In Amherst

The town of Amherst has announced Town Hall will be closed on Thanksgiving Day and Black Friday.  Business as usual will resume on Monday the twenty seventh.  They even created this cool flayer to make the announcement.  We’ve got it with this news read at Girard at Large dot com in case you want to take a look.

Sanborn: A good first step

In wake of yesterday’s vote in the House of Representatives to reform the income tax code, First District congressional candidate Senator Andy Sanborn, Republican from Bedford, sent out a statement praising the bill.  Sanborn said the bill, which proposes the first major overhaul of the tax code in more than thirty years, would increase the Child Tax Credit used by more than forty five thousand residents in the district by sixty percent.  He also said it would reduce rates for nearly fifty thousand small businesses, create more than forty five hundred jobs in the district and raise after tax income by over three thousand three hundred fifty five dollars for quote the working people of NH.”

Sanborn said if he was elected to congress, he would, quote:  “continue to fight for lower taxes for all Americans just as I have done during my time in the State Senate, having brought forth the first reduction Concord has seen in decades. ”

Sununu: A good first step

Governor Christopher Sununu weighed in on the passage of the tax reform package, too.  He said that, while important work remained to be done, the bill was a step in the right direction.  He singled out the reduction in the number of tax brackets from seven to four, the increase in the child care tax credit, addition of a per person deduction for non-child dependents and spouses, elimination of incentives for companies to ship jobs overseas, the provision of incentives for companies to bring overseas earnings back home and the elimination of the death tax.  Said Sununu, quote: 

“As the process moves forward, I hope Congress will do more to help those caring for an elderly or sick person and preserve the adoption assistance tax credit.  Providing for $10,000 in property tax deductions is welcome news, but we can and must do more to alleviate the property tax burden of Granite Staters.”

He said he would continue to carefully examine the impact of tax reform legislation as it moved through the process, asserting he would be watching how the tax cuts quote “will be paid for so as to not further bloat the federal deficit, raise taxes on the middle class or cut essential, core services.”

News from our own backyard continues after this!

To hold Gender Identity Policy Forum

Cornerstone Action will hold a forum on Gender Identity Policy on Thursday, November 30th from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. at the Executive Court on South Mammoth Road in Manchester.  Cornerstone said it’s hosting the forum because of the number of gender identity related bills pending in the New Hampshire General Court.

Speaking at the event, which is free and open to the public, are:

  • Stephanie Curry, an attorney with the Family Policy Alliance
  • David Pickup, a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and
  • Rene Jax, a Transgender Lecturer, and Author of “Don’t Get on the Plane: Sex Change Surgery Will Ruin Your Life”

Cornerstone says these speakers will provide valuable information that can be used as a family member, neighbor and voter.  It also announced that, in order to create a safe space for constructive dialogue, the event will be closed to the press and security personnel will be on-site.  We’ve got the link you’ll need to get tickets with this news read at Girard at Large dot com.

Gets Presidential permit

The U. S. Department of Energy issued a Record of Decision and approved the Presidential permit for the proposed Northern Pass Transmission Line.  The 1 9 2-mile above and below ground, alternating and direct current transmission system will deliver up to 1,090 megawatts of low-emission, reliable hydro-power from Quebec, Canada to Deerfield, while creating jobs, lowering energy costs, and reducing the carbon footprint across New England.

Perry: A no-brainer

Since it was first proposed in 2 0 1 0, the $1. 6 billion project has been subject to multiple layers of federal and state government permitting regulations, a nearly 4,000 page Environmental Impact Statement, and adjusted its planned route in response to input from local communities as well as federal and state permitting agencies.  The approval of the Presidential permit (PP-371) allows Northern Pass to cross the international border and connect to the U.S. grid.   Construction is expected to begin as early as April of 2018, pending approval by the New Hampshire’s Site Evaluation Committee.

In making the announcement, Energy Secretary Rick Perry said, quote:

“Smart energy infrastructure development projects like Northern Pass – which support a reliable and resilient grid, promote economic growth, lower energy costs and benefit the environment we all share – shouldn’t take this long to approve.  This Administration is committed to improving our nation’s energy infrastructure while also reforming the federal permitting process so that projects like Northern Pass receive full, and prompt, consideration.”

Sununu

In reaction to the news, Governor Christopher Sununu issued a statement saying, the state was one step closer to lowering energy rates and providing a lot of clean, renewable power.  He called the project Quote: 

“a home-run for small businesses, rate-payers, and clean energy advocates.  (and said)  Shovel-ready projects like Northern Pass stand ready to deliver the clean, baseload electricity that Massachusetts should be actively pursuing in their Clean Energy RFP.”

Girard: Bids adieu to the airwaves

Finally, this morning, in case you’ve missed it all week long, today is the last day of this radio broadcast.  After more than six years on the air, and following the untimely and sudden death of my father at the relatively young age of seventy two, I’ve concluded that after all this time covering meetings and other news events, writing news reports and blog posts, hosting the show and doing all the sales, marketing and Web work, I need some rest.  I want to thank everyone who has helped make this show what it has become and those who loved, and even hated, to tune in.  It’s been a great ride and I thank you from the bottom of my heart and depths of my soul.

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