In The News
Stimulus grant to improve Internet service, create jobs in NH
by Jason Claffey
DURHAM - High-speed Internet service all over the state will be expanded thanks to a $44.5 million stimulus grant that could create up to a dozen local jobs. Network New Hampshire Now, composed of several organizations led by the University of New Hampshire, was awarded the money this week. The group will kick in $22 million of its own for a three-year project that will feature three major infrastructure improvements. Officials say the work will create almost 700 new jobs and provide… Continue Reading
July 02, 2010
NH broadband gets $44.4m stimulus boost
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Network New Hampshire Now, an initiative led by the University of New Hampshire, received $44.5 million to expand broadband services thorough the state. The funding is part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The announcement was hailed in a joint statement by U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen and Reps. Paul Hodes and Carol Shea-Porter of New Hampshire. "We need to make affordable, high speed Internet available in every community across New Hampshire so that busi… Continue Reading
July 02, 2010
Sen. Shaheen steps in to help Greenland widow whose Social Security funds were taken from bank account
by Geoff Cunningham, Jr.
GREENLAND - A local widow who was shocked after the government withdrew Social Security funds from her bank account without providing her notice continues to look for answers and a possible change in laws so that others don't experience the hardship she faced. And she is already receiving help in that endeavor. U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen has sent a letter to the head of the Social Security Administration asking for answers and calling the erroneous and sudden reclamation of funds "disc… Continue Reading
July 02, 2010
Unemployment benefits at risk
by Shira Schoenberg
Howard Weinert has been traveling around the country looking for work. A master electrician, Weinert was first laid off in April 2009, before using up 26 weeks of unemployment benefits. He found another job at the Comerford Dam in Monroe - but was laid off again. His last week of benefits was June 13. Congress hasn't passed another extension of unemployment benefits. Weinert hasn't found a job, so he has no income. He was evicted from his home in Claremont and moved to Belmont. He fe… Continue Reading
June 19, 2010
Assistant VA secretary praises NH for cooperation
by Garry Rayno
MANCHESTER - Veterans Administration Assistant Secretary L. Tammy Duckworth was impressed with the cooperation among military and social service agencies to address the needs of veterans in New Hampshire. Duckworth helped open the Dalianis House for homeless veterans in Nashua and toured the Manchester Veterans Administration Medical Center yesterday in her first visit to the Granite State. The VA and National Guard work closely together, "which is not the case across the country," she sa… Continue Reading
June 18, 2010
Preventing a nuclear nightmare
by Jeanne Shaheen
Air raid sirens, fallout shelters, "duck and cover" drills. For years, the United States prepared for the possibility of nuclear war against the Soviet Union. But with deterrence and arms control, our nuclear nightmare was never realized. Today, the nuclear threat has evolved. The Cold War is over, and the threat of a nuclear exchange between the world's two largest nuclear powers has declined. Yet the possibility of nuclear weapons falling into the wrong hands increases. Nuclear terro… Continue Reading
June 18, 2010
Shaheen hopes for renewed commitment in the Gulf
by Lauren Collins
(NECN: Lauren Collins) - Senator Jeanne Shaheen greeted the news that BP chief Tony Hayward will be handing off day-to-day responsibilities in the Gulf with hope, "that there will be somebody there with a renewed energy and a renewed commitment to make sure the response to people in the Gulf is better."A response New Hampshire's junior senator says, so far, falls short. She's astounded that many of the clean up technologies deployed since April date back to the Exxon Valdez days. … Continue Reading
June 17, 2010
Senators Spar On Subpoenas, Liability Caps
by Darren Goode
As top officials from the administration and BP took to Capitol Hill this morning to talk about the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, Senate Democrats put on a show to score more political points in the spill's aftermath. Senate Democrats twice tried to get unanimous approval to remove all liability caps that BP and other oil companies would face for the gulf spill and future spills, and to give subpoena power to a bipartisan commission President Obama has created to come up with safety and over… Continue Reading
June 15, 2010
Mortgage Help Stymied By Paperwork Problems
GOFFSTOWN, N.H. -- Some homeowners trying to avoid foreclosure say that one of the best options for homeowners in trouble is marked with delays and confusion. According to New Hampshire Housing, 361 foreclosure notices were reported for the month of April, the second worst month for foreclosures in state history. One way for some homeowners to avoid foreclosure is a process called mortgage modification. But even qualified customers are having trouble getting a modification. Don Durfee, … Continue Reading
June 15, 2010
Shaheen champions wood heat for nursing home
by Nate Giarnese
OSSIPEE - U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., touched down in Ossipee Friday to hail efforts by the county government to heat the new nursing home with Earth-friendly wood pellets. Shaheen, touring the construction site next door to Carroll County's 40-plus-year-old Mountain View Nursing Home, said continued investment in green energy will fuel job-creation and decreased dependence on foreign oil. "Improving energy effi ciency in buildings will help get America running on clean energy, redu… Continue Reading
June 10, 2010
Seacoast companies to tout N.H. tourism in Washington, D.C.
PORTSMOUTH - Six Seacoast companies will be among a group of New Hampshire businesses that will tout the Granite State's tourism offerings in Washington, D.C., today. Rumbletree, Redhook Ale Brewery, Smuttynose Brewery, Timberland, Common Man Restaurants, and Wentworth by the Sea hotel will join the Experience New Hampshire event. The event is an opportunity for Granite State businesses to promote and highlight industries that are important to the state's economy. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N… Continue Reading
June 09, 2010
Can UN's latest Iran sanctions be a game-changer?
by Howard LaFranchi
Washington - President Obama wasted no time in hailing Wednesday's passage by the UN Security Council of a resolution targeting Iran's nuclear program as "the toughest sanctions ever faced by the Iranian government." While that may be true, almost no one believes that the new resolution - any more than three before it targeting Iran - will on its own stop Iran's nuclear program. What the resolution does, some nuclear and Iran experts say, is increase the cost Iran pays - both diplomatic a… Continue Reading
June 09, 2010
On-the-job training helps unemployed workers obtain new skills, find and keep jobs
by Jeanne Shaheen
Earlier this week, Senator Cochran and I introduced legislation that has the potential to make a big difference in the lives of the countless Americans who have struggled to find work in this challenging economic climate. Our bill, the On-the-Job Training Act of 2010, expands and strengthens on-the-job training (OJT) programs by authorizing the Department of Labor to award grants to support local training programs. As the nation climbs out of the recession, the workforce must adjust to th… Continue Reading
June 07, 2010
Shaheen, Cochran sponsor job training bill
CONCORD, N.H.-Sens. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire and Thad Cochran of Mississippi have introduced legislation they say will help unemployed people find and keep jobs by expanding on-the-job training programs. Under such programs, employers agree to hire workers that need training in exchange for a training subsidy. Shaheen, a Democrat, and Cochran, a Republican, say the programs have a good track record but are highly underutilized. Shaheen says Congress should do everything it can to… Continue Reading
June 04, 2010
Shaheen talks youth jobs with DHS students, faculty
by Leslie Modica
DOVER - As the job market shrank during the economic recession, prospective employees began competing for jobs they may not have otherwise have sought. And as the influx of applicants put a squeeze on available jobs, teenagers were often pushed out of consideration as employers gave available openings to adults with more experience. So as U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) looked out at more than a dozen Dover High School students and faculty Thursday morning, she pledged to support legis… Continue Reading
May 14, 2010
Sen. Shaheen says Federal Reserve needs to be audited
by Adam D. Krauss
DOVER - U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen says the Federal Reserve needs to be audited because the institution has been operating in the shadows for too long. "Taxpayers have a right to know how their money is being spent," Shaheen said in a statement after the Senate voted for the measure 96-0 Tuesday. "The Federal Reserve has not been forthcoming about which big banks they have helped out. This is unacceptable, and this amendment will help provide the transparency and accountability the America… Continue Reading
May 13, 2010
U.S. DOT rep. to visit aging Memorial Bridge
by Geoff Cunningham, Jr.
PORTSMOUTH - A high-ranking U.S. Department of Transportation representative will join transportation leaders at Memorial Bridge on Friday for a meeting officials hope will boost New Hampshire's chances of obtaining federal stimulus money to help replace the deteriorating structure. Efforts to secure funding for the bridge cleared one hurdle on Wednesday when members of the New Hampshire Senate voted to approve an amendment to the Department of Transportation's ten-year-plan that seeks to… Continue Reading
May 13, 2010
Hampstead receives $475K grant
by Jillian Jorgensen
HAMPSTEAD - A $475,000 federal grant from the Department of Homeland Security will buy a new firetruck for the Fire Department, U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen's office announced yesterday. "It's great news for the town," fire Chief Michael Carrier said. The grant was awarded through the vehicle acquisition program, part of the Assistance to Firefighters Grant program, according to Shaheen's office. Carrier said the money will help the town purchase a "quint" - a firetruck that serves severa… Continue Reading
May 12, 2010
Some qualify for federal energy-efficient upgrades
by Albert McKeon
HUDSON - Phil Prescott feels like he won the lottery. He didn't play Powerball, though. Prescott won the economic stimulus lottery. During several days last week, a crew of workers have poked and prodded his house with all manner of materials and tools to make the structure more energy efficient. It was expected that by the time they were finished - they were expected to be done May 7 - Prescott's 6 Rega St. home would be ready to keep cool in summer and retain heat in winter - reducing … Continue Reading
May 10, 2010
Shippensburg University graduates more than 1,000
by Julia Stein
Shippensburg University celebrated its undergraduate commencement on Saturday at Seth Grove Stadium. A total of 1,008 undergraduates participated in the bachelor's degree ceremony. SU awarded 484 degrees from the College of Arts and Sciences, 247 degrees from the College of Education and Human Services and 277 degrees from the John L. Grove College of Business. Several representatives from the SU class of 1960 led the class procession to infuse a "past meets present" theme. This year's a… Continue Reading
