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‘Perfect family’: Devastated friend remembers Mass. couple, 2 daughters found dead in NH home

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‘Perfect family’: Devastated friend remembers Mass. couple, 2 daughters found dead in NH home


Investigators on Friday identified a Massachusetts couple and their two daughters as the victims of suspected carbon monoxide poisoning after they were found dead inside their New Hampshire vacation home on Christmas Day.

The bodies of Matthew Goldstein, 52, an elementary school teacher in Brookline, and his wife Lyla Goldstein, 54, a project manager at Microsoft, were found by officers conducting a wellness check at 2962 Province Lake Road in Wakefield, New Hampshire, just before 4:30 p.m. on Christmas.

Their daughters, Valerie Goldstein, 22, who was also a teacher, and Violet Goldstein, 19, a college student, also died in the accident.

The family lived in Newton, Massachusetts, and were visiting New Hampshire for the holidays, according to New Hampshire Fire Marshal Sean Toomey.

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‘Tragic’: State fire marshal answers questions after Mass. family found dead in NH vacation home

Toomey said investigators haven’t yet figured out what caused the apparent leak of carbon monoxide from the propane gas heating system, also noting that there were no carbon monoxide alarms found in the home.

The family was expected to attend a holiday event before their deaths. Toomey said three victims were found in a bedroom and one in a bathroom.

“When they did not show up at the event, family members contacted local authorities and requested a welfare check, ultimately leading to the discovery of the victims,” Toomey said. “Additionally, no working carbon monoxide alarms have been found in the home.”

A house in Wakefield, N.H., where a family of four died from suspected carbon monoxide poisoning on Christmas Day, is shown on Friday, Dec. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Nick Perry)

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Brookline Public Schools Superintendent Linus Guillory confirmed that Matthew Goldstein was a teacher in town.

“We are deeply heartbroken to learn of the passing of Mr. Matt Goldstein, an exceptional educator and a beloved member of our PSB and Baker School Community,” Guillory said in a statement. “Mr. Goldstein’s dedication to inspiring students and shaping young minds has left an indelible mark on all who had the privilege of knowing him.”

The Edith C. Baker School where Goldstein worked serves the Chestnut Hill and South Brookline neighborhoods of Brookline and is one of the largest elementary schools in the town.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with his family, friends, colleagues, and students during this profoundly difficult time,” Guillory added. “We are committed to providing the support and resources needed for the Baker School Community as we grieve this tremendous loss together.”

Baker School Principal Saeed Ola said educators are assembling a support plan for students and staff.

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“Tragic news like this is difficult to process, and we know that our entire school community will need support during this challenging time,” Ola said in a statement. “To this end, we are working closely with our school-based and district-level clinicians along with district-level staff to develop a support plan for our students and staff. In the meantime, we encourage you to reach out if you have any immediate concerns or need assistance.”

In a statement, Rhode Island School of Design President Crystal Williams said that Violet was a first-year student at the school.

“This is an unimaginable loss for Violet’s loved ones, friends, faculty, peers, and all of us in the RISD community, and we are currently reaching out to Violet’s closest friends,” President Williams said. “As we process and mourn this tragedy, please take comfort in your loved ones and keep Violet and her family in your thoughts.”

School officials say although the college is closed for winter break, counseling, and psychological services will still be available for students and faculty who feel they need help processing the loss.

“I know that you join me in feeling utter heartbreak at the loss of such a promising young member of our community, along with her family, on what should have been a joyous occasion,” she said.

Friends of the Goldstein family laid flowers at their Margaret Road home in Newton, where family friend Jesse King said Valerie’s 22nd birthday party was scheduled for Friday night.

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“It shows how powerful their love really was,” King said. “The family was a perfect example of what a family should be like. The family was super close to each other. They did themed Halloween costumes it was really cute.”

King was particularly close with Valerie during high school.

“She was love personified,” he explained. “She was everybody’s friend.”

A GoFundMe has been set up to raise money for a memorial bench plaque at the Baker School. If you’d like to donate, you can click here.

Anyone with information for investigators is encouraged to call the New Hampshire State Fire Marshal’s Office at 603-223-4289 or fmo@dos.nh.gov.

Wakefield is a small town in the Lakes Region, east of Lake Winnipesaukee. The town’s population was 5,201 at the 2020 census.

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Trump approval rating slips in New Hampshire on one key metric. See latest poll

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Trump approval rating slips in New Hampshire on one key metric. See latest poll


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  • According to the poll, released Nov. 19, only 42% of New Hampshire residents approve of his handling of the economy.
  • Both people who approve and disapprove cite tariffs as the number one reason behind their opinion.
  • Trump’s overall approval rating is 45%.

Support for President Donald Trump’s handling of the economy hit an all-time low in New Hampshire, according to a new poll out of the University of New Hampshire Survey Center.

According to the poll, released Nov. 19, only 42% of New Hampshire residents approve of his handling of the economy, while 57% disapprove. That’s the lowest his approval has been in this area in either of his terms.

Both people who approve and disapprove cite tariffs as the number one reason behind their opinion.

For those who disapprove, the next top reasons, following distantly, are because of the price of goods, because they believe Trump is self-interested or has a poor character and because of the cost of living.

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Of those who approve, tariffs are followed by spending or the budget, price of goods, energy prices and because they believe him to be better than his predecessors.

While New Hampshire approval of Trump’s economic policies has fallen, his support overall has remained largely the same: 45% approve and 54% disapprove, giving him a net approval rating of -8 that is statistically unchanged since October.

The poll surveyed 1,402 New Hampshire residents between Nov. 13 and Nov. 17. The margin of error is +/- 2.6%.

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How do NH residents feel about the end of the government shutdown?

The government shutdown is now over after some Senate Democrats, including New Hampshire Sens. Jeanne Shaheen and Maggie Hassan, made a deal to reopen the government in exchange for a reversal of federal worker layoffs and a promise for a vote on extending Affordable Care Act subsidies.

Many national Democrats opposed the deal as it didn’t guarantee an extension of the ACA tax credits that the party had demanded for weeks. In New Hampshire, half of residents support extending the subsidies, including 93% of Democrats and 53% of Independents. It perhaps follows then that 68% of Democrats and 60% of Independents oppose the deal ending the shutdown.

However, overall, 52% of Granite Staters support the deal, including 87% of Republicans, 27% of Independents and 24% of Democrats. And there is broad agreement among New Hampshire residents (95%) that all federal workers who were furloughed or who continued working during the shutdown should receive backpay.

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Should Trump sink boats off Venezuela coast?

The survey also looked at approval of Trump’s handling of foreign affairs, finding that 54% disapprove and 44% approve, making a net approval rating of -10 that is statistically unchanged since October.

Half of Granite Staters disapproved of the U.S. military sinking civilian boats off the coast of Venezuela that it claimed were involved in drug trafficking. However, it is heavily split by party, with 92% of Democrats disapproving and 83% of Republicans approving.

These actions have appeared to be part of a pressure campaign aimed at Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, who Trump seems to blame for drugs and gangs on American streets. While he has not yet made a decision about what he plans to do in the country, all parties in New Hampshire oppose an attempt to remove Maduro from power.



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New Hampshire Awaits Bitcoin Bond Buyer to Get First State Effort Rolling

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New Hampshire Awaits Bitcoin Bond Buyer to Get First State Effort Rolling


New Hampshire moved this week to foster the state’s first effort toward establishing a $100 million bitcoin bond, which would be directed by a state entity but backed by a private-sector firm, according to those involved with the effort.

The New Hampshire Business Finance Authority authorized “$100,000,000 bonds for a project to acquire and hold digital currency,” according to the description on its agenda. The NHBFA doesn’t direct state-backed bonds, but encourages private-sector entities to administer them. If that happens with this bond, the New Hampshire Executive Council will review the deal and vote on whether to approve it.

Once approved, the project will go live — the first of its kind in the nation.

The NHBFA is a self-funded, state-created organization meant to foster New Hampshire’s economic development. Proceeds from its bond projects return to the entity to help bolster its operation.

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State Representative Keith Ammon, a longtime advocate for crypto policy in New Hampshire, said this first bitcoin bond effort is meant to be a template for more to come.

“Bitcoin can partially insulate our state’s runaway inflation,” he said in an interview with CoinDesk. “This is like training wheels to get to that point, protecting our state’s finances from future devaluation of the dollar.”

He said the two-year bond would be reliant on a rising value for bitcoin.

In this past year, BTC is down about 6%, after having climbed steadily for months before its sharp decline beginning last month.

New Hampshire has been in the forefront of state governments pursuing crypto policies. The New England state was the first to establish a crypto reserve earlier this year, moving much more quickly than the federal government, which is still in the planning stages.

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NH toll booth crash leaves 2 people seriously hurt, 2 dogs dead, police say

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NH toll booth crash leaves 2 people seriously hurt, 2 dogs dead, police say


A minivan slammed into a New Hampshire toll both on Tuesday, sending both people inside to the hospital with life-threatening injuries and killing at least two of the dogs inside, police said.

The Chrysler Pacifica crashed into the Bedford Toll Plaza on the southbound side of the F.E. Everett Turnpike about 9:17 a.m., New Hampshire State Police said. The driver, a 76-year-old woman from Manchester, and her passenger were taken to a local hospital to be treated for their serious injuries.

Three dogs were inside, two of whom died, according to police.

An image shared by police showed the minivan, with serious damage to its front end, at rest across the entrance a toll both. The side appeared to have been cut open by first responders working to free the occupants.

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Speed is believed to have been a factor in the crash, which remained under investigation as of Tuesday afternoon. The incident closed three toll lanes until late morning.



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