Also on today’s menu:
Asquamchumaukee Regatta Set May 6
Hospitals Take On Anthem For Unpaid Claims
Three Arrested In 16th Birthday Shooting
It might have been more timely to find this 1812 document before April 9, the day of public humiliation, fasting, and prayer that it established, but we were in the early stages of our spring cleaning at that time. It was not until yesterday, while looking through a cache of forgotten documents, that we came across the governor’s proclamation for what is commonly known as Fast Day — a holiday the state came to ridicule and abandon in 1991 to create a new holiday, Civil Rights Day, to honor civil rights activists such as Dr. Martin Luther King. (Later, under pressure for not singling out Dr. King, the state abandoned the other civil rights activists it had been honoring to dedicate the day solely to Dr. King, which never seemed right, especially given that we have grouped together the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and George Washington into a single Presidents’ Day to make it a generic holiday). In establishing Civil Rights Day, the legislature noted that it was “not the intent of the general court ... to create an additional paid holiday for state employees” and therefore it abolished Fast Day.
Colonists had established a day of fasting, and New Hampshire’s first recorded proclamation of a fast day was in February 1680, when the President and Council of the Province of New Hampshire called for a meeting of the General Assembly, establishing February 26 as a “day of humiliation” to ask God to “bless us with peace & prosperitie” and to favor the upcoming meeting and “spring & seede time” with people being urged to abstain from work and attend church.
The date of the holiday was flexible until it became the custom for the governor to designate the last Thursday in April as Fast Day. In 1949, the legislature established Fast Day as the fourth Monday in April — so perhaps our discovery of the old document was not untimely, after all. Were it still in place, Fast Day would be coming up next Monday.
Asquamchumaukee Regatta Set May 6
Saturday, May 6, is the date for the fifth annual canoe and kayak race on the Baker River, sponsored by the Mountain Village Charter School of Plymouth. The race is now known as the Asquamchumaukee Regatta, reflecting the Abenaki name for the “river flowing from high places”.
The regatta includes a 4.5-mile beginner course that begins at Plymouth Sands Campground on Quincy Road and a longer expert course that travels nine miles from Riverbrook RV in Rumney.
Registration for the race opens at 9 a.m. at both starting lines. For more information and to preregister, see https://www.mountainvillagecharterschool.org/asquamchumaukee-river-regatta.
Hospitals Take On Anthem For Unpaid Claims
While the New Hampshire Insurance Department claims to be prohibited by state law from commenting on complaints or actions taken against the state’s largest insurance company, Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield, the New Hampshire Hospital Association has released a report saying that Anthem owes nearly $300 million in unpaid claims — and the insurance company has faced similar complaints from hospitals across the country.
The report also alleges that Anthem is charging higher out-of-network prices for providers that are in its network; it is not responding for days or longer when providers question a claim denial; and it is breaking a state law that requires some claims to be paid within 15 to 30 days. The report says Anthem misrepresents what procedures need prior authorization, then denies claims that were not pre-approved.
Some states have sued the company, with Georgia fining Anthem $5 million for failing to pay claims in a timely manner, according to Becker’s Hospital Review.
Three Arrested In 16th Birthday Shooting
Ty Reik McCullough, 17, and Travis McCullough, 16, along with Wilson LaMar Hill, 20, are facing murder charges in connection with the 16th birthday shooting spree that killed four and injured 32 in Alabama over the weekend. Each is charged with four counts of reckless murder, and police say more charges are expected.
Officials said the three suspects are from Tuskegee, Alabama, which is about a 40-minute drive from the crime scene in Dadeville. The two teenagers will be tried as adults as required for anyone 16 or older charged with murder in the state.
The deceased victims have been identified as Marsiah Collins, 19; Phil Dowdell, 18; Corbin Holston, 23; and Shaunkivia Smith, 17. Among those injured, four remained in critical condition. There were about 50 people at the party, which took place at a local dance studio.
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