NEWS & NOTES
Manchester primary
Mayor Ted Gatsas will face off against Alderman Joyce Craig in the November election. Gatsas received the most votes in the primary with 5,188 and Craig was a close second with 4,557. Craig’s Democratic rival, former Alderman Patrick Arnold, came in third with 1,861. While Craig is likely to receive a majority of Arnold’s votes in the general election, the city clerk told the Union Leader this could be a repeat of the 2009 election, in which Gatsas doubles his vote to more than 10,000 in the general election because Republicans turn out more for that than they do for primaries. But turnout for this primary was already fairly high. NHPR reported it was above 20 percent, which is twice as much as the 2013 election. A debate between Gatsas and Craig is scheduled for Oct. 14, and 12 more town hall debates will be held in each of the city’s wards, according to the Union Leader.
Marijuana clinic
A medical marijuana clinic — not to be confused with a dispensary — is due to open in Manchester in November. The Union Leader reported Delawarebased Canna Care Docs operates clinics in Maine, Massachusetts and Connecticut where patients can walk away with a prescription for pot after an evaluation. New Hampshire rules require marijuana recommendations come from doctors with whom patients have an existing relationship. To get around this, the clinic plans to create a three-month buffer period before recommendations are given. The health department reviews all provider recommendations before issuing medical marijuana registration cards to patients.
Budget passed
After about two and a half months of state government running without a new twoyear budget because of a stalemate between Democratic Gov. Maggie Hassan and the Republican-led legislature, New Hampshire has a budget. The Union Leader reported the
compromise budget included a 2-percent increase in pay for state workers and the first business tax cuts in 20 years. The first phase of tax cuts will happen next year and future cuts will be contingent upon a revenue threshold meant to offset the loss. Substance abuse treatment, prevention and recovery providers received one of the biggest increases in funding in the $11.35 billion budget. The compromise bill passed the Senate unanimously but faced opposition in the House from former House Speaker Bill O’Brien and his Republican Majority Caucus.
Shea-Porter files
During the New Hampshire Democratic convention, Carol Shea-Porter made the official announcement that she’s running to reclaim her former seat in Congress, again. It comes as no surprise. The Concord Monitor reported Shea-Porter had been hinting at a run for months and filed her candidacy paperwork in August. Shea-Porter and Guinta have traded the 1st Congressional District seat since Guinta first ousted her in 2010, but his recent campaign finance scandal may put an end to that. Republican Dan Innis has hinted at plans to run against Guinta again in the primary and recent polls showed Guinta’s support had all but evaporated.
asking for the line to be buried in the city. A petition with 170 signatures was submitted to city councilors who are studying the impact of the project. Residents told councilors they are concerned about their property values decreasing.
The filing period for the mayoral primary in Concord has closed, and the sitting mayor has a challenger. The Concord Monitor reported Mayor Jim Bouley will face longtime resident and author Paul Brogan.
CONCORD
Rudman Center
Defense contractor and former congressional candidate Rich Ashooh will helm the Warren B. Rudman Center at the UNH School of Law on an interim basis. The Concord Monitor reported Ashooh takes over six months after John Broderick’s tumultuous departure. Ashooh has been an executive at BAE Systems for more than 20 years and worked with the center’s namesake, Sen. Warren Rudman, for six years. He’s expected to work as the center’s director until February or March and his salary will be $150,000. Broderick had stated the university proper in Durham had not been doing enough to support the law school when he announced his resignation in March. In response, he was banned from the premises.
Emu on the lam
Hooksett Officials in Pembroke are working on updatA judge has sided with petitioning the town’s disaster ing residents in Derry who response plan. The ConGoffstown are trying to undo town budget cord Monitor reported cuts. The AP reported a special a draft hazard plan is election will be held in the next expected to be ready by few weeks for voters to have MANCHESTER spring. their say on the cuts, which involved closing a fire station. Bedford
A plan for the city to buy a Amherst hydroelectric plant at Mine Falls Park in Nashua by Milford the end of the year is being considered by aldermen. The Telegraph of Nashua reported experts told the aldermen the asking price is well below the market rate for comparable plants.
Merrimack
Derry
Londonderry
NASHUA
After more than a week of perate. It’s still unclear where this reported his office is appealevading authorities, an emu that emu came from, but emu farms ing a ruling by a federal judge had been spotted roaming the exist in Dunbarton and Barn- last month that struck down a local wilderness was captured stead. Residents first spotted the state law banning the posting of photos with marked ballots by a pair of residents in Bow. rogue emu on Sept. 11. on social media. The judge said WMUR reported that the 5-footit violated free speech and was Ballot selfies tall male flightless bird was netted New Hampshire Secretary of not necessary in curbing elecand caged in the Hampshire Hills Calls for NP delay neighborhood by a father and son State Bill Gardner is not giv- tion fraud or coercion. The case New Hampshire’s congres- and sent to the Wings of Dawn ing up his fight against ballot is now in the First Circuit Court sional delegation is asking the Sanctuary in Henniker to recu- selfies. The Caledonian Record of Appeals in Boston. Department of Energy to review the latest proposed route for the Northern Pass hydroelectric project. The Concord MoniNASHUA STARTUP DARTMOUTH NEW HIRE tor reported Sen. Kelly Ayotte, The networking tech startup Plexxi raised $35 In the days following Dartmouth College’s Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, Rep. million in funding from four investors. The announcement that it hired Susan Taffe Reed Frank Guinta and Rep. Annie Union Leader reported the last round of funas the new director of the Native American Kuster sent a letter on Sept. draising brings the total venture capital raised program, there has been vocal outcry from since 2011 to $83 million. The money will be members of the Native American communi17 to the department requestused to fund quick expansion of the compaty. The Union Leader reported many accuse ing a detailed analysis be done ny’s sales, marketing, customer support and Taffe Reed of cultural appropriation because immediately and that hearings research and development. Plexxi provides of her affiliation with the “fictitious” Eastscheduled in October be postbusinesses with switches for data centers and ern Delaware Nation. Opponents of her hiring poned until after the analysis. A networks. It has 90 employees working mosthave argued obituaries and birth records show similar letter was sent by conserly at the Nashua headquarters. her ancestry is entirely European but Taffe vation groups two days earlier. Reed maintains she has some native descent. The newest plan unveiled last month would bury an additional 52 miles of power lines. Meanwhile, residents in Concord are
HIPPO | SEPTEMBER 24 - 30, 2015 | PAGE 4