Guinta: Working in Washington
First District Congressman Frank Guinta announced the Bipartisan Task Force to Combat the Heroin Epidemic will meet in Washington, D. C. today to hear from heroin addiction and recovery experts on addiction treatment programs that have the highest recovery rates among heroin users. Guinta and Second District Congressman Ann McLane Kuster formed the task force last year to gather ideas and develop solutions to the growing nationwide problem. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that heroin addiction, overdose and death have doubled across the country, affecting Midwestern and Northeasernt states in higher proportion. The panel includes several experts. We’ve published the advisory sent by Guinta’s office at Girard at Large dot com and linked to it from this news read for your convenience.
Follow the money…
Guinta also announced he voted in favor of the Sunshine for Regulatory Decrees and Settlements Act. Guinta said the act would put an end to the all too cozy cooperation between bureaucrats and outside interest groups who block the public and representatives out of their meetings while concocting the regulations everybody else will have to live by. The bill passed by a wide margin with two hundred forty four in favor and one hundred seventy three opposed. In addition, Guinta introduced the AUDIT Act to force Congress to adopt General Accounting Office recommendations to eliminate waste, fraud and abuse to save tens of billions of taxpayer dollars.
McLaughlin wins award
McLaughlin Middle School in Manchester was recognized as one of our nation’s healthier schools on Friday, when presented with a bronze medal in the Healthier U S School Challenge Smarter Lunchrooms Awards. The award recognizes schools that have demonstrated excellence in integrating health, nutrition and fitness education into their schools. Only seven percent of public schools in the U. S. received a bronze, silver, gold, or gold with distinction award. According to the district, McLaughlin Principal Bill Krantz implemented a physical education curriculum that emphasizes the importance of lifelong fitness, added methods of healthy eating to the life skills class and incorporated fresh foods into the cafeteria menu.
Auburn: Zoning changes go to public
The Auburn Planning Board will conduct a public hearing tonight at seven in Town Hall to discuss proposed 2 0 1 6 Zoning Ordinance Amendments. The Board will discuss topics including cluster development provisions that may limit lot sizes and regulate dwelling units and roadway construction. The board will also discuss limitations on driveway construction and mandates on portable fire extinguishers in commercial and industrial occupancies. We’ve uploaded a complete copy of the proposed changes with this news read at Girard at Large dot com.
News from our own backyard continues after this.
Beaudry: Proposed rules up for a vote
The Manchester Board of School Committee will hold its first real meeting of the term tonight at City Hall. The fun begins at seven. On the agenda is the unfinished business of amending and adopting the board’s rules. It ought to be interesting to see how that goes. For those of you interested, we’ve published the commentary that came from what amounted to an online meeting as members of the board wrote their thoughts on the proposed changes on an online spreadsheet. We’ve linked to it from this newscast at Girard at Large dot com.
Before the board gets to the rules, it has a number of rather serious policy issues on the consent agenda, including Standards for the Protection of Personal Information of Staff and Students, the selection and use of Instructional Materials, and the approval of a draft Curriculum Management Plan among others.
Gatsas: Initiatives up for a vote
The board will also again take up the request of Mayor Ted Gatsas to conduct a dependent eligibility audit of the district’s health and dental insurance plans and consider an agreement negotiated between Gatsas and Elliot Health Systems in which the Elliot provides a three percent discount on services rendered to employees who use the district’s health insurance plan.
The district, by the way, wants to get young children excited about reading. Pre-schoolers planning to attend kindergarten this fall are invited, with an adult, to McDonough Elementary School, where they will hear a story, do a math activity and make friends. The events will take place each Friday in January from two to two thirty. Snacks and take-home activities will be provided. There is no charge. If you’d like more information, please call the school at 6 2 4 6 3 7 3.
Bounced from debate by ABC
National media continues to dictate terms to the locals in the presidential primary. The latest casualty in the political wars is none other than the Union Leader. Seems A B C News is more interested in placating cranky candidates than it is in upholding journalistic integrity as they’ve bounced the U L from the scheduled debate at St. A’s on February sixth. G O P front runner Donald Trump had threatened to boycott the debate if Union Leader reporters were allowed to participate because of the paper’s editorial crusade against him.
WMUR: The first ABC victim
Last month, A B C affiliate W M U R Channel Nine was cut out of the Democratic debate by A B C after refusing to bow to pressure from the state and national Democratic parties to resolve ongoing negotiations with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, a union representing some of their employees.
A B C has yet to announce which candidates will be allowed to participate in the debate.
That’s news from our own backyard, Girard at Large hour ___ is next!
