New Hampshire
Tim Walz makes sudden schedule change amid VP buzz
In a move that has intensified speculation about his potential selection as Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz has reportedly canceled his planned trip to New Hampshire this weekend.
President Joe Biden dropped out of the 2024 presidential race on July 21 following weeks of interparty fighting among Democrats on whether he should pass the torch to the next generation after his debate fiasco against Donald Trump in late June in Atlanta. Biden also endorsed Harris the day he withdrew from the race and she is now the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee.
The sudden change in Walz’s schedule comes as Harris is reportedly in the final stages of vetting candidates in her search for a running mate.
CNN senior reporter Edward-Isaac Dovere wrote on X, formerly Twitter, about Walz’s change in travel plans: “A little more veepstakes NEWS: from Tim Walz’s spokesman: ‘The governor’s schedule has changed and he is no longer traveling to New Hampshire this weekend.’”
A little more veepstakes NEWS: from Tim Walz’s spokesman:
“The governor’s schedule has changed and he is no longer traveling to New Hampshire this weekend.”
— Edward-Isaac Dovere (@IsaacDovere) August 3, 2024
Harris is expected to meet with her vetting team today for a series of in-depth presentations on each of the finalists. These briefings, lasting between 60 to 90 minutes each, are designed to provide Harris with comprehensive information on the candidates’ backgrounds, qualifications, and potential impact on the ticket.
The list of finalists reportedly includes Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, Arizona Senator Mark Kelly, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, and Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, alongside Walz.
The presentations may result in a narrowing of the field, with Harris expected to conduct final interviews, possibly in-person on Sunday, according to CNN.
Newsweek has contacted the Harris campaign and Walz’s press office via email on Saturday for comment.
AFP/STEPHEN MATUREN
Former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, whose law firm is conducting the vetting process, was seen arriving at the Naval Observatory on Saturday morning, underscoring the high-stakes nature of these deliberations.
Walz, a former high school teacher and football coach with a 24-year career in the Army National Guard, brings a unique blend of experiences to the table. As a congressman, he represented a deep-red district in Minnesota, demonstrating an ability to appeal to voters across the political spectrum. His background in education, military service, and agriculture could potentially resonate with voters in key battleground states, particularly in the Midwest.
In a recent op-ed for Newsweek, former Representative Tim Ryan, an Ohio Democrat, made a case for Walz as Harris’ running mate. Ryan emphasized the importance of selecting a candidate who can connect with working-class voters, particularly in the Rust Belt. He highlighted Walz’s understanding of issues critical to Midwestern voters, such as job creation, health care access, and education.
The timing of Walz’s schedule change is particularly noteworthy, mirroring a similar move by Shapiro who recently canceled a fundraising trip to the Hamptons in New York. These parallel developments have intensified the buzz around both governors as potential VP picks.
Harris’ top consideration in selecting a running mate is reportedly electability. The choice will not only impact the campaign’s strategy, but also signal the Democratic Party’s priorities and vision for the future.
With Harris expected to announce her running mate before a planned campaign rally in Philadelphia on Tuesday, the political world is on high alert for any further schedule changes or announcements from the potential VP candidates.
New Hampshire
NH Lottery Begins Selling $30 Scratch Ticket With Record $3 Million Jackpot
MANCHESTER, NH — The New Hampshire Lottery began distributing a new $30 scratch ticket to retailers statewide on Monday, introducing what it says is the largest scratch ticket jackpot in its history.
The game, called $30 $3,000,000 Cash Spectacular, offers three top prizes of $3 million and is the Granite State’s first $30 ticket in more than a decade.
To mark the launch, the lottery unveiled a 70-foot-tall banner of the new ticket on the side of the GYK building, the former R.G. Sullivan Cigar Factory Building, at 175 Canal St. in Manchester. The ticket has a limited run, according to the New Hampshire Lottery.
“We are always looking for new and exciting ways to connect with our players while delivering opportunities to win big,” Charlie McIntyre, the executive director of the New Hampshire Lottery, said. “Seeing this new $30 scratch ticket brought to life on such a large scale in downtown Manchester is a powerful reminder of the fun and anticipation our games create. We’re thrilled to offer our players the chance to win $3 million — the largest scratch ticket jackpot prize we have ever offered — and we look forward to the excitement this new ticket will bring.”
The game uses a standard match-and-win format. According to the lottery, players win the prize shown if any of their numbers match any winning numbers. Players who reveal a 2X, 5X, 10X, 20X or 50X symbol win 2, 5, 10, 20 or 50 times the prize shown for that symbol.
The lottery said players who reveal “WINALL” win all 35 prizes. If a player reveals a roll of cash symbol, they automatically win the prize shown. The bonus portion of the ticket is played separately, according to the lottery.
Tickets may be purchased by anyone 18 or older at New Hampshire Lottery retailers across the state. The lottery said players can use its website to find the retailer nearest to them.
The rollout adds a new high-priced scratch option for New Hampshire players and gives retailers a new game to offer customers. The new ticket went into distribution Monday and is now available statewide, according to the New Hampshire Lottery.
New Hampshire
6 people injured after floor collapses at New Hampshire wedding venue
Six people were taken to area hospitals with non-life-threatening injuries after a floor collapsed at a wedding venue in Tamworth, New Hampshire, around 4:30 p.m. Saturday, a spokesperson for the New Hampshire State Fire Marshal’s Office said.
The collapse happened while a wedding party of about 140 people were present, according to a joint release from the Tamworth Fire/Rescue Department and the State Fire Marshal’s Office. The office confirmed there were no fatalities and said late Saturday that four of the people treated at the hospital had already been released.
A phone call to the venue, the Preserve at Chocorua, was not answered. Tamworth, a town of about 2,800 people, is around 115 miles (185 kilometers) north of Concord, New Hampshire, near the western border of Maine. Phone calls to the MaineHealth Memorial Hospital went unanswered Saturday night.
The Fire Marshal’s Office said while more than 100 people gathered in a building called the Sap House at the venue, the floor buckled creating a 20-foot by 20-foot opening and sending about 70 people into the basement. Several people were trapped by the fallen beams and by farm equipment that had been stored on the lower floor.
An office spokesperson said in a release late Saturday that before first responders arrived, other guests and staff helped some of the people who had fallen climb out of the basement with the aid of ladders, and were rendering first aid to people with minor injuries. It was unclear how many people were treated at the scene, and investigators are still determining the extent of injuries.
A photo from the Fire Marshal’s Office shows a chandelier and white bunting decorating the ceiling above the buckled floor boards, as well as stacked benches that had been used for seating for the wedding before the collapse.
The Fire Marshal’s Office is investigating the collapse along with the Tamworth Fire/Rescue Department, a spokesperson said Saturday. Investigators believe the building “was over capacity” prior to the floor collapse, a spokesperson said in a release.
A first responder who arrived on scene shortly after 911 calls came in described half the floor of the building where the wedding ceremony was set to take place as having fallen into the basement over scanner traffic listened to on Broadcastify. He asked for more first responders to talk to witnesses, saying there were about 145 people present at the event. The responder also said they were carefully pulling people out of the building basement.
New Hampshire
Utility Pole Fire Knocks Out Power To Nearly 2,000 Unitil Customers in Concord
CONCORD, NH — About 2,000 Unitil electric customers were without power on Sunday afternoon, possibly due to a fire involving a utility pole in the North End.
Just before 4:30 p.m., Capital Region Fire Dispatch received a call from a Prospect Street resident reporting a utility pole on fire, down behind homes in the neighborhood toward the east, near Horseshoe Pond. Not long before that call, power outages were being reported in the North and West End neighborhoods.
Unitil later told fire dispatch the company believed the pole fire was the cause of the power outage. The cause of the pole fire was not known at the time of publication.
At around 4:30 p.m., 1,896 customers, about 2.3 percent of Unitil customers in the city, were without power. The outage spread from Swenson Avenue off and along North State Street to Fisk and Little Pond roads, Auburn Street, Ridge Road, and Penacook Street, and to most of the area north of Washington Street and surrounding White Park and the Old North Cemetery. Sections of downtown, in the area of North State Street, Centre Street, and Loudon Road by Bridge Street, were also without power.
A battalion commander reported seeing smoke and told dispatch to tell Unitil they would be able to access the pole by Horseshoe Pond, not Prospect Street.
News 603 posted a video on Facebook.
The Capital Plaza Towers, at 15 Pitman St., reported a tenant stuck in an elevator, according to scanner chatter. Streetlights were out all over North Main Street.
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