The Pulse of NH News Update – 3-16-2023

After a powerful nor’easter dropped as much as 3 feet of snow in parts of New Hampshire, utility crews are working to restore power to tens of thousands of customers.
As of this hour, more than 22,000 outages, mostly Eversource customers, were being reported. Some of the hardest hit communities included Hillsborough, Peterborough, Chesterfield, Weare and New Boston. The New Hampshire Electric Co-op have about 450 customers still without power. Unitil has restored power to all its customers. Crews are working around the clock to repair lines that have been knocked out because of the recent storm. Eversource says its goal is to have restoration efforts completed in the communities it serves by 6pm Friday. In Maine, Central Maine Power Company reports about 56-hundred customers still without power in Southern Maine. 

Manchester Mayor Joyce Craig is not running for reelection. Craig made the announcement this morning, touching off a wide-open race for the corner office at Manchester City Hall. Craig is the first woman to lead the Queen City. The Democrat won three terms and helped guide Manchester through the COVID-19 pandemic. Craig is touting what she said is Manchester’s “historic growth” during her tenure. There’s no word yet as to what’s next for Craig. 

NH Governor Chris Sununu says President Biden has granted his request for a major disaster declaration following a storm that impacted the state back in December. That storm lasted a period of a few days, and caused extensive damage in Grafton, Coos, and Belknap counties. A damage assessment found that the statewide cost of response efforts to the storm was over three-million-dollars. The governor says the disaster declaration allows affected communities to recover costs from storm cleanup. 

Milford police have released the name of the woman who lost her life in a head-on crash. According to investigators, 76-year-old Ana Aguilera was driving on Route 101 yesterday when her vehicle crossed over the double-yellow line and collided with a tractor-trailer. Aguilera died of her injuries at the scene, and the truck driver went to a nearby hospital for treatment.   

In just a few months, traveling from the Granite State to North Carolina is going to be much easier and more convenient. That is because beginning in June, Avelo Airlines is going to be offering service from Manchester-Boston Regional Airport to Raleigh-Durham International Airport. Flights will happen on Thursday and Sunday and introductory one-way fares begin at just 39-dollars.