200 Jam County Hall To Argue For Outside Agency Funds
By Kinney O'Rourke
LACONIA -- A standing room only crowd of 200 local fire chiefs, social agency administrators and case workers, packed the Belknap County Complex last night to have their say about the Board of Commissioners' move to cut the funding in their 2009 budget for the so-called "outside" agencies.
The commissioners opened the meeting with an explanation of why they had chosen to confront the question of how the agencies are funded. Both Commission Chair Philip "Bud" Daigneault (R-Laconia) Commissioner Christopher Boothby (R-Meredith) pointed out that the decision to eliminate the funding -- gradually in some cases -- stemmed from their desire to focus county financial resources on the programs falling within the historic role of county government. ….continue reading
Former Belknap Co. Nursing Home Administrator Bob Chase speaks to the decline in state funding for services for the elderly during last night's forum on proposed Belknap Co. budget cuts for "outside agencies". (Alan MacRae/for The Laconia Daily Sun)
Budget Complications Go Beyond The Numbers
By Josh Rogers
CONCORD - As Donald Rumsfeld once remarked, "you go to war with the army you have, not the army you might want or wish to have." While he was talking about Iraq, the former defense secretary's observation also applies to budget season in Concord.
Beyond some daunting arithmetic, there are other challenges at play in this year's budget. Manchester Democrat Lou D'Allesandro is the state senate's lead budget writer.
"It's never been this complex in my years here. I came here in 1972. This is a real transitional time."
And the transitions D'Allesandro mentions are manifold. But to his way of thinking, the largest is a technical one.
"I think the key element in all of this is the system, the computer system that to me is the vital issue." …..continue reading
State Senator Lou D'Allesandro, Vice President for Finance in the NH Senate
Scannell Looking For New Work Upon Departing NHDP
By John DiStaso
CONCORD - Outgoing state Democratic Party executive director David Scannell has had discussions with elected officials about the possibility of a staff position, according to the party chairman.
The party announced yesterday that Scannell will leave as the executive director today, when his successor will be announced.
Scannell refused to talk about where he is headed. But state party chairman Raymond Buckley confirmed Scannell "has had conversations" with elected officials or their staffs.
House Names Waxman To Energy Post, Signaling Change
By Rob Hotakainen
WASHINGTON -- In a move that marks a sea change in the nation's environmental politics, California Democratic Rep. Henry Waxman on Thursday dethroned a champion of the auto industry from a top job in the House of Representatives.
Rebuking their most senior member, House Democrats voted 137-122 to oust Michigan Rep. John Dingell, 82, as the head of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, which will oversee climate change issues in the new Congress.
It means that two Californians will take leading roles in the debate. Democratic Sen. Barbara Boxer is the head of the Senate's Environment and Public Works Committee, which has jurisdiction over the issue. ….continue reading
Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.)
Stocks Drop Sharply And Credit Markets Seize Up
By Vikas Bajaj and Jack Healy
NEW YORK - As a new bout of fear gripped the financial markets, stocks fell sharply again on Thursday, continuing a months-long plunge that has wiped out the gains of the last decade.
The credit markets seized up as confidence in the nation's financial system ebbed and people rushed to put money in Treasuries, the safest of investments. Some markets are now back to where they were before Congress approved the $700 billion financial rescue in October.
The Dow Jones industrial average fell nearly 445 points, or 5.6 percent. The broad market sank to its lowest level since 1997 -- before the dot-com boom, the Nasdaq market bust and the ensuing bull market that drove stocks to record heights. ...continue reading
Congress 'Bails' On Helping The Auto Industry. Now What?
By David Lightman
WASHINGTON -- If there's a single moment that explains why Congress refused Thursday to give the ailing American auto industry immediate help, it came when Rep. Brad Sherman asked company executives to raise their hands if they'd flown to the nation's capital on commercial airlines.
No hands went up.
Then the California Democrat asked the heads of General Motors, Ford Motor Co. and Chrysler LLC, who were testifying before the House Financial Services Committee on Wednesday, whether they were planning to sell their corporate jets and fly home commercial. ….continue reading
Attorney General Mukasey Collapses While Giving Speech
By Eric Lichtblau
WASHINGTON -- Attorney General Michael B. Mukasey collapsed during a speech Thursday night and was taken to the hospital after he failed to regain consciousness. ….continue reading
