In The News
Farm bill bonus: This year's reauthorization includes a potential leg up for Cheshire County
by Editorial
It wasn't a perfect bill, by any means; the political fodder that is the Department of Agriculture's omnibus funding bill is, every five years, a new opportunity for pork and policy tuning. And so it was with this year's farm bill. On the former, we'll simply note that one legislator's pork is another's justifiable aid, and that the entire point of what was originally called the Agricultural Adjustment Act of 1933 was to pay farmers not to grow certain crops. As for the policy issues, this … Continue Reading
December 15, 2018
Farm bill awaiting Trump's signature would benefit county
by Liora Engel-Smith
A provision that would make Cheshire County eligible for special economic development grants is headed to the president's desk, as part of a farm bill that cleared Congress this week. The $867 billion bill passed by a 386-47 vote in the U.S. House Wednesday after winning favor in the Senate, 87-13, the previous day. If President Donald Trump signs the bill into law, Cheshire County will officially become part of the Northern Border Regional Commission, a state-federal partnership tha… Continue Reading
December 14, 2018
Manchester Gets $3.7M From HUD To Remediate Lead Paint In Low-Income Housing
by Annie Ropeik
The federal government will give Manchester $3.7 million to address lead paint issues in city homes. The money comes from the Department of Housing and Urban Development as part of grants given out across the country. New Hampshire's Congressional delegation praised the funding as a way to help vulnerable families in the city's oldest housing. "This funding will allow the City of Manchester to perform healthy home assessments and address lead hazards in 180 housing units to ensure the safety … Continue Reading
December 14, 2018
New Hampshire man receives long-awaited Purple Heart medal
by Emily Sweeney
More than seven decades after he was wounded in World War II, Melrose native Francis Byrne finally received his Purple Heart. The 94-year-old veteran was presented the medal at a ceremony at Elliot Hospital in Manchester, N.H., on Friday morning. It was an honor he'd been waiting years to receive. The moment finally arrived after the Manchester Police Department escorted Byrne from his home in Manchester to the hospital, where he received the long-awaited honor. Brigadier General David J. Mik… Continue Reading
December 13, 2018
Senators want PFAS studies to include firefighters
by Jeff McMenemy
PORTSMOUTH - A bipartisan group of U.S. senators led by Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., and Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, are calling for federal health officials to take immediate action to address firefighter exposure to PFAS chemicals. Twenty-one senators signed on to the letter sent Thursday to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR). "As you are aware, PFAS chemicals are a byproduct of aqueous film forming foam (AFFF), a fire suppres… Continue Reading
December 06, 2018
World War II veteran battling cancer will receive Purple Heart, officials say
by Christine DeLong Wheeler
MANCHESTER, N.H. - A U.S. Army veteran from Manchester who never received a Purple Heart after being injured during World War II will finally be recognized for his service and sacrifice. U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen announced Thursday that Cpl. Francis Byrne will finally be awarded a Purple Heart. Her office has been working on his application since August. He fought in the Battle of the Bulge and was injured in the line of duty in Belgium when he was hit by shrapnel from a landmine. His lieuten… Continue Reading
December 06, 2018
World War II veteran to get his Purple Heart
by Paul Feely
MANCHESTER - A World War II veteran from Manchester is getting his dying wish - a Purple Heart Award, to be presented at a ceremony in his honor more than seven decades after he was injured. Francis Byrne, 94, of Manchester, enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1943 at the age of 18. He saw his first combat on Omaha Beach in Normandy on D-Day a year later, and was injured in the line of duty in Belgium when he was hit by shrapnel from a German land mine. His story was featured recently in the New Hamp… Continue Reading
November 23, 2018
Funding included for dredging of Hampton harbor
by Max Sullivan
HAMPTON -- Officials concerned the Hampton Harbor was becoming shallow beyond use celebrated new funding for the harbor's emergency dredging this week. The $4.6 million needed to complete the dredging was included in the Army Corps of Engineers' 2019 Work Plan, according to U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen's office. Shaheen and other New Hampshire congressional delegates praised the Army Corps for including the funding to get the work completed next year. Shoaling has caused sand to collect in the har… Continue Reading
November 16, 2018
Shaheen, Tillis lead delegation to security forum
CONCORD, N.H. Democratic U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire and Republican Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina are leading a bipartisan delegation attending an international security conference in Canada. The group is participating in the 10th annual Halifax International Security Forum in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Three hundred delegates from around the world are discussing strategic cooperation on common global security goals. Shaheen and Tillis are the co-chairs of the recently re-e… Continue Reading
November 13, 2018
'GEAR UP' Manchester programming slated to debut in early 2019
by Paul Feely
MANCHESTER - School board members heard an update on how a federal grant providing $10.5 million over the next seven years will help low-income students in Manchester middle schools. Earlier this year, U.S. senators Jeanne Shaheen and Maggie Hassan, both Democrats, and Rep. Carol Shea-Porter, D-NH, announced a Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP) grant for $1,572,534 per year over the next seven years to the New Hampshire College & University Council. … Continue Reading
November 12, 2018
Senators, advocates push for USS Thresher disaster memorial
by Adam Sexton
PORTSMOUTH, N.H. - A renewed effort is underway to memorialize the 129 sailors and civilians who were lost aboard the USS Thresher, a submarine that sank off the New England coast in 1963. In the deadliest submarine disaster in U.S. history, the USS Thresher went down on April 10, 1963, during deep-diving tests, sinking in 8,000 feet of water about 200 miles off Cape Cod. None of the 129 men aboard the Portsmouth-based vessel survived. "It was a national event," said Kevin Galeaz of the US… Continue Reading
November 11, 2018
Sens. Jeanne Shaheen and Maggie Hassan: Protecting consumers from exorbitant – often surprise – out-of-pocket health care costs
by U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen and Maggie Hassan
Imagine opening the mail to find a massive, unexpected medical bill that throws your entire budget into disarray, like the man from Concord who sought treatment for a cut to his finger and was charged $3,500. He was unaware that he was seen by a physician who wasn't covered under his insurance which resulted in a much higher fee. Or the man from Texas who had a heart attack, was sent to an out-of-network hospital, and charged $108,951 in out-of-pocket costs for care. Or maybe you don't have to … Continue Reading
November 07, 2018
As Midterms Reshape Congress, Shaheen Hopes For Bipartisanship
by Annie Ropeik
New Hampshire's senior U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen says she's hoping for more bipartisanship in Congress, with a new Democratic majority in the House of Representatives. Shaheen was at an event in Portsmouth Wednesday and spoke to NHPR about the mixed midterm results. While Democrats took back the House of Representatives, Republicans expanded their majority in the Senate. Shaheen says it's a call for all of Congress to work across the aisle. "We've had too much partisanship. I think that was… Continue Reading
November 07, 2018
Portsmouth’s Amico gets EPA honor for PFAS fight
by Jeff McMenemy
PORTSMOUTH - Local mother and community activist Andrea Amico received a national public service award from the Environmental Protection Agency for her work advocating for families exposed to PFAS contamination at the former Pease Air Force Base. Amico received the award from EPA Region I Administrator Alexandra Dunn during a ceremony Wednesday in City Council Chambers at City Hall. The event was attended by U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, who has worked with Amico for years to address the water con… Continue Reading
October 31, 2018
Shaheen, at Keene State, urges 'seat at the table' for US on global stage
by Jake Lahut
At the outset of a foreign policy speech at Keene State College Tuesday, there was a palpable feeling in the luminous Mountain View Room that a business-as-usual approach would not be appropriate. After being introduced by Keene State Democrats President Davis Bernstein, U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen set aside her prepared remarks for the college's forum on foreign affairs and took a pause. "I started this speech a few weeks ago, before the events of last week," the New Hampshire Democrat s… Continue Reading
October 23, 2018
Shaheen visits the Glen House’s geothermal system
by Edith Tucker
GREEN'S GRANT - U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) visited the just-opened Glen House hotel at Mount Washington on Route 16 last Friday to discuss the critical role of energy efficiency initiatives in combating climate change. After touring the closed-loop geothermal heating and cooling system housed with backup propane boiler system in the basement of the three-story building, Shaheen discussed the hotel's sustainability components with General Manager Howie Wemyss, who also has oversight over … Continue Reading
October 22, 2018
Shaheen tours data site at Bartlett Experimental Forest
by Edith Tucker
BARTLETT - Part of the 86-year-old Bartlett Experimental Forest, established in 1932 as a 2,600-acre set-aside tract for research within the White Mountain National Forest, now will provide a site where ecological research on a continental scale will be advanced for the next 30 years. U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) got an overview last Friday afternoon of the extensive research that will be done at the forest now that it has been designated as part of the National Ecological Observatory Netw… Continue Reading
October 13, 2018
U.S. pastor credits Shaheen's role in his release from Turkish prison
by Kevin Landrigan
WASHINGTON - Andrew Brunson, a North Carolina Christian missionary pastor detained for two years in Turkey, singled out U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., along with President Trump and Republican leaders with playing major roles in his release from captivity."There are a number of people in the Senate, and I can't mention everyone, but I know that my Senator (Thom) Tillis visited me in prison, so did Senator Shaheen and Senator (Lindsey) Graham, and Senator (James) Lankford," Brunson said while … Continue Reading
October 10, 2018
Portraits of Heartbreak: New Hampshire mom raising awareness of opioid deaths through art
by Cristina Corbin
If art imitates life, Anne Marie Zanfagna's portraits capture the promise of youth - brush strokes of vibrant colors that make up each face, vivacious and carefree, on square canvases displayed Wednesday near the U.S. Capitol. The young subjects - each with their own story - are dead. Collectively the 150 portraits represent a generation ravaged by the opioid epidemic. "When you see them all together, it's very powerful," said Zanfagna, whose 25-year-old daughter, Jacqueline, died from an acci… Continue Reading
October 03, 2018
NH congressional delegation requests emergency dredging of Hampton Harbor
by Kimberley Haas
HAMPTON - The congressional delegation from New Hampshire is requesting that emergency dredging of Hampton Harbor be included in the Army Corps of Engineers' work plan for the 2019 fiscal year.The plan must be submitted to Congress no later than Nov. 20.Sand shoals in the harbor are causing serious issues for those who navigate the waters for work and recreation. The channel is currently only 20 to 30 feet wide in some places and at least two boats have gotten stuck on the shoals this season.Las… Continue Reading
