New Hampshire Attorney General Gordon J. MacDonald announced that, beginning last week, the New Hampshire Department of Justice was in contact with the Claremont Police Department and the Sullivan County Attorney’s Office regarding the incident involving an 8-year old bi-racial child who was hung by older juveniles.  MacDonald said his office will review all of the facts of this incident and that, to the extent that there is any credible information it constituted a hate crime or a civil rights violation under New Hampshire law, the office was prepared to take any and all appropriate action.

Sununu & MacDonald: Investigation ongoing

That announcement apparently came at the prompting of Governor Christopher Sununu who in a statement issued on Tuesday said he instructed the A G’s Office to send a team to Claremont to provide assistance.  Said Sununu, quote: 

It is my expectation that local and state authorities will investigate appropriately and I’ve asked for regular updates on how things are proceeding. Hatred and bigotry will not be tolerated in New Hampshire.”

Price: Coming to NH with cash

Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. Tom Price will be in Somersworth today.  As part of the Trump Administration’s ongoing efforts to address the opioid crisis in America, Price will announce funding awards for community health centers that will empower them to expand their substance abuse and mental health services.  In making the announcement, the administration said community health centers provide a vital safety net to address substance abuse and mental health issues at the local level.  This funding will provide needed support for these centers to expand opioid treatments with integrated mental health services.

Eversource crews have begun work in Florida to restore power in the wide wake of Hurricane Irma.  One hundred employees from Connecticut, Massachusetts and New Hampshire arrived in Orlando on Tuesday, where they received assignments to repair the widespread damage to the energy system caused by severe winds and coastal flooding.

Eversource: Convoy heads south

Early in the morning on Sept. 9th, a convoy of seventy vehicles, including the company’s Mobile Command Center went south.  The convoy stopped in Virginia on Sept. 10th to service the bucket trucks and prepare for the work ahead.  They then drove through flash flood warnings, tornado warnings and tropical storm warnings before arriving in Florida to check-in with the state’s largest power company, Florida Power & Light Company.

In addition to sending crews, Eversource’s call center has been helping Tampa Electric Company answer their customers’ outage calls.  The company says its efforts to help in Florida will have no impact on local services.

O’Malley: Coming for Craig

Apparently, three hundred thousand dollars isn’t enough for Joyce Craig’s mayoral campaign.  It announced yesterday that former Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley, who is expected to again run for President following his spectacular failure in the last presidential campaign, will headline a big dollar fund-raiser of Craig on Wednesday, September twenty seventh.  The top ask to sponsor the event is twenty five hundred bucks per person.  Fear not, though.  The Democrats are the party of the little people and they can get in for just fifty bucks. 

Garcetti: He’s for Craig

O’Malley is the second politician of national note who supports sanctuary cities and open border policies to host a fund-raiser for Craig.  Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, another likely Democrat candidate for President, came across the country to headline an event for Craig a few weeks ago.  Garcetti’s been a vociferous opponent of the Trump Administration’s crackdown on sanctuary cities, enforcement of immigration laws and advocacy of building a border wall.

News from our own backyard continues after this.

Brennan: Nominated

Education Commissioner Frank Edelblut and Governor Christopher Sununu have tapped Beech Street School Principal Christine Brennan to be the next Deputy Commissioner of Education.  The Manchester Board of School Committee was notified of the pending nomination in an email from Superintendent Dr. Bolgen Vargas late yesterday afternoon.  Vargas said the appointment of Brennan, who was recently a finalist for the assistant superintendent position created by the departure of David Ryan, would be “a great loss for the district.”  The nomination is expected to be presented to the Executive Council in two weeks.

Public hearing scheduled

The town of Amherst will hold a public hearing on the acceptance of Victoria Ridge this Monday, September 18th.  It will be held in the Barbara Landry Meeting Room at Town Hall beginning at six thirty.  Residents are encouraged to attend. 

Water project nears completion

The town of Derry has announced that the Route Twenty Eight Water Improvements Project is nearing its end.  According to an update released yesterday, mainline water main and services to the edge of the right-of-way are fully installed and pressure tested on all roads and base course paving has been completed on all roads and driveways.  Loam and seed and cleanup activities are almost complete.  Water service is now available to abutting properties.  Residents will be notified that they may now connect public water.

The water connection on Gervaise Drive and installation of the water services on private property and into basements for twelve MtBE contaminated properties will be completed this month.  Residents of the Woodlands neighborhood will be notified before the town transitions them from their wells to the municipal water system.  Substantial completion is expected next month.

Wilson School: Gets TLC from Timberland

Timberland employees will perform a Day of Service at the Henry Wilson School in Manchester today.  Employees from the company will be there from eight to four to help spruce up the place.  Among other things, they will do a lot of painting in classrooms, bathrooms and the school’s entryway.  They plan to mark a walkway around the perimeter of the playground so the kids can “track their walking and running,” (cuz kids do that, right?).  They’ll also mulch play areas and install a hydroponic garden in one of the school’s open areas.  As an added bonus, Timberland’s also going to give each student a new pair of work boots, socks and a backpack.  How great for the kids!

That’s NEWS from our own backyard!  Girard at Large hour ___ is next!