Category: News

Election prep

The New Hampshire Secretary of State’s Office will host training sessions for local election officials in preparation for the New Hampshire state primary election on Tuesday, Sept. 13. According to a press release, the sessions, open to moderators, clerks, selectmen, supervisors of the checklist and inspectors of election (ballot clerks), will provide a detailed overview of election law and the processes to be carried out by election officials before, during and after the state election. The sessions will be held in person in Atkinson, Campton, Colebrook, Conway, Gorham, Haverhill, Keene, Manchester, Newport, Portsmouth, Rindge and Wolfeboro, though on-demand training webinars will also be available for election officials who cannot attend the in-person sessions. Visit sos.nh.gov/elections/elections/election-officials.

The New Hampshire Secretary of State’s Office also announced that it will offer the Accessible Electronic Absentee Ballot system for the 2022 state primary, which will enable New Hampshire voters with print disabilities to securely request, receive and mark absentee ballots electronically from their own homes. According to a press release, “print disability” is defined as a physical disability that prevents a voter from marking a ballot or completing election forms using pen and paper. Voters using this system will then mail or deliver their marked absentee ballot to their town or city clerk; no votes will be sent or processed over the internet. Applications to use the system for the upcoming election can be downloaded at sos.nh.gov/elections/voters/register-vote/absentee/accessible-voting. (Applicants are permitted to type their name for their signature on the application and email the completed application to their local clerk.)

Dept. of Ed news

The New Hampshire Department of Education is partnering with Tutor.com to provide 24/7, unlimited access to free online tutoring for every middle and high school student in the state to help students recover from missed learning due to the pandemic. According to a press release, more than 100,000 students attending New Hampshire public, private and charter schools as well as students enrolled in home education and Education Freedom Account programs will be able to use the service anytime, anywhere and from any internet-connected device. The tutoring is offered one-to-one for test preparation and homework help, with support available in multiple languages. Students can interact with their personal tutors through their preference of communication method, which may include two-way text or voice chat. All tutors recruited by Tutor.com are vetted and undergo background checks. “This tutoring will not only facilitate and enhance learning, but serve as a tremendous resource for students hoping to enhance their educational experience, or those students in need of individualized instruction,” New Hampshire Education Commissioner Frank Edelblut said in the release. “This partnership will also support teachers in their ongoing efforts to assist students who may be struggling and seeking additional guidance.”

The New Hampshire Department of Education has also formed two additional partnerships to promote and strengthen literacy among students in the state. A partnership with Lexia Learning Systems, based in Concord, Mass., gives eligible New Hampshire educators access to Lexia’s Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling (LETRS) professional learning programs. According to a press release, the programs are designed to provide early childhood educators, elementary educators and education administrators with a deep knowledge of literacy and language instruction and the science behind reading, including phonological awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, comprehension and written language. A partnership with Güd Marketing, based in Lansing, Mich., has been established to launch a new statewide reading campaign. The campaign will include advertising, marketing and social media efforts as well as a video series, according to the release.

Opioid settlement

New Hampshire, Maine, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia and attorney generals from other states have reached a $450 million settlement with Ireland-based opioid producer Endo International and its lenders. According to a press release from New Hampshire Attorney General John M. Formella, Endo makes generic and branded opioids, including Percocet, Endocet and Opana ER, the last of which was withdrawn from the pharmaceutical market in 2017. The states allege that Endo used deceptive marketing for its opioid sales, downplaying the risk of addiction and overstating the benefits of opioids. The company, which has its U.S. headquarters in Malvern, Pennsylvania, filed for bankruptcy protection last week. In addition to the $450 million payment, the agreement in principle — pending final documentation and Bankruptcy Court approval — requires Endo to turn over millions of opioid-related documents for publication online in a public document archive and pay $2.75 million for the archival expenses and bans Endo from marketing opioids. “This settlement continues our efforts over many years to hold opioid manufacturers, distributors and dispensers responsible for their role in fueling the opioid crisis in New Hampshire,” Formella said in the release. “That crisis continues to wreak havoc in our communities and results in significant numbers of drug overdoses and deaths.” New Hampshire’s funds from the settlement will be dedicated to opioid treatment and prevention programs in the state.

The New Hampshire State Forest Nursery in Boscawen has continued to see record-breaking seedling sales this year. According to a press release, the total number of orders increased by 37.6 percent, income increased by 52 percent and the total number of seedlings lifted, sorted for quality, packaged and sold increased by 50.8 percent from 2021. Each year, the State Forest Nursery grows three million seedlings and has 20 acres dedicated to seed orchards and testing areas.

The New Hampshire Harm Reduction Coalition and Rights & Democracy Institute will host the Concord International Overdose Awareness Day Vigil on Wednesday, Aug. 31, which is International Overdose Awareness Day. Attendees are invited to gather at City Hall starting at 4 p.m., from where they’ll start walking to the Statehouse at 4:30 p.m. At the Statehouse starting at 5 p.m. there will be a program with music and speeches, culminating with the candlelight vigil at 6:30 p.m. Visit overdoseday.com/activities-2022.

The Bedford School District is faced with around 75 positions still left to fill before the school year starts. According to its website, paraprofessionals, custodians, food service workers and bus monitors are needed. Informational meetings will be held in the district’s SAU Boardroom (103 County Road) on Friday, Aug. 26, at 9 a.m. and Monday, Aug. 29, at 1 p.m.

Absentee voting

Absentee ballots for the 2022 New Hampshire state primary election are now available to voters. According to a press release from the Office of New Hampshire Secretary of State David M. Scanlan, the absentee ballots have been delivered to every city and town clerk’s office in the state, and qualifying voters may now request and obtain the ballots from their local clerk. The protocol and process of absentee voting for the upcoming election will be the same as those in the 2018 elections, before the pandemic — voters should disregard any Covid-related exceptions or special guidance pertaining to absentee voting that was issued for the 2020 elections. Voters may qualify for absentee voting if they cannot vote in person due to absence from the state on the day of the election; disability; or observance of a religious commitment in which they cannot appear in public. Voters can file their absentee ballots at their local clerk’s office in person anytime before Monday, Sept. 12, at 5 p.m.; assign a delivery agent to deliver the completed absentee ballot in the affidavit and mailing envelope to the clerk at the voter’s local polling place on election day, Tuesday, Sept. 13, by 5 p.m.; or mail their absentee ballot to their local clerk via the U.S. Postal Service. For more details about absentee voting and on how to request an absentee ballot, visit sos.nh.gov/elections/voters/absentee-ballots. Voters can check the status of their absentee ballot using the voter information lookup tool at app.sos.nh.gov/viphome.

Addressing youth homelessness

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development will award a two-year $2.2 million grant to New Hampshire to address youth homelessness in the state, the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services announced in a press release. The grant, made possible through HUD’s Youth Homelessness Demonstration Program, will support New Hampshire’s Coordinated Community Plan for the Balance of State Continuum of Care, which covers the geographic areas outside of Manchester and Greater Nashua, in efforts to prevent and end youth homelessness by funding the development and maintenance of housing programs serving youth and navigators serving as the first point of contact for youth seeking services. A portion of the grant will also be allocated to nonprofit organizations that provide housing and other services to youth experiencing homelessness, including Waypoint, the Tri-County Community Action Partnership, The Upper Room, and the Claremont Learning Partnership for the Balance of State CoC; and Waypoint and the Home for Little Wanderers for the Manchester CoC. An additional $1.2 million in funding to address youth homelessness is expected to be awarded to the Manchester Continuum of Care.

Monkeypox hotline

Dartmouth Health in Lebanon has established a hotline to address concerns and answer questions from the public about monkeypox. According to a press release, the hotline number is 650-1818 and is operational Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturday from 8 a.m. to noon — it’s closed on Sunday. The New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services identified what it believed to be the first case of monkeypox in the state in late June, and the monkeypox outbreak was declared a national health emergency on Aug. 4. Caused by a virus that is categorized in the same group as the smallpox virus, monkeypox can produce symptoms such as fever, headache, exhaustion, muscle aches, sore throat, cough, swollen lymph nodes and a skin rash and may last for two to four weeks. Transmission typically requires close interaction or physical contact. According to the Dartmouth Health release, anyone who believes they have contracted or come into contact with the monkeypox virus should isolate at home and consult their primary care provider and can call the hotline for more information.

Work-based learning

The New Hampshire Department of Education recently announced a new program, Work as Learning, which will provide up to 1,000 secondary school students in the state with authentic work experiences and hands-on learning opportunities to help them prepare for future employment during the upcoming school year. One hundred eighty-two local employers have registered with the program, according to a press release from NHED, to offer career exploration or work-based learning experiences in the form of subsidized paid internships to secondary school students. The students are hired at a wage of at least $15 per hour and receive academic credit. Leveraging up to $2.5 million in federal Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief funds, NHED will reimburse participating employers up to $7.50 per hour for up to 480 hours. Interested employers can visit awato.co for more information on how to register with the program. Interested students can reach out to Nicole Levesque at [email protected].

Expanding opportunities

The New Hampshire Department of Education’s Bureau of Vocational Rehabilitation has been creating and building on initiatives to serve and provide ongoing support for New Hampshire residents of all ages who are blind or vision-impaired. According to a press release from NHED, such initiatives include the Silver Retreats — an intensive five-day retreat for older individuals who are losing their sight — and Interdisciplinary Collaborative Engagement and Youth Empowerment Solutions programs for the state’s blind, vision-impaired and deaf-blind Pre-Employment Transition Services and transitioned-age youth ages 14 to 22. These programs provide in-person and remote instruction with engaging activities designed to help participants develop skills for independent living and employment. “Providing these resources at both ends of the age spectrum is critical, as it empowers blind people and gives them a sense of independence so that they can reach greater potential in employment and retirement,” Daniel Frye, administrator for the Bureau’s Services for the Blind and Vision Impaired and a blind individual himself, said in the release. Anyone looking for more information about these programs can call Frye at 271-3814 or email him at [email protected].

The New England Racing Museum in Loudon (922 Route 106) will host a Hot Rods, Muscle and More car show on Saturday, Aug. 27, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The show will feature more than 150 vehicles of all makes, models and years and will award 21 trophies. The cost is $5 per person, with kids under age 12 admitted free, and proceeds will support the mission of the museum. Visit nemsmuseum.com.

The New Hampshire Fisher Cats are hosting Nitro Circus at Northeast Delta Dental Stadium in Manchester (1 Line Drive) on Thursday, Aug. 25, at 7 p.m. Tickets range from $29 to $250 and are available at ticketreturn.com. Visit nitrocircus.com to learn more about the event and see videos of the action.

Bedford police received multiple calls on Aug. 11 from residents saying their mailboxes had been damaged overnight. It was determined that more than 30 mailboxes had been damaged across several streets in town. According to an email from the department, police are requesting that people check their surveillance or home security video footage from late at night on Wednesday, Aug. 10, through early in the morning on Thursday, Aug. 11, and share any footage of suspicious activity.