In The News
Smiths ramps up syringe production in preparation for COVID vaccine
by Mia Summerson
As the race to develop a COVID-19 vaccine continues, one local manufacturer is already preparing for what comes next. Smiths Medical, a Minneapolis-based medical supplies producer with a facility in Keene, announced last month that it is partnering with the federal government to produce hypodermic instruments that will be used to deliver a vaccine once one is approved. The project is expected to create at least 60 jobs at the Keene site over the next year and a half. On Wednesday, U.S. Sen. Je… Continue Reading
August 19, 2020
State School project gets $1M to pave way for initial redevelopment
by Rick Green
LACONIA - A regional commission has awarded $1 million to build infrastructure for initial development of the former State School property, a largely unused area that local leaders hope to turn into an engine for economic growth. The plan is to match the money from the Northern Border Regional Commission with a like amount from other sources to fund road construction, utility lines and parking areas. George Bald, chairman of the Lakeshore Redevelopment Planning Commission, the state pa… Continue Reading
August 19, 2020
Postal reps tell Shaheen USPS can handle mail-in voting
LACONIA - The Postal Service is quite capable of handling the demands of mail-in balloting for this year's general election, postal worker representatives told Sen. Jeanne Shaheen in an online discussion Tuesday. Critics have warned that cuts and operational changes being imposed by Postmaster General Louis DeJoy could cause delays and disruption in the November election, which is being conducted amid a pandemic that will boost the number of people who will vote by mail. Bill Brickley,… Continue Reading
August 19, 2020
NH health care providers say they need more federal help
by Mike Cherry
MANCHESTER, N.H. - New Hampshire health care providers are warning that their system, which has already been financially taxed, needs a lifeline as schools reopen. COVID-19 hospitalizations are down and elective surgeries are up in New Hampshire, but during a video call with U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., on Wednesday, health care providers said they need more federal funding. "(Personal protective gear) remains a concern," said Dr. Apara Dave. "At least at our institution, gowns are the n… Continue Reading
August 18, 2020
Shaheen, administrators talk school return
by Julie Huss
LONDONDERRY - With the school district facing many challenges and unknowns as opening day gets closer, administrators are sharing thoughts with what hopefully will work to keep staff and students safe. And in Londonderry, educators are saying they are ready and excited to get back to the classroom. U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., paid a visit to Matthew Thornton Elementary School Tuesday afternoon to talk with Londonderry administrators and hear more about how the district is planning for it… Continue Reading
August 18, 2020
NH postal workers say partisan leadership hurting ability to do their job
by Amy Coveno
MANCHESTER, N.H. - New Hampshire postal union leaders are calling delivery delays a manufactured crisis while saying they need federal help to ensure they can carry out their jobs. Union leaders pointed to the postmaster general, who was appointed two months ago, as a political player with no Postal Service experience. "The Postal Service has always been nonpartisan," said U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H. "This should not be about partisan politics. It should be about service to the people of… Continue Reading
August 18, 2020
Sen. Jeanne Shaheen: We cannot wait for history to happen
by Jeanne Shaheen
On January 9, 1997, I was sworn in as governor of New Hampshire. It was one of the most memorable days of my life. Surrounded by my husband, daughters, elected officials and the Granite Staters I swore to serve, I became the first woman elected to the highest office in the state. During my campaign, and on the day of my inauguration, I thought about the weight of that responsibility. As the first woman elected governor, I had an obligation not just to the women who would come after me but also … Continue Reading
August 17, 2020
Federal funds to help KSC support high school and college students
by Mia Summerson
Keene State College will receive nearly $627,000 in federal funding to assist students from low-income backgrounds, students with disabilities and those who are the first in their families to attend college. The college is getting $364,948 for the Federal TRIO Programs, which provide services for students who come from disadvantaged backgrounds, according to a news release issued recently by U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen's office. The college will receive an additional $261,888 for a new pi… Continue Reading
August 17, 2020
Lawmakers seek answers as USPS warns ballots might not arrive in time for Election Day
by Tim Callery
MANCHESTER, N.H. - The U.S. Postal Service has warned that mail-in ballots in New Hampshire might not arrive in time to be counted in the November election, and lawmakers now want to know why. The warning came after the agency recently shut down some mail sorting machines across the country, including in Manchester. New Hampshire's congressional delegation said it's time for the postmaster general to answer questions. New Hampshire election officials recommend making a request for a mail-in b… Continue Reading
August 16, 2020
Mail sort machines being shut down in Manchester
by Kevin Landrigan
MANCHESTER - Local postal union officials said the U.S. Postal Service at the Goffs Falls Road processing center is putting four of its mail sorting machines out of commission, a move critics charge will slow down the delivery of absentee ballots from New Hampshire voters to town and city clerks. Dana Colette, president of the American Postal Workers Union, Local 230, said the controversy underscores the need for voters to mail any absentee ballots long before the Sept. 8 primary and Nov. 3… Continue Reading
August 14, 2020
Shaheen hopes COVID-19 relief will contain flexibility for childcare providers
by John Koziol
LITTLETON - Echoing remarks she made a month ago in the Lakes Region, U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen said Thursday she remained optimistic that Democrats and Republicans will agree on another round of COVID-19 relief and that the new legislation will contain "flexibility" in how child-care providers are able to spend financial aid. Shaheen met in the play yard of the Littleton Head Start with a dozen socially-distanced stakeholders from the Upper Valley and North Country to underscore the need fo… Continue Reading
August 14, 2020
Child Care Centers Seek More Assistance
by Paul Hayes
LITTLETON - Child care centers need more help to stay afloat. That was the message sent to Sen. Jeanne Shaheen during an hour-long roundtable at the Littleton Head Start on Thursday. Regional child care leaders said the economic impacts of COVID-19 could force some centers to shut down permanently unless the federal government delivers additional aid. "[M]any child care providers throughout New Hampshire are at serious risk of closing their doors unless they get help now," Shaheen… Continue Reading
August 13, 2020
Gorham Fire Department gets federal grant
GORHAM - The Gorham Fire Department has been awarded $134,619 in federal funding to enhance the safety of firefighters and the public. The grant was announced Tuesday by the state's Congressional delegation. The Federal Emergency Management Agency grant can be used for training, equipment acquisition, personal protective equipment, wellness and fitness activities and modifications of fire/emergency medical services stations. "This is a fantastic opportunity for us to get our safety equ… Continue Reading
August 12, 2020
$39.5 million in federal affordable housing aid coming to New Hampshire
New Hampshire is receiving another $39.5 million in federal CARES Act funding to support affordable housing programs and organizations around the state. The funding, announced by all four members of New Hampshire's congressional delegation, includes $19.3 million through the Community Development Block Grant program, which can be used to expand community health facilities, childcare centers, food banks and senior services as well as support eviction prevention, rental deposit assistance and hom… Continue Reading
August 12, 2020
Shaheen: Dover’s Triangle Club, others need opioid crisis funding
DOVER - Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., renewed her call for opioid crisis funding Tuesday during a visit to the Triangle Club, a Dover meetinghouse that offers support to Granite Staters recovering from substance use disorders. Shaheen heard more about the recovery services the organization offers and discussed her efforts to combat the substance use disorder epidemic, which, she said, has been "exacerbated" by the coronavirus pandemic. The visit came the same day Dover police reported two suspec… Continue Reading
August 11, 2020
Inspector general asked to review Census Bureau’s decision to end count early
by Fredrick Kunkle
An inspector general has been asked to investigate whether President Trump or political appointees pressured the Census Bureau in its decision to wrap up door-knocking and other field activities at the end of September, a month sooner than planned. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (N.H.), the ranking Democrat of the commerce, justice, science and related agencies appropriations subcommittee, asked the Commerce Department's inspector general to review the process that led the Census Bureau to reverse cou… Continue Reading
August 11, 2020
Non-profits, small towns seek more COVID-19 aid
by Kevin Landrigan
CONCORD - Administrators with nonprofit groups and small towns warned U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen on Tuesday that congressional failure to increase COVID-19 aid to state and local governments will mean public employee layoffs, cuts to essential services and soaring property taxes next year. Maureen Beauregard, president of Easterseals New Hampshire, said the fallout from the pandemic for communities and human service programs like hers could become worse without additional relief. "That i… Continue Reading
August 11, 2020
Town managers talk COVID impacts with Shaheen
by Terry Leavitt
CONWAY - Town officials from around New Hampshire on Tuesday shared concerns with U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) about dealing with an influx of visitors from other states, lost revenue, budget concerns and voting issues, all spawned by the COVID-19 pandemic. Meeting by conference call were: Conway Town Manager Tom Holmes; Jaffrey Town Manager Jon Frederick; Colebrook Town Clerk/Welfare Officer Sharon Penney; Margaret Byrnes, executive director of the N.H. Municipal Association; Rodney … Continue Reading
August 04, 2020
Pandemic assistance helps Concord drone company ArgenTech Solutions expand
by Ethan DeWitt
When the furloughs first came, the future for Rene Roy was unclear. The Bow resident had worked for years at BirdsEyeView Aeronautics, a drone manufacturing company in Andover, serving as a commercially licensed pilot and manufacturing technician. At once, a global pandemic and economic crash was upending all of that. After BirdsEyeView briefly shuttered, much of its highly skilled workforce was left adrift. Drone design and piloting is not exactly a universally requested skill. But Roy found… Continue Reading
August 01, 2020
Shaheen meets with Derry business owners
by Julie Huss
DERRY - Making sure the state's small businesses continue to get support from the federal government was a key issue on Friday morning as U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., paid a visit to one local restaurant to hear more about how COVID-19 has affected the business. Shaheen met with T-Bones' co-owners Tom Boucher and Bill Greiner to hear more about how the federal Paycheck Protection Program, or PPP, has given the restaurant the lifeline needed to continue to operate through the coronavirus pa… Continue Reading
