Category: News

Covid-19 news

State health officials announced 17 new positive cases of Covid-19 on July 12. The state averaged 28 new cases per day over the most recent seven-day period, an increase of about 17 compared to the week before. As of July 12, there were 197 active cases and 15 hospitalizations.

Also on July 12, officials announced the launch of the NH Mobile Vaccine Van, a new initiative in partnership with ConvenientMD in an effort to increase access to Covid-19 vaccines. According to a press release, the van is due to begin operation on July 15 and will run throughout the summer, offering all three of the FDA-authorized vaccines in addition to translation services. It’s available to appear at local community events such as festivals, neighborhood block parties and farmers markets at no cost. The van is set to hold two upcoming vaccination clinics this week — at the Roundabout Diner in Portsmouth on Thursday, July 15, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., and at the Sunapee Farmers Market on Saturday, July 18, from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m.

Housing stability

The Council on Housing Stability released its three-year Strategic Plan last week, according to a press release from the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services. The plan is a roadmap that coordinates actions and resources and seeks to increase housing availability by 13,500 units by 2024 to ensure that homelessness in New Hampshire is rare, brief and one-time whenever possible. It includes a three-year actionable framework to address homelessness across the state, with an emphasis on the need for an increase in inventory of affordable housing, the release said. Recommendations include promoting new housing development, reducing barriers to affordable housing and using a data-driven approach to determine regional needs.

The New Hampshire Council on Housing Stability was established by Gov. Chris Sununu on Nov. 18, 2020, and includes stakeholders from across the state, including state leadership, local mayors, and people who have experienced homelessness. The plan is led by the Department of Health and Human Services, in partnership with the New Hampshire Department of Business and Economic Affairs and the Community Development Finance Authority, the release said.

ARPA funds

On June 7, the Manchester Board of Mayor and Aldermen voted to initially approve Mayor Joyce Craig’s recommendations for the city’s use of American Rescue Plan Act funds. According to a press release, most of the programs and positions are funded for the next five years, and during that time the city will measure program effectiveness to make sure it addresses the negative impacts of Covid-19 and helps build a strong recovery for the city. The recommendations will be discussed by the Board of Mayor and Aldermen’s Finance Committee before a final vote. “Manchester residents overwhelmingly cited education as one of the areas to which they would like to see ARPA funds allocated, and we look forward to working with Mayor Craig and the Board to help expand access to higher education for public school students in Manchester and to support local workforce needs,” Paul LeBlanc, President and CEO of Southern New Hampshire University, said in the release. Greater Manchester Chamber CEO Mike Skelton said in the release that “The Greater Manchester Chamber, along with many community business leaders, support the proposed ARPA spending plan and the investments that will generate and support job growth, stimulate economic activity and expansion, and strengthen the city’s ability to attract and retain its workforce.”

Unemployment numbers

Last week, the New Hampshire Department of Employment Security issued a press release after the weekly unemployment report was released by the United States Department of Labor, stating that the numbers reported for New Hampshire were wrong “and present a misleading view of trends in the state’s unemployment claims.” According to the release, some claimants were counted twice — once when they received their last week of federal unemployment benefits and again as a new claim for state-level benefits the following week. New Hampshire ended participation in the federal pandemic unemployment programs June 19 and instead incentivized people to return to work with a $1,000 bonus payment. The final week of benefits was included in the claims numbers reported by the Department of Labor, and some of those recipients may have qualified for benefits in the state’s regular unemployment program during the week ending June 26 — meaning those same individuals were counted a second time by the Department of Labor, the release said, artificially inflating the state’s numbers. “These numbers are wrong and give the misleading appearance of an increase from the prior week which has not occurred in the prior 3 months,” Rich Lavers, Deputy Commissioner at Employment Security, said in the release. “In reality when you compare claims filed by people in the regular state unemployment program, the weekly claims fell by 19 percent compared to the prior week and federal claims fell by 12 percent in the final week they were available.”

Aircrews from the New Hampshire Wing of Civil Air Patrol departed from airports in Concord, Laconia, Portsmouth and Nashua on July 10 during a statewide emergency response training exercise. According to a press release, the Air Force-assigned trainings focused on Civil Air Patrol’s airborne search and aerial disaster assessment photography skills.

The Manchester School District announced July 11 that longtime district administrator Debora Roukey of Goffstown will be the new principal of Central High School. According to a press release, Roukey is the first female principal in Central’s 175-year history.

A $50,000 Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act Local Drug Crisis Grant has been awarded to the Raymond Coalition for Youth, which works to reduce opioid, methamphetamine, and prescription drug misuse among youth and young adults in Raymond and its surrounding communities. According to a press release, the grant is provided by the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, in cooperation with the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, and will be paid out over five years.

Isabel Povey of Hampstead will represent New Hampshire at the Miss America’s Outstanding Teen Competition in Florida later this month. According to a press release, the Pinkerton Academy senior was crowned Miss New Hampshire’s Outstanding Teen in February 2019 and has served as the state representative throughout the pandemic, volunteering with local food pantries, the NH Food Bank, and the international nonprofit organization Seeds of Hope. Preliminary competitions will be held July 29 and July 30, and the new Miss America’s Outstanding Teen will be crowned Saturday, July 31, the release said.

Clarification
Page 29 of the Hippo’s “Cool Things About New Hampshire” magazine should have said that Hayward’s Homemade Ice Cream served chicken tenders, steamed hot dogs and fries in addition to its homemade ice cream flavors. It does not sell burgers.

Covid-19 news

On June 30, Gov. Chris Sununu announced in a press release that both the State Emergency Operations Center and the Joint Information Center, both in operation since March 2020, would close at 4 p.m. that afternoon. “With minimal community transmission, we no longer find ourselves in an immediate emergency situation,” Sununu said in a statement. According to the release, ongoing pandemic operations will transition to the New Hampshire Department of Health & Human Services.

State health officials announced 35 new positive cases of Covid-19 in New Hampshire on July 2. The state averaged 25 new cases per day over the most recent seven-day period, a 25-percent increase compared to the previous week. Covid vaccinations, meanwhile, were at 55 percent statewide as of July 2.

Voter law

The 2107 voter registration law that created a new process for people to prove they are residents of New Hampshire if they registered to vote within 30 days of an election or on Election Day has been struck down by the New Hampshire Supreme Court. According to a press release, the court agreed with a Superior Court ruling that the new process is confusing, could deter people from registering and voting and “imposes unreasonable burdens on the right to vote.” The decision was a unanimous 4-0 vote. After the ruling, Gov. Chris Sununu issued the following statement: “It’s disappointing that these common-sense reforms were not supported by our Supreme Court, but we have to respect their decision and I encourage the Legislature to take the court’s opinion into account and continue working to make common-sense reforms to ensure the integrity of New Hampshire’s elections.”

Diversity council

On June 29, 10 members of the Governor’s Advisory Council on Diversity and Inclusion sent a collective resignation letter to Gov. Chris Sununu. “On June 25, 2021, you signed into law a provision that aims to censor conversations essential to advancing equity and inclusion in our state, specifically for those within our public education systems, and all state employees. This will directly impact those who are working with some of our state’s most vulnerable populations, including educators, child welfare workers, and law enforcement,” the letter read. The 10 members, who make up more than half of the council, said the new law conflicts with Council’s purpose of finding ways to combat discrimination and advance diversity and inclusion. “Given your willingness to sign this damaging provision and make it law, we are no longer able to serve as your advisors,” the letter read. According to a June 29 report from WMUR, that provision was titled, “Right to Freedom From Discrimination in Public Workplaces and Education” and was authored by Senate Majority Leader Jeb Bradley, R-Wolfeboro. He said in early June the provision focused on “strengthening protections for people of all characteristics — gender identity, sexual orientation, age, sex, creed, color, race, family situation, marital situation, disabilities either mental or physical, national origin or religion,” and that it was crafted carefully to ensure that it would not ban workplace sensitivity training addressing race, sexual orientation or other personal characteristics, nor does it restrict state university system and community college system faculty from teaching or discussing the historical existence of discrimination, the WMUR report said. Bradley said the amendment asserts that “no one is inherently superior or inferior. So we say it’s discrimination if you say, if you instruct, if you teach that someone is inferior or superior,” according to WMUR. But Democrats on the council say the language is discriminatory. According to their resignation letter, they sent letters to Sununu asking him to oppose the provision and requesting a meeting with him to discuss possible alternatives. Once the bill passed with the provision as written by Bradley, the following members resigned: Dr. Dottie Morris, Devon Chaffee, Maria Devlin, Sharon Harris, James Maggiore, Dr. Salman Malik, Dr. James Morse, Pawn Nitichan, Sheriff Eliezer Rivera and Allyson Ryder. “It should not be taken lightly that nearly every member of the Council that is not part of your administration is resigning today,” the letter said.

Insurance fraud

In the past 12 months, the New Hampshire Insurance Department investigated 18 insurance fraud cases and submitted them for criminal prosecution. According to a press release, the fraud cases included false claims related to food poisoning, disability claims, workers’ compensation claims, buying policies “after” the losses and misrepresenting the date and time to get coverage, mysterious disappearance of jewelry, and numerous fake medical records. Deputy Commissioner D.J. Bettencourt said in the release that the main mission of the department is to protect consumers from insurance fraud, which leads to higher premiums. When a person attempts to obtain a benefit they are not entitled to, or when an insurer knowingly denies someone’s legitimate claim, it is considered insurance fraud. The insurance department investigates these cases once the victim files a consumer complaint form, or when an insurance company reports a suspicious claim.

Child advocates wanted

As CASA of New Hampshire prepares for an anticipated increase in the rate of reported abused and neglected children once school is back in session, the organization is offering learning and training opportunities for anyone interested in being a volunteer advocate. According to a press release, these sessions, which are being held throughout the summer, will prepare new volunteers to begin providing support this fall. “Over the past 16 months, CASA staff has been concerned about the impact the pandemic has had on children who’ve experienced abuse and neglect, shielded from the watchful eyes of teachers and other caregivers,” Carolyn Cote, CASA’s communications director, said in the release. “We’ve seen many instances where the stressors that challenge families, including substance misuse, mental health and domestic violence, have been amplified during the past year.” Virtual information sessions are being held twice a month over the summer, on Wednesdays, July 14, July 21 and Aug. 11, at 5:30 p.m. and on Aug. 25 at 12:30 p.m. New volunteer training sessions are all virtual. The summer training session is a combination of day and evening hours, and it runs for six weeks beginning July 14. The first fall training session is daytime only, running twice a week for five weeks beginning Sept. 13. Applications should be submitted two weeks before the first day of training to allow adequate time for the interview and acceptance process. Visit casanh.org to find out more or to apply.

Catholic Medical Center in Manchester has named Alex Walker as the new president and CEO of CMC. According to a press release, Walker will take over the position left by Dr. Joseph Pepe, who retired after 31 years at CMC, starting out as a primary care physician in 1990 and becoming CEO in 2012. Walker was most recently executive vice president and chief operating officer of CMC, the release said.

The Community College System of New Hampshire announced last week that Dr. Mark Rubinstein will be its next chancellor. He is currently president of Granite State College in Concord, according to a press release, and his new job will begin Sept. 1, when current chancellor Dr. Susan Huard retires.

The Nashua International Sculpture Symposium will unveil its 1000 Origami Peace Cranes for Nashua project on Thursday, July 8, at 6:30 p.m. in the atrium at St. Joseph Hospital. The community is welcome to attend and enjoy food, drinks and music, according to the event’s Facebook page, and to view the paper cranes, which were folded by hundreds of local participants of all ages.

Covid-19 news

State health officials announced 19 new positive cases of Covid-19 in New Hampshire on June 28. The state averaged 21 new cases per day over the most recent seven-day period (June 22 to June 28), a 10-percent decrease compared to the previous week.

As of June 28, just over 730,000 Granite Staters — roughly 53.9 percent of the state’s population — were fully vaccinated. State-run vaccination sites were set to close on June 30, but vaccine doses are still available at hundreds of locations statewide, including at many hospitals, pharmacies, outpatient offices and community health centers.

The United States Supreme Court rejected a lawsuit filed by the State of New Hampshire against the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, according to a June 28 report from WMUR, over income taxes collected from roughly 80,000 Granite Staters working from home for Massachusetts companies during the pandemic.

“This decision will have lasting ramifications for thousands of Granite State residents,” Gov. Chris Sununu said in a statement on June 28 following the ruling.

State budget passed

On June 25, Gov. Chris Sununu signed HB 1 and HB 2 into law and issued the following statement: “Historic tax cuts, property tax relief, and Paid Family Medical Leave delivered all in one sweeping action is a win for every citizen and family in this state.” House Speaker Sherman Packard (R-Londonderry) applauded the actions, saying in a statement that the House passed a “historic budget that is balanced and fiscally responsible,” and that “Republicans delivered on tax cuts, reduced spending, education freedom, much needed mental health services and more without raising taxes or increasing spending.” NH House Majority Leader Jason Osborne (R-Auburn) said in a statement that the budget includes more than $170 million in tax cuts and is “a major win for every single taxpayer in this state.” Democrats in the House disagreed. Rep. Mary Jane Wallner (D-Concord), ranking Democrat on the House Finance Committee, said in a statement that the budget does not meet the needs of constituents and that cuts to vital programs and services will hurt the state’s most vulnerable residents. House Democratic Leader Renny Cushing (D-Hampton) said in a statement that the budget “harms our state by cutting education funding, raising property taxes, and forcing right-wing ideology on the people of New Hampshire.”

New Hampshire’s kids

Several state departments have recently announced programs and services designed to promote the quality of life of children and families throughout the state.

Mental health at camp: Community mental health centers in New Hampshire will be offering services at camps throughout the state this summer. According to a press release, the Department of Education and the Community Behavioral Health Association are using Covid-19 response funds to provide mental health training to camp counselors and will be on site offering mental health services at many camps in the state as well. These services are part of the Department of Education’s Rekindling Curiosity: Every Kid Goes to Camp program, which offers camp tuition support in an effort to get more kids outside and participating in normal activities to counteract some of the negative effects of the pandemic, the release said. The 10 community mental health centers in the state will each designate staff members to be on site at camps on a weekly basis, and camp counselors ages 14 and older will receive training to address basic mental health issues as well as any mental health crises that may arise.

Stabilizing child care: The New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services will use federal funding through the American Rescue Plan Act to launch several new initiatives in the next few weeks, according to a press release, including stabilization grants to child care programs, workforce recruitment and retention efforts, and market rate increases for the NH Child Care Scholarship Program. All of the initiatives are designed to help residents who need access to child care return to work. According to the release, they include child care stabilization grants open to all licensed and enrolled license-exempt child care providers beginning July 12; child care scholarship increases for families enrolled in the NH Child Care Scholarship Program beginning July 12; child care workforce recruitment and retention efforts; a child care virtual job board; a pre-apprenticeship program to provide experience for people interested in a career in child care; and Open Your Home to Child Care, which will help people who are interested in becoming family child care providers and license-exempt home providers navigate the start-up process.

Charter school grants: The 2020-2021 federal charter school grant competition is now underway, with applications being accepted until 4 p.m. on July 22, according to a press release from the New Hampshire Department of Education. The grant funds will be used to start new public charter schools or to replicate and expand existing high-quality public charter schools and are being made available as part of the five-year, $46 million grant award the state received from the U.S. Department of Education in 2019. Over the next four years, the funds will aid in the creation of 20 new public charter schools and strengthen the existing charter school oversight infrastructure. According to the release, many of the state’s chartered public schools currently have long wait lists for student enrollment. Priority funds will be given to schools that target disadvantaged and at-risk student populations or that offer highly innovative models for advancing student achievement in a given field.

On Saturday, July 3, 13 New Hampshire communities will host readings of Frederick Douglass’ famous speech in which he asked, “What to the slave is your Fourth of July?” Hosted by the Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire, the readings will be held most locally in Concord, Hopkinton, Nashua, Manchester and Warner. For exact times and locations, visit blackheritagetrailnh.org or call 570-8469.

There’s a new splash pad and playground in Manchester. According to a press release, on June 25 the water features were turned on for the first time during an opening ceremony at Sheehan-Basquil Park Splash Pad and Playground, located at 297 Maple St.

A mosquito batch collected in Bow last week tested positive for Jamestown Canyon virus, according to a press release from the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services. It’s the first time JCV has been found in mosquitoes in New Hampshire, though there have been a few cases in humans, including in Bow in 2020. Testing mosquitoes for JCV has not been part of routine surveillance until this year, the release said.

The Nashua Board of Education announced on June 28 that Dr. Garth McKinney will continue to serve as Superintendent of Schools on an extended interim basis. The board sent a message to all district families and staff informing them that McKinney, who has served as interim superintendent since late January while former Superintendent Jahmal Mosley transitioned to a new job in Massachusetts, will continue in his role until June 30, 2022.

Covid-19 news

Gov. Chris Sununu began the state’s Covid-19 briefing on June 17 by announcing it would be the final weekly scheduled press conference. Future briefings will be held on an “as-needed basis.”

Due to a continued downward trend in positive cases and deaths from Covid-19 in New Hampshire, state epidemiologist Dr. Benjamin Chan announced during the press conference that the state will be updating its guidance for face mask use. “We are now recommending that asymptomatic persons, that’s people who do not have symptoms or are not showing symptoms of Covid-19, can choose to go without face masks in most indoor and outdoor locations, particularly lower-risk settings,” he said. Businesses and organizations can still require face masks for people to enter their facilities, and, under federal regulations, health care facilities still require them as well. “As the numbers continue to decrease, the goal is to be able to pull back on use of some of these mitigation measures, particularly over the summer, when use of some things like face masks may be more difficult,” Chan said.

Dr. Beth Daly, Chief of the Bureau of Infectious Disease Control of the New Hampshire Department of Health & Human Services, also announced that the state will no longer conduct contact tracing for Covid-19 exposures in community settings outside of people’s homes. “We will still continue to require quarantine for people who live in the same household as a person with Covid-19,” she said, “and we’re going to continue to respond to any suspected outbreaks.”

Plummeting unemployment

Last week the May 2021 jobs report was released by New Hampshire Employment Security, showing that the state’s unemployment rate has dropped below the pre-pandemic unemployment rate of 2.7 percent in March 2020 to 2.5 percent now. According to a press release, it is one of the lowest unemployment rates in the country and one of the lowest in the history of the Granite State. As part of its effort to help rebound from the highest levels of unemployment during the height of the pandemic, New Hampshire Employment Security has already held 21 virtual job fairs that have connected 8,702 job-seekers with 862 employers. “Such low unemployment rates are no accident, but are the result of a continued effort to provide businesses with the flexibility needed to grow, while providing individuals with the incentives and resources needed to return to work,” Gov. Chris Sununu said in a statement after the May report was released.

DMV update

Last week an update of a comprehensive review of the state Division of Motor Vehicles was released, showing some of the steps that the DMV has taken since the review was issued in 2019.

The review was ordered after the crash in Randolph that killed seven members of the Jarheads Motorcycle Club and the revelation that a backlog within the Massachusetts DMV system had led to a failure to suspend the license of the truck driver at fault, according to a press release. To ensure that New Hampshire would never be in a similar situation, the review provided short-term and long-term recommendations to improve its processes. One of the recommendations that was fulfilled earlier this month was implementing the State to State Verification Service, making New Hampshire the 34th state to use that service, which helps facilitate the exchange of convictions with other states, the release said. Other improvements include ensuring that processing times have remained current and without backlog; creating an Electronic Exchange of Records with Massachusetts, for notifications related to convictions and withdrawals; implementing the Commercial Driver Disqualification system, which allows the DMV to initiate immediate disqualification of commercial drivers and/or commercial motor carriers; online ticket payment and online not guilty pleas. According to the release, the DMV is also in the process of rolling out Online Motor Vehicle Record Requests and E-Crash and E-Ticketsystems to local police departments so that more of the tickets and accident reports received by the DMV will be electronic.

Help for students

Students whose learning was negatively impacted by the pandemic will find help in the YES! Program, according to the New Hampshire Department of Education. Last week the department announced that it will use $2 million of the Governor’s Emergency Relief Fund from the CARES Act to support the program, which will provide direct relief to families in need in the form of scholarships. “Student academic performance data coming out of the pandemic will be different than normal,” Commissioner of Education Frank Edelblut said in the release. “Some students thrived in pandemic learning, especially through strong home supports and the exercise of greater individual agency in their own education. Other students had difficulty accessing their education, often because of a lack of appropriate resources or an instructional model that was not conducive to their learning needs.” He said the YES! Program will engage students based on where they are and help them flourish without being stigmatized. There are three categories for scholarships, according to the release. In Category 1, eligible students are public school students who are at or below 400 percent of the federal poverty level or with a disability. The scholarship amount is $1,000 and can be used for tutoring provided by department-certified educators or special education therapies and services provided by department-certified special education teachers or licensed therapists. In Category 2, eligible students are private/non-public school students (new or current) who are at or below 250 percent of the federal poverty level or with a disability. The scholarship amount is $5,000 and can be used for tuition and fees at department-approved private schools. In Category 3, eligible students are private/non-public school students at or below 400 percent of the federal poverty level, and they will receive $2,500 for tuition and fees at department-approved private schools.

The New Hampshire Telephone Museum in Warner will open its 2021 program series on Friday, June 25, with a virtual discussion that will explore whether privacy is dead. According to a press release, there will be online discussions each month, and the museum is also featuring a special exhibit on railroad communications. Visit NHTelephoneMuseum.org for details on virtual programming and in-person visits.

The Brentwood portion of Route 125 will be dedicated as the Officer Stephen Arkell Memorial Highway at a July 1 ceremony. According to a press release, U.S. Sen. Maggie Hassan, Congressman Chris Pappas and Gov. Chris Sununu will be at the ceremony, which will be held at Swasey Central School at 6 p.m. and is open to the public. Arkell was shot and killed in 2014 after responding to a domestic dispute; he was a member of the Brentwood Police Department for 17 years, the release said.

Club Richelieu of Nashua will host a ceremony on Thursday, June 24, at 11 a.m. in Renaissance Park (Le Parc de la Renaissance Francaise) near the Nashua River on Water Street to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the statue that depicts a French-Canadian textile mill worker, and her son. According to club president Eric Drouart, the event will also highlight a new mural in the park with the portraits of eight Franco-American personalities, several of whom were active in fundraising for the statue.