New Hampshire

NH lawmakers hope to save the 603: Area code nears its limit

Published

2 weeks ago

May 2, 2024

NH lawmakers hope to save the 603: Area code nears its limit

CONCORD — By the end of 2027, New Hampshire’s iconic 603 area code may reach its limit.

There are only so many seven-number combinations that can be put after the number 603, the state’s phone area code. In 2023, the North American Numbering Plan Administrator warned it hit the maximum as soon as 2027. That could mean New Hampshire will have to add a second area code in the near future.

To delay it, state lawmakers have introduced the aptly titled Senate Bill 603, which directs the New Hampshire Department of Energy and the Public Utilities Commission to do all it legally can to adopt telephone conservation measures and maximize the number of available numbers.

“We lost the Old Man of the Mountain nearly 21 years ago. Our first-in-the-nation primary is under attack, even Daniel Webster went to Massachusetts to run for Senate. But we still have three numbers that are unique to the Granite State: 603,” said Grant Bosley, the deputy chief of staff for the New Hampshire Senate, at a public hearing in front of the House Science, Technology, and Energy Committee in April. He introduced the bill on behalf of the prime sponsor, Senate President Jeb Bradley, R-Wolfeboro.

“603 is more than an area code. It’s an identity. We have songs and bumper stickers, and political slogans, and craft beers and T-shirts,” said Bosley. “603 is New Hampshire, and New Hampshire is 603.”

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How could New Hampshire extend life of 603?

Some ways to preserve the code are reclaiming numbers that are no longer in use and requiring providers to return assigned blocks of numbers not being used. The bill comes with a one-time cost of $100,000 to $300,000 to hire a consultant to identify the measures New Hampshire could take.

Bradley introduced the bill in part at the request of New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu, who issued an executive order last year that established the “Don’t Overload the Code” initiative. To extend the life of the code, it directed the Department of Energy and the Bureau of Economic Affairs to reclaim unused telephone numbers.

The state is following the example of Maine, which also acted to preserve its code when told 207 would hit its limit by 2025. By limiting robocalls and changing forecasting and block requesting practices, the state was able to extend the life of the code until 2032, according to reporting by WMTW.

New Hampshire and Maine are two of just 11 states left with a single area code. However, according to Maine’s Public Utilities Commission, the whole country may run out of area codes by 2051.

Therefore, the efforts in New Hampshire won’t prevent the need for a second area code someday, but it would move the date down the line, said Bosley. The New Hampshire Department of Energy testified it’s optimistic it can extend the 603, perhaps even until the federal government determines how to number across the country when they run out.

But that inevitability is part of the reason Rep. Thomas Cormen, D-Lebanon, wrote the bill should be voted inexpedient to legislate in the committee’s minority report.

“Whether or not we attempt to extend the life of the 603 area code, we will run out of phone numbers in the 603 area code sometime in the next few years,” wrote Cormen. “The bottom line is that this bill spends money just to kick the can down the road.”

The bill passed the Senate in March by a voice vote. The House Science, Technology and Energy Committee narrowly recommended it to pass by a vote of 10-9, and it was scheduled to go to the House for a full vote Thursday.

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New Hampshire

4-year-old child bitten by rabid fox in Hollis, NH; animal euthanized – Boston News, Weather, Sports | WHDH 7News

Published

3 hours ago

May 16, 2024

Press Room

4-year-old child bitten by rabid fox in Hollis, NH; animal euthanized – Boston News, Weather, Sports | WHDH 7News

HOLLIS, N.H. (WHDH) – A rabid fox bit a 4-year-old girl Tuesday in Hollis, N.H., before police euthanized the sick animal on scene — a decision that garnered some criticism from locals, officials said.

At around 3:30 p.m., Hollis police and emergency crews responded to Truell Road for a report of a child bitten by a fox, according to a statement from Hollis Police Chief Brendan LaFlamme. The fox showed “obvious signs of illness and aggression,” he said.

The 4-year-old girl’s mother was able to hold the fox down to keep it from causing more damage to her child, LaFlamme said.

When police officers arrived, they took control of the animal and euthanized it on scene, he said. New Hampshire conservation officers took the fox’s body to be tested for diseases, and the results revealed it was positive for rabies, according to LaFlamme.

Rabies is a vaccine-preventable viral disease that affects the central nervous system, according to the World Health Organization. Once clinical symptoms appear, rabies is virtually 100 percent fatal, WHO said.

It can spread to people and animals via saliva — typically bites, scratches, or contact with eyes, mouth, or open wounds, the organization said.

Both the mother and 4-year-old child received medical treatment and are expected to be okay, LaFlamme said.

The police department received “multiple” calls from the public about the incident, with some local residents criticizing the officers’ decision to kill the fox, he said. However, LaFlamme reaffirmed his support for their actions.

“They acted quickly and professionally to make the scene safe so that the injured 4-year-old could get the treatment that she needed,” he said in the statement. “Their actions prevented any further injury to people and animals, slowed the spread of this disease, and ended the animal’s suffering.”

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New Hampshire

Bird watching in New Hampshire? There’s a new resource for that. – The Boston Globe

Published

10 hours ago

May 16, 2024

Press Room

Bird watching in New Hampshire? There’s a new resource for that. – The Boston Globe

CONCORD, N.H. — Cardinals. Grackles. Carolina wrens.

With the arrival of warmer weather, birds around New Hampshire have become more vocal and active. It’s almost impossible not to notice them – and spotting and recognizing them can be a lot of fun, too.

If you’re looking for a new way to identify what’s in your back yard or learn about the species you already recognize, the New Hampshire Audubon just launched a new online bird guide, which it’s touting as “everything you need to know” about New Hampshire birds.

There are currently around 200 avian species in the guide, with more to come. “This is the first time that N.H. specific information on most of the species of birds that occur in N.H. is accessible in one place,” said Pamela Hunt, a senior biologist for avian conservation at the New Hampshire Audubon.

Hunt came up with the idea for the guide, which she said goes beyond a typical field guide. It includes information about where in the state you can find a particular bird, long-term population trends, and relevant stories about the birds. She used decades of New Hampshire-specific data and research to compile the guide, which took her about a year.

I checked out the entry for the gray catbird, which has been making a ruckus near my house recently. It turns out they’re ubiquitous around the state and well adapted to human landscapes. Close relatives to mockingbirds and thrashers, they are considered “accomplished” singers that can mimic other birds. Interestingly, studies show that “much of their singing is improvised rather than learned, and that each bird has a unique repertoire based partially on what it hears growing up and partially on what it invents as it goes.”

Bird populations have been on a dramatic decline. Recent estimates found that North America lost lost 3 billion birds in the last 50 years.

Birds are typically considered an environmental indicator – when their population suffers, it can point people toward bigger issues at play. Think: canary in the coal mine.

This story first appeared in Globe NH | Morning Report, our free newsletter focused on the news you need to know about New Hampshire, including great coverage from the Boston Globe and links to interesting articles from other places. If you’d like to receive it via e-mail Monday through Friday, you can sign up here.

Amanda Gokee can be reached at amanda.gokee@globe.com. Follow her @amanda_gokee.

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New Hampshire

NHPR Reads: May 2024

Published

17 hours ago

May 16, 2024

Press Room

May is Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month! This month serves as a time to celebrate the culture, history, and achievements of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders across the nation. We hope you enjoy this list of a few of the NHPR staff’s favorite texts by Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. If you have a favorite that didn’t make it onto this list, let us know! Our inbox, voices@nhpr.org, is always open. – Zoë

Asian American Is Not a Color: Conversations On Race, Affirmative Action, And Family by Oiyan Poon

Part memoir, part review of Supreme Court rulings that have defined race relations in America (as well as Asian Americans’ positionality within the Black/White binary), and a personal as well as academic deep dive into the issue of affirmative action, Oiyan explores all this by addressing her daughter’s many questions, including her precocious questions when she was just three years old: are we White? No. Are we Black? No. Then what are we? Asian American. But Asian American isn’t a color! Wise words Te Te! Wise words indeed… – Felix Poon

Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng

A heartbreaking story of family ties and family tragedies, a brilliant examination of the pressures children can face and the escape valves they create for themselves. Secrets abound, as do struggles for genuine connection and identity. It’s beautiful, and gut-wrenching. – Sara Plourde

Bestiary by K-Ming Chang

An NPR review of Bestiary says “Chang’s facility for making even mundane or traumatic events beautiful with words is a reminder that stories are, among other things, some of our very best survival tools.” And stories abound here, with elements of beasts and magic, amid the all too real issues of familial abuse and separation, which Chang handles deftly. – Sara Plourde

Yellowface by R. F. Kuang

Privilege in the publishing industry is put on notice in this debut satire in which a white author steals a manuscript from her dead Asian friend and publishes it as her own work. Yellowface asks us to consider who gets to tell our stories – and who gets to profit off the telling of those stories. – Sara Plourde

Time is a Mother by Ocean Vuong

For those who prioritize beautiful language, pick up this poetry collection. Vuong shares with us an intimate look into familial grief and the depth of a mothers love. – Zoë Kay

Martyr! By Kaveh Akbar

This is such a stunning debut novel. I laughed, I cried ( a lot), I contemplated my own life and the human experience. I truly can not recommend this book enough. The plot does center around death and addiction, but somehow manages to leave the reader feeling hopeful. – Zoë Kay

Franny Choi poetry, and Sour Heart by Jenny Zhang – Sarah Gibson

This is a very unoriginal suggestion but if you, like me, didn’t read the bestseller Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner when it first came out, I highly recommend you jump on the bandwagon (pun not intended!). Michelle is the lead singer of Japanese Breakfast, and her memoir about food, family, identity and grief is so compelling. I finished it in two days! – Lauren Chooljian

The Valley of Amazement by Amy Tan

It’s an epic read that is by turns devastating and full of hope. If you’re already a Tan fan (The Joy Luck Club and The Bonesetter’s Daughter are also excellent) you know you’re in for lots of deep mother/daughter feels, too.

Also Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng. I read most of this novel in one night when I had pregnancy insomnia because it totally sucked me in! – Katie Colaneri

Everything Asian by Sung J. Woo

My friend Sung emigrated from South Korea to New Jersey as a young man. So has the protagonist of this novel. The funny moments and the sad ones will be familiar to anyone who’s no more than a remove or two away from the immigrant experience – which is most of us. And anybody who’s ever cringed at their parents’ behavior will see their teen years brought to life in this slyly serious picaresque. – Jim Schachter

The Woman Warrior: Memoirs of a Girlhood Among Ghosts by Maxine Hong Kingston. This work is considered a classic in the genre of memoir, first published in 1976. The author explores myth, memory, and the immigrant experience of her Chinese family as they settle in California. – Angela Menendez

Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo – Jackie Harris

They Called Us Enemy by George Takei – Julia Furukawa

In Other Words by Jhumpa Lahiri

This is probably the best book about language learning I’ve ever read! It is a memoir about Lahiri – one of the most accomplished writers in the English language – leaving behind English and starting to write in Italian in her 40s. Lahiri originally wrote the book in Italian and it was translated into English by Ann Goldstein (Elena Ferrante’s translator, for any fans of the Neapolitan Quartet!). It is an amazing meditation on both the power and limits of language. – Kate Dario

The I.Q. series by Joe Ide – the books are just great. – Rebecca Lavoie

How to End a Love Story by Yulin Kuang

Yes, I’m throwing a romance novel on this list. It’s a modern rom-com! (And definitely for adults.) But I loved the construct, the framing device, and the East Coast-West Coast vibe of it all. If you enjoy books by the likes of Emily Henry, want to get a glimpse inside the workings of a TV writers room, and are curious about how a grown-up can maybe break from the stifling expectations of her parents, you may just love this book! – Rebecca Lavoie

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