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New Hampshire Supreme Court takes over congressional redistricting process

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New Hampshire Supreme Court takes over congressional redistricting process


(The Middle Sq.) – New Hampshire’s highest courtroom is taking up redrawing of recent congressional maps for the state amid an deadlock between Gov. Chris Sununu and lawmakers which have made it one of many final states to finalize new Home districts.

In an order issued Monday, New Hampshire Supreme Courtroom Chief Justice Gordon MacDonald stated the excessive courtroom is taking up the redistricting case from the Superior Courtroom, saying the difficulty must be resolved rapidly.

“We take this supervisory motion as a result of the case is one during which the events want, and the general public want requires, a speedy dedication of the essential points in controversy,” MacDonald and the 4 affiliate justices wrote within the seven-page order.

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The courtroom’s order stems from a lawsuit filed in Hillsborough County Superior Courtroom by former Democratic Home Speaker Terie Norelli and several other different plaintiffs. The go well with requested a decide to toss out congressional maps that have been authorised by the Home and Senate over Sununu’s objections and create new boundaries for the 2 districts forward of the 2022 elections.

In its order, the excessive courtroom says the state’s deadline for submitting to run for Congress – which runs from June 1-10 – and a main are approaching with out the decision to the deadlock.

“Accordingly, we should take sure preliminary steps on this case now in order that, within the occasion that the legislative course of fails to provide a completely enacted congressional redistricting plan, we shall be ready to resolve the case in a radical and environment friendly method,” the justices wrote.

The courtroom stated it plans to nominate Nathaniel Persily, a professor at Stanford Regulation College, to function a “particular grasp” to supervise truth discovering and supply technological experience to the justices as they evaluation the case. Authorized briefs within the case are due in two weeks and oral arguments will start early subsequent month, the order states.

The brand new maps, drawn by the state’s Republican majority, would make the first Congressional District extra Republican by shifting a number of GOP-leaning communities into the district whereas the 2nd Congressional District could be barely extra Democratic by together with a number of Democratic-leaning communities. Each Home seats are presently held by Democrats.

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Sununu pledged to veto the maps even earlier than the Home and Senate voted to approve them. The Republican stated the districts do not “move the scent take a look at” and provided his personal proposal.

The deadlock leaves New Hampshire as simply one in every of three states – Florida and Missouri are the others – which have but to finalize the redistricting course of following the 2020 Census, in accordance with evaluation from FiveThirtyEight.

The U.S. Structure requires states to attract new congressional district strains each 10 years, following the census, to account for adjustments in inhabitants. States additionally use these numbers to attract maps for his or her federal and state legislative districts.

Within the order, New Hampshire’s excessive courtroom factors out that taking up the redistricting case would not forestall Sununu and the Legislature from reaching an settlement on the brand new political maps.

“We’ll terminate this continuing if a congressional reapportionment plan is validly enacted at any time previous to the shut of this case,” the order states.

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New Hampshire

What to know about bird flu in New Hampshire: From backyard flocks to waterfowl

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What to know about bird flu in New Hampshire: From backyard flocks to waterfowl


Click the player above to hear NHPR Reporter Paul Cuno-Booth’s conversation with All Things Considered Host Julia Furukawa about this topic, produced by Michelle Liu.

New Hampshire health officials say they are continuing to monitor for bird flu activity, as the disease spreads across the country and in nearby states, including Massachusetts. Here’s what you need to know about the risk levels — for humans and animals — in New Hampshire.

How worried should people in New Hampshire be about bird flu?

Public health officials say the risk to the general population in New Hampshire is very low right now. No people here have tested positive for the virus, and State Epidemiologist Dr. Benjamin Chan emphasized that the vast majority of human cases reported elsewhere have been in people who’ve been in direct contact with farm animals.

“There has been no evidence of person to person spread of this virus,” Chan said.

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In other parts of the country, the virus has been detected in wild birds, dairy cattle, poultry flocks and other animals. At least 67 people have also tested positive, and one person has died from the virus, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Has the virus been detected at all in New Hampshire?

Yes. Bird flu is circulating in some wild birds in New Hampshire — especially waterfowl, like ducks and geese. But so far, it hasn’t spread to any commercial poultry flocks or dairy herds in New Hampshire or New England.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has been tracking information on the spread of the virus in wild birds, livestock, poultry and mammals.

Given the risk to farm animals and farm workers, what precautions are being taken on New Hampshire farms?

Agriculture experts say farms and state officials are taking this seriously.

There’s ongoing testing to monitor for bird flu, both in poultry flocks and dairy herds. Since last year, the federal government has required that lactating dairy cows be tested if they’re crossing state lines. Starting this month, there will also be routine testing at milk processing plants, which will alert public health authorities to any infections at local farms, said State Veterinarian Dr. Stephen Crawford.

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Farms already employ a lot of “biosecurity” measures: wearing gloves, keeping track of visitors, sanitizing boots so people don’t spread pathogens from one farm to the next, and so on.

State officials say they’ve been in regular communication with dairy farms about what they can do to keep workers safe.

“We’re still considering this an animal health issue, not a human health issue,” said Sarah Allen, the state dairy specialist for the University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension.

What about people raising chickens in their backyard?

Crawford says this is his biggest piece of advice: “Keep your birds separated from wildlife.” That means keeping any backyard flocks away from other wild animals, especially ducks and geese. You probably also want to avoid keeping a bird feeder in your yard if you also have chickens, to minimize the risk of contact.

There are other steps you can take to protect against bird flu, as well. Washing your hands before and after feeding chickens is important all the time, not just when dealing with bird flu. It’s also a good idea to have a separate set of clothes and shoes that you use just for feeding your flock — so you’re not, for example, stepping in goose feces at the town park and then tracking it back to your chicken coop.

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If you don’t have backyard poultry, it’s fine to leave your bird feeder up, said Grace McCollough, the community science project leader at New Hampshire Audubon.

“The risk to songbirds, wild songbirds, overall is low,” she said.

Bird flu has also been found in some domesticated cats. Here’s more information from NPR on how to protect your pets from the virus.

What should people do if they come across a sick bird?

If you’re a hunter or someone else who might have more frequent contact with wild birds, state wildlife officials say just exercise basic precautions. New Hampshire Fish and Game has more advice here.

If you come across a lot of dead birds or birds that seem sick, let the New Hampshire Department of Fish and Game know so they can do testing.

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What should people know about consuming poultry or dairy products?

Cooking eggs kills viruses like bird flu. Similarly, pasteurization in milk has been shown to destroy bird flu, so the milk you get from the supermarket should be safe.

Bird flu has been detected in raw milk, which doesn’t go through the same process to kill off germs. Public health officials around the country, including in New Hampshire, emphasize that drinking pasteurized milk is the safest way to go.

“We don’t recommend drinking raw milk because of the potential for other infections to be transmitted through raw milk,” Chan said, even if this particular virus hasn’t turned up yet in New Hampshire dairy cows.





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UMBC hosts DeChent and New Hampshire

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UMBC hosts DeChent and New Hampshire


New Hampshire Wildcats (8-14, 2-7 America East) at UMBC Retrievers (10-10, 3-5 America East)

Baltimore; Thursday, 6:30 p.m. EST

BOTTOM LINE: New Hampshire takes on UMBC after Eva DeChent scored 29 points in New Hampshire’s 65-54 loss to the Maine Black Bears.

The Retrievers are 5-5 on their home court. UMBC is 1-0 in one-possession games.

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The Wildcats are 2-7 against America East opponents. New Hampshire is 6-3 when it turns the ball over less than its opponents and averages 15.5 turnovers per game.

UMBC’s average of 5.7 made 3-pointers per game this season is just 0.6 fewer made shots on average than the 6.3 per game New Hampshire gives up. New Hampshire averages 4.8 made 3-pointers per game this season, 0.2 more makes per game than UMBC gives up.

The matchup Thursday is the first meeting this season between the two teams in conference play.

TOP PERFORMERS: Jaden Walker is averaging 9.1 points and 5.6 rebounds for the Retrievers. Jordon Lewis is averaging 9.8 points over the last 10 games.

DeChent is scoring 17.7 points per game with 3.9 rebounds and 1.4 assists for the Wildcats. Maggie Cavanaugh is averaging 8.2 points and 1.9 rebounds while shooting 34.4% over the last 10 games.

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LAST 10 GAMES: Retrievers: 4-6, averaging 56.5 points, 29.1 rebounds, 12.2 assists, 6.5 steals and 1.5 blocks per game while shooting 37.9% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 60.4 points per game.

Wildcats: 3-7, averaging 52.6 points, 28.2 rebounds, 8.4 assists, 7.2 steals and 2.7 blocks per game while shooting 36.0% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 56.6 points.

___

The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.





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Mechanical issue on NH ski lift requires 64 passengers to be evacuated on Wednesday

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Mechanical issue on NH ski lift requires 64 passengers to be evacuated on Wednesday


A New Hampshire ski resort closed one of its ski lifts on Wednesday after 64 passengers had to be evacuated following a mechanical issue, Cannon Mountain said.

At around 10:13 a.m., a bolt that was attached to the power takeoff shaft failed on the Peabody Express Quad lift, the resort said in a statement on Facebook. Cannon Mountain Ski Patrol employees and additional mountain operations personnel onsite conducted a rope evacuation.

By 12:23 p.m., all 64 passengers were safely evacuated.

“While all chairlifts and equipment at Cannon undergo regular inspection and testing, mechanical issues can occasionally occur,” the statement read. “All guests at the mountain were offered the option of a refund or a credit for a future visit, in addition to complimentary hospitality at the base area.”

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All guests on the mountain were offered either a refund or a credit for a future visit, along with complimentary hospitality at the base area, Cannon wrote.

Operations were reduced during the rest of the day, though service was available at the Mittersill Double, Tuckerbrook, Eagle Cliff and Zoomer lifts.

The incident comes three days after a man on a ski lift at Attitash Mountain Resort fell 20 feet. He was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.



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