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Next on New Hampshire Outlook tonight. Attorney general Phil McLaughlin outlines his plan of attack after a judge orders the state to return money raised by the education funding tax. What's the forecast for New Hampshire's Economy? We'll hear from two of the state's leading economists and business analysts. Plus, Granite State inventor Dean Kamen is the talk of the nation with his new invention. What is IT? Stay tuned and find out. |
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Good Evening. I'm Allison McNair. Welcome to New Hampshire Outlook. We begin tonight with a summary of today's news. |
| School Funding Reax Return to index of stories... |
Strong reaction tonight to yesterday's court decision that the state refund hundreds of millions of dollars in property taxes. Yesterday, Rockingham County Superior Court Judge Richard Galway ruled that the temporary statewide property tax to pay for education is unconstitutional and ordered the state to give back the money the tax raised. Calling the Judge's order ridiculous, Governor Jeanne Shaheen has ordered the state attorney general Phil McLaughlin to appeal to the state Supreme Court. Richard Ager caught up with the Attorney General and a state Senator for their reaction. |
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Governor Shaheen says the court decision should not interfere with the enactment of a permanent school-funding law this year, in this session of the legislature. |
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Laconia Republican Ralph Rosen has introduced a plan to shorten the state's current five-year eligibility limit for public assistance. Rosen says the longer eligibility period could attract people from other states but opponents say there is no evidence of this. They explain that the longer limit is designed to build work skills and eventually keep people off welfare. |
| Child Advocacy Return to index of stories... |
Child advocates say yesterday's ruling on school funding makes it even more important to set ambitious goals for the state's children. The New Hampshire Child Advocacy Network released a plan for child-friendly policy and budget setting. It suggests improving access to health insurance and kindergarten, substance abuse prevention programs and after-school child care. The network is made up of business, health care, government and community leaders. |
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The E-P-A has updated the 60-year-old arsenic standard reducing allowable levels by 80 percent. It is expected to require about three-thousand communities to make changes in treating drinking water. The New Hampshire Arsenic Consortium recommends that residents with private wells have the water tested. A Dartmouth College study showed about 40 percent of New Hampshire households have private wells and ten percent of those wells may have arsenic above the new standard. In a report New Hampshire Outlook did last month, the Dept. Of Environmental Services Water Division recomended that all New Hampshire well owners have their wells tested for a number of potential contaminants including arsenic. |
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After yesterday's warm spell, it was back to cold weather today. A few minutes ago, we checked in with weather observer Katie Hess up at the Mount washington observatory to see what's in store for us tonight and just how messy the weather might be around the state tomorrow. |
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There are signs that New Hampshire's economy is slowing along with the rest of the nation. We've enjoyed nearly ten years of growth and business expansion, much of it in high technology. With stock prices fluctuating, energy prices soaring and consumer confidence and spending on the decline, some economists say that's a recipe for recession. But not all analysts agree, especially those focused on New England's economy. Joining me now to talk about why the Granite State may be better positioned to ride the tide of an economic slowdown are Ross Gittell, Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Management at the UNH Whittemore School of Business and Economics and Dennis Delay, Senior Economist with Public Service Company of New Hampshire. Before we get to your forecast, let's get your perspective on the court ruling that the Property Tax to fund education is unconstitutional. specifically, what impact could this have on the state's fiscal health? |
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Ross and Dennis, According to the New England Economic Project, there are several areas where we may find ourselves vulnerable to a softening economy. They are: a decline in the stock market, energy price increases and no movement in the market and economy despite action by the Federal Reserve. Why is that? Both of you see us heading for a Soft Landing, rather than anything more severe. Ross, in a presentation you made today, you pointed to the following. Employment and earnings potential slows to a moderate pace. Sales and expenditures decline affecting businesses and tourism The loan and private equity market tightens. And the state's revenue situation worsens. While these conditions create opportunity for some, it creates problems. As we mentioned, for example, a legislature trying to resolve the education funding crisis. Let's look at the benefits of a soft landing. Ross, your research shows the labor supply will increase. A soft economy will relieve pressure on housing and real estate. It will slow growth and threats to quality of life. First, how will the labor supply increase? What are the threats to our quality of life? What would recovery be like? Many believe New Hampshire is better positioned to recover from any kind of economic downturn. specifically Increased diversity of high technology. Our base for new investments is trong. And we have solid fundamentals. What are some of the fundamentals? How are we diverse? |
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Thanks to my guests Ross Gittell, Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Management at the UNH Whittemore School of Business and Economics and Dennis Delay, Senior Economist with Public Service Company of New Hampshire. |
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New England's Economy: Total employment growth through 2004 is predicted to be below the US average, but New Hampshire 's total employment growth is forecast to be above the regional and US average. Source: UNH Whittemore School of Business and Econ. |
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Here's a look at some of the stories making headlines in New Hampshire business. |
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Two positive earnings reports by Microsoft and eBay pushed stocks higher on wall street today. Though like Intel and others this week, Microsoft is warning of a slight shortfall in its current quarter due to the softening economy. Even so, investors were buying. The Dow rose 94 points. The Nasdaq climbed 85. Here's a look at stocks of interest to New Hampshire. Fisher Scientific was up over 1. Sanmina corp was up more than 6. State Street Corp was down seven. Timberland was down 1. Tyco International was up almost 3. |
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The Timberland Company today announced it has been named as one of Fortune magazine’s "100 Best Companies to Work For in America". The company points to its committment to community as a part of its core philosphy as a key component of winning the honor for the fourth consecutive year. Each employee is offered 40 hours of paid community service time per year. Since 1992, Timberland employees have logged over 100,000 hours of service. |
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Most of you have probably heard the news about IT. What is IT? Well, this is what we can tell you. IT was created by New Hampshire inventor, Dean Kamen. IT has been touted as the most important technological device since the internet. And, IT is a closely guarded secret. We'll give you two perspectives on what IT could be. You decide. |
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narration This is what IT may look like. From the files of the US Patent Office, this drawing may provide us with the first clues to IT's identity. Dean Kamen of Deka Research and Development in Manchester was granted the patent in 1999. narration Dean Kamen is a well respected inventor and an advocate for science and technology. He started US FIRST, an annual robotic competition for engineers and students. Dean clip "It's wonderful looking at the competition and seeing the diversity of designs here today - when all the kids started out with the same pile of stuff. The only difference is the imagination that went into them." narration The imagination, it seems is all we have to go on when it comes to IT. Only a select few have seen IT and they've been amazed at what they saw. |
| 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. |
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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 |
| Fibromatosis Marathoner Return to index of stories... |
Our next story is about a Dover woman who found a way to turn her weight loss program into a cyber partnership that kept her motivated and raised funds for the National Neurofibromatosis Foundation. Chip Neal has the story If you want to check out Adrith and Cat's web site the address is: www.sirgalahad.org and you can reach the Neurofibromatosis Foundation at: www.nf.org |
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For information on tonight's program, and links to our guests and interviews, visit our web site at nhptv.o-r-g. 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 - Journalists from around the state will join me to talk about the week's top stories. Judicial reform and education funding will top the list. |
| PROMO Return to index of stories... |
Tonight on New Hampshire Outlook. Journalists from around the state will join me to talk about the week's top stories. Deregulation, judicial reform and education funding will head the list. Join us tonight at 7:30 only on New Hampshire Outlook. |