Biofabrication celebrated
The Manchester NextGen Resiliency Council will hold a Build Back Better Community Celebration at Arms Park in Manchester on Friday, Oct. 21, from noon to 2 p.m., to celebrate the group’s reception of the Build Back Better Regional Challenge grant to support its Southern New Hampshire BioFabrication Cluster proposal. According to a press release, the Council — a partnership between the City of Manchester, Advanced Regenerative Manufacturing Institute, the University of New Hampshire Manchester, Southern New Hampshire University, Southern New Hampshire Planning Commission, Manchester Transit Authority and Manchester-Boston Regional Airport — was selected from more than 500 applicants and 60 finalists to receive the award, which amounts to nearly $44 million in federal funds from the Economic Development Administration. The proposal aims to make Manchester the epicenter of the biofabrication industry, which would create an estimated 7,000 direct jobs and approximately 37,250 total jobs across southern New Hampshire over the next seven years, including a significant number of jobs for non-degreed, biofabrication and quality technicians. The celebration is free and open to the public, and Manchester Mayor Joyce Craig will be in attendance, according to her public schedule.
Adult drug court
U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, joined by Nashua Mayor Jim Donchess, Chief Justice Tina Nadeau, Justice Jacalyn Colburn and representatives from the New England Association of Recovery Court Professionals and the Drug Court Steering Committee, attended the Hillsborough County South Adult Drug Court Graduation Ceremony on Oct. 13, honoring 11 graduates who completed the program. According to a press release, the program — established in 2014 as a multidisciplinary effort between the criminal justice system, local police departments and Greater Nashua Mental Health — provides intensive treatment and community-based supervision to individuals in the justice system who are dealing with severe substance use disorder and are deemed to be at high risk of engaging in repeat criminal activity, aiming to reduce recidivism and promote long-term recovery. “Today, we see how our communities have turned a corner through the remarkable progress reflected in the success of today’s graduates,” Shaheen said in the release. “Drug courts like the one here in Nashua are saving lives by focusing on treatment, recovery and rehabilitation. I’m optimistic that this approach will help end the substance use disorder crisis and move our communities toward a brighter, safer and healthier future for New Hampshire families.”
EV charging
The first of multiple grant contracts to establish publicly accessible electric vehicle charging infrastructure to promote and enable electric vehicle travel to and within New Hampshire will come before the Executive Council next week. According to a press release, the contracts total approximately $4.6 million in grant awards, with funds from a 2017 Volkswagen legal settlement, which have been held in an Environmental Mitigation Trust reserved for environmental mitigation projects. The first contract will establish electric vehicle charging infrastructure at the Errol General Store in Errol, serving the New Hampshire Route 16 corridor. “In developing our state’s plan for the use of these trust funds, I authorized the maximum allowed funding to be utilized to jump-start the installation of public charging sites statewide and help create a robust, cost-effective access to this clean energy source,” Gov. Chris Sununu said in the release. “Almost every vehicle manufacturer today offers EV options, and it is important for New Hampshire to be a leader in supporting these vehicles while providing economic stimulus to our businesses through these public-private partnerships.” The New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services has proposed electric vehicle charging infrastructure at 35 locations across 25 New Hampshire towns and cities. Contracts for additional charging sites will come before the Executive Council over the coming months, according to the release.
Violence prevention
The Department of Justice has awarded $88,528 in grants to the Project Safe Neighborhoods Program in the District of New Hampshire to support community efforts to address gun crime and violence. According to a press release, Project Safe Neighborhoods is an evidence-based, community-oriented response to gun crime that is a key component of the Justice Department’s Comprehensive Strategy for Reducing Violent Crime drawn up in May 2021. Its tenants include fostering trust and legitimacy in communities, supporting community-based violence prevention organizations and prioritizing strategic enforcement policies, with a mission focused more on reducing the amount of violent crime that occurs than on increasing the number of arrests and prosecutions for violent crime. “Today’s grant award will hopefully be a step toward preventing violence from occurring in the future,” U.S. Attorney Jane E. Young said in the release. “It is only by a dedicated and sustained collaboration between law enforcement and community partners that we can truly address gun violence that strikes every corner of our communities.”
The City of Manchester Fire Department celebrated the groundbreaking of its new Station 9 at 575 Calef Road on Oct. 17. The 60-plus-year-old station as it currently stands has been officially closed, according to a press release, and will be replaced with an updated, modernized station that can better meet the city’s needs. In the interim, Station 9 personnel will be housed at Station 7, at 679 Somerville St.
U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, who serves as co-chair of the Senate Navy Caucus, was awarded the John Paul Jones Award for Leadership in Military or Civic Affairs at the New Hampshire Navy Ball hosted by the U.S. Navy League and the Navy veterans-focused nonprofit Swim With A Mission at the Wentworth by the Sea Hotel in New Castle on Oct. 13.
The Greater Nashua Area CROP Hunger Walk will take place on Sunday, Oct. 30, beginning and ending at Temple Beth Abraham, located at 4 Raymond St. in Nashua. Now in its 38th year, the walk has raised more than $1 million to fight hunger and poverty locally and around the world and to provide refugee and disaster relief, according to a press release. Registration is open the day of the event from noon to 1 p.m. Opening ceremonies start at 1 p.m., followed by the walk, stepping off at 1:30 p.m. Visit events.crophungerwalk.org/2022/event/nashuanh.