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How N.H. is building a new system for handling mental health emergencies

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How N.H. is building a new system for handling mental health emergencies


Observe: This story contains point out of self-harm and suicidal ideation. When you or a liked one is in disaster, contact the Nationwide Suicide Prevention Lifeline or New Hampshire’s Fast Response Entry Level for assist.

In his 17 years on the Nashua Police Division, Lt. Charles MacGregor has misplaced depend of how typically he’s heard the chorus: “I didn’t know who else to name.”

MacGregor is aware of police aren’t the fitting match for each name that comes their means, particularly when persons are experiencing a psychological well being disaster.

However in New Hampshire, longstanding gaps within the state’s psychological well being system have meant police are sometimes the de facto first responders when somebody’s in disaster. At occasions, that has meant those that want therapy don’t get the assistance they want, as a substitute dealing with arrest or different dire penalties. An investigation from the Harmony Monitor final 12 months discovered deadly police shootings in New Hampshire disproportionately concerned folks with psychological sickness. Interactions with regulation enforcement can even carry heightened danger for folks of shade or marginalized communities which have traditionally confronted police bias and violence.

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These gaps in New Hampshire’s psychological well being system have additionally led many hospital emergency rooms to function the primary line of therapy for individuals who find yourself ready days or even weeks for extra acceptable care.

At the beginning of this 12 months, although, New Hampshire started to radically reshape the way it handles these sorts of emergency calls — with the objective of creating it simpler for folks in disaster to get the assistance they want.

Since January, Granite Staters have been capable of attain out to New Hampshire’s Fast Response Entry Level, by calling or texting 1-833-710-6477 or beginning a web-based chat by means of this web site. A substitute for the 911 system, the service is supposed to assist join folks with native assets, like a follow-up appointment with a neighborhood clinician or a cell disaster workforce of psychological well being employees that may meet them in particular person.

Getting this new system underway has required plenty of work from state officers, psychological well being employees, police and individuals who have skilled psychological well being challenges firsthand. However all of the whereas, they’ve additionally been getting ready for an additional massive change that’s anticipated to ship extra calls into this technique: Beginning this Saturday, the Nationwide Suicide Prevention Lifeline will now have its personal three-digit quantity, 988. As a part of that change, most individuals with a 603 space code who textual content or name 988 can be routed to the state’s new Fast Response Entry Level.

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Whereas New Hampshire is farther alongside than many different states in constructing this new infrastructure for dealing with psychological well being emergencies, it’s nonetheless a piece in progress. As with all advanced system of this type, each the folks utilizing the service and people attempting to make it work behind the scenes have reported some rising pains because the new system first launched: inconsistent response occasions, sometimes unhelpful interactions with dispatchers and extra. And the officers in command of making this all work acknowledge they’re nonetheless figuring all of it out, and attempting to be receptive to those considerations.

“You may each have fun that we now have a greater system than we did and say it isn’t ok,” mentioned Jenny O’Higgins, who has been overseeing the rollout of those new programs with New Hampshire’s Division of Behavioral Well being.

Fast Response Entry Level customers report combined experiences with the brand new system

When Joshua, whose final identify NHPR agreed to not share to guard his privateness, first known as New Hampshire’s Fast Response Entry Level in February, he felt like he’d lastly discovered a disaster service that labored for him. Previously, he mentioned a name to a different hotline resulted in a traumatizing interplay with native police. However on this case, two psychological well being disaster employees confirmed up at his house inside about quarter-hour.

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“I did not really feel like they had been interrogating me,” Joshua mentioned. “It was similar to a dialog about how I used to be doing.”

The state’s new psychological well being hotline has helped to ship psychological well being employees immediately into the neighborhood for these sorts of conversations greater than 2,800 occasions between January and Might, in accordance with knowledge shared by state officers. In that very same time, the disaster line acquired over 11,000 chats, texts and calls. These numbers are anticipated to extend considerably as the brand new 988 suicide prevention line turns into extra extensively used.

However Joshua and others mentioned there’s nonetheless work to be achieved to enhance their experiences once they ask for assist.

When Joshua known as the disaster line once more a number of weeks in the past, he mentioned the dispatcher appeared fixated on his id quite than the substance of the disaster that prompted him to name for assist. To Joshua, who’s trans, it felt just like the particular person was attempting to “educate himself on what being trans is.”

Later in the identical name, Joshua mentioned he instructed the dispatcher he was having urges to self-harm, to which the dispatcher replied that he’d by no means come throughout a “man who reduce himself.” Maybe on a greater day, Joshua thought, the feedback would have been simpler to brush off — however on the time, he wasn’t in a great place.

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“Being trans, that made me really feel like I used to be lower than a person,” Joshua mentioned.

That type of interplay, at a second of intense vulnerability, ran counter to the said targets of the service: to make folks really feel supported once they’re in disaster. It additionally made Joshua extra nervous to name the hotline once more — however as a result of his first expertise was so constructive, he mentioned he would nonetheless think about it.

A consultant for Beacon Well being Providers, the corporate that runs New Hampshire’s digital name heart for its psychological well being hotline, mentioned they take fairness and coaching critically.

“We’d by no means need somebody to have that type of expertise,” Wendy Martinez-Farmer mentioned, when requested about Joshua’s name, including that the corporate would wish to look into what went unsuitable.

Joshua’s not the one one who’s had less-than-encouraging interactions with the state’s new system.

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Rebecca Bennett, of Harmony, mentioned she known as the Fast Response Entry Level when her son expressed threats of violence and suicidal ideation. She remembers being instructed a cell disaster workforce could be deployed, however nobody ever confirmed up.

Nonetheless, others have had extra constructive experiences. One other lady, who requested NHPR to not share her identify publicly, mentioned she and her daughter have known as the road virtually two dozen occasions and have acquired invaluable help each over the cellphone and in particular person. She credited the Fast Response Entry Level with serving to her daughter to just accept substance misuse therapy and enroll in state medical health insurance.

O’Higgins, the state official overseeing the implementation of this new system, mentioned she welcomes this sort of real-world suggestions and mentioned folks can e-mail her workforce immediately at DBHCrisisTransformation@dhhs.nh.gov.

“I do not suppose anybody can construct this with out these voices,” O’Higgins mentioned.

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N.H.’s psychological well being disaster response is beginning to transfer away from regulation enforcement

This shift in how New Hampshire handles emergency requires psychological well being assist has additionally required native police to regulate their method.

Traditionally, police have performed a job in quite a lot of incidents that decision for psychological well being help: whether or not somebody in disaster may name 911 to ask for assist, or whether or not regulation enforcement are known as in for different conditions, like these involving home violence or overdoses, the place the events concerned want psychological well being help.

However whether or not exterior psychological well being companies are known as in to assist with these incidents is determined by plenty of various factors — and many judgment calls from dispatchers and regulation enforcement. For instance, if dispatchers imagine a 911 name entails a scenario that’s more likely to flip violent, or somebody concerned has entry to weapons, they may steer the decision towards police as a substitute of a psychological well being workforce. Totally different police departments even have totally different insurance policies on when to usher in psychological well being help.

“Will probably be an evolution,” mentioned Mark Doyle, who has been engaged on this transition with the state Division of Security for over a 12 months.

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On the identical time, Doyle and others engaged on this transition mentioned they’re additionally attempting to beat skepticism from some regulation enforcement officers who may not but belief this fledgling psychological well being emergency system to deal with calls which have lengthy been their duty.

Sgt. Emmett Macken, of the Manchester Police Division, can relate to that feeling. His division began attempting to work extra intently with native psychological well being professionals 5 years in the past, lengthy earlier than the statewide transition started.

“I needed no a part of this on the outset,” he mentioned.

Patricia Carty, CEO of the Psychological Well being Middle of Larger Manchester, mentioned constructing belief between her workers and native regulation enforcement took time. The primary night time town tried out this new partnership, she recalled, law enforcement officials and psychological well being employees did not sit in the identical room collectively.

“It was essentially the most uncomfortable six hours,” Carty mentioned.

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Some workers from the Psychological Well being Middle of Larger Manchester.

However as time went on, Macken and Carty mentioned their groups got here to understand how this partnership has improved public belief and helped Manchester residents get linked with the assets they want.

As Macken and state officers attempt to encourage police departments throughout New Hampshire to undertake an analogous mindset, they’ve heard from some officers who discovered the brand new system inefficient. In some instances, officers mentioned police described getting caught on the cellphone answering what, to them, felt like an unnecessarily lengthy checklist of questions from the dispatcher on the opposite facet, who was attempting to completely triage the scenario.

State officers mentioned they’re attempting to verify this course of works extra easily for everybody, together with regulation enforcement.

O’Higgins, with the New Hampshire Division of Behavioral Well being, mentioned the state has taken steps to keep away from this sort of redundancy. Now, she mentioned, officers who name the disaster line and establish as a primary responder could make a right away request for a cell disaster workforce, quite than sitting by means of extra questioning.

Elsewhere, Nashua Police Division Lt. Charles MacGregor mentioned his officers have additionally run into different challenges with the brand new system. In some instances, he mentioned, they’ve assured folks in disaster that psychological well being employees had been on their means, solely to be taught that the workforce wasn’t truly out there on account of staffing shortages or different limitations.

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MacGregor is aware of these hurdles don’t have a easy resolution. However he’s advocated for higher communication so officers within the area are conscious of what assets are and aren’t out there.

“It’s getting higher,” he mentioned.

O’Higgins mentioned state officers understand this technique hasn’t been completely clean for regulation enforcement, however she hopes these early issues gained’t dissuade whole departments from making use of the Fast Response Entry Level.

“When one thing would not go as deliberate, let’s repair it collectively,” she mentioned, “However do not by no means name once more.”

When you or somebody you already know may be occupied with suicide, contact the Nationwide Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 (En Español: 1-888-628-9454; Deaf and Laborious of Listening to: 1-800-799-4889). Beginning July 16, you too can contact the hotline by calling or texting 988. You can too get psychological well being help by calling or texting New Hampshire’s Fast Response Entry Level at 833-710-6477.

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New Hampshire

Concord Woman Arrested On Aggravated DUI, Child Endangerment Charges: Police Log

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Concord Woman Arrested On Aggravated DUI, Child Endangerment Charges: Police Log


CONCORD, NH — Lena M. Jameson, born 1957, of Concord was arrested at 10:34 a.m. on June 26, 2024, on an endangering the welfare of a child charge after an incident or investigation on Highland Street.

Dakota Austin Marsh, born 1994, of Concord received a summons at 11 p.m. on June 25 on a criminal trespass charge after an incident or investigation at the Friendly Kitchen at 2 S. Commercial St.

Abel Dusabimana, born 1985, of Concord received a summons at 7:53 p.m. on June 25 on a conduct prohibited in parks violation after an incident or investigation at Keach Park.

Alexander C. Crosby, born 1988, of Concord received a summons at 7:10 a.m. on May 29 on a conduct after an accident charge and an improper backing-interstate violation after an incident or investigation at 36 S. Main St.

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Jacky Dillion Sherrard, 27, of Concord was arrested at 4:37 a.m. on May 29 on a generic city ordinance violation after an incident or investigation at the Durgin Block Parking Garage at 17 School St.

Kimberly Lynette Orantes, born 1976, of Concord received a summons at 2 a.m. on May 29 on a bench warrant after an incident or investigation on North Main Street.

Yadiel Ortega Montero, born 2001, of Marlborough, MA, was arrested at 1:51 p.m. on April 22 on violation of a protective order, stalking, and breach of bail charge after an incident or investigation on Prospect Street.

Michael S. Carter, born 1976, of Hillsboro was arrested at 4:40 p.m. on April 22 on criminal threatening and disorderly conduct charges after an incident or investigation at the Gully Hill Shell gas station at 24 Loudon Road.

Timothy C. Casey, 22, of Concord was arrested at 11:44 a.m. on April 22 on criminal threatening and disorderly conduct charges after an incident or investigation on Clinton Street.

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Robby A. Moore, born 1959, of Concord received a summons at 10:41 a.m. on April 22 on a theft by unauthorized taking charge after an incident or investigation at Hannaford supermarket at 73 Fort Eddy Road.

Kera M. Mattocks, born 1978, of Concord was arrested at 8:20 a.m. on April 22 on a driving after revocation or suspension charge after an incident or investigation on South State Street.

Nathaniel G. Griffin, born 1999, of Leominster, MA, was arrested at 12:41 a.m. on April 22 on a bench warrant after an incident or investigation at 118 Storrs St.

Jazman R. Landry, born 1995, of Concord was arrested at 9:10 p.m. on April 21 on aggravated driving under the influence-passenger under 16, DUI, and endangering the welfare of a child charge as well as a yellow-solid line violation after an incident or investigation on South Street.

Do you have a news tip? Please email it to tony.schinella@patch.com. View videos on Tony Schinella’s YouTube.com channel or Rumble.com channel. Follow the NH politics Twitter account @NHPatchPolitics for all our campaign coverage.

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Democrats reel from ‘terrible’ Biden debate performance as he defends candidacy • New Hampshire Bulletin

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Democrats reel from ‘terrible’ Biden debate performance as he defends candidacy • New Hampshire Bulletin


WASHINGTON – President Joe Biden touched on a flood of criticism of his debate performance during a rally on Friday, while Democrats interviewed on Capitol Hill said the party must figure out a way to reassure voters after what they described as a “terrible” showing and a “bad night.”

Biden, speaking from Raleigh, North Carolina, acknowledged some of the blunders that plagued him during the Thursday night debate on CNN, which included a raspy, low voice and answers that often began one way before veering into a completely separate topic.

“I know I’m not a young man, let’s state the obvious,” Biden said. “I don’t walk as easy as I used to. I don’t speak as smoothly as I used to. I don’t debate as well as I used to, but … I know how to tell the truth.”

Biden, 81, told the crowd that despite the mishaps, he’s still up for four more years on the job and said that his rival, the 78-year-old presumptive GOP presidential nominee Donald J. Trump, is a “genuine threat to this nation.”

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“When you get knocked down, you get back up,” Biden said. “I would not be running again if I didn’t believe with all my heart and soul I can do this job because, quite frankly, the stakes are too high.”

Outside the Beltway, Democrats continued to try to absorb what they saw on Thursday night. In Colorado, Democratic Gov. Jared Polis would not answer directly when asked about calls from some Democrats for Biden to step aside. In the swing state of Pennsylvania, Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro as well as other Democrats came to Biden’s defense on social media and on the airwaves.

Hoyer rejects idea of Biden quitting

Back in Washington, D.C., lawmakers had mixed reviews for how Biden performed during the debate, with some saying one bad night shouldn’t lead the party to change its nominee in the weeks ahead, while others said Biden should reassess his decision to run for reelection.

Maryland Democratic Rep. Steny Hoyer said Biden “had a bad night,” but said the president still showed respect for “people, the truth and the Constitution.”

“The other candidate, who respects none of those, showed that last night,” he said of Trump.

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Hoyer rejected a question about whether Democrats need a new presidential candidate, saying they already had one and it “is Joe Biden.”

“He’s got an extraordinary record of accomplishments,” Hoyer said.

Minnesota Democratic Rep. Angie Craig said it was a “terrible debate.”

“We all have to acknowledge that and Donald Trump lied every time he opened his mouth,” Craig said, adding that she wasn’t worried about November, but focused on flooding in her home state.

Mood on House floor

New York Democratic Rep. Gregory Meeks said he didn’t expect that all of a sudden members of the party would “jump ship” from the Biden-Harris ticket, but said Biden has a lot of work to do before Election Day.

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“I know Joe Biden. I’ve sat across the room from Joe Biden in some very important meetings,” Meeks said. “And I know that he’s all there and he has the ability to do that. He did not do that last night. But I do know that he has that ability.”

The mood on the House floor Friday morning, however, was less than ideal, he said.

“You can’t hide that, people are not pleased. Nobody’s in there jumping for joy, saying that, you know, ‘That was a great night last night,’” Meeks said. “Is there concern? Yeah, because we know how important it is to make sure that we win this election.”

Meeks declined to speculate about whether Biden will back out of the second debate in September, but said “it might be difficult, maybe, to get out of it.”

Biden, he said, needs to get in front of voters much more before the election through town halls and interviews to provide reassurance.

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Meeks also sought to draw a difference between Biden and Trump, saying that the lies Trump told during the debate signal he hasn’t evolved.

“Nothing has changed with reference to Trump. He is still that pathological liar that Lindsey Graham called him. He’s still the con man that Marco Rubio called him,” Meeks said, referring to Republican senators from South Carolina and Florida. “And I definitely don’t want a pathological liar and a con man to be president of the United States of America. It would be bad for us and will be bad for our allies.”

House speaker sees ‘serious problem’

House Speaker Mike Johnson said that Cabinet members should “search their hearts” on what represented the best path forward for the country, about “this alarming situation.”

“I think they know they have a serious problem – but it’s not just political, it’s not just the Democratic Party, it’s the entire country,” Johnson said. “We have a serious problem here because we have a president, who, by all appearances, is not up to the task.”

“This is a very serious moment in American history and it needs to be regarded and handled as such,” Johnson added.

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The Louisiana Republican didn’t rule out that the 25th Amendment, which deals with presidential disability and succession, might be appropriate. But he noted that’s up to the Cabinet, not the House.

Trump, during the debate, “showed the temperament, the stamina, and the mental acuity that is necessary to do this really important job at this really important time,” Johnson said.

Biden, on the other hand, “showed last night that he was weak, sadly, that he is feeble,” Johnson added.

Democrats are moving forward with plans to nominate Biden as their official presidential candidate before the Democratic National Convention in Chicago in late August.

The all-virtual roll call vote is supposed to take place before Aug. 7, the final date for candidates to get on Ohio’s ballot. The state requires candidates to be officially nominated at least 90 days before the November election.

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That means any final decisions about Biden’s candidacy likely need to take place during the month of July.

No need to replace Biden

Massachusetts Democratic Rep. Richard Neal said he was taking the “long view” of the campaign and didn’t believe Democrats needed to replace Biden at the top of the ticket.

“I think that we are kind of caught up in a moment where personalities are a big deal in politics,” Neal said. “At the same time, I think that Joe Biden’s got a really good track record to run on … And I think we want to make sure that people see it in the fullness of his presidency.”

Neal said that Hillary Clinton, the Democratic nominee for president in 2016, won her first debate against Trump, even though Trump went on to win the election.

He also noted that Walter Mondale, the Democratic presidential nominee in 1984, was widely considered to have won his first debate against Republican Ronald Reagan, though Reagan went on to sweep him during the election.

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Florida Democratic Rep. Lois Frankel said that “there was only one decent, honest man who reflected my values, and that was Joe Biden.”

Frankel said she wasn’t too concerned about calls for Biden to step down from the top of the ticket, though she said she hasn’t been involved in those talks.

Pennsylvania Democratic Rep. Matt Cartwright said Biden’s performance reminded him of a 2022 debate he had where his own performance was “lousy,”

“He had a tough night,” Cartwright said, adding that he believes Democrats shouldn’t “overreact.”

Cartwright said he didn’t believe Biden’s debate performance would affect how voters in his district, which covers sections of northeastern Pennsylvania, including Scranton, will vote for down-ballot races later this year.

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“People split their tickets where I live,” Cartwright said. “They know who I am and they know I’m not the same guy as whoever’s in the White House.”

Republicans react

Arkansas Republican Rep. Steve Womack said Biden’s performance “validated” a lot of the concerns that lawmakers and others had about his “cognitive abilities” heading into the debate.

“But at the end of the day, you have to assume that they’re both still going to be head-to-head in November,” Womack said.

Republicans, he said, need to move “full steam ahead” to hold the House, flip the Senate, and win back the White House in November, but that’s only the beginning of the hard work.

“If that happens, we’ve got a couple of years and we need to be able to demonstrate that we’re serious about leading America,” Womack said.

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Iowa Republican Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks said it’s up to “Democrats to determine whether or not they feel that their candidate is up to the task of running the country for the next four years.”

“From my perspective, what I saw last night emphasizes to me that he’s not and that I will be voting for President Trump,” Miller-Meeks said. “I thought President Trump’s answers and policies were well reasoned, show that he was very sharp, very in tune, and very well-informed.”

Miller-Meeks said it will be challenging for the Biden campaign and Democrats to brush aside concerns about Biden’s mental functioning following the debate.

“I think what has been appearing to a lot of people is now very apparent and difficult to hide, given the performance that everyone saw last night,” Miller-Meeks said.

Florida Republican Rep. Byron Donalds, one of the lawmakers on Trump’s short list for vice president, said that Trump “did what he was supposed to do – demonstrated leadership, demonstrated command talking about the issues that are plaguing this country.”

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“As far as I’m concerned, whether it’s Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, or anybody else, the Democrat agenda has been a failure. Period.”



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New Hampshire

Dave Portnoy Swung by Derry, NH, Pizzeria – How Was his one Bite?

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Dave Portnoy Swung by Derry, NH, Pizzeria – How Was his one Bite?


Mickey’s N.Y Pizza in Derry keeps coming up on my radar which makes me feel like I really need to try this place.

We were just talking about Mickey’s a few months back when they added the viral chopped Italian Sub to their menu, a bold but noble move that has been very well received by the sub eating community.

With all the hype around this fresh, made from scratch pizzeria located in Derry, New Hampshire, it’s no shock that Dave Portnoy aka El Presidente would want to try this place for himself.

Dave Portnoy Pizza Reviews

if you didn’t know, the president of Barstool sports and former Swampscott, Massachusetts resident turns to his Barstool audience from across the country for recommendations on pizza joints he needs to visit to rate.

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His Youtube video series is called One Bite Pizza Reviews and “One bite, everyone knows the rules.” is a phrase we all know and love and is uttered by millennials, Gen Z’ers, and zillennials alike thanks to Barstool Sports.

What I love about the series is he always picks local mom and pop shops and many times his platform gives them a well deserved bump in business!

A little birdie must have told him about Mickey’s in Derry and he needed to see what all the fuss was about.

We are on the edge of our seat waiting to hear what score the pizza loving king gave Mickey’s N.Y Pizza but at the time of publishing this article that information has not been released yet.

Follow Mickey’s on Facebook and subscribe to One Bite Pizza Reviews Youtube channel so you can see the review right when it drops!

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What other Granite State pizzerias should Dave Portnoy try?

10 Hilarious Ways Outsiders Can Tell You Grew Up in New Hampshire

Gallery Credit: Megan

12 New Hampshire Fun Facts to Test Your Knowledge

Gallery Credit: Megan





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