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Boston Globe
5 days ago
- Business
- Boston Globe
Concerns about transparency swirl around Nashua performing arts center
Thursday's decision arises from one of more than a dozen lawsuits resident Laurie A. Ortolano has filed against Nashua in the past five years under the RTK law. It clarifies that a 2008 change to the law didn't narrow the scope of entities bound by it. Legislators added language specifying that government-owned nonprofit corporations are public bodies subject to the RTK law, but that doesn't mean all for-profit corporations are exempt, the court ruled. Get N.H. Morning Report A weekday newsletter delivering the N.H. news you need to know right to your inbox. Enter Email Sign Up To determine whether an entity constitutes a public body under the RTK law, judges still must conduct a 'government function' test, just as they were required to do before the 2008 change to the law. The lower court failed to do that in this case. Advertisement In response to Thursday's decision, Ortolano said it seems fairly clear that NPAC Corp. is using public money to perform a government function, especially considering how involved city officials have been in the entity's financing and administration. Advertisement Ortolano said officials had long reassured the public that the performing arts center would be operated transparently, but then they established the for-profit entity. 'All of the records went dark, and you could not really track accountability of the money any longer,' she said. Ortolano's lawsuit alleges the city owns a nonprofit entity that owns the for-profit corporation, but city attorney Steven A. Bolton disputed that. Nashua doesn't own any of the entities in question, he said. (That said, the city's Board of Alderman approves mayoral appointees to lead the nonprofits.) Bolton said he was pleased that the Supreme Court agreed with the trial court's decision to dismiss the city as a defendant in this case, and he expressed confidence that the money raised for this project was spent appropriately on construction, furnishings, and perhaps initial operating costs. Attorneys for the remaining defendant, NPAC Corp., didn't respond Thursday to requests for comment. The corporation maintains it is a private entity exempt from the RTK law, even though its members are listed on Gregory V. Sullivan, an attorney who practices in New Hampshire and Massachusetts and who serves as president of the New England First Amendment Coalition, said he suspects the superior court will conclude that NPAC Corp. is subject to the RTK law. He commended Ortolano as 'a right-to-know warrior' and criticized leaders who resist transparency. 'The city of Nashua has historically, in my opinion, not been cooperative with requests to disclose the public's records as opposed to other cities and towns in New Hampshire,' he said. 'We the people are the government, own the government, and they're our records.' Advertisement This article 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, Steven Porter can be reached at
Boston Globe
15-05-2025
- Business
- Boston Globe
Amid Trump administration cuts, hunger is rising as charities struggle to keep up
Amid sweeping federal cuts, the charitable food system is straining to meet the need, as more people seek help and less money is available to assist them. And private philanthropy isn't enough to fill the gap. Advertisement Experts warn high food costs have driven up demand, at the same time that federal cuts have hobbled the nonprofits and charities that have long provided free food to people in poverty struggling to get enough to eat. And advocates fear the gaps could widen if Get N.H. Morning Report A weekday newsletter delivering the N.H. news you need to know right to your inbox. Enter Email Sign Up 'There's no way the charitable food system is going to be able to pick up the slack,' said Laura Milliken, executive director of New Hampshire Hunger Solutions. 'They're already completely overburdened.' While private philanthropy can address emergency food needs, she said, it isn't designed to lift people out of poverty and solve hunger. Plus, money is tight right now. Inflation and the economic uncertainty around tariffs are also impacting the philanthropists and foundations that give to charitable causes, as they field urgent requests for funding from all angles. Advertisement 'We are all looking for that funding,' said Elsy Cipriani, executive director of the New Hampshire Food Bank, the state's only food bank. 'I think it is putting some funders in a very difficult and challenging situation between deciding which cause to support.' With decreased funding, the Food Bank is trying to do more with less, Cipriani said. About 10 percent of New Hampshire residents don't have enough to eat and don't know where their next meal will come from, a While Maine, Vermont, and Massachusetts offer A patchwork of organizations provide free food to people in need in New Hampshire, including food pantries, homeless shelters, soup kitchens, and senior centers. About 400 of those agencies receive on average 60 percent of their food from the New Hampshire Food Bank. But this year, the Food Bank said, it has to shrink some efforts, after the US Department of Agriculture about $300,000 per year over the next three years of money for purchasing healthy local food. Advertisement 'The negative effect of that was immediate,' Cipriani said. Even if fund-raising efforts succeed, the program won't be restored, Cipriani said: The food bank needs that money available for other operating costs as it prepares for future cuts. An additional $1 million in food orders placed by social service agencies from May to July have also been canceled by USDA, according to Jeanne Agri, CEO of the Belknap Merrimack Community Action Program. The cancelled orders were placed through the federal programs such as Reducing those food supplies means more people must turn to the Food Bank to make up the difference, Cipriani said. But it's unclear where the funding to meet that need will come from. And in the meantime, the cost of food continues to rise. Cipriani said one provider in Canada is now charging 10 percent more because of tariffs. She anticipates prices for other items, such as canned food, will rise because of tariffs on aluminum. Higher prices will make food insecurity worse, she said. 'The first people to be affected are the people that we serve,' she said. 'They always struggle between the choice of paying rent, buying food, buying clothing for the children, and very often, one of the things that they do is they don't buy as much food as they need because there are other priorities.' It's a problem that private philanthropists are working to address through different programs around the state. Advertisement With a $225,000 grant from the Maine-based grocery chain Hannaford, New Hampshire Hunger Solutions is working to encourage more children to eat breakfast at school, including at the Concord School District, where the school provides grab-and-go breakfasts for students. Right now, only 20 percent to 25 percent of students there do so, according to Donna Reynolds, the school nutrition director. Traci Pratt, the kitchen manager at Broken Ground School in Concord, shows one of the grab-and-go breakfasts the school is now offering students. She said the program to encourage more children to participate in breakfast is going well, even if it's off to a slow start. "We're getting more and more each day," she said. (Amanda Gokee/Globe Staff) Amanda Gokee/Globe Staff She's hoping increased participation can alleviate hunger and help students succeed. But because the federal government reimburses the school district for most of the cost of the meals, Reynolds said, she fears additional cuts. 'Any cut in funding for that is very alarming,' she said. For Hannaford, it's a common sense investment, said Sherri Stevens, community impact manager for the supermarket chain. 'If our communities are healthy, our business will be healthy,' she said. Hannaford also donates food at risk of going to waste to hunger relief organizations. According to the supermarket, it donated 26 million pounds of food in 2023. Healthy food and snacks are available for students during lunchtime at the Broken Ground School in Concord. (Amanda Gokee/Globe Staff) Amanda Gokee/Globe Staff New Hampshire Hunger Solutions is touting the success of the breakfast challenge: Kennett Middle School in Conway, N.H., increased breakfast participation by 53.2 percent this year. But those accomplishments come as advocates brace for even deeper cuts that could affect the most vulnerable. Proposals in Congress to slash Governor Kelly A. Ayotte said she would fight for federal SNAP funding, and she supports state funding for food insecurity efforts. But some funding in her budget proposal for food assistance was cut by Advertisement 'The state needs to do its part to the extent we can,' she said. In New Hampshire, SNAP serves Nonprofit initiatives, such as pop-up food pantries run by the United Way of Greater Nashua, are only a supplement to food assistance programs such as SNAP, according to Michael Apfelberg, the organization's president. Apfelberg said they began offering pantries in 2020 to address food deserts, and they now serve 20 to 50 people per day at five locations around Nashua. 'Even though I feel like we do a great job, at the end of the day, we're the tip of the iceberg,' Apfelberg said. 'The iceberg is the federal government.' 'If that melts,' he warned, 'we're all going to be drowning.' Amanda Gokee can be reached at
Boston Globe
11-04-2025
- Boston Globe
Family of nonverbal woman with autism who went missing for 5 days files lawsuit against group home operator, caregiver
Get N.H. Morning Report A weekday newsletter delivering the N.H. news you need to know right to your inbox. Enter Email Sign Up Cranston police Advertisement 'But for DaLomba survived despite not having water, food, or her necessary medication, according to the filing. 'We trusted Seven Hills to care for and protect Linda, and that trust was broken,' DeLomba's family said in a statement to the Globe. 'We are appalled that something like this happened under Seven Hills' watch, and we demand to know what changes they are making so this doesn't happen to another family. Linda didn't deserve this, and we want accountability.' Advertisement Because she faces a criminal charge, Gerard could not enter a plea at her arraignment last month. Her attorney, Leah Boisclair, said Friday Gerard had not yet been served with the civil lawsuit and therefore would not have comment on the matter until after reviewing the complaint. A spokesperson for Seven Hills did not immediately return a request for comment on Friday, but said last month Gerard was employed by the foundation for over five years before she was terminated from her position on March 21. Jordan Strokovsky, an attorney representing DaLomba's family, said in an interview the lawsuit seeks to learn what policies Seven Hills had in place at the time DaLomba went missing and whether those policies were followed. 'And if they didn't have policies, what policies they plan to make to make sure this doesn't happen again?' Strokovsky said. 'We do have grave concerns that this was not an isolated incident.' The lawsuit alleges Seven Hills had a policy and protocol that allowed employees such as Gerard to use their personal vehicles to transport individuals in their care, but did not have a system to track their locations. The Seven Hills Foundation 'knew and/or should have known that additional auditing and monitoring of its employees ... was required when such employees are assigned to individuals who are non-verbal so as to prevent those employees from exploiting clients – such as Linda – due to their inability to communicate adequately," the lawsuit states. Advertisement 'As a result of her condition, Linda is a threat to herself, if left unsupervised as she is unable to care for herself, relying on others to do so,' the lawsuit states. The lawsuit also claims that 'upon information and belief' Gerard previously left DaLomba unsupervised or in the care of her own family or friends, but the complaint does not include further details supporting that allegation. The complaint accuses the defendants of negligence and of negligent hiring, retention, training and supervision, and claims Seven Hills was legally responsible for Gerard's alleged negligence. The lawsuit seeks judgment for 'personal and psychological injuries including medical expenses, pain and suffering, punitive damages, mental anguish, and loss of enjoyment of life,' among others. 'Linda's family never wants this to happen to another family,' Strokovsky said. 'They are appalled by the care that Linda received, and they trusted Seven Hills with Linda and that trust has been broken, and so we're filing a civil lawsuit to get answers.' Christopher Gavin can be reached at
Boston Globe
09-04-2025
- Politics
- Boston Globe
Judge to grant order protecting Dartmouth doctoral student from China from deportation
Advertisement 'I can only imagine how the hundreds of other students who are similarly situated, how they feel being placed in that situation with that prospect of detention,' said Gilles Bissonnette, legal director for the American Civil Liberties Union of New Hampshire, one of the law firms representing Xiaotian in this case. Get N.H. Morning Report A weekday newsletter delivering the N.H. news you need to know right to your inbox. Enter Email Sign Up 'These are real human beings,' Bissonnette added. 'They're part of our communities. ... We're dealing with students who are just trying to follow the rules, that have done nothing wrong yet are caught in this vast web.' Bissonnette said he is aware of lawsuits similar to Xiaotian's having been filed recently on behalf of plaintiffs in California and Pennsylvania. This case in New Hampshire appears to be among the first in which a judge has agreed to grant some form of relief. Advertisement Judge Samantha D. Elliott, who sits in the US District Court for the District of New Hampshire, held an emergency hearing Wednesday morning during which an attorney from the US attorney's office presented minimal information regarding the details of Xiaotian's situation. Assistant US Attorney Raphael Katz said he couldn't confirm whether federal officials had terminated Xiaotian's student status intentionally or inadvertently. He said he is working with legal counsel from US Immigration and Customs Enforcement to gather details. As a result of the change in Xiaotian's status, Dartmouth officials indicated they would have to bar him from continuing his research, according to his attorneys. He would be allowed to enroll in non-research courses, but he wouldn't be able to perform the work for which he was being compensated, nor would he be able to make progress on his PhD requirements. In the meantime, there is the risk that ICE agents might take him into custody for unclear reasons. 'He is sitting in fear in his residence,' said SangYeob Kim, an ACLU senior staff attorney. In light of the information and arguments presented at this early stage in the litigation, Elliott said she would grant the short-term relief Xiaotian's attorney's requested, including blocking the federal defendants from terminating his F-1 student status in the Student and Exchange Visitor System database. That should signal to Dartmouth that Xiaotian can continue his research. The order will remain in effect for no more than two weeks, so the parties are expected to return to court later this month with more substantive arguments. Steven Porter can be reached at
Boston Globe
08-04-2025
- General
- Boston Globe
Injured Canadian hiker rescued in windy conditions in White Mountains after falling off trail, officials say
Several rescuers were injured in the effort, officials said. 'The weather was terrible and the conditions were potentially life threatening,' New Hampshire Fish and Game said. '[Rescuers] endured less than hospitable weather conditions to save the life of this hiker.' William Tessier, 29, of Carignan, Quebec, was hiking with four companions when he slipped in icy conditions and slid several feet off Jewell Trail before striking an object, officials said. Get N.H. Morning Report A weekday newsletter delivering the N.H. news you need to know right to your inbox. Enter Email Sign Up Tessier made an emergency call for help around 3:45 p.m., immediately after he was injured, officials said. Advertisement Rescuers reached out to Cog Railway, who offered to provide a train for rescuers, allowing them to skip a nearly three mile hike up the Jewell Trail in rainy, icy, and windy conditions. The Cog transported rescuers in two separate groups, after which rescuers hiked nearly a mile to Tessier's location. Rescuers faced 'high winds and icy conditions across the ridge above 5,000 feet elevation the whole time,' New Hampshire Fish and Game said. The first group of rescuers reached Tessier just before 7:30 p.m., officials said. Officials treated Tessier for a leg injury, shoulder injury, and hypothermia then placed him in a litter and carried him uphill back across Gulfside Trail to the train tracks known as Skyline, officials said. Advertisement After carrying Tessier uphill in strong headwinds, rescuers returned to the train at 10:15 p.m., officials said. Tessier and the rescue team arrived at the Base Station thirty minutes later, officials said. Tessier was then transferred into the Twin Mountain Ambulance and transported to Littleton Regional Healthcare for treatment, officials said. 'Without the dedicated SAR volunteers from AVSAR, PEMI SAR, MRS, and the Cog Railway's willingness to help, this rescue mission would not have gone as well as it did,' New Hampshire Fish and Game said. Sarah Mesdjian can be reached at
