Salem Archives - Granite Grok

SMITH: A Salem Parade Without Local Politicians

December 2, 2025 Julie Smith

Dr Frank has often told his audiences “politicians don’t start parades, they join parades.” The Londonderry Old Home Day parade is said to be the biggest parade in NH, but one could easily argue that the Salem Christmas parade can give it a run for its money. Having been a spectator in 2023, I knew … Read more

A Child’s Christmas Wish

July 20, 2025January 10, 2025 Betsy Harrington

Content Warning Kevin Gagnon’s son is an 8th-grade student at SAU 57 in Salem, NH. His son’s only Christmas wish this year was to return to public school to be with his friends. His father had become increasingly concerned about age-appropriate content in the school libraries. He was already upset by the Covid measures that he … Read more

No Way Betty Gay Is Back

September 9, 2024September 9, 2024 Steve MacDonald

Voters in Salem have another opportunity this Tuesday to keep Betty Gay out of the New Hampshire House. Some locals consider this so important that they’ve rebooted their No Way Betty Gay website. It appeared in 2022 and successfully kept Betty out of the NH House. It has resurfaced in 2024 with the same goal. … Read more

Three New Hampshire Towns Have Ballot Initiatives to Ban Electronic Voting Machines

March 6, 2023 Steve MacDonald

Electronic voting has been implicated in several counting errors in recent elections, resolved by hand-counting ballots. Residents in three New Hampshire towns have proposed skipping the electronic middle-man and doing away with the machines.

RINO Report: Betty Gay

April 10, 2025August 20, 2022 Spec Bowers

Salem has a 13 for 9 primary, the second largest (after Derry) of all towns. Sadly not a single one of the candidates has an excellent voting record. Four have records that are average, neither bad nor good. One has a mediocre-poor record, and one has a terrible record. Doucette, Janigian, Sweeney, and Vandecasteele are … Read more

Address Race Relations in a Positive Way That Will Help Children Grow

September 2, 2021 Ann Marie Banfield

Two parents addressed the Salem, NH Board of education on August 31st regarding Critical Race Theory. At the end of their statements, the audience also showed their support for what was said.

Voter (Who Voted) Removed from Checklist for Not-Voting; Told to Re-Register

June 29, 2021 Steve MacDonald

A little over two weeks ago we shared the story of a voter in the town of Salem. They voted absentee in Nov. 2020 but later received a note from the town. They were being removed from the checklist for not voting when they had voted. We have a development.

Town Notifies 2020 Absentee Voter (Who Voted) That She’s Being Removed from the Rolls for Not Voting

June 10, 2021 Steve MacDonald

This is an interesting story we’re now following. A voter in Salem, New Hampshire, registered to vote for 2020 and then sent in an absentee ballot. Several months later, she was alerted that she was being removed from the vote rolls.

Our Students Should Be Looking at 100% in-Class Instruction

October 22, 2020 Op-Ed

I have an exercise that I hope that every person in Windham will go through. Please humor me as I lay out what I am asking all of you to do.

Mask Mandate Poll Results 89% said No, They will Not Comply

May 25, 2020 Steve MacDonald

Massachusetts has a statewide mask mandate in public places. Salem, New Hampshire, tried to impose one but failed. Nashua, whose city government is a lot more like Massachusetts (and wants to be Massachusetts), passed one like s**t through a goose.

Salem NH Selectman Proposes $200.00 Fine for Not Wearing a Mask in Public

May 5, 2020 Steve MacDonald

At last night’s May 4th Salem, New Hampshire Select board meeting board secretary James Keller is reportedly fed up. According to the scuttlebutt, he is tired of people not caring if he dies (from the Coronavirus) and has proposed a fine for anyone who is out in public without a mask.

Former Principal Wishes New Hampshire Would Turn Public Schools into Gun Free Zones

September 22, 2019September 22, 2019 Steve MacDonald

The worst thing you could do if you support school safety is to defend the Democrat’s anti-gun laws. Parkland proved that. The gatekeepers screwed up every opportunity to protect kids. It was so bad that the Parkland Commission recommended arming staff and teachers.

VP Mike Pence’ NH Visit Cancelled Due to Security Threat in Salem New Hampshire

July 7, 2019 Steve MacDonald

Vice President Mike Pence canceled a visit to New Hampshire at the last minute. By which we mean the plane was in the air and turned around at the last minute. War with Iran? No. But the latest speculation is that there was a security threat in Salem.

Salem Considers Tax on Tickets at Entertainment Venues Because Taxes are Too High

January 15, 2019 Steve MacDonald

The town of Salem, Massachusetts has a revenue problem (don’t we all?). The local government’s cost of living exceeds its income. They need a solution. Cut spending? No. Raise taxes? Taxes are too high. Hey, let’s tax tourism some more! How about a ticket tax?

Ann Kuster Helps Put Salem Taxpayers on a Great Big Hook

September 26, 2018July 2, 2018 Steve MacDonald

For whatever reason, the taxpayers in Salem, New Hampshire have not provided budgets for their fire department to add the personnel or equipment the ‘chief’ thinks they need. But,

Now, thanks to a $1.5 million SAFER grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Parisi has been able to add eight new firefighters, increasing each of his four shift rotations from 15 to 17 members.

Salem has added staff for which the feds are only paying 75% for the first two years and 35% for the third. After that, Salem Taxpayers are on the hook for all of it.

If You Like Great Food and Frank Sinatra…

September 26, 2018April 14, 2018 Steve MacDonald

A few months ago we planned an evening out. Frank Sinatra Night at Tuscan Kitchen in Salem. Get dressed up. Dine on some excellent Italian food (4 courses) and listen to a Frank Sinatra impersonator.

What could go wrong?

As you’ll likely know by now, I had a heart attack Monday. I came home Thursday. But sitting and listening is well within my very limited post-cardiac-event wheelhouse (and the Tuscan Kitchen in Salem has an elevator so no long staircases) so we went.

It. Was. Awesome.

How About That “Non-Existent Voter Fraud” Meme…or something

September 26, 2018September 1, 2012 Steve MacDonald

Donna Schlachman writing an opinion piece in Seacoast Online, says she asked New Hampshire Secretary of State Bill Gardner (last year) about voter fraud and….

I learned that actual cases of fraud are practically non-existent. Even last year’s staged attempt to prove that people can vote illegally in N.H. was unsuccessful. It turns out that the risk of denying legitimate voters their right to cast a ballot is far greater than the risk of someone voting here who does not live here.

Well guess what? If the State refused to charge anyone with burglary, actual cases of that would be non-existent as well.