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 HelloReturn to index of stories... |
Hello. I'm Richard Ager, Beth Carroll is off. Welcome to this Week-in-Review Edition of New Hampshire Outlook. Joining us to talk about the major stories making headlines this week-- from the State House in Concord: Tom Fahey of the Union Leader and Colin Manning from Foster's Daily Democrat and with me in our studio in Durham, James Pindell of PoliticsNH.com. Welcome all. |
| Flood/Red Cross Return to index of stories... |
There were a lot of votes taken at the State House this week on many important bills. We'll get to that in a moment, but first, it has now been two weeks since the flooding began in New Hampshire and the state is continuing its recovery. On Thursday, the federal government granted a disaster declaration for the state allowing folks to file damage claims. The Red Cross continues to deliver hot meals to residents in some of the worst hit areas like Goffstown. As the clean up continues, the extent of the damage is becoming clear. More than five-thousand homes were affected, two-hundred seriously damaged, 25 destroyed. And with some families losing everything, Governor Lynch expects assistance soon for both individuals and businesses. Individuals and families in six counties: Belknap, Carroll, Hillsborough, Merrimack, Rockingham and Strafford, are eligible for federal assistance. To register for assistance, call 1-800-621-FEMA from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., seven days a week. You can also go online. Next Friday, four FEMA offices will open in Raymond, Concord, Manchester and Rochester. You can find more details on FEMA on our website www.nhptv.org/outlook. |
| NH Flood relief fund Return to index of stories... |
Before we move on, we want to mention that if you would like to help victims of the May Floods the state has established a Flood Relief Fund. You can send contributions to: the State of New Hampshire, Disaster Relief, 25 Capitol St., Room 121, Concord, NH 03301. All proceeds will go to local charities to help flood victims. |
| Sex Predator Vote Return to index of stories... |
As I mentioned earlier, it was a busy week at the State House, with votes on many of the session's most contentious bills. One that created a lot of debate and some may say, heated rhetoric, was the sexual predators act. Governor Lynch pushed hard for this legislation which was aimed at increasing penalties for sexual molestation of children. The Governor and Senate wanted a minimum 25 year sentence but the House was reluctant to take all discretion away from the judge. The compromise a presumption of 25 years but the possibility of a lesser punishment if the judge finds mitigating factors. Overall, most said they can live with the compromise. |
| Funeral Resolution Return to index of stories... |
Heading into the Memorial Day weekend, the Legislature overwhelmingly passed a resolution supporting a measure that just passed in Congress. Entitled the "Respect for America's Fallen Heroes Act", it prohibits unauthorized demonstrations at national military cemeteries. It was directly aimed at a Kansas church group that has been staging anti-gay protests at soldier's funerals. |
| Voting ID law Return to index of stories... |
The sensitive issue of voter identification was debated in a bill that would require verification of some first-time voters. Those who don't have adequate personal ID like a driver's license and who register on the day of the vote will be sent a letter by the Secretary of State to the address they list. If the letter is undeliverable, the Attorney General will be notified. |
| Geographic Bee Return to index of stories... |
I have a question for my fellow journalists: The port of Rotterdam is built on the delta of which major European river? Anyone? The correct answer is the Rhine River. That's a sample question from the National Geographic Bee which was held this week. And a teenage from Nashua did very well. 14-year-old Neeraj Sirdeshmukh took second prize in the National Geographic Bee in Washington, D.C. It came down to a tie breaker between him and a 12-year-old from Illinois. Sirdeshmukh is an eighth-grader at Fairgrounds Middle School. By finishing second, he won a 15-thousand dollar college scholarship. |
| Goodnight Return to index of stories... |
That's it for this edition of New Hampshire Outlook. My thanks to James Pindell, Colin Manning and Tom Fahey. I'm Richard Ager. For Beth Carroll and for all of us here, thanks for watching. We'll see you next time. |
| Avian Flu Return to index of stories... |
From Floods - to a potential pandemic. U.S. Secretary of Health & Human Services came to New Hampshire to spread the word about Avian Flu. He spoke at a town hall meeting in Manchester Friday morning. |
| Flooding info Return to index of stories... |
AP-NH--Flooding-Disaster Declaration,0123 Bush approves disaster declaration for individual assistance hmrho WASHINGTON - Thousands of New Hampshire residents have been cleared to apply for help recovering from the recent flooding. The state's congressional delegation says President Bush has approved a disaster declaration for individual assistance. That means individuals who suffered losses as a result of the floods can file claims with the federal government online, over the phone or by visiting one of four Disaster Recovery Centers that will open next Friday. The offices will be in Concord, Raymond, Manchester and Rochester. Members of the congressional delegation say they declaration is an important step toward helping residents, businesses and communities recover from the flooding. --- To file claims online: www.fema.gov/assistance/register/shtm. To file by phone: 1-800-621-FEMA AP-NY-05-25-06 1658EDT |
| Romney Iraq Return to index of stories... |
AP-MA--Romney-Iraq,0150 Romney makes unannounced visit to Iraq BOSTON - Governor Romney made an unannounced trip to Iraq this week, visiting Massachusetts troops and meeting with military and diplomatic leaders. A spokesman for the Republican governor says he spent the last couple of days in Baghdad before returning to a U-S staging area in Kuwait City today. Romney is scheduled to stop in Pakistan tomorrow en route to Afghanistan, where he'll meet with President Hamid Karzai. After an overnight stay at the U-S embassy in Kabul, the governor will fly to Germany before returning to Massachusetts on Saturday. Romney was accompanied on the trip by Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer and Missouri Governor Matt Blunt. About half of the nation's governors have made similar visits. The opening stage of the trip was made under a reporting embargo requested by the Pentagon, which discourages advance publicity about visits to Iraq by high-profile U-S delegations. AP-NY-05-24-06 1031EDT |
| Eminent Domain Return to index of stories... |
AP-NH-XGR--Eminent Domain,0124 Lawmakers approve changes to eminent domain statutes dewst CONCORD, N.H. - New Hampshire lawmakers voted today to make it tougher for the state to take private land by eminent domain. The bill would modify state law to limit takings to land needed for public use, for a utility or to remove structures that pose a danger to the public. It defines public use more clearly and prohibits government taking land for economic development. The Legislature was reacting to a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that allowed New London, Connecticut, to take a group of older homes along the city's waterfront for offices, a hotel and a convention center. Lawmakers earlier voted to put a constitutional amendment on the November ballot to limit government's ability to take private land. AP-NY-05-24-06 1300EDT |
| Charter Schools Return to index of stories... |
AP-NH--XGR-Charter Schools,0123 Senate approves direct funding of charter schools klmnmlams CONCORD, N.H. - State funding for charter schools would be streamlined under a bill headed to New Hampshire Governor John Lynch for signature. The state would provide funding directly to charter schools approved by the state school board, instead of funneling the money through the local school district. The change came after the Franklin School District refused to transfer state tuition money to the Franklin Career Academy charter school. The school district kept the money. The bill also includes 400-thousand dollars in start-up money for new charter schools. The state money would be used to supplement federal seed money up to a total of 100-thousand dollars per school. A voucher proposal was dropped from the bill during negotiations. AP-NY-05-24-06 1359EDT |
| Michelle's Law Return to index of stories... |
AP-NH-XGR--Michelle's Law,0156 Lawmakers send "Michelle's Law" to Lynch nmlkwstfls CONCORD, N.H. - The Legislature passed a bill today continuing health insurance coverage for college students who have to leave school because of a serious illness. The bill, known as "Michelle's Law," will take effect as soon as Governor John Lynch signs it. The bill was inspired by 22-year-old Michelle Morse, who died last November of colon cancer. Morse's doctors told her she should reduce her course load at Plymouth State University. But she had to stay in college full-time for her mother's health insurance plan to cover her cancer treatments. The law will require insurers to continue covering college students for up to one year after leaving school, if a doctor certifies the leave of absence is medically necessary. Michelle's mother, AnnMarie Morse, is working to get similar laws passed in other states. She also hopes to get a federal law passed some day. AP-NY-05-24-06 1505EDT |
| Highway Signs Return to index of stories... |
P-NH--Highway Signs,0065 "Live Free or Die" signs now law dewman CONCORD, N.H. - Governor John Lynch signed the bill yesterday that will add the state motto "Live Free or Die" to state highway welcome signs. The new law adds the motto to several new welcome signs that say "You're going to love it here." It also will be included on all the signs installed under a replacement project that began last year. AP-NY-05-24-06 0539EDT |
| key: State Politics Return to index of stories... |
NEW HAMPSHIRE OUTLOOK Air Date/Time: 5/26/06 HOST: Richard Ager Length: 24:00 minutes Hello. I'm Richard Ager, Beth Carroll is off. Welcome to this Week-in-Review Edition of New Hampshire Outlook. Joining us to talk about the major stories making headlines this week-- from the State House in Concord: Tom Fahey of the Union Leader and Colin Manning from Foster's Daily Democrat and with me in our studio in Durham, James Pindell of PoliticsNH.com. Welcome all. PRODUCER/REPORTER: Richard Ager / NAME OF PARTICIPANTS: James Pindell\PoliticsNH.com , Colin Manning\Foster's Daily Democrat , Tom Fahey\Union Leader |