Well, another day of walking into the office, picking up today’s Union Leader, and that once again: the front page of the state’s largest newspaper is all about ALCOHOL!  Well, really not about alcohol the beverage, or alcohol the drug, or alcohol the revenue producer, but about some of the problems related to alcohol.

A motocycle gang rivalry ends in the shooting of an innocent bystander in a pizza joint/bar in Manchester. Likely fueled by alcohol – the accompanying photo of the “Bar & Grille” entrance says a lot – it’s a typical Friday nite in the big city.

“Liquor official fired after DWI”, is the second headline (above the fold, no less) that features an unflattering photo of the recently appointed and more recently fired, Liquor Commissioner, Richard Simard. Simard was arrested for DWI over the week-end, and while he failed the field sobriety test, he refused to take the breathalyzer test, prompting the Governor to fire him saying,  “It is simply unacceptable for a liquor commissioner, stopped by the policy on suspicion of driving under the influence, to refuse a breathalyzer test.”  He goes on to say that Simard’s “continued presence on the Liquor Commission would compromise the integrity of the Commission”.

And if you took the time to read “Hillside teacher had her license revoked” you would discover that it was not her teaching license they were referring to, but rather her driver’s license.  Revoked last year for DWI as it turns out.  But the real story here is not the DWI – it is her resignation after more than a decade as a popular gym teacher in Manchester.  The resignation occurred after . . .  “she was reportedly caught with wine in school.” 

I know that if I went on to page 2, 3 and beyond, I would find more stories where alcohol helped create the “news” – the bad news I’m afraid.  But I just didn’t have the stomach for it this morning.

Linda King