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Outlaw telemarketers for a happier New Year
To the Editor: I have asked Senator Howard Pearl to introduce a bill to outlaw telemarketers from free calls to people unless they have asked to be called. I received more than 31 calls in three hours and being ill I didn’t need to be disturbed while trying to take doctor’s orders to rest. Please introduce and co-sponsor any bill to stop telemarketing calls.
Please ask any friends in every state to request same of their state and federal representatives.
HARRIET E. CADY | 2022-12-21T07:21:32Z | www.unionleader.com | Letter: Outlaw telemarketers | Letters to the Editor | unionleader.com | https://www.unionleader.com/opinion/letters_to_editor/letter-outlaw-telemarketers/article_60aa8a33-15a1-52cc-afb7-eca2f06be67c.html | https://www.unionleader.com/opinion/letters_to_editor/letter-outlaw-telemarketers/article_60aa8a33-15a1-52cc-afb7-eca2f06be67c.html |
Unanswered question for Jan. 6th committee
To the Editor: What’s missing from the January 6th committee presentations is a discussion of the gallows on Capitol grounds.
Who built the gallows? Who planned it? Who paid for the lumber, nails, screws and rope? It takes time to build something like that. Why didn’t the Capitol police put a stop to it? Is there video of it’s construction.
Appleton Street, Manchester | 2022-12-21T07:21:38Z | www.unionleader.com | Letter: Unanswered question for Jan. 6th committee | Letters to the Editor | unionleader.com | https://www.unionleader.com/opinion/letters_to_editor/letter-unanswered-question-for-jan-6th-committee/article_16136e1c-251a-5338-bd05-1fe2cbd22d1a.html | https://www.unionleader.com/opinion/letters_to_editor/letter-unanswered-question-for-jan-6th-committee/article_16136e1c-251a-5338-bd05-1fe2cbd22d1a.html |
Maria Devlin
Roy Tilsley
Every few days, one of those folks, with our assistance, finds housing options, treatment, a job or health care. We celebrate someone walking out of our shelter for the last time, yet almost immediately there is another person walking in. We are proud of our efforts, which we feel are almost taken for granted nowadays.
The adult shelter costs roughly $1.7 million dollars to operate. The program receives no funding from the City of Manchester and receives roughly $400 thousand annually in state aid. Every year the program starts with a major financial deficit. Private donations, generous residents and kind-hearted corporations are funding the homeless response for adults, not the city, and not enough from the state.
We have spent years advocating, in partnership with the state Department of Health and Human Services, to secure sustainable emergency shelter funding increases but with no success.
So, the juxtaposition of Mark Hayward’s article proclaiming, “Aldermen: Shelter Should Help People in Tents Outside,” with the link to an article about an encampment fire under the I-293 bridge would be almost humorous if it wasn’t so infuriating. The litany of heart-wrenching stories from the encampments underscores how many resources would be needed to adequately monitor encampment activities. It is why communities have been so perplexed as to how to handle encampments. FIT is already short-staffed for those we care for inside the shelter, it is significantly short-sighted to assume the organization could possibly monitor an encampment.
A news article about our partner, the 1269 Café warming station mentioned they had to close one of two indoor bathrooms because they couldn’t adequately monitor the activity. Even making bathrooms available requires greater staffing and oversight resources. Imagine monitoring an entire encampment.
Homelessness is a multi-organizational, systemic, and statewide problem to solve. FIT is at the table; we have been all along. But Alderman Pat Long’s suggestion that addressing encampments is solely our responsibility is simply not helpful. We are already stretched to the breaking point.
We have made clear to city officials that FIT cannot take on the responsibility of the encampment that has been allowed on the sidewalk outside our shelter. Alderman Long has now responded by stating he will “take a look at” the city funding of $80,000 to FIT. To clarify, this $80K supports our family shelter serving 11 families with a 60-family waitlist. How do we advocate for ourselves when a statement such as this feels like a threat to our critical resources to sheltering vulnerable families?
FIT recognizes the challenge facing our community in balancing best interests, services, and individual homeless rights. As has been said about the encampments on the sidewalks, these individuals have a constitutional right to be there, provided they don’t block passers-by. Despite all of this, we continue to collaborate with the city and other agencies to provide outreach and offer beds, when available, to those in the encampment around our shelter, some who have accepted support, and others not ready yet.
The risks outside of our shelter are becoming significant. We join the voices of concern from our neighbors about the health and safety conditions around our facility. Its impact on our shelter operations and our community are substantial. However, FIT will not be responsible for running an encampment and cannot continue to have one impacting our shelter operations daily.
Families in Transition agrees with Alderman Long — more needs to be done. FIT is at the table to support other organizations and the city. It takes more than one organization to answer the need and local officials need to be part of the solution. Blaming a nonprofit for not solving the problem will not shame us into doing more than we are able.
Maria Devlin is president and CEO of Families in Transition in Manchester. Roy Tilsley chairs its board. | 2022-12-21T07:21:44Z | www.unionleader.com | Roy Tilsley & Maria Devlin: Blaming FIT won't fix it | Op-eds | unionleader.com | https://www.unionleader.com/opinion/op-eds/roy-tilsley-maria-devlin-blaming-fit-wont-fix-it/article_210e6655-a489-5dfa-a83a-84ffb3c4ae2f.html | https://www.unionleader.com/opinion/op-eds/roy-tilsley-maria-devlin-blaming-fit-wont-fix-it/article_210e6655-a489-5dfa-a83a-84ffb3c4ae2f.html |
FILE PHOTO: Pipes at the landfall facilities of the 'Nord Stream 1' gas pipeline are pictured in Lubmin, Germany, March 8, 2022.
By Shane Harris, John Hudson, Missy Ryan and Michael Birnbaum The Washington Post
Some went so far as to say they didn't think Russia was responsible. Others who still consider Russia a prime suspect said positively attributing the attack - to any country - may be impossible.
Given the relatively shallow depth of the damaged pipelines - approximately 80 yards at the site of one explosion - a number of different actors could theoretically have pulled off the attack, possibly with the use of submersible drones or with the aid of surface ships, officials said. The list of suspects isn't limited only to countries that possess manned submarines or deep-sea demolitions expertise.
Regardless of the perpetrator, Haavisto said that for Finland, which isn't a Nord Stream client, "The lesson learned is that it shows how vulnerable our energy network, our undersea cables, internet . . . are for all kinds of terrorists."
The Washington Post's Souad Mekhennet and Meg Kelly contributed to this report. | 2022-12-21T14:36:30Z | www.unionleader.com | No conclusive evidence Russia is behind Nord Stream attack | Military | unionleader.com | https://www.unionleader.com/news/military/no-conclusive-evidence-russia-is-behind-nord-stream-attack/article_aa87fd5a-f53f-5962-8e67-ae5fb2a50179.html | https://www.unionleader.com/news/military/no-conclusive-evidence-russia-is-behind-nord-stream-attack/article_aa87fd5a-f53f-5962-8e67-ae5fb2a50179.html |
CONCORD — The state Executive Council voted 3-2 today to approve the $21.5 million sale of the former Laconia State School property to private developers despite financial questions raised over of some key members of the chosen team.
Gov. Chris Sununu hailed the decision, noting it’s been “25 years in coming” to obtain state support to sell the scenic, 220-acre parcel overlooking Lake Winnisquam.
Councilor Cinde Warmington, D-Concord, said a two-week delay of the vote helped secure Laconia Mayor Andrew Hosmer’s support for the project after developers met their concerns.
But Councilor Ted Gatsas, R-Manchester, criticized the refusal of state officials to have sought and given to the council detailed financials on the key investors in this $500 million project to include nearly 1,900 units of housing along with a convention center/hotel complex.
“We can all say we are in a good place. My bet is we are going to be back here nine months from now revisiting this,” Gatsas said.
Councilor Joe Kenney R-Wakefield, noted that even if the development plan does not go forward, the first phase to demolish buildings and upgrade water/sewer lines will add value to the property.
“We don’t know what is going to pop out of this as we travel down the Yellow Brick Road on this development project,” Kenney said using a “Wizard of Oz” metaphor for the odyssey of this Lakes Region development.
“I hope we get to Emerald City,” he quipped.
Councilor Janet Stevens, R-Rye, joined Warmington and Kenney in support. Councilor David Wheeler, R-Milford, joined Gatsas against it, arguing for another two-week delay to permit more public comment.
The development will include 340 single-family, duplex or triplex homes, half priced as “entry-level,” 108 condominiums, 500 apartments -- 120 designated as “workforce housing” -- and 350 townhouses.
The site also will have 360 units of independent living units for seniors along with 230 assisted care units.
Along with housing, the project envisions a convention center that seats 1,000 people and urgent care, childcare and pharmacy facilities on that site.
The state would net $20.4 million from the purchase, with the CBRE, an international real estate firm, receiving $1.1 million or 5% as its commission for acting as the state’s agent that marketed the property over the past year. | 2022-12-21T19:49:15Z | www.unionleader.com | Former Laconia State School property clears Exec Council | State | unionleader.com | https://www.unionleader.com/news/politics/state/former-laconia-state-school-property-clears-exec-council/article_a7ec28fe-a621-53f1-8bc3-7b022f9eb1e5.html | https://www.unionleader.com/news/politics/state/former-laconia-state-school-property-clears-exec-council/article_a7ec28fe-a621-53f1-8bc3-7b022f9eb1e5.html |
President Joe Biden welcomes Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky as first lady Jill Biden looks on at the South Lawn of the White House in Washington on Wednesday. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque
Ukraine's Zelensky arrives in Washington seeking 'weapons, weapons and more weapons'
By Steve Holland and Pavel Polityuk Reuters
WASHINGTON/KYIV -- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in Washington on Wednesday to meet President Joe Biden, address Congress and seek "weapons, weapons and more weapons" in his first overseas trip since Russia invaded Ukraine 300 days ago.
Zelensky said ahead of his visit that it was meant to strengthen Ukraine's "resilience and defense capabilities" amid repeated Russian missile and drone attacks on the country's energy and water supplies in the dead of winter.
."..Weapons, weapons and more weapons. It is important to personally explain why we need certain types of weapons," Podolyak said. "In particular, armored vehicles, the latest missile defense systems and long-range missiles."
Zelensky has made a point of staying close to his people during the war, with daring trips to battlefronts, countless calls with world leaders and videolink speeches to parliaments and international institutions.
In Washington, he met Biden at the White House at 2:30 p.m., participated in a joint news conference with the president and then went to Capitol Hill to address a joint session of the Senate and House of Representatives.
Moscow then focused on advancing along eastern and southern fronts but has suffered a string of battlefield defeats since the summer -- amid widespread reports of disorganization, poor training and shoddy gear -- and on Tuesday Putin conceded that conditions in Russian-held areas were "highly complicated."
Putin also said he still considered Ukrainians -- who have been killed in their tens of thousands, forced to flee in their millions, and seen whole towns and cities destroyed -- to be a "brotherly" people.
He blamed the war on "third countries (seeking) the disintegration of the Russian world," revisiting a familiar theme. The West has rejected this as nonsense, calling Russian actions in Ukraine an imperial-style land grab.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, likened Zelensky's quest to Britain's World War II leader Winston Churchill, who sought U.S. aid against Nazi Germany.
"Where Winston Churchill stood generations ago, so too President Zelensky stands not just as a president, but also as an ambassador of freedom itself," the top Senate Democrat said. "Now is not the time...to take our foot off the gas when it comes to helping Ukraine."
On Tuesday, Zelensky had made a surprise trip to Bakhmut, an eastern frontline city shattered by months of Russian bombardment. He handed out medals to soldiers and underlining the importance of Bakhmut's defense against Russia's sputtering but persistent attempts to capture the city.
"We will turn it over to the Congress and to the U.S. president from the guys," Zelensky said in the video. "We are grateful for the support. But it's not enough." | 2022-12-21T19:49:21Z | www.unionleader.com | Ukraine's Zelensky arrives in Washington seeking 'weapons, weapons and more weapons' | Politics | unionleader.com | https://www.unionleader.com/news/politics/ukraines-zelensky-arrives-in-washington-seeking-weapons-weapons-and-more-weapons/article_689e0f57-8a5b-5f24-aedc-5a3d65fcdfc6.html | https://www.unionleader.com/news/politics/ukraines-zelensky-arrives-in-washington-seeking-weapons-weapons-and-more-weapons/article_689e0f57-8a5b-5f24-aedc-5a3d65fcdfc6.html |
Billionaire Elon Musk said on Tuesday he will step down as chief executive of Twitter Inc. once he finds a replacement, but will still run some key divisions of the social media platform.
Tesla Inc.'s shares, which have lost about 60% of their value since Musk made the offer for Twitter back in April, rose about 1% on Wednesday.
The poll results capped a whirlwind week that included changes to Twitter's privacy policy and the suspension -- and reinstatement -- of journalists' accounts that drew condemnation from news organizations, advocacy groups and officials across Europe. | 2022-12-21T19:49:27Z | www.unionleader.com | Musk to step down as Twitter CEO once he finds 'someone foolish' enough as successor | Science & Technology | unionleader.com | https://www.unionleader.com/news/scitech/musk-to-step-down-as-twitter-ceo-once-he-finds-someone-foolish-enough-as-successor/article_bbbc9866-d628-5160-b3ba-7154c32ef5c8.html | https://www.unionleader.com/news/scitech/musk-to-step-down-as-twitter-ceo-once-he-finds-someone-foolish-enough-as-successor/article_bbbc9866-d628-5160-b3ba-7154c32ef5c8.html |
By Lisa Schencker Chicago Tribune
But nearly everyone who passes Moxi the robot at Elmhurst Hospital in Elmhurst, Illinois, can’t help but goggle at it, as it slowly rolls through hallways and corridors.
The robot is roughly human-shaped, stands about 5 feet tall and, perhaps most strikingly, has big blue eyes, reminiscent of circles on a Lite Brite screen, that occasionally blink.
For months, Moxi robots have been roaming the halls of at least three Chicago-area hospitals. They deliver medication and shuttle supplies and small pieces of equipment across the facilities. It’s the latest strategy aimed at dealing with a nationwide shortage of nurses and other medical workers that has left many hospitals scrambling for help.
The idea behind the robots is to give nurses more time with patients and perform higher level care, rather than asking them to take 10 or 15 minutes to walk an item across the hospital. Many hospitals have pneumatic tube systems for delivering certain items across the hospital, but not all medications and equipment can go through the tubes, either because they’re too bulky or must be handled with care. | 2022-12-21T22:10:18Z | www.unionleader.com | Jetsons-style robots are invading Chicago-area hospitals, amid worker shortage | Back Page | unionleader.com | https://www.unionleader.com/news/back_page/jetsons-style-robots-are-invading-chicago-area-hospitals-amid-worker-shortage/article_6177049b-fdd2-51a4-bdd8-80a2ba463b54.html | https://www.unionleader.com/news/back_page/jetsons-style-robots-are-invading-chicago-area-hospitals-amid-worker-shortage/article_6177049b-fdd2-51a4-bdd8-80a2ba463b54.html |
Dems' state chair fires back at DNC over primary plans
The head of the New Hampshire Democratic Party has accused the Democratic National Committee of punishing voters here, calling plans to change the party’s presidential primary schedule a “poison pill” that could hurt Democrats’ chances in future elections.
State Party Chairman Ray Buckley sent a letter to DNC Chairman Jaime Harrison Tuesday, saying new requirements adopted by the DNC earlier this month for states to participate in early nominating contests are impossible for the Granite State to achieve.
The DNC says New Hampshire must change the state law requiring that its presidential primary be first in the nation, an honored tradition since 1920.
The new rules also say New Hampshire must expand access to early voting.
“These provisions would effectively end the New Hampshire primary as we know it, removing it from the pre-primary window for the foreseeable future and depriving voters of a deliberative presidential process that prioritizes retail, face-to-face politics on a level playing field,” Buckley’s letter states.
A copy of the letter was sent to the New Hampshire Union Leader by the state Democratic Party.
“The DNC is requiring New Hampshire’s Republican governor, Republican Senate majority leader, and Republican House majority to comply with Democrats’ demands and move the date of the primary,” Buckley wrote.
“Already, Republican Gov. Chris Sununu has declared the proposal: ‘dead on arrival.’ Republican Senate Majority Leader Jeb Bradley echoed his sentiments, saying of the DNC’s request: ‘Not happening. Not happening at all.’ With these declarations, there is nothing that the New Hampshire Democratic Party can do to comply with the DNC’s demands.”
In the letter, Buckley pointed out that New Hampshire is the only early-nominating contest state being asked to change its laws to accommodate the party’s new rules. He said if New Hampshire loses its first-primary status, it would alienate independent voters and negatively impact Democrats in the Granite State.
“New Hampshire is a critical battleground state for Democrats — one that delivered to President Biden the votes he needed in the U.S. House and Senate to implement critical parts of his agenda like the Inflation Reduction Act. Our state will be critical to his re-election in 2024,” Buckley wrote. “It is our hope that the people of New Hampshire are not penalized by arbitrary and unfair requirements placed on them by the DNC, and that these requirements do not punish our Democratic delegation and President Biden in the elections to come.”
Earlier this month, national Democratic Party officials approved a calendar that calls for New Hampshire and Nevada to share a primary day that would follow South Carolina, with subsequent contests in Georgia and Michigan. The plan, backed by President Joe Biden, deprives the Granite State of its premier primary status.
By tweaking the lineup of primaries and caucuses, Biden cements his alliance with Black voters and makes it easier to win renomination, should he choose to run for re-election.
Biden finished fifth in the New Hampshire primary in 2020, notably leaving the state on primary day and flying to friendly South Carolina. The South Carolina primary revitalized his campaign, which led to his election victory over incumbent President Donald Trump.
All four members of the state’s Congressional delegation have come out publicly against the DNC’s plan.
In his letter, Buckley wrote that New Hampshire offers a unique process and atmosphere that makes all politics, even presidential races, local.
“It levels the playing field between household names and unknowns,” Buckley wrote. “To perform well in New Hampshire, candidates don’t need huge war chests, expensive media buys, private planes, or even name recognition. In the Granite State, every candidate gets a fair shot.” | 2022-12-22T00:15:40Z | www.unionleader.com | Dems' state chair fires back at DNC over primary plans | Politics | unionleader.com | https://www.unionleader.com/news/politics/dems-state-chair-fires-back-at-dnc-over-primary-plans/article_8861bd40-9f31-5152-a408-5763823d5c74.html | https://www.unionleader.com/news/politics/dems-state-chair-fires-back-at-dnc-over-primary-plans/article_8861bd40-9f31-5152-a408-5763823d5c74.html |
By Roberta Baker Union Leader Staff
With predicted winds of up to 45 mph inland and 55 along the coast, the powerhouse storm arriving early Friday is expected to dump heavy rain statewide and cause significant coastal flooding before winding down and turning much colder late Friday into Saturday, according to a National Weather Service forecast on Wednesday.
The fast-moving storm with winds from the south could also lead to downed power lines and power outages across the state, and 3 to 4 inches of rain on top of snow at higher elevations -- wiping out much of the natural snow coverage, and nixing chances for a white Christmas across most of the state.
Friday’s morning commute promises to be slick and slow, and coastal residents with waterfront homes are advised to prepare for a storm surge in the range of 1 to 2 feet, said Stephen Baron, forecaster for the National Weather Service based in Gray, Maine.
As Friday’s daytime temperatures push close to 50 degrees, the majority of the state could receive 2 to 3 inches of rain in roughly 24 hours, which is a recipe for flooding in low-lying areas, Baron said.
Baron predicts a perfect storm of coastal flooding, strong winds, high waves and an astronomical tide due to the new moon, which can mean tides 1 to 2 feet higher than normal.
Baron advises coastal homeowners to use sandbags to block a potential seawater surge, and residents to prepare for power outages by having working flashlights and plenty of blankets and warm clothing if temperatures plunge while the power is still out.
“Familiarize (yourself) with hazards in your area and prepare accordingly. Make sure generators will come on, and have flashlights around. It will be cold on Saturday,” Baron said. “It’s a poorly-timed low coming off the Great Lakes.”
Ski areas across New Hampshire are bracing for rain and planning to resume aggressive snowmaking and grooming once temperatures turn colder.
“The reality is we’re nothing but snow farmers,” said Tom Day, general manager of Gunstock Mountain Resort in Gilford. “We grow the snow, till the snow then manage the snow.”
Day said Gunstock benefited from 16 inches of heavy, wet snow last Saturday, and currently 75% of its trails are open. He doesn’t expect to lose much manmade coverage. “The manmade snow is so bulletproof because it’s so dense,” he said.
He said conditions on Saturday will be “stiff when we open,” but said when it comes to ski resorts across New Hampshire, “All of us have superheated equipment that can turn it around. We’d rather see the white stuff rather than the gray stuff, but we’re able to handle these situations.”
Day said barring further warm weather events, nearly 100% of the mountain will be open next week.
Kevin Bell, general manager of McIntyre Ski Area in Manchester, said it will be open Thursday from noon to 8 pm. Operations are canceled for Friday, he said, but the area will reopen on Saturday after making snow and grooming late Friday night. | 2022-12-22T00:15:46Z | www.unionleader.com | Powerful storm to pelt NH with wind, rain | Weather | unionleader.com | https://www.unionleader.com/news/weather/powerful-storm-to-pelt-nh-with-wind-rain/article_65876069-209c-5189-971b-04d63ca47ec6.html | https://www.unionleader.com/news/weather/powerful-storm-to-pelt-nh-with-wind-rain/article_65876069-209c-5189-971b-04d63ca47ec6.html |
WASHINGTON — U.S. consumer confidence rose to an eight-month high in December as inflation retreated and the labor market remained strong, but fears of a recession persisted, resulting in fewer households planning to make big-ticket purchases over the next six months.
“Consumers may be more confident than they were over the summer months, but they are still exhibiting more caution than was apparent in 2021,” said Sam Bullard, a senior economist at Wells Fargo in Charlotte, North Carolina. “The outlook for consumer confidence in 2023 will hinge on the Fed’s ability to deliver a soft landing on what could be described as a narrow runway.”
The Conference Board said its consumer confidence index increased to 108.3 this month, the highest reading since April, from 101.4 in November. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast the index at 101.0. While the survey places more emphasis on the labor market, the rebound in confidence matched a similar rise in the University of Michigan’s sentiment index.
Consumers’ 12-month inflation expectations fell to 6.7%, the lowest since September 2021, from 7.1% last month. The improvement, which mostly reflected lower gasoline prices, was in line with recent data showing consumer prices increasing moderately in November. It also strengthened views that inflation, though still uncomfortably high, peaked months ago.
The present situation index, based on consumers’ assessment of current business and labor market conditions, rose to 147.2 from 138.3 last month. The expectations index, based on consumers’ short-term outlook for income, business, and labor market conditions, increased to 82.4 from 76.7.
The survey’s so-called labor market differential, derived from data on respondents’ views on whether jobs are plentiful or hard to get, increased to 35.8 from 31.5 in November.
“High rates make buying expensive for potential new homeowners, but they also tend to lock potential sellers in place given millions hold sub-4% and even sub-3% mortgages,” said Robert Frick, corporate economist at Navy Federal Credit Union in Vienna, Virginia. “We’ll need a thaw in mortgage rates before existing home sales warm up in 2023.” | 2022-12-22T02:17:26Z | www.unionleader.com | U.S. consumer confidence rebounds; existing home sales sink | Business | unionleader.com | https://www.unionleader.com/news/business/u-s-consumer-confidence-rebounds-existing-home-sales-sink/article_2f1398de-f046-535e-beec-0a391e268030.html | https://www.unionleader.com/news/business/u-s-consumer-confidence-rebounds-existing-home-sales-sink/article_2f1398de-f046-535e-beec-0a391e268030.html |
Bob Marley will be cracking jokes
Provided by Bob Marley
Who could use a laugh? Where to find some in NH
If you’re looking for some more reasons to smile as December draws to a close, try these New Hampshire comedy shows.
Bob Marley is doing 5:30 and 8 p.m. standup at Rochester Opera House, 31 Wakefield St., on Tuesday, Dec. 27, followed by sets at 2, 5:30 and 8 p.m. at the Flying Monkey Movie House and Performance Center, 39 S. Main St., Plymouth. Info: rochesteroperahouse.com and flyingmonkeynh.com.
Chunky’s Cinema Pub locations in Manchester, Nashua and Pelham host a roster of comedians including Robbie Printz, Mark Scalia, Alex Giampapa, Dan Crohn, Matt Barry and Tim McKeever, in shows on Saturday, Dec. 31. Info: chunkys.com.
MANCHESTER: Yemi Afolabie takes over the mic at The Shaskeen Pub and Restaurant, 909 Elm St., at 9 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 28. Tickets: $10. Info: venue’s Facebook page.
MANCHESTER: Jason Merrill, with Francis Birch, Dan Donahue and Juan Cespedes, are at Murphy’s Taproom, 494 Elm St., on Saturday, Dec. 31. Into and show time: scampscomedy.com.
PORTSMOUTH: Rodney Norman takes over McCue’s Comedy Club inside the Roundabout Diner and Lounge at the Portsmouth traffic circle at 8 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 31.
Many Granite State venues are offering standup shows as part of their New Year’s Eve celebrations and packages.
BEDFORD: Mike McDonald and Jim Colliton take the stage in a doubleheader starting at 6 p.m. at Murphy’s Taproom and Carriage House, 393 Route 101. Info: scampscomedy.com.
DOVER: Mike Donovan and Amy Tee perform at the Strand, 20 Third St., at 7 p.m. Info: thestranddover.com.
MANCHESTER: Comics Joe Yannetty, Rob Steen, Eric Hurst and Jody Sloanne are doing two shows at Headliners Comedy Club at DoubleTree by Hilton Downtown Manchester, 700 Elm St. Info and show times: headlinersnh.com.
NASHUA: Kevin Lee and Tim McKeever at Sky Meadow Country Club, 6 Mountain Laurels Drive. Info and show times: skymeadow.com. | 2022-12-22T02:18:15Z | www.unionleader.com | Who could use a laugh? Where to find some in NH | Holiday | unionleader.com | https://www.unionleader.com/nh/lifestyles/holiday/who-could-use-a-laugh-where-to-find-some-in-nh/article_bc9adc7f-da4e-5f3e-845f-c2bfc3490cd9.html | https://www.unionleader.com/nh/lifestyles/holiday/who-could-use-a-laugh-where-to-find-some-in-nh/article_bc9adc7f-da4e-5f3e-845f-c2bfc3490cd9.html |
Dr. Robert Andelman
The fake pills were bought through social media sites: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, Pinterest, Snapchat, Discord, Telegram, etc.
It is unprecedented for a single oral pill of anything suddenly to kill a healthy adolescent.
Death is caused by respiratory depression (stopping breathing) or by “wooden chest syndrome.” The latter is fentanyl-caused spasm of the chest muscles that produce breathing. With respiratory depression, the person becomes unconscious; however, “wooden chest syndrome” can occur quickly while the person is conscious but cannot breathe.
The Drug Enforcement Administration reported an analysis of illegal fentanyl tablets seized at our borders and 40-60% of those pills had enough fentanyl to kill. Those tablets contained an average of 2 grams per tablet, a massive amount enough to kill a healthy person given orally. Some pills had as much as 5.1 grams! Much more fentanyl is absorbed intravenously or by snorting or smoking but even one pill orally is enough to kill!
Why should drug dealers lace fentalogues into Adderall, Percocet, etc.? In my opinion, it is to create new customers addicted to cheaply made fentanyl.
I think that heroin is now obsolete. It requires planting, cultivation, and harvesting of poppy plants, then reducing the extracts to heroin. Fentanyl labs are easy to set up, take down, and move to escape detection.
I tell my patients, children, and grandchildren and I implore you to tell your children, your family, and your friends: any street drug can be laced with a lethal amount of fentanyl or a fentalogue. This includes street Percocet, Xanax, Oxycodone, Oxycontin, Adderall, Valium, cocaine, methamphetamine, ecstasy, and others. You can die from an oral fentanyl overdose from any street drug!
Dr. Robert Andelman, MD is a retired anesthesiologist, former chief of anesthesia at Portsmouth Regional and Wentworth Douglass Hospitals, and former president of the N.H. Board of Medicine. He currently volunteers at Families First of Portsmouth taking care of men and women with opioid use disorder. He lives in the city. | 2022-12-22T06:04:01Z | www.unionleader.com | Dr. Robert Andelman: Sudden death for teens in fentanyl-laced pills | Op-eds | unionleader.com | https://www.unionleader.com/opinion/op-eds/dr-robert-andelman-sudden-death-for-teens-in-fentanyl-laced-pills/article_3ee8df8d-425b-5565-b806-18dd8bbe5a4a.html | https://www.unionleader.com/opinion/op-eds/dr-robert-andelman-sudden-death-for-teens-in-fentanyl-laced-pills/article_3ee8df8d-425b-5565-b806-18dd8bbe5a4a.html |
Laurie Ortolano
Provided by Laurie Ortolano
ON DECEMBER 7, 2022, Fred Teeboom, a former alderman and self-represented, took the City of Nashua to the New Hampshire Superior Court for violating Nashua’s spending cap. I had the pleasure of attending part of the hearing. The city brought an entourage from its legal and finance offices. Attorney Steven A. Bolton presented for Nashua.
Mr. Teeboom articulately presented Nashua’s spending cap history. Currently, Nashua has not a single alderman who seems to fully comprehend the budget and can respond to citizen’s questions about the spending cap in a clear and precise manner. This failure of our elected officials, coupled to the demise of the local daily newspaper, opened, for Mayor Jim Donchess and CFO John L. Griffin, the opportunity to misrepresent the calculation of the spending cap.
Bringing a pro se case against the city is difficult and stressful. It was apparent that Mr. Teeboom put a lot of time and effort and experience into his presentation and exhibits.
Soon after taking office in 2016, Mayor Donchess attempted to bypass the city’s spending cap by claiming all “mandated” funding was exempt from the cap. In 2017 the city removed wastewater expenditures from the cap, leading to a court challenge by Mr. Teeboom and then-alderman Dan Moriarty. In 2022, under a new financial creation by CFO Griffin titled “gross budgeting,” the city added grant funding and the full value of authorized but unsold bonds to the spending cap calculation.
The mayor presented the 2023 budget, astonishingly, at $113 million dollars under the cap. This financial manipulation was created by allowing the $348 million budget introduced in FY2022 to rise to $506 million by adding a combination of grant funding and unsold bonds to the budget, thereby producing a calculation that presented the FY2023 budget to be $113 million under the cap when in fact it was $8.5 million above the cap.
Incredibly, the aldermen accepted this deception without question, without examining past practice for calculating the cap, and without examining SB52 adopted into state law in 2021, which intended to further regulate and clarify the tax and spending caps that had been adopted in 2011. The budget committee chairman even refused to consider the spending cap, stating this was of no concern to the committee.
Citizens who believe their tax bills are too high should be justifiably concerned. This city has free reign to spend millions of dollars without concern for the constraint on spending imposed by the spending cap ordained in the city’s charter… that is until Mr. Teeboom filed his lawsuit.
Aldermen frequently state that the government “has needs” without concern for “the needs” of taxpayers who pay the bills. The mayor has promoted a group-think government that ostracizes and attacks individuals expressing views that differ from the appointed and elected body.
Mr. Teeboom should have a court order in early March 2023. Thank you, Mr. Teeboom for your efforts in addressing this important financial issue that affects all taxpayers.
Laurie Ortolano lives in Nashua. | 2022-12-22T06:04:07Z | www.unionleader.com | Laurie Ortolano: Nashua spending cap gets its day in court | Op-eds | unionleader.com | https://www.unionleader.com/opinion/op-eds/laurie-ortolano-nashua-spending-cap-gets-its-day-in-court/article_16ab93f3-536a-557a-8484-ec6605bee34b.html | https://www.unionleader.com/opinion/op-eds/laurie-ortolano-nashua-spending-cap-gets-its-day-in-court/article_16ab93f3-536a-557a-8484-ec6605bee34b.html |
Fueling talk of a possible Republican run for President in 2024, Gov. Chris Sununu's campaign committee bought ads on Facebook promoting himself in the early voting states of South Carolina and Iowa. Sununu insisted the ads are part of his ongoing effort to promote the state's record of bipartisan success as a winning formula for Republicans across the country.
Chris Sununu's Facebook Page
CONCORD — Gov. Chris Sununu has made his most overt move yet toward entering the 2024 Republican presidential primary campaign, purchasing Facebook ads promoting himself in the early voting states of South Carolina and Iowa.
The ads feature a clip from the CNN’s one-hour profile on Sununu that aired last week.
“Nobody gets inspired to get involved in public service by being yelled at or blasted at or shaken at from a podium,” Sununu told CNN anchor Dana Bash during that interview. “They may be amped up, but they don’t get inspired.”
During the CNN piece, Sununu told anchor Jake Tapper he had no plans to run for the White House “right now.”
Sununu made similar comments during an interview on Fox Business last Tuesday.
Sununu’s 2022 re-election campaign committee, Friends of Chris Sununu, purchased the ads, which started last Monday at a cost of roughly $200 a day to appear on the social media platform in both states.
“Real leadership has a real opportunity to show who we can be and what we can accomplish. It's about being positive, focused on delivering results, and just being normal. That's who I am,” Sununu stated on Facebook.
“If we're going to inspire the next generation, we need to leave the negativity behind.”
In a statement, Sununu said the ads were part of his ongoing effort to promote New Hampshire’s record for achieving bipartisan results to voters in key states across the country.
“As I’ve long said, you can bet I’ll be doing my part to help the GOP across the country replicate New Hampshire’s success. Too much is at stake for our party and country to not share our optimistic message of success, and these early states are where the conversations start and have the most impact on the national dialogue,” Sununu said.
Shaheen: Looks like 2024 bid
U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., said she thought this was a much stronger, more personal move than that.
“It seems like Governor Sununu is trying to run for president. We will see how he is perceived across the country,” Shaheen told Good Morning New Hampshire radio talk show host Jack Heath.
Lucas Meyer with 603 Forward, a progressive, special interest group, agreed with Shaheen.
“No matter the (size of the media) buy, the intent is pretty clear. The intent of Governor Sununu is not simply to promote New Hampshire, but to promote his own political profile,” Meyer said.
Neal Levesque, executive director of the New Hampshire Institute of Politics, said Sununu could be a formidable candidate if he decides to run.
“He’ll do well, not only in a state like New Hampshire but nationally,” Levesque said.
“He does communicate very well. If someone like him were on a debate stage, I think he would shine.”
Possible impact on primary
Levesque rejected the notion that a Sununu candidacy would render New Hampshire’s first-in-the-nation primary irrelevant.
“I think voters do not necessary vote for people in their geographic regions as much as they support candidates who represent a strong, conservative, positive message,” Levesque said.
603 Forward's Meyer questioned the assumption that Sununu would excel in a New Hampshire presidential primary.
Sununu already faces a closely divided State House and conservative GOP leadership that could saddle him with losses on some key issues, he said.
“I think it’s a very awkward situation for Governor Sununu. I am not sure he would perform very well in his home state,” Meyer said.
Democratic Party Chairman Ray Buckley predicted Sununu would stumble if he entered the 2024 presidential race.
“Chris Sununu’s focus has never been New Hampshire. He has spent his entire career attempting to bolster his national profile, and he’s never had qualms about leaving Granite Staters in the dust to do it,” Buckley said.
“After a disastrous election night for New Hampshire Republicans, which shows Sununu’s closing margins and inability to lead his party to victory, it’s clear that the only thing driving him towards a 2024 run is his ego. He’s failing here at home, and he’ll fail on the national stage just as quickly.”
Since solidly winning a fourth term as governor last November, Sununu has kept up a steady schedule of appearances on national media, raising speculation that he could enter the presidential race.
Former President Donald Trump is the only major declared candidate. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is seriously considering a bid and leads Trump in early polling in New Hampshire and other battleground states.
Sununu blamed Trump for no wave
After the midterms, Sununu said national Republicans failed to win back control of the U.S. Senate because many Trump-backed candidates did not offer a positive message that resonated with independent voters.
According to Facebook, Sununu’s ads as of Thursday morning had more than 250,000 views, with 56% of them in South Carolina and 44% in Iowa.
Nearly two-thirds of those who saw the ads were men, and among all who saw them, the age-group breakdown was: 25-34 (24%), 35-44 (27%) and 45-54 (22%). Only 1% who had seen the ad were under 24.
The 2024 Republican presidential primary schedule calls for Iowa to hold the first caucus, New Hampshire the first primary and South Carolina the first southern primary a little over a week after the Granite State.
President Joe Biden has endorsed a Democratic National Committee proposal to move South Carolina ahead of New Hampshire for the first primary in 2024.
Under the plan the DNC will take up early in 2023, Iowa would get moved out of the first tier of states holding primaries and caucuses.
On Wednesday, Sens. Maggie Hassan and Shaheen, both D-N.H., stepped up their national media campaign against the DNC proposal.
Democratic Party Chairman Raymond Buckley called “dead on arrival” the demands of a DNC bylaws committee that legislators here repeal its first-in-the-nation primary state law or risk party sanctions.
Shaheen said Thursday that DNC leaders in the past have threatened New Hampshire and other states with penalties for ignoring their preferred primary schedules and not carried out those sanctions.
Neal Levesque
Lucas Meyer
2024 Primary | 2022-12-22T17:44:04Z | www.unionleader.com | Fueling 2024 White House talk, Sununu promotes in early states | Voters First | unionleader.com | https://www.unionleader.com/news/politics/voters/fueling-2024-white-house-talk-sununu-promotes-in-early-states/article_06476a9b-66c3-591e-9cb7-a8f88aeae7e0.html | https://www.unionleader.com/news/politics/voters/fueling-2024-white-house-talk-sununu-promotes-in-early-states/article_06476a9b-66c3-591e-9cb7-a8f88aeae7e0.html |
By Gram Slattery and
Richard Cowan Reuters
WASHINGTON — A $1.66 trillion government spending bill, delayed by weeks of policy disagreements over immigration and overall levels of funding, was inching toward passage in the Senate on Thursday following a deal on amendments that would be allowed.
Progress on the bill — which includes $44.9 billion in wartime aid for Ukraine and bans the use of Chinese-owned social media app TikTok on federal government devices — had halted after conservative Republican Sen. Mike Lee introduced an amendment meant to slow immigration on Wednesday night.
“We have an agreement now,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said on the Senate floor. “We will vote on all of the amendments in order and then vote on final passage. It’s taken a while, but it’s worth it.”
Lee’s amendment would require the United States to maintain a policy known as Title 42, a policy implemented under Republican former President Donald Trump at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, which prevented hundreds of thousands of immigrants from seeking asylum. It grants border officials the ability to rapidly expel migrants to Mexico without a chance to seek asylum during public health emergencies.
In reality, the legislation does contain annual funding for U.S. border security operations, but less than what many Republicans want. | 2022-12-22T20:43:47Z | www.unionleader.com | Senate moves $1.66 trillion spending bill toward passage | National | unionleader.com | https://www.unionleader.com/news/national/senate-moves-1-66-trillion-spending-bill-toward-passage/article_663a2f92-c833-508a-8680-4b5667c0ba3f.html | https://www.unionleader.com/news/national/senate-moves-1-66-trillion-spending-bill-toward-passage/article_663a2f92-c833-508a-8680-4b5667c0ba3f.html |
Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks during a news conference after a meeting of the State Council on youth policy in Moscow, Russia, December 22, 2022. Sputnik/Sergey Guneev/Pool via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY.
President Vladimir Putin said Thursday that Russia wants an end to the war in Ukraine, and all armed conflicts end with diplomatic negotiations.
Russia has persistently said it is open to negotiations -- prompting intense skepticism from Ukraine and its ally the United States, who suspect it wants to buy time after a series of defeats and retreats in the 10-month war.
Putin also played down the significance of the Patriot air defense system that President Joe Biden agreed to supply to Zelensky, saying Russia would find a way to counter it. | 2022-12-22T23:24:27Z | www.unionleader.com | Putin says Russia wants end to war, all conflicts end with diplomacy | National | unionleader.com | https://www.unionleader.com/news/national/putin-says-russia-wants-end-to-war-all-conflicts-end-with-diplomacy/article_2f08e2c5-2f76-56f2-91b8-740345d02c1c.html | https://www.unionleader.com/news/national/putin-says-russia-wants-end-to-war-all-conflicts-end-with-diplomacy/article_2f08e2c5-2f76-56f2-91b8-740345d02c1c.html |
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky presents a Ukrainian flag given to him by defenders of Bakhmut to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi during a joint session of Congress Wednesday.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky faced a critical audience when he addressed a joint session of Congress Wednesday: House Republicans who could hold up billions of dollars in war aid starting next month.
“Your money is not charity. It is an investment in the global security and democracy,” Zelensky said.
“No more blank checks to Ukraine,” Republican Rep. Andy Biggs wrote on Twitter hours before Zelensky’s visit to Washington. Biggs, a member of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, has emerged as the main challenger to House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy in the House speakership election, slated for Jan. 3.
A few of the most hardline Republicans — including representatives Lauren Boebert and Matt Gaetz — remained seated during the standing ovations, sitting and staring at their phones as Zelensky spoke.
“The majority of both parties in the House and Senate support this effort. But they’re not going to if we don’t have accountability and transparency,” Rep. Michael McCaul, the Republican in line to chair the House Foreign Affairs Committee in January, told reporters.
House Democrats voted to impeach Trump in 2019 on charges he held up military aid for Ukraine to put pressure on Zelensky to investigate one of Biden’s sons. The issue could loom large again as Trump seeks the Republican presidential nomination in 2024. | 2022-12-22T23:24:40Z | www.unionleader.com | Zelensky appeals to U.S. Republican critics as war with Russia rages | National | unionleader.com | https://www.unionleader.com/news/national/zelensky-appeals-to-u-s-republican-critics-as-war-with-russia-rages/article_82547331-9288-57d0-816a-e1dc6ef9d254.html | https://www.unionleader.com/news/national/zelensky-appeals-to-u-s-republican-critics-as-war-with-russia-rages/article_82547331-9288-57d0-816a-e1dc6ef9d254.html |
Hooksett police car
A person died early Thursday morning in a single-vehicle crash on Route 3 in Hooksett near the Allenstown line, police said.
The Mercury SUV went down an embankment before bursting into flames around 1:45 a.m.
The section of Hooksett Road was closed for hours between Post Road and the Allenstown line. The road reopened just after 10:30 p.m.
Hooksett police Sgt. Valerie Lamy said the name of the person is not being released until an autopsy and family notification.
The Allentown and Hooksett fire departments assisted in the crash.
The circumstances around the crash remain under investigation. | 2022-12-22T23:24:46Z | www.unionleader.com | Hooksett police investigate fatal crash | Public Safety | unionleader.com | https://www.unionleader.com/news/safety/hooksett-police-investigate-fatal-crash/article_7f15b108-4454-544d-ad2d-c9fdc0946095.html | https://www.unionleader.com/news/safety/hooksett-police-investigate-fatal-crash/article_7f15b108-4454-544d-ad2d-c9fdc0946095.html |
Vehicles at a CarMax dealership in Louisville, Kentucky, on June 24, 2021.
“Vehicle affordability remains challenging due to macro factors stemming from broad inflation, climbing interest rates and continued low consumer confidence,” Chief Executive Officer Bill Nash said on a conference call with analysts. The latest results “reflect the continuation of widespread pressures across the used-car industry.”
CarMax shares fell 7.2% at 10:56 a.m. in New York after an earlier decline of 12%, the biggest intraday drop since Sept. 29. That dragged down peers such as Carvana Co., which tumbled 9.7%, as well as auto manufacturers, with Ford Motor Co., General Motors Co. and Stellantis NV each sliding more than 3%.
The issues stoke concerns over the used-vehicle market, after prices soared early in the pandemic while supply-chain snags stalled new-car production. This year, they’ve been ratcheting down rapidly as shortages eased and buyers balked at high sticker prices.
Carvana has been hit by the same pressures, forcing the online automobile seller to explore ways to rework its debt amid solvency concerns. It also has heightened concerns about a spillover into the broader car market, something AutoNation Inc., the largest new-car dealer chain in the U.S., has warned about.
CarMax on Thursday reported adjusted profit of 24 cents a share in the fiscal third quarter, significantly below the 65-cent average of analysts’ estimates compiled by Bloomberg. Net sales in the period were $6.5 billion, the Richmond, Virginia-based company said in a statement, also missing analysts’ projections.
The results echo those from the prior quarter, when Nash warned that consumers had shifted their spending away from large purchases amid challenges around affordability. The company’s second-quarter profit miss also weighed on peers and dragged the broader market. | 2022-12-23T01:48:38Z | www.unionleader.com | CarMax slides after earnings miss adds to used-car market concerns | Business | unionleader.com | https://www.unionleader.com/news/business/carmax-slides-after-earnings-miss-adds-to-used-car-market-concerns/article_cb5def37-763e-57d6-90a5-cbed0d10affa.html | https://www.unionleader.com/news/business/carmax-slides-after-earnings-miss-adds-to-used-car-market-concerns/article_cb5def37-763e-57d6-90a5-cbed0d10affa.html |
By Andrea Chang
and Samantha Masunaga Los Angeles Times
Last week, Elon Musk, the world’s second-richest man, suspended dozens of Twitter accounts belonging to a 20-year-old college student who had been posting the routes of private jets, including Musk’s Gulfstream G650. “Any account doxxing real-time location info of anyone will be suspended, as it is a physical safety violation,” Musk tweeted.
Crunching flight data
From the outset, many owners register their planes under LLCs or trusts instead of listing their own names, a strategy also commonly used by yacht owners. They can also have their plane’s unique tail number flagged in the FAA’s aircraft database and blocked from public tracking by submitting an application under a privacy program known as Limiting Aircraft Data Displayed.
Jet-tracking websites that obtain access to FAA data must comply with the rules of LADD and with a second program, called Privacy ICAO aircraft address, which adds another layer of anonymity by assigning a random identifier code to the plane so that it is harder to track. Musk has suggested that participating in these programs should have blocked his information from all public view and that his plane was “not trackable without using non-public data.” | 2022-12-23T01:49:03Z | www.unionleader.com | Private jet travel isn’t so private after all. Some upset owners have had enough | Business | unionleader.com | https://www.unionleader.com/news/business/private-jet-travel-isn-t-so-private-after-all-some-upset-owners-have-had-enough/article_f77268aa-4339-5a00-be20-9dc94a0ffa36.html | https://www.unionleader.com/news/business/private-jet-travel-isn-t-so-private-after-all-some-upset-owners-have-had-enough/article_f77268aa-4339-5a00-be20-9dc94a0ffa36.html |
Thirty percent to 50% of parents contend with a fussy eater — and there’ve been volumes written about how to get a child to accept new foods.
Rule No. 1: Kids have to taste and swallow a food at least 10 times before deciding if they like it or not. Not easy to accomplish.
Other favorites: Mix the “bad” with the good (a banana-spinach shake or whole-wheat pasta with tomato sauce), or try various cooking methods (steaming, baking, sauteing) to see if that improves acceptance.
Also, it’s good if you model adventurous eating habits. And relaxing your rules is helpful. Studies show that parents who have strict rules about the foods their kids can and cannot eat or are very demanding about mealtimes often create a fussy eater.
But here’s a solution I bet you never thought of: Change the color of the dish you serve the food on. A study published in Food Quality and Preference reveals that adult picky eaters (they usually start out as food-fussy kids) find salty foods acceptable on white plates and reject them on red plates. Blue plates seem to cut both ways. Non-picky eaters didn’t think colors affected the flavor.
So, experiment with the color of your child’s dishes. It’s worth a try! | 2022-12-23T01:49:33Z | www.unionleader.com | Picky eaters may be picky about the dish you serve food on | Health | unionleader.com | https://www.unionleader.com/news/health/picky-eaters-may-be-picky-about-the-dish-you-serve-food-on/article_806e3428-be29-5069-8a08-7dd02e7bc52d.html | https://www.unionleader.com/news/health/picky-eaters-may-be-picky-about-the-dish-you-serve-food-on/article_806e3428-be29-5069-8a08-7dd02e7bc52d.html |
Co-Chairman Dick Swett, a Bow Democrat, left, and Brad Cook, a Manchester Republican, address reporters Thursday afternoon upon the releasing the final report of the Special Committee on Voter Confidence.
CONCORD — The final report of the Special Committee on Voter Confidence adopted Thursday concluded New Hampshire elections were free of significant fraud though it called for increased training and education of local poll workers.
Secretary of State David Scanlan praised the eight-person group’s “collegial” work and vowed to prioritize the most important of its 14 recommendations and implement them through his agency or with the support of the Legislature.
He stressed there was nothing in the report that “surprised me.”
“This was a model for others to follow. I hope we can continue this trend in the state of New Hampshire,” Scanlan said, noting polls after the midterm elections here last month showed growing voter confidence.
Committee Co-Chairman Brad Cook, a Manchester Republican, said the eight-month study confirmed state elections were run well with few “hiccups” that get corrected during recounts or further review as with the forensic audit after the 2020 election ballot that explained the discrepancy found in a state representative race in Windham.
The audit blamed the inaccurate result on Election Night on the town’s one-time use of a machine that created folds on many absentee ballots that the voting machines misread. A hand recount weeks later uncovered the error.
“What we did I think has a lot of substance to it and as the secretary of state said, it gives him plenty to do,” said Cook, who chairs the Ballot Law Commission.
Co-Chairman and former Democratic Congressman Dick Swett of Bow urged citizens to remain vigilant and report any concerns about how future elections play out.
“If you are not involved, get involved. If you are involved continue to be and if you see something, say something,” Swett said during a press conference at the State Archives Building in Concord.
“I think this is the beginning of a continuing conversation that I think can only redound to the benefit of the state.”
The report calls for lawmakers to approve greater use of nonpartisan, post-election audits, and concludes they lead to greater faith in election results.
The Legislature last spring adopted two new laws that for the first time required post-election audits in 10 state representative districts and put all paper ballots through a high-speed digital scanner to check the accuracy of the count in three precincts after last September’s state primary election.
Committee member Ken Eyring, a co-founder of the conservative Government Integrity Project, was the lone member who did not sign the report.
Eyring told reporters he would submit his own recommendations for additions and subtractions to Scanlan next week.
“This is not about me or the fact that I didn’t vote yes to sign it,” Eyring said, praising the final product and expressing pride he had made contributions to it. “I believe there are other things that can and should go into the report.”
Several voting rights advocates said Eyring succeeded in watering down some of the report’s language.
They criticized his insistence that it include an attachment to it containing a detailed summary of public testimony including unproven claims about New Hampshire elections.
“The report fails to completely shut down conspiracy theories and even advances some dangerous mistruths about our election system,” said Matt Mooshian, advocacy director with 603 Forward, a liberal special interest group.
“Eyring’s participation on this committee continued to drag this report towards misinformation, and weakened the final product.”
McKenzie St. Germain, director with the Campaign for Voting Rights, urged Scanlan to get behind reform proposals such as using federal Help America Vote Act (HAVA) grant money to help cities and towns replace their aging, electronic voting machines.
Rep. Laura Telerski, D-Nashua, is sponsoring a 2023 bill that would repeal the existing law that doesn’t allow the state to annually spend more than 1/12th of the HAVA fund’s state surplus that is more than $10 million.
“As the New Hampshire Campaign for Voting Rights has said time and time again, New Hampshire can and must do a better job of supporting voters and local election officials,” St. Germain said.
“The secretary of state and Legislature must take the findings and recommendations to improve voter access and election modernization seriously in the coming years to make much needed upgrades to our elections.”
Cook noted the committee had no authority to bring about unilateral change and as a result could only make suggestions.
“We do say in the report in a catchall recommendation that if it costs more money to make our elections more secure and better, then the Legislature and local communities should spend the money,” Cook added.
They did make referrals about claims that election laws were broken to Attorney General John Formella’s office, Swett said.
The other members on this Scanlan-picked panel, split evenly by party, were former Democratic state Sens. Jim Splaine of Portsmouth and Amanda Merrill of Durham, Concord Republican Committee Chairman Andrew Georgevits, Franklin Democratic City Councilor Olivia Zink and ex-GOP state Rep. Douglass Teschner of Haverhill.
Special Committee On Voter Confidence
Kenneth Eyring
Dick Swett
Windham Audit | 2022-12-23T01:49:58Z | www.unionleader.com | N.H. voter confidence report: No major fraud, but a need for more training | State | unionleader.com | https://www.unionleader.com/news/politics/state/n-h-voter-confidence-report-no-major-fraud-but-a-need-for-more-training/article_1853ae10-1098-5915-af77-cffe84b7cec0.html | https://www.unionleader.com/news/politics/state/n-h-voter-confidence-report-no-major-fraud-but-a-need-for-more-training/article_1853ae10-1098-5915-af77-cffe84b7cec0.html |
HOUSE SPEAKER Sherman Packard is promoting two young Republicans to lead new special committees that he hopes will break policy logjams.
State Rep. Joe Alexander, R-Goffstown, will head the new committee on housing, and Rep. Ross Berry, R-Manchester, will lead a new panel on child care.
Packard tapped veteran Rep. Tom Dolan, R-Londonderry, to lead a third committee, which is charged with evaluating the future of hundreds of state commissions that still are on the books.
Gov. Chris Sununu had made Alexander one of his lead bipartisan advocates for a 2022 housing package that — for the most part — crashed and burned.
The reason? Sweeping housing reforms have long failed before the House Municipal and County Government Committee because current or past local officials dominate the membership and have resisted changes to make it easier for developers to win approval of projects.
The key will be what allies Alexander has on his committee, whose 10 members, as on the other new committees, will be split evenly between Democrats and Republicans.
Berry, who already has proved to Packard’s team that he’s a results-oriented conservative, will have no easy lift either.
Historically, child care issues get splintered among many committees that fight over jurisdiction, including Children and Family Law on child abuse, Executive Departments and Administration over licensing and Commerce over commercial regulation of the industry.
Inaugural is set
Sununu will give his fourth inaugural address at noon on Jan. 5 in historic Representatives Hall.
The day begins early with the traditional breakfast for state employees in the Executive Council chambers.
After Sununu’s speech, his family and top legislative leaders hold a receiving line. Then at 3:30 p.m. the Executive Council has a brief meeting to take its first ceremonial actions of the new year.
Sununu quipped that New Hampshire Lottery Executive Director Charlie McIntyre has set the over/under bet for the inaugural address at “27 minutes.”
“I really put too many people to sleep back in 2019,” Sununu said of that speech, which went over an hour.
Room for budget writers
Packard has decided to give budget writers a little more time to get their difficult job done next spring.
The proposed deadlines the full House will vote on early next month make clear the House Finance Committee gets to create its own deadline for reporting a proposed budget to the House floor.
In 2021, the drop-dead date for that was April 1.
“We wanted to give the committee up to an extra week to get their work done,” Packard said.
The House will have to pass the budget and all other bills by April 6. The crossover date in 2021 was April 8.
The new schedule moves back by about a week House deadlines for acting on Senate bills as well as the final budget and other compromises.
In 2021, the last day to pass the budget was June 24. In 2023, it would be June 29, right on the eve on the end of the two-year budget cycle.
Sununu, House GOP feud
Sununu didn’t hide his displeasure with Packard’s decision to reappoint Rep. Ken Weyler, R-Kingston, to chair the House Finance Committee.
Packard asked for and got Weyler to step aside in October 2021 after Weyler shared misinformation about COVID-19 vaccines.
“It’s a terrible move,” Sununu told Chris Ryan of New Hampshire Today. “We drove him off the committee a year ago.”
Weyler isn’t backing down. He’s vowed to continue to question vaccines and said he left in 2021 because of the “Democratic smear machine.”
“He is an unreasonable egoist,” Weyler told the New Hampshire Bulletin about Sununu. “Everything has to be his own way.”
Packard said Weyler paid his penalty and deserved the House budget leadership role back after the defeat of former chairman Karen Umberger, R-Conway, in November.
Managed care costs rise
The council approved a price hike for the largest state contract, which pays the three insurers that administer managed care services under the Medicaid program.
Over the life of the 1,500-page contract the total spend could approach $6 billion, according to state officials.
Medicaid Director Henry Lippman said much of the $245 million increase stems from the continuing COVID-19 public health emergency.
Once the emergency ends, Sununu said the state could save as much as $25 million a month when as many as 55,000 who enrolled during the pandemic come off the program.
The contracts also got bumped up to reflect state changes to Medicaid benefits, including dental coverage for adults.
The agreement did not change the administrative fees paid to vendors despite their desire to raise them, Lippman said.
They remain at 7.6% for standard Medicaid and 8.3% for the population of low-income adults served under Medicaid Expansion.
“Most states are paying higher administrative costs. We are not,” Sununu said.
These contracts run through August 2024. In the coming session, the Legislature will review whether to change the Medicaid service model for the future.
Reardon recalled fondly
Political friends and foes alike admired the late Judy Reardon as a fierce and loyal defender of both her favorite causes and candidates, starting with U.S. Sen. and former Gov. Jeanne Shaheen.
At the State House, Reardon was someone who didn’t pull punches but kept her word even if that meant the goal became harder to achieve.
Democratic Party Chairman Ray Buckley of Manchester depended on Reardon for her wise counsel and political advice.
“Judy Reardon played a critical role in so many people’s political and personal lives. Her ability to properly assess a situation and immediately create a successful path forward was astonishing,” Buckley said.
“Judy was the guiding force behind the scenes in so much of New Hampshire these past four decades it couldn’t fit in just one book if it was written.”
Buckley said her death leaves a void.
“I never had a conversation with Judy where I didn’t learn something,” Buckley said.
“She could talk about anything with an incredible level of knowledge. From the inner workings of a foreign crisis to the latest alien movie, she delved into it before anyone around.”
Ombudsman named
The Executive Council confirmed Sununu’s choice of Concord lawyer Thomas Kehr to be the state’s first Right-to-Know ombudsman.
Kehr has worked for two decades in the Department of Administrative Services on procedures and had experience with the open records law as a private attorney.
He will be paid $100,250 a year.
The Legislature created the office, which gives those with right-to-know disputes the option to ask the ombudsman to hear from both sides rather than take it to superior court.
The law sets up the office to be repealed in 2025 unless the Legislature acts to renew it.
Two promotions
The council promoted longtime Department of Transportation executive David Rodrigue of Sanbornton to become assistant commissioner, replacing Bill Cass of Laconia, who replaced outgoing Commissioner Victoria Sheehan in the top spot.
Rodrigue, who will earn just under $138,000 annually, will have the post through February 2026.
Michael Moranti of Bedford is the new deputy banking commissioner, succeeding Raeleen Blaisdell of Dover, who resigned. Moranti makes $111,000 a year and fills an unexpired term that ends Aug. 1, 2024.
Bid to blunt speeches fails
State Reps. Andrew Prout, R-Hudson, and Jess Edwards, R-Auburn, tried and failed to convince the House Rules Committee to eliminate the use of session-ending speeches to score partisan points.
When the House concludes each session, members can ask for unanimous consent to address the body. Legislators most commonly use this to mark a special occasion in the state or country or to commemorate the work of an individual.
On occasion, some have deployed it to lodge a personal or political grievance.
At that point, any House member can withdraw their consent and the speech then only continues with a majority vote.
Prout and Edwards wanted to raise that threshold to a two-thirds majority.
“This would create a mutually assured-destruction situation,” Edwards said.
House Speaker Emeritus Steve Shurtleff, D-Penacook, said that’s too big a barrier to free speech.
“A two-thirds is an awful high barrier to try and get permission to speak,” Shurtleff said.
The rules panel agreed, rejecting the proposal, 9-0.
ACLU sets policy priorities
The American Civil Liberties Union of New Hampshire next month will launch a website that tracks progress on its legislative agenda in 2023-2024.
Policy Director Frank Knaack said top issues next year include defending and improving the state’s bail reform law, legalizing the sale of marijuana for recreational use and creating a state action that could end the qualified immunity state and local governments may claim in cases of law enforcement misconduct.
Kevin Landrigan is State House Bureau Chief of the New Hampshire Union Leader and Sunday News. Reach him at klandrigan@unionleader.com.
Ross Berry
Ken Weyler
Right-to-know Ombudsman | 2022-12-23T01:50:04Z | www.unionleader.com | State House Dome: Young GOP turks move up | State House Dome | unionleader.com | https://www.unionleader.com/news/politics/statehouse_dome/state-house-dome-young-gop-turks-move-up/article_a972302c-19bf-53fb-893f-02806906f9b2.html | https://www.unionleader.com/news/politics/statehouse_dome/state-house-dome-young-gop-turks-move-up/article_a972302c-19bf-53fb-893f-02806906f9b2.html |
Noelle Hould raised money through donations and sales from her Noelle’s Jazzy Jewelry project to buy residents at Fairview Senior Living in Hudson blankets, sweaters and slippers, as well as two lifelike dolls for use in memory-care housing.
PHOTOS PROVIDED BY Fairview Senior Living
Two residents at Fairview Senior Living in Hudson show off presents they and others will soon open, thanks to 11-year-old Noelle Hould, also of Hudson.
Fairview Senior Living
Two residents at Fairview Senior Living in Hudson show off presents they and others soon will get to open, thanks to 11-year-old Noelle Hould, also of Hudson.
Noelle Hould, 11, handwrote a thank-you note to all those who made purchases from her Noelle’s Jazzy Jewelry project or made donations as part of an effort to brighten the holidays for residents at Fairview Senior Living in Hudson.
provided by Fairview Senior Living
11-year-old makes Christmas sweeter for Hudson senior living community
Fairview smiles
F or the past eight months, 11-year-old Noelle Hould of Hudson has been crafting a different kind of wish list, one that revolves around making the holidays a little brighter for 72 strangers in her community.
“We are blown away by her generosity and so thankful for her huge heart and beautiful spirit,” said Elle Patti, director of marketing and social media for Fairview Senior Living.
Noelle raised $1,500 through sales of her hand-fashioned bracelets, earrings and necklaces as well as donations — enough to purchase colorful blankets, sweaters, socks and slippers for all the residents.
“I just really like making people smile,” Noelle says with a matching grin.
The residents will open their gifts at a celebration Friday at Fairview, which shared some pictures of Noelle and the wrapped gifts in a Facebook post.
“As someone whose mother is there … thank you very much!,” posted Claudia Huffman on Fairview’s Facebook page.
It’s not the first time Noelle has done something like this.
Last year, proceeds from her Noelle’s Jazzy Jewelry sales went to the purchase of stuffed animals, activity books and clothing for babies and young children who were patients in the Emergency Department, St. Mary’s Bank Pregnancy Care Center, Poisson Dental Facility and Primary Care practices at Catholic Medical Center in Manchester.
“Sweet Noelle, which literally means Christmas, delivered a sleigh full of very special gifts to CMC,” the medical center said in a 2021 Facebook post. “When some of her customers heard what she was planning to do with the money (she raised), they made additional donations. We’re so grateful to you and your family for your immense generosity. Thank you for giving us hope!”
The idea to pay it forward stems from Noelle’s own early childhood visit to the hospital for a procedure.
“She was nervous and upset, and one of the nurses gave her a stuffed animal,” says her mother, Lisa.
A few years later, while hugging that same bear, a 10-year-old Noelle was laying in bed and thinking about someone she wouldn’t get to see that Christmas.
Her great-grandmother was in the hospital, soon to be moved to a nursing home and quickly followed by her great-grandfather.
“One went into the nursing home right before Christmas and one right after,” Lisa Hould said of her maternal grandparents. “They were married for 70 years. The longest they were ever separated was when my grandmother was in the hospital. He went there so he could be with her. Both passed away within six weeks of each other.”
Noelle hatched a plan. She’d already gotten a jewelry-making kit for her birthday that previous fall, so she got to work. Under the name Noelle’s Jazzy Jewelry, she scrambled to craft and sell jewelry around Hudson and at craft shows in order to buy gifts for others who might be feeling low during the holiday season.
Lisa and her husband, Greg, along with other family members, helped pay for additional materials, and Lisa posted about the project and uploaded pictures of finished pieces on her Facebook page.
“Noelle does great work from her heart. The jewelry that I brought from her is beautiful,” said customer Janice Rodgers Sullivan of Hudson said in a post on Fairview’s Facebook page.
Noelle chose Fairview for this year’s project in a nod to her great-grandparents’ time in a similar senior living community. She spent the past eight months making and selling jewelry.
That spirit of goodwill has caught on and many other strangers have lent a hand to her ongoing efforts, from craft show organizers who waived the usual vendor fees to jewelry makers who gave her donations or beads and display stands from their own studios and booths.
Noelle and Lisa drove around town to deliver the jewelry to customers, many of whom they’d never met.
“One lady who bought a pair of earrings owns a little farm and she had a couple of horses there. One that was pregnant,” Noelle says.
For about an hour, the customer showed her around the farm and introduced her to the animals.
Next Noelle and Lisa spent a day shopping for presents for the Fairview residents.
“She’s very selective about her choices. She takes a lot of time and care picking them out. She wanted the really soft sweaters that she could picture a grandmother wearing and that was easy to put on. She also picked out two wreaths and two Christmas ornaments.”
Fairview’s Patti said the Houlds also donated two lifelike baby dolls to the dementia care unit. The dolls can give comfort, a sense of connection and purpose to patients.
Now that all the jewelry has been delivered and presents dropped off, it takes Noelle a few beats to answer a question about what she herself might like for Christmas.
“Jewelry for me to wear,” she says, “and candy.” | 2022-12-23T01:50:10Z | www.unionleader.com | 11-year-old makes Christmas sweeter for Hudson senior living community | A&E | unionleader.com | https://www.unionleader.com/nh/arts_and_ent/11-year-old-makes-christmas-sweeter-for-hudson-senior-living-community/article_83db6e45-d156-5735-9b2c-5c4e305ab42a.html | https://www.unionleader.com/nh/arts_and_ent/11-year-old-makes-christmas-sweeter-for-hudson-senior-living-community/article_83db6e45-d156-5735-9b2c-5c4e305ab42a.html |
Budget Vogue: A few questions looking back on 2022
On the back page of every Vanity Fair magazine is the Proust Questionnaire. It’s a series of questions given for a celebrity to answer. This month Hugh Jackman announced “Michelle Obama” as the answer to “Which living person do you most admire?”
In the spirit of questionnaires, I am going to answer some Budget Vogue questions of my own making. While I am quite Proustian at times in my gift of gab and philosophy, I’ll announce these questions as purely Budget Vogue-ian.
Which living thrift shop do you most admire? I’ve got to say, Wonderland Thrift Shop in Stratham, bar none, celebrates incredibly hard-working women. They accepted so much of my “downsizing” and did so with smiles and joy.
I admire these women’s laughter, dedication and spirit. They celebrate the art of the resale, the joy of the downsizing with glorious music and smiles. This thrift shop never disappoints.
What item are you most grateful to have parted with in 2022? Oh, there are so many things I will NEVER think of again. As I unpacked my Christmas goods this year, I felt relieved that there were so few items left. But a specific item? A huge table I bought in Belgium. It was enormous, a big farmer’s table — undoubtedly hundreds of years old. But it was like having an elephant in the house, way too big for the type of dwelling we lived in and are currently living in. I never think of it and suspect the person who bought it from me either is delighted or sold it off herself.
What is your word for 2023? Health. Mental, physical, spiritual, psychological. I want to really use my yoga mat and invest in a paddle board now that I’m living on a riverbank. I want to continue walking and meditating and eating my oatmeal with blueberries every morning.
What was your favorite trip of 2022? While Ipswich and Scituate, Mass., are glorious venues and New York City entirely interesting, I have to admit that my jaunt out to San Diego was phenomenal. I visited my daughter at her SoCal college in February and then traveled down the coast. On my way south I stopped at Olvera Street in Los Angeles and habla’d some español with some former gang members who, when I filmed, told my students to “not do drugs and stay in school.” California never disappoints and the fish tacos in San Diego are the stuff of dreams.
Finally: What is your Budget Vogue fashionista advice for anyone reading this column? Let’s face it, we all packed it on during COVID. If what is in your closet has “shrunk,” toss it. Give yourself permission to let go of those pieces of clothing that served you well prior to the global pandemic. You can replace, you will replace and you’ll look a lot better doing it. Nobody cares if you’re wearing an 8 or a 10 or an 18. That weight will come off when it’s time. In the meantime, stop the shame of pushing those jeans aside to reach for the elastic waist yoga pants. Just celebrate the beauty of life.
And there, dear Budget Vogue readers is the Vogue-ian Questionnaire. I hope you’ll answer your own questions while looking back on 2022 and decide what and when had meaning for you. Stay well, toss, walk and breathe. We have a lot to look forward to in 2023.
Susan Dromey Heeter lives and teaches on the Seacoast. Contact her at dromeheet@comcast.net | 2022-12-23T01:50:16Z | www.unionleader.com | Budget Vogue: A few questions looking back on 2022 | Lifestyles | unionleader.com | https://www.unionleader.com/nh/lifestyles/budget-vogue-a-few-questions-looking-back-on-2022/article_cce65a22-7e61-5471-bf70-6242f2e2d297.html | https://www.unionleader.com/nh/lifestyles/budget-vogue-a-few-questions-looking-back-on-2022/article_cce65a22-7e61-5471-bf70-6242f2e2d297.html |
The 100 Becker St. home of Ryan Kalantzis, left, and Chad Stanton, along with their English bulldog, Rocky, on Thursday in Manchester.
In Manchester, these guys are tops for Christmas spirit
This decoration pays homage to a neighbor on the street.
Some of the decorations at the 100 Becker St. home of Ryan Kalantzis and Chad Stanton, along with their English bulldog, Rocky, that won the citywide holiday decoration contest held by the mayor’s office. The pair won for the second year in a row.
Each day, Kalantzis changes the countdown on this decoration.
More decorations at the 100 Becker Street home of Ryan Kalantzis and Chad Stanton.
Mayor Joyce Craig paid a visit to do a Facebook Live interview with them on Wednesday, get a tour of the decorations, and gave them gift cards, and a plaque is forthcoming.
Mayor Joyce Craig with the winners.
Winning homeowners
Ryan Kalantzis of Manchester said he has the holidays on his mind in the fall and starts in September or October sketching out where all the outdoor displays will go on the lawn. He does an inventory of all the decorations they have, and start putting up displays little by little, starting with the corners of the yard with Chad Stanton and of course, Rocky, the 2-year-old English bulldog.
This is the second year that their 100 Becker St. home has won the citywide holiday decorations contest held by the city.
Kalantzis said, “It was always a dream of mine to be able to have a home and be able to decorate it at Christmas time,” and while growing up in Manchester fondly recalls driving around to look at the many holiday displays with his family. Kalantzis and Stanton have lived in this house for the last three years.
This season they got more new displays, including a juggling snowman and new penguins. So as Kalantzis planned things on his blueprint, he said he wanted to create little scenes and group things together, group the snowmen together, the dinosaurs. Some of the displays have stories behind them, too, or pay homage to neighbors or relatives, such as a motorcycling Santa and a special Minnie Mouse.
“We put a lot of heart and soul into this,” Kalantzis said. He said he feels that their holiday display and the design of some of the items are both art and an art form. There is also holiday music playing on a device that also projects images onto the side of the house, and it does feature his favorite singer, Mariah Carey. He added that this display has “slowly bloomed into something bigger and better each season,” helped also by clearance finds they hit after the holidays every year, too.
Mayor Joyce Craig paid a visit to see the display in person and give them prizes and created a Facebook Live video to unveil the winners. She said, “You can’t drive up the street without a smile ... I just want to thank you for the hard work you put into this because it really makes a huge difference in the community.”
Manchester Radio Group provided two restaurant gift cards, and a plaque from the city is forthcoming.
Watch and enjoy the video on Facebook on the Mayor’s Facebook page here: https://fb.watch/hAdFtMCh_l/ | 2022-12-23T01:50:22Z | www.unionleader.com | Manchester Holiday Light winners: It starts with a blueprint, and a lifelong dream | Holiday | unionleader.com | https://www.unionleader.com/nh/lifestyles/holiday/manchester-holiday-light-winners-it-starts-with-a-blueprint-and-a-lifelong-dream/article_232338db-f8c9-5a46-9b57-e88506a10ad3.html | https://www.unionleader.com/nh/lifestyles/holiday/manchester-holiday-light-winners-it-starts-with-a-blueprint-and-a-lifelong-dream/article_232338db-f8c9-5a46-9b57-e88506a10ad3.html |
—L.R., Camp Hill, Pa.
A. I recommend Ohm speakers to anyone with the budget and a good room for them. I own many excellent pairs of speakers accumulated over a lifetime of audio passion, but Ohms are my reference and what I listen to most of the time.
A pair of Ohm Walsh 1 speakers purchased new in 1986 was my first quality speaker purchase, and today a pair of top-of-the-line Walsh 5000s graces my listening room. Since that auspicious purchase 36 years ago I managed to acquire a pair of the unobtainium Ohm A speakers, the first Walsh model produced and one of only 30-something pairs ever made.
The Ohm As are as big as a small refrigerator, require a huge amount of power to make them so much as squeak and they still work perfectly! I also have a pair of working Ohm F speakers, the legendary and commercially successful follow-up to the Ohm A.
Even 50 years later there are few speakers that sound as good, at any price, as these groundbreaking designs from the 1970s. My original Walsh 1s are still in use today in my home theater room. When I set it up 10 years ago I tried a few high-end conventional speakers, but the system never sounded quite right due to the acoustics of the room. I pulled out my old Walsh 1s, hooked them up and the system sounded perfect! I certainly got my money’s worth out of them, and I am glad they are still with me today.
I am glad you remembered my Ohm recommendation because I have not mentioned them in print for quite a while. Ohm is a small, successful company that has made their speakers by hand in Brooklyn, New York, since 1971. They only sell direct and make their products to order.
For several years the waiting list to get Ohm speakers was six months long, driven solely by demand. The wait is down to a more manageable two months, so anyone buying new Ohm speakers can look forward to getting them a lot sooner. ohmspeaker.com | 2022-12-23T01:50:34Z | www.unionleader.com | Sound Advice: A standout speaker option for high-end stereo systems | Lifestyles | unionleader.com | https://www.unionleader.com/nh/lifestyles/sound-advice-a-standout-speaker-option-for-high-end-stereo-systems/article_39a0ee8d-830b-52c1-9b99-915681624747.html | https://www.unionleader.com/nh/lifestyles/sound-advice-a-standout-speaker-option-for-high-end-stereo-systems/article_39a0ee8d-830b-52c1-9b99-915681624747.html |
NH Winter
A shot of Jupiter and its third largest moon, Io.
Provided by Robert Gillette
An image of the Andromeda galaxy, which is 2 1/2 million light years from Earth.
Provided by Rich DeMidio
Another of Joe Dechene's creations, this telescope sits on a tripod made from carbon fiber hockey sticks. Can you spot Jupiter and Saturn in the middle of the frame?
Provided by Joe Dechene
This long-exposure shot captures the observing field at an NHAS Skywatch in Wilmot last August.
Provided by Matthews Paige
Astronomer Rob Mack took this image on the night of December 7-8 just before the moon passed directly in front of Mars (bottom right) and hid it from view.
Provided by Rob Mack
One of Joe Dechene's many handcrafted telescopes. This is the scope Dechene shared with spectators at the Skywatch in Wilton during the Geminid meteor shower.
The Pleiades star cluster, also known as the Seven Sisters, located in the constellation Taurus. The cluster contains more than 800 stars.
Provided by Matthew Paige
NH Winter: The season’s viewings are stellar
STANDING AT the edge of Carnival Hill Field in Wilton, with my head tilted up toward the brilliant expanse of night sky, I watched and waited for the bright light of a meteor to appear.
On this cold and clear evening, I joined the amateur astronomers of the New Hampshire Astronomical Society gathered for a Skywatch.
“We bring our telescopes and we share the sky with the public,” said Paul Winalski, the NHAS secretary and coordinator for public observing programs.
This particular Skywatch was hosted in collaboration with the Wilton Public Library and coincided with the peak of the Geminid meteor shower on Dec. 14.
Meteors, more commonly known as shooting stars, are small pieces of matter, such as dust or rock, falling from space with great speed and burning as they enter the Earth’s atmosphere, which produces the streaking light that can be seen from below.
The Geminid meteor shower takes its name from the constellation Gemini because the light from each meteor radiates from Castor, a star within this familiar pattern. As the Skywatch began at 7 p.m., Gemini was just beginning to rise above the horizon and into view.
Meteor shower viewing, and stargazing in general, is best in the days before and after each new moon, away from the pollution of city lights. Although the moon was a bright waning gibbous at the peak of the Geminid meteor shower, it didn’t rise until after midnight, leaving spectators with plenty of darkness early in the evening to spot those spectacular streaks of light.
At the edge of the field, NHAS members stood before parked cars, large telescopes lined up in a single row. Red light — which allows eyes to adjust better to the darkness than white light — emanated from flashlights and headlamps as spectators moved from scope to scope, enjoying the guidance and expertise of members willing to share.
As the night began, I was hard-pressed to spy the quick movement of a meteor. But there was plenty to examine through the eyepiece of a scope.
I took a closer look at the Pleiades star cluster, also known as the Seven Sisters, located in the constellation Taurus. Although I counted five or six stars with my naked eye earlier, the cluster contains more than 800 stars.
“There’s actually two or three hundred up there that you can see in telescopes like these,” Winalski said. “It looks like sapphires on velvet.” This was an accurately poetic description.
At another telescope, Winalski curated a trip through the Trapezium Cluster, a group of young stars located within the Orion Nebula, which sits below Orion’s belt in the well-known constellation of the same name.
Also viewable were the Andromeda galaxy, the red glow of Mars and four of Jupiter’s largest moons, two illuminated on each side of our solar system’s largest planet.
For Winalski, the accessibility of these distant bodies is what makes astronomy such a captivating hobby. “You look at Jupiter and you’re looking almost a billion miles away. And yet you can see this thing,” he said.
One of Winalski’s favorite winter sights is Vega, a bright star that exists 25 light years from Earth. This means that the light received by our eyes that night left the star in 1997. Even more incredibly, the Andromeda galaxy is 2½ million light years away.
“Our ancestors were shivering in a cave someplace hunting wooly mammoths at that point in time,” Winalski said. “It’s just amazing that you’re looking backwards in time whenever you look at the sky.”
Mingling about in the darkness, I eventually met Joe Dechene, the current president of NHAS. This is Dechene’s 20th year as a member with NHAS, but he’s nurtured a passion for astronomy most of his life
“There’s a special feeling about being outside under the stars, and it’s just hard to describe, getting away from the lights, and just being one with nature.”
As a child, Dechene wanted his own telescope but could have one only if he built it himself. So he did. Today, Dechene still practices and refines this art of crafting telescopes.
“It’s an exercise of creativity,” he said.
I spent much of the night at Dechene’s setup, a reflector telescope with alternating dark and light wood paneling around the main tube. Kneeling beside the scope, which stood about 3 feet off the ground, I peered through the eyepiece as Dechene pointed out a few faraway galaxies, a cigar-shaped galaxy on the right and a spiral to the left.
“Having the privilege to see these objects, to actually go out and see them and photograph them with your own eyes, is a terrific experience,” he said.
After touring the blanket of stars through the eyes of an astronomer, I finally caught a streak of light out of the corner of my eye. For a split second I watched a meteor scream above the horizon before fading into the sprawling darkness beyond.
For more information about upcoming Skywatch and other NHAS events in your area, visit nhastro.com. | 2022-12-23T01:50:40Z | www.unionleader.com | NH Winter: The season’s viewings are stellar | NH Winter | unionleader.com | https://www.unionleader.com/nh/outdoors/nh_winter/nh-winter-the-season-s-viewings-are-stellar/article_95e5a57a-03c1-548a-bad6-3674e271b195.html | https://www.unionleader.com/nh/outdoors/nh_winter/nh-winter-the-season-s-viewings-are-stellar/article_95e5a57a-03c1-548a-bad6-3674e271b195.html |
High School Hockey: A Salem girl's dream becomes reality
WHEN GRACE HOOVER first approached Salem High School Athletic Director Scott Insinga with her idea, she was nervous and a little out of breath.
Hoover, then in seventh grade, chased down Insinga on his four-wheeler while at her older brother, Erick’s, lacrosse game to discuss what she needed to do to create a girls hockey team at Salem High.
“What really drove me to start this program was that I loved hockey so much,” said Hoover, who began playing hockey in kindergarten, “and I wanted other girls to experience the childhood memories I had and all the fun times I had growing up with hockey and I really wanted other girls to have that exact same experience and really get to know the sport better.”
Now a sophomore at Salem High, Hoover’s efforts and determination led to the inaugural season of varsity girls hockey at the school this winter.
The Blue Devils, who have 27 players in the program, will play an abbreviated 10-game schedule beginning with their season-opener against Souhegan on Jan. 14 at the Icenter.
Insinga gave Hoover a checklist to accomplish, the biggest task being to generate interest.
Hoover needed to find at least 10 players and a coach for the team. She found 15 players, including two goalies and three coaches. Hoover’s neighbor, Shawn Devine, agreed to be the head coach. Her mom, Tracey, John Deane and Greg Herr joined as assistant coaches.
Through business donations, money raised through a GoFundMe page, and practice time that Insinga secured at the Icenter in town, the team self-funded a club season last year.
The Hoovers drove all over New Hampshire and Northern Massachusetts to collect donated used equipment and also received free new equipment like sticks, pants and pads from Bauer.
Twenty-four girls were part of the club season last winter filled with only 5:30 a.m. practices — no games or scrimmages against other teams.
“Last year, a lot of these girls didn’t know how to skate at all, so it was sort of a learn-to-skate program to start,” said Devine, who is new to coaching and played high school hockey at Austin Prep (Reading, Mass.) and New Hampton School. “Outside the practice hours that we had, a lot of these girls found pond ice or they went to public skating. They would ask other girls who knew how to skate for advice. They kind of almost took it on their own.
“It was incredibly inspirational for me to see that up close.”
The team raised more than $6,500 to fund itself this season but also received $7,500 from the Salem school board and more free equipment from Bauer. It will receive full funding from the school next season, Tracey said.
“That to me, as a coach and a mom, is so exciting that the town is embracing these girls and what they’re trying to do,” Tracey said.
Hoover’s older sister, Faith, a senior, is Salem’s captain this season. Hoover and Shaelyn Burke are both assistant captains.
The Hoover sisters, junior Grace Driscoll and freshman Keegan Curry-Powers are the only players with competitive hockey experience. Faith played youth hockey but eventually switched to basketball in middle school because Salem High did not have a girls hockey team.
Devine divides practices into three groups: those with hockey experience, those proficient at skating but are learning hockey and those learning to skate. Many of the players new to hockey have athletic experience playing other sports.
“I see improvement almost shift to shift,” said Devine, whose daughter, Riley, is good friends with Hoover. “Some people get interested but these girls are really committed to get better. ... Everything I could ask for as a coach from these girls, they’re giving me and more.”
Devine said the Hoover sisters have served as mini coaches for him on the ice. As leaders, Hoover said that she, Faith and Burke emphasize to their teammates that the season is a growing process.
“Me, Shaelyn and Faith are all very good skaters, I would say,” said Hoover, who also plays lacrosse and volleyball at Salem, “and I think seeing us make mistakes and not instantly get everything is showing the new players that it’s OK to not instantly get something and it’s OK to not be amazing as soon as you touch the ice. I think just showing them that it’s OK to make mistakes is giving them confidence.”
Devine said Salem does not have a youth feeder system but the program is trying to get the word out and work with club teams in the area to build numbers and create a sustainable program.
This season, Tracey said it is all about attitude and effort for the Blue Devils.
“We have 23 girls that are learning this sport together and they’re bringing each other along,” Tracey said. “I just about cry every single practice because I’m so proud. ... These are the girls that are making Grace’s dream come true is these other girls and it’s amazing to watch them do it.”
‘Tis the season for holiday tournaments
For those with a hankering for hockey after the holidays, there are plenty of high school tournaments to choose from across the Granite State.
Here are more than a few on the post-holiday docket:
• The Brian C. Stone Memorial Christmas Hockey Tournament will take place at JFK Coliseum in Manchester next Monday through Thursday.
The Manchester co-op team, Bow, Trinity, Exeter, Goffstown, Hanover, Bedford and two-time defending Division I champion Concord make up the tournament field.
Manchester will face Bow in the tournament-opening contest on Monday at 2 p.m. The championship game on Thursday is set for 5 p.m. Concord is the returning tournament champion.
Trinity coach Mike Connell said he will use the tournament to get his younger players more experience and try some different line combinations.
“We’re going to go into it with, obviously, the goal to win it but we’re also going in with the understanding that we’ve got to get ready for the second half (of the season),” Connell said.
• Kennett will host the ninth annual Peter Hall Christmas Tournament at Ham Arena in Conway next Monday through Wednesday.
Kennett, newcomer Fryeburg Academy/Lake Region of Maine and two-time defending tournament champion Somersworth/Coe-Brown will play in the Mountain Division. Kingswood, Berlin/Gorham and Dover make up the Valley Division.
Kingswood and Berlin/Gorham will play in the tournament opener on Monday at 4 p.m. The champion of both divisions will meet in the final on Wednesday at 5:30 p.m.
“Playing really highly competitive games, I think, just helps us work on things to be better as a team — overall team defense and certainly scoring, which we’re struggling to do right now,” Kennett coach Mike Lane said. “That playoff atmosphere is going to be really good for us.”
• Hollis/Brookline/Derryfield will host its second Backyard Brawl Tournament at Conway Arena in Nashua next Tuesday through Thursday.
The round-robin style tournament field consists of Hollis/Brookline/Derryfield, Nashua North/Souhegan, Nashua South/Pelham, Merrimack, Alvirne/Milford and John Stark/Hopkinton/Hillsboro-Deering.
On the girls side, both Hanover and Keene/Monadnock/Fall Mountain are hosting tournaments again this season.
• The Hanover Holiday Tournament will run next Wednesday and Thursday at Campion Rink in Lebanon. Defending state champion Hanover will host last year’s Rhode Island Division I runner-up, La Salle Academy, defending Vermont Division I champion Bellows Free Academy and Essex, Vermont.
•The championship game is scheduled for 3:40 p.m. on Thursday.
The Keene Girls Ice Hockey Holiday Tournament is scheduled for next Tuesday at Keene Ice. The field consists of Concord, Lebanon/Stevens/Kearsarge, Exeter, Berlin/Gorham/Kennett, Keene/Monadnock/Fall Mountain, Pinkerton Academy, Oyster River/Portsmouth and Bedford.
Keene/Monadnock/Fall Mountain and Bedford will play in the tournament opener at 8:40 a.m.
Hadley brothers contributing for Bedford
Brothers Nick and Cam Hadley connected on a goal for the first time in their high school careers in the Bedford boys hockey team’s 4-3 Division I road triumph over Trinity on Wednesday at JFK Coliseum.
Cam, a sophomore, dished a cross-ice feed from the right circle to senior brother Nick, who then tallied a goal 4:18 into the first period to open the game’s scoring.
Bulldogs coach Jon Garrity said that was a fun goal to see for the brothers, who have played a role in Bedford’s 3-0 start.
“Cam Hadley’s a sophomore. He’s a great hockey player with a bright future,” Garrity said after Wednesday’s win. “Nick Hadley’s another one of those specialists that does great things on the (penalty) kill, can do great things on the power play and really works his butt off, so it was great to see them connect there.” | 2022-12-23T01:50:59Z | www.unionleader.com | High School Hockey: A Salem girl's dream becomes reality | Sports | unionleader.com | https://www.unionleader.com/sports/highschool/high-school-hockey-a-salem-girls-dream-becomes-reality/article_e8b95b49-c0d8-54b3-83a9-41301a3356c4.html | https://www.unionleader.com/sports/highschool/high-school-hockey-a-salem-girls-dream-becomes-reality/article_e8b95b49-c0d8-54b3-83a9-41301a3356c4.html |
Dow Jones, owned by News Corp, publishes the Wall Street Journal, Barron's and MarketWatch.
In October, Rupert Murdoch had started a process that could reunite his media empire, News Corp and Fox Corp, saying they would consider combining at his behest, nearly a decade after the companies split.
Bloomberg, the Washington Post and Dow Jones did not immediately respond to Reuters' requests for comment. (Reporting by Nivedita Balu in Bengaluru; Editing by Krishna Chandra Eluri) | 2022-12-23T15:36:09Z | www.unionleader.com | Media mogul Michael Bloomberg looking to buy Dow Jones or Washington Post | Business | unionleader.com | https://www.unionleader.com/news/business/media-mogul-michael-bloomberg-looking-to-buy-dow-jones-or-washington-post/article_5a996bcc-0726-5724-b8a2-94d210f8a0ad.html | https://www.unionleader.com/news/business/media-mogul-michael-bloomberg-looking-to-buy-dow-jones-or-washington-post/article_5a996bcc-0726-5724-b8a2-94d210f8a0ad.html |
Tree down in Manchester
More than 80,000 customers are without power across Friday as strong winds and heavy rains toppled trees and brought down wires across New Hampshire.
As of 11 a.m., about 53,000 Eversource customers were without power in New Hampshire Londonderry was among one of the hardest hit communities, with 3,300 customers without power. Another hard-hit area was the Lakes Region, with about 3,200 customers in Laconia and 2,600 in Gilford in the dark.
As of 11 a.m., just under 5,000 customers in Unitil’s New Hampshire service territories were without power due to wind impacts from the storm.
Liberty Utilities reported 1,388 customers without power as of 11 a.m. New Hampshire Electric Co-Op reported over 21,000 customers without power, with Barnstead and Nottingham the hardest hit areas.
Schools in the south end have lost power, including MST, Jewett, Memorial and Southside. We are sending MST CTE students to home high schools. Students can be dismissed to parents or guardians at MST, Jewett, Memorial and Southside. We are coordinating transportation home for students who ride the bus
We have lost power at McLaughlin Middle School and Green Acres Elementary. We must unfortunately close school at these schools ONLY today, Friday, December 23. If students are already on buses to these schools, they will be re-routed back to their stop. At this time, we are continuing with the school day as usual at all other schools.
In Hampton, flooding was reported along Ashworth Avenue and Ocean Boulevard as strong winds sent waves crashing ashore. | 2022-12-23T17:54:09Z | www.unionleader.com | Strong winds leave more than 80,000 without power | Weather | unionleader.com | https://www.unionleader.com/news/weather/strong-winds-leave-more-than-80-000-without-power/article_d1f3d3b1-02c8-54e3-a08e-ddcfcb83dfed.html | https://www.unionleader.com/news/weather/strong-winds-leave-more-than-80-000-without-power/article_d1f3d3b1-02c8-54e3-a08e-ddcfcb83dfed.html |
Clashes with French police during a demonstration near the Rue d'Enghien after gunshots were fired killing and injuring several people in a central district of Paris, France, December 23, 2022.
French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin talks to journalists during a visit Rue d'Enghien after gunshots were fired killing and injuring several people in a central district of Paris, France, December 23, 2022.
By Juliette Jabkhiro Reuters
Multiple gunshots were fired on Rue d'Enghien, sowing panic on a street lined with small shops and cafes in the capital's busy central 10th arrondissement, or district.
Authorities said they had arrested a 69-year-old man. Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau said the suspect had recently been freed from detention while awaiting trial for a separate saber attack on a migrant camp in Paris a year ago. Authorities could not exclude a possible racist motive, she said.
Juan-Golan Eliberg, an artist who works at the Kurdish center, told Reuters the shooter had targeted Kurds.
Eyewitness Mehmet Dilek told Reuters he first heard gunshots and then cries coming from inside a barber's shop opposite the cultural center. Bystanders subdued the gunman when he had to reload his firearm, Dilek added.
The incident was a "terrible drama," district mayor Alexandra Cordebard told reporters. One of those wounded had suffered life-threatening injuries, she said.
Reuters was not immediately able to contact the suspect's representatives. BFM TV reported the suspect was a French national.
(Reporting by Juliette Jabkhiro, Sudip Kar-Gupta, Caroline Pailliez and Tassilo Hummel; Writing by Richard Lough; Editing by Toby Chopra, Peter Graff) | 2022-12-23T17:54:15Z | www.unionleader.com | Gunman in Paris kills three in attack on Kurdish cultural center | World | unionleader.com | https://www.unionleader.com/news/world/gunman-in-paris-kills-three-in-attack-on-kurdish-cultural-center/article_3cb33553-69a3-5d0e-99c0-72d0d3c0b3ac.html | https://www.unionleader.com/news/world/gunman-in-paris-kills-three-in-attack-on-kurdish-cultural-center/article_3cb33553-69a3-5d0e-99c0-72d0d3c0b3ac.html |
To the Editor: Our organization (NH Hunger Solutions) has been tracking data on hunger in New Hampshire and we think many Granite Staters would be surprised by what we’re seeing. In November, more than 1 in 4 older adults reported not having sufficient food, as did half of all households with children. While troubling, it’s not surprising, given a third of adults in New Hampshire report that their ability to pay for usual household expenses has been somewhat or very difficult. As fuel prices and costs of goods crunch household budgets, we need to make sure that all our neighbors have the nutrition support they need to be healthy, because hunger affects our physical and mental health in serious ways.
What can we do? One easy step would be to reduce administrative barriers to programs that low-income families are eligible for — those that have been made available precisely because they strengthen economic security. For example, children who receive SNAP (the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) are automatically enrolled in the national school meals program. There is a proposal to do the same thing for children who receive Medicaid. This strategy, Medicaid Direct Certification, would automatically enroll eligible children who receive Medicaid into the school meals program.
We all want government to run as efficiently as possible, and direct certification would reduce childhood hunger while ridding the state of duplicative administrative efforts. Ask your state legislators if they will help end childhood hunger in New Hampshire by supporting Medicaid Direct Certification.
LAURA MILLIKEN | 2022-12-24T06:21:01Z | www.unionleader.com | Letter: Streamlining can reduce hunger in Granite State | Letters to the Editor | unionleader.com | https://www.unionleader.com/opinion/letters_to_editor/letter-streamlining-can-reduce-hunger-in-granite-state/article_92a41dd9-1766-5dde-9da6-b07ec5e74ebe.html | https://www.unionleader.com/opinion/letters_to_editor/letter-streamlining-can-reduce-hunger-in-granite-state/article_92a41dd9-1766-5dde-9da6-b07ec5e74ebe.html |
While the loss of muscle is a visual thing - taut thighs grow flaccid, flat stomachs soft - and the health of our skeleton can be measured using bone density scans, Merrill says, "it is only recently that we were aware the same reality was evident in our brains." Disuse atrophy applies to sedentary muscles in the same way it does the cognitive decline seen in dementia.
Brain imaging illustrates this point: Learning and engagement contribute toward building not just psychologic lift but also physiologic lift in the preservation of brain volumes and preventing that atrophy - or shrinking - of memory centers, in much the same way physical exercise keeps our visible muscle in well-defined shape, Merrill adds.
In her book "Breaking the Age Code: How Your Beliefs About Aging Determine How Long and Well You Live," Becca Levy, a professor of psychology and epidemiology at Yale University, argues that individuals - and society - speed up aging by reinforcing stereotypes about "senior moments." First among these images: "the false age stereotype that older l have trouble learning new information."
The problem is that thinking you're old - or accepting the ageism that society trusts upon you - becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy, so you're less likely to try new things. Then you are not only failing to exercise your brain but also developing a habit of giving up.
According to Gallup, the average age of retirement in the United States is 61 in 2022. The Pew Research Center reports that just over half of Americans over 55 had retired by the third quarter of 2021 - a statistic exacerbated by the pandemic and one that will rise as a generation of boomers hurtle toward pension age. The average life expectancy is 76.1 years.
But while getting older is - one hopes - a given, dementia is not, says Monica Moreno, senior director of care and support at the Alzheimer's Association.
Research indicates that mentally challenging activities can have both short- and long-term benefits for the brain, she says. And a hobby - something new that we introduce to our lives as the demands of employment recede - is an excellent way to challenge oneself and possibly set off a cascade of positive changes. | 2022-12-24T12:19:03Z | www.unionleader.com | Can a hobby keep dementia at bay? Experts weigh in. | Health | unionleader.com | https://www.unionleader.com/news/health/can-a-hobby-keep-dementia-at-bay-experts-weigh-in/article_729786a0-2909-5abb-b89d-d7d7092a0b0a.html | https://www.unionleader.com/news/health/can-a-hobby-keep-dementia-at-bay-experts-weigh-in/article_729786a0-2909-5abb-b89d-d7d7092a0b0a.html |
A Western tanager was seen in thickets near 47 Ocean Road in Greenland on Dec. 17-19.
An ash-throated flycatcher was found at Moore Fields on Route 155A in Durham on Dec. 11, and it was last reported on the 14th.
A varied thrush was seen in Pittsburg on Dec. 19.
A female Rufous hummingbird has been seen visiting a birdfeeder at a private residence in Newmarket since November and was last reported on Dec. 17.
A red-headed woodpecker was seen in Dover on Dec. 18.
A snowy owl was seen in Seabrook Marsh on Dec. 17.
A greater white-fronted goose was seen with a flock of Canada geese on a lawn adjacent to a Wendy’s Restaurant at 1465 Woodbury Avenue in Portsmouth on Dec. 16-18.
A flock of 12 snow geese was seen flying west over Manchester on Dec. 19.
A cackling goose and five long-tailed ducks were seen at Little Bay in Durham on Dec. 18.
A Glaucous gull and four Iceland gulls were seen at the Rochester Wastewater Treatment Plant on Dec. 18. Also, a barn swallow continues to be seen here and was last reported on the 19th.
An Iceland gull was seen on the Connecticut River in Pittsburg on Dec. 14; a lesser black-backed gull was seen at Hampton Beach State Park on the 16th; and six black-legged kitiwakes were seen in Rye Harbor on the 16th.
A male Eurasian wigeon was seen on Great Bay from the Great Bay Wildlife Management Area-Greenland Access site on Dec. 18, and a male American wigeon was seen on the Merrimack River from Terrill Park in Concord on the 18th.
A male Barrow’s goldeneye, and a hybrid of a common goldeneye and a Barrow’s goldeneye, were both seen from Stark Landing on the Merrimack River in Manchester on Dec. 18. A hybrid of a common goldeneye and a Barrow’s goldeneye was also seen at Great Bay from the Greenland section on Dec. 17.
A Northern shoveler was seen at Jackson’s Landing on the Oyster River in Durham on Dec. 15 and 17.
A pair of blue-winged teal was seen at Wheelwright Creek in Exeter on Dec. 17, and a gadwall was seen at Upper Peverly Pond in Great Bay National Refuge in Newington on Dec. 17.
A rough-legged hawk was seen from Dead Diamond Road in Errol on Dec. 15.
Three black vultures and 20 turkey vultures were seen perched and soaring in Exeter on Dec. 18 and 19. A turkey vulture was seen soaring overhead in Durham on the 18th.
A Northern shrike was seen at Rivervail Farm in Errol on Dec. 15.
A flock of 15 common redpolls was seen in Errol on Dec. 15.
Six Bohemian waxwings were seen in Northfield on Dec. 17.
A flock of eight pine grosbeaks was seen in Warren on Dec. 15, and a flock of 12 was seen along Route 25C at the Piermont/Warren town line on the 13th.
Two evening grosbeaks and Two purple finches were reported from Marlborough on Dec. 18.
A white-winged crossbill was reported from Errol on Dec. 15.
Two red crossbills were reported from Penacook on Dec. 15; one was reported from Concord on the 18th; two were reported from Surry on the 18th; two were reported from Westmoreland on the 18th; two were reported from Keene on the 18th; and one was reported from Hancock the 15th.
An American pipit was seen at Spofford Lake in Chesterfield on Dec. 18.
A common yellowthroat was reported from the Lamprey River Preserve in Durham on Dec. 18. A palm warbler was seen in Lee on the 18th. A pine warbler was seen along Highland Avenue in Salem on the 13th, and one was seen at Stuart Farm in Stratham on the 17th. A yellow-rumped warbler was seen at Morrill’s Farm in Penacook on the 18th.
A ruby-crowned kinglet was seen in Pittsburg on Dec. 14, and one was seen in Durham on the 18th.
A great egret was seen in Seabrook Marsh on Dec. 17.
A yellow-bellied sapsucker was seen in Walpole; one was seen in Westmoreland; and one was seen in Keene, all during the past week.
Single hermit thrushes were reported from Bethlehem, Peterborough, Keene, North Swanzey, Pembroke, Pittsfield, and Manchester, all during the past week.
A gray catbird was seen in Penacook on Dec. 18.
Three fish crows were reported from Odiorne Point State Park in Rye on Dec. 16.
An Eastern towhee was seen at Great Bay National Wildlife Refuge in Newington on Dec. 17. A chipping sparrow was seen in Errol on Dec. 15.
Two rusty blackbirds were seen on West Locke Road in Concord on Dec. 18 and four were seen near 51 Ocean Road in Greenland on the 19th.
A Carolina wren was reported from unusually far north, in Gorham, on Dec. 15.
An American kestrel was seen at Otter Brook Lake in Keene on Dec. 18, and a Merlin was seen at Dorrs Pond in Manchester on the 16th. | 2022-12-24T12:19:09Z | www.unionleader.com | Rare Bird Alert | Outdoors | unionleader.com | https://www.unionleader.com/nh/outdoors/rare-bird-alert/article_24818ef7-0066-5a8a-bd67-65d0754735fe.html | https://www.unionleader.com/nh/outdoors/rare-bird-alert/article_24818ef7-0066-5a8a-bd67-65d0754735fe.html |
Stacey Cole Nature Talks: Kind words from friends make the best gifts
THE CHRISTMAS season is a time for celebrating the birth of Christ. There is no story in the Bible which carries more meaning for me than that of the nativity. But Christmas, a time of giving of ourselves, is a time of receiving, also. I count among my blessings the letters, cards and other communications I receive from my readers. One of the nicest gifts is when one of our readers writes nice things about another reader whose letter we had shared. Our longtime reader friend, Leverett Andrews of Peterborough, wrote:
“That was a beautiful letter the lady in New Ipswich (Anne Somero) wrote and you included in your column. Very few people have the ability to translate their interpretations of scenes and events into such a vivid word picture.
“That same Saturday at my R.F. D. mail box in early morning I saw a very beautiful sunrise. The sky was covered by what my grandfather called mares’ tails, a type of storm cloud. In the east, over Pack Monadnock and Temple Mountains, the sky was ablaze with brilliant rose-colored clouds in ever-changing patterns. Farther south the color was shades of lavender and soft gray. I stood there long minutes enjoying all of this until jolly, round, golden Mister Sun came up and chased all the colors away.
“Several times I have seen the sun rise twice the same morning. I live atop a hill near Peterborough and would start downtown just when the sun was peeking over Temple Mountain. It then disappeared as I buzzed down the hill. Upon reaching the bottom of the hill, there it was again, just coming up.
“Several nights ago, as Sam and I were taking a short walk just before bedtime, we saw the fattest, orange-red, moon on the eastern horizon. The next morning it was visible in the west, a wan shadow of the sturdy moon of the preceding evening.
“May Santa Claus find his way down your chimney again this season.”
With reader friends like ours, Santa finds his way down our chimney year round. | 2022-12-24T12:19:15Z | www.unionleader.com | Stacey Cole Nature Talks: Kind words from friends make the best gifts | Outdoors | unionleader.com | https://www.unionleader.com/nh/outdoors/stacey-cole-nature-talks-kind-words-from-friends-make-the-best-gifts/article_a2419412-8d1d-59d2-bed0-8ed0eb23232e.html | https://www.unionleader.com/nh/outdoors/stacey-cole-nature-talks-kind-words-from-friends-make-the-best-gifts/article_a2419412-8d1d-59d2-bed0-8ed0eb23232e.html |
A man clears snow from his roof following a winter storm that hit the Buffalo region in Amherst, New York, on Christmas Day.
By Gabriella Borter and Ahmed Aboulenein Reuters
A deadly blizzard paralyzed Buffalo, New York, on Christmas Day, trapping motorists in their cars, knocking out electricity to thousands of homes and raising the death toll from a severe storm system that has chilled the United States for days.
At least 30 people have died in weather-related incidents, according to an NBC News tally, since a deep freeze extended its grip over most of the nation coupled with snow, ice and howling winds from a storm that roared out of the Great Lakes region last week.
Much of the toll has centered in and around Buffalo at the edge of Lake Erie in western New York, where a driving ban remained in effect as heavy “lake-effect” snow — the result of cold air moving over warmer lake waters — and numbing cold continued through the holiday weekend.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul told reporters on Sunday that the Biden administration had agreed to support her request for a federal disaster declaration.
Some 200 National Guard troops were mobilized in western New York, providing relief to police and fire crews, conducting wellness checks and bringing supplies to shelters, with more on the way, Hochul said.
The storm was moving east on Sunday, after knocking out power to millions late last week and forcing thousands of commercial flight cancellations during the busy holiday travel period.
More than 150,000 homes and businesses were without power on Sunday, down sharply from the 1.8 million without power as of early Saturday, according to PowerOutage.us. In Buffalo, 16% of residents had no electricity on Sunday, officials said.
In Kentucky, officials confirmed at least three storm-related deaths since Friday, while at least four people were dead and several injured in auto-related accidents in Ohio, where a 50-vehicle pileup shut down the Ohio Turnpike in both directions during a blizzard near Toledo on Friday. | 2022-12-26T00:21:55Z | www.unionleader.com | Seven dead in Buffalo as winter storm freezes eastern U.S. on Christmas Day | National | unionleader.com | https://www.unionleader.com/news/national/seven-dead-in-buffalo-as-winter-storm-freezes-eastern-u-s-on-christmas-day/article_0aa2aeb5-172a-5786-aa03-f79483e73430.html | https://www.unionleader.com/news/national/seven-dead-in-buffalo-as-winter-storm-freezes-eastern-u-s-on-christmas-day/article_0aa2aeb5-172a-5786-aa03-f79483e73430.html |
Thousands of New Hampshire residents experienced power outages over the Christmas weekend as strong winds and heavy rains toppled trees and brought down wires across the state.
As of 6 p.m., more than 6,500 customers in New Hampshire still had no power on Christmas day.
On Friday, the state reported more than 120,000 without power. Crews have worked throughout the holiday trying to restore power as strong winds and heavy rains toppled trees and brought down wires across New Hampshire.
NH Electric Co-op had 3,635 — or 4.39% of customers — without power for Christmas.
Concord had 315 customers served by Unitil without power Sunday night. A total of 484 Unitil customers were without power across the state.
The company restored power to about 42,000 customers.
“Unfortunately, this storm has disrupted holiday plans for so many families who have been forced to either cancel gatherings or make alternate arrangements. We understand the difficult decisions they’ve had to make and appreciate their patience as our crews worked tirelessly through this event to bring the lights back on for as many customers as possible for Christmas Day,” Unitil Media Relations Manager Alec O’Meara said in a statement. “It’s important to remember that while most customers have their power back, the work isn’t over and our resilient force of lineworkers will keep at it until power is restored to everyone in our service territories.”
Eversource had 2,406 — 0.44% — of its customers out of power.
“Some New Hampshire residents may be on their second or third day without power,” Robert Buxton, director of the New Hampshire Department of Safety’s Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, said in a statement. “Neighbors should check in on each other, and if anyone is in need of a warming shelter, they can call 2-1-1 to find one nearby.”
On Christmas Eve, Eversource reported that utility workers from states including Texas, Louisiana, Alabama, North Carolina, Virginia and Canada, were continuing to assist 600 Eversource line, tree and service crews.
As of Sunday night, the company said crews reported to 213 broken utility poles.
"We’ll continue working around the clock until everyone has power," the company wrote on Facebook at 4 p.m. Sunday.
Liberty Utilities reported restore power for most its customer just before midnight Sunday.
Union Leader reporter Paul Feely contributed to this report. | 2022-12-26T00:22:01Z | www.unionleader.com | Thousands without power through Christmas | Weather | unionleader.com | https://www.unionleader.com/news/weather/thousands-without-power-through-christmas/article_83113c24-82fb-52f8-aab2-91d5b1d22aec.html | https://www.unionleader.com/news/weather/thousands-without-power-through-christmas/article_83113c24-82fb-52f8-aab2-91d5b1d22aec.html |
Smiley N. Pool/The Dallas Morning News/TNS
But Hudson also says that in the event of delays, passengers can try taking their tickets to another carrier, which will sometimes honor the ticket and then charge the other airline later.
However, that usually doesn’t work with ultra-low-cost carriers such as Frontier and Spirit. | 2022-12-26T02:05:12Z | www.unionleader.com | The 3 big questions to ask when your flight is canceled or delayed | Business | unionleader.com | https://www.unionleader.com/news/business/the-3-big-questions-to-ask-when-your-flight-is-canceled-or-delayed/article_8adaa726-a86e-5778-a510-7d904f644fe4.html | https://www.unionleader.com/news/business/the-3-big-questions-to-ask-when-your-flight-is-canceled-or-delayed/article_8adaa726-a86e-5778-a510-7d904f644fe4.html |
Wayne C. Beyer
Step 1: Elect new leadership. National Committeeman Chris Ager represented our state well with the RNC in Washington. As Hillsborough County GOP chairman, he ran hugely successful fundraising events. Chris Ager is a good candidate for state GOP chairman. Karoline Leavitt has youthful energy, good looks and personality. The convention should find a role for her; if not vice chairman, something comparable.
Step 2: Slough off the past like dead snake skin. Whether you think the Democrats won in 2020 because they took advantage of changes in election laws during COVID, or you think the election was stolen, it is over. Candidates in New Hampshire and nationally who looked backward lost in 2022 and fell into the ditch. Only Republican candidates who look ahead can succeed in 2024. We need new candidates with new ideas, not grudges and scores to settle.
Step 3: Besides looking forward, look outward. Stop the bickering and internal fighting. Do not sweat the small stuff. It is far better to have Republican candidates and officeholders you agree with 80% of the time than Democrats you agree with only 20% of the time. Turf battles are not leadership. They do not win elections.
Step 4: Avoid extreme positions. Campaign on issues on which you can win. Read the handwriting on the wall. Better yet, read the polls. New Hampshire law and the polls tell you where voters are on abortion. We all believe in the Second Amendment, but every constitutional guarantee is subject to reasonable regulation, even, or especially, gun ownership. Democrats are the extremists who are pro-criminal and anti-police, favor open borders, fuel inflation through undisciplined spending, and promote Critical Race Theory, and sexual fluidity. But remember, we cannot beat their extreme positions with extreme positions of our own.
Step 5: Cut taxes, not benefits. In New Hampshire, phased reductions in business and enterprise taxes helped create a $400 million surplus and gave $100 million back to cities and towns to lower property taxes. Republicans support smaller government and budget cuts, but not when the program benefits them. That means Social Security and Medicare. Save your ideas about privatizing them and cutting programs that are here to stay.
Step 6: Have an inclusive message. The Democrats’ message is divisive, pitting one voter group against another: teachers’ unions against parents; college graduates against blue collar workers who will pay off their student loans; Blacks against Whites. Republicans must speak to middle Americans who feel left behind in the new economy and to those in a newer generation who think they cannot get ahead without the government’s help. Republicans must reach those groups with a unified message: private sector jobs, not government borrowing, lifts people out of poverty and creates prosperity. If you have a skill or a trade, there is a good job waiting for you.
Step 7: Get out the vote. In the November election, according to the N.H. Secretary of State’s Office, there were 925,398 voters on the checklist and 626,931 ballots cast. That is about a 68% turnout. But it also means 32%, or nearly 300,000, eligible voters did not vote. Every Republican who did not vote in the last election helped a Democrat get elected. Campaigning has become too dependent on advertising and social media. Elections are won in the Granite State the old-fashioned way, by having an organization of volunteers, shaking hands, knocking on doors, calling friends; and, after identifying your voters, getting them out to vote. Election Day is the one day we are truly equal. Remind your fellow Republicans it is not just their right, but a duty to vote.
Wayne C. Beyer is a New Hampshire and Washington, D.C. lawyer who served appointments in the Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush administrations. He lives in North Conway. | 2022-12-26T06:19:48Z | www.unionleader.com | Wayne C. Beyer: A GOP victory in seven steps | Op-eds | unionleader.com | https://www.unionleader.com/opinion/op-eds/wayne-c-beyer-a-gop-victory-in-seven-steps/article_e44e1a12-0884-555d-98d6-7cf551929e4c.html | https://www.unionleader.com/opinion/op-eds/wayne-c-beyer-a-gop-victory-in-seven-steps/article_e44e1a12-0884-555d-98d6-7cf551929e4c.html |
A drone believed to be Ukrainian penetrated hundreds of kilometers through Russian airspace, causing a deadly explosion at the main base for Moscow's strategic bombers in the latest attack to expose gaps in its air defenses.
A suspected drone already struck it on Dec. 5, exposing what was widely described at the time as a humiliating hole in Russia's air defenses that the latest attack suggests Moscow has yet to plug.
The invasion of Ukraine has been a test of Russia's longstanding authority among other ex-Soviet states. Fighting has surged in recent months between CIS members Armenia and Azerbaijan in a conflict where Russia has peacemakers, while a border dispute has flared between Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. Putin said such disagreements should be resolved through "comradely help and mediating action."
On Sunday, Putin said he was open to negotiations over Ukraine, blaming Kyiv and its Western allies for failing to engage in talks. He has shown no sign of stepping back from his demand that Ukraine recognize Moscow's armed conquest of a fifth the country. Kyiv says it will fight until Russia withdraws.
"We are ready to negotiate with everyone involved about acceptable solutions, but that is up to them -- we are not the ones refusing to negotiate, they are," Putin said in an interview on Rossiya 1 state television.
An adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky dismissed the remarks: "Russia single-handedly attacked Ukraine and is killing citizens," Mykhailo Podolyak said on Twitter. "Russia doesn't want negotiations, but tries to avoid responsibility." | 2022-12-26T20:31:36Z | www.unionleader.com | Blast at Russian base after apparent Ukrainian drone penetrates deep | Politics | unionleader.com | https://www.unionleader.com/news/politics/blast-at-russian-base-after-apparent-ukrainian-drone-penetrates-deep/article_369a2dc1-6ea4-5b77-bd4e-d8c0ee21a0e4.html | https://www.unionleader.com/news/politics/blast-at-russian-base-after-apparent-ukrainian-drone-penetrates-deep/article_369a2dc1-6ea4-5b77-bd4e-d8c0ee21a0e4.html |
NAZAKA
City aldermen were singing the praises of the Manchester Economic Development Office following a presentation on its recent successes after being shuttered for 2 ½ years.
Jodie Nazaka, director of the Manchester Economic Development Office (MEDO), said the presentation was designed to help get the city excited about what’s ahead in 2023 “and the years after,” plus highlighted all the office has achieved over the past 11 months.
“I’m excited to be part of the change we would like to see in the city, and move us into the future,” said Nazaka, a Manchester native born and raised in the Queen City. “And become a city that is full of community pride and enthusiasm. Not that we aren’t now, but we can do better.”
One of the goals of the presentation — given by Nazaka and Erik Lesniak, MEDO’s business liaison, was to advocate for future funding from the city to keep the office open. MEDO is currently funded by American Rescue Plan Act funds through the end of 2026.
The presentation highlighted several topics including:
• Manchester Housing Market 2022-2023 — Vacancy rates for apartments continue to be extremely low, and rents are very high. Manchester offers various housing options, including a higher number than usual of building conversions from offices into housing. 1,900 new housing units are either in front of the Planning Board, have just been completed, or are on their way to completion.
• Build Back Better Regional Challenge Winner — The award is $43,999,995 in federal funding from the EDA. The funding aims to make Manchester the epicenter of the biofabrication industry and builds on previous federal investments in ARMI/BioFab USA. As the manufacturing base in biofabrication grows, a significant portion of the jobs created will be for non degreed, biofabrication, and quality technicians. The coalition’s efforts are estimated to create 7,000 direct jobs and 37,250 jobs across Southern New Hampshire over the next 7 years.
• RAISE Grant Winner — The RAISE Manchester: Connecting Communities project includes roadway, bridge, bicycle, and pedestrian infrastructure improvements for $30 million. This consists of a $5 million local match combined with the $25 million RAISE grant.
• After several years of irregular meetings, MEDO has begun reestablishing the MDC Board of Directors. MDC was created to “encourage, support, engage in and invest in the economic development of and projects and activities in the City of Manchester and to “encourage the welfare of local industries and promote the establishment of new industries in Metropolitan Manchester.”
• Small Business Grant — 19 businesses were awarded a total of $190,000, and 21 businesses are awaiting pending awards totalling $210,000.
According to Nazaka, popular annual events like the Taco Tour, Glendi, and the return of SkyShow led to $32 million in visitor spending in Manchester between May and December.
MEDO is also spearheading the search for an identity for the city when it comes to marketing what Manchester has to offer.
MEDO is seeking proposals for advertising agencies to create citywide branding and a marketing strategy.
Proposals were due Dec. 20.
Goals for the MEDO office in 2023 include:
• Continue building relationships and revive the city’s Economic Development Office by retaining a solid presence in the local community, state, and region;
• Advance the city’s position as a regional employment and entertainment center while focusing on business retention and expansion;
• Work closely with our arts and cultural community to demonstrate the city’s commitment to the creative arts;
• Create a strong community brand that fosters civic pride, builds consistency, and reflects the values of our community;
• Seek out and encourage more public-private partnerships and grant opportunities, and retain a strong presence with economic development groups.
Alderman Will Stewart thanked Nazaka and Lesniak for helping to revive the MEDO office.
“It’s exciting to see the energy you bring,” said Stewart.
“You hear this from the downtown businesses. I really hope this board will consider continuing to invest in MEDO through general funds moving forward.”
“Your presentation gave me more affirmation as to why we need MEDO,” said Alderman Pat Long.
MEDO presentation | 2022-12-27T00:53:58Z | www.unionleader.com | Manchester aldermen praise work of revived MEDO office | Politics | unionleader.com | https://www.unionleader.com/news/politics/manchester-aldermen-praise-work-of-revived-medo-office/article_469f6e7d-aed7-5736-87e9-75c3792c6097.html | https://www.unionleader.com/news/politics/manchester-aldermen-praise-work-of-revived-medo-office/article_469f6e7d-aed7-5736-87e9-75c3792c6097.html |
Manchester goalie Landon Wilson makes a glove save in Monday afternoon's 5-4 win over Bow in the Brian C. Stone Memorial Christmas Hockey Tournament at the JFK Coliseum in Manchester.
Bow High School's Brodie O'Neil and Manchester's Owen Kelley battle along the boards fot the puck in first period action Monday in the the Brian C. Stone Memorial Christmas Hockey Tournament on Monday at the JFK Coliseum in Manchester.
Manchester's Lukas Tafe tries to clear the puck as he battles Bow's Josh Billow in front of Manchester goalie Landon Wilson Monday in the Brian C. Stone Memorial Christmas Hoskey Tournament at the JFK Coliseum in Manchester.
Manchester's Nick Duclos, center, tries to deflect a shot past Bow goalie Brady Lover as Bow's Patrik Jurcins defends during action in the Brian C. Stone Memorial Christmas Hockey Tournament Monday.
Manchester rallies past Bow in tourney opener
Manchester hockey
MANCHESTER -- The Manchester co-op boys hockey team is still figuring out how to win, first-year coach Jeremy Baker said Monday.
On the first day of the Brian C. Stone Memorial Christmas Hockey Tournament, the Kings learned a little about winning after surrendering a lead.
Manchester took a one-goal lead into the third period, came back from a two-goal deficit to force overtime and scored inside the first minute of the extra frame in its 5-4 triumph over Bow on Monday at JFK Coliseum.
Manchester junior defenseman Mack Tripp completed his hat trick by scoring the game-winning goal from the right point off a Joey Velez offensive zone faceoff win 25 seconds into overtime.
The victory came five days after Manchester’s 6-5 loss to Salem in which it blew a two-goal, third-period lead.
“This team’s got to learn how to win,” Baker said. “They’ve got to learn how to play with the lead … These kids are young so they’ve got to learn that.”
The Kings, who are 2-1 in NHIAA Division I play, scored the game’s first two goals and led, 2-1, entering the second intermission.
Bow, which is 1-3 in Division I play, knotted the score on a Billy Smethurst shorthanded goal 3:19 into the third period that came during a 5-on-3 Manchester power play. The Falcons then took a 4-2 lead behind a breakaway goal from Owen Webber with 7:27 left and a Luke Virta rebound goal that came with 4:21 remaining.
“When they started fighting back, they were definitely outworking us physically,” Tripp said, “so I know that’s definitely something that we’ve got to talk about in the locker room a little bit more -- being physical from the get-go and being physical all game.”
The Kings forced overtime with Andrue McLaughlin’s rebound goal with 1:03 left after Manchester pulled goaltender Landon Wilson (18 saves) for the extra skater. Tripp scored a rebound power-play goal 1:19 earlier to pull Manchester within one.
Manchester went 2-for-6 on the power play -- four of its man-advantages came in the third period -- and 1-for-1 on the penalty kill. Baker said he was pleased his team stayed out of the penalty box, which has been an issue so far this season, but noted the power-play unit is still struggling.
“We work at it pretty much twice a week for 20-30 minutes of practice,” Baker said. “We just can’t seem to find rhythm with it. I’m working on it. They want to stand there with the puck and (think) the puck’s going to do the work and they don’t do it.”
Tripp opened the game’s scoring 3:09 into the first period with his top-shelf goal from the right point off a Velez feed.
Owen Kelley created a 2-0 Manchester lead with his power-play goal 2:57 into the second frame.
Luke Hartshorn put Bow on the board with a rebound goal in front following an Ethan Tobeler shot with 2:07 remaining in the second period.
Bow sophomore goaltender Brady Lover made 17 saves.
“I’m glad we had heart and we were able to fight back and get that win,” Tripp said. “It was a big win for us.”
Manchester, Bow, Hanover and Goffstown make up the Tafe Jr. division of the tournament, which is sponsored by Brady-Sullivan Properties. Defending tournament and Division I champion Concord, Bedford, Exeter and Trinity play in the McDonough Jr. division.
The top two teams in the McDonough Jr. division will play in the tournament final on Thursday at 5 p.m. The Tafe Jr. division winner will move to the McDonough Jr. division while the last-place team of the McDonough Jr. division will play in the Tafe Jr. division next year.
Exeter 4, Trinity 3 (OT): Coming off consecutive overtime losses to Londonderry and Concord in Division I regular-season play, Exeter came back from a three-goal deficit and scored three power-play goals en route to the overtime win.
Blue Hawks senior defenseman Roger Davis scored the game-winner on a turnaround, rebound power-play goal from the slot with 42.2 seconds left in the five-minute, 4-on-4 overtime session.
The Blue Hawks forced overtime with two goals inside the final five minutes of regulation.
Exeter’s Cam Snee tied the game at 3-3 with 18.5 seconds left in the third period on a power-play goal. The senior forward skated into the offensive zone toward goal with a Pioneer on his back and scored on a shot over Trinity goaltender Brendan Heppler’s left shoulder.
The Blue Hawks trimmed Trinity’s lead to 3-2 with 4:23 left in the third period, when Matt Wallace scored on a low shot from the right point.
Exeter had a 6-on-4 advantage on Trinity during Snee’s goal after pulling goaltender Charlie Mozina (25 saves) for the extra skater with 2:04 left in the third.
Exeter also got on the board with 2:23 left in the second period via a power-play goal from sophomore West Vaillant.
“In the preseason it was really clicking and through our first three games it hasn’t been,” Blue Hawks coach Paul DiMarino said of his team’s power-play unit, “so we made some changes at practice on Friday and Saturday. We definitely saw the results of those changes today based on the goals that were scored. It was good to see that pay off.”
Trinity junior forward Sam Maurice recorded a hat trick over the opening 12:53 of the first period.
Maurice’s opening-period outburst gave Trinity a 3-0 lead entering the first intermission and a 3-1 cushion after two periods.
Heppler made 28 saves.
“I’m happy we won because if we had three overtime losses in a row, that would have been tough,” DiMarino said. | 2022-12-27T00:54:10Z | www.unionleader.com | Manchester rallies past Bow in tourney opener | Sports | unionleader.com | https://www.unionleader.com/sports/highschool/manchester-rallies-past-bow-in-tourney-opener/article_f46ad01e-7bcf-52da-90c3-b05dfed0792c.html | https://www.unionleader.com/sports/highschool/manchester-rallies-past-bow-in-tourney-opener/article_f46ad01e-7bcf-52da-90c3-b05dfed0792c.html |
Sox reportedly have competition in race to sign Eovaldi
By Chris Cotillo masslive.com (TNS)
If the Red Sox want to re-sign veteran starting pitcher Nathan Eovaldi, they’ll have to ward off a couple of West Coast teams.
The Angels and Padres are among the teams with interest in signing Eovaldi, according to WEEI’s Rob Bradford. Bradford reports that those teams aren’t alone and that an American League East team is also in on the race for Eovaldi. The Red Sox have expressed interest in the right-hander throughout the winter but seem to have been passed in the sweepstakes at this point.
The Orioles are known to be looking at rotation upgrades and could be interested in Eovaldi as well. Baltimore has already been linked to Red Sox free agent starters Michael Wacha and Rich Hill. The Yankees were another rumored Eovaldi suitor but are probably out after locking up left-hander Carlos Rodón on a six-year, $162 million deal.
Boston did not offer Eovaldi an extension during the season but did make attempts to bring him back shortly after the hot stove season began. In addition to issuing Eovaldi the one-year, $19.65 million qualifying offer, the Red Sox also gave him a multi-year offer; Eovaldi declined both. The Red Sox will receive draft pick compensation if Eovaldi signs elsewhere, though his market will likely be hurt by the fact he is tied to a draft pick. He is the top remaining free agent, according to MLBTradeRumors’ rankings. | 2022-12-27T00:54:16Z | www.unionleader.com | Sox reportedly have competition in race to sign Eovaldi | Red Sox | unionleader.com | https://www.unionleader.com/sports/red_sox/sox-reportedly-have-competition-in-race-to-sign-eovaldi/article_fa430924-3bfb-516c-ac9b-c2333a0cb0f8.html | https://www.unionleader.com/sports/red_sox/sox-reportedly-have-competition-in-race-to-sign-eovaldi/article_fa430924-3bfb-516c-ac9b-c2333a0cb0f8.html |
The new Taco Bell Defy restaurant on June 24 in Brooklyn Park, Minn. Three of the four drive-through lanes are order and pickup lanes, requiring preorders via the Taco Bell mobile app. MUST CREDIT: Photo for The Washington Post by Mary Jo Hoffman
Mary Jo Hoffman
By Laura Reiley The Washington Post
Pandemic restaurant-going was like a series of twists on the old Yogi Berra quip about how nobody goes there anymore because it’s too crowded.
First, restaurants stood cavernously empty by mandate as we pined for them. Then we got scared to be cheek to jowl with fellow customers. As patrons surged back, a dearth of workers kept things off-balance. And as the worker shortage eased, inflation thwarted many diners from pre-pandemic levels of patronage.
It’s still not normal.
Restaurants are still seeing 16% fewer people dining on-premises compared to before the pandemic. Off-premises dining, however, has picked up precisely that much, according to the National Restaurant Association. But how that breaks down is telling: Delivery is up more than 5% while carryout is down 3. The big winner? Drive-through, up 13%.
Accelerated by the pandemic, restaurants’ digital strategy has become key. The restaurant industry saw an 18% increase in eateries offering direct online ordering this year, according to BentoBox, a restaurant website company. This comes even as third-party delivery companies hold their own: Grubhub sales remained flat for the first half of this year, while DoorDash reported better-than-expected sales for the third quarter.
One way restaurants cope with uncertainty is to scale back offerings and streamline menus, focusing more on foods that have a longer shelf life, a higher profit margin or that require less labor to prepare. (Restaurant labor costs are up 9.8% this year and were up 9% last year, according to the National Restaurant Association.) | 2022-12-27T02:57:07Z | www.unionleader.com | How the pandemic altered the restaurant industry forever | | unionleader.com | https://www.unionleader.com/how-the-pandemic-altered-the-restaurant-industry-forever/article_95cb00f4-3332-5935-a8b5-27040d085d63.html | https://www.unionleader.com/how-the-pandemic-altered-the-restaurant-industry-forever/article_95cb00f4-3332-5935-a8b5-27040d085d63.html |
Joanna Brown
FRANK MONKIEWICZ
Or are we? I have been speaking at the public comment portion of city school board meetings; last year it was about the mask mandate and this year it is about the holes in the school systems transgender policy that allows boys in the girls locker room and allows boys to play on the girls’ sports teams.
There is no gatekeeper for these policies. Any boy at any time can decide they want to identify as a girl and they are in. I respect transgender individuals, but the school board has left the door wide open for anyone to abuse it.
In North Carolina, a biological boy playing on a girls’ volleyball team spiked the ball directly in the opposing girl’s face at such a tremendous speed (an estimated 70 mph) that he knocked her out and she laid on the floor lifeless. Weeks later she still had long-term concussion symptoms including vision impairment.
Our city school board also wants to enable teachers to have private gender change discussions with our youngest children without parental knowledge. There is no age restriction for this right that has been gifted to teachers. I know we have many wonderful teachers in Manchester but it only takes one bad teacher to destroy the lives of many innocent children.
Don’t call me transphobic, when I hear people poking fun at transgender people in public I yell at them to stop and show more respect. We are all human. But no one is looking out for our kids because the school board is doing everything possible to lock us out.
We now have a pornographic comic book in the Bow schools sitting on the counter in classrooms. The images are too graphic to show. These hidden books are appearing everywhere because of a truckload of books “anonymously” donated to schools all over the country. Manchester also receives many books donated anonymously. Who is vetting these?
I may be the only parent speaking at the Manchester school board meetings most of the time, but I believe many other parents are speaking up in another way. The SAS test scores count every absent child as a zero score if the total absences are more than 5%. An absence can be a child present in school who opts out of the test. That means many zeros were counted in the scores, which could partially explain the drop in overall test scores. But why are so many kids opting out of standardized tests?
I believe it is because parents no longer trust the school system to do right by them and their children. Over the past 4 years, the SEL (Social and Emotional Learning) and CRT (Critical Race Theory)-based policies pushed by the school board have been untrustworthy at best. If the school board doesn’t want to lose accreditation and their reputation, they need to bring parents back into the equation and on everything.
Our schools need to change their policies immediately, transgender lawsuits or not. Parents are speaking up in a more effective way than my speeches.
Joanna Brown lives in Manchester. | 2022-12-27T06:43:50Z | www.unionleader.com | Joanna Brown: Test scores fall amid gender distractions | Op-eds | unionleader.com | https://www.unionleader.com/opinion/op-eds/joanna-brown-test-scores-fall-amid-gender-distractions/article_04253bda-9cd0-5676-86b0-57a4d772ce86.html | https://www.unionleader.com/opinion/op-eds/joanna-brown-test-scores-fall-amid-gender-distractions/article_04253bda-9cd0-5676-86b0-57a4d772ce86.html |
By Maya Pottiger Special to The Washington Post
Doing a thorough job, says Carolyn Forté, the executive director of Good Housekeeping's Home Care and Cleaning Lab, "is not rocket science."
Indeed, we asked Forté and several other cleaning experts and dishwasher pros 10 fundamental questions about doing the dishes, and they were full of easy - and often surprising - advice. Read on for ideas that could elevate your washing game faster than a rinse cycle.
Not much, according to experts. The key thing is to remove food that's really caked on, and rinse away large chunks so they don't clog your dishwasher filter. You can save water by scraping these bigger scraps right into the trash can.
But beyond that? "Our recommendation is to scrape and load, and then use a high quality detergent," says Brandon Schaefer, a director of product management at GE Appliances. "Then, really let the dishwasher take care of this chore for you."
If your dishwasher is too full, your dishes will not get clean. Once items are stacked on top of each other, the water won't be able to reach everything, and you also might end up blocking the spray arms entirely. If you're unsure whether you've gone too far, before you hit the start button, give the arms a spin manually to make sure they don't get caught on anything.
One tip: If you're hosting a big dinner party, try to run a couple smaller loads of dishes throughout the evening, rather than waiting to cram everything in at the end of the night.
What's the correct way to load silverware in the dishwasher?
Yes, there is a right way to fill up the flatware basket, says Forté. Load forks with the prongs upward for optimal cleaning. Knives, on the other hand, should go blades down for safety. Spoons should go bowl-side up, but make sure you alternate them so they don't nest together. Otherwise, the suds might not be able to reach each bowl.
If your glasses are fogged up and you have a dishwasher, try adding a rinse aid to the cycle. You'll find rinse aids in the same aisle as the dishwasher detergent, and your dishwasher should have a specific compartment for this booster (which comes in liquid or powder form) near the compartment for detergent. Adding a rinse aid will help combat spots left behind by hard water.
If you're handwashing, enlist the help of distilled white vinegar. Simply soak your glasses in a basin filled with enough of it to cover about half the glass, says Forté, rotating them after about 30 minutes to get the other side, then rinse and dry. To get rid of spots even faster, "I dip my finger in a little baking soda and rub it on the spot, and then rinse it and buff it dry," Forté says.
You probably already know that cast iron should never go into a dishwasher (it can rust). Neither should anything wooden, or wine glasses, particularly ones with stems. Stemless wine glasses are less of a risk, but you should still put them in the dishwasher only sparingly. Otherwise, the glass may develop a blue haze, called etching, over time. If there are screen-printed mugs you're attached to, keep those out of the dishwasher, too, or the design will eventually fade. Same with nonstick pans: a couple times through won't hurt, but eventually, the dishwasher can break down their finish.
A regular sponge doesn't always get the job done. Stock up on specialty tools, like a plastic scraper, scrub brushes and non-scratch scouring pads. You can also use a ball of aluminum foil to scrub really stuck-on food off pots and pans (but never on white porcelain or surfaces prone to scratch marks). If something is really burned onto the bottom of a pot, fill it with water and dish soap and set it back on the stove to simmer, says Forté. After the suds dissolve the residue, you should be able to scrub it right off.
Yes, according to cleaning experts. Nearly everyone we interviewed recommends Dawn, Cascade and Bar Keepers Friend in particular. Off-brand cleaners often don't have as much surfactant, which helps remove oils, so they aren't as effective.
"Investing in brand names, you're going to get more bang for your buck, and you're going to get those dishes cleaner faster," says Grace Reynolds, a founder of the American House Cleaners Association.
What's the best strategy for handwashing a sink full of dishes?
It can be overwhelming to see that mountain of dishes after a big meal, but a little organization will help. Start by corralling the flatware into a colander, says Becky Rapinchuk, the owner of Clean Mama. This will keep loose utensils from falling into the drain and rinsed-off food from clogging it, plus you won't accidentally cut your hand on knives obscured by soap.
Then, address the least dirty dishes first and finish up with your pots, pans and greasiest items, says Reynolds. This will keep the water and your sink cleaner for longer, especially if you're washing in a tub of water.
What's the best way to dry dishes?
Drying your dishes is the final step in making sure they're as clear and shiny as possible. Karizma Dickson, the owner of Washington, D.C., catering company Have Some Charisma, prefers to let dishes air dry, turned upside down so the excess water drips off instead of pooling at the bottom.
Brandon Pleshek, a cleaning expert known as CleanThatUp on Instagram and TikTok, keeps a microfiber towel over his shoulder when unloading the dishwasher, to wipe off excess moisture. "Microfiber does a great job polishing up any sort of glass or dish," he says.
My dishwasher isn't cleaning the dishes well. What's wrong?
One common culprit for an underperforming dishwasher: a clogged filter, which is found at the bottom of the dishwasher tub, under the lower rack. Many homeowners don't realize the filter should be cleaned at least once a month. It isn't too difficult: Remove your dishwasher's bottom rack, twist the filter and lift it out, then wash out trapped food and grime with a sponge and warm, soapy water. When you put it back, lock it into place. | 2022-12-27T15:46:19Z | www.unionleader.com | Do the dishes better and faster with these easy tweaks | Homes & Garden | unionleader.com | https://www.unionleader.com/news/homes/do-the-dishes-better-and-faster-with-these-easy-tweaks/article_8e61a913-64c7-5e75-8975-a76c9b16ac16.html | https://www.unionleader.com/news/homes/do-the-dishes-better-and-faster-with-these-easy-tweaks/article_8e61a913-64c7-5e75-8975-a76c9b16ac16.html |
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev listen to General Director of the Russian Museum Vladimir Gusev during an informal summit of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) leaders in Saint Petersburg, Russia, Dec.27, 2022.
Musk, the Tesla boss who now owns Twitter, responded to the suggestion he would emerge as U.S. president by tweeting back "Epic thread!!," although he also criticized some of Medvedev's predictions. Medvedev has praised Musk in the past for proposing Ukraine cede territory to Russia in a peace deal.
Political scientist Vladimir Pastukhov said Medvedev's newly outspoken public persona appeared to have found favor with his boss. | 2022-12-27T15:46:25Z | www.unionleader.com | Star rising in Kremlin, Russia's Medvedev predicts war in West | Military | unionleader.com | https://www.unionleader.com/news/military/star-rising-in-kremlin-russias-medvedev-predicts-war-in-west/article_8c6eb196-ede9-5658-af4c-79d242f7e79e.html | https://www.unionleader.com/news/military/star-rising-in-kremlin-russias-medvedev-predicts-war-in-west/article_8c6eb196-ede9-5658-af4c-79d242f7e79e.html |
Former Vice President Mike Pence speaks with Nashua native Matthew Bartlett on Wednesday, Aug. 17, 2022, after speaking at a Politics & Eggs series event at Saint Anselm College’s New Hampshire Institute of Politics.
By Kyle Melnick The Washington Post
"Former Vice President Mike Pence did not file to run for President today," Devin O'Malley wrote on Twitter. When reached for comment Monday, O'Malley confirmed his tweet and added, "You'll have to reach out to the FEC for answers about the filing."
When asked to comment Monday night, the FEC said, "We cannot comment on specific filings."
The report came as Republicans have made efforts toward running in the primary election against former president Donald Trump. Pence, who served as Trump's vice president between 2017 and 2021, had planned to use the holidays in Indianapolis to consider a presidential campaign, an aide told The Washington Post last week.
The FEC filing Monday was under "Mike Richard Pence" and included a post office box address from Anderson, Ind. Pence's full first name is "Michael," but his campaign has appeared to use the listed address in the past. Screenshots circulated across the internet Monday as people reacted to Pence's possible candidacy.
Since refusing to try to overturn Trump's 2020 election loss, Pence, 63, has feuded with Trump and his supporters. Pence has recently hired fundraising aides but plans to continue his book tour in January for his autobiography, "So Help Me God," an aide told The Post last week. | 2022-12-27T15:46:37Z | www.unionleader.com | Mike Pence presidential candidacy filing a fake, spokesman says | Voters First | unionleader.com | https://www.unionleader.com/news/politics/voters/mike-pence-presidential-candidacy-filing-a-fake-spokesman-says/article_779ecd3a-aa7c-554b-a973-993630111e2a.html | https://www.unionleader.com/news/politics/voters/mike-pence-presidential-candidacy-filing-a-fake-spokesman-says/article_779ecd3a-aa7c-554b-a973-993630111e2a.html |
The homeless woman accused of leaving her day-old baby alone in a Manchester tent was fearful of losing the tent, so she misdirected the search away from the area, according a police affidavit filed in Hillsborough County Superior Court.
Alexandra Eckersley, 26, the daughter of former Red Sox pitching great Dennis Eckersley, and her boyfriend also decided to turn off the propane heat in the tent while they waited for an ambulance.
When police asked her why she didn't take the baby with her, she responded: "What do they tell you to do when a plane goes down? Save yourself first."
Eckersley faces charges of misdemeanor reckless conduct, child endangerment and felony falsifying physical evidence.
She remained in the hospital on Tuesday. On Monday, the baby was prepped for transport to Dartmouth Health in Lebanon.
Authorities searched frantically for the newborn early Monday morning, a search hampered when she allegedly provided false information about the location of the tent, authorities said.
The fire department was sent to the area of 3 Electric St., where they met the woman who had just given birth prematurely near the baseball field, according to a news release from the fire department.
Mayor Joyce Craig thanked both departments and American Medical Response on Monday for helping save the baby.
“Without their life-saving actions, this situation could have ended much worse,” she said in a statement. “In Manchester, numerous city departments and nonprofit organizations conduct outreach activities to assist and direct people living unhoused to the Families In Transition emergency shelter and the warming station at 1269 Cafe.”
The FIT shelter, however, has been at or near capacity for months, and homeless people have taken to living in tents outside the shelter.
Craig encouraged anyone struggling with mental health issues, substance use disorder, or homelessness across New Hampshire to call 211 to connect to available services and sheltering.
Eckersley is homeless and suffers from mental illness, according to a profile about her that ran in the Concord Monitor in 2019. The article quoted her about her parents, and the Eckersley family confirmed at that time that she is their daughter. | 2022-12-27T19:47:36Z | www.unionleader.com | Homeless woman who allegedly left newborn misdirected searchers fearing she'd lose her tent | Public Safety | unionleader.com | https://www.unionleader.com/news/safety/homeless-woman-who-allegedly-left-newborn-misdirected-searchers-fearing-shed-lose-her-tent/article_fc05fdd8-e405-5f34-8a45-a66b861ee716.html | https://www.unionleader.com/news/safety/homeless-woman-who-allegedly-left-newborn-misdirected-searchers-fearing-shed-lose-her-tent/article_fc05fdd8-e405-5f34-8a45-a66b861ee716.html |
Field Peas and Carolina Gold Rice are two keys to making authentic Lowcountry Hoppin’ John.
Scott Suchman for the washington post
Hoppin’ John is made from a recipe that has been around for generations.
Rey Lopez for the washington post
By Amethyst Ganaway Special To The Washington Post
food-hoppinjohn
Every new year, people — especially those whose roots run deep in the South — soak black-eyed peas to make their favorite good luck dish, Hoppin’ John.
Beloved by all but commonly misunderstood, the dish of rice, peas and pork is traditional in the Lowcountry, the coastal areas of South Carolina, but it has found its way to tables around the country through two mass migrations of African people and their descendants.
The two exoduses — the forced trans-Atlantic slave trade and the Great Migration of African Americans in the early 1900s — helped make the recipe commonplace. The slave trade introduced the cowpea to the Americas, but rice-and-bean dishes already were being made and eaten in areas where rice grew wild.
While the rice and peas are the star of the show, smoky salty pork gives the dish its distinct flavor. Pork crosses cultural boundaries around the world, with many sharing the belief that eating it, especially at the start of a new year, will bring wealth and good luck.
Hoppin’ John is the quintessential New Year’s dish for Southerners and those with Southern roots. With West African origins, and tracing its first recipes to the Carolinas, Hoppin’ John is the one-pot pirloo, or rice dish, that symbolizes prosperity and good luck. Often, recipes call for the dish to be made with black-eyed peas and rice — variations include vegan and vegetarian versions, with lots of peppers and vegetables, and legumes of every kind.
But to truly respect and understand the dish’s origins, it should be made as it is intended — in large quantities to share with loved ones, and made in one pot using rice, a rich broth and field peas. Reddish brown cowpeas, or field peas, give the dish its signature flavor and color, and lend a sweet-savory nuttiness to a broth made from smoked meat. Traditionally bacon, salt pork or ham hock is used, but here we substituted with smoked turkey.
Carolina Gold rice, a crop raised by enslaved people that made land owners in the United States, the Caribbean and United Kingdom wealthy, is used here as well, to make the recipe as true to its roots as possible. The medium-grain rice, with its delicate floral flavor, is starchier and fluffier than standard long-grain white rice, qualities that help it to cook into individual grains. If you substitute another rice, you will have to adjust the amount of liquid in the pot as well as the cooking time.
To make the Hoppin’ John on the stovetop, see VARIATIONS.
Make Ahead: The field peas must be sorted and soaked for at least 2 hours and up to overnight.
Storage Notes: Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Reheat in a 325-degree oven until warmed through.
Active time: 45 minutes. Total time: 5 hours, 30 minutes. Makes 12 to 14 servings.
In a 5- to 6-quart Dutch oven over high heat, combine the water, smoked meat, onion and 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt and bring to a rolling boil. Reduce the heat to medium, partially cover and cook until the meat is extremely tender and falls off the bone, 3 to 4 hours.
During that time, check the pot every 30 minutes or so, and add water as needed to keep the meat covered. The broth should become a murky yellow-brown, with some fat on its surface.
Once the meat is cooked, remove the pot from the heat. Use tongs or a slotted spoon to transfer the meat to a cutting board and let cool slightly. Using your hands, carefully pick the meat and skin off of the bones; discard the bones and skin, and return the meat to the pot with the broth.
Drain the field peas, rinse them under cold running water and drain them again. Add the peas to the pot, along with the thyme, the remaining salt, the garlic and onion powders, pepper and paprika, and stir to combine. The broth should easily cover the peas; if it doesn’t, add water until it does.
Turn the heat to medium, cover the pot and let the peas simmer until al dente but not so tender you could mash them with a fork, 30 to 45 minutes. Check every 15 minutes or so and add more water as necessary, 1/4 cup at a time, to keep the peas submerged and quite brothy. The peas should be slightly swollen (they won’t be quite doubled in size) and the broth a rich brown. Taste a pea: It should have picked up the flavors of the spices and smoky meat.
• To make the dish on the stovetop, prepare as directed and then add rice to the pot over high heat. Bring to a boil and boil for 1 minute. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover with foil and/or a tight-fitting lid, and cook, undisturbed, until the liquid has been absorbed and the rice is tender, 20 to 30 minutes. (Check at the 20-minute mark by carefully picking up the pot and gently giving it a shake; if there’s unabsorbed water, you will feel it moving around the pot. Do not open the pot.) Remove from the heat and let stand with the lid on for an additional 15 minutes. Uncover and fluff with a fork.
• To make the dish using bacon or salt pork, use 8 slices of thick-cut bacon or 10 ounces of salt pork. In a medium skillet over medium-high heat, cook the meat until crisp and brown, with its fat rendered. Transfer half of the bacon or pork and all of the drippings to the pot when the peas go in, and proceed as directed in the recipe above. Once the rice is finished cooking and steaming, gently stir the remaining bacon or pork into the rice and serve. | 2022-12-28T01:10:15Z | www.unionleader.com | How to make Hoppin' John, a tradition that's more than a meal | | unionleader.com | https://www.unionleader.com/how-to-make-hoppin-john-a-tradition-thats-more-than-a-meal/article_67f4809a-9f88-595c-aef5-1173d133fa37.html | https://www.unionleader.com/how-to-make-hoppin-john-a-tradition-thats-more-than-a-meal/article_67f4809a-9f88-595c-aef5-1173d133fa37.html |
Judge Diane Nicolosi presides at the arraignment of Alexandra Eckersley. Nicolosi said Eckersley could be released into a residential drug treatment program or post $3,000 cash bail, on condition that she live with her parents or at a sober home
A homeless woman accused of leaving her hours-old baby alone in her Manchester tent was fearful of losing the tent, so she misdirected a police search away from the site, according a police affidavit filed in Hillsborough County Superior Court.
Police later spoke to her mother, Nancy Eckersley, who said Alexandra has an open invitation to return home and live with her parents as long as she enters drug treatment, according to the prosecutor who handled the arraignment, Assistant Hillsborough County Attorney Carl Olson. She has refused, he said.
Superior Court Judge Diane Nicolosi ruled that Eckersley could be released into a residential drug treatment program. Otherwise, she will have to post $3,000 cash bail to get out of jail and live at either her parents' home, a sober home or anywhere approved by a judge or prosecutor. Either way, Eckersley can have no contact with her baby.
Her public defender said Eckersley did everything she could and was suffering from blood loss, a premature, unattended birth and possible hypothermia when police arrived. "She did what she had to do to get help. Childbirth is incredibly dangerous even under the best of circumstances," said pubic defender Jordan Strand.
Although out on bail on child-endangerment charges involving babysitting, Eckersley does not have an extensive criminal record.
Eckersley affidavit | 2022-12-28T01:10:22Z | www.unionleader.com | Homeless woman who allegedly left newborn misdirected searchers for fear she'd lose her tent | Courts | unionleader.com | https://www.unionleader.com/news/courts/homeless-woman-who-allegedly-left-newborn-misdirected-searchers-for-fear-shed-lose-her-tent/article_fc05fdd8-e405-5f34-8a45-a66b861ee716.html | https://www.unionleader.com/news/courts/homeless-woman-who-allegedly-left-newborn-misdirected-searchers-for-fear-shed-lose-her-tent/article_fc05fdd8-e405-5f34-8a45-a66b861ee716.html |
A disassembled .22-caliber handgun was found jammed into two jars of peanut butter in a checked suitcase last week at New York’s John F. Kennedy Airport.
PB and gun puts traveler in a jam at JFK
From a TSA News Release
NEW YORK — A Rhode Island man found himself in a jam at John F. Kennedy International Airport on Dec. 22 after a TSA officer found parts of a disassembled semi-automatic handgun inside two jars of peanut butter.
The .22-caliber gun parts were wrapped in plastic and pushed into the peanut butter. The gun’s magazine was loaded with bullets, according to a TSA press release.
When the checked bag triggered an alarm in an X-ray unit, a TSA officer opened the bag and found the concealed firearm parts. TSA officials notified the Port Authority Police, who confiscated the items, tracked down the traveler in the terminal and arrested him.
Authorities did not identify the man, other than to say he is from Rhode Island.
Travelers may transport their firearms in checked baggage if they have a proper permit and the gun is properly packed. Guns and firearm parts must be unloaded, packed in a locked hard-sided case and taken to the airline check-in counter to be declared.
Replica firearms must also be transported in checked luggage.
Civil penalties for attempting to bring undeclared weapons onto a flight can stretch up to $15,000, depending on mitigating circumstances. | 2022-12-28T01:10:28Z | www.unionleader.com | PB and gun puts traveler in a jam at JFK | | unionleader.com | https://www.unionleader.com/pb-and-gun-puts-traveler-in-a-jam-at-jfk/article_a0c34a97-e1f4-5b40-9ce2-5d59ed4c695e.html | https://www.unionleader.com/pb-and-gun-puts-traveler-in-a-jam-at-jfk/article_a0c34a97-e1f4-5b40-9ce2-5d59ed4c695e.html |
This “combo” hibachi lunch plate at Ikko II Japanese Steakhouse features steak and scallops (chicken and shrimp are other options) with veggies and noodles (or fried rice).
Above, the shrimp tempura lunch is accompanied by veggies at Ikko II Japanese Steakhouse in Portsmouth. Below, a hibachi chef works his magic with steak, scallops and veggies.
at Ikko II Japanese Steakhouse in Portsmouth.
Our Gourmet: Dinner and a show at Ikko II in Portsmouth
Hibachi lunch plate
Ikko II Japanese Steakhouse in Portsmouth was a bit more intimate, but the flames and knives flew just as high.
“Dinner and a show,” my dining companion said as the red-hatted chef prepared the cooking surface.
There were three parties of two at the table, and we nodded politely at each other and the chef, who grinned at us.
He started with some knife-play, then tossed an egg into the air, allowing it to land on the grill next to the fried rice. Soon the veggies joined the party. Last to come was the steak, scallops and shrimp. Each diner was asked their steak preference — rare for me, medium-rare for everyone else.
In the meantime, our server (who seemed to be everywhere at once) brought us drinks and small salads, as well as soup. We also ordered harumaki, fried spring rolls with plum sauce.
“Delightfully crispy, almost airy, with a nicely cooked interior,” my dining partner said.
The chill outside made me go for something more hearty, so my appetizer choice was gyoza, six pan-fried pork dumplings. The exterior was crisp and light, the inside tender and meaty.
I’d visited the restaurant a few days before to scope it out and pick up some California rolls for a book group gathering. The rolls were delightfully fresh, far better than supermarket sushi and slightly less expensive.
This prompted some research on the California roll, the classic combo of rice, cucumber, avocado and (usually artificial) crab, which several West Coast chefs claimed credit for in the 1970s.
Japan has recognized Vancouver chef Hidekazu Tojo as a goodwill ambassador for Japanese cuisine, and he describes himself as the inventor of the California roll and innovator of “inside-out” sushi, putting the rice on the outside of the roll instead of seaweed wrap.
The Ikko II opened four years ago, and like the original Ikko on Central Street in Dover, is owned by young chef Jason Huang. Last summer he launched Chef Huang’s Asian Fusion, which an Our Gourmet team reviewed in July. Like Ikko II, it is in Portsmouth and just off Route 1.
The Ikko II also offers Asian fusion dishes, as well as tempura, teriyaki, sushi, sashimi, noodles (udon) and fried rice. More than half of the restaurant’s ample space is dedicated to traditional booth, table and bar seating, the rest to hibachi tables.
Hibachi in Japanese means “fire bowl” and the cooking does not take long.
The steak was flavorful and tender, the scallops smoky and luscious. I would have asked the couple on the other side of the table about the shrimp, but they were a bit far away for polite conversation.
My dining partner dug into the steak and scallops while he waited for his shrimp tempura.
There was plenty to share, and we agreed the grilled zucchini, carrots, broccoli, onions and mushrooms were the perfect counterpoint to the beef and seafood. I had elected to have fried noodles, and the slightly sweet sauce with notes of soy was yummy.
It was then that a tower of tempura arrived for my companion, with four batter-dipped and deep-fried shrimp perched triumphantly atop a pile of similarly prepared vegetables.
My first taste of authentic tempura was 15 years ago at Tokyo’s main train station. It was a chrysanthemum. The essence of the flower burst through, the delicate flavor somehow strengthened by the hot oil bath and light batter.
There weren’t any flowers in this dish, but the sweet potatoes, broccoli, mushroom and string bean held up their end of the deal. There was one vegetable we couldn’t identify — possibly potato — and it was the only loser in the bunch.
Tempura is served with tentsuyu sauce, which is made with dashi (Japanese soup stock), soy sauce, sweet rice wine and a dash of sugar. Somehow we managed to dip our way through the entire bowl.
My dining companion had only one complaint — he wanted more heat in his food. He plans to ask for Japanese chili oil with his meal the next time we come.
Scores for Ikko II
Ikko II Japanese Steakhouse
2466 Lafayette Road, Portsmouth; 603-319-8288, ikkoportsmouth.com
Cuisine: Authentic Japanese
Hours: Lunch, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Monday to Saturday; dinner 3 to 9:30 p.m. Monday to Thursday, 3 to 10:30 p.m., Friday-Saturday, noon to 9:30 p.m. on Sunday.
Pricing: Appetizers, $6.50-$12; lunch specials, $10.50-$17.50; dinner $16.50-$29.50. | 2022-12-28T02:49:36Z | www.unionleader.com | Our Gourmet: Dinner and a show at Ikko II in Portsmouth | Our Gourmet | unionleader.com | https://www.unionleader.com/nh/food/our_gourmet/our-gourmet-dinner-and-a-show-at-ikko-ii-in-portsmouth/article_bb65d8c5-8bc2-56c2-844f-6b3c053cc5df.html | https://www.unionleader.com/nh/food/our_gourmet/our-gourmet-dinner-and-a-show-at-ikko-ii-in-portsmouth/article_bb65d8c5-8bc2-56c2-844f-6b3c053cc5df.html |
QCIBT: Ellis, Bike pace Pioneers
MANCHESTER — DeVohn Ellis powered the Trinity High School boys basketball team’s second-quarter run that led to the Pioneers’ 61-51 triumph over Manchester Central on Tuesday’s opening day of the Queen City Invitational Basketball Tournament at Manchester Memorial High School.
Ellis scored 11 of his 22 points in the second quarter, when Trinity took the lead for good with 5:57 left before halftime and never looked back.
Trinity will face the winner of Tuesday’s nightcap between Manchester Memorial and Manchester West in the semifinals tonight at 7:30.
The junior guard broke a 20-20 tie and began a 7-0 Pioneers run with a layup.
The Pioneers took a 29-23 lead into halftime and ballooned their advantage to 41-29 after three frames. Trinity ended the third quarter on an 8-1 run.
Tyler Bike came up big for Trinity in the second half, scoring 15 of his 21 points over the final 16 minutes.
Mark Nyomah led the Little Green with 19 points. Jason Gasana scored 12 points, including eight in the fourth quarter, and Mohamed Mohamed added 10 for Central.
Bedford 76, Exeter 54: In his first game of the season, Niko Badoian scored 10 points off the bench in the first half to help Bedford jump out to a 26-14 lead after the first quarter and 42-21 advantage at halftime.
Bulldogs coach Frank Moreno said Badoian, who returned from a back injury, was electric against the Blue Hawks.
“When he’s in the game, he gives us a different pace and it was fun,” Moreno said of the sophomore guard.
The Bulldogs, who will play Salem in the semifinals tonight at 6, built their first-half lead with a press defense that kept Exeter off balance.
Junior guard Luke Soden led Bedford with a game-high 25 points, 15 of which came in the first half. Bedford also received 18 points from senior forward Aiden O’Connell.
Ryan Luper scored a team-high 11 points and Nate McNeff added 9 for Exeter.
Salem 80, Bow 75 (OT): Philip Melo scored eight of his game-high 30 points in overtime to help Salem clinch the tournament-opening win. Six of the senior’s overtime points came at the free-throw line.
The Blue Devils also received 22 points from junior Ryan Morse and 14 from sophomore James Brock. The teammates combined for seven 3-pointers.
Bow led, 41-37, at halftime and 56-51 entering the fourth quarter. Junior guard Hunter Duncan led the Falcons with 25 points, including four 3-pointers.
Senior forward Mark Folsom added 10 points for Bow.
“They’re just super physical,” Moreno said of the Blue Devils. “It’s like an old-school Central team. They’re pressing you full court, they’ve got hands all over the place and Rob (McLaughlin) is such a great coach there…I’m glad we don’t face them in the regular season until the end.” | 2022-12-28T02:49:42Z | www.unionleader.com | QCIBT: Ellis, Bike pace Pioneers | Sports | unionleader.com | https://www.unionleader.com/sports/highschool/qcibt-ellis-bike-pace-pioneers/article_aca63fe3-7efa-500e-a292-92ead5bd8568.html | https://www.unionleader.com/sports/highschool/qcibt-ellis-bike-pace-pioneers/article_aca63fe3-7efa-500e-a292-92ead5bd8568.html |
JOHN HARRIGAN
John Harrigan has “gone fishin’” with his brother, Peter. That’s how a family member put it to a newspaper friend here in Manchester in delivering word of John’s death earlier this week.
The brothers had once worked together for our New Hampshire Sunday News. Both were excellent feature and hard news writers as well as ace photographers and lovers of the great outdoors. How could it have been otherwise?
Their parents, Fred and Esther Harrigan, were for decades the heart and soul of the News and Sentinel weekly newspaper in Colebrook. Sister Susan also caught the news bug, working for major metro papers, including Newsday on Long Island. Only youngest sister Mary managed to wiggle free from the press, becoming a champion horse trainer.
Our readers might also recognize the name Karen Harrigan. She bought the News and Sentinel from dad John. Her editorials have often been reprinted on these pages.
John was justly proud of his family, of his newspaper roots, of his beloved North Country, and of New Hampshire history. His passionate opposition to the Northern Pass power project may have been the single most powerful and effective voice against it.
He participated in an arduous reenactment of a colonial era military trek, phoning in stories along the way. He was equally at home taking pictures at a Boston Red Sox World Series, covering a violent Vietnam war protest on Hanover Street, or jogging with the first President George Bush.
John somehow managed to hold himself and his News and Sentinel team together in the aftermath of a crazed man’s murderous rampage that claimed two state troopers, editor Dennis Joos, and his close friend and soulmate, Atty. Vickie Bunnell. For getting and reporting that story for that day for his small, tight-knit hometown, he was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize.
Younger brother Peter died years ago and has had the prime fishing spots all to himself above the Notches. But now he can expect some friendly but fierce competition. Godspeed, boys. | 2022-12-28T06:03:56Z | www.unionleader.com | Gone ‘fishin’: John Harrigan, New Hampshireman | Editorials | unionleader.com | https://www.unionleader.com/opinion/editorials/gone-fishin-john-harrigan-new-hampshireman/article_2c015e66-4298-571a-8363-f30d9d4bced5.html | https://www.unionleader.com/opinion/editorials/gone-fishin-john-harrigan-new-hampshireman/article_2c015e66-4298-571a-8363-f30d9d4bced5.html |
Where is Sen. Hassan?
To the Editor: Haven’t seen or heard boo from Sen. Maggie Hassan since she won the election. She hasn’t stepped forward to say anything about the possibility of losing our primary. Not fighting for half of New Hampshire who voted for her, it is pretty sad we still have her for six more years with her own agenda not fit for New Hampshire.
ROSANNE SULLIVAN | 2022-12-28T06:04:18Z | www.unionleader.com | Letter: Where is Maggie Hassan? | Letters to the Editor | unionleader.com | https://www.unionleader.com/opinion/letters_to_editor/letter-where-is-maggie-hassan/article_aca37be5-8b8c-53bd-8612-d47c4182f92e.html | https://www.unionleader.com/opinion/letters_to_editor/letter-where-is-maggie-hassan/article_aca37be5-8b8c-53bd-8612-d47c4182f92e.html |
William O’Brien
THROUGHOUT this year, I had the privilege of representing the Republican Party as the Election Integrity Counsel for New Hampshire. My job was to work for fair and honest elections in New Hampshire by doing what we could to make it easy to vote and hard to cheat.
Now having been a Republican New Hampshire House Speaker some years ago, I knew what to expect as the Democrat response. I had become familiar with the harsh and bogus rhetoric of Democrat Party officials. Back when I was House Speaker and first became familiar with it, at times I felt that I almost needed to check my driver’s license to see if I was indeed the person they were describing as the legislative monster hanging out in Concord. But those days of being shocked were over.
Even with that history, I was caught off guard this past year by the current willingness of Democratic leaders to say and do anything in pursuit of their goals.
As we went about our task of making sure New Hampshire’s primary and general elections went off without flaw or fraud, all we heard from state Democrats was that we were trying to suppress the vote.
When I testified before the Secretary of State’s voter confidence committee on behalf of NHGOP that New Hampshire needs stronger voter ID laws and better verification of absentee ballots, their entire response was to charge voter suppression. And when we were compelled to file a complaint with federal authorities because a Democrat Massachusetts mailing house had sent out millions of dollars worth of anonymous mailers taking sides in New Hampshire Republican congressional primaries, actually spending more than even our candidates had, their only response was voter suppression. And so, it went.
Given this theme, you can understand how astounded we were that when the Secretary of State saw that some 25 ballots in a Manchester state representative race had not been counted, senior state Democrats responded by going to court to have those ballots trashed. Their court case was the only true voter suppression that surfaced all year in New Hampshire and it was being carried out by the party that so often is the first to charge voter suppression. Once again, an example of projection of Democrat wrongdoing on others.
Still, our amazement grew when we heard what they had to say to the judge in that case. Through their attorney, they argued recounts are useless because “You could count these ballots 10 times, I bet you’d come up with 10 different results” and that it is “verbal gymnastics” for the Secretary of State to argue all ballots should be counted.
Moreover, Democrat leaders were perfectly fine with asking the court to throw away the ballots of 25 Manchester voters, no matter constitutional requirements, because in their tortured reading of the law, “the statutory scheme precludes — absolutely precludes a second recount in this case.” They stood in court and said this even while acknowledging that “we know about [the] discrepancy in this case.” What they sought was to avoid having the discrepancy resolved because their candidate was winning by one vote.
Fortunately, the judge in the case understood that constitutional law, and not political gamesmanship, should govern the counting of votes. She ordered all ballots to be counted and the Democrat candidate lost by 26 votes.
The right thing happened in this case, but what about the future? What do we do about a political party that is against voter suppression until it is for it?
Former N.H. House Speaker, Republican William O’Brien lives in Nashua.
Mosely Court Transcript | 2022-12-28T06:04:24Z | www.unionleader.com | William O’Brien: Voter suppression always by thee, never by me | Op-eds | unionleader.com | https://www.unionleader.com/opinion/op-eds/william-o-brien-voter-suppression-always-by-thee-never-by-me/article_435a2f04-fbd6-50e5-bd6c-250c0fa2bec7.html | https://www.unionleader.com/opinion/op-eds/william-o-brien-voter-suppression-always-by-thee-never-by-me/article_435a2f04-fbd6-50e5-bd6c-250c0fa2bec7.html |
Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI is greeted by Cardinals as he arrives to attend a consistory ceremony in Saint Peter's Basilica at the Vatican February 22, 2014
By Chico Harlan and Stefano Pitrelli The Washington Post
ROME - Pope Francis appealed for prayers for Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, saying the 95-year-old retired pontiff is "very sick" and asking God to console him and sustain him "until the end."
A Vatican statement soon after said that Benedict's condition had "worsened" because of "advancing age" but remains under control. Benedict is being monitored by doctors, it said.
"We join [Francis] in prayer for the Pope Emeritus," the Vatican said.
Those who've visited the pope emeritus in recent years have said he is frail but remains sharp.
Benedict's longtime aide, Archbishop Georg Gänswein, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Since becoming the first pope in six centuries to step down from the job, Benedict has been living in a Vatican convent. He has now been ex-pope for longer than he served as pope - a notably long final chapter, given that he cited "deteriorated" strength as a factor in his abdication. In 2018, he told the Corriere della Sera, an Italian daily, that he was "on a pilgrimage toward Home."
He had pledged in retirement to take up a life of seclusion - reading, writing, going on walks in a stately garden. But his life behind closed doors has ended up being quite complicated - and complicating for the church.
He opted in retirement to wear papal white and chose not to revert to his given name, Joseph Ratzinger. He was embraced as a symbol by a small but vocal band of traditionalists who say Francis is leading the church astray. Though Benedict often stayed quiet on controversial matters, he intervened several times, including once to contradict Francis's ideas on the nature of clerical abuse.
At the same time, he has stated clearly that there is only one top authority figure in the church. "There is one pope, he is Francis," Benedict said in one interview. | 2022-12-28T12:11:29Z | www.unionleader.com | Retired Pope Benedict XVI, 95, is 'very sick'; Francis asks for prayers | Religion | unionleader.com | https://www.unionleader.com/news/religion/retired-pope-benedict-xvi-95-is-very-sick-francis-asks-for-prayers/article_1a1e932f-770f-5b24-a86d-2278bb23a097.html | https://www.unionleader.com/news/religion/retired-pope-benedict-xvi-95-is-very-sick-francis-asks-for-prayers/article_1a1e932f-770f-5b24-a86d-2278bb23a097.html |
A Southwest Airlines jetliner departs from Chicago Midway International Airport in Chicago, Illinois, U.S., December 27, 2022.
KAMIL KRZACZYNSKI/REUTERS
Chris Johnson, the carrier's vice president of ground operations, declared a "state of operational emergency" at the airport after "an unusually high number" of employee absences, according to a Dec. 21 message to ramp workers seen by Bloomberg News.
The so-called bomb cyclone kicked off a cascade of disruptions that have battered Southwest's operations over the past week, forcing the carrier to cancel thousands of flights and stranding holiday travelers who now face days of waiting.
The chaos is still unfolding. As of Wednesday morning, Southwest had scrapped more than 60% of its Wednesday schedule - more than 2,500 flights - plus 58% of its trips for Thursday, according to FlightAware data.
And although no airline was spared the storm's wrath, rivals such as Delta Air Lines, American Airlines Group and United Airlines Holdings largely returned operations to normal this week.
"We're optimistic to be back on track before next week," Jordan said. As of early Wednesday, Southwest has canceled only about two dozen flights for Friday.
Southwest shares were down about 1.2% in premarket trading Wednesday after falling 6% on Tuesday, the most since July, to extend their 2022 decline to 21%. U.S. authorities and lawmakers, meanwhile, are scrutinizing the carrier's response to the storm, which analysts at Citigroup estimate could shave as much as 5% from Southwest's fourth-quarter profit.
Customers complained on social media of spending hours in line or on hold to book alternate flights, only to find few alternatives. Pilots and flight attendants, meanwhile, faced lengthy waits for work assignments and hotel accommodations as the storm and its subsequent disruption hobbled the carrier's crew scheduling systems and left the company's fleet of Boeing 737s out of position across the country.
"Part of what we're suffering is a lack of tools," Jordan, a 34-year Southwest veteran, said to employees late on Christmas Day. The company's crew scheduling system is one area in need of investment, he said.
By Dec. 23, 90% of Southwest's routes had been affected by weather. Yet, Watterson said, actions to deal with the chaos had positioned the carrier for fewer cancellations on Saturday, Christmas Eve.
Yet by late Dec. 23, Southwest was "heavily disrupted, undoing all of the work" to position crew members, Watterson said in an update the next day.
Many flight crews began Dec. 24 either out of position or resting under U.S. aviation safety rules, leaving the airline with "no choice but to implement additional cancellations," Watterson said.
Supporting crew scheduling had become the company's "larger focus," with teams working extra shifts to troubleshoot problems with an "all-hands on deck" approach, Watterson said in a Dec. 25 update. The airline is in the process of upgrading its crew systems. The work by teams struggling to overcome the crew and scheduling chaos is "highly manual" and can't be addressed with more people alone.
Bloomberg's Steven T. Dennis contributed to this report.
Southwest Airlines Co led U.S. airline cancellations on Tuesday as the low-cost carrier struggled to recover from harsh winter weather that ha…
Brenna Fitzgerald walked out of the Manchester-Boston Regional Airport Tuesday with a $200 voucher and a promise of some sort of reimbursement… | 2022-12-28T16:09:16Z | www.unionleader.com | Southwest memos showed growing alarm on eve of epic winter storm | Transportation | unionleader.com | https://www.unionleader.com/news/business/transportation/southwest-memos-showed-growing-alarm-on-eve-of-epic-winter-storm/article_8c6cf739-39a2-5a76-80cb-3933bf6aca75.html | https://www.unionleader.com/news/business/transportation/southwest-memos-showed-growing-alarm-on-eve-of-epic-winter-storm/article_8c6cf739-39a2-5a76-80cb-3933bf6aca75.html |
Members of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions during a protest in Uiwang, South Korea, on Dec. 6.
Warning signs abound, with labor unrest surging in key economies. U.K. Border Force workers and railway staff launched fresh strikes Wednesday that Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's spokesman said were causing "massive disruption." In one dispute in Germany, some 900,000 workers participated in walkouts before the country's largest labor union and employers agreed to an 8.5 percent wage increase. South Korean truck drivers have disrupted the auto, petrochemical and steel industries. And striking Starbucks baristas in Seattle have also grabbed headlines.
"Higher rates for longer would potentially mean another leg up in bond yields, which is bad news for investors in government bonds and high-risk corporate debt," said Shane Oliver, head of investment strategy and economics for AMP Services Ltd. in Sydney.
"It perpetuates the defensive trade and the value trade. It would be a very negative environment for growth stocks," he said.
"Stocks with long, long tails of earnings distribution will continue to suffer in the higher-for-longer interest rate scenario," said Mullaney. "Value stocks do well and commodity plays, whether materials or industrials."
Cash would also find fresh appeal, according to Nikko's Vail, mirroring a winning trade when the mix of inflation and low growth sapped markets nearly half a century ago.
Highlighting what's at stake, President Biden turned to a law crafted before the Great Depression to stop rail workers from a strike that would have cost the economy an estimated $2 billion per day. The U.K. has even turned to the military to reduce disruption caused to airports by strikes.
That's not to rule out the Fed allowing wages to run hot if price increases in other areas like goods and housing begin to abate, she added. | 2022-12-28T18:04:59Z | www.unionleader.com | Labor seen emerging as a top threat to rally in risky assets | Business | unionleader.com | https://www.unionleader.com/news/business/labor-seen-emerging-as-a-top-threat-to-rally-in-risky-assets/article_bac03c41-b617-524d-a5c1-412503631395.html | https://www.unionleader.com/news/business/labor-seen-emerging-as-a-top-threat-to-rally-in-risky-assets/article_bac03c41-b617-524d-a5c1-412503631395.html |
NH in line for $57 million from CVS, Walgreens over mishandling of opioid 'scripts
CONCORD -- New Hampshire will join a national settlement against pharmacy giants Walgreens and CVS that should provide nearly $57 million to battle the opioid crisis in New Hampshire, state Attorney General John Formella announced.
The settlement resolves civil claims brought by attorneys general from numerous states over the overdistribution and lack of diligence in fulfilling prescriptions.
Nationally, the companies will pay out $10.7 billion over a 10- to 15-year period.
"CVS and Walgreens flooded our communities with pills. No settlement will restore the lives impacted by the opioid addiction epidemic, but this agreement will help get treatment and recovery resources to impacted Granite Staters,” Formella said in a statement.
The agreement calls for changes to company business practices and monitoring to ensure that checks are being aggressively enforced, he said.
The CVS and Walgreens settlements are the latest against pill manufacturers, distributors and pharmacist that will bring millions into the state.
According to a tally provided by Formella's office, more than $261 million will be coming to the Granite State. And still to come are payments from Purdue Pharma and Mallincrodt, which are in bankruptcy court.
Some settlements involve prompt payments in full. Others involve payments that will stretch out for as long as 18 years. For example, CVS will pay over 10 years; Walgreens will over 15 years.
Under state law, payment from the opioid lawsuit cases must be spent on abatement projects throughout the state. | 2022-12-28T18:04:59Z | www.unionleader.com | NH in line for $57 million from CVS, Walgreens over mishandling of opioid 'scripts | Courts | unionleader.com | https://www.unionleader.com/news/courts/nh-in-line-for-57-million-from-cvs-walgreens-over-mishandling-of-opioid-scripts/article_6e5741e6-c34b-525e-8f58-2e03bf7b5dd0.html | https://www.unionleader.com/news/courts/nh-in-line-for-57-million-from-cvs-walgreens-over-mishandling-of-opioid-scripts/article_6e5741e6-c34b-525e-8f58-2e03bf7b5dd0.html |
By Matt Bonesteel The Washington Post
UCF (9-4) might be in rough shape if starting quarterback John Rhys Plumlee can't play or is limited because of a late-season hamstring injury. Plumlee threw 14 touchdown passes and led the team in rushing yards. Under first-year coach Mike Elko, Duke (8-4) is back in a bowl game for the first time since 2018, and the Blue Devils' lone loss over their final five games was by two points at Pittsburgh.
Key personnel losses: Duke's roster is more or less the same as it was during the regular season. UCF might be down to third-string quarterback Thomas Castellanos (a true freshman) because of Plumlee's injury. Backup quarterback Mikey Keene entered the transfer portal with wide receiver Ryan O'Keefe (team-high 73 catches), linebacker Jeremiah Jean-Baptiste (No. 3 in tackles) and cornerback Davonte Brown (two interceptions). Plus, offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey left to take the same job at North Carolina and defensive coordinator Travis Williams jumped ship to Arkansas.
Pick: Duke -3.5. The Knights' defense cratered down the stretch, and Duke's terrible pass defense might catch a break if Plumlee isn't himself.
Pick: Arkansas -3. The Razorbacks had a disappointing season and will be missing a few key players, but quarterback KJ Jefferson (seven rushing scores) and running back Raheim Sanders (1,426 rushing yards, 6.5 yards per carry) could feast on Kansas's substandard rushing defense.
North Carolina's pass defense was dreadful - it ranked 128th out of 131 Football Bowl Subdivision teams in success rate and a dead-last 131st in expected points allowed per pass play - and three starters in the secondary have transferred. Oregon's pass defense was barely better, ranking 124th in success rate, and also lost a key starter in the secondary to the NFL draft. Combine that with two potent offenses - Oregon (9-3) ranked second in success rate and North Carolina (9-4) was 15th - and you can see why this total is astronomically high.
Key personnel losses: The Ducks' losses include cornerback Christian Gonzalez, a first-team all-conference selection who opted out, and wide receiver Dont'e Thornton, who averaged a team-high 21.5 yards over his 17 receptions and is transferring. North Carolina leading receiver Josh Downs (94 catches, 1,029 yards, 11 touchdowns) opted out, and starting defensive backs Tony Grimes, Storm Duck and Cam'Ron Kelly transferred. Both teams will be without their offensive coordinators: Oregon's Kenny Dillingham left to become Arizona State's head coach, and North Carolina's Phil Longo departed to take the same job at Wisconsin.
Key personnel losses: The Red Raiders have a few injuries but otherwise have an intact roster. Cornerback Miles Battle is Mississippi's biggest loss to the transfer portal. | 2022-12-28T18:05:31Z | www.unionleader.com | Wednesday's bowl betting preview: It will be raining points all day and night | College Sports | unionleader.com | https://www.unionleader.com/sports/college/wednesdays-bowl-betting-preview-it-will-be-raining-points-all-day-and-night/article_b92c6970-54bc-5046-ae3d-98fffa02342a.html | https://www.unionleader.com/sports/college/wednesdays-bowl-betting-preview-it-will-be-raining-points-all-day-and-night/article_b92c6970-54bc-5046-ae3d-98fffa02342a.html |
MADRID -- Hurling flour and eggs dozens of revelers known as "Els Enfarinats" (those covered in flour) took over the small Spanish town of Ibi on Wednesday as part of a 200-year-old festival marking Holy Innocents Day every Dec. 28.
Dressed in assorted military garb and wearing sashes they stage a mock, messy coup in the town of just over 23,000 in the eastern region of Valencia, using about 10,000 eggs and 600 1,323 pounds of flour in the fighting that ensues. | 2022-12-28T21:39:17Z | www.unionleader.com | Spain festival revelers hurl flour and eggs in annual mock coup | Back Page | unionleader.com | https://www.unionleader.com/news/back_page/spain-festival-revelers-hurl-flour-and-eggs-in-annual-mock-coup/article_13d24606-84f9-530e-9c9d-0bd1f068bc5b.html | https://www.unionleader.com/news/back_page/spain-festival-revelers-hurl-flour-and-eggs-in-annual-mock-coup/article_13d24606-84f9-530e-9c9d-0bd1f068bc5b.html |
Amanda Hartness received her high school equivalency diploma and graduated from the Carroll County TRUST program on Oct. 26. From left, Commissioner Matt Plache, Commissioner Terry McCarthy, Corrections Department Superintendent Sean Eldridge, Hartness, Sen. Jeb Bradley and his wife, Karen Bradley. (DAYMOND STEER PHOTO, CONWAY DAILY SUN)
Daymond Steer / Conway Daily Sun
221229-news-hartness
A woman who died in a sidewalk tent on Christmas Eve outside a Manchester homeless shelter had recently been released from a New Hampshire jail with high hopes for her success.
“She was a model inmate,” said Maj. Patrick Bachelder, assistant superintendent at the Carroll County jail in Ossipee. “I have a hard time believing it was her.”
“I want to make the point and be living proof that it doesn’t matter your circumstances, environment or situation,” Hartness told the Sun, “you can always do whatever you want to do.”
She recently worked with a woman paroled to a sober living house and given a week’s worth of psychiatric medication. But it can take 30 to 90 days to get an appointment at the local mental health center, she said.
“When someone’s getting out, they have so much going on in their head they don’t know how to get resources,” Burnett said. “The time is very short that we have to get them into programs or facilities.”
Hartness also had completed the Carroll County jail’s four-month Transitional Re-entry Under Supportive Treatment, or TRUST, program. The intensive program focuses on staying sober, dealing with anger management issues and developing coping skills after released.
“I really thought when I spoke to her prior to leaving, I thought she had a great plan,” he said.
Carroll Couty | 2022-12-28T23:20:42Z | www.unionleader.com | Homeless woman who died in Manchester had completed re-entry program in Carroll County jail | Health | unionleader.com | https://www.unionleader.com/news/health/homeless-woman-who-died-in-manchester-had-completed-re-entry-program-in-carroll-county-jail/article_ad61972e-c06f-5fcc-be3e-c2c20b9b64b7.html | https://www.unionleader.com/news/health/homeless-woman-who-died-in-manchester-had-completed-re-entry-program-in-carroll-county-jail/article_ad61972e-c06f-5fcc-be3e-c2c20b9b64b7.html |
Pope Francis greets Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI during a meeting following a consistory ceremony to install 13 new cardinals, at the Vatican, Nov. 28, 2020. Vatican Media/Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY./File Photo
VATICAN CITY -- Former Pope Benedict, a hero to conservative Catholics and who in 2013 became the first pontiff in 600 years to step down, is "very sick," his successor Pope Francis said on Wednesday, asking Church members to pray for him.
Bishops from Europe, the United States and beyond urged the faithful to keep Benedict in their thoughts, after the Vatican followed Francis' announcement with a statement saying Benedict had suffered a sudden "worsening" of his health.
Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, head of Italy's bishops conference, asked Italians to keep Benedict in their thoughts "in this moment of suffering and trial."
Benedict, the first German pope in 1,000 years, had been elected on April 19, 2005, to succeed the widely popular Pope John Paul II, who reigned for 27 years.
Cardinals had chosen Benedict from among their number seeking continuity and what one called "a safe pair of hands." | 2022-12-28T23:20:48Z | www.unionleader.com | Former pope Benedict 'very sick,' Pope Francis calls for prayers | Religion | unionleader.com | https://www.unionleader.com/news/religion/former-pope-benedict-very-sick-pope-francis-calls-for-prayers/article_aca54153-cf39-51c2-9c6a-3913d2983943.html | https://www.unionleader.com/news/religion/former-pope-benedict-very-sick-pope-francis-calls-for-prayers/article_aca54153-cf39-51c2-9c6a-3913d2983943.html |
12/28/22 Photo by Allegra Boverman/Union Leader. Exeter beat Bow 72-41 in the Queen City Invitational Basketball Tournament held at Memorial High School on Wednesday afternoon. Players vie for the rebound including Exeter's Dylan Whelan, center, and Bow's Mark Folsom, right.
QCIBT: Little Green wrangle a win
MANCHESTER -- The Manchester Central boys basketball team finally got one Wednesday night at Manchester Memorial High School.
While it was in the consolation round of the 59th annual Queen City Invitational Basketball Tournament, the Little Green captured their first win of the season.
Jason Gasana and Mark Nyomah powered the Little Green to a 15-point halftime lead en route to Central’s 63-37 triumph over city rival Memorial.
Central, which is 0-3 in the NHIAA Division I regular season, will play Exeter at 4:30 p.m. while Memorial will face Bow at 3 p.m. in consolation-round bouts Thursday.
Bedford will play the winner of Wednesday's late semifinal between defending tournament champion Trinity and Manchester West in the championship game Thursday night at 7:30. Bedford beat Salem, 92-35, in the other semifinal.
“Sometimes when a season’s like that, getting that first one kind of gets the monkey off your back and you’re able to relax a little bit and play a little bit more free,” Little Green coach Sudi Lett said.
Coming off a 10-point outing in Central’s tournament-opening 61-51 loss to Trinity on Tuesday, Gasana scored 17 points in the first half. The senior guard finished with a game-high 24 points, including four 3-pointers, and seven rebounds.
Nyomah, a junior forward, notched 12 points, 10 of which came in the first half, and two rebounds.
“Our team looks a lot different when he’s playing well,” Lett said of Gasana. “Mark is obviously an All-State First Team caliber player but we’re really only going to go as far as Jason takes us.
“When those guys are clicking like that, I think we can beat anybody.”
The duo combined for nine points over Central’s 11-2 run over the last 3:40 of the first quarter, which built a 18-12 Little Green lead entering the second frame.
Central extended that run to 26-2 before Memorial scored its first two points of the second quarter with 3:35 left before halftime via two Mateo Ancic free throws.
The Little Green led, 35-20, at halftime.
Lett said he told his players before the game that they have to care about winning even though it was a consolation-round exhibition.
The players listened.
Central was vocal both on the court and the bench. Memorial coach Danny Bryson said the Little Green had more energy than the Crusaders the entire game.
Central had a 51-29 lead entering the fourth quarter. Memorial trailed by at least 14 points and as many as 26 in the second half.
“We just never matched their intensity that game,” Bryson said. “They started hitting shots and getting more confident. Once Central starts hitting shots and getting a lead like that on you, it can get away from you quickly.”
Anthony Bama added eight points and two rebounds for Central.
Memorial received a team-high 10 points alongside four rebounds from Treyhaun Dunn and eight points and four rebounds from Christian Bilolo.
“Just fighting to get our record reorganized and, hopefully, be one of the best teams in the league,” Lett said.
Exeter 72, Bow 41: Exeter coach Jeff Holmes said his team responded after the Blue Hawks’ defense was exposed by Bedford on Tuesday.
Division I Exeter, which fell, 76-54, to Bedford on Tuesday, held Division II Bow to four points in the second quarter and led, 43-13, at halftime.
The Blue Hawks, who led by at least 28 points and as many as 38 in the second half, played aggressive on defense, which led to transition scoring opportunities.
“We were really weak in some areas (Tuesday) and we worked on those things today,” Holmes said of his defense. “Some fundamental things that we’ve been working on we did a lot better today.”
Exeter also moved the ball around well on offense, another of Holmes’ focuses, and tried some different lineups in the win.
Senior guard Ryan Luper and sophomore guard Nate McNeff both scored a team-high 13 points for Exeter. Seven of Luper’s points came during a 10-0 Exeter third-quarter run. Senior forward Evan Pafford added 12 points for the Blue Hawks.
McNeff also scored nine points in Exeter’s loss to Bedford. “He’s been a nice surprise for us in this tournament,” Holmes said.
Freshman Jake Reardon led Bow with a game-high 17 points.
Bedford 92, Salem 35: The Bulldogs scored almost as many points in the first quarter as Salem finished with.
Bedford led, 32-13, after the opening eight minutes and 57-18 at halftime.
Luke Soden led the Bulldogs with a game-high 27 points, nine of which came on three 3-pointers. Bedford also received 22 points from Aiden O’Connell and six each from Ethan Caldwell, Daniel Caldwell and Caden Brown.
Philip Melo scored a team-high 16 points and Ryan Morse added nine for Salem.
West 81, Memorial 58 (Tuesday night): Max Shosa and Aiden Scott-Beaulac each had 22 points as the Blue Knights won their tournament-opening game on Tuesday night.
Angel Castro chipped in 17 points for West, which was to face Trinity in Wednesday's late game.
Abdalha Rhamadhani had 21 points to lead the Crusaders. | 2022-12-29T00:59:40Z | www.unionleader.com | QCIBT: Little Green wrangle a win | Sports | unionleader.com | https://www.unionleader.com/sports/highschool/qcibt-little-green-wrangle-a-win/article_5d3bddce-4e36-5a74-b1eb-f2dfa5e17518.html | https://www.unionleader.com/sports/highschool/qcibt-little-green-wrangle-a-win/article_5d3bddce-4e36-5a74-b1eb-f2dfa5e17518.html |
A traveler looks for baggage at the United Airlines baggage area at San Francisco International Airport on Tuesday. Southwest Airlines canceled almost two-thirds of its flights Tuesday, remaining hobbled by a massive winter storm that most major rivals were able to recover from with greater ease.
There were a few Southwest Airlines jets at Manchester-Boston Regional Airport on Wednesday morning. Southwest, which reduced its national schedule by two-thirds this week and continues to cancel flights, is the largest operator at the airport.
By Mary Schlangenstein
and Ryan Beene Bloomberg
Southwest’s travails are dragging on with more than 2,500 flights canceled Wednesday and a similarly bleak outlook for Thursday, while its rivals have largely recovered from the arctic blast that swept the nation over Christmas weekend.
The “heartfelt” apologies offered by the airline and Chief Executive Officer Bob Jordan may be cold comfort to passengers who have been stranded at airports, missing luggage or holiday time with their families.
Southwest’s system — flying point to point instead of the hub-and-spoke regime used by rivals — is a point of pride, deeply embedded in its five-decade history and helps it reach many medium-size markets. But the behind-the-scenes technology that makes it possible to schedule crews and aircraft all proved brittle this week, just as it did in a similar systemic collapse in October 2021. When the computers weren’t up to the task, humans had to step in to hunt down pilots and flight crews by telephone.
Improving the operation is one of the top five priorities Jordan has set through 2026, but at a media day on Nov. 30, the CEO said he couldn’t put a price tag on the cost of slow modernization.
At the event, executives discussed the $2 billion being spent to improve passengers’ in-flight experience — WiFi systems, power outlets at seats, etc. They also talked about improving aircraft productivity and flight operations, without much detail on the costs.
Now the shares are “reflecting the disaster that’s befallen them,” Becker said, adding that she expects earnings to be hit “in the hundreds of millions of dollars range.”
Southwest may have to heavily discount tickets in the first quarter to lure back travelers it has upset, Becker said.
The carrier said it would run only one-third of flights for several days, and Becker said scheduling probably won’t get caught up until sometime this weekend.
And beyond that, the carrier may have to curtail some of its ambition, until people it’s hired are fully trained, she said.
The carrier has hired a net of about 11,000 people this year to help replace those who left during the pandemic, meaning 20% of its workforce is new. With plans to hire more next year, Southwest says 40% of its workers will be new to the airline by the end of 2024.
Bloomberg’s Matthew Miller and Kailey Leinz contributed to this report. | 2022-12-29T02:31:30Z | www.unionleader.com | Southwest chaos followed years-long warnings on old tech | Business | unionleader.com | https://www.unionleader.com/news/business/southwest-chaos-followed-years-long-warnings-on-old-tech/article_2f16a195-a77c-5f98-a9cc-950a3a604579.html | https://www.unionleader.com/news/business/southwest-chaos-followed-years-long-warnings-on-old-tech/article_2f16a195-a77c-5f98-a9cc-950a3a604579.html |
Commissioner of Safety Robert Quinn speaks at a press conference at the Hooksett Welcome Center rest area on the southbound side of Interstate 93 in March 2022.
"Time to do the right thing"
A former New Hampshire State Police civilian employee who took issue with a questionable Gun Line background check allegedly ordered by Safety Commissioner Robert Quinn has filed for whistleblower protection.
“Even though I am at another agency now, I am still fearful of his power and reach,” says the complaint, which was filed with the state Department of Labor. Foss asked that she and all Safety Department employees be protected from retaliation.
The complaint says that Quinn ordered Trooper Michael Arteaga to run a full instant background check on an individual. The permits and licensing unit had no active application nor active purchase for the person, “meaning we had no reason to run this individual through the federal and state data base for a firearms background check,” says the complaint.
“If they did not follow the order, they would’ve been met with the same demise as several of us have (to include me) who were essentially driven to leave or were forced to leave,” Foss wrote in the complaint.
“We are going to fix this,” he responded and left the Gun Line office area.
“Life for me at work thereafter was extremely more difficult than it already had been. He used everyone around him and me to work against me,” she wrote.
The New Hampshire Union Leader reported that the Attorney General’s Public Integrity Unit investigated Foss’ allegation, but the investigation never went anywhere.
Gov. Chris Sununu has confirmed that AG’s office reviewed the Quinn allegation.
Nh Safety Department | 2022-12-29T02:31:36Z | www.unionleader.com | Former Gun Line supervisor files whistleblower complaint against Safety Commissioner Quinn | Crime | unionleader.com | https://www.unionleader.com/news/crime/former-gun-line-supervisor-files-whistleblower-complaint-against-safety-commissioner-quinn/article_43aec107-c459-514a-906f-47be63176b9a.html | https://www.unionleader.com/news/crime/former-gun-line-supervisor-files-whistleblower-complaint-against-safety-commissioner-quinn/article_43aec107-c459-514a-906f-47be63176b9a.html |
IN 2021, PEOPLE created 2.5 quintillion bytes of data every day. Experts predict that by the end of this year, we’ll produce and consume about 94 zettabytes (just one zettabyte is 1 sextillion bytes) of data. No wonder it’s hard to sort out health news you can use from the daily onslaught! So, to help you, here’s my roundup of three new insights that can simplify your goal to live longer, younger and happier.
1. Regularly taking nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) or getting cortisone shots to ease knee pain and, you hope, avoid a total knee replacement, actually speeds up joint erosion. That’s fine if you’re planning on total knee replacement but want to put it off a while, but not if avoiding surgery is a medical necessity. For you, physical therapy and/or less invasive surgical repair may be better options.
2. Feeling bad about your body? Head outdoors. U.K. researchers have found that spending just 40 minutes being active in nature (even when there’s no green to be seen) results in greater body appreciation and that translates to less self-criticism and anxiety about how you are perceived. So, don’t let snowy environs dissuade you from exploring nature.
3. COVID-19 news: Despite what misleading headlines have declared, repeat infections of COVID-19 are far less severe and fatal than first infections. What does increase COVID-19-related risks? Obesity makes it more likely you’ll get long COVID-19.
I hope these short takes make it easier to sort out the news you can use on your journey to better health.
Health pioneer Michael Roizen, M.D., is chief wellness officer emeritus at the Cleveland Clinic and author of four No. 1 New York Times bestsellers. | 2022-12-29T02:31:42Z | www.unionleader.com | Here are three new health insights you can use | Health | unionleader.com | https://www.unionleader.com/news/health/here-are-three-new-health-insights-you-can-use/article_616eec9e-895e-5fee-ad5d-5cbd24ef91a7.html | https://www.unionleader.com/news/health/here-are-three-new-health-insights-you-can-use/article_616eec9e-895e-5fee-ad5d-5cbd24ef91a7.html |
After record money and even bigger hype, what made the 2022 midterm elections such a stunning story was that in spite of runaway inflation and plenty of public dissatisfaction, voters in New Hampshire decided the status quo was just fine with them.
The all-Democratic congressional delegation not only survived, but Sen. Maggie Hassan and Reps. Chris Pappas and Ann Kuster all won convincingly over opponents who looked far more formidable than they ultimately were.
For two years, Democratic operatives here spent nearly $5 million, believing they would make Republican Gov. Chris Sununu pay for signing the first ban on later-term abortions in modern New Hampshire history.
Instead, Sununu coasted to a 16-point win over a well-financed state Sen. Tom Sherman of Rye, who never was able to get the attention of national Democrats to help pull off what would have been a mega-upset.
Sununu’s victory margin was bigger than many of his GOP gubernatorial counterparts’, prominently topped by the 19.4% win that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis recorded over former Gov. Charlie Crist.
For his part, DeSantis came out of the shadow of Donald Trump on election night. As a possible presidential candidate, he beats Trump handily in early polling in New Hampshire and other key battleground states.
At year’s end, Sununu raised speculation that he would join them both in a run for the White House in 2024.
It’s no coincidence there’s white-hot speculation that other popular GOP governors could jump into the fray, including Glenn Youngkin in Virginia, Kristie Noem in South Dakota and Asa Hutchinson in Arkansas, the latter the past chair of the National Governors Association.
Pollsters of all stripes, local and national, were the election’s biggest losers. They all concluded Hassan and Pappas might lose and the GOP would surely add to its majorities at the New Hampshire State House.
Sununu’s coattails didn’t materialize
As it turned out, Sununu’s coattails were very short.
The state Senate remained the same, with a 14-10 Republican majority, and the Executive Council stood pat too, with four Republicans to one Democrat. Meanwhile, House Democrats nearly pulled off the shocker of the season, winning 198 of 399 seats in the New Hampshire House of Representatives.
Voters in Rochester on Feb. 21 will settle the final race, which ended in a tie between Democratic Rep. Chuck Grassie and Republican David Walker.
Another special election is likely to follow to fill the first House vacancy after Rep. Stacie Laughton, D-Nashua, resigned last week, following her arrest on domestic stalking charges.
Republicans’ narrow victory deviated from the recent trend of House flips, which saw party control change five times in the previous six elections.
After so many analysts predicted a “red wave,” only six incumbent Democrats — all House members — lost at the State House.
“Nobody saw it going down this way. Anyone who says they did would be lying through their teeth,” said Greg Moore, state director of the state chapter of Americans for Prosperity, a fiscally conservative interest group.
“What’s striking about the numbers is Republican turnout in 2022 was even bigger than in 2018,” Moore said. “Clearly Democratic intensity was stronger than it had looked heading into the election.”
During a recent interview, Secretary of State David Scanlan said it is much easier to make sense of elections after they are over.
“What struck me in the weeks leading up to the vote was that both parties were clearly energized,” Scanlan said. “We saw this in the level of absentee ballots being returned and the turnout at rallies both sides were holding. This all lead to an even bigger turnout than I had expected.”
Democratic Party Chairman Raymond Buckley credited the delegation, including Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., with helping build a ground game that could quell concern his party would lose support in the middle of President Joe Biden’s first term.
“We opened 14 district offices across the state earlier than we ever had during a midterm election,” Buckley said.
“I kept seeing all this trash talking on social media that Republicans were going to get 260 House members and 17 state senators, and that was never going to happen. We built a wall of support they could not tear down.”
Redistricting helped limit GOP losses
Evidence strongly suggests that if not for redistricting in 2022, Democrats actually would have been even more successful.
When all race results are counted, Democrats actually got slightly more votes than Republicans in New Hampshire.
The redrawing of election districts by the GOP-led Legislature last spring clearly spelled survival for some GOP councilors and comfortable victories for many Republican Senate hopefuls.
Meanwhile, the Democratic Party and its affiliates made a historic investment in social media to both promote candidates and connect on a daily basis with their volunteers all over the state.
“This is the biggest lesson Republicans need to learn from what happened in 2022,” Moore said. “When it comes to using the web to organize and influence votes, they’ve got some real catching up to do.”
GOP activists blamed the unfavorable outcome on voters’ decisions in the Sept. 13 primary to nominate federal candidates who did not connect with independent voters.
“The Trump-endorsed candidates did not do well. That goes without saying here and in other battleground states,” said Brad Card, a GOP consultant and brother of former White House Chief of Staff Andy Card.
Sununu had called Senate nominee Don Bolduc a “conspiracy candidate” and urged voters to go with Senate President Chuck Morse.
He backed beer company owner Jeff Cozzens of Lyme and then Keene Mayor George Hansel as more moderate Republicans than Bob Burns of Pembroke, who edged Hansel to become the nominee in the 2nd Congressional District.
Support for abortion rights following the Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe vs. Wade motivated many to vote for Democratic incumbents over GOP alternatives, all of whom had backed abortion restrictions.
During a radio interview last week, 1st Congressional District candidate Gail Huff Brown of Rye said the issue became about more than a woman’s reproductive rights.
“Voters were telling me this was about personal freedom, that people didn’t want the government making decisions about their own lives,” said Brown, a pro-choice Republican who lost her primary to social conservative Karoline Leavitt of Hampton.
Abortion, election denial key issues
The polls further suggest Bolduc and Leavitt’s initial insistence that Trump had won the 2020 election also played a role in their demise.
After winning their primaries, Leavitt and Bolduc both tried to recant, but clearly the damage had been done. Both Hassan and Pappas pounced on the controversy.
The University of New Hampshire Survey Center found after the election that voter confidence went up in New Hampshire this past year, compared to polling after the 2016 and 2020 campaigns.
“I don’t think most voters wanted to be told that elections were in doubt here,” said Ballot Law Commission Chairman Brad Cook of Manchester. | 2022-12-29T02:32:01Z | www.unionleader.com | 2022 election: A 'historic' embrace of the status quo | State | unionleader.com | https://www.unionleader.com/news/politics/state/2022-election-a-historic-embrace-of-the-status-quo/article_5bc76b10-4f32-555f-bc48-66864bf2eea5.html | https://www.unionleader.com/news/politics/state/2022-election-a-historic-embrace-of-the-status-quo/article_5bc76b10-4f32-555f-bc48-66864bf2eea5.html |
A Ukrainian soldier at an entry checkpoint to the town of Izyum in the Kharkiv region on Sept. 15.
Wojciech Grzedzinski/Washington Pos
By David L. Stern, Isabelle Khurshudyan and Ellen Francis The Washington Post
KYIV, Ukraine - Explosions rocked cities across Ukraine early Thursday morning, as Russia continued its unrelenting pummeling of the country's energy infrastructure, launching dozens of missiles and hospitalizing at least three people in the capital, Ukrainian officials said.
Air raid sirens sounded out across Ukraine at 6 a.m. Washington Post journalists heard the first of several explosions in Kyiv a little over an hour later. Local officials in Odessa in the south, Kharkiv in the east, Lviv in the west and other regions reported missile attacks on social media. It was not immediately whether the sounds of blasts were from strikes or air defenses.
"The enemy attacks Ukraine from various directions with air and sea-based cruise missiles from strategic aircraft and ships," Ukraine's Air Force said in a statement on Telegram, calling it a "massive missile attack."
Moscow has pounded Ukraine's infrastructure since early October, in an effort to leave the country without light, heat and water during the freezing winter months and weaken the Ukrainians' resolve to continue the war effort - a strategy that so far seems to have failed considerably.
It was the first major missile attack in about two weeks - and just two days before the New Year's holidays. Russian forces also launched an assault of self-destructing drones on Ukrainian energy facilities last week.
Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, tweeted that "the evil Russian world" had launched more than 120 missiles on Thursday "to destroy critical infrastructure and kill civilians en masse." Another official, Oleksiy Arestovych, said that more than 100 missiles were incoming "in several waves."
Ukraine's military said that some 69 missiles had been fired, of which 54 were intercepted by the country's air defense systems. The Washington Post could not independently verify any of the figures cited by Ukrainian officials.
Kyiv Mayor Vitaly Klitschko said on his Telegram channel that Ukrainian air defense forces had shot down 16 Russian missiles in the capital, while Odessa Gov. Maksym Marchenko said 21 missiles had been destroyed in his region.
But the missiles also caused extensive damage and injuries. Klitschko said that missile fragments struck a residential home, and three people, including a 14-year-old girl, had been injured in the capital. After the attack, 40 percent of Kyiv residents were without power, Klitschko said, though heat and water were continuing "as usual."
Head of the Kyiv Military Administration Serhiy Popko said that three districts in the capital had been hit, including a "industrial facility" and a children's playground. Governor of the Kyiv region Oleksiy Kuleba said during a television broadcast that a number of houses and a medical facility had been damaged outside of the capital during the attack, which lasted five hours.
Lviv Mayor Andriy Sadovyi reported that 90 percent of his city was without electricity after explosions. Odessa Gov. Marchenko said that missiles had struck "energy infrastructure" and that emergency blackouts were taking place across the region.
In Kyiv, one of the missiles shot down landed on Oleksandr Fatkulin's home, leaving half of the brick house in ruins. Oleksandr had been sleeping on the second floor while his elderly father, Leonid, was on the first.
"Are you alive?" Leonid said he yelled up to his son after the explosion ripped through the walls.
"I was about to take a shower when it happened," Leonid said. "Now I'm going to need someone to let me take a shower at their place."
Shrapnel from the missile was laid out neatly on the side of the road, piece by piece. A woman walked by with another piece - it had shattered the window of her home nearby.
"Is that another keepsake from Putin?" a neighbor asked her. | 2022-12-29T15:21:31Z | www.unionleader.com | Russia pummels Ukraine's energy infrastructure in 'massive' missile attack | Military | unionleader.com | https://www.unionleader.com/news/military/russia-pummels-ukraines-energy-infrastructure-in-massive-missile-attack/article_07523357-39ff-5445-89b4-8f238e6abfbe.html | https://www.unionleader.com/news/military/russia-pummels-ukraines-energy-infrastructure-in-massive-missile-attack/article_07523357-39ff-5445-89b4-8f238e6abfbe.html |
Some stores at the Merrimack Premium Outlets reopened Thursday after a rock slide caused a gas leak Wednesday and closed stores.
Merrimack Premium Outlets says some stores are reopening Thursday a day after a rock slide shuttered the shopping center.
“Merrimack Premium Outlets experienced a rockslide impacting our center,’ said a note on the center’s website. “We are grateful to Merrimack Fire Rescue, Liberty Utilities and Eversource for their swift response.”
Starting today, “we will have a partial number of store openings,” the center said in a tweet. “Visit our website for the latest store openings and hours.”
After 7 a.m. Wednesday, arriving fire crews found a large rock slide had fallen in the back of the mall complex, damaging a gas main at the back of the building. | 2022-12-29T17:17:21Z | www.unionleader.com | Merrimack Premium Outlets reopening some stores Thursday | Public Safety | unionleader.com | https://www.unionleader.com/news/safety/merrimack-premium-outlets-reopening-some-stores-thursday/article_9aac7ccb-4167-5735-8997-95a2a5b910ec.html | https://www.unionleader.com/news/safety/merrimack-premium-outlets-reopening-some-stores-thursday/article_9aac7ccb-4167-5735-8997-95a2a5b910ec.html |
The S&P 500 recovered all of the losses suffered in the previous two days, with more than 95% of its shares advancing albeit in thin holiday trading. The tech-heavy Nasdaq 100 outperformed, with gains approaching 3%. Tesla climbed more than 9%, with tech giants including Apple, Amazon.com and Microsoft also among the biggest gainers. Asian technology stocks gained earlier amid signs China is easing a regulatory crackdown.
Investors took solace in U.S. jobs data that failed to hold any unwanted surprises, while underscoring the resilience of the labor market in the face of Federal Reserve's aggressive monetary tightening. Initial unemployment claims rose slightly to 225,000, in line with expectations, in the week ended Dec. 24. Continuing claims rose to 1.7 million in the week ended Dec. 17, the most since early February.
The rally is a ray of light as a dismal year for stocks and bonds draws to a close. Global equities have lost a fifth of their value in 2022, the largest decline since 2008 on an annual basis, with tech bearing the brunt of the selloff. An index of global bonds has slumped 16% amid sticky inflation and rising interest rates.
"I'm actually not so afraid of tech," Sylvia Jablonski, CEO and CIO at Defiance ETFs, said on Bloomberg TV. "I do think you're going to see a recovery later in the year in a lot of these stocks and I think that investors are a little bit too afraid of them right now. They're going to miss out on a rebound opportunity in the next let's say 6-9 months."
Stocks are rebounding after a selloff Wednesday as the focus shifted to risks from the spread of Covid-19. The U.S. said it would require inbound airline passengers from China to show a negative Covid-19 test prior to entry. In Italy, health officials said they would test arrivals from China after almost half of passengers on two flights from China to Milan were found to have the virus.
Hong Kong removed limits on gatherings and testing for travelers in a further unwinding of its last major Covid rules, offering a boost to the global economy but also sparking concerns it would amplify inflation pressures and prompt U.S. policy makers to maintain tight monetary settings.
The S&P 500 rose 1.9% as of 12:30 p.m. New York time
The yield on 10-year Treasuries declined five basis points to 3.83%
Germany's 10-year yield declined six basis points to 2.44%
Britain's 10-year yield was little changed at 3.66%
This story was produced with the assistance of Bloomberg Automation. Bloomberg's Richard Henderson, Peyton Forte and Robert Brand contributed to this report. | 2022-12-29T19:06:45Z | www.unionleader.com | More than 95% of S&P stocks rise as rally picks up | Business | unionleader.com | https://www.unionleader.com/news/business/more-than-95-of-s-p-stocks-rise-as-rally-picks-up/article_315fb190-666e-55ab-8c80-0badc46fb08b.html | https://www.unionleader.com/news/business/more-than-95-of-s-p-stocks-rise-as-rally-picks-up/article_315fb190-666e-55ab-8c80-0badc46fb08b.html |
New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick speaks to the media at Gillette Stadium on October 26, 2022 in Foxboro, Massachusetts. (Staff Photo By Matt Stone/MediaNews Group/Boston Herald)
Staff Photo By Matt Stone
Patriots head coach Bill Belichick looks on during the second half of a victory over the Indianapolis Colts earlier this year. His team's lack of scoring has him on the defensive. (Staff photo By Matt Stone/MediaNews Group/Boston Herald)
Commentary: Belichick hates distractions, but the Patriots head coach keeps creating them
SPORTS-BILL-BELICHICKS-MEDIA-PLAYBOOK-HOW-1-YB.jpg | 2022-12-29T22:33:56Z | www.unionleader.com | Commentary: Belichick hates distractions, but the Patriots head coach keeps creating them | Patriots | unionleader.com | https://www.unionleader.com/sports/patriots/commentary-belichick-hates-distractions-but-the-patriots-head-coach-keeps-creating-them/article_2d491c39-01f5-5d2d-a757-4c51aba062be.html | https://www.unionleader.com/sports/patriots/commentary-belichick-hates-distractions-but-the-patriots-head-coach-keeps-creating-them/article_2d491c39-01f5-5d2d-a757-4c51aba062be.html |
“The Hero of This Book,” by Elizabeth McCracken.
Ecco/TNS
By Colette Bancroft Tampa Bay Times (TNS)
But I read more books than that — I average three per week — and some of them really stick with me. So here is my year-end roundup of the best books I read but didn’t review in 2022. If you were lucky enough to score a bookstore gift card for the holidays, consider these.
McCracken walks a tightrope between fiction and autobiography with this brief, elegant novel. Its narrator recounts the life of her mother, a brilliant woman with serious physical disabilities and an indomitable will.
During a trip to London that retraces one they took together, the daughter reflects on their complex relationship and faces her own grief in this sometimes funny, sometimes wrenching, never sentimental book.
“A Heart Full of Headstones,” Ian Rankin
“Confidence,” Denise Mina
I devour mysteries, and some of the tastiest are by Scottish authors like Rankin and Mina.
“A Heart Full of Headstones” finds Rankin’s series character, fierce former detective inspector John Rebus, retired and hating it. (Like Michael Connelly’s Harry Bosch, Rebus has aged more or less in real time in 24 books.) But Rebus is drawn into an investigation of corrupt cops that leads to what might be his final confrontation with crime boss Big Ger Cafferty in this satisfying novel.
Mina’s “Confidence” is a fast-paced tale about a pair of true-crime podcasters who might have inadvertently become involved in a crime they’re trying to cover. Anna McDonald and Fin Cohen go looking for a missing young woman who’s tied to the rediscovery of a mysterious religious relic. They join forces with an antiques dealer who, it becomes clear, is a con man — but how far will he go?
“Constructing a Nervous System: A Memoir,” Margo Jefferson
Jefferson’s 2015 memoir, “Negroland,” was a nuanced, beautifully written study of race, feminism and social class. This book continues those themes, but with a brilliantly improvised structure that bursts the bounds of memoir and social criticism.
Even as a child, Jefferson saw connections between jazz music and Greek mythology; this book expands that web of influences in a fascinating performance by the Pulitzer Prize-winning critic.
“Remarkably Bright Creatures,” Shelby Van Pelt
Tova Sullivan has a somewhat unlikely best friend: a giant Pacific octopus named Marcellus. Tova is mourning the recent death of her husband and the loss of her son, who vanished long ago as a teen. But she finds solace as a volunteer at Marcellus’s home, the aquarium in her small town near Puget Sound.
This debut novel’s depiction of the dilemmas of aging is warm and witty, but its real gem is the voice of Marcellus, who narrates some chapters in first person (first cephalopod?) and always has something intelligent to say.
“An Immense World: How Animal Senses Reveal the Hidden Realms Around Us,” Ed Yong
Yong, a staff writer at The Atlantic, has won the Pulitzer Prize and George Polk Award for science writing, and this terrific book demonstrates why. In it, he explores how animals other than humans perceive the world, and it’s a world of wonder.
Each type of animal, he writes, lives in a unique bubble, often perceived with senses we humans have only limited versions of or don’t have at all, like the sea turtle’s ability to navigate vast distances by magnetic fields or the bat’s astounding echolocation. Yong explains the science of how all that works in bright, accessible prose.
“Complete Poems,” Jim Harrison
“The Search for the Genuine: Nonfiction, 1970-2015,” Jim Harrison
My reading year was bookended by two collections by the late, great Harrison, one of my all-time favorite writers. In December 2021, Copper Canyon Press published the handsome poetry collection.
Although he wrote in almost every form, Harrison thought of himself as a poet first; when he died in 2016, he was at his desk in Arizona, in the midst of writing a poem.
I’ve taken the 944 pages of “Complete Poems” slowly, reading one almost every day as a kind of meditation. Happily, I have enough left to last me a couple of years more.
“The Search for the Genuine,” published in November by Grove, collects his exuberant, startlingly original nonfiction writing on food and drink, travel, writing and writers, the natural world and more.
I’m taking its essays one by one as well, just to have his inimitable voice in my head for as long as possible. | 2022-12-30T01:50:29Z | www.unionleader.com | Best books I didn’t review in 2022 | Business | unionleader.com | https://www.unionleader.com/news/business/best-books-i-didn-t-review-in-2022/article_7d30bf36-7d5c-51b6-89f2-f1eb86b2c9fb.html | https://www.unionleader.com/news/business/best-books-i-didn-t-review-in-2022/article_7d30bf36-7d5c-51b6-89f2-f1eb86b2c9fb.html |
The Carnival Valor cruise ship sets sail from the port of New Orleans.
Weinstein hopes to entice people back to cruising next year with a significant step in advertising, and he’s working with each of Carnival’s brands to hone their position in the marketplace. On a recent earnings call, he likened the company’s relaunch over the past 18 months to being “the world’s largest startup.”
Carnival shares trade as if more trouble lies ahead. The stock is down more than 80% since December 2019 — the worst performer among the three big cruise companies — and recently touched a 30-year bottom.
It’s also been a rough year for Beyond Meat. Sales of fake meat have fallen at grocery stores, and product tests with fast-food partners didn’t result in any Beyond products becoming permanent menu items in the U.S.
Beyond Meat says it will finally be cash-flow positive in the second half of 2023, but analysts are skeptical that can happen until sales stabilize. Quarterly spending has come down, but the company had just $390 million in cash on hand at the end of the third quarter and more than $1 billion in debt.
CEO Ethan Brown maintains that plant-based meat will eventually replace the real thing. Investors are far from convinced; the stock has fallen about 95% from its peak in 2019 and short interest accounts for around 40% of the available shares.
That’s when an interest payment is due on its 2029 bonds. If the company makes the payment, it could be a sign that it has a plan to restructure debt with creditors and carry on. If not, then bankruptcy “has to clearly be thought of as a possible outcome,” according to Bloomberg Intelligence analyst Joel Levington.
In the past 12 months, used-vehicle prices have tumbled 14%, according to Manheim, the nation’s largest wholesale car auction. Manheim owner Cox Automotive expects pre-owned sales and prices to fall even more in 2023. After earnings from larger rival CarMax came in well below expectations last week, Levington suggested Carvana may be facing a “devastating setback for its turnaround plans.”
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration in November halted studies of the company’s lead drug to get more information about potency, unintended changes in DNA and the risk that those alterations could be passed down to offspring. While Verve works to answer those questions and get back on track, the stock price has plummeted amid mounting uncertainty.
Electric vehicle startups
Despite that influx of cash, many companies struggled to stay afloat in 2022 after running into the hard reality of just how much money is required to put a car on the road. Rising interest rates and less-friendly capital markets haven’t helped. In June, Electric Last Mile Solutions became the first of the EV startups to go out of business, liquidating its assets through a Chapter 7 bankruptcy process. Chinese startup Niutron folded earlier this month without delivering a single car to the approximately 24,000 customers who had paid deposits.
It looks increasingly possible that the trend will continue. Canoo and Faraday Future Intelligent Electric have already warned about their cash balances, and it will be difficult for them to raise the hundreds of millions of dollars required to ramp up volume. Even companies that are more flush, such as Saudi-controlled Lucid Group, have scaled back their output goals amid supply-chain and production hurdles.
With funding options scarce, some EV startups may look to consolidation as a means of survival. As Tesla CEO Elon Musk noted earlier this year, starting a car company “is mega pain.”
Bloomberg’s Christopher Palmeri, Deena Shanker, David Welch, Angelica Peebles and Sean O’Kane contributed to this report. | 2022-12-30T01:50:47Z | www.unionleader.com | It's a make-or-break year for these battered companies | Business | unionleader.com | https://www.unionleader.com/news/business/its-a-make-or-break-year-for-these-battered-companies/article_1ffc0045-82e5-5548-b63a-d4eb9ecfafc9.html | https://www.unionleader.com/news/business/its-a-make-or-break-year-for-these-battered-companies/article_1ffc0045-82e5-5548-b63a-d4eb9ecfafc9.html |
Customers talk to Southwest Airlines workers at Manchester-Boston Regional Airport on Tuesday, when the carrier canceled more than 2,500 flights, including 15 in Manchester before noon that day.
Four Southwest Airlines flights were marked as canceled on the departures monitor at Manchester-Boston Regional Airport on Tuesday afternoon.
DEAR SOUTHWEST,
We’ve had a long, deep relationship, but I’m starting to wonder whether we have a future together.
I know it sounds cold to bring this up when you’ve had such a bad week, but what the heck have you been doing? I hardly recognize you anymore.
When you canceled more than 10,000 flights last week, it hit home. Now my nephew won’t be visiting from North Carolina.
Sure, you hit a rough patch with that nasty winter weather. But so did your competitors, and they didn’t cut back their schedule by two-thirds, leaving their customers stranded.
Once you were my savior.
Remember your buddy, ATA? You bought their assets when they went bankrupt in 2008.
When a rainstorm grounded my flight at Chicago Midway, ATA canceled flight after flight after flight, finally telling me they would not be able to get me to Boston until the next day – so I would miss my brother’s wedding. I felt abandoned.
After wandering around the airport for nine hours, I found a seat on a Southwest flight to Manchester that would get me there that night. Your standup comic flight crew set the perfect tone after a horrendous day.
But you’re going to need more than snappy repartee and tiny bags of pretzels to repair the damage you’ve done this Christmas.
MHT needs you to be strong. You’ve carried most of the load at our humble airport for decades and have made it convenient to travel in and out of the Queen City.
If not for you, I would never have moved back to New Hampshire. Remember that nonstop flight you used to offer between here and Denver? It fueled a long-distance romance for several months.
Sorry, I shouldn’t have mentioned Denver. That image of hundreds of people packed into a Denver International Airport security checkpoint on the front page of Wednesday’s New York Times looked like the last place on Earth anyone would want to spend their holiday vacation.
Speaking of vacations, my wife and I are going to visit my parents in Florida in February. Think you’ll have all that wayward luggage sorted out by then?
My wife cannot contain her clothing to a carry-on, even for a long weekend trip, and we have a connecting flight in Baltimore. Should we FedEx our bathing suits and flip-flops to Sarasota before we board?
You have no idea how tough this is for us.
We think of you everyday, thanks to our Southwest Rewards credit card, which we have used for several years to pay for nearly all our purchases. That’s why our trip to Florida next month is only going to cost $20.
We have to confess that you’re not the only rewards card in our wallets anymore. One our way back from Aruba in September, the JetBlue crew sold us on a special promotion.
We already have enough points to fly back to our island paradise for free, thanks to all the Christmas gifts we racked up on that card.
As you know, JetBlue is waiting for the feds to bless its $3.8 billion deal to buy Spirit, your new friend at MHT. There’s room for all of you at Manchester-Boston Regional Airport.
Manchester is just a tiny speck in your universe, but as you’re learning right now, those little things – like putting off upgrading your computer system – can really sneak up on you. | 2022-12-30T01:50:53Z | www.unionleader.com | NH Business: Love on the rocks with Southwest | NH Business | unionleader.com | https://www.unionleader.com/news/business/nh_business/nh-business-love-on-the-rocks-with-southwest/article_356e9b2f-f1b1-50de-a375-029aa440b240.html | https://www.unionleader.com/news/business/nh_business/nh-business-love-on-the-rocks-with-southwest/article_356e9b2f-f1b1-50de-a375-029aa440b240.html |
City crews visited the city’s most prominent homeless camp on Wednesday, removing some tents and clearing the area of trash, police said.
The city Department of Public Works removed trash and abandoned property from the sidewalks outside the Families in Transition homeless shelter.
The property included some abandoned tents, said police spokeswoman Heather Hamel.
“The people who live there were helpful, bringing abandoned items out and putting them in a pile so DPW could pick them up and dispose of them,” she wrote in an email.
The tent was not removed where the body of Amanda Hartness, 34, died on Christmas Eve.
This is the second time that city crews have worked to clean the area, which is located downtown at the corner of Pine and Manchester streets. About two months ago, homeless people started pitching tents on sidewalks outside the shelter, which has been full or close to full every night.
Hamel estimates that about 30 people live in the tents, although the number varies from night to night. | 2022-12-30T01:51:18Z | www.unionleader.com | City cleans abandoned property at homeless shelter tent site | Homes & Garden | unionleader.com | https://www.unionleader.com/news/homes/city-cleans-abandoned-property-at-homeless-shelter-tent-site/article_eacdc676-29ea-5c47-b6a9-807bd0aa51ba.html | https://www.unionleader.com/news/homes/city-cleans-abandoned-property-at-homeless-shelter-tent-site/article_eacdc676-29ea-5c47-b6a9-807bd0aa51ba.html |
Goffstown author Gary Bouchard does a reading from his poetry book, “What News Horatio? Dispatches From Behind the Castle Wall,” at at Saint Anselm College, where he is a longtime English professor.
JASON KOLNES
St. Anselm College English Professor Gary Bouchard and longtime New Hampshire Union Leader subscriber picked his favorite, quirky newspaper headlines and made up Shakespearean-flavored back stories in his whimsical book of poetry, “What News Horatio? Dispatches From Beyond the Castle Walls.”
Goffstown author Gary Bouchard signs a copy of “What News Horatio? Dispatches From Behind the Castle Wall” at a book-release event and reading in October at Saint Anselm College, where he is a long-time English professor.
JASON KOLNOS
A few of the Union Leader headlines that inspired Saint Anselm professor Gary Bouchard to write “What News, Horatio?”
TOM LYNCH/UNION LEADER
Gary Bouchard
It was in 2014 that Gary Bouchard, a Shakespeare aficionado and longtime New Hampshire Union Leader subscriber, started clipping some of the more eye-catching headlines from the newspaper.
The Goffstown author and Saint Anselm College English professor especially gravitated to The Back Page, where entertaining and offbeat news from around the world regularly runs.
It began with a headline from Reuters news service story about a California parrot who disappeared for four years and returned home speaking Spanish. “Speak though it may, that bird wasn’t going to tell its own story. I thought someone should.”
Over time, Bouchard’s headline scanning led to the witty, often tongue-in-cheek book of poetry called “What News Horatio? Dispatches from beyond the Castle Walls.”
In it, Bouchard channels a sense of playful gravitas into a game with two rules: The title of each of piece had to come from the newspaper and every made-up backstory had to contain at least a small shard of Shakespeare.
“I had a notebook with all of the headlines taped and stapled with first drafts and sketches and lines that would become poems.”
There isn’t a set writing format. Some are prose, others rhyming tales, and there are both dramatic dialogues and sonnets.
There are a couple of Union Leader staff story headlines that caught his attention: “While Exeter woman meditates, her car rolls into Stratham Pond” (May 28, 2014) and “Fire Department shuts down Gilford strip club for safety violations’ (Nov. 10, 2014).
“It’s not what you think,” Bouchard says.
But most of the headlines came from The Back Page.
“It’s nice to offer the readers a break from all the serious stuff,” said Union Leader Editor-at-Large Joe McQuaid. “And it’s easier said than done.”
It takes time and a quick eye to find stories that would be a good fit, especially on such tight deadlines.
“For a copy editor, it’s loads of fun to build,” said the Union Leader’s Henry Metz, who produces the page most nights. “The process of looking for the offbeat and quirky is a little like a treasure hunt. When you set out on your search, you never know what you’ll find. But when you find it, well, you just know. You know it’ll make a reader smile or chuckle or mutter a ‘who knew?’
“It provides me with a respite from the serious and often dreary diet of hard news. And when it comes to writing headlines for the Back Page, it lets me indulge my silly side. I like to think it’s an inviting page for the reader, too,” Metz added.
There’s no doubt that Bouchard, who is founding director of the Gregory J. Grappone ‘04 humanities institute at Saint Anselm, is an avid reader with a flair for classic literature.
“Even when I’m not teaching Shakespeare, they have a game going to see how long Bouchard can go in this lecture without mentioning ‘Hamlet,’” he admits. “In my life, I don’t know whether Hamlet’s been at the heart (of all of my interests), or just next to me on the bar stool or in my back pocket. He’s always around. He’s never far away.”
Shakespeare no doubt would get the sense of irony in “Soccer Player Dies After Fatal Goal Celebration.” Bouchard’s cautionary take on the headline advises winners to avoid over-the-top victory displays (like an unrehearsed somersault). “Fall to your knees and be content,” he suggests.
As Bouchard explains in the book’s preface, each poem centers around a character who is crying out like a dying Hamlet: a repentant robber who stopped and waited for police to arrest him, a veteran deputy retiring because he wasn’t allowed to wear his cowboy hat on the job, a man accused of eating his own DWI results.
One of the poems, though, hits a more poignant note. It’s an ode to Bouchard’s brother Harold (1952-2016), whose wry smile lasted longer than doctors’ grim prognosis: “They beheld your wry smile through the thicket. They set up the bucket, then said: Kick it. That was three Christmases and a thousand silent nights ago.”
The headline that inspired it was “Survey: You’ll Probably Live Longer Than You Think” (from a Nov. 11, 2014 Washington Post article).
“Every bit of ironic or sarcastic humor that I have in me came from him,” Bouchard said of his older brother, who found the humor in life despite breaking his neck at 19 and being quadriplegic. “There’s a lot of inside humor in there – ‘coz that’s Harold,” he says with an appreciative chuckle.
In a twist worthy of the famous Bard’s love of mistaken identities in the comedy “A Midnight Summer’s Dream,” Bouchard’s poetry book features a cover illustration by another Bouchard.
“We are not related in the least — well, perhaps we are very distant cousins, but as a student with the same last name as a professor, I was constantly asked by other students about my familial relation to him,” said Manchester resident Hugh Bouchard, who was an English major at Saint Anselm in the mid-’90s. “Our favorite incident occurred when a classmate called me one night for advice on writing an essay that ‘my father’ had assigned to her.”
He let her know their teacher wasn’t his dear old dad.
“But what I should have done was made something up and told her that Professor Bouchard prefers alternating capital letters in every word or essays with lots of swearing or perhaps grades higher for essays printed out in red ink,” he said. “Gary would have appreciated any of those, right?”
Hugh Bouchard considers his unrelated namesake a mentor, as well as a tough teacher in the three classes they shared.
“I really grappled with the content,” he says. “He has an energetic, clever and quick-thinking demeanor that kept students focused as he led us through our studies. He has a rare skill that blends his scholarly expertise with improvisational qualities that I thought was constantly surprising, and it kept the lessons and conversations very engaging and often hilarious. He was certainly a mentor to me.”
Years later, when the professor shared his “What News Horatio” project, they teamed up to publish it.
“It is an exhilarating experience to think of how I had gone from being a green and struggling student in Gary’s class to producing and editing his book of poetry many years later. I feel like I have passed a test,” Hugh Bouchard said.
For his part, Gary Bouchard said some advice he got as a teenager from his father has stayed with him all these years: “Never do anything that you wouldn’t want to read about yourself in the newspaper.” | 2022-12-30T01:51:24Z | www.unionleader.com | Gary Bouchard turns quirky headlines into edgy 'Hamlet'-tinged book of poetry | Human Interest | unionleader.com | https://www.unionleader.com/news/human_interest/gary-bouchard-turns-quirky-headlines-into-edgy-hamlet-tinged-book-of-poetry/article_b76b7a0a-7393-5a8c-b343-20370e8421f8.html | https://www.unionleader.com/news/human_interest/gary-bouchard-turns-quirky-headlines-into-edgy-hamlet-tinged-book-of-poetry/article_b76b7a0a-7393-5a8c-b343-20370e8421f8.html |
The polls at Bedford High School were bustling at lunchtime on Election Day 2022.
Voters wait in line to get their ballots at the Ward 6 polls at McLaughlin Middle School in Manchester on Nov. 8. A state representative race in the ward went to a recount in which the winner changed twice.
Ryan McKenna votes with his sons, Liam, 2, and Cillian, 4, at Bedford High School polls on Election Day.
Tested election workers honored as Citizens of the Year
By Kevin Landrigan and Roberta Baker • Union Leader Staff
Derry Town Clerk Tina Guilford, three months on the job, said she did not sleep for two days before the Nov. 8 midterm election as national reports poured in about voter intimidation and skepticism over whether ballot counts would hold up to scrutiny.
At 5:45 a.m. on Election Day she beat the public works crew to Town Hall to check on her vault, where the ballots are stored. Weeks earlier, an electronic vault in Barnstable, Mass., had malfunctioned, delaying voting for four hours in that Cape Cod community.
“You just get so stressed because you want everything to go right because that’s our job, and that’s what we are there to do,” said Guilford, who has worked on Derry elections since 2016 and became town moderator in 2020 before her latest promotion.
Facing a record turnout for a midterm election, new laws, an explicit state advisory that many feared would delay the final outcome and, after the fact, an unprecedented number of recounts, 2022 reinforced New Hampshire’s reputation for hosting elections that can be trusted.
For those reasons, the New Hampshire Union Leader recognizes Guilford and all election workers in the Granite State as the 2022 Citizens of the Year.
Guilford, Manchester Ward 6 moderator Louise Gosselin, Milford poll worker Chris Masucci and Wolfeboro Town Clerk Pat Waterman were among the legion of New Hampshire election workers who helped keep the drama and excitement largely confined to the races and out of the polling places on Nov. 8.
For 25 years, Gosselin has volunteered in Ward 6, the past three terms as its moderator.
Her own team’s work faced the ultimate scrutiny when state volunteers last month recounted a close state representative race in that ward.
State officials first declared the Democrat, Maxine Mosley, an upset winner, only to have a judge permit the recounting to continue and to reverse that result, giving the victory to the incumbent Republican Rep. Larry Gagne.
“People complain about elections, but they don’t volunteer to see how it actually works. It’s a good day. It’s a long day,” Gosselin said.
“You feel like you’re doing something for your community. You’re meeting new neighbors.”
Chris Masucci, 61, heard all the questioning about ballot security for many elections until he decided during the pandemic to volunteer to work outside the Milford polls in 2020.
“It definitely gives a different impression than the one you hear about,” said Masucci, a 30-year resident of the town and director of life services for a health care startup company.
In later elections, town officials put Masucci inside the ropes to help register new voters and to update the checklist.
“There’s a lot of checks and balances. Every one of my fellow poll workers are very dedicated to making sure things are done correctly,” Masucci said.
“I can only speak for Milford, of course, but from everything I have seen, it’s a very well-controlled and overseen process.”
Then there’s Wolfeboro Town Clerk Pat Waterman, who at 81 is the dean of all New Hampshire election officials, serving as town clerk or deputy for 51 years.
She will run again for another term at town meeting in March.
“We should be proud in New Hampshire for how we handle our elections. We deal with them with integrity and respect for everyone who’s coming in to do their civic duty,” Waterman said.
The local touch
Gov. Chris Sununu said election workers and engaged voters are the state’s best assets as New Hampshire faces a stiff challenge from President Joe Biden and the Democratic National Committee to keeping its first-in-the-nation presidential primary.
“At a time when countless states struggle to declare winners on election night, New Hampshire’s tireless poll workers provide a blueprint for how to administer elections,” Sununu said.
‘”We are blessed to have such wonderful and dedicated election workers across our towns and cities who volunteer their time and efforts to ensure every vote is counted, providing our citizens peace of mind that our elections are safe, secure and reliable.”
Before becoming secretary of state, David Scanlan was for two decades Secretary Bill Gardner’s deputy and goodwill ambassador, leading outreach to election workers across the state.
“In education, we cherish the importance of local control. That’s how elections have been run in New Hampshire for more than a century, and this time-tested tradition only works because of the integrity these people bring to the job at hand,” Scanlan said during an interview.
“Given what they all went through and accomplished, I can’t imagine a more appropriate group to be honored in this way.”
Ballot Law Commission Chairman Brad Cook, a Manchester Republican, co-chaired Scanlan’s Special Committee on Voter Confidence, which completed a report whose findings included a call for expanded training of local election officials.
“We learned through this process how jealously these local officials work to make sure it’s done right,” Cook said.
“I always say when I walk into Manchester Ward 1 to vote that I have no qualms at all about how this election is going to be run because the moderator is my neighbor.
“That’s the ethos of politics in New Hampshire, and it’s one of the reasons why we do it so well here. Our local officials are visible and accountable each and every day.”
The job of clerks, moderators, checklist supervisors in New Hampshire can be more stressful in part because they cannot blame problems at the polls on a big government or top-down bureaucracy, said Kelsey Douville, the state’s election official program manager for America Votes, a liberal voting rights organization.
“Unlike in many states, New Hampshire elections are highly decentralized, so these local officials operate in their own silos and have to work very hard to ensure they are run smoothly,” Douville said. “They really do an incredible job.”
Not without hiccups
This is not to say everything on Nov. 8 went off without a hitch.
Town officials in Columbia admitted a clerical error gave U.S. Sen. Maggie Hassan 1,106 votes in the tiny North Country town where only 309 people cast ballots.
Hassan actually received 106 votes.
In Brentwood, Scanlan’s staff determined during a recount that local officials failed to open or count 27 absentee ballots.
The “found” ballots did not alter the outcome of a closely contested state representative race.
Scanlan said local officials admitted “some math errors” played a part in the recount of a Lakes Region House race, where the winning margin dropped from 35 votes to just four.
And in Derry, Guilford dealt with a record turnout that overwhelmed available parking outside Calvary Bible Church, the town’s only polling place, leaving some voters sitting in cars for up to an hour waiting to vote.
Derry went from three polling locations to one after officials in some schools balked at hosting voting in 2020 over concerns about COVID-19.
“There was never a line inside the polling place. The problem had been that the turnout overran the parking that we had closest to (the polls), and people started driving around and around on side streets trying to find a spot,” Guilford recalled.
“Did we drop the ball? We looked at historical trends, and there had never been more than 50% turnout in a midterm. We got 60%.”
State authorities stepped in to enlist more local police help. The town placed a robocall to all residents, advising that anyone waiting in a car when the polls closed at 8 p.m. would still get to vote.
“We processed everyone by 8:30 p.m. We had so many people who were coming through who were just thankful to be there, who saw there was no wait and were happy to come in and felt it was very quick,” Guilford said. “Honestly, the mood was definitely friendlier than everyone had expected.”
The Derry Town Council has named a committee to recommend whether to have more polling locations in future elections.
New machines a priority
The aging AccuVote electronic voting machines, used to count roughly 90% of all ballots in New Hampshire, remain a reason for much of the skepticism about election accuracy.
A forensic audit of 2020 results in Windham concluded local officials improperly used a machine that placed folds on hundreds of absentee ballots and caused voting machines to count them incorrectly.
Local election workers have been acutely aware of their limitations. For years, they have had to scrounge to deploy replacement machines in the face of breakdowwns or find spare parts after new ones ceased to be made.
On Nov. 8, voters in three small towns — Newington, Ashland and Woodstock — cast ballots with a new type of machine that runs on open-source software rather than a company-controlled system. This could give the public more direct access to seeing how votes get counted.
The VotingWorks device digitally scans and tallies results from the same hand-marked ballot that currently goes through AccuVote machines.
The Ballot Law Commission must approve any new vendors other than AccuVote.
Cook admitted a company’s financial wherewithal will be a factor.
“Whatever the innovation, we’ve got to make sure any vendor we pick has the experience and the horsepower in the industry to back up our elections,” Cook said.
Next year, Milford will test Dominion’s Image Cast, one of the new generation of the optical scanners to succeed the AccuVote.
“We’ve had to have a machine replaced at the last three elections,” Town Clerk Joan Dargie said. “When states get rid of these machines, we’re getting those parts.”
Manchester City Clerk Matt Normand said he’s “100 percent behind” getting new voting machines as soon as possible.
Every two years, Normand has to marshal an army of 250 volunteers in a city with 60,000 registered voters.
“We can’t get them serviced,” Normand said. “Our vendor does a great job of keeping machines on life support. My fear is there’s going to be a catastrophic event with these tabulators on Election Day.”
In Manchester, moderators and ward clerks receive a $230 stipend to work on an election shift that can last 17 to 20 hours. Checklist and ballot inspectors get $180.
Last month, Wolfeboro clerk Waterman went to Chatham, Mass., for a town and city clerks conference, at which many new devices were displayed.
“I have all the faith in the machines we have now. It is time to go to another one, and I absolutely look forward to upgrading them,” she said.
In Derry, Guilford said she doubts new machines will end the debate, however.
“I don’t see it going away. The people who aren’t happy with the machines, the people who distrust government, still distrust government. The notion that ‘Oh, we’ve had an election and everybody has moved on,’ I just think that’s not the case for this segment of people,” Guilford said.
“I feel we have entered what is now a new normal for elections to come.”
Dargie and Guilford both said letting election deniers see “behind the curtain” and work as volunteers convinces them the process can be trusted.
Election officials also vow to keep working to update election laws.
Waterman and others said the Legislature should restore the COVID-only policy that allowed them in 2020 to pre-process absentee ballots, which saves poll workers plenty of time once the polls close.
Normand said lawmakers should consider approving electronic voter checklists that would reduce tie-ups at the polls, which can get long in presidential election years.
“The bottleneck is at the checklist” line, Normand said.
Several officials said the Legislature’s decision to let communities use electronic poll books, as long as there’s a paper backup, has helped improve efficiency since the change in 2018.
More education, outreach
Joanne Linxweiler, Auburn’s supervisor of the checklist, said more outreach to local citizens would help improve public confidence, especially among those who don’t vote in every election.
“I don’t think people realize how much is done behind the scenes to do this job,” said Linxweiler, who retired as town clerk in 2014 after two decades but has remained in this volunteer role.
The voter confidence report also urges the state to expand election education, including a statewide marketing campaign on all social media platforms.
“We need to teach our young people about the voting process,” said former Democratic Congressman and U.S. Ambassador to Denmark Dick Swett, who co-chaired the group with Cook.
Tilton Town Moderator Helen Hanks said she’s gratified many voters appreciate the work that staff and volunteers do on their behalf.
“It means something to be a good neighbor,” said Hanks, the state’s corrections commissioner.
“Voting day is a way you can participate. It’s a long day, but a fulfilling day to ensure that people have the right this country was founded on. No matter what my opinion is, it’s your opportunity to vote and we want that vote to count.”
rbaker@unionleader.com
Joan Dargie
Pat Waterman
Tina Guilford | 2022-12-30T01:51:30Z | www.unionleader.com | Tested election workers honored as Citizens of the Year | State | unionleader.com | https://www.unionleader.com/news/politics/state/tested-election-workers-honored-as-citizens-of-the-year/article_9593851a-af47-5bce-a80a-2dce2e0ebb61.html | https://www.unionleader.com/news/politics/state/tested-election-workers-honored-as-citizens-of-the-year/article_9593851a-af47-5bce-a80a-2dce2e0ebb61.html |
Q. After reading your recommendation I ordered the Hifiman HE400se headphones from headphones.com for $109. Now that my order is placed I am reading that a headphone port is insufficient and you really must use a headphone amplifier with these planar magnetic models in order to get adequate loudness. Is this true and if so, what do you recommend?
—K.T., Atlantic City, N.J.
A. I received quite a few emails similar to yours. The answer depends on the kind of headphone port. If it is the headphone port on a component receiver, amplifier or preamplifier you will get more loudness than you will ever need. A dedicated headphone amplifier might have better sound quality depending on the specific products compared, but when it comes to having adequate volume you will be fine. I do think these headphones are at their very best in this scenario, connected to a component system at home playing a high-quality uncompressed source like a record or CD as you relax and enjoy the performance.
The answer for a portable device headphone port is a bit more nuanced, especially with these particular headphones. There are many planar magnetic headphones that do require more power than a headphone port or USB output provides, but in my testing the HE400se worked fine with a direct connection to a portable device.
I also found it to be dependent on the track played from my iTunes library. With some songs anything above 75% volume was too loud to be comfortable, and with others (typically older recordings) I had to go up to maximum or a click below to get the volume right where I wanted it. Even then, I never wanted for more volume and was satisfied.
While a good headphone amplifier might improve the performance of these headphones, it is important to keep things in perspective. The Hifiman HE400se headphones are uncommonly good for the money and provide a low-cost entry into the world of exotic planar-magnetic technology, but they are still $149 headphones on sale for $109.
It does not make sense to start down the rabbit hole of upgrades by buying an expensive amplifier for them unless you plan on getting deeper into the hobby and buying even better headphones in the future.
Q. I read your gift guide and saw the Bosch Compact Stand Mixer for $139. I went to boschmixers.com but the it is nowhere to be found. I can find accessories for it, but not the mixer itself. Is it discontinued now?
—T.O., San Francisco
A. Unfortunately they sold out and when I contacted the company to ask when it would be available again, I was informed the Bosch Compact Mixer is now retired and will not be stocked again. I am disappointed that I was not informed of this when I contacted their PR department to obtain an image for publication. Typically a vendor will extend the courtesy of informing the writer if a product is on the way out and availability might be a problem, but that was not done in this case.
Fortunately, you may still be able to get one. As of the last week of December refurbished units are available from nutrimill.com for $99. Just go to the website and look for the “Refurbished” link on the bottom of the site. The warranty is identical to a brand-new unit so it looks to be an exceptional buy on this product. The YouTube videos of the Bosch Compact Stand Mixer in action are quite impressive and are worth checking them out if you are thinking of picking one up. | 2022-12-30T01:51:48Z | www.unionleader.com | Don Lindich's Sound Advice: Will new headphones need an amplifier to work? | Lifestyles | unionleader.com | https://www.unionleader.com/nh/lifestyles/don-lindichs-sound-advice-will-new-headphones-need-an-amplifier-to-work/article_22027c7e-d766-590d-adb7-5ff1002e5e9c.html | https://www.unionleader.com/nh/lifestyles/don-lindichs-sound-advice-will-new-headphones-need-an-amplifier-to-work/article_22027c7e-d766-590d-adb7-5ff1002e5e9c.html |
Manchester drug job: Desperate measures
Manchester’s Health Department has received $300,000 with which it has created a new position to lead the city’s response to drug-related overdoses and fatalities. The city’s serious drug problem has been around for years. Has no one been leading the response until now?
New guy Andrew Warner, according to a Health Department release, is to work to “create and implement a strategic plan to prevent drug-involved overdoses.” Again, has Mayor Joyce Craig had no plan for this problem until now?
Will Warner’s strategy include the “harm reduction” techniques he employed in his recent job for Better Life Partners? That entity’s website explains harm reduction as “creating an environment for people to use and recover safely.”
Come again? Will Manchester create an environment for people to use illegal drugs? Isn’t that what we already have, Madame Mayor? Or is this just about not over-dosing when using?
The news release didn’t say what Warner will be paid, for how long, or how many other positions will be part of this new effort. The money was a “funding award.” The sources are all government entities, of course.
The release did note that Warner will “develop and implement communications strategies, including public outreach and the dissemination of materials related to services.”
Better be warned, there, Warner. You wouldn’t want your communications effort to conflict with the money that Craig and the aldermen are hell-bent on spending for a new public advertising campaign to give the city a better brand and identity. | 2022-12-30T07:24:27Z | www.unionleader.com | Manchester drug job: Desperate measures | Editorials | unionleader.com | https://www.unionleader.com/opinion/editorials/manchester-drug-job-desperate-measures/article_c5a49e13-3e86-5b2b-befd-741bc6c398d0.html | https://www.unionleader.com/opinion/editorials/manchester-drug-job-desperate-measures/article_c5a49e13-3e86-5b2b-befd-741bc6c398d0.html |
By Luiza Ilie and Octav Ganea Reuters
Tate, a former professional kickboxer, and his brother Tristan were detained on Thursday for an initial 24 hours alongside two Romanian suspects, prosecutors from the anti- organized crime unit said in a statement after raiding their properties in Bucharest.
"Anti-organized crime prosecutors have notified the rights and liberties judge with the Bucharest Court with a proposal to remand the four suspects for 30 days," the prosecutors said on Friday.
"The four suspects ... appear to have created an organized crime group with the purpose of recruiting, housing and exploiting women by forcing them to create pornographic content meant to be seen on specialized websites for a cost," prosecutors said in a statement late on Thursday.
A number of social media platforms banned Tate, including Twitter, but his account there became active again in November, after the platform was taken over by Elon Musk. In one of his tweets following his return to the platform, Tate said he was flying to California to tell Musk he was "a legend."
"Anybody who has access to his account can post," said a representative of Romania's anti-organized crime unit when asked how it was possible that Tate was tweeting while in custody.
Earlier this week, Tate was told to "get a life" by climate activist Greta Thunberg on Twitter after he told her he owned 33 cars with "enormous emissions."
Tate hit back at Thunberg on Wednesday in a video during which he asked somebody out of shot to bring him pizza and to make sure the boxes were "not recycled."
Following online speculation that the brand of pizza featured in the video helped police confirm Tate's presence in Romania, Thunberg quipped on Twitter that "this is what happens when you don't recycle your pizza boxes."
However, the anti organized-crime unit representative said that it was not the case that Tate's arrest had been made as a result of the pizza boxes.
(Reporting by Luiza Ilie, Octav Ganea and Alan Charlish; Editing by Stephen Coates, Jon Boyle and Gareth Jones) | 2022-12-30T17:25:12Z | www.unionleader.com | Ex-kickboxer Andrew Tate detained by Romania in rape, human trafficking case | Back Page | unionleader.com | https://www.unionleader.com/news/back_page/ex-kickboxer-andrew-tate-detained-by-romania-in-rape-human-trafficking-case/article_4c0a6713-7af0-56b2-9f53-d1e986ba711c.html | https://www.unionleader.com/news/back_page/ex-kickboxer-andrew-tate-detained-by-romania-in-rape-human-trafficking-case/article_4c0a6713-7af0-56b2-9f53-d1e986ba711c.html |
Trinity’s Tyler Bike goes for the hoop against Bedford’s Aiden O’Connell during the teams' Dec. 20 contest. Both players starred in the QCIBT final won by the Pioneers, 64-60.
Youth serves Trinity in QCIBT championship victory over Bedford
MANCHESTER -- Yes, junior Tyler Bike controlled the game down the stretch, bringing the capacity crowd to its feet every time he loaded for a 3-point attempt. And, yes, his classmate, DeVohn Ellis, continued to show he can be counted on for a double-double on most nights.
Ah, but the Trinity High underclassmen. That's what everyone wanted to talk about after the Pioneers' 64-60 victory over previously unbeaten Bedford in Thursday's nail-biter in the 59th Queen City Invitational Basketball Tournament championship at Memorial High.
As Bike led the way down the stretch, finishing with a team-high 25 points, the Pioneers received contributions from three freshmen and three sophomores. All six of those players found the scorebook and performed other tasks -- all vital in the type of contest in which the lead changed hands five times in the fourth quarter.
"We have a bunch of kids on this team who can knock down shots," said Bike, named the tournament MVP. "Three freshmen who come in the game and impact it ... a bunch of other guys who come off the bench who can knock down shots, get a big rebound."
Specifically: sophomores Shawn O'Neil, Evan Dunker and Jaiden Summers. Both O'Neil and Dunker finished with six points -- Dunker hitting a huge wing 3-pointer that pulled the Pioneers within one point with 3:10 remaining -- and Summers went skyward for a host of rebounds during crunch time.
The freshmen: Derek Erilla handled point guard duties capably, Kevin Doherty scored eight points and Connor Bishop hit two free throws with 53 seconds left to give Trinity a 61-60 lead that Bike augmented with another pair of foul shots with 20 seconds left.
"The experience that the young kids get, especially in an environment like this ...." said Trinity coach Keith Bike, Tyler's dad. "We had three freshmen out there for the majority of the second half with Tyler and DeVohn and that was huge. Even our experienced sophomores, being in a game like this helps them."
The QCIBT title was the eighth for Trinity/Bishop Bradley, second straight including last year's toned-down, four-team version that included Manchester schools only. This year's tourney included a customary eight teams.
The contest, a quick rematch of the Dec. 20 affair won by Bedford 68-62, tilted the Bulldogs' way in the third quarter. Buoyed by hard-driving lefty Aiden O'Connell (game-high 28 points), Bedford (5-1 overall) broke from a 34-all halftime tie to outscore Trinity 9-0 over the first six minutes of the third quarter.
But, sparked by Bike, the Pioneers responded nicely. The lefty, who scored seven points in the first half, assumed control by late in the third quarter with a variety of deep 3-pointers and drives to the bucket. Eighteen of his points came in the final 8:44.
Trinity (5-1 overall) forged a 45-all tie on Erilla's layup with 7:10 remaining in the game, and that's when the back-and-forth fun started. Amid the home stretch, Bedford's Luke Soden (14 points) hit three 3-pointers in a span of five minutes.
Bedford's last possession, with six seconds remaining and the Bulldogs down three, resulted in a missed 3-pointer. In the ensuing scrum, Dunker was fouled and hit a free throw with two seconds left to put the game out of reach.
Bedford's Caden Brown (13 points) and Trinity's Ellis (12) joined O'Connell, Bike and Soden in double figures. Brown earned the tournament's sportsmanship award.
Despite the loss, Bulldogs coach Frank Moreno saw benefits.
"Some situational basketball that we can learn from. End-of-game tough stuff. We hadn't had the opportunity to play it. So we're going to learn from this," said Moreno, whose club had won every game except the Dec. 20 Trinity game by double digits.
And for Trinity as it embarks on a quest for a second straight Division I state crown?
"It gives us a feeling of what it's like to win a championship," said Tyler Bike. "It's a great honor to win this but we're looking for something bigger at the end of the year and I think we can get there, so this is a step towards it." | 2022-12-30T19:54:15Z | www.unionleader.com | Youth serves Trinity in QCIBT championship victory over Bedford | Sports | unionleader.com | https://www.unionleader.com/sports/highschool/youth-serves-trinity-in-qcibt-championship-victory-over-bedford/article_d6fbd66d-5039-5cb3-9305-15e556931448.html | https://www.unionleader.com/sports/highschool/youth-serves-trinity-in-qcibt-championship-victory-over-bedford/article_d6fbd66d-5039-5cb3-9305-15e556931448.html |
FILE PHOTO: Television personality Barbara Walters arrives for the premiere of the film "Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps" in New York September 20, 2010.
By Bill Trott Reuters
WASHINGTON - Barbara Walters, one of the most visible women on U.S. television as the first female anchor on an American network evening news broadcast and one of TV's most prominent interviewers, died on Friday at age 93, her longtime ABC News home said.
She earned 12 Emmy awards, 11 of those while at ABC News, the network said. (Reporting by Bill Trott; additional reporting by Dan Whitcomb and Dawn Chmielewski; Editing by Steve Gorman, Neil Fullick and Kim Coghill) | 2022-12-31T14:11:38Z | www.unionleader.com | Pioneering U.S. television journalist Barbara Walters dead at 93 | Back Page | unionleader.com | https://www.unionleader.com/news/back_page/pioneering-u-s-television-journalist-barbara-walters-dead-at-93/article_a138f9e6-714c-55c3-82fb-6afe67afd7d3.html | https://www.unionleader.com/news/back_page/pioneering-u-s-television-journalist-barbara-walters-dead-at-93/article_a138f9e6-714c-55c3-82fb-6afe67afd7d3.html |
Rain early...then remaining cloudy with showers overnight. Low near 45F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall near a quarter of an inch..
Rain early...then remaining cloudy with showers overnight. Low near 45F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall near a quarter of an inch.
Ice climber struck on the head by falling ice in Hart's Location; another rescued in Franconia
Union Leader Staff
HART'S LOCATION - An experienced ice climber was rescued after being struck by falling ice at Willey's Slide, according to New Hampshire Fish and Game.
First responders, including Bartlett-Jackson Ambulance, Mountain Rescue Service and state conservation officers, responded to a call about 3:25 for an injured hiker and located James Lawrence, 37, of Dover, being assisted down the trail by his climbing partner and other climbers Friday afternoon.
"Lawrence had been ice climbing with his partner when falling ice struck Lawrence in the helmet, resulting in a head injury," Fish and Game said. "Nearby ice climbers from another climbing group assisted in lowering Lawrence to the base of the slide and then assisted him down the trail to the roadside."
Lawrence was taken to Memorial Hospital in North Conway by the Bartlett-Jackson Ambulance.
"Lawrence is an experienced ice climber and had the proper climbing gear for the conditions," said Fish and Game. "The recent warm weather has made ice unpredictable and officials urge climbers to use extra caution while venturing out."
Also on Friday evening, an injured hiker was carried off the Falling Waters Trail in Franconia shortly before 6 p.m. Two Conservation Officers and volunteers from the Pemigewasset Valley Search & Rescue Team responded and found Marlene Stager, 63, of Lagrangeville, New York, who had slipped on the ice and sustained a non-life threatening injury about a quarter mile up Falling Waters Trail.
Rescuers were able to carry Stager out to the trailhead with the assistance of Good Samaritans, arriving about 7:30 p.m. She was taken by LinWood ambulance to Littleton Hospital for further treatment.
"Stager and her husband had spent the day hiking the Franconia Ridge Loop, and were well outfitted for the weather conditions with extra clothing, traction devices and all required equipment," said Fish and Game.
The public is encouraged to help support search and rescue activities in the state by purchasing a Hike Safe Card. New Hampshire Fish and Game also reminds hikers to prepare themselves before venturing out into the wilderness, including packing the ten essential items; map, compass, warm clothing, extra food and water, headlamp, fire starter, first aid kit, whistle, rain/wind jackets and pants, and a knife. For additional information, please visit www.hikeSafe.com. | 2022-12-31T23:29:54Z | www.unionleader.com | Ice climber struck on the head by falling ice in Hart's Location; another rescued in Franconia | Public Safety | unionleader.com | https://www.unionleader.com/news/safety/ice-climber-struck-on-the-head-by-falling-ice-in-harts-location-another-rescued-in/article_828b21c6-fc90-5e9d-9410-9b97eb7fe427.html | https://www.unionleader.com/news/safety/ice-climber-struck-on-the-head-by-falling-ice-in-harts-location-another-rescued-in/article_828b21c6-fc90-5e9d-9410-9b97eb7fe427.html |
He helped after Hurricane Ian — and was killed by flesh-eating bacteria
James Hewitt (Leah Delano)
When James Hewitt got a call from his friend to help do repairs on his house in Florida following Hurricane Ian, Hewitt jumped at the opportunity. Almost immediately after getting off the phone, he started packing his bags.
“He was very excited,” Leah Delano, Hewitt’s fiancee, told The Washington Post.
From their home in Jenison, Mich., Hewitt left for Naples on Oct. 4, she said, about a week after Ian made landfall. He helped his friend with house and boat repairs — and also worked with others to clear debris in the city that had experienced intense flooding during the Category 4 storm, Delano told The Post. But that Saturday, Hewitt, 56, fell off his friend’s boat into a canal, somehow scraping his leg in the process.
Early the next day, Hewitt was feverish, and his leg was swollen, said Delano, 54. He went to the hospital and was immediately admitted into the intensive care unit because doctors determined that he had developed a form of sepsis — a life-threatening condition in which a person’s body has an extreme reaction to an infection.
Tuesday, three days after he had fallen off the boat, Hewitt died.
Delano said doctors told her that Hewitt had been infected by Vibrio vulnificus — a “flesh-eating” bacteria found in warm saltwater that kills about 1 in 5 people infected by it.
In Florida, there have been more than 60 vibrio infections this year, and it has killed 13 people, according to the Florida Department of Health. At least 27 infections have been recorded since the hurricane struck, The Post reported last week. It is unclear if Hewitt’s case is included in that count.
A vibrio infection through an open wound can cause the flesh around the wound to die. If it enters a person’s bloodstream, it can cause sepsis, shock and organ failure. The bacteria can also be ingested by eating raw or undercooked shellfish, which can cause vomiting and diarrhea.
While relatively rare and not contagious, experts have told The Post they expect increasing numbers of vibrio infections in Florida as more aggressive natural disasters bring brackish water inland. Warming waters and rising sea levels could also create a friendly environment for the bacteria, experts said.
“The Gulf Coast is the epicenter of disease like this,” Peter Hotez, dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine, told The Post last week. “You have a mix of climate change, poverty and aggressive urbanization, all contributing to the exacerbation of vibrio infections and an increase of other diseases like dengue, zika and parasitic infections.”
Delano described Hewitt as a man who took great pleasure in helping people. A retired forklift driver at a General Motors plant, Hewitt would often help mow his neighbors’ lawns and take care of the weeds around the lake they lived by, Delano said. Every week, he brought food to their elderly neighbor.
“He did everything for me,” Delano said, adding, “He took care of so much for all of us.”
Hewitt was devastated by the havoc the hurricane wreaked on parts of Florida, Delano said, so within days of his friend’s call, he drove down to his house. After he fell into the water, he phoned home and told Delano he wasn’t feeling well. At first, it was unclear what was causing Hewitt’s infection, Delano said. During his short time in the hospital, his condition fluctuated. Hewitt had sepsis a few years earlier, Delano said, so she believed her fiance could beat it.
But a day before Hewitt died, doctors told his family that the infection was caused by vibrio, which had a high mortality rate, Delano said.
Delano arrived in Florida and was by Hewitt’s side only hours before he died. They had been together for 18 years.
“I never want to say ‘don’t help’ because, goodness knows, those people need help,” Delano said of efforts to assist hurricane victims. “But there’s so many people that are going down there, and they have no idea of the dangers that exist after a disaster.”
If she and her family had known about the presence of vibrio in Florida, Delano said, “we would have done everything to keep him from going.”
Frances Stead Sellers and Sabrina Malhi contributed to this report. | 2022-10-28T08:53:37Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Man dies of flesh-eating bacteria infection after Hurricane Ian - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2022/10/28/james-hewitt-vibrio-infection-florida/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2022/10/28/james-hewitt-vibrio-infection-florida/ |
Justin Verlander will start Game 1 for Houston. (Eric Gay/AP Photo)
That pitching staff enters the World Series with a 1.88 ERA in Houston’s seven postseason games this year, all of which the Astros have won. Since MLB’s postseason expanded to include the division series in 1995, only six teams have finished the postseason with an ERA below 2.00. Only one of those teams, the 1996 Atlanta Braves, advanced past the first postseason round they played.
The Astros are averaging 11.13 strikeouts per nine innings entering Friday night’s World Series opener. Only one team, the 2013 Detroit Tigers — featuring Houston’s Game 1 starter, Justin Verlander — has played at least seven games in a single postseason and averaged more.
“It’s mostly common sense,” Astros pitching coach Josh Miller said when asked to explain the secret to building and cultivating what has been one of the more dominant pitching staffs in postseason history. “Get nasty pitches and throw them a lot.”
What would a World Series win do for Bryce Harper’s legacy? Your questions, answered.
Miller took over as the pitching coach this season. He joked that he tried to put up guard rails to keep everyone where they were during former pitching coach Brent Strom’s tenure. Miller had been working in the minor league system when Strom rewrote the Astros’ pitching curriculum to emphasize strengths such as that. Strom stepped aside after the World Series last year, and Miller inherited a machine.
“I definitely had that ‘I don’t want to do anything wrong or do anything different that could mess things up,’ ” Miller said. “Fortunately, the guys have carried the torch.”
The evolution of Houston’s pitching depth and the frequency with which it propels the Astros deep into October have made those who found that talent coveted commodities around the game: Oz Ocampo, the Astros executive who found Framber Valdez and Cristian Javier and other Latin American aces, was reportedly hired by the Miami Marlins on Thursday afternoon. The vast tree of former Astros executives around the game is well documented. The talent pipeline has been strong.
So, as Miller would explain it, the Astros have plenty of nasty pitches. Their pitching staff averaged more spin than any team in baseball in 2022. They secured the second-most swinging strikes in the majors. They threw more four-seam fastballs than all but two other teams, a sign of trusting stuff instead of having to maneuver carefully. And they allowed the second-fewest homers.
This postseason, they have been even better. They are pitching to that 1.88 ERA in seven games with nearly twice as many strikeouts as hits allowed. They are holding opponents to a .178 batting average against and averaging 0.93 walks and hits per inning pitched. Houston’s bullpen has allowed three runs in 33 innings, all three of them on solo homers. The Astros have been so good, in fact, that Ryne Stanek — who finished the regular season with a 1.15 ERA, second best among all qualified major league relievers, has pitched only twice in seven games this postseason. And the Astros have had plenty of close games.
Veteran catcher Martín Maldonado helps, many of those relievers say. He is the one who helps them translate nasty pitches into game planning, who helps navigate between throwing them a lot and throwing them when it is right. Reliever Ryan Pressly said often, on long, late-night flights when the Astros’ charter is dark, he always knows where Maldonado is sitting — the only seat with the glow of a screen visible because Maldonado is checking scouting reports.
“I wish you guys could see the work that he puts in. It’s unbelievable the amount of preparation,” Pressly said. “The way that he goes about his business and how he prepares himself helps us prepare even better. He’s a big reason why we’re here.”
Maldonado, for his part, says catching pitchers in this organization is different from the many others he has played with in an important way.
“They teach them what they’re good at,” Maldonado said. “At such a young age, they know what they’re good at and what they can do.”
Verlander may be having a Cy Young season at 39. Valdez has transformed into one of the best left-handers in the game. Lance McCullers Jr. and that spinny curveball he has trademarked during his Astros tenure are still a staple of this rotation.
The Astros have so much depth that José Urquidy, who has three World Series wins to his name at 27, has yet to appear in a postseason game. When McCullers cut his elbow in Houston’s division series celebration, the Astros turned to Javier to spot start against the New York Yankees — a team Javier had held hitless through seven innings as part of a combined no-hitter earlier in the season.
“I made a joke the other day that you could almost just close your eyes and point at a pitcher and ask them to do really any job on the roster that us pitchers are responsible for doing,” McCullers said last week. “It’s a blessing to have a pitching staff like we have. It’s just one of those years where things seem like they have timed up and guys are throwing the ball well.”
The Phillies have ridden home runs and sheer momentum through this postseason. They hit the sixth-most homers in baseball during the regular season. They had the eighth-highest on-base-plus-slugging percentage. And their offense has been greater than the sum of those parts this postseason. They were built to bludgeon. The Astros had better offensive numbers in both those categories. But their strength is their pitching. And they pitch to their strengths.
“You’re not going to come out of the bullpen or start and throw your worst pitch most of the time,” Brown said. “You’re going to come in and try to capitalize on what you do best.” | 2022-10-28T08:53:49Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Houston Astros pitching staff dominant in MLB playoffs - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2022/10/28/world-series-astros-pitching/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2022/10/28/world-series-astros-pitching/ |
Tress Way punts during the Commanders' 23-21 win over the Green Bay Packers at FedEx Field in Week 7. (John McDonnell/The Washington Post)
Tress Way likes to joke that he’s a bit of a thief. In nearly a decade as an NFL punter, Way — like many others in the league — has taken parts of others’ games to boost his own.
Guys such as Johnny Hekker of the Carolina Panthers, who can spray the ball all over the field without tipping off returners to his direction.
Guys such as former Baltimore Ravens punter Sam Koch and the Miami Dolphins’ Thomas Morstead, widely regarded as two of the best at the position.
Guys such as Brett Kern, the former Tennessee Titans standout whose drop influenced Way’s.
“Brett Kern was the punter for the AFC in the Pro Bowl the year I went [in 2019],” Way told reporters during training camp. “On his jersey he asked me to sign, I said: ‘Hey, Brett, thanks for your drop. I stole it and made the Pro Bowl. Tress Way, #5.’ [Washington special teams coordinator Nate Kaczor] really encouraged me a lot to just see what guys do really well and try to blend it with what you do well.”
Way jokes, but since he arrived in Washington in 2014, that blended style has helped him become one of the Commanders’ most valuable players.
To casual fans, the punt team jogging onto the field may be a signal to head for the concessions or take a bathroom break. But in Washington, where quarterback turnover is all but an annual tradition and the offensive struggles run deep, Way’s punting often has been a difference-maker.
“It’s not just standing out there on the driving range and hitting drives,” Bill Belichick, the New England Patriots coach and a noted lover of punting, said in 2012. “A lot of it is situational punting: punting relative to the rush, punting relative to the team’s return tendencies or to where to give your gunners better opportunity to make the play, backed up, plus-50, end-of-the-game situations or end-of-the-half type situations, with wind and field conditions and all that. Probably less than half the punts, for most teams, the punter can just punt it high and long — just stand out there on the driving range and bang it away. There’s another high percentage of plays, I would say over 50 percent, that involve some type of situational punting.”
In his nine seasons with the Commanders, Way has punted 609 times, the second most in the league over that span, and has landed 25 of them inside the 5-yard line (the third most). He and defensive linemen Jonathan Allen and Chase Young are the only players on the roster to have earned a Pro Bowl nod with Washington. And this year, as the team’s longest-tenured player, Way is working on a career season featuring a 44.7-yard net average.
But perhaps his finest skill is one that has been steadily honed. Way is one of the NFL’s top directional punters, a skill that only a handful have mastered and, by Way’s estimation, roughly a third of the league utilizes.
Instead of always just swinging for a booming kick down the middle that puts significant trust and responsibility on the coverage team, Way can launch the ball outside the numbers on either side of the field — without giving away his intended direction before it leaves his foot.
The Commanders emphasize directional punting, so much so that Kaczor and assistant Ben Jacobs grade each of Way’s punts. If he places the ball down the middle or near the hashes, he gets a poor grade.
“A great one would be outside the numbers,” Way said, “because the returner is bottled up in a little area.”
Like a golfer, he can dictate where the ball lands with only subtle changes to an operation that lasts roughly two seconds.
This is art. pic.twitter.com/t07ZJv2XCt
Way’s accuracy can pin returners in the far corner of the field so his coverage team has the benefit of using the sideline as an extra defender. He also can launch the ball similar to how a baseball pitcher throws a cutter — so the ball dips late or falls to the side, making it tougher to catch.
Take his 43-yard punt against the Green Bay Packers on Sunday. The ball floated to just outside the numbers on the right side. Returner Amari Rodgers muffed it at the 20-yard line as Washington’s coverage team closed in. Washington recovered, setting up its first scoring drive.
“My most common punt is a punt that does not turn all the way over,” Way said. “It kind of rides flat. And when it rides flat, it can either turn over and go further, or the bottom will fall out and it’ll cut down to the side. I punt that way on purpose when I’m trying to punt it to the right. So against Green Bay, it came falling out that way, and he bobbled it.”
Way’s ability to punt to either side with the same effort took time — and challenges from his coaches. Former Washington special teams coordinator Ben Kotwica, now with the Minnesota Vikings, told Way earlier in his career that he wasn’t living up to his potential.
“I think it was going into the 2018 year,” Way said. “He looked at me dead in my eyes, and he said: ‘Your production does not match your talent. You got to find a way to get to that next level.’ And that, to be frank with you, really pissed me off.”
That was the year Way started to punt to both sides of the field.
When Kaczor arrived the following season, he pushed Way to make his punts going left as routine as those going right.
“I don’t even think about punting left anymore,” he said. “It took a long time to get there.”
The full punting operation is an exercise in details and mind games. The hang time, the distance, the location — all can determine whether a punt is successful. So, too, can the wind and game circumstances, the way the punter catches the snap, the way he drops the ball and the way it leaves his foot.
“By the time that ball snaps, my teammates are banking on me putting that ball over there,” Way said. “Anytime I can get it around 4½ seconds of hang time or higher, and I like to be somewhere around 45 or 50 yards numbers-ish or outside, it’s game on.”
Consistency is paramount, and it comes primarily from repetition. Way now has specialty directional punts, such as his “screamer” that sails 60 to 65 yards, low and away from the returner. He used it against Minnesota in 2019, punting the ball 63 yards to the right. The Vikings’ returner struggled to track the ball because of its spin before it landed outside the numbers.
“Other than that, I’m kind of boring,” Way admitted.
Way suggests he’s boring because he doesn’t have any tells with his punts. He also is consistent, and consistency is paramount in punting.
“Because the feel, the rush, the snap — everything comes into play,” he said. “But your ability to catch the ball, mold it and drop it while moving that line, it really takes some commitment. It takes some nerves.”
And sometimes a bit of thievery. | 2022-10-28T09:32:54Z | www.washingtonpost.com | For Commanders' Tress Way, punting is about finding some direction - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2022/10/28/commanders-tress-way-punter/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2022/10/28/commanders-tress-way-punter/ |
Astros Manager Dusty Baker is seeking his first World Series championship. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
Just five seasons ago, Baker managed Harper in the former’s final season in Washington, a season in which the team won 97 games (or 42 more than it did this year, but who’s counting?) and Harper both drove in and scored 100 runs. That followed Baker’s 95-win Nationals debut in which Harper was playing at an MVP level before he slipped on a wet base in August, curtailing his campaign.
It all seems a lifetime ago, though we’re seeing it with fresh eyes. Baker has moved on to overhaul the Astros’ image, now has his second pennant in a row — and is seeking his first World Series title. There should be no debate about whether he needs to accomplish anything else to get to Cooperstown. He’s a Hall of Famer.
Harper has become the Phillies’ engine, an MVP contender every time he reports to spring training. In early 2019, he signed a 13-year, $330 million deal that moved his home ballpark 147 miles up Interstate 95. He has owned this October. In 11 postseason games, he has 11 extra-base hits and 11 RBI. He is hitting .419 and slugging .907. His eighth-inning homer in Sunday’s fifth game of the National League Championship Series — his fifth bomb of the playoffs — sent the San Diego Padres home and lifted the Phillies to their first pennant since 2009.
Still, in certain corners, there has to be some sense that they shouldn’t be in opposite dugouts. They should be wearing the same uniform — the one with the curly “W” on the hat.
This has extended throughout the postseason. The leading characters from the Nationals 2019 World Series championship team included Max Scherzer, who started Games 1 and 7, and Soto, who homered three times. Earlier this month, those two faced each other in the first round — Scherzer wearing the blue and orange of the New York Mets, Soto the brown and yellow of the Padres.
For Washington fans, it’s hard to overstate how disconcerting it is. It would be one thing for Harper to be a Phillie or Soto to be a Padre or Scherzer to be a Met or Trea Turner to be a Dodger. But for all of them to be the case and for that not even to include the fact that Anthony Rendon is a Los Angeles Angel? That’s a lot to handle.
Free agency is part of baseball. Trades are part of baseball. Rebuilding — or, as Nationals General Manager Mike Rizzo prefers to put it, “rebooting” — is part of baseball.
Even if you accept each of those things as true, it’s hard to square the entirety of it all. The only way is to go through it, case by case. So at the risk of opening old wounds, here we go.
Start with Baker because chronologically he came first. In the middle of the 2017 season, Rizzo was adamant that the club would take care of its skipper, who was in the midst of winning back-to-back division titles. Instead, Baker publicly explained his dissatisfaction to The Washington Post’s Chelsea Janes, which didn’t sit well with ownership. And when the Nats faced a postseason crisis around Stephen Strasburg’s availability for a rain-delayed Game 4 of the division series against the Chicago Cubs, Baker went rogue and said Tanner Roark would start the next day. The dust settled, and Strasburg took the ball, but it was a lot of dust — and the Nats didn’t extend Baker.
Then there was Harper, whose trudge toward free agency concluded with what was a joyless 2018 season in which both he and the Nats underperformed. At the trade deadline, Rizzo had a deal in place to send Harper to, of all teams, the Astros. Mark Lerner, by then the team’s managing principal partner, couldn’t stomach it.
Harper stayed, received a 10-year, $300 million offer with significant deferred payments, didn’t counter it, met with the Lerners in Palm Springs, Calif., on the day before Christmas Eve, got an offer for less money and more deferrals, and moved on to the Phillies for $330 million over 13 years. Who’s at fault there? That debate could outlast the existence of the franchise.
Next up is Rendon, a force in the 2019 postseason who never seemed fully settled or satisfied in Washington. Given a choice between keeping Strasburg or Rendon that offseason, Rizzo would have preferred the third baseman, if only because he plays every day. Scott Boras, the agent for both, shrewdly got Ted Lerner to pay up for Strasburg. Both received seven years and $245 million. One contract hamstrings the Nationals. The other hamstrings the Angels.
But Strasburg’s inability to pitch is more important — because it pertains to the franchise’s current state — than Rendon’s injuries and lagging performance elsewhere. If Strasburg weren’t hurt, the 2021 Nationals may not have found themselves 47-55, in fourth place and losers of six of eight games July 30. They were eight games out in the NL East and trending in the wrong direction. Scherzer, 37 years old and on an expiring contract, was an obvious choice to trade. Turner, a year-and-a-half from free agency, represented a full-on overhaul.
Turner played in two postseasons with the Dodgers. He is a free agent now. That same deadline shipped out a then-injured Kyle Schwarber to Boston and reliever Hand to Toronto. It was both an explosion and a precursor. That Schwarber and Hand joined Harper with the Phillies offers only more reminders.
Finally, Soto. To my mind, he is better than them all. To my mind, the Nationals should have offered him $500 million over 13 years. Instead, they proposed $440 million over 15. What’s clear, according to people with knowledge of the situation: the fact that the Lerner family is exploring a sale of the franchise affected this situation. Prospective ownership groups wanted Soto’s circumstances resolved one way or another — extended or ended. First baseman Josh Bell was sent out west with Soto. The Nats have six new players. It can be both logical and devastating.
There’s a road map, without revisionist history, to how an October with no Washington Nationals became an October littered with ex-Nats. The championship will go to either Baker or Harper, once leading characters in Washington, now wearing uniforms that are no longer new. And an October in which current Nationals participate seems far off. | 2022-10-28T09:33:00Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Bryce Harper, Dusty Baker amogn former Washington Nationals in World Series - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2022/10/28/former-washington-nationals-mlb-playoffs/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2022/10/28/former-washington-nationals-mlb-playoffs/ |
The six-bedroom, nine-bathroom, 10,600-square-foot Georgian manor is one one of the largest parcels in the Edgemoor neighborhood
The two-story circular foyer has marble flooring and curved stairs that ascend to the second floor. (Constance Gauthier)
This Georgian manor built for developer Albert Small is on the market for the first time. The 1.7-acre estate, one of the largest parcels in the Edgemoor neighborhood of Bethesda, Md., is listed at just under $11 million.
Small, who died in October 2021 at 95, was a real estate developer, collector and philanthropist. In 1950, he co-founded Southern Engineering Corp., which developed rental apartments, condos, single-family houses and office buildings in and around Washington. Besides 12,000 apartment units and 2,000 single-family homes, SEC developed more than 1 million square feet of commercial office space in downtown Washington and Greenbelt, Md.
In his spare time, Small enjoyed researching, cataloguing and assembling a collection of American historical documents, books, manuscripts and maps. He donated his collection of presidential documents and an original copy of the Declaration of Independence to his alma mater, the University of Virginia, where he established the Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library.
Small donated his collection of rare maps, engravings and documents on Washington, Maryland and Virginia to George Washington University, where he established the Albert H. Small Washingtoniana Collection. He was awarded an honorary doctorate in public service by the university in 2016.
Among the boards Small served on were those of the Aspen Institute, the National Symphony Orchestra, the National Archives Foundation and the Folger Shakespeare Library. He was awarded the National Humanities Medal by President Barack Obama in 2009.
The six-bedroom, nine-bathroom, 10,600-square-foot brick house, which was built in 1966, reflects Small’s love of history. Small hired architect Walter G. Peter Jr. and interior designer Samuel A. Morrow to design it.
Peter was the son of a prominent Washington architect. He directed the restoration of the City Tavern in Georgetown and Ford’s Theatre and worked on other notable buildings, including Octagon House in Foggy Bottom and Decatur House at Lafayette Square.
Morrow was one of the most sought-after decorators in Washington. According to his obituary, his signature style was a mixture of period American, English and French antiques combined with modern accents and elegantly tailored upholstery. He designed the homes of Robert Woods Bliss (now Dumbarton Oaks) and David and Carmen Kreeger (now the Kreeger Museum).
The circular driveway leads to curved steps that flank the front door. A vestibule opens to a two-story circular foyer with marble flooring. Curved stairs ascend to the second floor. The library and formal living room are to the left; the formal dining room is to the right. A sunroom with nine sets of French doors that open to the gardens is next to the living room. The family room has a wet bar, a fireplace and French doors that open to the gardens. A small, informal dining room is tucked next to the family room. The kitchen is to the right of the dining room.
The spacious primary suite takes up most of the second floor. The bedroom is at the back of the house and has a fireplace and windows that overlook the gardens. It has two bathrooms, two dressing rooms, three walk-in closets and a sitting room. The second floor has three additional bedrooms, two of which have en suite bathrooms.
The top level has two rooms that could be bedrooms or offices. The lower level has a bedroom with en suite bathroom, an office with a fireplace, a workshop, a craft area, a wine cellar, two areas for recreation and entertainment, a laundry room and a door to the attached two-car garage.
A detached two-car garage has a guest suite on the second level with a bedroom, a bathroom, a kitchenette and a living-dining area. The pool house has a sauna, two bathrooms, a kitchenette and a large rec room. A greenhouse is attached. The grounds also include a gardener’s cottage, a gazebo, a swimming pool and a green clay tennis court. The motor court has parking for 15 cars.
Cultivated for more than 55 years, the gardens set this estate apart. Designed by acclaimed landscape architect Anthony “Tony” Holmes of Philadelphia, the grounds are divided into parterres or “rooms,” featuring a wide array of shrubs, perennials, annuals, herbs, heirloom roses, vines and specimen trees.
The 115-foot grass walk has two sets of grass steps and is lined with perennials. A raised Haddonstone fountain is flanked by curved stone walls with an arched wrought-iron gate serving as a backdrop. Sculptural boxwood gardens add visual appeal.
According to his obituary, Small was often found tending to his diverse array of flowers and vegetable plants in his backyard garden.
7116 Glenbrook Rd., Bethesda, Md.
Approximate square-footage: 10,600
Features: The Georgian manor in the Edgemoor neighborhood was the longtime home of developer Albert Small. It is on the market for the first time since he had it built in 1966. The house was designed by architect Walter G. Peter Jr. and interior designer Samuel A. Morrow. The gardens were designed by landscape architect Anthony “Tony” Holmes of Philadelphia. In addition to the main house, the property includes a detached two-car garage with a guest suite, a pool house with an attached greenhouse, a gardener’s cottage, a gazebo, a swimming pool and a green clay tennis court.
Listing agent: Christie Weiss and Christopher Ritzert, TTR Soethby’s International Realty | 2022-10-28T09:45:51Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Albert Small’s Bethesda, Md., estate offered at $11 million - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2022/10/28/albert-small-house-for-sale/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2022/10/28/albert-small-house-for-sale/ |
What congressional Republicans and Democrats studied in college, and more!
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) on Capitol Hill in July. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post)
Since launching this column in June, we’ve somehow attracted what must be the smartest, most hilarious readers on the planet. You’ve sent in hundreds of questions, and almost every one of them provokes a thought, a chortle or … further exploration in the latest Data Dive!
Educating Congress
How many members of the U.S. Congress have ever had a college level course in economics?
— Dick Dahn, Wilmington, Del.
We won’t jump to conclusions, but it seems possible that our friend Dick may be trying to cast aspersions on the economic expertise of our honorable representatives in Washington.
Alas, we can’t be sure how many of the people serving under the Capitol Dome (where there are typically 535 lawmakers plus six nonvoting members) ever took a college class in economics. However, we can tell you that 38 senators and House members report having studied some form of economics, typically as an undergraduate major, according to fact sheets collected by CQ. That makes econ the third-most popular field of study reported by folks in Congress, behind political science (135) and history (58).
Our figures double- or triple-count some politicians who report multiple degrees. But they are still likely undercounts overall, as not every legislator listed a field of study in the CQ questionnaire. Meanwhile, evaluating the data required some judgment calls. For example, in our assessment of econ majors, we did not count eight members (all male, all Republican) who studied agricultural economics. We also left out Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), who studied home economics.
With prominent graduates including Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), economics stands out as one of the most bipartisan fields of study, along with journalism and education. Business and STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) tend to be more popular among Republicans, while humanities and politics-related majors tend to be more common among Democrats. Out of 10 legislators who studied accounting, for example, nine were Republicans. Of the 10 who studied English, eight were Democrats.
Not every lawmaker went to college. Twenty-two members of the House (and zero Senators) have only a high school diploma, according to the Government Accountability Office. That’s 6 percent of lawmakers — a significant reduction from the 1961-1962 legislative session, when nearly a quarter of lawmakers had only high school diplomas.
At the other end of the educational spectrum, about a third of House members and half of senators hold law degrees, GAO found. Our analysis shows more than 60 percent of those with a juris doctor degree are Democrats, while those with a master of business administration are more likely to be Republican. Similarly, more than two-thirds of the legislators with doctorates are Democrats, but an even bigger majority of those in Congress who have medical degrees are Republicans.
Zoomers doing nothing?
I read that 1 in 6 zoomers are opting out of both work and college. Is that true?
— Lori Montgomery, newspaper editor, Washington, D.C.
Technically, yes. But that statistic is not as remarkable as it might appear.
The number comes from data collected in March 2021, and it counts zoomers who are unemployed — a technical classification that means they’re actively looking for work. It strikes us as a little unfair to say that someone’s doing nothing if they’re sending out résumés and — perhaps through no fault of their own — striking out.
We’d put the real number not at 1 in 6, or 16.7 percent, but at 11.9 percent. That’s based on more recent data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics that goes through August of this year and does not include unemployed zoomers.
Allow us to note a few more caveats.
First, this lounging-around-not-working-or-studying phenomenon is not specific to Gen Z. We have data going back to 1984, when the youngest boomers were about 20. Back then, an average of 12.5 percent of the youth were doing nothing. And the number has stayed relatively steady for Gen X, millennials and zoomers.
Second, young people aren’t exactly the laziest cohort. Indeed, folks age 18 through 24 are among the least likely to be unoccupied: The share of people who aren’t studying or working rises steadily with age and positively skyrockets when people hit their late 50s.
Of course, there are lots of good reasons grown people might not work. In addition to retirement, the nonworkers include disabled people and parents who choose to stay home with their children.
Countries that dish out the most sanctions
After President Vladimir Putin ordered the invasion of Ukraine, Russia rapidly became the most sanctioned country on Earth, surpassing Iran, Syria and North Korea, according to the sanctions-data monks at Castellum.ai.
But did you know that Russia is also the most sanctioning country on Earth? The rogue Eurasian empire sanctions 13,444 individuals, organizations and firms, topping even the 11,652 restrictions laid out by the sprawling American sanctions machine.
But that doesn’t mean Russian sanctions are ripping a hole in global trade. As Castellum.ai CEO and co-founder Peter Piatetsky explains, sanctions are weird. Merely announcing one carries no weight. It has to be enforced.
“You can’t just impose sanctions. You have to have an infrastructure in place” staffed by “analysts who understand finance, lawyers, researchers who can speak multiple languages,” said Piatetsky, who used to work in the sanctions arm of the U.S. Treasury Department.
Effective sanctions regimes also make it easy for companies to get involved. Corporate chiefs need access to lists of sanctioned entities, and they need clear guidance to distinguish the sanctioned “Green Shipping Ltd.” and “Zhao Wei” from all the other Green Shipping Ltds. and Zhao Weis in this world. Russia struggles with that.
“They have kind of this bureaucratic history of putting people on lists,” Piatetsky said. “But what they don’t have is a corresponding history of open and transparent rule of law where putting people on a list is accompanied by due process. And so the result is that Russia is basically like: ‘You’re an opposition member? You’re on the list. You’re a journalist? You’re on the list.’ ”
When Piatetsky and the Castellum team ranked every nation’s sanctions regime, Russia got a failing grade, ranking elow even post-Soviet peers such as Ukraine, Azerbaijan and Kyrgyzstan.
The United States, by contrast, has the best sanctions program in the world, according to Castellum’s analysis of 20 facets of data quality and data availability. The American bureaucracy sanctions 5,769 individuals, 4,757 entities (usually corporations or organizations), 515 vessels and 286 aircraft. And that’s just the sanctions from Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control. Other agencies, such as the State Department, also may restrict business with some people and groups.
China has the worst program of any they evaluated: The Chinese government publishes no list, Piatetsky said, and sanctions are announced only in brief news releases that are then routinely scrubbed from the internet. But there may be reasons for that.
“China is creating a vague sanctions environment on purpose because it gives them all the leverage,” Piatetsky said. When the rules are vague, a country can pick and choose who to punish, since so many businesses could theoretically be violating them.
Only 43 countries even impose sanctions on their own, according to Castellum.ai, though others are party to sanctions lists maintained by the United Nations, European Union or powerful political entities such as the United States.
The best question data can’t answer
What percentage of Americans have never seen a cow in the flesh? This question has been causing disputes among my group of friends for years now.
— Daniel Pereira, Alexandria, Va.
How can we answer that?! Our friends at the National Agricultural Statistics Service say they don’t track lifetime cow sightings. However, there is a rich tradition of mapping which parts of America have more cattle than people. (We’re broadening out from “cow” to “cattle,” because we’re not confident most Americans can distinguish a cow from a heifer, steer or bull.)
By our calculation, about 94 percent of Americans live in places where humans outnumber cattle. And a whopping 70 percent live in areas where people outnumber cattle at least 10 to 1.
So, it seems likely that at least a few of those folks have gone their entire lives without seeing cattle, right? Especially if they’re among the 3 percent of Americans age 2 or younger.
Howdy! The Department of Data has an endless appetite for fun facts! What ratios do you think would produce the best “two Americas” maps in the vein of “where cattle outnumber people?” Places where Methodists outnumber bartenders? Where there are more sheep than eligible bachelors? Where truck drivers outnumber delivery drivers? Let us know!
To get every question, answer and factoid in your inbox as soon as we publish, sign up here. If your question inspires a column, we’ll send an official Department of Data button and ID card. This week’s buttons go to Dick and Daniel, as well as Lori, who, when she’s not submitting questions, runs The Post’s business and tech teams — and edits this column. | 2022-10-28T10:11:53Z | www.washingtonpost.com | How many members of Congress went to college? And what did they study? - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2022/10/28/congress-college-majors-economics/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2022/10/28/congress-college-majors-economics/ |
Rubell Museum director says visitors should ‘expect to feel electrified’
Curator Caitlin Berry on what the new contemporary art museum will bring to the city’s already robust art landscape
By Madeline Weinfield
The Rubell Museum DC opens to the public Oct. 29. (Chi Lam)
What does it mean to open a new museum in Washington, D.C., a city with an already full museum landscape? For Don and Mera Rubell, who have been collecting art since 1965 and have a namesake museum in Miami, it means another dream fulfilled. For curator and gallerist Caitlin Berry, it means creating space for art that speaks to this moment.
A $20 million makeover turned a D.C. school into a modern art museum
A: I’ve never been more excited about art in D.C. than at this very moment in time. We’re stepping into a landscape of incredibly esteemed colleagues on the National Mall and elsewhere whose collections span civilizations and time and different artistic movements, and who are creating incredibly diverse experiences for their audiences. The Rubell represents a different dimension in this landscape because we’re focused exclusively on the art of today. When audiences walk into our museum, they can expect to feel electrified and challenged and asked to think differently about their world via artwork created by artists who have a vast array of different lived experiences. …
D.C. is at this kind of precipice of an explosion of its creative community that’s been burgeoning for so long. The creative community here is starting to be recognized on an international and national stage in a way that perhaps it wasn’t before. Galleries are opening here. Studio spaces for artists are becoming more available. Developers here are becoming more aware of the need for studio space for artists, which is the foundational element that leads into galleries being able to flourish, museums being able to flourish. The arrival of the Rubell Museum at this moment in time, it just couldn’t be more kismet, or meant to be, because it elevates the community here in a really unique way.
A: That’s right. Politics and art intersect, of course. The conversation that occurs in this city between culture and politics and international discourse is really unique to Washington. If the museum opens its doors and [Capitol] Hill staffers walk through and something they see ignites something in them to think about policy differently … our job is done totally.
Q: The museum will be free for D.C. residents. Is any site-specific programming or curation planned?
A: Each exhibition that comes through the museum is curated with a D.C. audience in mind, and we’re very thoughtful and collaborative in our process. I work with my wonderful colleague Juan Roselione-Valadez, who’s the director in Miami, and with the Rubell family, to create these exhibitions that are specific to our D.C. audience. We have a sharp attention to Ward 6 and Southwest D.C. … and want to acutely honor the history of the museum’s building and its many different uses over the years. Not only was it a school … but it served as a center for artist studios, a homeless shelter and a social services center, and has been the hub of this community for so long. When it fell into disrepair, the Rubells saw this beautiful opportunity to bring this community resource back to life via art.
We’ve maintained the original brickwork in the auditorium where Marvin Gaye once sang on the stage. The floors are the original pine floors. And because we’ve maintained these floors, when you walk into the galleries, you can kind of see where desks once were. So it creates this kind of astonishing environment where the artists and the artwork on the walls become the teachers again in these environments. It took a lot of love and devotion from many different people and professionals to bring this building back to its current use. | 2022-10-28T10:25:03Z | www.washingtonpost.com | What the Rubell Museum DC will bring to D.C.'s robust art landscape - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/arts-entertainment/2022/10/28/rubell-museum-dc-berry/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/arts-entertainment/2022/10/28/rubell-museum-dc-berry/ |
EPA closed a refinery that rained oil. Now it’s a ‘ticking time bomb.’
The plant is at risk of a fire, explosion or other ‘catastrophic release’ of hazardous substances, the Environmental Protection Agency said this week
A storm passes above Limetree Bay oil refinery in St. Croix, part of the U.S. Virgin Islands, on Dec. 10. (Salwan Georges/The Washington Post)
An oil refinery in the U.S. Virgin Islands that the Environmental Protection Agency shut down in spring 2021 now poses the risk of a fire, explosion or other “catastrophic” releases of “extremely hazardous substances,” the agency found in a report released this week.
The idled plant on St. Croix, formerly known as the Limetree Bay refinery, experienced a series of accidents over the course of last year that spewed noxious fumes and showered oil droplets onto nearby homes, sending some residents to emergency rooms. Now deteriorating conditions at the massive facility, which was sold in a bankruptcy auction in December, pose a major test of the Biden administration’s commitment to environmental justice.
In September, the EPA conducted an inspection of the refinery and observed “significant corrosion” of equipment including valves, pipes and pressure relief devices, the agency said in a letter sent to the owners’ lawyers Oct. 13 and made public this week.
Elías Rodríguez, a spokesman for EPA Region 2 — which oversees New Jersey, New York, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and eight Native American tribes — said the agency is “continuing its vigilant oversight” of the refinery.
The refinery where it rained oil
The refinery, which received approval to operate during the Trump administration, has come under closer scrutiny since Biden took office. The EPA shut down the facility in May 2021 after residents across the island reported feeling nauseous and ill from the release of gaseous fumes.
In particular, EPA inspectors voiced concern about equipment containing ammonia and liquefied petroleum gas. Exposure to high levels of ammonia can cause a burning sensation in the eyes, nose and throat and can result in lung damage or death, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Tracking Biden's environmental actions
In a news release issued Wednesday, the company sought to reassure local residents and indicated that it plans to restart the refinery when it is safe to do so.
“[D]espite recent reports of concerns about the safety of the facility, the company continues maintaining the facility it purchased in January of this year in preparation for a safe start-up,” the company said. “… As we have stated before, the safety of our refinery employees and the safety of the community is our number one priority.”
In June, West Indies Petroleum denied its ownership interest in the facility, despite having won the bankruptcy auction. Representatives for the firm could not be reached for comment.
Enck called on EPA Administrator Michael Regan to “cancel his weekend plans” and immediately board a flight to St. Croix, where she said the agency must inform residents of the imminent threats to their health. A recent survey found that roughly 20,000 people live downwind of the refinery, while in an earlier 2019 analysis, the EPA noted that 75 percent of residents of adjoining neighborhoods are people of color and 27 percent live below the poverty line.
Jennifer Valiulis, executive director of the St. Croix Environmental Association, lives about two miles from the plant and questioned whether the federal government would act with more urgency if the situation were unfolding in the contiguous United States. | 2022-10-28T10:25:34Z | www.washingtonpost.com | EPA closed a refinery that rained oil. Now it’s a ticking ‘toxic bomb.’ - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2022/10/28/refinery-st-croix-epa-limetree/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2022/10/28/refinery-st-croix-epa-limetree/ |
Where’s Kitty Cary? The answer unlocked Black history Richmond tried to hide.
Part of the long-forgotten Shockoe Hill African Burying Ground, looking across the street at the Hebrew Cemetery in Richmond on Sept. 27, 2022. (Gregory S. Schneider/The Washington Post)
RICHMOND — Lenora McQueen’s fourth-great-grandmother was enslaved at a plantation outside Charlottesville and moved to Richmond near the end of her life. Then she disappeared.
McQueen, working from her home in Texas, set out to solve the mystery of her ancestor’s final resting place. In the process she opened a window into the lives — and deaths — of thousands of other people whose stories city leaders had tried to obliterate.
Richmond’s long-forgotten Shockoe Hill African Burying Ground, which McQueen brought to light, is adjacent to two well-preserved cemeteries for White people, including former U.S. Supreme Court chief justice John Marshall and Confederate veterans. But the African burying ground is invisible beneath an abandoned gas station, highway overpasses and railroad tracks.
“Nobody could see it,” said Ana Edwards, an activist who has spent years elevating Richmond’s Black history. “It was simply shoveled under roadways and scraped aside to make room for bridges. There was no respect. That really hurts, but there’s also anger.”
Historians now believe Shockoe Hill could be the largest cemetery for free and enslaved Africans in the country, eclipsing New York City’s African Burial Ground National Monument.
McQueen set a precedent this summer by working with experts to get the Shockoe Hill burying ground onto the National Register of Historic Places. It was honored not only for a history dating to 1816 but for the systematic effort to erase Black heritage that took place there — opening the door for other desecrated landmarks to be recognized.
But the threats continue. Plans for a new Richmond-to-D.C. rail line are set to further damage the burying ground. McQueen and other advocates are scrambling to push the Federal Railroad Administration to slow the process and reroute the tracks.
“So many things have been done to this, but it’s still a burial ground,” McQueen said on a recent visit to Richmond. She walked along Hospital Street, cut through the cemetery more than a century ago. Cars thunked across the Interstate 64 bridges overhead; candy wrappers, beer cans and plastic foam food containers littered the weeds along the sidewalk.
“I just remember seeing this for the first time and thinking I must be in the wrong place,” she said. “But I wasn’t.”
McQueen’s work suggests the breadth of history underfoot in a place such as Richmond, an old city that had long kept a jealous focus on Confederate statues and monuments.
But it also shows the power of the simplest of personal stories. Because McQueen, an amateur historian driven by uncommon perseverance, has cracked open the past with only a few fragile tools.
First she had a name.
Then a letter.
And then a poem.
McQueen, a teacher originally from New Jersey, got interested in genealogy through a cousin in Charlottesville. It was supposed to be a quiet hobby. She is an extremely private person — don’t try asking her age — but had long been curious when relatives told tales of being connected to Thomas Jefferson and Monticello.
While that hasn’t been confirmed, the cousin connected McQueen with a local genealogist who found links to another nearby plantation called Morven. Slowly, McQueen’s reserve was overtaken by a compulsion to research and investigate.
In 2001, billionaire John Kluge donated nearly 7,400 acres, including Morven Farm, to the University of Virginia. When he died in 2009, the news prodded McQueen to call the university and ask if anyone had been researching the plantation’s enslaved community. She wound up talking with history professor Scot French.
Richmond's Confederate statues fell. Now these sisters aim to lift up Black history.
McQueen is a persistent emailer and phone caller, and she and French quickly formed a long-distance partnership. She helped mentor a small group of students in their research about Morven, French said in an interview, guiding them as a descendant and compiling a database of all their findings.
“She isn’t an academic, but she really brings an academic’s rigor to the research that she does,” said French, who now teaches at the University of Central Florida but this year resumed a special course at Morven with McQueen. “She’s moved in a really powerful way by the need to do this kind of work.”
His students located an inventory of property from the will of early Morven owner David Higginbotham, who died in 1853; it named 56 enslaved people. French thought the list was of limited value — it gave only first names.
But McQueen’s eye caught something the class had missed: the name Kitty Cary. The students had taken that as a double name, like Mary Sue, but McQueen recognized Cary as a surname in her family history. Other documents established that she was McQueen’s fourth-great-grandmother.
“Maybe that’s the reason I feel especially connected to her,” McQueen said, “because she was my discovery.”
Time teased out small details of Cary’s life. She was born in the 1790s. She had several children and belonged to a church. The Higginbotham daughters referred to her affectionately in letters — she might have been involved in raising them, possibly lived with them in the main house. One document indicated that when David Higginbotham died, Cary was paid to help compile the inventory — apparently the only enslaved person given such a job.
After Higginbotham’s death, the family sold the farm and auctioned off the enslaved workers. His wife moved away. As of 2010, that was all McQueen could learn.
“I was left with a cliffhanger,” McQueen said, “except that the owner’s widow indicated to her daughter that she would keep Kitty.”
Further research showed that the widow relocated to Richmond. “I knew … I needed to go to Richmond to try to find her,” McQueen said.
It took her seven years.
In 2017, McQueen was invited to U-Va. for a conference on descendants of the enslaved.
Arriving early, she drove to offices of the Virginia Historical Society in Richmond to see the Higginbotham family papers. It was a mountain of material. But as she picked up one document, a word jumped out at her: Kitty.
Elizabeth Higginbotham Fisher, daughter of the plantation’s late owner, was writing from Richmond in 1857 to her sister in Philadelphia about her grief over Cary’s death.
“It was a very beautiful letter. It made me cry,” said McQueen, who speaks quietly and betrays little emotion in public.
“Our dear, faithful, old Kitty is [no] more,” Elizabeth Fisher wrote, according to McQueen’s transcription of the letter.
Just after 5 that morning, the letter said, word had come that Cary was dying. Fisher ran downstairs only partly dressed. Cary’s children gathered bedside as she said her final words, “Don’t cry children, don’t cry for me, I am going home.”
The scene “has so completely unhinged me that I am unfit for any thing,” Fisher wrote. “I staid there and had her neatly prepared for the tomb — it was what she would have done for me.” She added that “I intend following her body to the grave tomorrow afternoon.”
Here was a raw glimpse of the complicated racial relationships of the day, and a far more intimate connection to her ancestor than McQueen had dared hope to find. It also provided a clue: Cary’s final resting place was near the family’s downtown home.
McQueen’s elation took an ugly turn the next day. One of the topics at her U-Va. symposium was the practice of grave-robbing that plagued Richmond during the 1800s. So-called resurrectionists dug up corpses for dissection in the medical schools in Richmond and Charlottesville — mainly from Black burial grounds.
“It was an awful, horrifying feeling,” McQueen said, to think that her ancestor might have been violated.
Richmond’s most well-known African burying ground was downtown, near the South’s second-busiest slave market after New Orleans. Paved over and partly destroyed by the highway in the 1950s, that site is now covered with grass and set aside as a place for reflection. For nearly two decades, the Sacred Ground Historical Reclamation Project — led by Edwards — has been urging the city to do more to commemorate it.
When Cary died in 1857, though, that cemetery was closed. McQueen’s research showed that the city established three new burying grounds along its northern boundary in 1816 — one for White Christians, one for Jews and another for Black people, free and enslaved.
The third one had to be the place. Before visiting it, McQueen stopped at Fisher’s grave in Richmond’s marquee burial ground, Hollywood Cemetery, established slightly later than the ones she had been researching.
The Higginbotham and Fisher headstones stand in a clearing atop a hill surrounded by magnolia and holly trees. McQueen marveled at the setting — the James River far below, couples and schoolchildren strolling past elaborate grave markers telling of so many lives.
The next day she went to find Kitty Cary’s cemetery. She drove down the hill beneath the highway to railroad tracks and a sewage-treatment plant. She drove back up. Nothing but an abandoned gas station and a low concrete building. She drove back down.
Finally, it dawned on her: This was it. This was the African burying ground.
Fueled by a sense of outrage, McQueen decided to investigate. She researched old deeds, maps and news clippings and discovered that the burying ground had grown to 31 acres before being shut down in 1879. City records suggested at least 22,000 burials. New York’s African burial ground is thought to contain remains of about 15,000 people.
Beginning in the Reconstruction era, the Richmond burying ground was systematically erased — first from view, then from memory. Road workers dug up graves in the 1880s and, despite warnings from the city council, used the bones as fill material, according to contemporary news accounts found by McQueen and archaeologist Steve Thompson.
Two years after protests, some of Richmond's Confederate statues remain
A few years later, the top of the burying ground was regraded for construction of a bridge, exposing more graves. Black newspaper publisher John Mitchell Jr. mourned “the hearts of the surviving families made to bleed by the desecration of the remains of their loved ones.”
Railroads carved through the bottom of the hill around 1900, and by the 1960s the highway and a gas station had obliterated any lingering hint of the site’s former use. A 2013 Virginia Department of Transportation report on widening that section of highway suggested no historical resources would be damaged by the project.
Working from Texas and overcoming a fear of the limelight, McQueen has marshaled an army of supporters to fight back. She helped the D.C.-based Cultural Landscape Foundation make a video about the site.
In 2018, McQueen discovered that the now-abandoned gas station was on a list of tax delinquent properties to be sold at auction. She hounded the city of Richmond to buy it (which it did, for $160,000), whipped up a campaign for a state historical marker and worked with historians to seek National Historic status.
“In the history of this department, in all the properties we have listed, we have never had a single nomination [for a historical marker] receive so many letters of support,” said Julie Langan, director of the Virginia Department of Historic Resources.
The campaign for national status was the longest shot. The National Register usually judges sites on how intact or undisturbed they are. In this case, the application argued that the African burying ground deserved to be included in part because Richmond has systematically obliterated it over the past 140 years — signifying a different type of history.
Its successful listing will “certainly open up the possibility of putting many more African American cemeteries on the registry,” said Michael Blakey, a professor at the College of William and Mary who did trailblazing work on the New York burial site.
The designation has also helped McQueen and other supporters slow the process for approving construction of a new high-speed train route between Richmond and D.C., which is set to cut one more scar across the bones of people’s ancestors.
The Federal Railroad Administration “fully recognizes the cultural and historical importance of the Shockoe Hill African Burying Grounds,” a spokesman for the agency said via email, adding that regulators will work with stakeholders in a review process that could take years.
Despite all of the destruction, elements of the cemetery remain. A recent preliminary survey with ground-penetrating radar found evidence of multiple graves, said Kimberly Chen of the Richmond planning office.
Even more remarkable are the cultural traces. Historian Ryan K. Smith of Virginia Commonwealth University, who maintains a web site on Richmond cemeteries, points to a powerful scene in the works of Frederick Law Olmsted — the famous landscape architect who traveled the South before the Civil War to observe slavery.
Olmsted writes of visiting Richmond in 1853 and coming upon a “negro funeral.” His description fits the Shockoe Hill African Burying Ground — a “desolate place” just beyond the city’s principal cemetery, which by contrast is “well filled with monuments and evergreens.”
About 50 Black mourners follow a horse-drawn hearse, with six coaches and six “well-dressed men” on horseback. They stop near the fresh grave of a child; another grave is open beside it.
Olmsted struggles to understand what to him is an unfamiliar scene. One speaker stands at the head of the open grave and holds a handkerchief like an open book, “as if he were reading from it,” proclaiming lines of scripture punctuated by howls of grief. Another man leads a call-and-response hymn, the music “wild and barbarous, but not without a plaintive melody.” Olmsted finds himself “deeply influenced … by the unaffected feeling.”
In the end, someone returns from the ravine with two beech branches to mark the grave. As mourners disperse, a lone White man leans against a fence — a policeman, Olmsted presumes, required by law to oversee any gathering of the enslaved.
McQueen would like to see that description serve as the basis for a memorial — maybe a bas-relief sculpture to suggest the vanished heritage of the site.
Visiting the burying ground fills her with “profound sadness,” she says. As she walks from the abandoned garage to the neatly kept Hebrew Cemetery, McQueen says she thinks of her fourth-great-grandmother all the time. She’s horrified at the idea that her body might have been stolen by resurrectionists or ground up in a roadway.
“I don’t know where she is,” she says, but then points over to the next corner. “Except that I think she’s probably over there.”
It’s a startling claim. How can she say that? “Because of the poem,” McQueen says.
Not long ago, a simple Google search turned up a poem published in 1886 by Elizabeth Akers Allen titled “Kitty Cary.” McQueen thought it must be a coincidence because of the late date and because Allen was from faraway Maine. But then she researched.
It turned out that Allen initially published the poem under a pseudonym in Harper’s Weekly in 1866. She had moved to Richmond at the end of the Civil War to help care for Union troops, working at an alms house converted to a hospital. The building still stands, in sight of the burying ground.
“No marble tells where Kitty Cary sleeps — / Only a simple slab of painted pine,” the poem begins. The marker is “So near the highway, that the yellow sand / From passing wheels falls thickly on her grave.” Cattle and goats graze the weeds atop her grave; children run across it “on their way to school.”
To McQueen’s eyes, conditioned by studying old maps, those details are clues. They suggest an actual spot. It’s just possible that out there along Hospital Street — a few feet past its intersection with Fourth Street, where broken glass glitters on a path next to the “passing wheels” of the pavement — the remains of Kitty Cary still lie.
One woman, among so many lost, whose story survives. | 2022-10-28T10:25:40Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Woman tracing ancestor uncovers major African burying ground in Richmond - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2022/10/27/richmond-shockoe-african-burying-ground/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2022/10/27/richmond-shockoe-african-burying-ground/ |
Election deniers hope a hand count in Nevada offers a roadmap for the future
The GOP nominee for secretary of state has pushed to jettison voting machines. One county is already experimenting with counting ballots manually.
Volunteers Marcia Peznowski, Jean Kocvara, Kathleen O’Connor and Don McCallum tally votes during a training session for hand counting voter ballots at a Nye County government building in Pahrump, Nev. (David Becker for The Washington Post)
PAHRUMP, Nev. — Jay Goldberg, a retired electrician who enjoys four-wheeling with his wife, Bonnie, in the dusty hills that loom over this desert town, sat in a tiny government office here this week counting ballots by hand because he believes the 2020 vote was rigged against Donald Trump.
And to Goldberg, there’s a simple answer: Go back to hand counts. It’s a solution being embraced this fall in Nye County, a rural outpost of 53,000 where officials who deny the results of the 2020 election hold sway.
Should Republicans prevail statewide in November, officials could be pushing it across Nevada next year. Like-minded GOP candidates nationwide have offered similar proposals, even as election experts and Democratic candidates have argued that such steps are only likely to further undermine faith in American democracy.
The rejection of voting machines and embrace of 2020 conspiracy theories make Nye County — a vast area that boomed, then busted, on the back of gold and silver mining more than a century ago and today thrives in part thanks to legal prostitution — a harbinger of the country’s future should election deniers take charge.
Leading the push in Nevada is Jim Marchant, the GOP nominee for secretary of state — a position with authority over the battleground state’s elections. If Marchant is elected — a strong possibility in Nevada, where races for governor, attorney general, U.S. Senate and secretary of state are all neck and neck, according to polls and campaign operatives from both parties — he would wield broad power to implement his agenda across the state.
In addition to championing hand counts, Marchant has promised if elected to “decertify” the 2020 Nevada result because he believes Trump won. Marchant could also attempt to thwart certification of the popular vote in the 2024 presidential race — something he has said he would have done had he been in office in 2020. And he plans to spread his gospel across the nation. “Some of you may have heard that I convinced a county here in Nevada to implement a new prototype for the election system that we’re going to deploy all around the country, with your help,” he promised from the stage of a Trump rally this month in Minden, Nev.
It was Marchant who gave a lengthy presentation to the Nye County Board of Commissioners last March that used debunked 2020 claims to argue for getting rid of the machines. Marchant’s presentation worked: The board’s five Republican members voted unanimously that day to seek a hand count in the Nov. 8 general election, although the county later decided to use electronic tabulators as well, to verify the hand count.
That process now faces its moment of truth. The hand count, which began this week with tabulation of early votes, could deepen distrust in elections, experts say, by opening up the possibility of lengthy delays or serious mistakes.
“In a jurisdiction that’s larger, and I already think Nye is pretty big for this kind of thing, it becomes really challenging,” said Pamela Smith, president of Verified Voting, a nonprofit that promotes secure election practices such as post-election audits. Among other things, hand counts invite mass human error and delay results, she said, and they reflect a lack of understanding of the safeguards already in place to ensure the accuracy of machine counts.
If Marchant gets his way, Nye could be a hand-counting model for all of Nevada — and perhaps the nation. His platform as secretary of state would give him a louder voice, and perhaps a bigger stick, to encourage other counties to embrace hand counting. He could try to block the use of electronic machines, a move that most election experts say would make it all but impossible for the state’s largest population centers, Las Vegas and Reno, to deliver timely results. And he plans to seek legislation ending early voting and mail voting — limiting access to the polls for millions of Nevadans, many of whom work in the 24-hour casino economy in Las Vegas.
Meanwhile, Marchant has all but promised that if he loses on Nov. 8 he will contest the result.
“The same people that were in charge in 2020 are in charge in this election, and what’s going to be different?” Marchant asked at a recent poll-watcher training in the lobby of a downtown Las Vegas hotel.
Neither Marchant nor his campaign manager responded to interview requests from The Washington Post.
Marchant’s unfounded claims of election fraud began not with the 2020 presidential election but with his own bid for Congress that year, in which he lost by just under 5 percentage points, or 16,000 votes. Like the Trump campaign and several other Republicans who lost, Marchant sued unsuccessfully, claiming that election officials in Clark County, home to Las Vegas, had sent thousands of absentee ballots to ineligible voters. Marchant provided no evidence that illegal ballots had been cast, according to court records.
Like the others, the case was dismissed. But Marchant had found an issue that resonated with both the outgoing president and his supporters. In February 2021, he announced his plan to run for secretary of state. In March, he led a rally in front of the state Capitol in Carson City before delivering boxes he claimed were filled with credible complaints about the 2020 contest. The next month, he successfully pressed the state GOP to censure the term-limited secretary of state, Republican Barbara Cegavske, claiming she failed to investigate those claims.
Along the way, Marchant founded a new political organization, the America First Secretary of State Coalition, inviting election-denying candidates from around the country to join him: Mark Finchem of Arizona, Kristina Karamo from Michigan and Audrey Trujillo from New Mexico, among others.
A year ago, Marchant spoke at “For God & Country: Patriot Double-Down,” a gathering in Las Vegas of adherents of QAnon, an extremist movement promoting election conspiracies as well as the baseless claim that Trump is secretly fighting a cabal of Satan-worshiping pedophiles. At the event, Marchant told the audience that QAnon influencer Juan O Savin had persuaded him to launch the coalition.
“We need to take back the secretaries of state offices around the country. So not only did they ask me to run, they asked me to put together a coalition,” Marchant claimed, according to news reports at the time.
Marchant also began teaming up with like-minded election conspiracists from around the country, hosting an “election integrity” conference funded in part by Patrick Byrne, the election-denying CEO of Overstock.com, and making presentations to government officials.
“Dispose of electronic voting and tabulation machines and do not use them in any elections going forward,” Marchant told Nye County commissioners at the March presentation, where he was joined by retired Army Col. Phil Waldron and businessman Russell J. Ramsland Jr., who had worked with Trump’s legal team to raise doubts about the machines in 2020.
Around the country, only a handful of jurisdictions count ballots by hand, mostly counties and towns with tiny populations concentrated in New England and Wisconsin, according to data provided by Verified Voting. Together, voters living in these communities represent just 0.2 percent of registered voters nationwide.
But so far this year, communities in Arizona, Colorado, Kansas, Louisiana, Nevada and New Hampshire have discussed switching to hand-counting of ballots. Just last week, the clerk of Elko County, Nev. — about the same size as Nye, with roughly 53,000 residents — announced plans to conduct a hand-counted audit after the Nov. 8 election.
Experts say that if hand counting is adopted on a broad scale, election results could be thrown into chaos by errors and delays. That could give bad actors more time to sow doubts and to slow or even block certification. Time and again, post-election audits have confirmed that machine counts are accurate. No proof has emerged that the machines were hacked in 2020.
“If the whole point of this is to engender more trust in the correctness of the election outcome, then I think the first thing is to understand the existing process and what is already in place to make for a trustworthy election,” Smith said. She noted that jurisdictions in Nevada already audit results by hand-counting a sample of ballots. They do so after unofficial results have been reported, encouraging confidence in the result without gumming up counting on election night.
But the proposals hold appeal for many Trump supporters, reflecting widespread belief that the 2020 election was illegitimate and boosting fundraising for conservative candidates and groups. Among the backers of a hand count at the Nye commissioners’ meeting last March was a man named Mark F. Kampf, a candidate for Nye County clerk.
Kampf, a Republican, is on the ballot Nov. 8 — but he’s also the acting clerk overseeing the hand count. The previous clerk, Sandra Merlino, resigned after pushing back against commissioners’ request that she consider adopting a hand count.
Kampf said during the public comment period at the March commissioners meeting that he “fully” supports Marchant’s proposal for the hand count, citing what he described as widespread doubts that the last election was fair.
“Through my process of meeting people in this county, one of the biggest concerns was whether or not they should even vote,” he said. “When I hear that, it brings me great concern.”
Sitting in his bare office in the desert-toned Pahrump courthouse, Kampf said in an interview this month that he wants to restore public faith in elections with a well-run count that proves the results are valid.
“My goal is to have the most transparent election process that I can have,” he said. “My goal is to have the public be able to see what’s going on.”
He conceded that has not been easy. In August, the secretary of state’s office, in response to the growing interest in hand-counting in some counties, issued temporary regulations requiring that all counties planning to hand-count their results must do so within seven days of Election Day — a near-impossibility for all but the tiniest counties in Nevada.
As a result, Kampf opted to continue using Nye’s Dominion-made tabulators in addition to the hand count, exempting the county from the new rules. When Nye publishes unofficial results on election night, as well as its official, canvassed results 10 days later, they will come from the electronic tabulators, not the hand count.
Critics of Marchant say one of their greatest fears is that if he wins, he will roll back the new hand-counting regulation — making it easier for more counties to opt for the process.
These critics also fear that Marchant could, with the stroke of a pen, decertify electronic voting machines in Nevada. State law requires Nevada counties to use only certified machines, so such a move would effectively block their use, even in giant population centers such as Clark and Washoe counties, where Democratic leaders have no interest in hand counting.
Such a move probably would face an immediate legal challenge from those counties, several experts said.
Kampf predicted that his hand count will go well. He has recruited and trained more than 100 volunteers. He has promised that each of at least eight counting teams per day will include at least one Republican and one Democrat — not an easy feat in a county where 69 percent of voters chose Trump in 2020.
With two shifts per day, the counting is scheduled to run through Nov. 12 “but we will continue until finished,” Kampf said.
On Thursday, the second day of the count, Kampf conceded that it has gone more slowly than he expected. The five-person teams, made up primarily of retirees, have huddled diligently for hours in small offices in a low-slung government building, sifting through the ballots, reading aloud the results and marking their tally sheets, he said. But they have not yet reached the goal of completing five batches of 50 ballots per shift.
“It’s not what I expected,” he said. “But it’s still early in the process. Today was almost double what we did yesterday.”
Marchant’s critics see the candidate as an acute threat to democracy, but some of them concede that the issue is not necessarily a top motivator in Nevada. At a recent Sunday morning kickoff for a Democratic door-knocking blitz partly sponsored by NARAL, the abortion rights advocacy group, Marchant’s opponent took pains to link voting rights to all the other issues motivating Democrats to cast ballots this year.
“Unfortunately, my opponent wants to take away our mail ballots, our early voting, our same-day voter registration, our automatic voter registration,” Democrat Cisco Aguilar told the group. “We will fight to protect your rights as females, and we will fight to protect the right to the ballot box because we know all of these issues run directly through the ballot box.”
Karen Caraway, 52, a retiree who has been canvassing for the Democratic ticket for several weeks, said she thinks the candidates’ message linking abortion advocacy and access to the vote is a strong one.
“It’s part of the GOP’s plan — to take voting rights and women’s rights away,” she said. “We can’t let anything slide.”
Liberal groups are taking the race seriously. The Democratic Association of Secretaries of State (DASS) raised a total of $2.5 million nationwide in 2018, and had no full-time staff. This year the committee employs eight full-time workers and is spending at least $11 million — including $6 million in Nevada. Other top priorities include Michigan and Minnesota, with their own tight races for secretary of state.
“There is a real urgency to preserve our democracy, and secretaries of state are one of the last lines of defense,” said DASS executive director Kim Rogers.
There is no known comparable spending for Marchant. His own campaign has raised just $355,000 to date, compared with Aguilar’s $1.5 million. An independent committee called Conservatives for Election Integrity that lists Marchant as its contact has raised a total this cycle of about $400,000.
Meanwhile, the Republican State Leadership Committee, a sibling of the Republican National Committee that makes independent expenditures on behalf of a variety of state-level campaigns, has announced just $200,000 in spending on secretary of state races this year — and the buys are in Georgia and Colorado, where neither Republican candidate is an election denier.
Some of what Marchant has pledged to do — eliminate early voting and universal mail voting, for instance — would require new laws that would be possible only if Republicans take control of the state legislature and governor’s mansion.
And any effort to thwart a presidential outcome would be quickly met with a lawsuit, with the Nevada Supreme Court expected to order Marchant to fulfill his duty to certify the result of the popular vote.
Those who are still unpersuaded that the 2020 vote was decided fairly, meanwhile, say they would welcome a closer look at the outcome of the coming election. They say a hand count makes sense to tamp down perceptions that the process is not transparent enough — and to be sure the final tally accurately reflects the wishes of voters.
“We want to get it right,” said Goldberg, the volunteer counter. “I may not be happy that you won. But if you won fair and square, that’s all we can do.” | 2022-10-28T10:25:53Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Election deniers hope a hand count in Nevada offers a roadmap for the future - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/elections/2022/10/28/election-deniers-nevada-vote-count/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/elections/2022/10/28/election-deniers-nevada-vote-count/ |
Now, a study out of Ireland has shed some light on this question. Its results suggest that babies born during Ireland’s first covid-19 lockdown were likely to be slower to develop some social communication skills than their pre-pandemic peers. They were less likely to be able to wave goodbye, point at things and know one “definite and meaningful word” by the time they turn 1. On the other hand, they were more likely to be able to crawl.
Experts say children’s early years of life are their most formative — their brains soak up every interaction and experience, positive and negative, to build the neural connections that will serve them for the rest of their lives.
For the cohort of “lockdown babies,” the “first year of life was very different to the pre-pandemic babies,” Susan Byrne, a pediatric neurologist at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland and lead author of the study, told The Washington Post.
But she and the other authors of the study have one message for parents: Don’t be too worried. “Babies are resilient and inquisitive by nature,” they note, and are likely to bounce back given the right support.
When Chi Lam, 33, had her first child, Adriana, in April 2020, England was in lockdown. Most people were not permitted to leave their homes without a “reasonable excuse.” Her parents and in-laws, who were in Hong Kong, were also unable to visit, as Hong Kong had closed its border.
As a result, for the first few months of Adriana’s life, it was “just us three,” Lam told The Post. There were no play dates or visits from family and friends, and Adriana wasn’t regularly exposed to children her own age until she turned 1.
Lam thinks the prolonged isolation had some impact on her daughter Adriana. At her two-year checkup, doctors told Lam that Adriana had “weak” gross motor skills — actions like jumping and walking that engage the whole body. “I guess it’s because we only let her play in the park when she turned 1-ish because we thought it’s not safe” because of the pandemic, Lam said. Adriana was also easily startled by loud noises, such as motorcycle exhausts.
It’s difficult, Lam says, to disentangle how much of this is inherent to who Adriana is, and how much is tied to the unusual circumstances of her first year of life. But her observations echo the findings of studies that are beginning to suggest that lockdowns and the pandemic did affect children — though how much and through what mechanisms remains a largely open question.
The Irish study, published this month in the British Medical Journal, asked parents of 309 babies born between March and May 2020 to report on their child’s ability to meet 10 developmental milestones at age 1 — including the ability to crawl, stack bricks and point at objects. The researchers compared those parents’ responses to data collected on over 1,600 babies as part of a large-scale study that followed babies born in Ireland between 2008 and 2011 and assessed their development over time.
There were some small but significant differences between the two groups. Fewer babies in the study could wave goodbye — 87.7 percent compared to 94.4 percent, point at objects around them — 83.8 percent compared with 92.8 percent, or say at least one “definite and meaningful word” — 76.6 percent compared to 89.3 percent — at their 12-month assessment, according to their parents. They were more likely than their pre-pandemic peers to be able to crawl at age 1, however. In the other six categories, the researchers found no meaningful differences.
They suggest that the babies in the lockdown cohort may have had fewer visitors, and so fewer occasions to learn to wave goodbye. With limited trips outside of the house, babies may have seen fewer few objects they’d want to point to. And they may have “heard a narrower repertoire of language and saw fewer unmasked faces speaking to them,” due to lockdown measures.
Conversely, lockdown babies may have learned to crawl faster because they spent more time at home, playing on the floor, “rather than out of the home in cars and strollers.”
“The jury is still very much out in terms of what the effects of this pandemic are going to be on this generation,” Dani Dumitriu, an assistant professor of pediatrics at Columbia University who was not involved in the Irish study, told The Post.
Dumitriu, who is a co-author of a separate study on babies born in 2020, characterized the findings as reassuring. “They’re not finding major developmental delays, just like we didn’t.”
Pandemic brought out something positive for some people — resilience
The study, which was peer-reviewed, has some limitations. It relies on parents’ observations of their own children, which can be flawed or incomplete. There were demographic differences between the population of pre- and post-pandemic babies, and in each case, the parents were asked to assess their children’s development “in a slightly different way.”
What is needed, the authors and other experts say, is a large-scale study that follows babies over time and measures their development in standardized ways — what’s known as a longitudinal cohort study. The authors of this study assessed the cohort of lockdown babies when they turned 2 with a standardized set of developmental questionnaires, and hope to publish their findings, which are under review, in a follow-up paper.
In the meantime, the authors of the study say most babies can overcome any delay caused by the pandemic with the right support. Researchers who have studied this cohort of babies have called on governments to provide more resources to families of lockdown babies — particularly those most at risk — and to follow those babies over time to ensure there are no long-term delays. “If we do notice a delay, then we can quickly intervene and set that child back onto a correct trajectory,” Dumitriu explains.
Parenting a child under 12 in the age of delta: ‘It’s like a fire alarm every day’
Ultimately, Byrne is hopeful that “with the reopening … babies will really thrive.”
“There is such scope for plasticity in the brains of babies and children,” she told The Post.
Lam is also optimistic that Adriana will catch up with any delays as she gets older. “People around me are telling me, once they go back to study in a school, then they’ll be fine,” she told The Post. “I believe that as well.” | 2022-10-28T10:26:05Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Many lockdown babies slower at social development, faster at crawling, study says - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2022/10/28/lockdown-babies-social-development-study/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2022/10/28/lockdown-babies-social-development-study/ |
U.S. sees migrant children as a problem. But once it welcomed them.
In the 1960s, Americans embraced unaccompanied children coming from Cuba in an attempt to score points against communism.
Perspective by John A. Gronbeck-Tedesco
John A. Gronbeck-Tedesco is an associate professor of American Studies at Ramapo College. He is the author of "Operation Pedro Pan: The Migration of Unaccompanied Children from Castro’s Cuba" (Potomac Books).
A sign reads “May God bless you on your journey” in Spanish at an Influx Care Facility (ICF) for unaccompanied children in Carrizo Springs, Tex., on Feb. 21, 2021. (Sergio Flores/For The Washington Post)
In September, U.S. Customs and Border Protection reported 11,900 “encounters” with unaccompanied children along the border with Mexico, a signal that the Biden administration is not faring much better than its predecessors in stemming the arrivals of migrant children entering the country.
While President Biden has taken several steps to roll back President Donald Trump’s “zero tolerance” policy that separated migrant children from their families — and in some cases, deported parents while their children remained in the United States — the topic remains a humanitarian and political problem for the White House. In 2021, Biden’s first year as president, an unprecedented 147,000 unaccompanied minors arrived at the southern border.
While these numbers are staggering, this is not the first time the United States has received unaccompanied children arriving en masse. In 1961, the government inaugurated the Unaccompanied Cuban Children’s Program to care for thousands of minors coming from Cuba. U.S. journalists covering the event early on dubbed it “Operation Exodus,” which eventually became “Operation Pedro Pan” — a reference to the popular tale about a boy who could fly — as planeloads of children would soon be on their way. The program facilitated the transfer of more than 14,000 juveniles to the United States after Cuba’s revolution in 1959, making it the largest group of lone minors to enter the country at the time.
The children were part of the massive migration of 250,000 Cubans to arrive in the United States between 1959 and 1962 — and as “refugees,” in contrast to today’s “migrants,” they were seen as symbols of anti-communist heroism. In 1961, President John F. Kennedy wrote a letter to Congress, in which he pledged to support “those who are forced to flee to maintain their lives as individual, self-sufficient human beings.” Kennedy underscored that helping refugees was an important Cold War imperative. It was, as he wrote, in “the political interests of the United States that we maintain and continue to enhance our prestige and leadership in this respect.”
Cuban parents who sent their children to the United States were less motivated by the geopolitical aims of the Cold War and more concerned with the safety of their sons and daughters. Counterrevolutionary propaganda circulating on the island warned that the state would strip them of their parental rights and send their children to Moscow for communist indoctrination.
Nearly all believed that the separation with their children sent to the United States would be brief, and that families would soon reunite in a post-Fidel Castro Cuba.
An Irish priest, Msgr. Bryan Walsh, had recently relocated to Miami to help grow a new diocese, and he found his calling in saving Cuban children. As the director of the Catholic Welfare Bureau (CWB), Walsh took advantage of his sprawling Catholic network and worked directly with the State Department, Florida child welfare agencies and anti-Castro Cubans to shepherd the children into care. Upon arrival, those without immediate family support in the United States — a group of about 8,300 minors, roughly 60 percent of all Pedro Pans — received shelter from the CWB and other religious, governmental and nongovernmental organizations. A portion of these children were placed in group homes and with foster families throughout the country, including in Helena, Mont., San Antonio and Dubuque, Iowa.
As Pedro Pans arrived in their new communities, some locals feared that there might be communists among those arriving. Others asked why taxpayers should shoulder the hefty financial burden of their resettlement.
Race was also a factor in how Americans treated the newcomers. They did not fall within traditional American racial understandings. “Latino” and “Hispanic” were not yet official classifications. Cubans could enjoy White privilege in some contexts, while confronting racism in others. At least one Pedro Pan living in Miami recalled bus drivers asking him to go to the back of the bus, as was custom for Black Americans in the South. Yet, he went to White schools.
Pedro Pans suddenly embodied two polarizing extremes: They were champion tokens of anticommunism, but also minority exiles frustrating the White-majority nation. In the end, they negotiated identities that could not be separated from their value as political symbols.
An overall willingness to accept the children in the name of national security amid the Cold War ultimately topped all concerns, as did the desire to make good on the country’s tradition of sanctuary and freedom. Hundreds, if not thousands, of Americans wrote to the Children’s Program wanting to foster and even adopt kids they had not met. Adoption was prohibited, but fostering children became a reality for many.
After learning about the Pedro Pans in a magazine, one woman from Lime Springs, Iowa, said she and her husband yearned to “help those who must flee Communism” and that their “community and family would be greatly enriched by having children from a different country.”
Operation Pedro Pan ended in 1962, although some unaccompanied children continued to arrive and receive care until the late 1970s. In addition to allocating money to shelter and care for children until their parents arrived, Washington spent $50 million on “Freedom Flights” between the countries from 1965 to 1973 to try to make families whole again. By 1966, 90 percent of the children under the care of the CWB had rejoined at least one parent. Years later, in a study of over 400 Pedro Pans conducted by Yvonne Conde, only 7 percent reported negative associations with the program. Conversely, nearly 70 percent used words like “stronger,” “tougher” and “self-reliance” to describe the attributes they now associated with themselves as a result of the program.
Pedro Pans, who are now in their 60s and 70s, once again find themselves enmeshed in political vitriol surrounding children. In September 2021, for example, Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.) sparked a row with the Miami Catholic Archdiocese when he issued an executive order that curtailed the ability for Florida agencies to care for undocumented migrants, including children. Four months later, Archbishop Thomas Wenski denounced the move as hypocritical, arguing that the state opened its doors to Cuban children decades ago and should do the same for unaccompanied minors in the present day.
The comparison drove a wedge between Pedro Pans. Some argued that the state should continue to safeguard young people, while others sided with DeSantis and drew differences between today’s young migrants and the Cold War context of their own crossings. To those critics, they and their parents were fighting communism and showed up as political exiles.
Presently, migrant children are rendered invisible and relegated to the status of a national problem rather than an opportunity — but so were many Pedro Pans, at least initially. However, that cohort grew into a catalogue of success stories, aided by federal and state assistance and everyday American altruism. Pedro Pans have come to exemplify what is possible when the United States harnesses its bountiful resources and makes good on its storied tradition of refuge for the world’s most vulnerable people. | 2022-10-28T10:26:17Z | www.washingtonpost.com | The U.S. sees migrant children as a problem. But it once welcomed them. - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/made-by-history/2022/10/28/pedro-pan-cuba-migrant-children/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/made-by-history/2022/10/28/pedro-pan-cuba-migrant-children/ |
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