|
|
|
|
 Preshow Return to index of stories... |
Next on New Hampshire Outlook tonight. The threat of the West Nile Virus is fading with each frosty night. But is the West Nile Virus really fading? We'll take you to the State lab where detective work is still underway. Day 12 in the Brock Impeachment Trial And the frost is on the pumpkin. Is your backyard prepared for winter? |
| Headlines Return to index of stories... |
Good Evening. I'm Allison McNair. Welcome to New Hampshire Outlook. We begin tonight with a summary of today's news. |
| Brock Trial Return to index of stories... |
Chief Justice David Brock said he was concerned that former Justice Stephen Thayer had "snapped" after being told who would sit on his divorce panel. The Chief Justice continued testimony today in his impeachment trial and was cross-examined by house prosecution in the afternoon. We'll have all of the day's proceedings coming up in just a few minutes. |
| Gov's Race Return to index of stories... |
School Funding is at the heart of the debate in the race for New Hampshire governor. Last night all four candidates confronted each other on a televised debate. Today, some of them met with state school Administrators. Democratic Governor Jeanne Shaheen defended her gambling proposal. She says she's waiting for a special tax commission's report before commiting to other specifics. A spokesperson for Republican Gordon Humphrey said schools can be improved without spending more money. Independent Candidate Mary Brown advocates a statewide income tax to pay for schools and said she's willing to take the heat for such a plan, even if Democrats and Republicans won't. |
| Medicare Study Return to index of stories... |
Elderly Medicare patients in New Hampshire get the best care in the country. Federal researchers found treatment for heart failure, stroke,breast cancer, and other life-threatening illnesses varies widely depending on where patients live. New Hampshire was ranked at number one in the state-by- state comparison. Others in the top five ranking - Vermont, Maine, Minnesota and Massachusetts. |
| Teen Smoking Return to index of stories... |
Fewer high school students are smoking in New Hampshire and across the country. In a survey conducted last year, 34 percent of high school students in the granite state reported smoking a cigarette at least once during the prior month. That's a six point drop from the last survey. The 2000 New Hampshire Youth Tobacco Survey also found that fifteen percent of young smokers are seventh and eighth graders. the age at which frequent tobacco use increases. |
| Summary Wrap Return to index of stories... |
That's the news summary. We'll be back with our focus on the West Nile Virus , the impeachment trial and more after the weather. |
| Weather Forecast Return to index of stories... |
TONIGHT MOSTLY CLEAR LOWS IN THE 40S TO LOWER 50S TOMORROW INCREASING CLOUDS WITH A CHANCE OF SHOWERS LATE HIGHS IN THE 50S TO LOWER 60S THURSDAY CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF SHOWERS HIGHS IN THE UPPER 50S TO UPPER 60S. |
| Intro Impeach Today Return to index of stories... |
State Supreme Court Chief Justice David Brock today painted the picture of an emotionally unstable former justice when he took the stand in day 12 of his senate impeachment trial. Brock described a meeting at which he announced the appointment of two substitute justices to hear an appeal of then-Justice Stephen Thayer's divorce case. He said Thayer exploded when he heard who would hear his appeal. Richard Ager and Trish Anderton of New Hampshire Public Radio put the day's testimony in perspective. OUT: the chief justice's recusal policy and other issues of the court." |
| Trial Calendar Return to index of stories... |
Chief Justice Brock returns to the stand when the trial resumes tomorrow at 9:30am. You can see gavel to gavel coverage here on New Hampshire Public Television and Listen to it on New Hampshire Public Radio. |
| Intro West Nile Return to index of stories... |
The Department of Health and Human Services announced today that 4 more dead crows from Manchester, Hampstead and Newton have tested positive for the West Nile Virus. That brings the total to five. So, now that winter is approaching, hopefully, the threat of the West Nile Virus is fading with each frosty night. Or is it? Where did the West Nile Virus come from? And where might it be going? Chip Neal has this report. OUT: ".and human populations of the state." |
| WEST NILE Return to index of stories... |
The first official confirmation of the presence West Nile Virus in New Hampshire happened this summer. An infected dead crow was found in Manchester. In response the New Hampshire West Nile Virus task force was created. It is a collection of state agencies, community officials as well as private and non-profit organizations coordinating survailance and response activities. Over 300 dead birds have been collected from all over the state. And their testing has placed a strain on the staff and facilites at the state lab. : The birds are delivered to the lobby of the health and human services building. And then they are brought up to the public health laboratories where we give the birds an identification number and try to identify what species of bird it is. Then the birds are brought to our rabbies laboratory in the basement. And at that point the brains are removed from the birds and then they are homogenized to extract the ribonucleic acid, RNA, from the brain. Then that homogenate is put throught a procedure called reverse transcriptaise polimeraise chain reaction. People know it as PCR. And it's at that point that it is determined whether the bird brain includes West Nile Virus or not. : Well in Manchester when we found that we had a crow that was infected with West Nile Virus we followed the CDC and state recommendations that we impliment control measures within a two mile radius around where the bird was found. To us the control, first off, largely stems in some pretty broad community education and what we all can do to reduce mosquito breeding sights, the elimination of bird baths that have been left untouched and a number of other areas in our own yards that have mosquitoes. but we also looked at, within that two mile radius, how could we reduce the risk for the public. We didn't feel that we could mount a campaign to go up and down every street with spraying as is occuring in some communities in southern New England. But we felt that we could go in areas, publicly owned areas where there are a large number of people congregating at night for soccer games and athletic events. So we chose to selectively spray recreational facilities and athletic fields to reduce the number of mosquitoes that are in those sights. Some people express concern that the spraying was worse than the disease. : Today in New Hampshire there are 10 or 11 communites that routinely spray to reduce mosquito populations and they spray up and down streets and they are pretty broadly spraying. And sprays are used everyday in agricultural settings and in our own homes and our back yards. So the spray that we chose to spray is a pyrithroid based spray which, again, is targeted towards the brush areas around athletic fields and has no residuals such as many garden sprays have. The birds seem to be the resevoir for the virus. : The virus has to be present first of all in the indiginous population, the bird has to be bitten by a mosquito and that mosquito has to turn around and look for some human for his next blood meal. This is how humans become infected. It's important to emphasize that an infected bird by itself does not represent any direct risk to anyone. : There is no evidence that you can transmit it from human beings to other human beings or from human beings to live stock. It has to go through a mosquito vector with birds. : This is something that people need to be aware of but by no means should this be any cause for alarm on anybody's part or should it keep people from doing what they normally like to do. Health officials say the risk of infection is very low. According to studies done by New York state officials only 100 out of 20,000 people in an infected area are likely to exhibit mild flu like symptoms. And only 2 out of that 20,000 are likely to exhibit life threatening insephilitis symptoms. Still health officials feel it is important to keep track of the spread of the virus and its impact on the birds and the human population of the state. |
| intro discussion Return to index of stories... |
With me now in the studio is Dr. Jesse Greenblatt, State Epidemiologist. What can you tell us about this latest development? Update current status in NH and around country. - Where did this virus come from? - Where is it going? Geographically - What have learned that may help us next year? - Does this virus evolve like other flu viruses? - Why does it seem to target crows? - With so few serious cases and deaths why is this considered an epidemic? -What happens to the virus in the winter time? |
| thank guests Return to index of stories... |
Thanks to my guest Dr. Jesse Greenblatt - State Epidemiologist for being with us here tonight. |
| Intro Backyard Return to index of stories... |
Finally tonight. many areas of the state have already been hit by frost. That means it's cleanup time in the garden. UNH cooperative extension education Nancy Adams says you should think four season appeal when making plans for winter and beyond. OUT: ".this time of year." |
| BACKYARD Return to index of stories... |
Interview with Nancy Adams/Extension Educator with UNH Cooperative Extension: This time of year in a yard like this we've got a lot of things going on with the fall. we need to look at annuals. plants that need to be mulched and some plants will need to be trimmed a little bit and others will need to wait 'til spring. There are a number of mulches that we have available. Perhaps the best one for New Hampshire is Pine Needles. We've got a lot of pine trees around. Why not gather up some of those needles and place them on top. They are lightweight, have good air movement and provide an excellent mulch. And then in the spring, for mulches you need to pull them back. and that generally is around late march early april. and after the snow has receded. you'll put them back gently. pull the mulch back and the new sprouts will come up. When we're thinking about winter color, one of the nice things about New England. Of course our leaves drop our trees. We want to look toward bark textures, bark color. Some of the plants have berries that can be observed and enjoyed. We want to select plants that have three or four season appeal. They would have nice flowers in the spring, they'll have nice texture look and form in the summer months. Then in the fall after the leaves drop, they will have berries and we've got bark on certain trees that are cinnamon color and the bark exfoliates and peels back. And against the white of snow is actually stunning. Some of our red twig dobwood has dark wood. and against the snow is a stunning look. So as you're starting to add to your landscape or you're decided to rejuvenate your property. Start to think about plants that will bridge the gap between the green of summer and then the starkness of winter. Witch hazel is a plant that we have natively out in the woods. And we also have a number of different varieties that are available commercially. It's a plant that blooms right in the dead of winter. february , march. It's delightful. Right at the time of year when we're aching for color. and something a little different in the environment. It has tiny little flowers, white, yellow generally. It's a wide open very light form at the time. It's a great plant to consider to add that extra oomph to your garden. It's a great time for lawn care right now. Lawncare in the fall usually revoles around. we do suggest that people take a soil sample. UNH does 12-dollars a sample. what comes back is an analysis. New Hampshire soils are natively very acid and most of our plant materials prefer alkaline. sweeter soils so we need to add lime. and fall is a great time to add lime to our soils. Another thing is roots will continue to grow down to temperatures of 55-degrees. so we can add fertilizer. on our lawns for rootgrowth. the predominant species for us is Kentucky bluegrass. and we want to promote that kind of growth in the fall and get it so that the lawn will look great for next spring. so. lime, fertilizer, take a soil test if you haven't done it in a couple of years.would be a recommendation for this time of year. |
| tag backyard Return to index of stories... |
For ideas on other plants with four season appeal, visit your local nursery. |
| 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, see and hear streaming video of our broadcasts and participate in our daily poll. |
| Tomorrow Return to index of stories... |
As one New Hampshire town wrestles with a recent hate crime, another community seeks to foster tolerance. Meet the people working to make a change. Day 13 of the Brock impeachment trial. and Did you know that New Hampshire has a Poet Laureate? Meet the woman behind the words. |
| Goodnight Return to index of stories... |
That's all for Outlook tonight. Thanks for joining us. Stay tuned for Keeping Up Appearances, followed by the Presidential Debate live from Boston. 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... |
Hello, I'm Allison McNair. Tonight on New Hampshire Outlook. Autumn is one of the many seasons that bring tourists to the Granite State. Is tourism still big business? Or is it being replaced? Join us tonight at 7:30 for New Hampshire Outlook. |