Cheshire County | New Hampshire Public Radio

Site Evaluation Committee Holds First Hearing On Fitzwilliam Solar Array

By Daniela Allee • Dec 3, 2019

An application to build what could be New Hampshire's largest solar array cleared its first step at a public meeting Tuesday with the state's Site Evaluation Committee.

Committee members unanimously voted that NextEra Energy’s application was complete.

The 30 megawatt solar array in Fitzwilliam could be the state’s largest and is the first solar proposal to come before the SEC.

NextEra had requested a waiver for on certain decommissioning requirements of the solar array. But the committee unanimously voted to defer ruling on that request until later in the process.

N.H. Towns Receive $300 Thousand In Rural Development Grants

By Daniela Allee • Nov 27, 2019

Several towns in Cheshire and Coos counties are getting $300 thousand dollars in federal rural development grants.

The Northern Forest Center received about two-thirds of that grant money to expand broadband access and digital literacy in Lancaster.

The town of Northumberland received $50 thousand dollars to buy defibrillator technology that will help first responders better discern symptoms related to heart attacks or overdoses.

A Keene organization that helps low-income residents with energy efficiency improvements also received some grant money.

NextEra Energy Hosts Public Information Session On Large Solar Project

By Daniela Allee • Jul 18, 2019

The town of Fitzwilliam could be the site of the state's largest solar project. Florida-based NextEra Energy Resources will hold a public information session on Thursday about the project.

The proposed 30 megawatt Chinook Solar Project would be built on 110 acres of private land and would cost about $30 million.

Bryan Garner is a spokesperson for NextEra Energy. He says the energy produced here will satisfy the Three State Clean Energy Request For Proposals.

To Serve, Protect, And Entertain? For Police Depts, Social Media Can Be A Slippery Slope

By Justine Paradis • Oct 20, 2018

Like many a millennial hired at the dawn of the era of social media, Zachary Byam found himself in charge of creating a Facebook page at his college job.

But his task was unique. Byam worked as a part-time police officer, and he was creating his department's first social media account.

To Serve, to Protect, to Entertain

By Justine Paradis • Oct 19, 2018

When cops go online, sometimes they make jokes.

Cheshire County Finds Funding Solution for Long-Running Nursing Home Debate

By Britta Greene • May 23, 2017

The Cheshire County Delegation approved a 20-year, nearly $36 million bond Monday to fund renovations at Maplewood Nursing Home.

Plans for the county-run facility have been under debate for about a decade. Maplewood aims to serve needy residents who may have no other options for care.

In One N.H. Jail, Inmate Visits Don't Look How You Might Think They Look

By Natasha Haverty • Dec 5, 2016

If you have a loved one behind bars, there are more ways than ever to stay connected: letters, phone calls, and just in the past couple of years, a new way: a video service that lets inmates and families communicate through a screen; along the lines of Skype. But there’s a catch: when jails add video visitation, they’re usually getting rid of in person visits. There's one place in New Hampshire, Cheshire County Jail, where that’s happening.

Monadnock Region To Lose Inpatient Psychiatric Unit

By Brady Carlson • May 6, 2016

An inpatient psychiatric unit in the Monadnock region will close because of staffing issues.

The move at Cheshire Medical Center/Dartmouth-Hitchcock Keene takes effect July 1.

Hospital officials say a nationwide shortage of psychiatrists has limited their ability to treat patients - while the unit is licensed to treat 12 adult and six adolescent patients, staffing issues have meant they've only had an average of three to four adults a day.

Cheshire Lands $1.1 Million Grant For Healthy Monadnock Plan

By Jack Rodolico • Sep 26, 2014

A plan to make the Monadnock region one of the healthiest communities in the country has received a financial boost from the federal government.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has awarded $1.1 million to Healthy Monadnock 2020, an initiative of Cheshire Medical Center-Dartmouth Hitchcock Keene. The hospital is working with schools, farmers and other private and public entities to prevent some of the leading causes of death, such as heart disease, diabetes and cancer.

Corrections Officer Charged with Smuggling

By Todd Bookman • Jul 13, 2012

A corrections officer at the Cheshire County Jail has been arrested for smuggling drugs into the facility.

Gov. Lynch Tours Cheshire County Storm Damage

By Todd Bookman • Jun 4, 2012

After last Tuesday’s storms in southwestern New Hampshire, White Brook Road in Gilsum is no longer a road.

Alternative Sentencing Program Faces Verdict

By Todd Bookman • Feb 22, 2012

Recovering alcoholics can usually pinpoint their rock-bottom. For Michael Hagar, it was the night of July 28, 2009. That evening, he met up with some friends to drink behind the Hannaford’s supermarket in Keene.

“And that is where the whole incident took off from,” said Hagar.

Behind the grocery story, Hagar believes he drank about 18 beers. Then someone jumped him, hitting him in the face with a log. His pants and wallet were stolen. Gushing blood and enraged, he staggered into the store's parking lot.