VERSHIRE—As the late summer sun dappled across the arena, Sarah McRae Thrasher stood in the center of the space. Her small frame commanded everyone’s attention with her voice — not loud or commanding, but direct.
While instructing two students, one a novice and the other an intermediate equestrian, she gave each attention and encouragement.

Beginning with the Sept. 21 issue, the Journal Opinion will start arriving on newsstands on Thursdays. As most know, this means the paper will be out one day later than it has been for the last 16 years.
This is not a change we want to make.
We were notified in early August that Upper Valley Press in North Haverhill will dismantle the press where our newspaper has been printed. It will not be replaced.
We were initially told that the Aug. 31 edition would be the last paper printed in North Haverhill before given a two-week extension.

FAIRLEE—Fairlee residents expressed frustration Monday that they’ve been kept in the dark by officials about cyanobacteria blooms in Lake Morey and that leaders have done too little to deal with the situation.
A half dozen residents that night criticized the Fairlee Selectboard, along with state regulators, for their seemingly slow response to the spread of toxic blue-green algae blooms on the lake, a popular swimming site and draw for tourists.

RYEGATE—With the future of the Ryegate biomass plant up in the air, a state study has found that its closure would negatively impact the regional economy and electricity production.
According to the study, published in March, the plant’s closure could devastate the area’s logging industry, eliminate some $14 million of economic activity from the region and take 160,000 megawatts hours of electricity off the market.
It would also affect the tax base of the small town of Ryegate, causing a tax increase.

WOODSVILLE—The New Hampshire Department of Justice has found no wrongdoing after conducting two additional inquiries into the ill-fated 2021 town meeting election in Haverhill.
Two earlier investigations cited local officials for electioneering. One, completed in 2021, found unlawful electioneering by Woodsville Fire District Administrator Kevin Shelton after he sent a letter before the election asking Woodsville residents to support Michael Graham’s candidacy for selectboard and to vote “No” on Article 2 of Haverhill’s town meeting warrant.