In The News
James Foley's mom optimistic about help for future detainees
by Kevin Landrigan
ROCHESTER - Diane Foley, the mother of slain photographer James Foley, said she's optimistic bipartisan support is building for legislation to rescue other Americans detained by ISIS and other terrorist organizations around the globe. Foley spoke soon after listening to the detention hearing and arraignment Friday of El Shafee el-Sheikh and Alexanda Kotey, the two suspected members of the "Beatles" ISIS wing accused in the torture and murder of her son and three other American hostages in 2… Continue Reading
October 12, 2020
Detainee reform would be fitting legacy, James Foley's mom says
by Kevin Landrigan
ROCHESTER - Diane Foley, the mother of slain freelance journalist James Foley, said a fitting legacy for her son would be for the next elected Congress and president to embrace legislation that would help rescue other Americans detained by ISIS and other terrorist groups around the globe. Last June, the U.S. Senate unanimously approved the Robert Levinson Hostage Recovery and Hostage-Taking Accountability Act that the Foley family and those of three other families killed by ISIS terrorists … Continue Reading
October 08, 2020
Shaheen, senators urge funds to fight PFAS contamination
by Jeff McMenemy
U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., is urging House and Senate leaders to include provisions aimed at addressing PFAS water contamination in the fiscal year 2021 National Defense Authorization Act. Shaheen led a letter sent to members of the U.S. Senate and House Armed Services Committees, which was signed by other senators, including Maggie Hassan, D-N.H,, and Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass. The senators cite adverse health effects tied to PFAS chemicals, two of which - perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) … Continue Reading
October 08, 2020
Pease Health Study on PFAS in water set to resume
by Jeff McMenemy
PORTSMOUTH - The first in the nation federal health study on adults and children exposed to dangerous PFAS chemicals is slated to restart Thursday, Oct. 15. Andrea Amico, co-founder of community advocacy group Testing For Pease, said "we were informed by ATSDR (the Agency For Toxic Substances and Disease Registry) that the Pease Health Study has been approved to reopen" pending final approval from an internal review board. "I'm thrilled that this study is going to reopen and that members of ou… Continue Reading
October 07, 2020
Shaheen: Families of hostages to have their day in court
The transfer of two Islamic State members to the United States to face charges that they beheaded Western hostages is a giant step toward justice, U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire said Wednesday. El Shafee Elsheikh and Alexanda Kotey are two of four men dubbed "the Beatles" by the hostages they held captive because of their British accents. They are expected to make their first appearance in the afternoon in federal court in Alexandria, Virginia, where a federal grand jury issued an ei… Continue Reading
October 07, 2020
Islamic State ‘Beatles’ Jailers Are Charged in Abuse of Murdered Hostages
by Adam Goldman and Charlie Savage
WASHINGTON - Two notorious Islamic State detainees from Britain were brought to the United States on Wednesday to face federal charges over accusations that they jailed and tortured Western hostages, some of whom were beheaded, Justice Department officials said. The transfer is a milestone in the saga of the two men, El Shafee Elsheikh, 32, and Alexanda Kotey, 36, who are half of an ISIS cell of four Britons called "the Beatles" - a nickname bestowed by their victims because of their accents - … Continue Reading
October 06, 2020
Law enforcement, political leaders say police, public need to come together
by Andy Hershberger
NASHUA, N.H. - Law enforcement and political leaders gathering Tuesday in Nashua in recognition of Community Policing Week said that police and the public need to come closer together instead of being driven apart. Police said they and the community need to work together to solve crimes and to keep each other safe. "When officers take the time to connect with and build the trust of the individuals that they protect, it helps our communities be safer," said U.S. Sen. Maggie Hassan, D-N.H. "It … Continue Reading
October 05, 2020
Sen. Shaheen says COVID-19 cases in White House, Senate should be 'wake-up call' for nation
by Adam Sexton
MANCHESTER, N.H. - Sen. Jeanne Shaheen has said the president and first lady's COVID-19 positive diagnoses are a wake-up call for the country. Shaheen said the slew of cases among top Republicans in the White House and Senate should prompt action on a new relief bill, when it is safe to reconvene. Shaheen said she wished the president, first lady, her Republican colleagues and everyone testing positive for COVID-19 a full recovery, but she believes the cluster of cases traced to the White Hous… Continue Reading
October 04, 2020
National Flight Simulator named Veteran-owned business of the year
by Jonathan Phelps
MANCHESTER - Steve Cunningham launched National Flight Simulator after buying a flight simulator. "I would like to think it was a brilliant business plan, but it was by accident," he told a crowd gathered at his leased space at the Manchester Regional Airport. Now, he operates five state-of-the-art simulators and is the only insurance company-approved simulator-based training center in New England. "I went from one sim in a broom closet to all of this," he said. On Friday, Cu… Continue Reading
October 04, 2020
Somersworth officials nervous as pandemic continues to take economic toll
by Kimberley Haas
Leaders in the city of Somersworth are worried they will have to cut essential services for residents due to the economic fallout associated with COVID-19. Somersworth, which borders Maine, is the smallest of Strafford County's tri-cities. With a population of just under 12,000 people, they do not have the same tax base as neighboring Dover and Rochester, but residents face many of the same social issues. "We have a lot of families that are food insecure," Superintendent Robert Gadomsk… Continue Reading
September 29, 2020
NH loan fund to get $557K to help small businesses
CONCORD (AP) - A total of $557,000 is going to the New Hampshire Community Loan Fund to support small businesses and promote economic growth in communities amid the pandemic, the state's congressional delegation said Tuesday. "As the economic fallout spurred by this pandemic worsens, it is essential that New Hampshire businesses have the support they need to survive this crisis," U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, a Democrat, said in a statement. U.S. Sen. Maggie Hassan, a Democrat, said the fund "is p… Continue Reading
September 26, 2020
Sen. Shaheen: More work to be done to streamline PPP forgiveness loans
by Adam Sullivan
LEBANON, N.H. (WCAX) - Senator Jeanne Shaheen says more work needs to be done to streamline the forgiveness process for PPP loans. Goekon is one of the thousands of businesses in New Hampshire to receive a total of $2.5 billion in assistance. The company makes measuring equipment for infrastructure and mining projects. While businesses say PPP was a life safer for their bottom line, there is concern the forgiveness application is overly cumbersome, which could unintentionally end up saddling … Continue Reading
September 25, 2020
EPA approves dredging site off coast of Maine, New Hampshire
PORTSMOUTH (AP) - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has designated an area about 12 miles off the coast of Portsmouth as a long-term disposal site for dredging material from Maine, New Hampshire and northern Massachusetts, the agency announced Friday. The Isles of Shoals North Disposal Site meets a need in a region where there are no EPA-designated, long-term disposal sites for dredged material. The only active site, off Cape Arundel, Maine, was previously closed, then reopened, and will… Continue Reading
September 24, 2020
Bias in U.S. Military Promotions Cited as Senators Offer Measure
by Josyana Joshua and Daniel Flatley
Two senators on the Foreign Relations Committee introduced a measure aimed at reducing bias in military promotions by withholding some identifying information from the boards that decide on them. In an effort to reduce biased choices tied to race or gender, Senators Todd Young, a Republican from Indiana, and Jeanne Shaheen, a New Hampshire Democrat, want the Pentagon to exclude information including a candidate's name, gender, age and race. Photographs would also be banned. "Removing bias and … Continue Reading
September 23, 2020
Strafford County gets federal money for economic push amid pandemic
by Kyle Stucker
ROCHESTER - The federal government has allocated $379,131 in COVID-19 relief funds to create a new economic recovery coordinator position to assist Strafford County municipalities and businesses. The Strafford Regional Planning Commission position is designed to provide new resources and strategic planning assistance to the region, both to help with the impacts of the pandemic as well as with the communities' other development challenges. In announcing their application for the funding last mo… Continue Reading
September 22, 2020
Delegation urges Air Force to provide water to Newington homeowners
by Jeff McMenemy
NEWINGTON - Members of the state's congressional delegation are calling for the Air Force to provide safe drinking water for five Newington homeowners whose wells have tested above the state's new, more protective PFAS standards. In a letter signed by U.S. Sens. Jeanne Shaheen and Maggie Hassan, along with U.S. Rep. Chris Pappas, they note "there are five properties in the town of Newington ... participating in ongoing private water supply well monitoring. Currently, the owners and residents of… Continue Reading
September 22, 2020
U.S. trial of Foley killers 'steps closer,' Shaheen says
by Kevin Landrigan
Two ISIS terrorists accused of killing former New Hampshire resident and freelance war correspondent James Foley and three other American hostages are "several steps closer" to trial in a U.S. court, Sen. Jeanne Shaheen said Tuesday. British authorities on Tuesday confirmed they gave to U.S. officials evidence widely seen as pivotal to building a case against El Shafee Elsheikh and Alexanda Kotey. "This is very welcome news and a critical step to ending the legal limbo that has stalled… Continue Reading
September 21, 2020
Shaheen Tours UNH Testing Lab As School Nears 100,000 Completed COVID Tests
by Todd Bookman
The University of New Hampshire has processed more than 99,000 COVID-19 tests since July. The high volume, according to school officials, is allowing the school to identify and isolate positive cases rapidly before they can spread. The school's model is drawing praise from state and local officials, including Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, who toured the school's testing center on Monday. UNH is requiring students to get tested at least twice a week. Students are provided with saline solution and nasal … Continue Reading
September 20, 2020
NH businesses hit by USPS slowdown; pols push for solutions
by Jonathan Phelps
The U.S. Postal Service's well-publicized delivery problems of the past few months have severely handicapped New Hampshire businesses, especially those in rural areas, as they try to rebound from the pandemic's crippling economic effects. Electronic Imaging Materials, a specialty-label manufacturing company in Keene, relies on the Postal Service to receive materials and ship its products domestically and internationally. Recently, one shipment took eight days to arrive from Brattleboro… Continue Reading
September 16, 2020
CDC officials say COVID vaccine for ‘general public’ not available till spring or summer
WASHINGTON (WCAX) - U.S. health officials believe a coronavirus vaccine will be available later this year, but when will the public get it? At Wednesday's Senate Appropriations Hearing, CDC Director Robert Redfield said the vaccine could become available in November or December, but only a limited supply. Redfield says it likely won't be available to the general public until the second or third quarter of 2021. New Hampshire Senator Jeanne Shaheen questioned Assistant Secretary of Health and H… Continue Reading
