Commentary: ‘What a mess we’ve made’
read more…: Commentary: ‘What a mess we’ve made’I wish I could blame congressional Republicans or congressional Democrats for the government shutdown, now in its third week.
Point of View
Local voices chime in on a variety of topics.
The Soapbox: In midst of housing crisis, GOP proposed cuts to vital funding is alarming
read more…: The Soapbox: In midst of housing crisis, GOP proposed cuts to vital funding is alarmingThe federal Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program has helped our city tackle this crisis head-on. Its funds have been used to develop 161 affordable housing units for low- and moderate-income families, while also allowing the city to serve over 20,000 Granite Staters. Federal programs like this one can go a long way in helping meet our community’s needs.   Â
Unfortunately, Republicans have very different plans for the program. The GOP-controlled Senate is gearing up to slash CDBG funding by $200 million. Trump has even gone a step further by proposing its complete elimination.
Attacking free speech
read more…: Attacking free speechThe shooting death of Charlie Kirk on September 10th has created a range of emotions from people who either liked – or disagreed but respected – him and from those who did not particularly like him. Like him or not, the massive effect he had on people as well as the increased engagement and boldness because of his death cannot be denied.Â
The Soapbox: Manchester at Risk – Our schools, our taxes, our future
read more…: The Soapbox: Manchester at Risk – Our schools, our taxes, our futureManchester — Our city is caught in the crosshairs of a growing fiscal and constitutional crisis in public education. The state’s failure to fully fund its legal responsibilities is hurting students, taxpayers, and entire communities.
Chelbys is closed for renovations
read more…: Chelbys is closed for renovationsDid I mention Chelbys is closed for renovations?
The Soapbox: When it comes to PFAS, please put humanity above business influence
read more…: The Soapbox: When it comes to PFAS, please put humanity above business influenceI’ve come to share my concern about PFAS pollution at the Manchester Wastewater Treatment Plant. The cause is both personal and on behalf of the greater good. You see, I feel an obligation as perhaps any of you have who has been diagnosed with cancer as I was in 2022. Advanced thyroid cancer. Just one of the many documented health effects related to PFAS exposure.
The Soapbox | Accountability is not censorship: Why the Board is right to rein in Levasseur
read more…: The Soapbox | Accountability is not censorship: Why the Board is right to rein in LevasseurRich Girard’s recent defense of Alderman Joe Kelly Levasseur presents a false choice: either elected officials are free to hurl insults at city staff without consequence, or the city risks trampling the First Amendment. This framing oversimplifies the issue and ignores a basic truth: accountability and civility in public service are not unconstitutional, they are essential to good government.
Pompous Jackassery and Mortal Concerns: Crushes, Catechism, and a Minnow’s Martyrdom Â
read more…: Pompous Jackassery and Mortal Concerns: Crushes, Catechism, and a Minnow’s Martyrdom ÂDesire isn’t polite. It shows up early, misfires often, and makes a fool out of you long before it ever makes you human. These are the first sparks: a six-year-old whispering into a two‑by‑four, a minnow drafted into romance, a flood in God’s living room. Not exactly a love story, but close enough to bruise.
OPINION: ‘Invective against Levasseur sidesteps, creates important questions’
read more…: OPINION: ‘Invective against Levasseur sidesteps, creates important questions’As the Board of Mayor and Aldermen moves to replace at-Large Alderman Joe Kelly Levasseur as its chair, it has both avoided the very questionable conduct of a city department head and embarked on a course of action that would place unconstitutional restrictions on the First Amendment rights of elected officials.
What New Hampshire seniors need to know to navigate upcoming Medicare Advantage changes
read more…: What New Hampshire seniors need to know to navigate upcoming Medicare Advantage changesThat is why changes to the Medicare Advantage program over the past four years have been so unsettling. Last year alone, more than 44,000 New Hampshire enrollees, over half of our state’s Medicare Advantage population, were affected when carriers reduced plan offerings or withdrew from the market entirely.