Category: News

Covid-19 news

On April 13, at the recommendation of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Transportation Security Administration extended its federal mask mandate on all areas of public transportation for an additional 15 days through May 3. In a statement, the TSA cited the recent increase in Covid-19 numbers across the country over the past several weeks, due in part to the highly transmissible omicron BA.2 subvariant, which now makes up more than 85 percent of all cases nationwide. But on April 18 a federal judge in Florida voided the mandate, saying the CDC “improperly failed to justify its decision” to extend it, according to an AP report.

On April 14 the U.S. Food & Drug Administration authorized the first Covid-19 diagnostic test using breath samples, which provide results in under three minutes. According to a press release, testing can be done in most places where the specimen can be collected and analyzed, such as doctor’s offices, hospitals and mobile Covid testing sites, using an instrument about the size of a piece of carry-on luggage. The InspectIR Covid-19 Breathalyzer uses a technique called gas chromatography gas mass-spectrometry to separate and identify chemical mixtures, according to the release. A study of 2,409 individuals conducted to validate the test’s performance found that it had a negative predictive value of 99.6 percent, meaning that people who receive a negative test result are likely truly negative in areas of low disease prevalence. InspectIR expects to be able to produce about 100 instruments per week, and testing capacity is expected to increase soon by about 64,000 samples per month.

In New Hampshire, 143 new cases of Covid-19 were reported on April 18, according to health officials. As of April 18 there were 2,102 active cases and 18 hospitalizations statewide.

LPN program funding

Last week, the Joint Legislative Fiscal Committee voted to accept and expend a $2.6 million ARPA-funded expansion of the Community College System of New Hampshire’s licensed practical nurse training program, according to a press release. “To make investments into our economy, we must make necessary investments into our workforce, and doubling our LPN nursing program is the right move,” Gov. Chris Sununu said in a statement following the vote. The funds will expand the state’s LPN workforce programming to meet critical needs in health care settings, the release said. The Community College System of New Hampshire LPN training program, which was launched in 2020, can be completed within one year and offers immediate entry into the LPN level of nursing workforce. Graduates can also choose to continue their education and progress to the RN level, the release said.

Involuntary admissions

Last week the Joint Legislative Fiscal Committee also voted to accept and expend $2 million to centralize Involuntary Emergency Admission processes by creating a statewide mental health docket, an effort to reduce the number of patients waiting for mental health care in hospital emergency rooms. According to a press release, the funding will cover a centralized filing system, two circuit court judges, staff and counsel for patients who are subject to an involuntary emergency admission, plus technology for hospitals to allow patients to remotely attend court hearings. “We believe this approach will ensure the rights of patients are protected and will help provide a permanent and sustainable solution to the longstanding emergency room boarding issue,” Supreme Court Chief Justice Gordon MacDonald said in the release. “We are prepared to move forward as quickly as possible on its implementation.”

InvestNH Housing

In another vote last week, the Joint Legislative Fiscal Committee approved the expenditure of the $100 million InvestNH Housing Fund, according to a press release. “As a result of our InvestNH Fund, more housing will get built and our workforce will grow — a once-in-a-generation, historic investment,” Gov. Chris Sununu said in a statement following the vote. “Our focus remains on building as many units as quickly as possible, and this $100 million investment will transform New Hampshire’s housing market, providing better outcomes for our citizens.” The investment will increase affordable rental units for lower and middle income workers, such as health care and child care providers, machinists and teachers, the release said.

Holocaust awareness

The state Board of Education has approved the new Holocaust and Genocide education rules for the state. According to a press release, “clearly understanding how the Holocaust and other genocides occurred may be key to preventing similar violence in the future, which is why education on this sensitive topic is vitally important to promote peace among future generations.” According to the education rules, “Each district shall incorporate instruction in Holocaust and genocide education into at least one existing social studies, world history, global studies, or U.S. history course required as a condition of high school graduation for all students,” among other specific guidelines pertaining to the teaching of the subject. The rules can be found at education.nh.gov.

Urgency to hire

The Nashua School District is now offering signing bonuses to candidates for positions that are critical to operations, as there is “an urgency to hire qualified talent,” according to a press release from the district. “We’re hiring from paras to plumbers,” Garth McKinney, Superintendent of Schools said in the release. “The Covid-19 pandemic exacerbated the national teacher shortage and other education-related and school operations-related fields. Our needs are real and we look to rebuild a full complement of staff.” This incentive is being offered to teachers on the NH Department of Education Critical Shortage List and nurses ($1,000 sign-on bonus) as well as food service employees ($300) and security monitors, lunch monitors, crossing guards and 21st Century Extended Day Program staff ($300). According to an April 18 report from WMUR, the Manchester School District is also in need of staff members for nearly every department and is also offering sign-on bonuses, as well as retention checks after six months of employment.

YES!

The Yes, Every Student (YES!) scholarship program is back for a second year to help kids whose education was negatively impacted by the pandemic by providing $1,000 tutoring scholarships to New Hampshire students. According to a press release, the New Hampshire Department of Education is offering scholarships to public, non-public, home-educated and Education Freedom Account students. The scholarships can be used for tutoring provided by certified New Hampshire educators, certified New Hampshire special education teachers or licensed therapists. About $2.3 million in funding from the federal Governor’s Emergency Relief Fund under the CARES Act will be used; last year, nearly $1.9 million was awarded to almost 500 recipients for tutoring and other needs, the release said. This year’s round of funding is available to any school-age student who resides in the state, regardless of their family’s income level. To apply for a Yes! scholarship, visit yeseducation.nh.gov.

Voices of Wildlife in NH held a fur trapping protest outside New Hampshire Fish and Game’s annual Discover Wild NH Day on April 16 in Concord. According to a press release from the group, the protest of the annual event will continue as long as Fish and Game sanctions fur trapping.

Earth Day Neighborhood Clean-Ups will be held at several spots in Manchester on Saturday, April 23. According to a press release, the city’s Department of Public Works will be stationed at four schools from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. to provide clean-up materials, including trash bags and gloves, and each site will be used as a drop-off location for the collected trash. The four schools are Jewett Street School, Northwest Elementary, Smyth Road School and Beech Street School. Manchester Urban Ponds will be hosting a clean-up that day as well, from 9 to 11 a.m. at Black Brook/Blodget Park.

United Way of Greater Nashua is hosting an electronic waste recycling event at its office on Broad Street April 22 through April 29 from 3 to 7 p.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on weekends. According to a press release, United (w)E-Recycle is an opportunity for the public to drop off used laptops, desktop computers, tablets, printers, mobile phones, fax machines and many other types of electronic waste. Donations are requested; on April 23 the proceeds of those donations will benefit the Humane Society of Nashua while the proceeds from all other days will support the United Way of Greater Nashua’s School Supply Pantry. Working laptops will be distributed to students through the School Supplies Pantry, the release said.

Covid-19 news

State health officials reported 108 new cases of Covid-19 on April 11. The state averaged 200 new cases per day over the most recent seven-day period, a 49 percent increase compared to the week before. As of April 11 there were 10 people being treated for Covid in hospitals statewide.

New commission

Gov. Chris Sununu has signed an Executive Order establishing the Governor’s Commission on Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault and Stalking. According to a press release, the commission was a recommendation from the Task Force on Domestic Violence Cases in the New Hampshire Judicial Branch. It had previously stopped meeting in 2013. “We must keep victims safe and hold offenders accountable,” Sununu said in the release. “Combatting and preventing domestic violence, sexual assault and stalking remains a priority for my administration and I am looking forward to working with this group so that we can develop, support and implement initiatives that address the needs of victims and survivors.” The Commission consists of members of the state’s justice department, health and human services, law enforcement and other departments and organizations.

New laws

Gov. Chris Sununu signed seven bills into law on April 11. Among them are HB 1441, establishing a commission to organize the observance of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence; HB 589, requiring workers’ compensation to cover prophylactic treatment for critical exposure; and HB 102, establishing a commission to “study worldwide combined reporting method for unitary businesses under the business profits tax, and relative to the treatment of water or sewerage disposal utilities under the business profits tax.”

Youth literacy

The New Hampshire Department of Education has launched the Leaning Into Literacy initiative to help children advance their reading skills. According to a press release, the Granite State ranks high among students in the country for reading proficiency on the Nation’s Report Card, but there are still about 51 percent of fourth-grade students in the state who are not reading proficiently. “Encouraging children to have a healthy passion for reading will help them excel in school, support other areas of their learning and set them up for future success,” Frank Edelblut, commissioner of education, said in the release. “Strong literacy skills are vital for children, and are skills that are applicable throughout their entire lifetimes.” NHDOE’s Division of Learner Support is looking for proposals for capacity building literacy training for adults engaged in raising, working with or teaching New Hampshire children to be successful readers, including parents, guardians, certified educators, literacy coaches, curriculum coordinators, school administrators and reading and writing specialists. The trainings would aim to increase capacity for providing and overseeing reading instruction and structured literacy based on the science of how children learn to read. “A primary goal of the Leaning Into Literacy initiative is to train 4,500 individuals in the first year and 4,500 more individuals in the second year to help expand literacy training and boost the level of literacy support throughout the Granite State,” Edelblut said.

Child advocate

Cassandra Sanchez is the state’s new child advocate, replacing Moira O’Neill, who served as the state’s first ever child advocate since the Office of the Child Advocate began operating in January 2018. According to a press release, Sanchez comes from the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families as a supervisor in the Kinship unit. “The strategic planning process we undertook this past year with focus groups and stakeholder interviews taught us one important lesson,” O’Neill said in the release. “The Office belongs to the community. Their views and hopes for what the Office will achieve are aligned with statutory intent. They have identified strengths, articulated areas for improvement and agreed upon priorities. Cassandra Sanchez will be greeted with an exceptional staff and a committed, guiding and expectant constituency.”

Good Friday

The Episcopal Diocese of New Hampshire’s Digital Mission will offer a walking Stations of the Cross in Manchester on Good Friday, April 15. According to a press release, the Stations of the Cross was created for pilgrims to Jerusalem to relive the suffering of Jesus Christ from his condemnation to his crucifixion and burial. The Manchester adaptation was created by Rev. Deacon Chris Potter, who is also a Manchester school board member. He will lead a procession to 14 stations representing suffering in the Manchester community and hope for its future, the release said. The event will begin at Grace Episcopal Church (106 Lowell St., Manchester) at 3 p.m., with the first stop at International Institute of New England (“Jesus is condemned”) and the last stop at Hartnett Lot (“Jesus is laid in the tomb”). Other stops include Central High School, Veterans Park and City Hall.

The owners of Woods Without Gile in Wilmot have been named New Hampshire’s 2022 Outstanding Tree Farmers of the Year. According to a press release, Ann and Marc Davis’s working forest implements the four pillars of the Tree Farm program: wood, water, wildlife and recreation. It is open to the public for cross-country skiing, fishing, hiking, hunting, horseback riding, snowshoeing and more, the release said.

New England activists held a Healing Ceremony at the Merrimack Station in Bow, the last coal plant in the region. According to a press release, nine activists decorated the fence with flowers and posters and performed the “Elm Dance,” a Latvian ceremony originally created for the healing of Chernobyl. The activists are a part of the No Coal No Gas campaign to close the Merrimack Station, the release said.

The University of New Hampshire at Manchester has a new scholarship for students enrolled in its psychology and neuropsychology programs, with awards up to $5,000 annually for full-time students. According to a press release, the university has partnered with Network4Health to provide the scholarship, an effort to address the workforce shortage in behavioral health fields that has “become increasingly dire.” The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that between 2020 and 2030 the number of behavioral health jobs will increase by 23 percent, the release said.