Kathy Whitmore works at a local laundromat a few blocks from New Hampshire Hospital. She has put up a wall with lost socks from people in her community. It is a symbol of her appreciation to the people who she sees every week. She fears the small, mellow town she calls home changed last week.
New Hampshire Hospital, the state psychiatric facility where a gunman fatally shot a security guard Friday afternoon, is located on a sprawling campus of government buildings in the heart of the capital city.
It’s also on bordered by a densely populated residential neighborhood where, over the weekend, many were processing the tragedy that just unfolded in their backyard.
NHPR’s Gaby Lozada caught up with folks in the area on Sunday. Click "Listen" on the player above to hear their reflections.
A sign at the entrance of an organization that serves children right in front of New Hampshire Hospital. Jason Armstrong, who works at a church nearby, says his employer had a security assessment just this past week. "Our prayers are definitely with the victims and the family members and all those who work at the hospital," he said. "We're very grateful for their ministry to our community."
Gaby Lozada
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NHPR
Sarah Stewart lives less than a mile from the hospital. She says her mind was racing when she saw emergency vehicles and other first responders rushing through the area on Friday. She says she uses her car to express her political views, and the one about banning assault weapons is her favorite.
Gabriela Lozada is a Report for America corps member. Her focus is on Latinx community with original reporting done in Spanish for ¿Qué hay de Nuevo NH?.
In a letter this week, Secretary David Scanlan responded to claims by some House Republicans over the security of the ballot counting machines used in the state.
Massachusetts new state-of-the-art Veterans Home in Holyoke was unveiled Thursday, marking a major milestone in the transformation of veterans care in the state, officials say. Formerly known as the Holyoke Soldiers' Home, the facility was built on the site of a deadly 2020 COVID-19 outbreak, where at least 76 veterans died — a tragedy that helped the push to replace it.
Critics suggest the larger-diameter pipe could someday carry more gas than the two old pipes combined, if an expansion received government approval. But that is not part of the current plan, the pipeline owner says.
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