Author: The Hippo Press

Fighting fentanyl

The Fighting Emerging Narcotics through Additional Nations to Yield Lasting (FENTANYL) Results Act, a bipartisan legislation supported by U.S. Senators and senior members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Rob Portman (R-OH) and U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX), has been signed into law, according to a press release. Part of the fiscal year 2023 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), annual legislation that authorizes defense programming, the FENTANYL Results Act will increase global cooperation in the fight against synthetic drug trafficking. Two programs through the State Department have been authorized to build foreign law enforcement capacity to detect synthetic drugs and operate an international exchange program for drug demand reduction experts. “Fentanyl is driving the substance use disorder crisis and making this public health emergency more lethal than ever,” Sen. Shaheen said in the release. “It is a killer and we need to get it out of our communities. That effort needs to start with preventing it from crossing our borders. We know that fentanyl is primarily being trafficked from China and Mexico, so it is paramount that we address this issue globally, which is precisely what the FENTANYL Results Act will do.”

Grant funds

Gov. Chris Sununu and the Executive Council have approved an allocation of federal American Rescue Plan Act resources for the Community Center Investment Program, which will be overseen by the New Hampshire Community Development Finance Authority. According to a press release, the program will provide $20 million in grant resources to eligible entities to support infrastructure improvements to community spaces across the state.

Housing

Funding for the construction and preservation of six multifamily housing developments through the allocation of Low-Income Housing Tax Credits and other federal and state funding has been approved by the New Hampshire Housing Board of Directors. According to a press release, the projects will include Pembroke Road Apartments in Concord; CATCH Neighborhood Housing at Sheep Davis Road in Concord; Hillsborough Heights in Hillsborough; the first phase of The Apartments at 249 Main St. in Nashua; Coliseum Seniors Residence III in Nashua; and the third phase of Apple Ridge Apartments in Rochester. Once constructed, the buildings will provide 341 units to help meet the need for affordable rental housing for the state’s workforce and other residents.

Overdose prevention

The City of Manchester has been selected by the National Association of County and City Health Officials, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Center for Injury Control and Prevention as one of 20 communities across the country to receive $300,000 in funding to bolster overdose prevention efforts on the local level. According to a press release, Manchester recovery support worker and advocate Andrew Warner has been hired as Director of Overdose Prevention, a newly created position within the City’s Department of Health. Warner, who has experience in the field as a provider and program administrator in treating substance use disorders, will lead the City’s response in preventing drug-involved overdoses and fatalities. “My chief focus is to work with the array of resource providers in Manchester to create and implement a strategic plan to prevent drug-involved overdoses,” Warner said in the release. “It’s important to compile, monitor and use the real-time data in the city to help positively impact existing services and funding, improve planning and resource allocation, and ultimately track progress on key metrics.

St. Mary’s retirement

Ronald H. Covey Jr. will retire after 14 years as President and Chief Executive Officer of St. Mary’s Bank, the nation’s first credit union, according to a press release. Covey served as the eighth CEO in the credit union’s 114-year history. During his tenure, he expanded St. Mary’s Bank’s presence with the construction of its Perimeter Road operations center, West Side headquarters, and new branches including Northwest Boulevard Nashua, Milford and Portsmouth. Under Covey’s leadership, membership increased from 60,000 to 98,000 and grew from $652 million in assets to approaching $1.5 billion in assets. His accolades include induction into the national Credit Union House Hall of Leaders earlier this year; Manchester Chamber Citizen of the Year for 2021; and being named one of the state’s 200 most influential leaders by New Hampshire Business Review in 2019 and 2021.

The City of Concord has approved the construction of a new five-story commercial building on Main Street, the Concord Monitor reported. The building will include a Friendly Toast restaurant — the third in the state — on the first floor; 15,000 square feet of office spaces on the second, third and fourth floors; and an event space operated by the Grappone Conference Center on the top floor. Construction is slated to begin in the coming months, according to the article.

New Hampshire Humanities presents a program, “Tangled Lives: Native People and English Settlers in Colonial New England,” at the Manchester City Library (405 Pine St.) on Wednesday, Jan. 4, at 6:30 p.m. According to a press release, storyteller and historian Jo Radner will discuss Native American oral traditions and share stories told by her own New England ancestors, exploring the complex relationships between English settlers and Native peoples during the 17th and 18th centuries. The program is free and open to the public. Visit nhhumanities.org.

Girl Scouts of the Green and White Mountains will host an informational session, “Explore Girl Scouts,” on Tuesday, Jan. 10, at 6 p.m. at the Nashua Public Library (2 Court St.). Girls in grades K through 3 and their caregivers are invited to learn about Girl Scouts and participate in sample activities, according to a press release. Walk-ins are welcome. Sign-ups for Girl Scouts are available year-round at girlscoutsgwm.org.