Crime stats
Calling 2023 “a year of great progress for this agency,” the Manchester Police Department reported that “we have continued a trend of crime reduction” according to the message from police chief Allen Aldenberg in the department’s 2023 Annual Report, which is available on the police department’s website (manchesternh.gov/Departments/Police). According to the report, “the violent crime rate for 2023 decreased by 8 percent compared to 2022 and was down 32 percent compared to the 10-year average,” with 482 violent offenses reported in 2023.
The report did list 8 murders in 2023 (compared to 5 in 2022), 51 reported rapes (compared to 38 reported rapes in 2022) and 99 robberies (compared to 87 in 2022), with aggravated assault being the number that decreased in the violent crime category — 294 in 2023 to 355 in 2022.
There were 2,309 property offenses, which is a 21 percent decrease from 2022 and a 27 percent decrease compared to the 10-year average, the report said. “Overall, Manchester’s total crime rate decreased by 19% compared to 2022 and decreased 36% compared to the 10-year average,” according to the report.
Militello nominated for Poet Laureate
According to a Press Release from March 22, New Hampshire’s Executive Council has confirmed Gov. Chris Sununu’s nomination of Jennifer Militello of Goffstown as the next New Hampshire Poet Laureate. Militello will serve a five-year term beginning in April as an ambassador for all poets in the Granite State and will work to heighten the visibility and value of poetry in the state, according to the same release.
The New Hampshire Poet Laureate position includes an honorarium of $1,000 for each year of the five-year term to help the next Poet Laureate achieve their stated mission with contributions from the Walter Butts’ New Hampshire Poet Laureate Fund and coordinated through the Poetry Society of New Hampshire, which also contributes to the honorarium, according to the same release.
Militello is an acclaimed poet, author and teacher and has supported poetry in New Hampshire throughout her life, including as a founding director of the New Hampshire Poetry Festival and Director of the MFA Program in Creative Writing at New England College, according to the press release. She has written five books of poetry and won the Dzanc Nonfiction Prize, with her third book of poetry, Body Thesaurus (Tupelo Press, 2013), named one of the top books of 2013 by Best American Poetry, according to the release..
In a statement, Militello said, “New Hampshire boasts one of the richest poetry traditions in the nation, and it will be my deepest honor to celebrate and nurture that statewide love of poetry as New Hampshire’s next Poet Laureate.”
Melanie Chicoine, President of the Poetry Society of New Hampshire, said in a statement, “Jennifer’s passion for poetry is evident in all she has accomplished in both writing and teaching. … We are excited for the opportunities we know Jennifer will bring to the poetry community across New Hampshire and in the surrounding communities.” The New Hampshire Poet Laureate is an honorary five-year position and was established by the state legislature in 1967. Visit the NH Poet Laureate page at psnh.org and see nh.gov/nharts/artsandartists/poetlaureate.html.
New Arts Council logo wanted
The New Hampshire State Council on the Arts will celebrate its 60th anniversary in 2025 and is seeking an artist to design and create a new logo to appear on the Council’s print and electronic materials starting in 2025, according to a press release. The logo development will be a collaborative process with Arts Council staff as they review proposals and select artists to interview, and selected artists are expected to work cooperatively with the Council staff to make necessary adjustments to the proposals.
This opportunity is open to professional artists over 18 years old, and the New Hampshire State Council on the Arts will honor the copyright and intellectual property rights of artists submitting proposals, according to the press release. A total budget of $2,500 has been allocated to commission this project, including artist-design fees, any associated travel costs, and insurance. The deadline for submission is April 5. For details and the full request for proposal, see www.nh.gov/nharts/aboutus/newnhscalogo.htm.
Poetry Out Loud
The New Hampshire State Council on the Arts announced in a March 18 press release that Morgan Cole from Portsmouth High School is the winner of the 2024 New Hampshire Poetry Out Loud High School Championship, and George Fortin from Holderness School was selected as alternate champion.
Cole will represent New Hampshire at the national finals, which are scheduled to take place in Washington, D.C., April 30 through May 2. Visit nh.gov/nharts.
The 10th annual “Easing Heartbreak Hill 5K: Don’t Forget Your Wings” will take place on Saturday, March 30, from 10 a.m. to noon in Concord (2 Delta Dental Drive). The event website said that this race is featured as part of one runner’s fundraising efforts for Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the official charity of the 2024 Boston Marathon (Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge) with all race proceeds going toward Beth’s goal of $13,100 for cancer research at Dana-Farber. Registration is $25. Visit www.eventbrite.com/e/easing-heartbreak-hill-5k-dont-forget-your-wings-tickets-787223776507
Saint Anselm College’s women’s softball team will play two home games on Saturday, March 30, at noon and 2 p.m. against the Assumption Greyhounds at the South Athletic Fields at Saint Anselm College in Manchester (100 Saint Anselm Dr.). Games are free. Visit saintanselmhawks.com.
Tickets are on sale now to see authors Joe Hill and Michael Koryta in conversation on Monday, April 1, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at Nashua Public Library (2 Court St. in Nashua). Tickets are $10, or $39 for admission and a book, plus fees, via nashualibrary.org; admission ticket sales end March 31 and ticket-plus-book sales end March 29.