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 Preshow Return to index of stories... |
Next.on tonight's New Hampshire Outlook,. the forecast is great for our growing economy. But some experts predict cloudy skies ahead. We'll explore the highs and lows of full employment. We'll analyze Day Two of the Brock trial.AND we'll meet the farmer who's growing his business indoors and in the dark. |
| News Summary Return to index of stories... |
Good evening. I'm Allison McNair. Welcome to New Hampshire Outlook. We begin tonight with a summary of state news. |
| Brock Return to index of stories... |
It was an emotional day in day two of the impeachment trial of State Supreme Court Chief Justice David Brock. Court Clerk Howard Zibel was moved to tears as he described how he wrestled with his concience before writing the memo that launched the investigation. We'll have a comprehensive look at today's proceedings, including defense opening statements in just a few minutes. |
| Mercury levels Return to index of stories... |
The National Wildlife Federation today released a report saying rainfall over New Hampshire's seacoast contains toxic mercury levels four times higher than federal standards. Mercury contamination is especially concentrated in fish caught in New Hampshire lakes and streams. State health officials have for some time issued an advisory for pregnant women and children under six to limit their consumption of these fish to once a month. Mercury has been linked to learning disabilities, immune system and heart problems.The governor's office told us today that New Hampshire has a comprehensive plan to reduce mercury emissions in half by 2003 and is well on its way to meeting that goal. |
| University speech Return to index of stories... |
Faculty contract negotiations and an appeal for funding topped today's state of the University address by president Jo-Ann Leitzel. The president held out an olive branch to the faculty who have been working without a contract for over two years, saying they are the foundation of the University. By the way, NHPTV is licensed to the University System of New Hampshire. Today Leitzel appealed to the state and alumni to fund the future, saying that more money is needed if the state wants to foster a high-tech climate. |
| Charitable Donation Return to index of stories... |
Ask any "granite-stater" to donate time and you're much more likely to get a yes than if you ask for money. A new survey of federal tax returns ranks New Hampshire next to last among states in charitable donations. A spokeswoman for the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation says the numbers don't tell the whole story. She says New Hampshire has a tradition of civic engagement well above the national average, and many of our citizens are more likely to leave money to charity in their wills. A new program called Giving New Hampshire is underway to encourage charitable donations. |
| Summary wrap Return to index of stories... |
That's our news summary. We'll be back with our focus on the Economy after the weather. |
| Weather Forecast Return to index of stories... |
TONIGHT RAIN LIKELY LOW 55 TO 60. TOMORROW MOSTLY SUNNY HIGH NEAR 80. THURSDAY PARTLY CLOUDY CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS. HIGH IN THE MID 70S. |
| Intro Economy Return to index of stories... |
A recent survey shows many in New Hampshire are optimistic about the future and our economy. But the UNH Whittemore School of Business and Economics also found two different stories behind the statistics. It comes down to a geographic split. OUT: |
| ECONOMY Return to index of stories... |
It's a healthy economy. One of the strongest economies in the United States. We have a high concentration of high tech jobs which pay well. We have other strong industries in the state. We have a strong manufacturing industry and we benefit from the overall growth in the U.S. economy. Asssociate Professer Ross Gittell of the UNH Whittemore School of Business and Economics is upbeat about the state of New Hampshire's overall economy. 1:52:58 If you live in southern tier of New Hampshire there's a lot of companies looking for the skilled workers a lot of opportunities to work for those companies or start your own. 1:53:07 - Full page graphic New Hampshire ranks second of the 50 states in percent of employment in high tech industries. New Hampshire is first in the Northeast in percent of employment in manufacturing NH is 8th in income per capita in 1975. and NH has the lowest poverty rate in th nation Even though the numbers may look good, not everyone benefits when it comes to the granite state's good times. If you lack a college degree, or if you're in the northern or western part of the state there aren't the same economic opportunities also not the same opportunities to get connected to the high technology new economy, because of the telecommunications infrastructure 1:52:40What is scary when you're up here and involved in economic development the rest of the world is moving at the speed of the net which is the speed of light and third world countries have the jump on us. 1:53:10 Norm Charest is Berlin's Economic Development Director. He tells a story about a company looking for a home. Berlin New Hampshire was one location under consideration. The other - a site in India. While India was able to offer the company high speed internet access, Berlin New Hampshire could not. That's because like all of the North Country, Berlin does not have access to the high speed internet. The company chose India as its new home. 1:53:10 I keep referring to the north country, not only NH, but northern VT, and Maine, they're going to become the fourth world country 1"53:18 It's little like chicken and the egg, in that without advanced telecommunications- businesses and households are not going to locate in that area and without businesses in that area it's tough to justify private investment in that area.2:03:17 If private companies see no economic benefit to providing high speed internet access to the North Country, the answer may lie with assistance from federal and state governments. 2:06:47 If it hadn't been for rural electrification program, we would have been using kerosene lantern at home because we'd have no power. In Coos county, we didn't have utilities 'till 1950. 2:07:06 There are other barriers which have slowed economic development in the North Country. 1:26:06The granite curtain separates us form the rest of the state its hard to get here by road. We don't have a route. We have route 16 though Conway which is a log jam 1 hour trip to Boston going through 16 in summertime 1;26:23 1;23:59 Two years ago American Tissue bought paper here in Berlin they have spent some money they are improving and its financially making more money.Consequently largest employer in town is doing well we all feel a little bit better. If someone feels good about job then build garage put deck on so it helps all of us 1:24:27 1:58:40Everything revolved around the paper. For 4 generations, paper mill protect us guaranteed our livelihood and didn't need to go to school. We could go to the mill and make the highest salary at one time in the state. Those days are gone. 1:58:15 It's not even fair to expect one industry to support our economy 2:00:30 So Berlin looks to diversify its economy. 1:27:49 One thing that hasn't happened. We're developing tourist business that never had that. This was a mill town. We sprayed our tourist repellant and everybody stayed in Gorham and south that's changed a little bit. Our air cleaner people discover our river heritage and history. ALLY CHECK THIS BITE The North Woods is different than the middle southern part of the state so when coming up there looking for a great north woods experience not looking for an outlet store experience so it defined us as as a different area that's been very helpful 2:17:37 The new state prison in Berlin has also contributed to an uptick in the local economy. There are new jobs and those transferring into the area have made a dent in the housing market. But while Berlin and the North Woods struggle to strengthen their economic standing, the rapid economic growth in the southern tier of the state is not without its risks. If we grow too fast like a lot of areas in the country like silicon valley has grown too fast, quality of life deteriorated, firms started to migrate away. its a balancing act to play because quality of life part of our economic advantage if we grow too fast if we grow in the wrong way that could threaten the quality of long term economic prosperity. 2:02:xx PKG ---- graphic NEW HAMPSHIRE'S ECONOMY 2nd in percent employment in high tech industries 1st in Northeast in percent employment in manufacturing 8th in income per capita Lowest poverty rate in nation |
| tag/intro discuss Return to index of stories... |
Joining me now to talk more about New Hampshire's economy. President of the Business and Industry Association, John Crosier and from Delahaye Medialink, a Portsmouth based communications research firm. Katie Paine. |
| Discussion Return to index of stories... |
What brings people to NH? Quality of Life Quality of work force Business climate Entrepreneurial climate Competitive advantage What challenges do we face to ensure progress? Telecommunications policy and competition - are we behind? Focused on North Country in report - what about western part of the state Infrastructure? highways bridges.sewer and water Education? Economic opportunity vs. development technology and training Private sector how step up and lead Where are our biggest challenges to economic opportunity within US or out? Micro businesses - how important to economy? How do we maintain quality of life with economic growth? Out migration of skilled tech workers? Katie - Image of NH from outside the state? How has it changed? How has it impacted economic development? How are we seen as the "new" New Hampshire - what does that mean? What was major shift from 1996 primary to 2000? |
| Intro Impeach today/summary Return to index of stories... |
The impeachment trial of Chief Justice David Brock ended on an emotional note today. It began with the opening statement by Michael Madigan, Brock's attorney. The first witness was Eileen Fox, Attorney for the court. The second was the man who launched the investigation, court clerk Howard Zibel. Richard Ager and former New Hampshire Attorney General Tom Rath look at the day's events. OUT: |
| Trial Calendar Return to index of stories... |
Tomorrow, Howard Zibel will continue testimony and will be cross-examined by Brock's attorneys. Justice Sherman Horton and Former Justice Stephen Thayer are also expected to testify. You can see gavel to gavel coverage here on New Hampshire Public Television starting at 8:30am and listen to it on New Hampshire Public Radio. |
| Intro Mushroom Return to index of stories... |
What does a former commercial fisherman with a degree in engineering and a yearning for organic farming do for a living? Grow exotic mushrooms, of course. It fits right in with the entrapeneurial spirit found all over New Hampshire these days. For this particular story of high hopes Chip Neal traveled to the North Country to visit with Chris McGarvey and his start up business The White Mountain Mushroom Company in Freedom, New Hampshire. |
| Mushroom farmer Return to index of stories... |
They have names like King Oyster, Chemegee, Chestnut, Bear's Head, and they fetch $7 to $10 a pound from fine restaurants all over New England. That was motivation enough for Chris McGarvey to abandon his plans for organic farming and turn his house and land into a mushroom farm. And now after a lot of trial and error, Chris and his wife Diana, and partner Dave Cordeira are harvesting some 800 pounds of mushrooms a week from 360 square feet of growing space--practically squeezing the McGarveys out of their own home. Chris McGarvey: I read a few books on the subject. Numbers looked really good on paper. We though, you know, within a year we'd be rich, and we'd be able to retire after five. And here we are five years later, and we are still struggling to make the electric payments, but. The process of growing mushrooms begins with sawdust, the basic food of mushrooms. Chris McGarvey: The mushrooms that we are growing are decomposing.dying or dead logs in the forest and this is basically what we are doing is using sawdust. It is an artificial way of recreating.mother nature. Next, the sawdust is mixed with grain and water. Chris McGarvey: We should add a little more. Then this mixture goes into the six pound bags, which are sterilized in a steam room. Dave Cordeira: We send them up to get steamed. Next is the spawning process using spores from the kind of mushrooms you want to grow. Dave Cordeira: And you put it on a petrie dish with Agar in it. After a few weeks, the spawn is ready to transfer to a bag of grain. Dave Cordeira: After that's done than we cut out little pieces--you can see that this one was already cut and then you add a couple of pieces to the bag and then you--seal it and then this will start to spawn and once it will grow into this--all this white. It will start growing. Then when that bag is ready, pieces of it are used to inoculate the sterilized bags of sawdust and grain that we started out with. Chris McGarvey: OK. after we get done downstairs.We bring them up here for an incubation stage. Each species--we are growing five different kinds of mushrooms.The earliest that they'll take is 15 days and the longest will be 60 days. Basically, the sit up here and digesting the sawdust. We go through 20-60 days of incubation and from that point they are ready to fruit, so we bring them down here into the grow room. Here in the grow room, the bags are unsealed, so the air can stimulate the small pinhead mushrooms to fruit. Chris McGarvey: These mushrooms here, the Chemedgees, they won't grow above 68 F, so we have to keep the rooms at least below 68 F. Otherwise, they won't grow. From there, it is a matter of harvesting the mushrooms, sending the used bags of sawdust to a compost pile and starting the whole process over. The mature mushrooms are refrigerated until they are shipped out to their customers all over northern New England. Chris McGarvey: Our challenge now is that we are probably asking three times more money for them.If we need to expand everything onto a very much larger scale. |
| 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.o-r-g. You can give us your feedback, review program scripts and participate in our daily poll. |
| Tomorrow Return to index of stories... |
On the next NH Outlook. We focus on our schools.how can we judge the quality of education our children are getting. We continue our analysis of the historic Brock impeachment trial and.we profile a program in Manchester that is not only building new homes, it's building character and careers. |
| Goodnight Return to index of stories... |
That's it for this edition of New Hampshire Outlook. For all of us at New Hampshire Public Television, I'm Allison McNair. Thanks for joining us. We'll be back tomorrow at 7:30. Stay tuned next for Keeping up Appearances. Good night. |
| funders 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 |
| Carla's Promo Return to index of stories... |
Hello I'm Allison McNair, tonight on New Hampshire Outlook… Quality education. How do you know if your child is getting one? And discover how a Manchester program is building new homes and new careers. Join us tonight at 7:30 on New Hampshire Outlook. |
| Business -orchard Return to index of stories... |
A piece of New Hampshire's agricultural heritage is being preserved. Concord's Sunnycrest Farms is being sold to a land preservation group to prevent commercial development. 400 people have pledged money to save the 176-acre apple orchard. The details of the agreement are still being worked out. Like many New Hampshire farmers, the orchard's owner had been facing financial hardship. |