Upgrades will shut system down

The Office of the Tax Collector in Manchester and the Office of the Town Clerk in Candia have announced that, due to system upgrades, they will be unable to complete the state portion of motor vehicle registrations from October sixth through October tenth.  They’re encouraging residents to plan accordingly. 

We’re sure that other offices will be making similar announcements in the not too distant future given that the state Division of Motor Vehicles is implementing a new drivers licensing system to replace the one that’s been in use since the nineteen eighties.  We’ve linked to all the details you could ever want about the upgrade as it will also affect D M V offices and the issuance of licenses across the state.

Closed for employee appreciation

Also on October sixth, town offices in Hooksett will be closing at Noon so the town can host its annual Employee Appreciation Picnic.  The announcement came with a, quote “thank you for your patience and support” message and a request that residents, quote “please plan accordingly.”

The Auburn Board of Selectmen will meet tonight at seven at Town Hall.  On the agenda are a number of items of interest, including several proposed promotions in the Fire Department, budget reviews for several town operations and a bit of a sticky wicket with the Auburn Little League. 

Will deal with Little League request

Seems the folks there are looking to be reimbursed for money they spent to improve the irrigation system on the fields they, and other youth sports, use.  The league spent a total of forty five hundred dollars on the work, but is only looking to recover the cost of work done to the soccer fields, which totaled fourteen hundred dollars.  The work was done in the prior fiscal year and was specifically not included in the current fiscal year’s budget by a vote of the Budget Committee in December.  Believing they had the approval of the selectmen, the work was done last November.  We’ve linked to the agenda with all the details you’d ever want.

Short agenda, long meeting

The Manchester Board of School Committee looks like it might have a long night ahead of it tonight.  The board will go into non-public session on a personnel matter at five o’clock.  At its regular meeting, the board will take up a breach of confidentiality.  Seems someone on the board compromised the integrity of a recent non-public meeting involving personnel matters.  The district’s attorney is expected to make a presentation regarding the violation and potential corrective actions the board may take. 

Also on the agenda is a suggested list of renovations to West High School that Superintendent Dr. Bolgen Vargas says are needed to relocate the district’s office operation.  Expect there to be discussion on that as well as on yet another revision to the district’s health and nutrition policy, also known as the cupcake policy.

News from our own backyard continues after this.

Craig: Attacks Humble Host in fund-raising appeal

You’ll never guess who’s been used as fodder for a fund-raising effort undertaken by Manchester mayoral candidate Joyce Craig,   Yes, that’s right.  It’s me, your Humble Host!  Well, at least we think that’s who she’s referencing in this email.  Quote:

The primary result has clearly panicked Republicans in Manchester. They’ve already started attacking Joyce. The Union Leader has run editorials against her two days in a row. This morning they told readers that Joyce can’t be trusted.

Right after we read the personal attacks in the Union Leader we heard a local radio show host lying about our donors to his listeners. They are showing us that Ted Gatsas’ supporters will lie to get him re-elected.

We need your help to fight back. Can you donate $30 right now?

Ted Gatsas may have the Union Leader, but we have you and thousands like you to reject their cynical approach to politics. We can show Ted Gatsas that when he sends his friends out to lie and personally attack Joyce we’re going to do something about it. 

Can you contribute $10 for every attack Joyce has faced the last two days?

Thanks for your help pushing back on these attacks,

Girard: Send me $30 instead.

In response, I your humble host ask you to send me thirty dollars so we can not only continue to bring you news that people like Joyce Craig don’t want you to know, but also ensure we can correct the record when she sees fit to misrepresent it for her own purposes.

Fund raiser announced

The Currier Museum of Art and Hope for New Hampshire Recovery are teaming up to raise funds for the N H Recovery Center.  Sanguine fashion designers, Laura McCarthy and Harry Umen, will showcase their collection called “A Walk Out of the Woods” representing the transition of an individual from a state of confusion and isolation to a state of reconnection with self, family and community.  Tour the Currier’s current special exhibition The Paris of Toulouse-Lautrec and enjoy Lautrec’s bold lithographs of Paris and the city’s eccentric inhabitants, whose lives the artist celebrated through his art.  Drawn from the collection of the Museum of Modern Art, this exhibition is not to be missed.

Then enjoy food and cocktails by the runway in the Winter Garden, featuring fabulous fashion designs evoking the beauty and mystery of the New England woodland.  A live art auction will take place during the fashion show.  Tickets are seventy five dollars per person and we’ve linked to the event where you can tickets and more details.

That’s NEWS from our own backyard!  Girard at Large hour ___ is next.