Also on today’s menu:
Injuries On The Trail
Gilford Police Chief On Administrative Leave
Governor Chris Sununu has faced criticism for failing to veto the state budget that had non-germane items tagged onto it — most notably a pro-life provision that offers no exceptions to its early-abortion ban — but on January 18, he issued a letter to members of the House Health, Human Services, and Elderly Affairs Committee explaining his vote and affirming his support for House Bill 1609 that would carve out exceptions.
“One of the downsides of every budget process is that ultimately non-budgetary provisions are included in the version that makes its way to the Governor’s desk,” he wrote. “I chose not to veto a 13 billion dollar budget and shut down government over it. Doing so would have caused Washington style gridlock right here in New Hampshire, and I was not going to allow that to happen.”
Sununu clarified his position on abortion, writing, “Like most Granite Staters, I don’t live in extremes on either side of the issue that is being considered today. I am pro-choice, but also like most Granite Staters — and Americans —
I support a limit on abortions performed in months 7, 8, and 9 of pregnancy.”
House Bill 1609 would add exceptions to the abortion ban for cases of sexual assault, rape, and incest, fetal anomalies incompatible with life, and when the health or life of the mother is at stake, and it removes the absurd requirement for an ultrasound test.
However, later in the day, Representative Beth Folsom (R-Wentworth), who sponsored the original bill, succeeded in passing an amendment to HB 1609 that specifies that abdominal ultrasounds — not ultrasounds that require a camera to be inserted into the vagina — are required for women seeking an abortion during their last trimester of pregnancy, which she said was the original intention of the law. The amended bill narrowly passed a House committee on Tuesday.
Injuries On The Trail
The New Hampshire Fish and Game Department reported two crashes over the weekend, the first occurring in Rumney at 11 p.m. on Friday, January 14. Marcus Lafountain, 37, of Weare, Massachusetts, was in a group of four riders when he lost control of his machine and crashed. The other riders took him from the trail near Stinson Mountain to a nearby camp. He subsequently sought medical attention at Speare Memorial Hospital in Plymouth for severe but non-life-threatening injuries, and from there he was taken to Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon for additional treatment.
On Sunday, January 16, at about 10:10 p.m., a New Hampshire State Police trooper came upon a utility terrain vehicle with two adults that had rolled over in an area adjacent to Route 95 in Hampton Falls. Both the driver and passenger — Cody Defreze, 29, of Hampton and Christopher Michel, 29, of Raymond — had sustained serious injuries and were transported by ambulance to Portsmouth Regional Hospital.
Officials say that the initial investigation at the crash scene revealed that the UTV was being operated in an illegal area. Neither the operator nor the passenger was wearing a helmet at the time of the crash.
Gilford Police Chief On Administrative Leave
Gilford Police Chief Anthony Bean Burpee has been on paid administrative leave since January 10 while under investigation, but Town Administrator Scott Dunn says he is unable to provide any details about the investigation.
Bean Burpee has run the Gilford Police Department since June 2014.
“We want to be as transparent as we can,” Deputy Police Chief Kris Kelley told the Laconia Daily Sun, saying, “I understand it’s a personnel issue.” Kelley will be taking on the chief’s responsibilities during Bean Burpee’s absence.
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