Cheshire County

A new criminal justice advisory team at the Cheshire County Sheriff’s office will focus on building community relationships and confidence in that department. 

The team was put together by Cheshire County Sheriff Eli Rivera, as a way to respond to national and local calls for more transparency and accountability from law enforcement.  

A self-described transsexual anarchist Satanist recently nominated by the Republican Party to be on the ballot for Cheshire County Sheriff while running on a “F_ck the Police” platform, along with a minister who also serves as a Bitcoin ambassador, and the owner of the Pho Keene Great restaurant in Keene, have joined together to sue Gov. Chris Sununu and the City of Keene over its mask ordinance and other emergency measures related to the ongoing global pandemic.

Aria DiMezzo, who gained international attention last week after winning the GOP primary for County Sheriff, despite holding antagonistic views toward law enforcement, filed the federal lawsuit Friday.

It accuses the governor of “invoking a feigned public health crisis” to limit the Constitutional rights of residents of the state and “regulate nearly every instance of individuals’ daily lives.”

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.

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.

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. 

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. 

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.