New Hampshire
NH Patch, News Partners Win New Hampshire Press Association Awards
MANCHESTER, NH — Patch.com in New Hampshire won four press association awards for government, political, and spot news reporting, while news partners affiliated with the site also earned many honors.
Tony Schinella, a senior local editor with Patch, won four awards for stories published in 2023 as Class II Division entries. The Class II Division is for freelancers or media outlets with less than four employees.
In the Political Reporting category, Schinella took first place for Concord NH Patch’s 2023 municipal election coverage package which included five stories — the announcement that the city’s longest-serving mayor was stepping down, a story about non-compliant campaign signs, a story about all the money being raised and spent by city candidates for what are essentially volunteer positions, a data piece analyzing incomes, home values, and political affiliations of the outgoing city and school officials as well as the candidates, and a results story. In the entry, it was also noted that Schinella co-hosted debates between candidates in 12 of the 13 competitive city and school races in an eight-week campaign sprint — an unprecedented accomplishment for one journalist and two cable access employees. Patch also offered free profiles to candidates, with dozens of links included in the 2023 campaign stories.
The third-place entry concerned a gun threat incident at the Concord Heights Burger King, which was published not long after the incident and included video and updates as police and state troopers searched for the suspect.
In Government Reporting, Schinella also earned a third-place award for the story about the city’s longest-serving mayor in Concord deciding not to run for reelection.
New Hampshire Patch news partners and freelancers also won several awards.
Jeffrey Hastings, who covers breaking news in the southern part of the state as a freelancer for Patch, won seven awards for General News and Spot News photography.
A number of freelancers at InDepthNH also won awards, including Paula Tracy, Damien Fisher, columnist Michael Davidow, Beverly Stoddard, another columnist, and Ani Freedman, who won the Rookie of the Year award. Some of Freedman’s impressive coverage included PFAS issues in Merrimack and surrounding communities.
Fisher also won awards with NH Journal — including a piece on RFK Jr. and his reporting on disgraced former Strafford County Sheriff Mark Brave involved with theft charges, accused of using money to fund activities with a mistress and trips, and a combined award with Michael Graham, publisher of the site, for their coverage of the riot and siege of a Merrimack defense contractor owned by an Israeli company as part of Palestinian protests. Graham also won for Best Video for his Dinner Table Economics series.
New Hampshire Bulletin, another news partner, won several awards for stories published, including second and third-place finishes for Journalist of the Year for Annmarie Timmins and Ethan Dewitt.
Carole Soule of Miles Smith Farm in Loudon, who writes a weekly column published on the Concord NH Patch site, won a third-place award for a feature photo.
All won entries in the Class II Division.
The full list of winners in the state will be listed here when published.
New Hampshire
New Hampshire services respond to 7-car crash
SPRINGFIELD, N.H. (ABC22/FOX44) – After an icy morning on Interstate 89 that saw multiple cars in a crash in Springfield, New Hampshire, responders say that they are thankful that only one person sustained injuries.
According to Springfield Fire Rescue, they originally were called at 7:40 a.m. on Friday for a reported two-car crash between Exits 12A and 13 – but arrived to find 7 vehicles involved, including 6 off the road.
According to authorities, all of the occupants of the cars were able to get themselves out and only one needed to be taken to the hospital. Their injuries were reported to be non-life-threatening.
“Springfield Fire Rescue would like to take this opportunity to remind everyone to slow down and move over when emergency vehicles are in the roadway. The area where this incident occurred was very icy and we witnessed several other vehicles almost lose control when they entered the scene at too great a speed.”
Responders from New London, Enfield, and Springfield, as well as NH State Police, helped respond to the incident and clear the vehicles from the road, as well as to treat the ice to make the road safe.
New Hampshire
Man killed in NH snowmobile crash
An Alton man is dead after a snowmobile crash in New Hampshire’s North Country Thursday afternoon.
The New Hampshire Department of Fish and Game says 63-year-old Bradford Jones was attempting to negotiate a left hand turn on Corridor Trail 5 in Colebrook when he lost control of his snowmobile, struck multiple trees off the side of the trail and was thrown from the vehicle shortly before 3:30 p.m.
Jones was riding with another snowmobiler, who was in the lead at the time of the crash, according to the agency. Once the other man realized Jones was no longer behind him, he turned around and traveled back where he found Jones significantly injured, lying off the trail beside his damaged snowmobile.
The man immediately rendered aid to Jones and called 911 for assistance, NH Fish and Game said. The Colebrook Fire Department used their rescue tracked all terrain vehicle and a specialized off road machine to transport first responders across about a mile of trail to the crash scene.
Once there, a conservation officer and 45th Parallel EMS staff attempted lifesaving measures for approximately an hour, but Jones ultimately died from his injuries at the scene of the crash, officials said.
The crash remains under investigation, but conservation officers are considering speed for the existing trail conditions to have been a primary factor in this deadly incident.
New Hampshire
The weight of caregiving in NH. Why we need SB 608: Sirrine
Recently, I met with a husband who had been caring for his wife since her Alzheimer’s diagnosis. Her needs were escalating quickly — appointments, medications, meals, personal care — and he was determined to keep her at home. But the cost to his own wellbeing was undeniable. He was sleep‑deprived, depressed, and beginning to experience cognitive decline himself.
As director of the Referral Education Assistance & Prevention (REAP) program at Seacoast Mental Health Center, which supports older adults and caregivers across New Hampshire in partnership with the CMHC’s across the state, I hear stories like his every week. And his experience is far from unique.
Across the country, 24% of adults are family caregivers. Here in New Hampshire, 281,000 adults provide this essential care, often with little preparation or support. Only 11% receive any formal training to manage personal care tasks — yet they are the backbone of our long‑term care system, helping aging parents, spouses, and loved ones remain safely at home. (AARP, 2025)
REAP provides short‑term counseling, education, and support for older adults, caregivers, and the professionals who support them. We address concerns around mental health, substance use and cognitive functioning. After 21 years working with caregivers, I have seen how inadequate support directly harms families. Caregiving takes a serious toll — emotionally, physically, socially and financially. Many experience depression, chronic stress, and increased risk of alcohol or medication misuse.
In REAP’s own data from 2024:
- 50% of caregivers reported moderate to severe depression
- 29% reported suicidal ideation in the past two weeks
- 25% screened positive for at‑risk drinking
Their responsibilities go far beyond tasks like medication management and meal preparation. They interpret moods, manage behavioral changes, ease emotional triggers, and create meaningful engagement for the person they love. Their world revolves around the care recipient — often leading to isolation, loss of identity, guilt, and ongoing grief.
The statistics reflect what I see every week. Nearly one in four caregivers feels socially isolated. Forty‑three percent experience moderate to high emotional stress. And 31% receive no outside help at all.
Compare that to healthcare workers, who work in teams, receive breaks, have coworkers who step in when overwhelmed, and are trained and compensated for their work. Even with these supports, burnout is common. Caregivers receive none of these protections yet are expected to shoulder the same level of responsibility — alone, unpaid, and unrecognized.
Senate Bill 608 in New Hampshire would finally begin to fill these gaps. The bill provides access to counseling, peer support, training, and caregiver assessment for family caregivers of individuals enrolled in two Medicaid waiver programs: Acquired Brain Disorder (ABD) and Choices for Independence (CFI). These services would address the very needs I see daily.
Professional counseling helps caregivers process the complex emotions of watching a loved one decline or manage the stress that comes with it. Peer support connects them with others navigating similar challenges. Caregiver assessment identifies individual needs before families reach crisis.
When caregivers receive the right support, everyone benefits. The care recipient receives safer, more compassionate care. The caregiver’s health stabilizes instead of deteriorating from chronic stress and neglect. And costly options, which many older adults want to avoid, are delayed or prevented.
There is a direct and measurable link between caregiver training and caregiver wellbeing. The spouse I mentioned earlier is proof. Through REAP, he received education about his wife’s diagnosis, guidance on communication and behavior, and strategies to manage his own stress. Within weeks, his depression decreased from moderate to mild without medication. He was sleeping through the night and thinking more clearly. His frustration with his wife dropped significantly because he finally understood what she was experiencing and how to respond compassionately.
The real question before lawmakers is not whether we can afford SB 608. It is whether we can afford to continue ignoring the needs of those who hold our care system together. In 1970, we had 31 caregivers for every one person needing care. By 2010, that ratio dropped to 7:1. By 2030, it is projected to be 4:1. Our caregiver supply is shrinking while needs continue to grow. Without meaningful support, our systems — healthcare, long‑term care, and community supports — cannot function. (AARP, 2013)
Caregivers don’t ask for much. They want to keep their loved ones safe, comfortable, and at home. They want to stay healthy enough to continue providing care. SB 608 gives them the tools to do exactly that.
I urge New Hampshire lawmakers to support SB 608 and stand with the 281,000 residents who are quietly holding our care system together. We cannot keep waiting until caregivers collapse to offer help. We must provide the support they need now — before the burden becomes too heavy to bear.
Anne Marie Sirrine, LICSW, CDP is a staff therapist and the director of the REAP (Referral Education Assistance & Prevention) program at Seacoast Mental Health Center.
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