NASHUA Like many New England colleges, Rivier University is facing a dilemma: Should it emphasize the brick-and-mortar traditions of the past or the click-and-interact possibilities of the future?

For the moment, the answer to that question seems to be yes. It is expanding online courses for students who rarely or never come to Nashua even as it spends millions on making the approach to campus from Main Street better looking and the rest of campus more like an academic enclave. ... Subscribe or log in to read more

NASHUA Like many New England colleges, Rivier University is facing a dilemma: Should it emphasize the brick-and-mortar traditions of the past or the click-and-interact possibilities of the future?

For the moment, the answer to that question seems to be yes. It is expanding online courses for students who rarely or never come to Nashua even as it spends millions on making the approach to campus from Main Street better looking and the rest of campus more like an academic enclave.

Call it the clicks-and-mortar approach, which is partly an economic juggling act, partly a reach for new horizons, and partly the latest example of change that belies the staid image of what many still think of as a Catholic nursing school.

We have been expanding our mission for a long time, said the university president, Sister Paula Marie Buley, in a recent interview about the schools present and future.

She ticked off a variety of steps, from night and weekend classes for adults, to the 2006 addition of Ph.D. programs that now have 79 students, that have changed the school in recent decades. The growth in online-only or online-and-classroom hybrid degrees the school offers eight of them, with more coming is the latest step, she said.

To an extent, these are steps born of necessity.

The number of high school graduates in New Hampshire and New England is falling and probably will continue to fall for many years. A college or university that depends on more tuition-paying teenagers to keep the lights on will face troubles. Part of the adjustment involves cutting back; Rivier still faces some criticism for dropping the Music and Art Department and cutting the Bachelor of Fine Arts degree.

Its not alone in cutting programs in an attempt to balance costs and income. Daniel Webster has made huge changes since ITT bought it, notably dropping the flight programs that were its foundation, while Franklin Pierce University in Rindge has eliminated several degrees, including mathematics. Looming over all private schools is the reminder of Chester College, a small New Hampshire school that closed abruptly in 2012 when its tuition-dependent finances failed.

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Rivier leaders say balance of new, old key to long term success

Public Meeting Arranged for Briefing on Coromandel Great Walks Project.

A public meeting has been arranged to provide an update on the Proposed Cathedral Coast Walk, which is part of our Coromandel Great Walks Project.

Everyone is invited to the meeting at the Hahei Community Hall onSaturday 29 November, from 10am until midday.

"This is a chance for us to share with everyone where we're at with the Walks project and to discuss parking issues around Hahei," says Garry Towler, Council's spokesperson on the Proposed Cathedral Coast Walk. "We need to talk about the impact that increasing visitor numbers is having on Hahei and how we can best manage it short and long term," says Mr Towler.

The Proposed Cathedral Coast Walkway is being developed in partnership with DOC and local iwi Ngati Hei. Stage 1A and 1B of the Cathedral Coast Walk is approximately 10km in length from the iconic "Blowhole," at Te Pupuha Recreation Reserve at Hahei through to the Purangi Estuary at Cooks Beach. It takes in DOC estate, Council reserve and QE2 Trust land. A private section of land at Lees Rd is also being negotiated, which will help to provide additional car parking for anyone wanting to walk the route.

"While the public meeting is primarily as an update on the Walk project and parking around Hahei, DOC are also coming along to give an update on its Integrated Plan for Cathedral Cove and Hahei," says Mr Towler.

WRC has also been invited along with Council staff and elected members from our Mercury Bay Area office.

One of the next steps in the Proposed Cathedral Coast Walk project will be finalising the names of a working group , made up of permanent Hahei residents, non-permanent residents, the Hahei Business Association and Coastal Walkways. This group will be the major forum through which the Hahei community and stakeholders can table views and issues and report back to the Project Governance Group, which is made up of our Council, DOC and local iwi Ngati Hei.

ends

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Briefing on Coromandel Great Walks Project

By MELISSA MURPHY AP Sports Writer

NEW YORK (AP) - Jason Collins, the first openly gay player in one of the four major North American professional leagues, announced his retirement Wednesday after 13 years in the NBA.

"It's time and I'm very much looking forward to the next steps," Collins said during a press conference Wednesday before the Brooklyn Nets played the Milwaukee Bucks.

The 35-year-old Collins disclosed his plans earlier in a first-person story for Sports Illustrated. It's the same forum he used in April, 2013, to publicly reveal his sexuality. He was signed by the Nets in February and played 22 games for the team.

Collins said he decided to retire over the summer and had been trying to determine how to make the announcement. He chose Wednesday because he was going to be in New York on business and attending the game to watch his former teammate and coach, Jason Kidd, coach the Bucks.

"After last season, especially over the summer, my body was talking to me like it does to all professional athletes after a certain while," Collins said. "It's a young man's game and Father Time is undefeated. Got another one."

Collins started his career with the New Jersey Nets in 2001 and rejoined the franchise in Brooklyn last February. He revealed at the end of the 2013 season that he is gay, but was a free agent and remained unsigned until the Nets needed another big man.

They turned to the 7-foot Collins, who helped them reach the NBA Finals in 2002 and 2003. He signed a 10-day contract, playing his first game as an out gay man on Feb. 23 on the road against the Los Angeles Lakers to a warm ovation. He stayed the rest of the season.

Nets general manager Billy King congratulated Collins on a "distinguished NBA career" in a statement.

"He was an integral part of the back-to-back Eastern Conference Championship teams," King said. "We wish him well as he embarks on a new chapter in his career."

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Collins, NBA's 1st openly gay player, retires

The Fairfield Senior Center is looking for middle school and high school students willing to shovel snow for senior citizens and the disabled -- either as volunteers or for pay.

The center said it wants to build a network of youths in grades six through 12 who could be enlisted to shovel walkways, sidewalks, steps and driveways for older residents.

Scout troops and other youth groups interested in volunteer community-service opportunities would be ideal, according to senior center officials, but the network also could match youths with seniors willing to pay shovelers.

For paid snow removal, fees would be negotiated by the shoveler and the customer, the senior center said, but it suggested fees of $10 per hour.

The shoveler network has been proposed in response to what the senior center said were "numerous" calls to the first selectman's office over the past two winters from seniors looking for help clearing snow from their walks and driveways.

No goal has been set for the number of enlisted shovelers, and the center said it had no estimate of how many seniors and disabled might use the service if it is offered.

Fairfield has nearly 9,000 residents age 64 and older, according to the Connecticut Economic Resource Center, about 15 percent of its population.

The senior center envisions a system under which youths would register as shovelers, and their names and contact information would be given to seniors or disabled people who call the center seeking shovelers.

Seniors would be responsible for providing shovels, ice scrapers and other equipment needed to do the job, the center said. Shovelers would have to provide their own transportation to each job.

To register, a student would have to submit a permission form signed by a parent allowing the center to share the youth's name and contact information with seniors. Parents would have to provide health insurance to cover any injury or illness sustained while shoveling, and they would have to sign a waiver of liability, the senior center said.

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Student snow-shovelers sought to match with seniors, disabled

By JOSEF FEDERMAN Associated Press

JERUSALEM (AP) - Streets are subdued, marketplaces are quiet and people are on edge in Jewish areas of Jerusalem, where Arabs have been using meat cleavers, guns, screwdrivers and even their cars in deadly, small-scale attacks.

The holy city - which Israel says must forever stay united - has rarely seemed more divided.

In their 47th year of occupation, Palestinians are seething with anger over neglect and discrimination, continued Jewish settlement in their areas, and a belief, despite official denials, that Israel is scheming to take over their most revered site.

This anger, coupled with Jewish fears of further violence, has left the city's 800,000 residents apprehensive, seemingly united in the belief that things will get worse before they get better.

"I'm really not safe, and before leaving the house I think twice," said Sara Levi, a 22-year-old stay at home mother. "We are not calm, and we hope there is going to be an end to this, and that it is not just a beginning."

Levi spoke as she waited at a stop for Jerusalem's light rail train - a frequent target of Palestinian violence. The trains, meant to serve as a symbol of a united city, are frequently pelted with stones when passing through Palestinian areas. There have been two deadly attacks in recent weeks by ramming cars into crowded stations.

In a separate attack, a Palestinian gunman on a motorcycle shot and seriously wounded a prominent Jewish activist who has pushed for greater Jewish access to the city's most sensitive holy site - the hilltop compound known to Jews as the Temple Mount and to Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary.

The violence reached a new turning point Tuesday when two Palestinian attackers burst into a crowded synagogue during morning prayers, killing four worshippers and a policeman with the meat cleavers and gunfire. It was the deadliest attack in the city since 2008, and gruesome pictures of blood-covered holy books and prayer shawls shocked a country long accustomed to political violence.

Those deaths brought to 11 the number of people killed by Palestinian attacks - most of them in Jerusalem - but also in Tel Aviv and the West Bank in recent weeks. At least five Palestinians involved in the attacks were killed.

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Divided Jerusalem: Attacks put holy city on edge

By JIM KUHNHENN and ERICA WERNER Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) - In a broad test of his executive powers, President Barack Obama declared Wednesday he will sidestep Congress and order his own federal action on immigration - in measures that could spare from deportation as many as 5 million people illegally in the U.S. and set up one of the most pitched partisan confrontations of his presidency.

Obama declared that Washington has allowed America's immigration problem "to fester for too long."

The president will use an 8 p.m. EST address Thursday to announce his measures and will sign the executive actions during a rally in Las Vegas on Friday. In doing so, Obama will be taking an aggressive stand that he had once insisted was beyond his presidential power.

As many as 5 million people in the country illegally are likely to be protected from deportation and made eligible for work permits under the plan. They would not have a path to citizenship, however, and the actions could be reversed by a new president in two years. Officials said the eligible immigrants would not be entitled to federal benefits - including health care tax credits - under Obama's plan.

The 5 million estimate includes extending deportation protections to parents and spouses of U.S. citizens and permanent residents who have been in the country for five years. The president also is likely to expand his 2-year-old program that protects young immigrants from deportation. The administration had considered extending the executive action to parents of young immigrants covered under the 2012 Obama directive, but immigration advocates said they did not expect the parents to be included in the final plan.

"What I'm going to be laying out is the things that I can do with my lawful authority as president to make the system better, even as I continue to work with Congress and encourage them to get a bipartisan, comprehensive bill that can solve the entire problem," Obama said in a video on Facebook.

Laying the groundwork for his actions, Obama invited 18 Democratic members of the House and Senate - but no Republicans - to dinner at the White House on Wednesday. Among the networks airing his Thursday speech will be Univision, which will interrupt the Latin Grammys to carry his remarks, assuring him a huge Spanish-speaking audience. The major broadcast networks - ABC, CBS and NBC - were not planning to air the speech, but cable news networks were.

Obama is to speak at Las Vegas' Del Sol High School on Friday, a school with a large population of non-English speaking students where Obama unveiled his blueprint for comprehensive immigration legislation in 2013.

Republicans vehemently oppose the president's likely actions but are deeply divided and have spent much of the week intensely debating how to respond. Some conservative members have threatened to pursue a government shutdown and one - two-term Republican Rep. Mo Brooks of Alabama - raised the specter of impeachment on Wednesday.

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Obama to announce immigration steps Thursday

CHICAGOCold temperatures, heavy snow, and treacherous ice storms are all risks of the impending winter season.

Severe winter weather can be dangerous and even life-threatening for people who dont take the proper precautions, said FEMA Region V acting administrator Janet Odeshoo. Preparedness begins with knowing your risks, making a communications plan with your family and having an emergency supply kit with essentials such as water, food, flashlights and medications.

Once youve taken these steps, consider going beyond the basics of disaster preparedness with the following tips to stay safe this cold season.

Before winter approaches, add the following items to your supply kit: Winterize your winter supply kit Rock salt or other environmentally safe products to melt ice on walkways Sand to improve traction Snow shovels and other snow removal equipment Sufficient heating fuel and/or a good supply of dry, seasoned wood for your fireplace or wood-burning stove Adequate clothing and blankets to keep you warm.

Stay fire safe Keep flammable items at least 3 feet from heat sources like radiators, space heaters, fireplaces and wood stoves. Plug only one heat-producing appliance (such as a space heater) into an electrical outlet at a time.

Ensure you have a working smoke alarm on every level of your home. Check it on a monthly basis. Keep warm, even when its cold outside: If you have a furnace, have it inspected now to ensure its in good working condition.

If your home heating requires propane gas, stock up on your propane supply and ensure you have enough to last an entire winter. Many homeowners faced shortages due to the record freezing winter weather last year, and this season theres the possibility of lower than normal temperatures again. Dont be caught unprepared.

Avoid the dangers of carbon monoxide by installing battery-powered or battery back-up carbon monoxide detectors.

Winterize your home to extend the life of your fuel supply by insulating walls and attics, caulking and weather-stripping doors and windows, and installing storm windows or covering windows with plastic.

Prevent frozen pipes If your pipes are vulnerable to freezing, i.e., they run through an unheated or unprotected space, consider keeping your faucet at a slow drip when extremely cold temperatures are predicted.

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Tips to prepare now for severe winter weather ahead

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Read what satisfied customers have to say about our decking, docking and hog flooring products.

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As a dock system and walkway, Sure-Step has been a leader since 2001. Its unique design (open web Chevron pattern) allows water and sunlight through it to help conserve the eco system. The surface of the dock is slip resistant. Installation is as easy as easy can get with the interlocking system.

See our Test Results on this product and you will agree that Sure-Step proves itself.

With everyone's concern in protecting our environment today and in the future, Sure-Step is an excellent ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY choice and one that will "Leave A Legacy!"

Available Colors: Mystic White, Harbor Gray, Sandcastle Tan

Available Lengths: 3', 4', and 5'

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Sure Step Docks And Walkways - JIMDI, INC.

I dont mean to scare you, but Christmas is only a month and a half away. Thanksgiving is even closer.

Remember how frazzled you were last year?

Holidays bring guests, and guests no matter how welcome bring stress. But with a little preparation, you can reduce that holiday strain before the doorbell even rings.

No, Im not talking about knocking back a couple of shots of Jack Daniels. Im talking about getting your house in shape.

Nows the time to ready the guest rooms, tackle those little maintenance lapses and make sure the house is ready to accommodate a crowd.

Beth Dodson knows how important that is. The co-founder of the home management site HomeZada (www.homezada.com) remembers one holiday when her guests kept spraying themselves accidentally with a kitchen sink sprayer that had an unfortunate tendency to stick. I had a lot of wet people at Thanksgiving that year, she said with a laugh.

Dodson offered a few suggestions for readying your home for the onslaught. Start now, and youll have plenty of time to relax with that cocktail before the guests arrive.

Look for the little problems. Every house has them loose doorknobs, toilet handles that have to be held down, that sink sprayer. We get used to them, so we know how to make them work and hardly even notice them. But guests dont know our work-arounds.

Do them a favor and fix those problems before the holidays, Dodson suggested. It will save your guests the embarrassment of having to ask how to work something or, worse yet, thinking they broke it.

Address plumbing issues. With just a few people in the house, sluggish drains are an annoyance. With a crowd, theyre a flood in the making.

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Get your house ready for holiday guests

I dont mean to scare you, but Christmas is only a month and a half away. Thanksgiving is even closer.

Remember how frazzled you were last year?

Holidays bring guests, and guests no matter how welcome bring stress. But with a little preparation, you can reduce some of that holiday strain before the doorbell even rings.

No, Im not talking about knocking back a couple of shots of Jack Daniels. Im talking about getting your house in shape.

Nows the time to ready the guests rooms, tackle those little maintenance lapses and make sure the house is ready to accommodate a crowd.

Beth Dodson knows how important that is. The co-founder of the home management site HomeZada remembers one holiday when her guests kept spraying themselves accidentally with a cheap kitchen sink sprayer that had an unfortunate tendency to stick. I had a lot of wet people at Thanksgiving that year, she said with a laugh.

Dodson offered a few suggestions for readying your home for the onslaught. Start now, and youll have plenty of time to relax with that cocktail before the guests arrive.

But just one.

Look for the little problems. Every house has them loose doorknobs, toilet handles that have to be held down when youre flushing, that sticking sink sprayer. We get used to them, so we know how to make them work and hardly even notice them. But our guests dont know our work-arounds.

Do them a favor and fix those niggling problems before the holidays, Dodson suggested. It will save your guests the embarrassment of having to ask how to work something or, worse yet, thinking they broke it.

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Prepare home for holiday guests