Category: News

Higher education task force reports

A press release from Tuesday, April 2, stated the Public Higher Education Task Force released a report of its findings on the strategic alignment of public higher education in New Hampshire, including short-term and long-term initiatives intended to reduce financial barriers, increase accessibility, drive the state’s economy and ensure the foundation for an active and engaged citizenry in accordance with Executive Order 2023-06 issued by Gov. Chris Sununu. The task force, which was composed of leadership from the Community College System of New Hampshire (CCSNH) and University System of New Hampshire (USNH), state officials and industry leaders who solicited statewide input from various stakeholders, recommended long- and short-term initiatives, according to the press release.

Short-term initiatives include transfer credit and curricular alignment between CCSNH and USNH while expanding credit opportunities for experiential work, implementation of New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE) accreditation for CCSNH as a single statewide college with locations throughout the state, the streamlining of admissions process to proactively accept CCSNH students with a predetermined GPA to USNH schools, notification of automatic acceptance to CCSNH for high school students, utilizing consistent admissions and financial aid processes for students of both systems, an increase in the use of online delivery to provide access to workforce opportunities, the recruitment of employers to assist graduates with loan repayments when they begin working, and co-locating the CCSNH and USNH system offices in a shared workspace to foster the streamlining and coordination of common administrative functions, according to the release.

Long-term initiatives include the implementation of a study on having the two systems under one governing board and one chancellor, developing a rolling six-year plan, updated every two years, the elimination of institutional competition through program duplication where duplicate programs are not needed, the expansion of online offerings and potential consolidation to a single platform across both systems, the examination of offering CCSNH courses and programs on USNH campuses and vice versa, improving transfer ability from CCSNH to USNH, and the analysis of physical assets and program utilization across both systems for space utilization and the potential for shared facilities, according to the same release. Visit governor.nh.gov for the entire report.

Medicare scams

In an April 5 press release, Attorney General John M. Formella issued a consumer alert for New Hampshire residents, especially New Hampshire Medicare recipients, warning of receiving multiple reports of scammers posing as Medicare representatives to obtain personal identifying information, The scammers ask whether the recipient has received a new Medicare card, and if the recipient states they have not the scammer then asks for the recipient’s personal identifying information, including the recipient’s Medicare and Social Security number, according to the same release.

Scammers can use the personal information obtained to perpetrate additional scams, engage in identity theft or commit additional crimes, including fraudulently accessing financial resources of the victim, according to the release.

Medicare is not issuing new cards to recipients in 2024, and Medicare does not make unsolicited calls to recipients asking for personal or private information. If you receive a call from anyone claiming to be calling on behalf of Medicare asking if you received a new Medicare card or seeking personal identifying information, it is a scam, and consumers who receive calls should hang up immediately, according to the release.

Call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) for all Medicare-related inquiries. Complaints can be made to your local police department and by calling the Consumer Hotline at 271-3641 or by visiting doj.nh.gov/consumer/complaints/index.htm.

Renovations at New Hampshire Hospital

The New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) announced in a March 26 press release the completion of construction in the “E” Unit at New Hampshire Hospital (NHH), a unit that was designed for children, has been renovated to accommodate the adult population, and reopened on Monday, April 1, bringing 12 more psychiatric beds online and increasing NHH capacity to 164 beds. Further renovations will bring six more beds online by May for a total capacity of 170 beds to serve adults. In a similar fashion the “F” unit continues with renovations, with the intention of NHH being at full capacity of 185 beds later in the year, according to the same release.

Increasing inpatient bed capacity is a component of “Mission Zero,” the Department’s plan to eliminate an occurrence known as “ED boarding,” where people in acute behavioral health crisis seek care in medical emergency departments while they wait for care in another setting. This was a top focus outlined in New Hampshire’s 10-Year Mental Health Plan.

Lori Weaver, DHHS Commissioner, said in a statement that “as we make steady advancements in our work toward eliminating ED boarding in New Hampshire, the increase in bed capacity at New Hampshire Hospital will help reduce wait times for people who need inpatient psychiatric care. However, inpatient capacity-building is just one part of a multi-pronged effort to eliminate the wait list. The mental health system continues to make strides in many of our Mission Zero strategies that will help reduce the need for, and length of, inpatient psychiatric admissions.” Visit dhhs.nh.gov for more information.

Visit the Spring Craft Fair in Tilton on Saturday, April 13, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Winnisquam Regional High School (435 W. Main St.), where there will be a myriad of crafters and vendors.

On Wednesday, April 17, from 4:30 to 6 p.m. at Gibson’s Bookstore in Concord (45 S. Main St., gibsonsbookstore.com) the Poetry Society of New Hampshire will host an afternoon of verse with this month’s headliner, Miriam Levine, and an open mic follows her reading.

Stratham Historical Society holds its annual spring appraisal day Sunday, April 14, from 1 to 3 p.m. at the Stratham Firehouse (4 Winnicutt Road). Experts will appraise antiques and collectibles for a small fee; a limit of five items is recommended. See strathamnh.gov/historical-society (click Meetings and Programs) or call 778-0434 for details.

Manchester budget

According to a March 28 press release, Manchester Mayor Jay Ruais outlined the city’s budget when he delivered the FY 2025 budget address before a special meeting of the Board of Mayor and Aldermen. The budget included a historically high 4 percent cost of living adjustment.

Ruais detailed several decisions made to reduce spending, including the elimination of $792,957 from the Cash CIP project line, and did not allocate funding for $1,839,748 in department requests, according to the press release.

Mayor Ruais said in a statement that a “hiring freeze will continue for non-emergency personnel until our fiscal condition dictates otherwise.”

In regard to the school budget, Mayor Ruais said in a statement, “we were able to invest an additional $1 million into our School District. The $227 million we are proposing to allocate … represents the most ever allocated by the City of Manchester.”

Public safety and first responders garnered funding for mental health clinicians for the Manchester Police Department, the retention of 10 police officers previously funded by the federal government, and the hiring six additional police officers since Jan. 2 as well as $100,000 for firefighter protective gear and $3 million in upgrades to city fleet including MTA, Police, Fire and Highway Departments, according to the press release.

The budget allocates money from the FY 2025 CDBG and ESG programs to end homelessness such as Families in Transition, which will receive $70,000 for family emergency housing. WayPoint will receive $89,000 for their homeless youth shelter, YWCA will receive $70,000 for Emily’s Place, and 1269 Café will receive $50,000 to double its residential room capacity, according to the same release.

The press release also mentions the allocation of $1.65 million of federal funds to help construct 45 units of affordable housing on the Pearl Street parking lot.

The budget also includes investing $5.3 million in road infrastructure and improvements, allocating $1 million toward sidewalk maintenance and upgrades to promote pedestrian safety and investing $1 million in park renovations, upgrades and maintenance that includes significant playground renovations at Livingston, Wolfe and Howe parks and an additional allocation of $200,000 for a league partnership program, according to the same release.

Further community investment includes $50,000 for the Manchester Police Athletic League CHOICES program, $20,000 to Hillsborough County Child Advocacy, $110,000 to Manchester Community Resource Center, $42,000 to Meals on Wheels, $100,000 for Fun in the Sun summer camps for students in grades 1 to 7, and $150,000 to six agencies to provide youth services counseling, according to the same release. Visit manchesternh.gov/Government/Mayor-and-Aldermen/Mayors-Office/Press-Room.

Funding for shelters

A March 27 press release stated that the Executive Council approved $8.5 million in funding for local emergency shelter services supporting individuals experiencing or at risk of homelessness while $6.74 million of those funds approved were allocated in Gov. Sununu’s FY2024-2025 budget. This includes $1,929,200 to Families in Transition serving Hillsborough County, $1,446,900 to New Hampshire Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence with statewide services, $1,019,200 to Cross Roads House in Rockingham County, $773,500 to Southwestern Community Services serving Cheshire and Sullivan counties, $755,300 to The Salvation Army serving Belknap and Merrimack counties, $464,100 to The Front Door Agency serving Hillsborough County, $436,800 to Hundred Nights serving Cheshire County, $419,200 to Nashua Soup Kitchen and Shelter serving Hillsborough County, $291,200 to Marguerite’s Place serving Hillsborough County, $263,900 to My Friend’s Place serving Strafford County, $254,800 to The Friends Program serving Merrimack County, $236,600 to Tri-County Community Action Program serving Coos and Grafton counties, and $209,300 to New Hampshire Catholic Charities serving Rockingham County, according to the release.

McAuliffe art competition

According to a March 29 press release, the Christa McAuliffe State House Memorial Commission announced the creation of a student arts-based competition to correspond with the creation, installation and unveiling of the new Christa McAuliffe Memorial in 2024. Submissions for the arts-based competition will consist of three categories — a visual art medium, poetry, and an essay shorter than 1,000 words — and will be divided into three grade levels — K-4, 5-8, and 9-2, according to the same release.

The contest’s theme is the life and work of Christa McAuliffe, a longtime educator and selectee of the NASA Teacher in Space Project. Winners will be recognized at the unveiling ceremony. All submissions must be entirely original, not utilize any form of artificial intelligence software, and must be delivered by Saturday, June 1, according to the release. Physical submissions must be sent to the McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center (Attention Jeanne Gerulskis), 2 Institute Drive, Concord, NH 03301, and works of writing must be sent in a word processing document to [email protected].

At Gibson’s Bookstore in Concord (45 S. Main St.) on Wednesday, April 10, at 6:30 p.m., Concord author Renee Plodzik, APRN, returns to discuss her book Eat Well Move Often 2. Plodzik will share nutrition and wellness practices to help cancer survivors and the community stay strong, according to the event website. Visit gibsonsbookstore.com or call 224-0562.

On Thursday, April 4, at 7 p.m. the Exploring Aviation presentation series at the Aviation Museum of New Hampshire (27 Navigator Road in Londonderry) presents a User’s Guide to the 2024 Total Eclipse that will review everything you need to know about the rare total solar eclipse on Monday, April 8. Visit aviationmuseumofnh.org or call 669-4820.

Craft and Chat on the first and third Thursday of every month at Kelley Library (234 Main St. in Salem) from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Adults can gather, craft and chat. Participants are welcome to bring whatever project they are working on, according to their website. Visit kelleylibrary.org or call 898-7064.