Local voices chime in on a variety of topics.
A few years ago, our library – somehow – became a PokéStop. No, we didn’t know what that was either until suddenly our parking lot was getting full everyday with people just sitting in their cars, eyes down on their phones or in some cases laptops.
It’s a sad statement on where we are as a state, and a nation, that on the night before Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday, The Granite Post breaks a story about a state representative endorsing segregated schools in New Hampshire in a private group chat on Signal.
Bringing back the death penalty is not justice, it’s the ultimate form of slavery. It is inhumane to believe that taking another life restores safety or peace. The New Hampshire legislature repealed the death penalty in 2019 by a bipartisan, two-thirds majority. Since then, there has been no rise in homicide. In fact, New Hampshire has the lowest homicide rate in the nation.
There are few albums in a person’s life that change the way they listen to music. “Grace” was one of those albums for me. When I first listened to it, I thought my ex-girlfriend was taunting me, rubbing it in my face as Buckley rendered sonic heartbreaks with tunes like “Last Goodbye” and “Lover, You Should’ve Come Over.”
This anxiety is really cramping my style, because I’ve found from experience that most people are willing to tell you about themselves more if you tell them about you. I’ve been stewing over this for a while and here’s what I think the problem is – I don’t have anything to complain about.
Ted Menswar interviewed the men responsible for creating Manchester‘s Queen City Athletic Hall of Fame (QCAHF). Read all about it. Part 1 of 2.
On Wednesday, a 37-year-old mother was shot and killed by an ICE agent. I don’t have words to express my grief and outrage, but I know we cannot continue down this path.
A couple of years ago a lovely young woman I worked with named Juli told me about a Danish custom called Hygge. I love to learn about various cultural observances and practices as I think the world has so many wonderful things in it, I want to learn as much as I can about all of it! If we learn and share together we can learn to respect and celebrate each other better.
One of my favorite activities of the holiday season is watching “The Twilight Zone” marathon on the SYFY Channel, which begins at 5 a.m. on New Year’s Eve and runs through New Year’s Day. This year, I sacked out on the couch for 14 straight hours and have exactly zero regrets about it.
I went back and forth with myself about writing anything regarding the fire that happened on New Years Eve in my neighborhood. It’s a tragic event, one person lost their life, several more were injured, and many lost their home. I don’t really feel good about giving “my side of the story” regarding something that didn’t happen to me. There’s no way for me to know what those people are going through or how they feel. But after talking to some friends about it, I’ve been convinced. My partner told me, “well, you were there, shouldn’t you share your perspective?”
New Hampshire has never believed in kings.
From the town meeting floor to the State House, we are a state that insists power must be earned, justified, and restrained. That is why what happened this weekend should alarm every Granite Stater—regardless of party.
I’ve relied on Manchester’s public bus system for decades, beginning in 1989. Over that time, I’ve seen how effective transit planning can make daily life possible for people without cars — and how changes to routes can unintentionally leave some residents struggling to meet basic needs.
The week between Christmas and New Year’s Day is usually filled with advertisements, many from gyms, stating how they can help one become a better version of themselves in the new year. (I do not have a problem with gyms advertising, but find it interesting, if not predictable).
Fortunately, FRAC successfully lobbied Congress to defeat cuts to the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) and, through similar pressure, Healthy School Meals for All, serving free breakfast and lunch to our most vulnerable victims of food insecurity, avoiding proposals to defund the program thanks in large part to the numerous states that adopted the program. (New Hampshire is not among them.)
Today, I witnessed the incredible heart of the Manchester community as they rallied for those displaced by the devastating 3-alarm fire on Union Street.
This 117 mile long river supplies water to over 600,000 residents along its shoreline including Manchester and Nashua. The Abenaki, Wabanaki and Pennacook Peoples have protected its watershed for over 10,000 years.
When Governor Kelly Ayotte says New Hampshire is “number one across the board,” the line travels faster than fact. It looks great in national talking points — but it doesn’t match what families, teachers, and taxpayers feel every day in Manchester, Nashua, and communities across our state. Here, the gap between headline and reality is not abstract. It shows up in school budgets, tax bills, and choices families are forced to make.
On Dec. 29, at the Bishop McVinney Auditorium in Providence, R.I., the Providence Fire Department Training Academy graduated its 57th class. There were 16 trainees in the class, one of whom was my son, Owen.
Most families would just take on the duties of caring for their disabled loved one not knowing that there may be other options, even if it’s a sacrifice for the family member providing the care, but in providing home health services in place of a home health aide, that family member is deserving of financial compensation for their time.
Nick wasn’t just my coach, he was my unforgettable friend. For those of you who weren’t fortunate enough to cross the multiple paths of Nick’s life, I’m hoping that, through this story, you will “meet” him and, most importantly, never forget his name.