Also on today’s menu:
A Call For Removal Of Fire Committee Members
Promoted Despite Sexual Harassment Allegations
Hate Crime Forum To Take Place On February 6
The cause of the system crash that temporarily grounded airlines on Wednesday has not yet been determined, but globally recognized cyber expert Andy Jenkinson of the United Kingdom said it could be the issue he had previously raised, to deaf ears. Jenkinson had warned the Federal Aviation Administration that its computer system was vulnerable, but he said the agency ignored his warnings.
Meanwhile, three months after the state learned that the EZ Pass system was vulnerable to cyber attack, it is unclear whether the problem is even being addressed. State officials ranging from Michael Balboni, head of cybersecurity for the state, to Governor Chris Sununu have not responded to messages seeking an update, and the EZ Pass default login still is set to memorize users’ credentials.
Even more troubling is that the company the state hired to oversee cybersecurity, Atom Group of Portsmouth, has its own vulnerability problems. When Jenkinson tested Atom Group’s website, he found several errors that could allow hackers to infiltrate the site and obtain personally identifiable information, or PII.
Jenkinson also tested the town of Peterborough’s website which Primex, the municipal insurance provider, had asked Atom Group to harden after the town lost $2.3 million to internet scammers in 2021. A year and a half after that hack, the town’s website remains vulnerable, according to Jenkinson.
A Call For Removal Of Fire Committee Members
The Tilton-Northfield Fire Commission will meet next month with the three members of the Fire Station Committee who violated the state’s open meeting law after Northfield Selectman Kevin Waldron called for their removal. Paul Blaisdell, Lisa Martin, and Fire Chief Michael Sitar met last month without a quorum and without notifying other committee members to prepare questions for the two companies under consideration for the design and construction of a potential new fire station.
Waldron, who is a member of the committee, learned of their action when presented with the firms’ answers to those questions. When he raised the alarm about the transgression, the three publicly apologized and said they had not intentionally violated the law.
With one commissioner away on vacation, the other two discussed the matter in nonpublic session before deciding to meet with the accused committee members at the commission’s next meeting, on February 7.
Promoted Despite Sexual Harassment Allegations
New Hampshire State Police Sergeant Justin Rowe received a promotion from his job as an internal affairs investigator to a position in the Major Crimes Unit, despite allegations from a woman who had worked with him that he had sent sexually suggestive texts to her, according to Damien Fischer of InDepthNH.org. Documents showed that the allegations were second-hand accounts raised by Trooper Haden Wilber while he was under investigation for an illegal search of a Maine woman that resulted in the state agreeing to pay a $215,000 settlement to her. Wilber has since been fired.
Robyn White had accused Wilber of lying about the 2017 traffic stop, in which he claimed she had hidden drugs inside her body. White served nearly two weeks in jail but no drugs were ever found in or on her person.
It was while Wilber was on desk duty in the Department of Safety’s Gun Line unit, pending the outcome of the Professional Standards Unit investigation that Rowe was conducting, that Sandra Roy, who was employed in the Gun Line unit, allegedly told Wilber of the texts, some of which she had shared on social media. Wilber passed the information on to his superiors.
Despite the sexual harassment allegations, Rowe was promoted to the Major Crimes Unit, which investigates homicides and works closely with the New Hampshire Attorney-General’s Office.
Hate Crime Forum To Take Place On February 6
United States Attorney Jane E. Young and New Hampshire Attorney-General John M. Formella have announced a Hate Crimes Forum that will take place on Thursday, February 9, at the Michael Briggs Community Center, 409 Beech Street, Manchester. It will be the first in a series of conversations about the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act and other state and municipal hate crimes laws. and will feature presenters from various agencies in New Hampshire.
The conversations aim to provide engagement between local law enforcement agencies, federal law enforcement agencies, and community organizations about methods of preventing and responding to bias and hate.
For more information and to register, contact Katie Desrochers at 603-230-2518 by February 6.
Support Our Efforts
Do you have a story to tell?
The News Café is a virtual meeting place where, each weekday, we discuss the news of the day: local, statewide, national, and international. Mondays are reserved for more personal observations which only paid subscribers will receive, while Tuesday through Friday will draw from news stories published by various sources.
The News Café relies on subscriptions, rather than on advertising and grants, for its support. That frees us to provide an independent focus on events and cultural issues without having to weigh whether it would upset advertisers or fit into grant guidelines. Our only obligation is to provide information we believe is useful to our readers.
Subscriptions to this newsletter are available for as little as $5 per month. Subscribers can share their knowledge, thoughts, and questions about any topic, and we may select some of those subjects for more in-depth analysis.
If you’re unable to pay but still want to receive all of the free public posts in your in-box, click the Subscribe button and select a free subscription.
Download the app to view or hear an audio version of the posts, and to join in a group chat.
Visit us at www.libertymedianh.org