NH State Representative Steven Smith

Dog Day, Huey Lewis, Football – Aug 26

Posted on August 26, 2020 by Rep. Steven Smith

Today is Dog Day

National Dog Day, created in 2004, is celebrated August 26. Its founder is animal advocate Colleen Paige. The day is meant to celebrate all kinds of dogs, whether they’re purebred American Kennel Club types, family mutts or foster dogs, according to NationalDogDay.com.

Island outbreaks

“U.S. islands in the Caribbean and the Pacific — which largely avoided early coronavirus outbreaks — are emerging as new hot spots. Hawaii now ranks among the states where new cases are growing fastest, and the U.S. Virgin Islands is halting tourism for a month.

The U.S. Virgin Islands is halting tourism for a month, hoping against hope to keep out new cases of the coronavirus. Puerto Rico’s Senate is closed after several high-ranking officials came down with Covid-19. Hawaii is facing a surge in new infections. Guam is enduring its most restrictive lockdown since the pandemic began.” More at NY Times

Weare teacher appears in Huey Lewis music video featuring frontline workers

Weare elementary school teacher Linda Gosselin has been a fan of the rock band Huey Lewis & the News since college. Last spring, when she saw the band was calling for frontline workers to submit video clips of themselves holding up a lyric card for an upcoming music video, she jumped at the chance. Concord Monitor

Gov. Sununu makes plea to incoming college students, large parties can spread COVID-19

https://www.wmur.com/article/gov-sununu-makes-plea-to-incoming-college-students-large-parties-can-spread-covid-19/33799359

Exeter and Salem school boards vote to approve play for all fall sports, with guidelines

https://www.wmur.com/article/exeter-and-salem-school-boards-vote-to-approve-play-for-all-fall-sports-with-guidelines/33800808

Bedford High football season ‘highly likely’ if players agree to fully remote schooling

https://www.unionleader.com/sports/highschool/bedford-high-football-season-highly-likely-if-players-agree-to-fully-remote-schooling/article_8b0bd81a-92c7-5734-8290-292c947d0264.html?block_id=664693

NH DHHS COVID-19 Update – August 25th, 2020

On Tuesday, August 25, 2020, DHHS announced 16 new positive test results for COVID-19. There have now been 7,150 cases of COVID-19 diagnosed in New Hampshire. Several cases are still under investigation. Additional information from ongoing investigations will be incorporated into future COVID-19 updates. Of those with complete information, there are three individuals under the age of 18 and the rest are adults with 31% being female and 69% being male. The new cases reside in Rockingham (4), Cheshire (2), Hillsborough County other than Manchester and Nashua (2), Strafford (2), Sullivan (2), Merrimack (1), and Carroll (1) counties, and in the city of Nashua (2).

Hospitalizations

One new hospitalized case was identified for a total of 713 (10%) of 7,150 cases.

Community Based Transmission

Six of the new cases had no identified risk factors.

Deaths

No additional deaths reported by DHHS.

Cumulative Positive Tests by County

Belknap 122
Carroll 100
Cheshire 121
Coos 17
Grafton 109
Hillsborough – Other 1,287
Hillsborough – Manchester 1890
Hillsborough – Nashua 810
Merrimack 495
Rockingham 1775
Strafford 378
Sullivan 46

New Hampshire 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) Summary Report

(data updated August 24th, 2020, 9:00 AM)

NH Persons with COVID-191 7,150

Recovered 6,484 (91%)
Deaths Attributed to COVID-19 429 (6%)
Total Current COVID-19 Cases 237
Persons Who Have Been Hospitalized for COVID-19 713 (10%)
Current Hospitalizations 8

Total Persons Tested at Selected Laboratories,

Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) 199,871
Total Persons Tested at Selected Laboratories, Antibody
Laboratory Tests 29,322
Persons with Specimens Submitted to NH PHL 41,552
Persons with Test Pending at NH PHL 1,161
Persons Being Monitored in NH (approximate point in time) 1,950

Number of Specimens Tested by Date of Report to NH DHHS

Information above, and archived daily updates are available here: https://www.nh.gov/covid19/news/updates.htm

Regional Information (total positive test results, deaths)

Look-back period is 1 week.

NH: 7,150 positive test results 429 deaths (1 week ago: 7,017 positive test results 424 deaths) (+133/+5)

MA: 126,420 positive test results 8961 deaths (1 week ago: 124,063 positive test results 8848 deaths) (+2357/+113)

ME: 4,368 positive test results 131 deaths (1 week ago: 4,213 positive test results 127 deaths)

VT: 1,572 positive test results 58 deaths (1 week ago: 1,530 positive test results 58 deaths)

CT: 52,040 positive test results 4,463 deaths (1 week ago: 51,225 positive test results 4,456 deaths)

RI: 21,372 positive test results 1039 deaths (1 week ago: 20,692 positive test results 1024 deaths)

NY: 435,495 positive test results 32,495 deaths (1 week ago: 431,298 positive test results 32,446 deaths) (+4,197/+49)

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$1 billion for the Farmers to Families Food Box Program

Posted on August 25, 2020 by Rep. Steven Smith

Trump Administration Announces Additional $1 billion for the Farmers to Families Food Box Program

USDA Begins Issuing Agreements for Round Three

(Washington – Aug. 25, 2020) – Yesterday, President Donald J. Trump and U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced up to an additional $1 billion for the Farmers to Families Food Box Program. The additional funding allows the program to continue critical support to farmers, distributors, and American families in need. The Farmers to Families Food Box program has provided over 70 million boxes to hungry Americans across the country.

“I’m so proud of the people of USDA for designing this program in record time. With this additional up to $1 billion in funding, the Farmers to Families Food Box Program will continue to save countless jobs, support our farmers and move food to where it’s needed most,” said Secretary Perdue. “As the President said, when a food box is delivered to a family, we show them that in this country no one is forgotten.”

Today, in a Fayetteville Observer op-ed, Advisor to the President Ivanka Trump said, “As we work to achieve the Great American Comeback, The President and his Administration have stabilized our American food supply chain and protected our Nation’s families, farmers and ranchers…We are proud of the profound effect the Farmers to Families Food Box Program has had by keeping our farmers in business, empowering the food distribution industry workforce, and providing for those most in need.”

Background:

Additionally, USDA today announced it has begun issuing agreements for distribution of Food Boxes in the upcoming third round of solicitations. The first two rounds of deliveries began on May 15th and will run to August 31st. The third round will put more emphasis on food insecurity by seeking entities that provide combination boxes and requiring distributors to illustrate how they will provide coverage to areas identified as opportunity zones, detail subcontracting agreements, and address the “last mile” delivery of product into the hands of the food insecure population.

As a part of the third round, USDA continues to review proposals and make announcements of Basic Ordering Agreements (BOA). A list of current BOA holders and more information about the third round of Farmers to Families Food Box Program purchases is available at www.ams.usda.gov/selling-food-to-usda/farmers-to-families-food-box.

The additional up to $1 billion funding is part of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) authorization. Entities that proposed under the previous solicitation, including current vendors, must resubmit a proposal to participate in the third round.

USDA is using BOAs in order to have greater flexibility to ensure contracted entities provide adequate coverage throughout the states and territories. A basic ordering agreement is not a contract but is a written understanding, negotiated between USDA and a company. It establishes terms for future contracts during a specific period, describes what will be provided and how future orders will be priced, issued and delivered under the contract. A BOA does not authorize companies to ship products and does not guarantee future work.

In the ongoing second round of purchasing and distribution, which began July 1st and will conclude Aug. 31, 2020, USDA has purchased over $1 billion of food, extended contracts of select vendors from the first round of the program worth up to $1.27 billion and approved up to $202 million in new contracts to increase the focus on Opportunity Zones in order to direct food to reach underserved areas, places where either no boxes have yet been delivered, or where boxes are being delivered but where there is additional need.

The first round of purchases totaling up to $1.2 billion occurred from May 15 through June 30, 2020 and saw more than 35.5 million boxes delivered in the first 45 days.

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Aug 25 Update

Posted on August 25, 2020 by Rep. Steven Smith

Students returning to campuses bring COVID with them

Students are returning to residential New Hampshire campuses this week, and the COVID-19 virus is right behind them. An individual has tested positive for COVID-19 at the boarding school Kimball Union Academy just days after student orientation leaders arrived back on campus, and Franklin Pierce University has discovered six confirmed cases last week.

More at https://www.concordmonitor.com/COVID-case-at-Kimball-Union-Academy-35892135

NH task force emails show early division on economic reopening

By HOLLY RAMER Associated Press Published: 8/23/2020 6:08:13 PM

CONCORD — In an April 30 email titled “Comments on reopening,” Robert Paul simply wrote: “Don’t.” Five hours later, Joe Condi sent a blank email with the subject line: “OPEN-OPEN-OPEN.”

The two messages were among the nearly 1,800 sent to Gov. Chris Sununu’s Economic Reopening Task Force between April 22 and May 1, when The Associated Press requested copies. The emails, which were turned over two and half months later, add up to nearly 3,000 pages of stark division over what should reopen and what should stay closed during the coronavirus pandemic. More at https://www.concordmonitor.com/Task-force-emails-show-early-division-on-economic-reopening-35876179

COVID-19 testing issues delay move-in for NH college, university students

https://www.wmur.com/article/covid-19-testing-issues-delay-move-in-for-keene-state-students/33758849

NH Secretary of State’s office reports 72,000 absentee ballots requested so far

https://www.wmur.com/article/nh-secretary-of-states-office-reports-72000-absentee-ballots-requested-so-far/33774226

Bedford school officials considering plans for football, other sports

https://www.wmur.com/article/bedford-school-officials-considering-plans-for-football-other-sports/33783229

Four N.H. Business Apply To Reopen As Child Care Centers

https://www.nhpr.org/post/four-nh-business-apply-reopen-child-care-centers#stream/0

N.H. Recovery Centers Face Funding Gap As State Waits For Opiod Response Grant

https://www.nhpr.org/post/nh-recovery-centers-face-funding-gap-state-waits-opiod-response-grant#stream/0

Nashua approves the start of all fall sports; other school districts cancel football season

https://www.unionleader.com/news/education/nashua-approves-the-start-of-all-fall-sports-other-school-districts-cancel-football-season/article_ccf64c31-d5f0-5c48-9ef7-8ac38751ff5d.html

NH DHHS COVID-19 Update – August 24th, 2020

On Monday, August 24, 2020, DHHS announced 27 new positive test results for COVID-19. There have now been 7,134 cases of COVID-19 diagnosed in New Hampshire. Several cases are still under investigation. Additional information from ongoing investigations will be incorporated into future COVID-19 updates. Of those with complete information, there is one individual under the age of 18 and the rest are adults with 30% being female and 70% being male. The new cases reside in Rockingham (12), Merrimack (5), Cheshire (3), Strafford (3), Belknap (1), and Hillsborough County other than Manchester and Nashua (1) counties, and in the cities of Manchester (1) and Nashua (1).