New Hampshire
Documents confirm ICE plans for N.H. warehouse; state officials knew for weeks
The federal Department of Homeland Security, which houses Immigration and Customs Enforcement, was in communication with at least one state agency in January about its plans to purchase and modify a vacant warehouse in Merrimack, according to documents obtained by the ACLU of New Hampshire through a public records request and released Tuesday.
The documents are the first known confirmation by the federal government of ICE’s plan to purchase and modify a facility in Merrimack, the draft plan of which was initially reported by the Washington Post in December. Since then, the Department of Homeland Security has repeatedly declined to confirm the report to local officials.
According to the documents released Tuesday, ICE representatives contacted the state Department of Natural and Cultural Resources Division of Historical Resources on Jan. 12, sharing a letter dated Jan. 9 that described plans “to purchase, occupy and rehabilitate a 43-acre warehouse property in support of ICE operations.”
The letter was authored by Gabrielle M Fernandez, an environmental protection specialist at the Department of Homeland Security. Federal and state law require projects in certain areas to receive review for potential impacts on historic and protected land.
Gov. Kelly Ayotte has repeatedly denied any knowledge of the plan, as recently as Jan. 28, when she told reporters that she had reached out to the federal government directly for more information.
In a statement released shortly after documents were announced on Tuesday, she sharply criticized the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.
“It is entirely unacceptable that the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources failed to share this information with the Governor’s office,” she said.
In a statement hours later, Sarah Stewart, director of the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, took “full responsibility” for failing to alert the governor.
“Division Directors are supposed to notify me of any Right-to-Know Requests or Section 106 Requests for Review of any matters potentially significant to the State,” she said. “I have reminded my team to notify me of requests of this nature, so I am positioned to review them and alert the Governor’s Office on all sensitive matters.”
The Division of Historical Resources is a relatively small agency, with only nine employees, according to its website.
NHPR reached out to Ayotte for more information about when agencies are supposed to alert the governor about such projects, and whether any other state agencies have been in communication with federal immigration officials, and did not receive a response by publication time.
Ayotte previously told reporters that she requested federal officials to communicate any plans with the town of Merrimack, which has long said it’s in the dark about any ICE proposal.
Town manager Paul Micali told NHPR he initially learned about the plan from the Post’s reporting. On Jan. 23, the Merrimack town council sent a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and other federal and state officials stating its opposition to an ICE facility in the town because of potential adverse financial impacts.
Following the documents release, Micali said the town is still seeking more clarity.
“We’re still looking to get a straight answer from the Department of Homeland Security, one way or the other, whether they plan to put a facility in Merrimack or not,” he said.
Though the Department of Homeland Security was already communicating with the state Division of Historical Resources, federal Homeland Security officials declined to provide the town with more information — despite numerous requests from town officials, Gov. Ayotte and the state’s Congressional delegation.
Last week, the town of Merrimack received a message from Homeland Security via Sen. Jeanne Shaheen’s office, which Merrimack posted to its website.
“ICE at this time is unable to share details about the upcoming expansion in New Hampshire or elsewhere. ICE has no new detention centers to announce at this time,” the letter said, citing a “heightened threat environment” due to opposition to its activities.
Space for “tentage and a guard shack”
The proposed property is 50 Robert Milligan Parkway, which is currently a vacant commercial warehouse.
In a letter, which refers to the site as a “Processing Center,” the Department of Homeland Security outlined potential modifications to the building’s interior, including the “construction of holding and processing spaces, office space, public-facing visitor spaces, and installation of amenities, such as cafeterias, bathrooms, and health care spaces.”
“This is a warehouse that is clearly intended for merchandise, and they’re trying to turn it into a place to house human beings,” said Devon Chaffee, executive director of the ACLU of New Hampshire.
The letter also outlines bolstering security on site, through measures like installing fencing, cameras and exterior personnel access control, as well as “tentage and a guard shack.”
The Post’s initial reporting showed leaked internal ICE documents that called for constructing a new nationwide network of facilities that could hold up to 80,000 migrants at once. It identified Merrimack as a site that could potentially hold up to 1,500 detainees.
“You can actually see the building from the F.E. Everett Turnpike,” said Merrimack town manager Paul Micali.
The maps included in the proposal show neighboring businesses and transportation infrastructure, like defense contractor BAE systems and the Nashua Airport.
In its assessment, the Deputy State Historic Preservation Officer Nadine Miller said on Jan. 21 that the department found ICE’s proposal would not impact historical resources and thus no further consultation between agencies was required.
ICE has taken similar steps in other communities across the country, including in Oklahoma and Virginia. In Oklahoma, plans for the facility have stalled, after the property owner stopped negotiating with federal authorities.
Chaffee with the ACLU called on elected officials to make their opposition clear.
“It matters if our governor says that she doesn’t want this facility,” she said.
Chaffee said the documents still leave a lot of questions unanswered, like how many people exactly ICE plans on detaining at the site and when the agency is planning on having the facility operational.
She said her group is “exploring all potential legal options for resisting this facility.”
This story is a production of the New England News Collaborative. It was originally published by New Hampshire Public Radio.
New Hampshire
N.H. lawmakers to vote on increasing tolls, civil rights, and k-12 education – The Boston Globe
One proposal (Senate Bill 627) would generate more than $53 million per year in estimated revenue for turnpike projects by essentially doubling what certain cars pay on the state’s toll roads.
The cash fare for Hampton’s main toll booth on Interstate 95, for example, would jump from $2 to $4 for cars and pickup trucks. The toll wouldn’t increase at all for motorists who use New Hampshire’s E-ZPass transponders.
“Surrounding states already have the same in-state discount structure in place,” Democratic Representative Martin Jack of Nashua wrote on behalf of a House committee that unanimously recommended the bill.
A potential hitch: Governor Kelly Ayotte. She’s expressed opposition to the whole toll-hiking idea, and proven she’s not afraid to use her veto pen.
Modifying civil rights standard
Another proposal (Senate Bill 464) would add a few words to the state’s Civil Rights Act. Instead of addressing conduct that is merely “motivated by” a legally protected characteristic, the proposed revision would address conduct that is “substantially motivated by hostility towards the victim’s” protected characteristic (such as their race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, sexual orientation, sex, gender identity, or disability).
The prime sponsor, Republican Senator Daryl Abbas, an attorney, testified the change was small and aligned with the law’s intent. But the attorney who oversees the Civil Rights Unit at the New Hampshire Department of Justice, Sean Locke, testified in opposition, saying the proposal could reduce protections, especially since the meaning of “substantially” is somewhat vague.
The House is also weighing a proposed amendment that would add a few more words than Abbas’s version, potentially narrowing the Civil Rights Act’s applicability a bit further.
Open enrollment for K-12 schools
A third proposal up for a vote on Thursday (Senate Bill 101) would make every K-12 public school in New Hampshire an “open enrollment” school. That way, students could freely choose to transfer to a district other than the one where they live.
The proposed policy is controversial, partly because of how schools are funded. Districts rely mostly on local property taxes to cover their costs, as the state government chips in relatively little, and property tax rates vary widely from one community to the next. That generates concern about who will foot the bill when a student transfers.
In light of those concerns, Republicans are offering a compromise amendment to SB 101 that would require the state to provide more money per pupil that a district receives via open enrollment, as the New Hampshire Bulletin reported. Democrats are offering their own amendment to establish a study commission on this topic, rather than adopt the proposed policy now.
Lawmakers have until May 14 to take action on the bills that came from the other chamber, though they have until June 4 to iron out any discrepancies.
Amanda Gokee of the Globe staff contributed to this report.
This story appears in Globe NH | Morning Report, a free email newsletter focused on New Hampshire, including great coverage from the Boston Globe and links to interesting articles elsewhere. Sign up here.
Steven Porter can be reached at steven.porter@globe.com. Follow him @reporterporter.
Boston MedFlight often touches down at the scene of some of the worst tragedies in New England – where minutes can mean life or death for a victim. The critical care transport operation is now expanding with a new base in New Hampshire.
The organization is hosting an open house at the new Manchester location on Thursday.
Boston MedFlight flies a critical care transport paramedic and nurse on every flight. Jaik Hanley-McCarthy says their helicopters and ground vehicles are equipped to handle just about any emergency medical procedure.
“Anything that can be done in the ICU,” explained Hanley-McCarthy. “We have a mobile lab so we can draw blood and run labs in real time.”
Boston MedFlight now has five bases across the region.
“Having a base in Manchester just expands this Boston-level care even further north to the more remote areas of the state,” said Hanley-McCarthy.
Boston MedFlight operates as a network of bases and some of the locations are staffed 24 hours.
Chief Executive Officer Maura Hughes says the nonprofit operation survives on public and private donations.
“We provide about $7 million in free care every year to patients,” said Hughes. “Not every hospital can be everything to every patient. We’re really the glue that keeps the health care system together.”
Heather Young says her daughter, Teighan, is still alive because she was flown for a critical assessment and procedure after falling off a truck and hitting her head.
“She should not be driving and walking and talking and all the things she’s doing as quickly as she is,” said Young.
Teighan just turned 18 and plans to go to college to study the medical field.
“I want to be a nurse and help other people,” she said.
It’s stories like this that keep the men and women who work Boston MedFlight focused on their mission.
“I think we just go call by call and try to do the best we can,” said Hanley-McCarthy. “I think when we stop and truly think about it, I think that weight is pretty heavy.”
Boston MedFlight also has a yearly reunion where patients and the team get together here in Bedford to meet and check in on their progress. It really shows you how connected they are to the people they help.
New Hampshire
Hiker who set out in warm spring weather found dead after snowstorm in New Hampshire mountains
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
A Massachusetts hiker who set out in warm spring weather was found dead deep in New Hampshire’s White Mountains after a snowstorm dumped several inches of snow in the area, authorities said.
Kent Wood, 61, of West Roxbury, was discovered Tuesday evening on a remote section of the Kinsman Pond Trail in Franconia Notch, about 5.5 miles from his vehicle, according to New Hampshire Fish and Game.
Wood had driven to Franconia Notch on April 17 for a weekend camping and hiking trip, and set out on a hike the next morning in warm, clear weather, officials said. Family and friends last heard from him Saturday afternoon.
When he failed to return or make contact for two days, officials said relatives reported him missing Tuesday morning, prompting a large-scale search.
HIKER IDENTIFIED, POPULAR TRAIL CLOSED AFTER DEADLY FALL A UTAH’S ZION NATIONAL PARK
An aerial view of Franconia Notch State Park in New Hampshire, where a hiker was found dead on Tuesday. (Joseph Sohm/Universal Images Group, File)
Rescuers quickly learned Wood had packed for mild conditions, not the three to five inches of snow that fell in the area between Sunday and Monday.
Fog hovers over a narrow road through Franconia Notch in the White Mountain National Forest in New Hampshire on Dec. 27, 2021. (Andrew Lichtenstein/Corbis)
Search teams from Fish and Game, PEMI Valley Search and Rescue, and the Army National Guard launched a coordinated effort, focusing on the Lonesome Lake and Kinsman Pond areas.
FAMILY’S SPRING BREAK HIKE TURNS INTO LIFE-OR-DEATH RESCUE AFTER PARENT FALLS 70 FEET OFF UTAH CLIFF
Conservation officers located Wood’s body around 7:41 p.m. Tuesday. Crews carried him out overnight, reaching the trailhead shortly after 1 a.m. Wednesday.
Franconia Notch and the Appalachian Trail are seen in New Hampshire on Sept. 21. (Carol M. Highsmith/Buyenlarge/Getty Images)
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
Since Friday, six hikers from Massachusetts have been rescued in the White Mountains, Fish and Game said.
Officials are reminding hikers that winter conditions still grip the mountains, with snow, freezing temperatures and rapidly changing weather.
-
Augusta, GA3 minutes agoValette Earns Elite 18 Award; Augusta Men’s Tennis Lands Three on Peach Belt All-Conference Teams – Augusta University
-
Washington, D.C9 minutes agoHow to find towed car in DC; What to do if the city tows my car
-
Cleveland, OH15 minutes agoCleveland News and Notes – Guardians Drop Series Against Astros
-
Austin, TX21 minutes ago
Athletes Race at USA Triathlon Cross National Championships in Austin, Texas
-
Alabama27 minutes agoAlabama boy’s secret Facebook post asking for cancer drug grabs national attention
-
Alaska33 minutes agoDemocratic U.S. House PAC has Alaska in its sights
-
Arizona39 minutes agoArizona Diamondbacks Gameday Thread, #25: 4/23 vs. White Sox
-
Arkansas45 minutes ago$40 million steel processing plant planned for Osceola, developers say