whether or not the driver os texting, or performing a different act, like checking a GPS system or receiving a call. There are millions of people who text while they drive, and although I think it is dangerous, I don't see law enforment being able to stop it, especially among youth drivers ages 25 and under.

To me, it seems like it would be easier for phone companies to invent new products that don't require the use of hands to text. I feel like it can be done digitally by a voice recording computer system built into the phone that can type out a voice command, send it to a friend, and relay a verbal message back to the originator. That would be easier than trying to stop the world from texting while driving, and would certainly be a lot less expensive.

Meeting Story Exercise

A new question pertaining to future disciplinary actions of students at Portsmouth High School was raised amongst the members of the Portsmouth School Board last night.

Instead of students serving entire days in in-house suspension for violating school rules, a motion was made to institute a new policy that would require students in detention to return to schoool on Saturday mornings from 8 a.m. until noon.

School Board member Tim Steele brought the idea to the attention of attendees, and said that to meet the staffing requirements an allocation of about $3,000 wouold need to be set aside in the budget.

"I know this isn't good news for parents," Steele said. "But I hope the threat of Saturday classes will make students think twice before breaking the school rules."

Parent Pegggy Bacon was the first to oppose the motion made by Steele, saying that it really causes an inconvenience to parents, both financially and time wise.

"I work six days a week -- including Saturday morning -- and it's bad enough to gte my son off to school Monday through Friday," Bacon said. "Why should I have to worry about Saturday as well? I just don't think it's going to make any difference, and the parents are going to pay for it -- in higher taxes as well as ruined Saturday's."

Steele said that his main concern is to limit smoking in the Portsmouth school system, as it is the cause for most in-house suspensions. In 1995, 154 students received in-house suspensions, requiring them to spend a day under close faculty supervision in an empty classroom.

Students are not allowed to make up any class time they miss while suspended. Steele added that this way no students would miss any class time or work and still be punished for violating the rules.

Lisa Gallagher, a senior at Portsmouth High School, was in attendance during the discussion. She said that she didn't like the idea because there's nothing preventing students from skipping their punishment sessions.

"I think it's just being done to make life easier for the faculty," she said. "So that they don't have to deal with detentions during the week. Anyway, what if someone skips the session? What are they going to do, make them stay all weekend?"

Steele rebutted by saying that students wouldn't be allowed to return to school until they made up the detention session.

The board voted 5-3 in favor of tabling the issue until March 7, where it will be discussed during the next meeting.