Can the NH budget be reconciled?
Breaking News! June 21 – The House and the Senate have reached agreement on the budget. Medicaid expansion will not happen now, but a commission will study expansion and report later this year at which point we will get a chance to vote on it again. In great news, flood control payments were 100% restored […]
Voting for the casino bill was hard.
The recent late frost hit my grapevines hard. The leaves and the buds were 90% to 100% burned. Not unlike some of my most dedicated supporters, incensed by my support of SB 152, the casino bill. I voted to talk about it and make it better, not to kill it. My “No” vote was a […]
On March 19, the Andover Constitution Freedom Alliance held a public meeting to discuss the UN’s Agenda 21 and its relationship to sustainable communities. Guest speakers were Tim Carter and Greg Carson (one con and one pro). The meeting was well attended by over 75 citizens and had some very good questions for both gentlemen. […]
House passes budgets with less downshifting of costs
The main event occurring in Concord recently was the adoption of the operating and capital budgets in the House. The operating budget (the day-to-day operations of the State), HB 1 and HB 2, passed on a mostly partisan basis , 194 to 172 and 193 to 166. The revenues used in this budget did not […]
First, a technical point. When we vote for a bill in the House or the Senate, we do not actually vote on the bill itself, but rather on the originating committee’s recommendation for the bill. For example, HB 337 (total legalization of marijuana) came out of the Criminal Justice and Public Safety committee with a […]
The main event in Concord this week (February 11 to 17) was the unveiling of Governor Hassan’s budget for fiscal years 2014-2015. I have a copy of the budget summary and would be glad to lend it to anyone interested. In this budget, the governor will make some assumptions about revenues; for instance, a raise […]
The flu reports have been non-stop this season. You can’t miss them on the radio, on the TV, or even in The Andover Beacon. Last month there was an update on flu count for all schools within the district. It seems that diagnosed flu cases in local schools are few or non-existent. That’s great news. […]
It’s a start on a plan to deal with town bridge problems.
Of the 20 bridges owned by the town, eight are on the New Hampshire Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Red List, three are closed, two are limited to foot traffic, one is structurally deficient, one is functionally obsolete, and four are in good shape. If the Morrill Hill Road Bridge project is completed this year, we […]
Public input welcomed on February 5 at Town Hall
Successful bi-partisan rescue of the Newfound School District, thanks to efforts by Senator Forrester (R) and Representative Gary Richards (D). Committee assignments: I got Public Works and Highways. David Karrick got Ways and Means. I have had many requests from constituents on topics ranging from school board rules to wind farm information to animal rights. […]
Half-day program is a disadvantage for Andover kids
(For a photo of the afternoon kindergarten class, look here.) A warrant article proposing full-day kindergarten at AE/MS will be voted on at School District Meeting on Monday, March 4. As parents and as professionals, we have all felt the need for a few more hours in the day. This is certainly the case in […]