On Air News Read for February 3, 2017

At approximately 3:30 this morning, Manchester police responded to 75 W. Mitchell Street to investigate the report of a missing child.  Police met with adult residents who reported the child was last seen asleep in her crib at approximately 9:30 PM.  Preliminary information indicates the child wandered off from the home unbeknown to the adults inside.

Police extensively searched the residence, as well as the surrounding neighborhood and remain actively engaged in that search at this time.  Additional resources from the New Hampshire State Police and the Manchester Fire Department are now involved.  Police ask that residents refrain from entering the search area at this time. 

A loyal listener suggested people in the neighborhood check their cars, garages, sheds and security camera footage.

The missing child is identified as follows:

Zoey Rose Guerrero Pena
White female with tanned skin and black hair
Last seen wearing pink, one-piece sleepwear

The department is asking anyone with information about this missing child to immediately contact them at 668-8711.  

Click here for a map of the search area of the missing child.

UPDATE:  Zoey has been found and is alive and well!  Awaiting details from the Manchester Police Department.

Click here for the Manchester Police Department’s final media release on how and where Zoe was found.

Kids horsing around with a toy gun put a Hooksett school into lock-down yesterday around dismissal time.  The Fred C. Underhill Elementary School was secured at about twenty minutes to four after reports that three juveniles had pointed a gun at a passing school bus.  Police found the three kids pretty quickly and determined the gun was a toy.  Hooksett Police Chief Peter Bartlett said while the situation was serious and thanked school officials for their quick reaction, he said no children were ever in danger.  Bartlett encouraged parents to speak with their children about the incident and to contact the department or the school with any questions.

The Bedford Police Department is investigating a bomb threat made yesterday morning.  Shortly after 11, the department received a call from the Primrose School at Bedford Hills, a private daycare facility, reporting that someone had called with bomb threat.  Officers responded to the scene and assessed the audio recording with company officials.  As a precaution, the building was evacuated and the children were taken to a neighboring facility while police conducted a search.  The search turned up nothing, causing the department to determine the threat was not credible.  Children and daycare employees returned to the building.  B P D is asking anyone with any information  to contact them at 4 7 2 5 1 1 3.

The 6 0 3 Alliance, a conservative issues umbrella group dedicated to restoring Constitutional principles, announced a more than fifty one hundred dollar donation to the Liberty House in Manchester.  The donation came from monies received from the inaugural ball the group held on January twentieth to commemorate the Inauguration of President Donald Trump.  Organizers invited people to the swank affair in Concord saying all profits would be donated to Liberty House to help struggling veterans in light of Trump’s commitment to ensure all vets receive the help they need.  For more than a decade, Liberty House has been providing a safe, supportive, substance-free housing community for veterans transitioning out of homelessness.  For more information, visit 6 0 3 alliance dot org and liberty house dot org.

News from our own backyard continues after this.

Manchester Mayor Ted Gatsas issued a statement yesterday saying Public Health Director Tim Soucy will lead the presentation of a report providing a comprehensive review of the city’s response to the opioid epidemic.  Gatsas recently tasked Soucy with identifying the government, non-profit and private sector response to the crisis.  Entitled the The 2016 City of Manchester: Response to the Opioid Crisis Annual Report, it will be unveiled at Tuesday’s meeting of the Board of Mayor and Aldermen.  Gatsas referenced the report in his weekly Wednesday interview right here on Girard at Large.  We’ve linked to it.

Gatsas also issued a statement praising the recently released overdose and Safe Station stats.  He praised the efforts of all involved and said he was encouraged by the data that shows overdoses at a more than two year low and Safe Station visits at an all time high.  Said Gatsas quote:

Here in Manchester we brought forward a community-wide response to the Opioid Epidemic.  From our emergency responders, to the hospitals, to the recovery-community, to the parents, students and teachers in our schools, and countless others, we have engaged our entire community in our battle to fight this epidemic.  While it is too early to say with complete certainty that we are succeeding I can say that we are making progress.

Offered by the New Hampshire Association of Chiefs of Police, the New Hampshire Police Cadet Training Academy will be held at the New Hampshire Technical Institute from Saturday, June 24^th, to Friday, June 30^th. The enrollment fee is two hundred dollars.  The academy is designed to help young persons ages 14 to 20 develop their skills and knowledge of law enforcement and to refine their life skills for the future.  We’ve got the link to their Web page for those interested in the program.  We have the contact info for the people involved if you’d like to ask questions, too.

Any questions may be directed to Academy Coordinator Chief James Burroughs at 603-863-3240 or email at policechief@newportnh.gov or Academy Commander (Ret.) Lieutenant Pierre Pouliot at ppouliot@goffstownnh.gov. 

District Nine State Senator Andy Sanborn, Republican from Bedford, has filed legislation that would make birth control pills an over the counter drug.  Sanborn said he introduced Senate Bill 1 5 4 to provide women with equal access to birth control. 

In other news from the General Court, the House of Representatives advanced Manchester Republican State Rep. Victoria Sullivan’s bill requiring schools provide parents with two week notice before lessons on sex and human sexuality.  The bill was vetoed last year by then Governor Margaret Wood Hassan at the behest of Planned Parenthood, among others. 

The House also approved Bedford Republican State Rep. Keith Murphy’s bill to align the state to Atlantic Standard Time if Massachusetts moves to it, thus ditching Daylight Savings Time.  Alleluia! 

A bill codifying parents’ rights to opt their children out of statewide standardized tests also received overwhelming support in the House, yesterday.

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