Author: The Hippo Press

Covid-19 news

New Hampshire surpassed 60,000 overall cases of Covid-19 with its daily public health update on Jan. 21, according to state officials. Despite numbers continuing to climb, state epidemiologist Dr. Benjamin Chan said during a Jan. 21 press conference that overall test-positivity rates have been trending downward. “It’s at 6.8 percent, which is … at the same level that we saw back at the end of November,” he said. Hospitalizations have also been on the decline — 230 people were hospitalized as of Jan. 25, down slightly from the previous week.

With the state moving on to Phase 1B of its vaccine distribution plan on Jan. 22, opening up eligibility for roughly 300,000 Granite Staters to receive their first doses, Gov. Chris Sununu urged people to be patient during the registration process. “We put needles in arms as fast as we get them in … but we’re still only getting about 17,000 [doses] a week,” Sununu said. “As the federal government increases vaccines for the State of New Hampshire, we will add more reservation spots within our system and be able to move people up.” The online registration portal is accessed by visiting vaccines.nh.gov. As of Jan. 25, just under 200,000 Granite Staters have signed up to receive doses as part of Phase 1B, and more than 60 percent of those have already scheduled a location and time for their first shot. The first Phase 1B vaccines were administered Jan. 26. According to a press release issued by the state Department of Health & Human Services, the FAQs on vaccines.nh.gov have also been updated and clarified to note that only residents are eligible to receive the vaccine in New Hampshire.

On Jan. 22, Sununu issued Emergency Order No. 83, an order allowing local officials to postpone their 2021 town meetings and elections and to pre-process their absentee ballots due to Covid-19 concerns. The order, according to the paperwork, serves to “bridge the gap” by responding to timing challenges related to SB 2, which passed in the Senate on Jan. 6 but has an indefinite timeline for passing in the House. “The House of Representatives has scheduled a public hearing on Senate Bill 2 and expects to pass the bill in early February 2021,” the order states. “Some towns in New Hampshire have stated that an early February enactment date … would be too late for these towns to set their schedules.”

Also on Jan. 22, Sununu issued Executive Order 2021-1, extending the state of emergency in New Hampshire due to the pandemic for another three weeks through at least Feb. 12. It’s the 15th extension he has issued since originally declaring a state of emergency last March.

Details of Sununu’s emergency orders, executive orders and other announcements can be found at governor.nh.gov.

Education funding

Sixteen mayors and School Board chairs from cities across New Hampshire sent a letter on Jan. 21 to New Hampshire Department of Education Commissioner Frank Edelblut, Gov. Chris Sununu, Senate President Chuck Morse and House Speaker Sherman Packard regarding concerns over education funding. “Covid-19 has put tremendous strain on school districts across the state … and as districts begin the budgeting process for the next school year, there are three particular areas of concern that we … wanted to bring to your attention,” the letter starts. The first concern is lower enrollment in free and reduced lunch programs due to national expansion of program eligibility during the pandemic, which affects the amount of funding given to school districts. The second is that there has been an “unprecedented decrease” in school enrollment during the pandemic as many parents have chosen to send their children to private school or to home school until public schools are able to return to fully in-person education safely, the letter says. Since

adequacy aid is based on the enrollment of the previous year, districts are concerned that they will end up educating students for whom they did not receive adequacy aid. “For example, Nashua would see a reduction of $1.6M in adequacy aid in the 2022FY budget if enrollment numbers increase close to pre-pandemic levels for the next school year, as districts are anticipating,” the letter reads. The final concern is the rate increases for state retirement contributions. “This downshifting of costs from the State of New Hampshire to local municipalities and school districts will result in considerable budget shortfalls,” the letter says. The letter ends by asking the Department of Education and the state’s government to take the anticipated revenue shortfalls into account as they allocate funding.

Friends funding

On Jan. 24, the New Hampshire delegation — U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, U.S. Sen. Maggie Hassan and Reps. Annie Kuster and Chris Pappas — announced that the Friends Program in Concord has been awarded $149,811 in AmeriCorps funding. According to a press release, the funding is specifically in support of the AmeriCorps volunteers in the Retired and Senior Volunteer Program, which focuses on volunteers who are 55 and older. “These federal funds make important investments in New Hampshire’s community service programming, bolster volunteer opportunities for seniors and support the Friends Program’s mission to empower Granite Staters with the tools they need to give back to their communities,” Shaheen said in the release.

FIT grant

Dartmouth-Hitchcock Health has given a $20,000 grant to Families in Transition in Manchester, to support the nonprofit’s work with people experiencing homelessness, providing funding for its adult emergency shelter program. “More than ever during Covid-19 members of our community are struggling to meet their basic needs for shelter, food and social contact,” Greg Norman, MS, director of Community Health for Dartmouth-Hitchcock, said in a press release. “D-HH can help community-based organizations like Families in Transition continue to meet the safety net needs of our patients and other members of the communities we serve.”

Winter gear

On Jan. 20, Girl Scouts in Manchester placed about 180 scarves, hats, gloves and blankets around Veterans Park. According to a press release, the items were left on trees, fence posts and other places throughout the park with tags to let people know they were free to take.

Two new specialty clinics, NeuroOncology and Gynecologic Oncology, are set to open at the Dartmouth-Hitchcock location at the Catholic Medical Center’s Notre Dame Pavilion in Manchester. According to a press release, the clinics will focus on specific cancer diagnoses, including even the rarest cancers.

OLLI — the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, for people ages 50 and up — at Granite State College in Concord announced in a press release that it will offer 81 non-credit courses via Zoom during the spring term, which starts Monday, Feb. 22. There will be classes on history, politics, arts and literature, computer skills, health and food and more. Visit olli.granite.edu.

Dr. Jahmal Mosley, superintendent of the Nashua School District, has announced his resignation, effective at the end of this school year. According to a joint statement from the District and the Board of Education, Mosley has taken a job as superintendent in South Hadley, Mass. The board thanked him for the services he’s provided since 2017.

The Bedford Police Department recently issued an announcement reminding residents not to leave remote key fobs unattended in their vehicles. According to the announcement, Bedford Police have responded to three incidents in the last month where vehicle owners left key fobs in their vehicles, “allowing criminals to easily steal their vehicles.”

Covid-19 news

On Jan. 15, Gov. Chris Sununu issued Emergency Orders No. 81 and No. 82. Emergency Order No. 81 extends the statewide mask mandate through March 26 for everyone over the age of 5 in both indoor and outdoor public spaces where social distancing is not possible. The extension comes as state health officials continue to report between 750 and 800 new infections per day on average. The mandate, which has been in effect since Nov. 20, has a few exceptions, including anyone with a medical condition or disability preventing them from wearing a mask, anyone engaged in strenuous physical activity, or anyone asked to remove a mask or face-covering to verify his or her identity for lawful purposes.

Emergency Order No. 82 is an order extending Emergency Order No. 52, which had been issued last June. Emergency Order No. 52 is an order regarding public health guidance for business operations and advising Granite Staters they are safer at home. The advisory had been set to expire on Jan. 15, but Emergency Order No. 82 has now extended it through March 26.

Starting on Jan. 22, individuals in Phase 1B of the state’s vaccine distribution plan can start scheduling appointments to receive their first dose, with the vaccine administrations themselves beginning on Jan. 26. State health officials have recently adjusted the eligibility of Phase 1B to now include everyone over the age of 65, per CDC recommendations. Corrections officers and staff, medically vulnerable people with two or more high-risk health conditions, and first responders and health care workers not already vaccinated also fall under Phase 1B. Visit vaccines.nh.gov or call your health care provider to schedule your appointment.

Education news

The New Hampshire Department of Education announced two new initiatives last week. First, residents who want to take the high school equivalency exam — the HiSET, which has been used in New Hampshire since 2014 — can now register, pay and schedule their test online, according to a press release. The eRegistration system will allow for more flexibility, including access to multiple testing sessions in different testing centers. Testing is open to any resident age 18 or older, and the exam can now be taken either at a test center or at home. A High School Equivalency Certificate is issued by the Department of Education upon successful completion of the exam. The Department of Education also announced a first-in-the-nation partnership that will provide free tutoring to New Hampshire high school students through schoolhouse.world, a platform that connects people around the world to free small-group tutoring sessions. According to a press release, schoolhouse.world was created by Sal Khan, founder of Khan Academy, and Shishir Mehrotra, cofounder and CEO of Coda, to help teachers, parents and students during remote and hybrid at-home learning. “Sal Khan is a legend in education, known mostly for the Khan Academy, which supports over 100 million students around the world,” New Hampshire Commissioner of Education Frank Edelblut said in the release. “Now New Hampshire students will have access to this live support and the ability to mentor other students. It is a timely solution that addresses so many needs.” Schoolhouse.world currently offers tutoring in high school math and SAT prep but plans to expand to more ages and topics.

Eviction education

A free weekly online Eviction Clinic is now available to the public, offered by New Hampshire Legal Assistance and the Legal Advice and Referral Center. According to a press release, the sessions started Jan. 20 and will continue each Wednesday for the rest of January and all of February via Zoom from 7 to 8:30 p.m., plus two afternoon sessions that will be held from 2 to 3:30 p.m. on two of those Wednesdays. (The schedule and Zoom link to attend will be available at nhla.org and NHLA’s Facebook page; registration is not required.) During the clinics, attorneys and paralegals will provide free legal information on tenants’ rights during the eviction process and will answer general questions. Legal aid advocates expect the number of evictions to increase when the federal eviction moratorium ends Jan. 31, according to the release.

Charles and Mabel Niebling have been named the 2021 Outstanding Tree Farmers of the Year for their 67-acre tree farm in Boscawen, the New Hampshire Tree Farm Program announced in a press release. As a certified tree farm, it has a written management plan that focuses on improvements for all four pillars of the program: wood, water, wildlife and recreation. Some elements of the Nieblings’ plan include improving the quality of timber, protecting wetlands, creating diverse wildlife habitats and providing a recreational resource for hiking, bird-watching, hunting, snowmobiling and horseback riding, the release said.

The Zonta Club of Concord has launched a vaccination education campaign, distributing “Can’t Wait to Vaccinate” pins in the greater Concord area, according to a press release. As part of its efforts, on Jan. 15 the Club presented 350 of its “Got the Shot” pins to staff and residents of the NH Veterans Home in Tilton.

Around 4:30 a.m. on Jan. 17, the Manchester Fire Department was called to the Queen City Bridge to put out a fire on top of and below the bridge that was caused by a propane construction heater, according to a press release. The heater was inside a temporary wooden structure that had been built as part of bridge repair construction and was operating at the time of the fire. The bridge was not damaged in the fire, according to the release.

Isabel Povey of Hampstead helped collect and donate 646 coats this winter and dropped them off last week at the Nashua Anton’s Cleaners, which is one of the locations in New Hampshire that is hosting the Coats for Kids program, according to a press release. Gently used warm winter coats are still being accepted through the end of February at any New Hampshire Anton’s Cleaners, Jordan’s Furniture or Enterprise Bank.