Ray Wieczorek
Former Manchester mayor Raymond J. Wieczorek died on Nov. 22 at Catholic Medical Center at the age of 93. According to his obituary, which appeared in the Union Leader, Wieczorek’s public service included five terms as mayor of Manchester, from 1990 to 2000, and then six terms as Executive Councilor for the State of New Hampshire, from 2002 to 2012. “Mayor Wieczorek cared deeply about this city, and many of our beloved institutions, like the Manchester-Boston Regional Airport and the SNHU Arena, were made possible by his hard work. My thoughts are with his family and loved ones during this difficult time,” said Manchester Mayor Joyce Craig in a statement. A funeral was held for Wieczorek on Nov. 28 and included a procession past City Hall, where past Manchester mayors joined Craig in paying their respects, according to the Union Leader coverage.
Nashua Center for the Arts
A grand opening for the long-awaited Nashua Center for the Arts has been announced. According to the venue’s Facebook page, the celebration will take place on April 1, 2023, followed by a full schedule of local, regional and national acts through the spring and into the summer, including Suzanne Vega on April 15, Beauty and the Beast performed by the Safe Haven Ballet on April 22, Symphony NH’s 100 Year Anniversary Concert on April 29, The Rush Tribute Project on May 19, Celebrating Billy Joel on June 8, Grace Kelly on June 17 and Jake Shimabukuro on July 16. Tickets will go on sale on Friday, Dec. 2, at 10 a.m., with more events to be announced on Dec. 6. Call 1-800-657-8774 or visit nashuacenterforthearts.com.
School safety
Gov. Chris Sununu and the Executive Council have approved $9,873,605.40 for school safety funding in New Hampshire. According to a press release, the funds, authorized as part of the Security Action for Education grant program and distributed through the Governor’s Office for Emergency Relief and Recovery, will support 335 projects at 231 public schools and 18 non-public schools, with a cap of $100,000 per school. “School safety is an absolute priority in New Hampshire, and this latest round of SAFE grants will work to ensure that schools are prepared and supplied with new technology and other advancements to enhance school safety and the protection of our children,” Frank Edelblut, New Hampshire education commissioner, said in the release. The funds are in addition to $3.9 million in SAFE grants awarded earlier this year to 92 public schools in the state.
Rental assistance
The Executive Council has approved an item from the Governor’s Office for Emergency Relief and Recovery to divert federal funds that were originally allocated in August 2021 for the resettlement of 250 Afghan evacuees in the state toward statewide rental assistance, NHPR reported. In October, New Hampshire Housing announced that it would be forced to put its New Hampshire Emergency Rental Assistance Program on pause after the U.S. Treasury announced that New Hampshire will not receive any additional resources to continue the program beyond Dec. 29. The approved item will reduce funding for the resettlement of the Afgan evacuees from $408,330 to $242,000, with the difference of $166,330 being used to support the state’s emergency rental assistance program.
Mobile clinic
The Health Care for the Homeless Program of Manchester, a collaboration between the City of Manchester Health Department and Catholic Medical Center, is launching a new mobile clinic for homeless and medically underserved people of all ages in the city. Manchester Mobile Health Care will be staffed with members of CMC’s Street Medicine Team, according to a press release, and will provide medical checkups, bloodwork, vaccinations and counseling. “This will undoubtedly expand our reach and allow us to creatively get to individuals who otherwise would not have care,” Anna Thomas, public health director for the City of Manchester Health Department, said in the release. “That is critically important as we enter the winter months, when those without stable housing are even more vulnerable.” The mobile clinic will be regularly stationed at the Families in Transition Adult Emergency Shelter on Manchester Street and at the Manchester Recovery & Treatment Center on Wilson Street.
603 Equality, the Reproductive Freedom Fund of New Hampshire and GunSense NH (a project of Granite State Progress) held a solidarity candlelight vigil at the Statehouse in Concord on Nov. 22 to remember the LGBTQIA+ lives lost at Club Q in Colorado in November.
Double Midnight Comics & Collectibles in Manchester announced that it’s moving from its current location on Maple Street to The Factory (252 Willow St. in Manchester) on Jan. 5, according to a post on Double Midnight’s Facebook page.
Merrimack’s holiday parade and tree lighting will be held Sunday, Dec. 4. The parade will start at 3 p.m. at 515 Daniel Webster Hwy. and the tree lighting will be at 3:45 p.m. at Abbie Griffin Park (6 Baboosic Lake Road). See merrimackparksandrec.org.
