Hassan: AWOL at USNH Board of Trustees meetings.

Hassan: AWOL at USNH Board of Trustees meetings.

Governor Margaret Wood Hassan is coming under fire for her failure to attend meetings of the University System of New Hampshire Board of Trustees.  Seems she’s missed every meeting of the board, of which the governor is a member, except the one on June twenty eighth 2 0 1 3 where she briefly called in and made a motion to freeze tuition that year.  Despite the University of New Hampshire having the highest in-state tuition rates in the country, Hassan has made making college affordable an issue in her campaign, promising massive federal government intervention.  Critics of Her Excellence the Governmess have questioned her sincerity on the issue given her failure to act in any way to control costs at U N H, which has recently been in the news for spending twenty thousand dollars on a cafeteria table and a million dollars on a scoreboard.

Hassan: Backward on limiting government, expanding rights

Hassan:  Backward on limiting government, expanding rights

Hassan, by the way, saw the State Senate fail to over ride her vetoes of four bills yesterday.  The measures vetoed included:  S B 3 2 0, which would have required parental notification and approval prior to asking students to respond to non-academic surveys; S B 3 2 4, which would have limited the amount of land the federal government can acquire in the state; S B 3 3 6, which would have expanded the definition of who could obtain a concealed carry license in New Hampshire; and S B 4 4 6, which would have limited the kind of information building code inspectors could require.

First time in five years

Announces commission meeting

The regular monthly meeting of the Manchester Police Commission will be held Wednesday, October 5, 9:00 a.m. at Police Headquarters.  Manchester residents are invited to attend and may speak during the Public Comment segment of the meeting.

On October fourth, District Twenty State Senate candidate Carla Gericke has announce she will lead a protest against the Manchester Police Department’s decision to encrypt its radio traffic, making it unavailable for those listening on scanners.

Gericke: Organizing protest against communication blackout

Gericke: Organizing protest against communication blackout

In a statement announcing the protest, Gericke took issue with statements made by police officials who declared the move to block scanners had “no nefarious intent,” saying quote:

The MPD’s unprecedented five hour lockdown of West Manchester in May was pretty ‘nefarious’ in my book.  Seeing such unconstitutional police action with military-grade equipment like BEARCATS and helicopters clamoring overhead while officers roam the streets with rifles at-the-ready is partly why I am running for office.

The protest will take place from five to eight outside of City Hall with a press conference at six thirty.  District Twenty includes Manchester Wards 3, 4, 10 and 11 and the town of Goffstown.

Cetin: Bullets and ballots

Cetin:  Bullets and ballots

Add voter fraud to the list of Arcan Cetin’s crimes.  Cetin is the twenty year old Turkish immigrant arrested for killing five people in a mall in Burlington, Washington.  Security cameras recorded the attack.  Washington State’s Secretary of State, Kim Wyman confirmed Cetin was illegally registered and voted in 2 0 14, 15 and 16.  While here legally, Cetin is not a citizen and therefore not allowed to vote.  Voters in Washington must attest to their citizenship when registering, but the state does not require proof, just like we don’t here in New Hampshire.  Washington State officials have no idea how many non-citizens are registered to vote, but say they’re not concerned about the issue.  Of course they’re not.

News from our own backyard continues after this.

Larochelle: National recognition

Larochelle:  National recognition

Shelly Larochelle is among 5 8 outstanding elementary and middle school principals from across the nation and abroad who have been named as one of 2016’s National Distinguished Principals by the National Association of Elementary School Principals.  Larochelle is principal of Northwest Elementary School in Manchester.  The winners will be honored Oct. 7th at an awards banquet at the Capital Hilton Hotel in Washington, D.C. as part of a two-day program.

Established in 1 9 8 4, the National Distinguished Principals program recognizes public and private school principals who make superior contributions to their schools and communities.  The principals will also have the opportunity to share best practices.  The 5 8 principals are selected by NAESP state affiliates and by committees representing private and overseas schools.

Lachance: Final send off

Lachance:  Final send off

Jerry’s Ride, the bike ride from the New Hampshire – Canada border to Key West, FL comes to an end today as sixty eight year old Jerry Lachance will reach Sloppy Joe’s, the official finish line of his epic journey down the Eastern Seaboard, at approximately two this afternoon.  The ride has taken on a life of its own as many people have joined him on their bikes for a stretch, police departments provided motorcycle escorts, including one that had eleven officers, fire houses all the way let him stay the night and dine with them, news outlets ran stories, even following him with their traffic helicopters, and more, like Randy Perkins, a local businessman and congressional candidate in Florida, coordinating a private tour of the U S Navy Seal Museum and donating $2,500 to Ride 2 Recovery in support of Jerry’s Ride.

Jerry’s fellow volunteer firefighters in Sandown will host a WELCOME HOME Reception for him on October fifth starting at six thirty at the Sandown Fire Station.  The dessert and coffee event will be open to the public.  If you’d like to see Jerry arrive at Sloppy Joe’s in Key West, we’ve got the link to their live Web cams with this news read at Girard at Large dot com.

General Court: Turning 200 years old

General Court:  Turning 200 years old

The New Hampshire State House is turning 200 years old.  As part of the celebration, it will be open for guided tours from 10 to 2 tomorrow.  If you’ve got the time, take advantage of it.  The old gal’s got a fascinating history and many story’s to tell.

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