The Hooksett Banner ­ July 1, 2004

This week's stories: (click on the headline to jump to story)

Hooksett man climbs to Everest's peak Random attack Nine years ­ Steven Swan gets increased sentence for fighting conviction on tax fraud charges Providing a touch of home to the troops Ideas discussed for community center Old Meeting House applies for historic designation

Are you interested in chatting about Hooksett issues? Want to help plan Hooksett's future? Check out the new Internet chat group begun by the master plan committee at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/hooksett_chat/ Auburn has a similar group at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/auburn/

Hooksett

Hooksett man climbs to Everest's peak

By LARA SKINNER Correspondent Stay to the right of the prayer wheels and altars. That was one of the more spiritual pieces of information Hooksett's Daniel Barter had to keep in mind while climbing Mount Everest through a non-guided expedition with the International Mountain Guides. Speed, ropes and survival were just as important to remember. Barter and a group of six other climbers were the first expedition to summit Everest this year on May 15, at 1 p.m. High winds and low oxygen supplies almost kept them from the top. It became a survival story, Barter said. "It's not uncommon, on the mountain, for things to happen. For changes in the schedule," he said. Barter, 49, is an experienced climber, but this was his first time on Everest and his first high-altitude climb. One of the first things to happen was that Barter's sherpa, a Nepalese guide who was there to assist him on his climb, got sick and had to return to the base camp. Two other climbers had employed sherpas, however, so they continued the climb.

ON TOP OF THE WORLD ­ Daniel Barter of Hooksett poses for a photo near the top of Mount Everest. His group was the first to make the summit this year. (Courtesy Photo)

At least two other climbing teams were trying to work toward the summit at the same time as Barter and his group. They turned back because of winds speeds up to 100 mph, but Barter's group, who called themselves the North East Contingency, decided to push on despite the gusts. It was 11 p.m. in Nepal when the team decided to make the final push from the balcony at 27,500 feet to the summit.

The Northeast Contingency lost some important tools when the other two teams turned around, such as ropes for climbing and oxygen reserves.

Ropes from past expeditions are buried all along the mountain, Barter said. A sherpa went ahead of the team, dug the old ropes out of the snow, cut the old ropes off of the points and then tied them to new points so the contingency could keep going. "It's something you do with a bit of reservation," Barter said. The old ropes are weatherbeaten, and there is a chance they might not hold during the climb. They cleared the way for every expedition that will come after them this year, however, because of the risk. "They were like the Everest guinea pigs," Barter's wife, Leslie, said. She didn't know much about the perils of Barter's adventure until after he came home. A team can make do without ropes, but climbers die without oxygen. That's because the higher a person is in the atmosphere, the thinner the air's oxygen content is. Barter said that when he reached the 29,035-foot summit of Everest the sky was dark even though it was the afternoon.

Barter in full gear

The peak of Everest is in the upper level of the troposphere, which is the first layer of the earth's atmosphere.

At this elevation a person's body is taking all of the oxygen it gets and using it to keep the brain and lungs going, Barter said. To get energy for climbing, the body starts to break down muscles and anything that isn't getting the oxygen it really needs.

"If you run out of oxygen, you run out of energy," Barter said. "You just stop."

This elevation is called the "death zone," Barter said. He lost 20 pounds during the climb, and he always had some oxygen in reserve.

Two of the people in the contingency ran out of oxygen on the way down from the summit. The sherpas who had climbed with the team gave their oxygen to the climbers, and went down to one of the base camps on Everest to get enough oxygen for the climbers to make it down.

Sherpas are acclimated to the oxygen levels on Everest because they work on the mountain during the expedition season.
Not every person who runs out of oxygen is so lucky.

As Barter was climbing to the "balcony," or last stop before the summit, in the dark of the morning on May 15, he said he turned his head to the left. The light from his headlamp bounced off of, what looked to him like, a reflective patch on a jacket. He believes it was the body of a climber who died during an earlier expedition.

People who don't survive during a climb are left on Everest, Barter said, because climbers have enough to do to keep themselves alive. Because the sherpas went to get oxygen for the people in the contingency, those people survived, Barter said. That makes the sherpas, Kama Ritia and Mingma Tseri, heroes in his mind. Even before Barter was familiar with what he calls the sherpas' receptive nature, he was respectful of their requests. Staying to the right of the prayer wheels and altars while climbing was one. A prayer ceremony, called the puja, to ask the gods for permission to climb Everest and for protection during the expedition set the tone for Barter's climb. He placed pictures of his wife and daughter on the ceremony altar. He spun every prayer wheel, and repeated the mantra "om mani padre hum," at each stop. It translates into "Hail to the jewel in the lotus," Barter said. Technical details of his adventure are all cataloged in a leather-bound journal. Small notes on a map of Everest's topography also document his trip. What he will never forget, however, is reaching the summit. He took about 15 minutes for pictures, capturing the surreal nature of the summit, and ignored the instinct to simply survive. Barter explained the situation with the thought, "The second you step on that (commemorative plaque for Sir Edmund Hillary) you say 'I've got to get down.'"

DANGEROUS CROSSING ­ Daniel Barter makes his way over a deep crevasse with just a ladder and ropes to get to the top of Mount Everest. There was nothing but emptiness below him to an unknown depth. (Courtesy Photo)

Hooksett

Random attack

Woman fights off man with knife as he pushes her in car in Shaw's parking lot

By GINGER KOZLOWSKI
Staff Writer
editor@hooksettbanner.com

For all that went wrong, there was a lot that went right for a woman who was attacked in the parking lot of Shaw's on Thursday, June 24. She screamed and fought, finally chasing the man off. Bystanders ran after the attacker, pinning him to the ground until police arrived. A woman who saw the attack called for help. And the victim survived with only minor physical injuries.

John Benninghove, 46, of 16 Webster St., Allenstown, is now facing three felony charges and a misdemeanor for his attack on the woman. He confessed to Hooksett police that he had thought about the attack for days, waited in the parking lot for a likely victim, and chose her at random, said Hooksett Police Detective Paul Cecilio. According to the court record, Benninghove pushed the woman into her Lexus when she got in after loading groceries at about 9:45 p.m. He pulled the driver's door open and tried to push her into the passenger seat. She fought him by kicking him, screaming for help and laying on the horn. Store patrons came over to help, scaring Benninghove off. He ran toward the Burger King, according to the court documents, where two young men managed to catch him and pin him until police arrived. They also noticed that he threw away a large kitchen knife wrapped in a white sock as he ran.

John Benninghove

Benninghove was arraigned at Hooksett District Court the following morning, charged with felony attempted criminal restraint, felony reckless conduct and felony attempted robbery, as well as a misdemeanor charge of simple assault. Cash bail was set at $30,000, which he was unable to post, so he was brought to the Merrimack County House of Corrections. He faces a probable cause hearing at Hooksett District Court on Friday, July 2. Benninghove also owes $135 for unpaid fines from an unrelated incident.

Cecilio had praise for the victim and the two young men who came to her aid.

"She did everything right," he said. "She parked right in front of the store, under the lights."

Benninghove told police "she just looked good coming out of the store," said Cecilio.

The victim's sister agreed she did everything right, saying, "She kicked and screamed. She never let him in the car."

The attack was random, said Cecilio. "It could happen in Hooksett, it could happen in Manchester, it could happen in Kittery, Maine," he said.

Auburn

Nine years

Steven Swan gets increased sentence for fighting conviction on tax fraud charges

By GINGER KOZLOWSKI
Staff Writer
editor@hooksettbanner.com

A former Auburn man who made a name for himself teaching others how to avoid paying income tax has been sentenced to nine years in federal prison on a variety of tax fraud charges.

Steven A. Swan, 51, of Manchester, was sentenced on Thursday, June 24, after being convicted Feb. 12 on 15 counts of preparing false tax returns and amended returns for others, two counts of preparing false amended tax returns for himself, and one count of corruptly impeding the administration of the federal tax laws. During the time in which the crimes were committed, Swan in lived Auburn. Swan is expected to surrender to federal marshals in Concord on Friday, July 9, said William E. Morse, assistant U.S. Attorney. However, Swan is working to avoid that jail time, claiming the sentence is unconstitutional. "On the same day that I was sentenced the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in a separate case that many of the facts used to enhance my sentence were unconstitutional because they had not been determined by a jury, only by my judge," said Swan. "The court has nullified the judgment against me and it will schedule another sentencing hearing for me next month, which should result in much less time in prison." Swan was sentenced by U.S. District Chief Judge Paul J. Barbadoro, who also presided over his trial. Barbadoro increased Swan's sentence on the grounds that Swan obstructed justice

Steven Swan

by testifying falsely at trial. Barbadoro also increased the sentence because the evidence at trial showed that Swan filed frivolous lawsuits against, threatened, and sought baseless criminal prosecution of IRS employees and other government officials who tried to assess and collect taxes from him, according to the U.S. Attorney General's office. Under federal law, Swan will not be eligible for parole.

At trial, Swan testified in his own defense that he was a former disciple of notorious tax protester Irwin Schiff, according to a press release from the Attorney General's office. He testified that, based on Schiff's teachings and his own research, he sincerely believed that the federal income tax was unconstitutional, a claim which the court had already ruled did not constitute a defense to the crimes charged. The government's evidence established that Swan was fully aware of his legal obligation to file accurate tax returns and pay taxes that were due.

Swan still claims innocence, and said he believes his conviction will be overturned.

He is also convinced that his conviction was based on his political beliefs.

"I believe that the only reason that I was prosecuted was because I widely distributed my beliefs after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks that high-ranking Jewish neo-conservatives in the Bush administration in conjunction with the Israeli Mossad perpetrated the attacks and blamed them on Muslim extremists as a way to drag the United States into wars with all of Israel's enemies," said Swan.

According to evidence at the trial, Swan prepared more than 200 tax returns for others, making false claims for refunds in excess of $1 million. Swan also ran seminars called "How Anyone Can Legally Stop Paying Income Taxes" at hotels in Manchester between 1997 and 2002.

"Today's verdict is a great verdict for all tax-compliant residents of New Hampshire," said U.S. Attorney Thomas Colantuono. "All citizens must pay their fair share of the costs of the freedom and privileges of living in this country. The substantial sentence imposed in this case should serve as a clear warning to those attracted by tax protesters' false claim that there is no legal requirement to pay federal income taxes."

Auburn

Providing a touch of home to the troops

By KAREN BRAYNARD Correspondent With her Marine son deployed first to Afghanistan and then to Iraq, Lynne Gouin of Auburn found herself glued to the television for any news of what was going on during the war. Realizing she was becoming a "war news junkie," she tried to help herself by creating a local support group for family members of soldiers, airmen or Marines serving overseas. She hoped to meet kindred spirits who could relate to what she was going through. She had envisioned a small group of people who could talk and do small productive things to help the troops during the war. One look at her yard will tell anyone that she is awaiting the safe return of American soldiers. There are yellow ribbons on trees, lampposts and doors. There are also a lot of American flags. But she does more than just tie a yellow ribbon to show her support. "I've always been close to Shawn, so it only seemed natural to send him care packages once he was over there," said Gouin. She knew he'd appreciate the little touch of home that she sent to him each month. What she didn't realize was that his platoon members also counted on her packages to help boost their morale. Once she found out how bad things were for her son's platoon in Iraq, she spent over $500 on the things we take for granted and sent a 20-pound box to him and his platoon. "My son said he hadn't had a shower for 46 days! So I immediately put together a box with baby wipes, cream for athlete's foot, jock itch powder, medication for sand flea bites and other necessities." After more than nine months of advertising her support group, Gouin says she has had very little response. And even though her son is now back in the States, stationed on the West Coast, she is still sending those care packages to his old platoon in Iraq.

SHE'S MOM TO MANY ­ Lynne Gouin of Auburn anxiously awaits the return of American troops from Iraq. Even though her son is now home, she continues to support the men and women overseas. She makes care packages and sends letters to encourage the Marines from her son's former unit. (Karen Braynard Photo)

"I have to do something!" she said. "Our troops need to know that we support them no matter what." Her son told her his platoon members wait for her boxes and that they are actually a highlight of their month. He said she is filling in the gap for some of the Marines in his platoon who have no family contact and rarely get mail. She always sprinkles patriotic confetti on top of the goodies and adds what she calls "love letters," motherly notes encouraging these young men that she and the rest of the country are behind them and thinking of them. Gouin is determined to keep up the care packages. "Although it's only one box every few weeks, for these young men it's a big deal." Many of her packages are filled with the kind of food that they can't get over there ­ chips, salsa, cookies and chocolate, although now it's getting so hot in the Middle East she can't send the chocolate again until much later in the year. Anyone interested in joining Gouin for support and to make care packages for soldiers overseas may reach her at 647-6053.

RIBBONS AND FLAGS ­ Lynne Gouin's Auburn home has many yellow ribbons and American flags to show her support of the troops overseas. (Karen Braynard Photo)

Hooksett

Ideas discussed for community center

By DEVON CORMIER
Staff Writer
dcormier@yourneighborhoodnews.com

Residents participated in a sort of visioning session to consider different ideas for the re-use of Hooksett Village School as a community center.

The Community Economic Development Corporation of Hooksett (CEDCOH) hosted the meeting on Thursday, June 24, to collect thoughts, ideas and concerns from residents about the space.

Residents have consistently shown a strong interest in using the space as a community center, and the town is hoping to use some of the space for town offices. Residents voted to transfer the building from the school district to the town in May.

About 15 residents, including a handful of officials, shared their ideas for the use of the school. Some of the ideas discussed included using the space for senior needs, for a teen center, for home-schooled children, for a Boys and Girls Club, and a place for meetings and conferences.

If the space could accommodate paying groups, the town would be able to collect fees to pay for the electricity and janitorial needs.

What the space will ultimately be used for and when it will be available are still big questions, but some things are for sure.

Residents showed enthusiasm and urgency about bringing the community together and utilizing the space as soon as possible.

Hooksett School Board member Peggy Teravainen said the space could help Hooksett define itself in this time of growth.

"This is a fantastic opportunity not just because of the ability to remedy the lack of space for the town stuff, but for the ability to carve out Hooksett's identity," Teravainen said.

CEDCOH will be meeting with the town council to discuss the space needs and uses more concretely. For more information, visit CEDCOH's Web site at www.CEDCOH.org.

Allenstown

Old Meeting House applies for historic designation

By RUSS CHOMA
Staff Writer
rchoma@yourneighborhoodnews.com

A steering committee planning the rehabilitation of the old town meetinghouse are taking the first tentative steps towards bringing the historic building back to life.

The building, which dates to at least 1815, has fallen into disrepair in recent years, but was recently acquired by the town of Allenstown in an effort to reverse the neglect.

The Old Allenstown Meeting House Steering Committee, a nine-member group formed earlier this spring to oversee the restoration, recently agreed to begin taking steps to replace the roof. At the June 22 meeting, committee members voted to submit a proposal for the Timber Framer's Guild to help with the project.

The Timber Framer's Guild is a nonprofit organization committed to preserving the historic methods of timber framing that traditionally were used on buildings such as the meetinghouse.

Committee member Carol Martel noted that no proposal has officially been submitted. Martel said the project as a whole is beginning to gain momentum.

"Things are moving along very quickly, and there's a tremendous amount that's been accomplished already," she said.

Martel explained the project has been broken into three phases, the first of which ­ building stabilization ­ is well underway. This phase includes: security and electricity upgrades, and replacement of deteriorating windows and floors and the roof.

Martel also reported the building has been deemed eligible for consideration on both the state and national Register of Historic Places. Placement on either register would make the building eligible for certain funding earmarked specifically for preservation of significant historical sites. It could also exempt the building from certain modern-day regulations in order to make preservation easier.

A decision on adding the meetinghouse to the state register will be reviewed by the Division of Historical Resources in July. News on the national register will be handed down from the National Park Service in October.

To participate in the committee's work, or to contribute, Martel can be contacted at 485-8170. The next Old Allenstown Meeting House Steering Committee meeting will be held at 7 p.m., Sunday, July 20, at the Allenstown Municipal Building.