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 Preshow Return to index of stories... |
Next on New Hampshire Outlook tonight. A train derailment threatens the environment. It's one of the first signs of spring. We'll show you the anatomy of a pothole as crews begin the patrols. And you'll meet the Granite State filmmakers whose documentary focuses on war and peace and the Murals of Northern Ireland |
| Headlines Return to index of stories... |
Good Evening. I'm Allison McNair. Welcome to New Hampshire Outlook. |
| Intro Train Return to index of stories... |
A freight train derailment has caused a major fuel spill along the Connecticut River. Environmental officials from New Hampshire and Vermont are monitoring the situation. No one was hurt in the accident but officials say over two thousand gallons of diesel fuel has killed fish and birds and contaminated the river. EPA spokesman Mark Merchant spoke to us by phone a short while ago. |
| Tag Train Derail Return to index of stories... |
Clean up crews are working quickly to trap the spilled fuel that's floating on top of the water. It is deadly to waterfowl and fish. It clings to feathers and clogs gills. Emergency officials say no public water supplies are threatened by the spill. |
| McLaughlin Stays Return to index of stories... |
Philip McLaughlin will remain on the job as Attorney General. McLaughlin says Governor Jeanne Shaheen has asked him to remain as a holdover. He had left open the possibility of resigning after Shaheen chose not to renominate him when his term expired March 30th. Shaheen did not offer a nomination to the Executive Council. She said she was concerned it would reject McLauglin. Instead, she said she'll keep him as a holdover for as long as necessary. Critics say McLaughlin has abused his power during the fight over the statewide property tax. |
| Intro Ed Funding Return to index of stories... |
With less than two weeks left before their deadline, state legislators are working full-time on how to solve the education funding crisis. Today was typical with lawmakers offering amendments, committees asking questions, and interest groups trying to be heard. Producer Richard Ager has the story. |
| ED FUND WRAP Return to index of stories... |
Track: The day began with a report card on three of the four major funding proposals. Issuing the report card was Citizens for Fair Education Taxation or CFET, a coalition of about a dozen organizations including educators and seniors. The grades reflected whether a proposal is constitutional, raises enough money, is well-documented, and requires no constitutional amendment. Bite: Legislature 1 tape 01;02:15 Both HB759 and HB767 - the income tax and the sales tax plans - pass CFET's basic reality checks making them viable proposals to fund education. Track: But House Bill 50, proposed last week by the Ways and Means Committee, did not fare as well. Bite: Legislature 1 tape 2:50 Given that CFET does not consider budget cuts to be a revenue source, House Bill 50 fails to pass the four basic reality checks and is not considered to be a viable solution to Claremont Two. Track: The coalition did not rate Rep. Andy Peterson's plan, because it was being amended today. Peterson is redefining his plan as a 1% gross receipts tax on business. Graphic: Its exemptions now include; Tuition, Mortgage interest, Rent, Electricity, Insurance, Telephone service, Real Estate purchases, and non-profit and govt. funded activities. Bite: Peterson tape 03:05:03 We won't target an individual sector, but spread the burden that is before us in a responsible way among all the different taxpayers of the state and have an even distribution of that burden. I'm not here to criticize other plans. In fact, I compliment those who came forward to put other plans on the table. However, at the end of the day, it will not serve the state well to have a plan that pits the rich against the poor, Wall St. against Main St. or that most importantly, pits town against town in this state. Track: One interesting development in this landscape of shifting alliances was a comment from the NH High Tech Council which had already endorsed the governor's plan. Bite: Peterson tape 27:52 The NH High Tech Council finds this an interesting and innovative approach and we would certainly like to study this more for the potential merits it has and we'll give it consideration over the next several days. Track: Meanwhile, the House Ways and Means Committee continued looking into all the funding proposals. Revenue Commissioner Stan Arnold clarified whether the governor's proposed sales tax would apply to fundraisers or garage sales. Bite; Legislature tape 1 17:34 As long as it was being done for fundraising purposes, they would not have to collect the sales tax. Track: The sponsors of the income tax bill proposed an amendment to their homestead exemption, which would have exempted homes worth up to $250,000 from the statewide property tax. Bite: Legislature tape 1 22:16 What we propose here is to reduce the exemption to $150,000 - which is about $1000 off your property tax bill for everybody in the state who has a $150,000 house or higher - that's $1000 off. Track: By reducing the exemption, the state will collect more property tax from those who earn income outside the state which would be exempt from the proposed income tax. The hearings - and the jockeying - will continue tomorrow. For NH Outlook, I'm Richard Ager. |
| Intro Shaheen Econ. development Return to index of stories... |
Governor Jeanne Shaheen released a state economic development plan today in Concord. The plan calls for supporting traditional and new industries while preserving New Hampshire's quality of life and the environment. A 100-thousand-dollar federal grant funded the project with input from businesses, state agencies and economists at the University of New Hampshire's Whittemore School of Business and Economoics. |
| Tag Econ Develop Return to index of stories... |
The plan also calls for investment in roads and bridges and spreading wealth from cities to rural communities. |
| Power Crunch Return to index of stories... |
Electric deregulation becomes official on May first. Many PSNH customers could see their rates reduced about 12-percent. Other providers are expected to raise their rates 20 to 30 percent. While many experts say the Granite State isn't facing the same power crunch as California, we could be asked to concerve power on very hot days. |
| Intro Mt. Washington Return to index of stories... |
At last, it felt like spring today. But will this nice weather stick around? Charlie Lopresti has the view from the Mount Washington Observatory. |
| Mt. Washington Return to index of stories... |
CURRENT Temp: 23 F Wind: Northwest 44 mph Wind Chill: -18 Current WX: In and out of the clouds, with light icing. FORECAST Tonight North: Mostly cloudy Lows: 30 to 35 F Winds: North 10 to 15 mph South: Increasing clouds with a chance of rain showers. Lows: 35 to 40 F Winds: North 10 to 15 mph Tomorrow Morning clouds giving way to mostly sunny skies. Highs: 45 to 50 F 50 to 55 F Winds: North 10 to 15 mph CG:WEATHER\Mount Washington Observatory\Current Conditions\Temperature: 23 Degrees\Wind: Northwest 44 MPH\Wind Chill: -18\In and Out of the Clouds with Light Icing CG:WEATHER\Tonight\North\Mostly Cloudy\Lows: 30 to 35 Degrees\Winds: North 10 to 15 MPH\ CG:WEATHER\Tonight\South\Increasing Clouds - Chance of Rain Showers\Lows: 35 to 40 Degrees\Winds: North 10 to 15 MPH\ CG:WEATHER\Tomorrow\Statewide\Morning Clouds - Mostly Sunny Skies\Highs: 45 to 50 Degrees NORTH\Highs: 50 to 55 Degrees SOUTH\Winds: North 10 to 15 MPH |
| Digging Out Return to index of stories... |
You think you had a lot of snow in your driveway? Try plowing New Hampshire's Mount Washington Auto Road. Crews with bulldozers have begun clearing up to 25 feet of snow from the tourist road to the summit. They hope to have the road clear in time to open it on May fifth. In the old days, crews with picks and shovels worked to get the eight-mile road open by July Fourth. |
| Intro Potholes Return to index of stories... |
If you were out driving on this beautiful day today, you probably had a chance to see some long awaited spring weather. But, don't take your eyes off the road too long, you may have to swerve. It's pothole season again. This year is the worst we've seen in a decade and the state of New hampshire is spending millions of dollars repairing the roads. Producer Scott Jones shows us the anatomy of a pothole. |
| Tag Potholes Return to index of stories... |
For more information, you can contact the Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory in Hanover. And Doctor David Gress of the Recycled Materials Resource Center. |
| Business Outlook Return to index of stories... |
A modest gain was made on Wall Street today. The day opened with a rally due in part to a better than expected outlook from Amazon-dot com. Analysts' downgrades of Intel and Texas Instruments reminded investors that many companies continue to struggle with slumping demand and the weak economy. |
| Wall Street Stocks Return to index of stories... |
The Dow closed up 54. The Nasdaq was also up closing 25 -point three eight. The S & P 500 was up 9. Dow industrials 9845.15 up 54.06 or 0.55 percent New York Stock Exchange 587.70 up 4.67 American Stock Exchange 871.02 up 11.46 Nasdaq composite 1745.74 up 25.38 Standard and Poors 500 1137.58 up 9.15 |
| Cancer Medicaid Benefit Return to index of stories... |
New Hampshire will be one of three states to offer Medicaid benefits to uninsured women who have breast or cervical cancer. West Virginia, Maryland and New Hampshire are the first three states to take advantage of a federal Prevention and Treatment Act enacted in October 2000. The law extends the Medicaid benefits to women who were screened and found to need treatment through a national early detection program. To qualify for the new program, women must be under age 65, not eligible for Medicaid and without health care coverage. |
| Canada Flights Return to index of stories... |
You can get there from here. Today Air Alliance, an affiliate of Air Canada, began daily non-stop flights between Manchester and Montreal. The flights begin with a ceremony at the Manchester airport this morning. |
| Ski Season Return to index of stories... |
A good season for the Gunstock ski area in Gilford means good news for residents of Belknap County. Under an agreement with Gunstock last year, the county picked up outstanding debt in return for an annual payment of 150 thousand dollars and a percentage of income. General Manager Greg Goddard says that payment will be higher than anticipated because of the banner year. Gunstock was open nearly a month longer than last year, thanks to an early start, a late finish and no mid-winter rain. |
| Intro Murals Return to index of stories... |
This Friday marks the third anniversary of the "Good Friday Peace Agreement" in Northern Ireland. There's a group of young artists there who have been celebrating the peace with paintbrushes. They've created a mural in Belfast that portrays a Catholic and Protestant community living and working together. For two years, a New Hampshire television production crew has been documenting their story. Producer Phil Vaughn shows us some of their work. |
| Murals Return to index of stories... |
narration- Before there were words, there were pictures - simple images that told a story. narration- Today, pictures still tell stories about: our history; our culture and our conflicts. No where is that more evident than in Northern Ireland. Van clip "There is a long tradition of murals in N. Ireland. With the Protestants it goes back 100 years, Catholics more than 50 years." narration - For the past two years, New Hampshire residents Van McLeod, Dawn Wivell and Ron Wyman have been working on a documentary entitled Murals. Van clip "I thought it was an important story when I started, but believe it's more important now that we've been working on it." narration - Murals talks about change - about how a group of young Catholic and Protestants in Belfast created a cross community mural on the peace line between their conflicting neighborhoods. The scenes depict how the artists imagine living in peace. kids clip "It was the first time I've had the chance to work with Catholics." narration -The first time these kids worked together was two years ago, in New London, NH. Church groups invited them here to create a Peace Mural. kid clip "I thought there were going to be fights, but it was very peaceful." narration - Upon returning home to Northern Ireland, these young artists faced some deep rooted conflicts. ron clip "There was tremendous pressure on these kids to fit in. It's a society where violence is empowerment. The mural the kids were painting was on a brick wall. The wall was covered with bullet holes. So, the kids were painting about peace on a wall with bullet holes." narration - The murals that have traditionally decorated their neighborhoods tell stories of hate and conflict. Van clip "It's about how we romanticize violence. In N. Ireland you can see it very clearly in the murals. There are images of violence, masked people with guns." Dawn clip "The message is to kill the other side." Van clip "So when Michael Stone goes to an IRA funeral with two hand gernades and two pistols and starts killing, a mural is painted in his honor." narration - But these young people who worked together in New London did so again in Belfast. Each brushstroke they made represented hope for peace. Van clip "The kids who made the choice to be involved in this program made a committment. This is not like taking a two week vacation away from the violence, they had to stick with it. Some dropped out so there's still pressure. But, people know that the only hope for peace comes from cross community efforts, such as these murals." Dawn clip "Many had never worked together whether Protestant or Catholic. One of the great things was Catholics invited Protestants to dinner and vis-versa. There was one little girl who cartwheeled over the peace line to be with her new friends." narration - The mural was finished a year ago. The very fact that it has survived says something about change and the desire for peace in Northern Ireland. Van clip "It's been going on for a long time and will continue. But hopefully they will put down their guns and the old murals will be replaced with new ones of peace. narration - Friday, APril 13th marks the third anniversary of the Good Friday Peace Agreement in Northern Ireland. To celebrate the anniversary and to raise money for the Murals Project documentary, the Irish Band Different Drums along with The Angel Band of New Hampshire will perform at the Portsmouth Music Hall. |
| Tag Murals Return to index of stories... |
The Murals Benefit Concert featuring Different Drums of Ireland takes place this Friday night at the Music Hall in Portsmouth. Call 436-2400 for more information. |
| Intro Frost Return to index of stories... |
Finally this evening Spring is in the air. It's also maple sugar time. Fritz Weatherbee reads the words of Robert Frost and Videographer, Steve Salniker shows us An Evening in the Sugar Orchard. |
| website Return to index of stories... |
For information on tonight's program, and links to our guests and interviews, visit our web site at nhptv.org. You can see and hear streaming video of our broadcasts and participate in our daily poll. If you've got a story idea or comment on our program you can call us at 800-639-2721. |
| Tomorrow Return to index of stories... |
Tomorrow on New Hampshire Outlook - The European hoof and mouth crisis is hitting home. We'll show you the preventive measures underway to keep the disease from spreading in the Granite State. |
| Goodnight Return to index of stories... |
That's it for this edition of New Hampshire Outlook. For all of us here at New Hampshire Public Television, thanks for joining us. Stay tuned for Granite State Challenge. We'll be back tomorrow at 7:30. Good night. |
| founders Return to index of stories... |
Thanks to our founding sponsors who have provided major funding for the production of New Hampshire Outlook: New Hampshire Charitable Foundadtion Public Service of New Hampshire Alice J. Reen Charitable Trust Putnam Foundation Stratford Foundation |
| Superfund Grant Return to index of stories... |
Merrimack is one of only 50 communities nationwide - to get a federal grant from the Environmental Protection Agency's Superfund Pilot Program. The town is figuring out what to do with 13 acres that used to be home to an electroplating company. The contaminated building was removed in 1994, but final cleanup has been delayed by a lack of funding. Town officials say residents will help come up with recommendations for the site, which the EPA will consider as it does the cleanup. |
| Manchester Parking Return to index of stories... |
People attending events at the new civic center in Manchester apparently will have to pay between five and ten dollars to park, and still have to do some walking. These amounts are twice as high as those assumed by a city consultant in 1999. The mayor's office says the exact rates haven't been set and Aldermen will have to approve the rate increase. The 70 million-dollar ten-thousand seat downtown arena is scheduled to open in November. The main tenant will be an American Hockey League team. |
| key: culture /arts Return to index of stories... |
DATE:4/9/01 TOPIC: Finally this evening Spring is in the air. It's also maple sugar time. Fritz Weatherbee reads the words of Robert Frost and Videographer, Steve Salniker shows us An Evening in the Sugar Orchard. SEGMENT LENGTH: 1:30 NAME OF PARTICIPANTS: Fritz Weatherbee |
| key: transportation Return to index of stories... |
DATE: 4/9/01 TOPIC:If you were out driving on this beautiful day today, you probably had a chance to see some long awaited spring weather. But, don't take your eyes off the road too long, you may have to swerve. It's pothole season again. This year is the worst we've seen in a decade and the state of New hampshire is spending millions of dollars repairing the roads. Producer Scott Jones shows us the anatomy of a pothole. SEGMENT LENGTH: 3:30 NAME OF PARTICIPANTS: Dee Willant\Newmarket Semme Dijkstra\Nottingham Mike Schidlovsky\Durham Dr. David Gress\UNH Recycled Materials Resource Center Tom Mansfield\NHDOT District 5 Patrol Foreman Ken Mailhot\NHDOT District 6 |
| key: Government: state Return to index of stories... |
DATE: 4/9/01 TOPIC:With less than two weeks left before their deadline, state legislators are working full-time on how to solve the education funding crisis. Today was typical with lawmakers offering amendments, committees asking questions, and interest groups trying to be heard. Producer Richard Ager has the story. SEGMENT LENGTH: 3:14 NAME OF PARTICIPANTS: Sam Mekrut\NH Citizens Alliance Rep. Andy Peterson\Sponsor - HB 766 Richard Dean\NH High Tech Council |
| key: environment Return to index of stories... |
DATE: 4/9/01 TOPIC: A freight train derailment has caused a major fuel spill along the Connecticut River. Environmental officials from New Hampshire and Vermont are monitoring the situation. No one was hurt in the accident but officials say over two thousand gallons of diesel fuel has killed fish and birds and contaminated the river. EPA spokesman Mark Merchant spoke to us by phone a short while ago. SEGMENT LENGTH: 2:40 NAME OF PARTICIPANTS: Mark Merchant\EPA Spokesman |
| key: culture / arts Return to index of stories... |
DATE: 4/9/01 TOPIC:This Friday marks the third anniversary of the "Good Friday Peace Agreement" in Northern Ireland. There's a group of young artists there who have been celebrating the peace with paintbrushes. They've created a mural in Belfast that portrays a Catholic and Protestant community living and working together. For two years, a New Hampshire television production crew has been documenting their story. Producer Phil Vaughn shows us some of their work. SEGMENT LENGTH: 5:33 NAME OF PARTICIPANTS: Van McLeod\Producer Ron Wyman\Videographer Dawn Wivell\Associate Producer |