Welcome to InDepthNH.org’s roundup of news that matters in New Hampshire, Dec. 18
167 snow related accidents reported on Saturday (NH1)
CONCORD — State Police said that there have been 167 snow related accidents throughout the state on Saturday.
The FBI says these are the 14 most dangerous cities and towns in NH (NH1)
We’ve already delved into the safest cities and towns in New Hampshire.
Master Plan for Portsmouth’s Prescott Park To Go Before City Council (NHPR)
A new master plan for Portsmouth’s Prescott Park will be presented to the city council on Monday.
Swanzey fire that killed birds likely caused by heat lamp, officials say (Keene Sentinel)
SWANZEY — More than 60 birds, including chickens, guinea hens and a goose, died in a barn fire Friday night on Sawyers Crossing Road, fire officials said. The family’s pet pig also suffered burns.
Taking a look back at 2016 (Union Leader)
If you had to pick a year to which to add an extra day, leap year 2016 would not have been a bad choice.
Ledyard Bank Expands to Concord (Valley News)
Hanover — In a move that underscores where Upper Valley banks see future growth, four wealth managers resigned from Lake Sunapee Bank’s Charter Trust Co. division and joined Ledyard National Bank as the first step in the Hanover-based bank’s expansion into the Concord market.
Out in the cold; Nashua’s homeless population seeking shelter (Nashua Telegraph)
NASHUA – The Rev. Rick Rutter knows the cold. “There’s only so much a body can take,” said the director of the Southern New Hampshire Rescue Mission, who was formerly homeless himself. (Nashua Telegraph)
DW Highway businesses sold for $12.5M (Nashua Telegraph)
NASHUA – The Old Navy and Burger King at 232-234 Daniel Webster Highway and 4 E. Spit Brook Road have been purchased for $12.5 million.
Mom calls for justice for dead daughter (Union Leader)
Madison Dana’s mother stood in the snow Saturday at Veterans Memorial Park and called for justice for her dead daughter.
Saturday snow stymies drivers, delights Granite State ski areas (Union Leader)
CONCORD — Saturday’s snowstorm was a motorist’s nightmare and a ski resort’s delight.
State Council Votes On Stark ATV Battle (Caledonian Record)
Conservation Orgs Say Existing Nash Stream Trails Not In Compliance
Judge sides with Eversource on value of Bow power plant (Concord Monitor)
The town of Bow is appealing a judge’s ruling that sharply cuts the assessed value of the Merrimack Station power plant, a decision that could remove as much as 8 percent from the town’s total tax base.
The News and Sentinel
Colebrook Chronicle
COLUMNS
Jim Kenyon: No Room for the Homeless in Lebanon (Valley News)
Who does the Lebanon City Council think it’s kidding? The ban on overnight camping on public land that recently passed by a 6-2 vote is nothing more than a not-so-subtle ploy to push the city’s homeless to neighboring communities.
Julie Jason’s Your Money: What could happen if Federal Reserve underestimates growth (Union Leader)
On Dec. 14, the Federal Reserve raised the target range for the federal funds rate to 1/2 to 3/4 percent. This is the second increase since 2008, with the other occurring at the end of 2015.
On campus, lines blur between what’s hate and what’s not (Boston Globe)
It might have been fitting if Dean Wormer, he of “Animal House” fame, magically appeared at a Babson College disciplinary board meeting Friday.
AROUND THE NATION AND WORLD
A Wary Obama Confronts the Complexities of a Cyberarsenal (New York Times)
Naturally cautious, President Obama has nevertheless vowed to “send a clear message” to Russia over its hacking of the U.S. election but has few ideal responses.
Aleppo evacuation: Thousands stranded in desperate conditions (BBC)
Reporters described seeing people sleeping in the streets in freezing conditions with little or no food.
Poland press freedom: Demonstrations enter third day (BBC)
Protests in the Polish capital Warsaw against government plans to restrict journalists’ access to parliament have entered their third day.
In last-shot bid, thousands urge electoral college to block Trump (Washington Post)
Amid the scrutiny of a divisive election, pressure on members of the country’s electoral college to select someone other than Donald Trump has grown dramatically — and noisily — in recent weeks. But although some electors appeared to waver, there is little evidence that Trump will fall short when they convene Monday.
‘What kind of a childhood is that?’ (Washington Post)
Their mom and dad were two of the 33,091 people to die of opioid overdoses in 2015.
Critics hit law firms’ bills after class-action lawsuits (Boston Globe)
Attorneys at the Thornton Law Firm had just helped win a $300 million settlement from State Street Bank and Trust in a complicated lawsuit involving eight other law firms. Now, it was time to submit their legal fees to the judge so that they could get paid.
Compiled by InDepthNH.org, a nonprofit investigative news outlet published online by the New Hampshire Center for Public Interest Journalism 603-738-5635