Manchester students: Stung by spelling bee
The Manchester School District held its Middle School Spelling Bee last night in Central High School’s McAllister Hall. The top three spellers from each of the four middle schools competed for the city title. Aashaya Rajbhandri, an eighth grader from Hillside won first place. Amir Melkic a sixth grader from McLaughlin came in second, and eighth grader Vaelen Murphy from Southside came in third. The champions from each of the middle schools will compete in the state competition of the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Concord just one week from tomorrow. For complete details on the Bee, read the full story written by Melanie Friese on Girard at Large dot com. We’ve linked to it from this news read for your convenience.
Beech St. School wins award!
Also from the Manchester School District, Beech Street Elementary School was awarded a silver medal in the Healthier U S School Challenge: Smarter Lunchrooms Award, yesterday. This award, given by the U. S. Department of Agriculture, recognizes an elite group of schools across America for excellence in their integration of health, nutrition and fitness education. Beech Street was one of just three schools to win the award in the state. Schools participating in the challenge voluntarily adopt U S D A standards for the food they serve, agree to provide nutrition education and offer opportunities for physical activity.
To celebrate, the school had a big assembly, which was a lot of fun to attend, where kids from the fifth grade classes presented their work, adults made boring speeches and then joined the kids for some indoor games. Oh yeah, they also got a big banner to commemorate the award, too. Last month, McLaughlin Middle School was recognized with a bronze medal in the competition.
John Lyscars: Another school in the choice model
The Hooksett School Board unanimously approved a Memorandum of Understanding that provides its students with the ability to attend Goffstown High School. The Goffstown School Board had previously approved the agreement. Hooksett’s high schoolers now have nine high schools they can attend in six communities. Voters in Hooksett will determine whether or not Manchester’s four high schools will continue to be available to their students when they vote on a ten year tuition pact with the city in March.
Sanborn: Keeping promises
The New Hampshire Senate passed S B 5 5 2 yesterday. The bill increases the amount that small business owners can deduct for equipment purchases by tying to the federal standards. If adopted, New Hampshire would join 3 8 other states that have already made this change. About the bill, District Nine Senator Andy Sanborn Republican from Bedford, said quote
“New Hampshire ranks among the most expensive places in America to do business and with the passage of this bill, we are standing by our promise to make our state more attractive to small companies who operate here or who are looking to move here.”
News from our own backyard continues after this.
OKeefe: Videos get reaction
Looks like the Project Veritas videos (video 1, Video 2) released by investigative journalist James O’Keefe have captured legislator attention in Concord. The House Election Law Committee voted yesterday to recommend passing C A C R 17, which would amend Part First, Article 11 of the state constitution by adding a sentence that reads quote:
“No person may establish a domicile for the purpose of voting unless he or she is a resident of the town, ward, or unincorporated place where he or she seeks to vote.”
Committee Republicans unanimously supported the recommendation.
Hoelzel: Pushes constitutional amendment
Committee Chair and House Majority Whip Kathy Hoelzel, Republican from Raymond, said,
“For most of the history of our state it was accepted and understood that a person had to be a resident of New Hampshire in order to vote here. In recent years that understanding has evolved and now people who are residents of other states are participating in our elections if they simply claim they are domiciled somewhere in the state for voting purposes.”
Bates: Sponsors amendment
Bill sponsor David Bates, Republican from Windham, said
“For those New Hampshire citizens who believe that residents of other states should not vote in our elections, there is no option left but to amend the state constitution to explicitly require voters to be residents.”
In order to pass, the bill must garner a two thirds majority vote in both the House and Senate after which it will be on the ballot in November, where it will require a two thirds vote of the people to be adopted. Make sure you’re in the ears and inboxes of your state reps and senators on this one folks!
Carson: AG should investigate
Also in response the Veritas videos, District Fourteen Senator Sharon Carson, Republican from Londonderry, and District Nineteen Senator Regina Birdsell, Republican from Hampstead, issued statements yesterday. Carson said,
“New Hampshire voters deserve to have confidence that their votes count in an election and that they are not diminished by drive-by or out of state voters who decide to cast a ballot in a New Hampshire election…I urge the Attorney General’s office, who we know has chosen not to place emphasis and deploy recourse on enforcing election laws, to take these claims seriously and engage in a full investigation.”
Birdsell: Backs voter registration changes
Birdsell called the videos quote “disturbing,” saying it quote,
“clearly shows that we need tougher common sense laws that ensure those who vote in New Hampshire elections have a vested interest in the communities impacted through these elections.”
She called on the House to follow the senate and again pass legislation she co-sponsored that would add a thirty day residency requirement before voters could register. She said the legislation will quote
“protect our New Hampshire residents’ votes from instances where drive-by voters or individuals claim temporary residency in our state to vote in our primary or general elections.”
Hassan: Another veto?
An identical bill was vetoed last session by Governor Margaret Wood Hassan who said it would impose an unreasonable restriction on people’s right to vote. Yeah, right. ‘Cuz the Hugo Palma’s of the world can’t vote where they really live. Oh My HEAD!
That’s news from our own backyard, Girard at Large hour ___ is next!
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