|
|
|
|
 Preshow Return to index of stories... |
Next on New Hampshire Outlook tonight. One of the most important political figures in New Hampshire State History is dead. We'll look back on the life of Meldrim Thomson. Ironically, Thomson's rallying cry of Ax the Tax was heard loud and clear at the state capitol today. The house passed a budget WITHOUT funding education. |
| Headlines Return to index of stories... |
Good Evening. I'm Allison McNair. Welcome to New Hampshire Outlook. |
| Intro Thomson Return to index of stories... |
The man who some call the most influential politician in New Hampshire State History has died. Former Governor Meldrim Thomson was a flamboyant conservative who served as Governor of the Granite Sate for three terms in the 1970s. |
| Thomson pkg Return to index of stories... |
vo - Meldrim Thomson broke into New Hampshire politics in 1972 with the battle cry of "Ax the Tax." It was the start of the unofficial requirement that gubernatorial candidates pledge to veto general sales and income taxes. And so today, it seems somewhat ironic that Thompson passed away - as the New Hampshire House was in the midst of considering new taxes to pay for education. Today, after a vote on an income tax was soundly defeated in the house, members were notified of Thomson's death. --- nat full of announcement then silence -- nat full of Seabrook -- vo - During the controversy over the Seabrook Nuclear Power Plant, it was Governor Thomson stood as its strongest supporter. -- sot L-P-A 207 Thomson 37:11 The point is to get the politicians who are opposed to progress in America out of office. And I don't care what their political beliefs are. And if we do that this great country of ours is going forward to a new age of prosperity. -- vo While in office, Meldrin Thomson oversaw the arrests of more than 14 hundred protesters at Seabrook in 1977. He served as governor for three terms. In 1978 he lost a fourth term to Democrat Hugh Gallen. |
| Tag Thomson Return to index of stories... |
Meldrim Thomson was 89. He died this morning at his home in Orford. He had been ill for some time, suffering three heart attacks in the early 1990s and a stroke in 1997. He also suffered from Parkinson's disease. |
| Intro Alf Return to index of stories... |
In Concord, Governor Jeanne Shaheen ordered state flags lowered to half staff in memory of the former governor. As we mentioned earlier, news of Thomson's death was announced in the House and also the Senate. We spoke today to Representative Alf Jacobsen who was president of the state senate during four years of Thomson's governorship. |
| Intro Rath Return to index of stories... |
Former Attorney General Tom Rath spent six years working with the Thomson administration. He joined me by phone a little earlier to talk about some of his most memorable moments. |
| Tag Reaction Return to index of stories... |
At this time, funeral arrangements are pending. |
| Crossover Day Return to index of stories... |
Today is crossover day. That's the last day for House bills to be sent over to the Senate and all Senate bills sent to the House for consideration. That includes budget bills. |
| Toss Richard Return to index of stories... |
Producer Richard Ager was there for today's proceedings and joins us now with highlights. |
| Budget Day 2 Return to index of stories... |
Following two intense days of debating four major funding bills, we're almost back where we started. The House is sending over HB-1 - which is the state budget approved yesterday. But they are not sending any way to pay for it, since every funding bill was defeated. First up today was the Hager-Below income tax plan. This seemed to be the plan that evoked the greatest emotions. It's sponsors characterized it as the fairest solution - its foes depicted it as a government grab for more power. |
| SOT1/Hager/Mirski Return to index of stories... |
11:33:17 I think in the last 20 years.have to enslave each and every one of us. 11:42:19 I would like to say that all of us have studied this in depth, and what we want, most of us, is for our citizens to be treated fairly. We want to not continue to have the property tax climb and climb. |
| SOT2/Dickinson/Burling Return to index of stories... |
After the Hager-Below tax was defeated, one of the more conservative Republican members moved that it be postponed indefinitely. That would have meant none of the elements of the bill could be brought up again. And so the pleading commenced on both sides about whether the option of this income tax bill should be banished for this session. |
| SOT3/Major/Peterson Return to index of stories... |
After the House declined to totally kill the income tax, they moved on to dispose of the next tax plan - Representative Andy Peterson's gross receipts tax. All along, this was the plan that was disliked the least - sort of a Miss Congeniality winner. Everyone agreed it was innovative and well-intentioned. But its critics said it hasn't been tried elsewhere - and they concluded that we just don't enough about how it would work. |
| SOT4/Hess Return to index of stories... |
It was clearly not enough of a strength for the full house. It was rather decisively defeated by a margin of 70 votes. For all those who are wondering now what? - the Republican House Leadership is trying to sound reassuring. |
| Worker Rally Return to index of stories... |
While legislators spent the day inside, members of the State Employees Union rallied outside. A tentative contract agreement was approved last week. The settlement would result in raises averaging four percent in January 2002 and preserves existing health care benefits. The president of the ten-thousand-member union, says negotiators will recommend the membership approve the contract. The Legislature has the final word and is set to vote on the bill next week. |
| Senate Bills Return to index of stories... |
The New Hampshire senate today approved a plan to fix flaws in the statewide property tax by moving toward adoption of uniform assessment standards. A panel of experts came up with the improvements after a Superior Court judge decided in January to throw out the state property tax used to pay for schools.The state is fighting that ruling, but meanwhile, senators said the state needs a more uniform system whatever the court outcome. The bill, which now goes to the House, would create two state boards - one to develop assessing standards and make sure they're kept up to date and the other to oversee equalization, the system used to achieve town-to-town fairness. Senators also passed a measure that would make it harder for children and parents to sue teachers over the way they discipline their pupils. Supporters said the bill, which now goes to the House, will give teachers more control over their classrooms. |
| Intro Internet Return to index of stories... |
Police are patroling the Internet, looking for sexual predators, but officials at a conference in Concord say more must be done to protect children. Police officers, parents, teachers and policy makers gathered at the police academy last night to learn about the many ways predators target kids on the Internet. It was the first meeting of the Northern New England Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. UNH researcher David Finkelhor talked about recent studies which reveal the growing problems related to children and the internet. |
| Tag Internet Return to index of stories... |
If you're concerned about suspicious activity involving children on the internet, contact the Cyber Tipline at 1-800-843-5678 or log on at www- dot- missing kids dot com. |
| Intro Mt. Washington Return to index of stories... |
Lots of sunshine in parts of the state today and the great news is before the weekend is over some of us may see the 70 degree mark! We checked in with Brian Post at the Mount Wasington Observatory a few minutes ago to find out about the weather for tonight and tomorrow. |
| Mt. Washington Return to index of stories... |
CG:WEATHER\Mount Washington\Current Conditions\Temperature: 12 Degrees\Winds: 38 - 45 MPH\Mostly Cloudy\Visibility: 25 Miles CG:WEATHER\Tonight\North\Clear and Cold\Low: 15 to 20\Light and Variable Wind\ CG:WEATHER\Tonight\South\Clear\Low in the 20s\Light and Variable Wind\ CG:WEATHER\Tomorrow\North\Mostly Sunny\High in the Mid and Upper 50s\Wind: South 5 to 15 MPH\ CG:WEATHER\Tomorrow\South\Sunny\High 60 to 65\Wind: Southwest 5 to 15 MPH\ MtWash Now 12f, w 38-45mph, mostly cloudy, 25 mile vis Tonight NORTH Clear and cold. Low 15 to 20. Light and variable wind. SOUTH Clear. Low in the 20s. Light and variable wind. Friday NORTH Mostly sunny. High in the mid and upper 50s. South wind 5 to 15 mph. SOUTH Sunny. High 60 to 65. Southwest wind 5 to 15 mph. |
| Ski Season Return to index of stories... |
With 70-degree weather approaching, only two New Hampshire ski areas plan to remain open past this weekend - Loon Mountain in Lincoln and Wildcat in Pinkham Notch. Loon plans to stay open until Sunday, April 29th. Wildcat plans to remain open until Saturday, May fifth. All other downhill areas will have closed by this weekend, not so much because of a lack of snow, but to get ready for the summer season. |
| Business Outlook Return to index of stories... |
In business news today , the bulls remained in the driver's seat on Wall Street as stocks continued to build on Wednesday's huge gains. |
| Wall Street Stocks Return to index of stories... |
The Dow Jones industrial average rose another 77 points to ten-thousand-693. And, the Nasdaq composite index was up 102 in its second straight jump of more than 100 points. CG:STOCKS\Dow Jones Industrials\10693.58\+77.75\NYSE\628.83\+2.81\American Stock Exchange\898.02\-2.56\Nasdaq\2182.14\+102.70\S&P 500\1253.69\+15.53 |
| Deregulation Return to index of stories... |
The House and Senate today passed legislation that requires Public Service Company of New Hampshire to postpone the sale of some of its power plants by 33 months. That means commercial and industrial customers will have an extended period during which they can buy energy at lower, transition rates. The utility is required to sell its plants as part of the agreement to deregulate the industry. Current law calls for the sale to happen July first. State Representative Jeb Bradley says the bill would help give the market time to develop and spare customers a huge price increase down the road. Under the legislation, Public Service also would be allowed to sell power to customers until the plants are sold. |
| Intro Heal Thyself Return to index of stories... |
Next we continue our coverage of Dartmouth's Community Medical School program whose sold out sessions offer various programs on personal health issues. Earlier this week the focus was on herbs and supplements. Dr. Kathleen Chaimberg talked about the importance of choosing carefully as well as establishing a dialogue with your physician. |
| TAG/WEBSITE Return to index of stories... |
The Dartmouth Community Medical School forums continue for the next five weeks. While the forums are sold out, you can see summaries here on NH Outlook, and see and hear the complete presentation on our website at nhptv.org. |
| Intro Tour Return to index of stories... |
Finally tonight, if you are between the ages of 9 and 22, the odds are you've experienced what we're about to show you. We're talking about the state house tour that nearly every New Hampshire elementary school child goes on. And if you've been on it, then you've already met Ken Leidner, tour guide to more than 150,000 young people over the last dozen years. We first brought you this story last December, and thought today of all days, was a nice time to revisit the halls of state government. OUT: |
| State House Tour Return to index of stories... |
Soundup: Kids Tour tape 1 20:12 AUDIO "All right. Well, I'll tell you what. I want your group to go inside. Just to the left are two coat racks." Soundup: Kids Tour tape 1 21:14 You're gonna put your lunches right there… Bite: Kids Tour tape 3 32:45 My name is Ken Leidner and my title here at the New Hampshire statehouse is director of the state house visitor center. Bite: Kids Tour tape 1 23:04 There are over 150 people working throughout the entire building- can someone raise their hand and suggest what types of voices we need to use? 23:14hands go up-"quiet voices"-- quiet voices, very simple. Bite: Kids Tour tape 3 38:42 What we- we meaning the staff here-always have to keep in mind is that this is not a museum- this is a working building. Soundup: Kids Tour tape 1 25:15 Take some time to look around, if you brought a camera that's terrific you can take pictures. Bite: Kids Tour tape 3 26:08 ; I like the hall of flags cause I like army stuff and I was curious to see what they looked like. Bite: Kids Tour tape 1 29:00 "He asked why all the flags were ripped up, well there are two reasons- one is age- the flags in the large cases are over a hundred and thirty five years old. Two - they are from the civil war. And many of those flags were carried into battle by the soldiers from New Hampshire. Bite: Kids Tour tape 1 34:09 . Now- Corporal Knight was with the ninth regiment and during the civil war at the battle of Petersburg- all by his lonesome- he captured a whole bunch of confederate soldiers by himself.……. So you have somebody from Keene that won the medal of honor- kinda goes along with the flags- pretty cool huh "yeahhhh"-all right- got something else to show you. Bite: Kids Tour tape 3 30:30 I learned that lots of people from Keene were part of New Hampshire's history. Soundup: Kids Tour tape 1 42:19 Well, this is called Representatives Hall- you've talked about this in social studies… Bite: Kids Tour tape 3 35:08 If you've ever tried to explain the abstraction of government to a nine year old you know what I'm talking about…. So I try to get it down to their level- how this institution is run as their school institution is run- how can come up with ideas- how they already do come up with ideas on a local level in their own little lives. Bite: Kids Tour tape 3 25:02 I like the Representatives place- cause I like the voting box- I like hitting all the buttons in the voting box. Soundup: Kids Tour tape 2 50:50 You get paid for whole year- one hundred dollars - that's it. "that's all??" you get elected for two years so how much do you get paid for two years- that's right- two hundred dollars. Bite: Kids Tour tape 3 35:55 You'll notice the reactions on their faces- sometimes I wonder whether they realize how little it is or at their age they think $100 is a whole lot of money. Bite: Kids Tour tape 3 29:59 my favorite part of the tour was when we visited the senate chamber I like when we got to vote about what we thought should be the new state ice cream No. Soundup: Kids Tour tape 3 1:004:23 So it will be double chocolate chip cookie dough, Bite: Kids Tour tape 3 24;45 I like sitting in Jeanne Shaheen's office meeting chair. Bite: Kids Tour tape 2 13:03 Who wants to be governor? it's a lot of responsibility though - the governor- remember when we made our state ice cream flavor? Well, you as Senators voted yes and we can probably assume the House of Representatives would vote yes too, right? Now the governor gets to make a decision- the governor can say, I like it and sign her name to it and it becomes a law- or the governor can do something else- did you learn what that something else is? Bite: Kids Tour tape 2 14:30 ….So that's what we call the checks and balances- that not just one person gets to be real bossy and say here's what we want here's how we do it- they get a lot of people involved in it- and everybody is listened to which works out pretty well. |
| Tomorrow Return to index of stories... |
Tomorrow on New Hampshire Outlook - We'll look at the week in review when Journalists from around the state join us for a lively roundtable discussion. |
| 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 World of National Geographic. 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 |
| PROMO Return to index of stories... |
Tonight on New Hampshire Outlook. Journalists from around the state will put the week's headlines into perspective. At the top of the list - we'll look at the aftermath of Crossover Day in the Legislature. Join us tonight at 7:30 only on New Hampshire Outlook. |
| Monday promo Return to index of stories... |
Monday on New Hampshire Outlook. Computer technology has revolutionized the world of finance. Are you armed with enough knowledge to make informed decisions? Financial literacy. Monday at 7:30 on New Hampshire Outlook. |
| Monday tonight Return to index of stories... |
Tonight on NH Outlook. Computer technology has revolutionized the world of finance. Are you armed with enough knowledge to make informed decisions? Financial literacy. Tonight at 7:30 on New Hampshire Outlook. |
| key: government: state Return to index of stories... |
DATE:4/19/01 TOPIC:Today is crossover day. That's the last day for House bills to be sent over to the Senate and all Senate bills sent to the House for consideration. That includes budget bills. SEGMENT LENGTH: 6 minutes NAME OF PARTICIPANTS: WER3RD\Rep. Paul Mirski\R- Enfield Rep. Elizabeth Hager\R- Concord Rep. Howard Dickinson\R- Center Conway Rep. Peter Burling\D - House Minority Leader Rep. Norman Major\R-Ways & Means Cmte Rep. Andy Peterson\ |
| key: history Return to index of stories... |
DATE: 4/19/01 TOPIC:The man who some call the most influential politician in New Hampshire State History has died. Former Governor Meldrim Thomson was a flamboyant conservative who served as Governor of the Granite Sate for three terms in the 1970s. SEGMENT LENGTH: @ 5minutes NAME OF PARTICIPANTS: |
| key: health Return to index of stories... |
DATE: 4/19/01 TOPIC: Next we continue our coverage of Dartmouth's Community Medical School program whose sold out sessions offer various programs on personal health issues. Earlier this week the focus was on herbs and supplements. Dr. Kathleen Chaimberg talked about the importance of choosing carefully as well as establishing a dialogue with your physician. SEGMENT LENGTH::1:35 NAME OF PARTICIPANTS: Kathleen H. Chaimberg, MD\Dartmouth Medical School |