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.