Also on today’s menu:
Bill Would ‘Unreasonably Restrict’ Right To Know
AG Calls For An End To Fraudulent Texts
Increasing Amount Of Housing In New Hampshire
Ragged Mountain Resort in Danbury opened six trails last weekend, ahead of this week’s snowfall which may add as much as a foot of natural snow to that provided by snow guns. Now under the ownership of Pacific Group Resorts, Inc., in Park City, Utah, Ragged Mountain has the capability of making snow when Mother Nature does not.
The Beebe Wood Ski School, named in honor of the longtime Bristol resident who worked at Ragged well into old age, offers newcomers to the sport a chance to practice
on the Meadow Carpet surface lift until they are confident enough to board the Sum-
mit Six Express to higher elevations.
The resort also offers lodging in its Cardigan Cabins, 1,200- to 2,000-square-foot post-and-beam buildings furnished with fully equipped kitchens and offering two to three bed- rooms, a loft, and a fireplace.
Bill Would ‘Unreasonably Restrict’ Right To Know
The New Hampshire Constitution states, “All power residing originally in, and being derived from, the people, all the magistrates and officers of government are their substitutes and agents, and at all times accountable to them. Government, therefore, should be open, accessible, accountable, and responsive. To that end, the public's right of access to governmental proceedings and records shall not be unreasonably restricted.” Yet a proposed bill in the New Hampshire Legislature would impose a charge of $15 an hour to search for, assemble, and redact records, in addition to the current charges for making copies of the documents.
Representative Michael Cahill (D-Newmarket) introduced the bill on behalf of the New Hampshire Municipal Association, at the request of town and city officials who complained about the amount of time and money it takes to respond to right-to-know requests, many of which they describe as being overly broad and more intended to inconvenience government agencies than to hold them accountable.
The American Civil Liberties Union of New Hampshire, the New Hampshire Press Association, and Americans for Prosperity, a conservative libertarian group, are among those opposing the legislation, and the citizen-led Right to Know NH also expects to object. Public records released under RSA 91-A have uncovered police misconduct and conflicts of interest, as well as making the performance reviews of superintendents and city managers more public.
“It is an incredibly problematic law that, if enacted, would have a devastating impact on transparency and government accountability,” said Gilles Bissonnette, legal director at ACLU New Hampshire. “It is going in the opposite direction of where we should be going, which is making New Hampshire more transparent. We’re going to strongly oppose this bill along with a robust coalition of stakeholders.”
AG Calls For An End To Fraudulent Texts
New Hampshire Attorney-General John M. Formella has joined a coalition of 51 attorneys-general in supporting the Federal Communication Commission proposal to require mobile wireless providers to block unlawful text messages at the network level if they originate from fraudulent numbers. They also are asking the FCC to continue pushing the wireless industry to develop call authentication technology for text messages so people can know if the texts they receive are from spoofed numbers and law enforcement can investigate where the texts are originating.
Formella said scam text messages sometimes include links to phishing websites that appear to be identical to the websites of legitimate companies, tricking the consumer into unwittingly providing personal and financial information. “I support the FCC's implementation of sensible regulation — similar to regulation currently in place regarding illegal robocalls — that is aimed at stopping illegal text messages sent from invalid, unallocated, or unused numbers and numbers on a Do Not Originate list,” Formella said.
In 2021, the FCC received more than 15,000 consumer complaints about unwanted texts and, in 2020, scammers stole more than $86 million through frauds perpetrated via scam text messages.
Increasing Amount Of Housing In New Hampshire
The Governor and Executive Council have approved a $50 million investment to provide gap funding for 30 projects approved through the Governor’s InvestNH Housing Fund.
“New Hampshire is moving fast to address our housing challenges,” Governor Chris Sununu said. “This initial $50 million investment will create 1,500 new rental units across the state, helping increase supply, drive down costs, and ensure New Hampshire is the best state to live, work, and raise a family.”
The approved housing projects contain affordability restrictions and require that construction be complete within 18 months.
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