AMR Ambulance, Manchester’s current ambulance company, has once again misrepresented the Corporate Integrity Agreement imposed on it for overbilling issues as it tries to explain its proposal to win Manchester’s next ambulance service contract. This time, however, they did it in a letter sent to the Board of Mayor and Aldermen on Friday. In the letter, they stick to the claim that the CIA was issued as a result of actions taken by their operations in Brooklyn and write that it was not involved in the circumstances that quote gave rise to the Brooklyn C I A. They also state that these agreements are common and are not a form of discipline or sanction against a company, just a way of avoiding costly litigation. Oh my HEAD! What they’re not saying is that while issues in Brooklyn did cause the company to enter the CIA rather than be taken to court after an administrative investigation, the C I A does apply to them and we’ll prove it during the show. Further, whether or not it’s a discipline or sanction, the question remains whether or not, being subject to it, it should have been disclosed. As we posted to Oh My BLOG! last night, any bidder was required to disclose any administrative or judicial proceedings the company or any of its officers were involved with. Clearly, the C I A falls under that disclosure requirement. We’ll have more on this and related information during the show.
The winner in yesterday’s court battle between the Manchester School District and the Hooksett School Board iiiisssss….the lawyers. Instead of hearing the case as scheduled, Hillsborough County Superior Court Judge Gillian Ambramson decided she wanted the parties to go through mediation to see if they can work out their differences. Makes you wonder if she’d really understood the case in front of her. Anyway, she did reserve her courtroom on the afternoon of July 29th to hear the case if the mediation fails, which it will and we’ll explain why during the show. In the meantime, Girard at Large obtained a copy of Manchester’s argument to the court regarding why enjoining Hooksett was necessary. It’s an interesting read, which you can get with this newscast at Girard at Large dot com. In it, they not only cite Hooksett’s failure to conform to state law and the contract, but also to its practices which, over the past eight years has allowed as few as 6 and as many as twenty five students to attend non Manchester high schools.
More news from our own backyard comes right after this.
The Manchester Board of Mayor and Aldermen meets tonight and it’s shaping up to be a long one. Not only with the aldermen take up the ambulance contract, they’ll also address the contract ratified by the Association of Manchester Principals and the Board of School Committee. Plus, they’ll take up matters addressed in the Traffic and Public Safety Committee, such as the aggressive animal ordinance, which was passed despite not actually having the language (we’re waiting for that), the closure of Hanover Street for weekend nights during the summer and the closure of the alleyway between the Strange Brew Tavern and a neighboring abutter whose complained about the practice and argued, quite convincingly I might add, that the city is violating state law and its own ordinances to do it. We’ll be there, of course. Be sure to blog along with us!
The Manchester Historic Association announced the election of three new trustees and two new officers. Attorney Sean P. Flanagan, Therese Gesel-Towne and retired Rear Admiral Arthur J. Lawrence, Jr. were elected to serve four-year terms as new Trustees. Matthew J. Kfoury was elected as the organization’s new President and Jeffrey J. Myrdek was elected as its new Vice President, both for two-year terms. Their release with introductory bios and other information is available with this news cast at Girard at Large dot com.
It’s time for our Candia Crime Wave Report. Candia’s boys in blue issued one hundred fifty four warnings to motorists last month and summoned eighteen to court. They also arrested five individuals or charges ranging from aggravated D W I to theft. The department’s entire report is available with this newscast at Girard at Large dot com. Soldier on, Candia. Soldier on.
That’s news from our own backyard, Girard at Large hour ___ is just 30 seconds away…
