ICE detainee flight stuck in Portsmouth 15+ hours during blizzard

Now that the Winter Olympics are over, we’ve got to properly shoutout both the men’s and women’s hockey teams—because, wow. 🏒

Both squads took down Canada in nail-biting 2–1 wins. The men brought home their first gold since 1980 (yes, that 1980), and the women matched the energy with their own 2–1 victory.

And let’s talk about Salem’s own Caroline Harvey. Not only did she win gold with Team USA, she was named MVP, best defender, and earned a spot on the all-star team. She tied for the tournament lead in points with nine, led all players in assists (seven), and posted +14.

On the other side of the ice was Laura Stacey, a 2016 Dartmouth College grad, who took home silver for Canada.

Speaking of Dartmouth—here’s a stat that surprised me: the college has had at least one athlete in every single Winter Olympics, from the 1924 Winter Olympics to today.

This year was no exception. Dartmouth alum Nina O’Brien placed 20th in the giant slalom. Tanguy Nef, a 2020 Dartmouth grad, won gold for Switzerland in the alpine team combined. 

How does a school with roughly 7,000 students pull that off? A few advantages: access to the outdoors (hello, Appalachian Trail) and a 10-week term calendar, which gives athletes flexibility to train at an elite level.

👉 Read the full story from Yahoo Sports: How Dartmouth sends athletes to every Winter Olympics

Also repping Granite State:

· Sean Doherty (Conway), 80th in the individual, 65th in the sprint (biathlon)
• Grace Henderson (Durham), 14th in big air, 15th in slopestyle

Not a bad showing for a small state with big winter energy. ❄️ For more Olympians with New Hampshire ties, check out this list.

Here’s what else we’re covering today:

📝 Memo: Trump endorsement will haunt Sununu

📰 What we’re reading, news from around the state

📢 Question of the week: Should New Hampshire have open school enrollment?

❓Dear Grace: People say my sister-in-law’s protesting is too risky. Now what?

P.S. Consider this a good-use-of-your-inbox moment. Know someone who’d appreciate it? Send it their way.

President Donald Trump endorsed John E. Sununu on Feb. 1 in the Republican primary for New Hampshire’s open US Senate seat, which is being vacated by Jeanne Shaheen.

Trump called Sununu his “complete and total” choice in a social media post.

Will that haunt Sununu? A memo from the New Hampshire Democratic Party says it will.

Colin Booth has the full story.

👉  ICE detainee flight grounded at Pease for 15-plus hours due to blizzard. USA Today via Reuters Connect 
A US Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainee flight from Texas, operated by Omni Air, was grounded for more than 15 hours at Portsmouth International Airport at Pease after arriving around 1 a.m. Monday during a blizzard, according to airport officials. Local leaders and residents raised concerns about the detainees’ well-being, while airport authorities said they were not notified in advance of the landing and would have advised diverting the flight; the plane was later towed to the terminal so those on board could be brought inside and fed.

👉 NH House OKs classroom crackdown. New Hampshire Bulletin

NH Republicans advance a bill that would restrict how race, history and LGBTQ+ topics are taught—and penalize teachers who cross the line.

👉 Hampton Beach Casino project delayed, ballroom gets a 100th season. Portsmouth Herald

The wrecking ball waits: the historic Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom will rock through 2027 before redevelopment begins.

👉 NH man sentenced for using $1 million in COVID relief funds to buy golf course. Boston.com

A Pembroke man who pocketed more than $1 million in COVID relief funds—then allegedly used $600,000 of it to buy the Angus Lea Golf Course—has been sentenced to federal prison.

Republicans in the House and Senate want to make every school in New Hampshire open enrollment. That means students could attend any public school in the state, and the town where that student lives would foot the bill.

Dig into the bills here: SB 101 and HB 751.

It could cost towns anywhere from $18,000 to $40,000 per student. School districts set their budgets based on how many students they expect to serve and what those students need. School leaders say this proposal would make budgeting that much harder.

Supporters say this gives families more flexibility. Critics worry about inequities, especially for students who don’t have transportation to schools outside their area.

Curious what this could mean for your community? Use Reaching Higher’s calculator to estimate costs.

So this week’s question is…

Should New Hampshire have open school enrollment?

Here’s what you’re saying…

“Absolutely not. Open enrollment has the potential to raise property taxes in sending towns, and my property taxes are already too high. It could also create chaotic scheduling for schools. The solution is for the state to equitably fund our public schools—New Hampshire ranks 50th in the nation for state education funding—and improve all schools equally. If all schools are of equally high quality, the problem is solved. There would be no need for open enrollment.” — Denise Clark

“The straightforward answer is no. The legislative majority is constantly putting forth schemes to remove any semblance of local control from New Hampshire town governments. These efforts often have the parallel objective of shifting the cost of governance onto towns rather than using the state budget to pay for state mandates. “Open Enrollment” is just another one of these schemes, and for this majority, it has the added advantage of disrupting the educational process across the state.” — Mike E.

Welcome to our weekly advice column, courtesy of Grace: She’s the big sister who shares her own mistakes so you can avoid making them, the coworker who builds you up to ask for the raise you deserve, and the friend who is always happy to listen.

We all need someone like Grace in our corner. Submit your own questions here.

Dear Grace,

Everyone is talking about my sister-in-law because she has started going to protests ever since No Kings. People are saying she is a bad mom and putting her kids in danger, but I don’t agree. I think she is being brave and strong by standing for what she believes in. I don’t want to go myself (I don’t have the time), but I want to stick up for her when others badmouth her.

What should I say when I hear people speaking about how she’s being too risky?

— Wanting to Speak Up, Michigan

Dear Wanting to Speak Up,

Wow, hearing someone you love and admire being called a “bad mom” behind her back is a horrible feeling! As moms, we are already so hard on ourselves, even as we pour everything we have into caring for our kids. When someone throws that insecurity back at us, it stings and can make us doubt ourselves. Shaming your friend for her choices as a mom is downright unkind. I understand why you want to speak up for her.

People have this idea that protests are unsafe, because we usually only hear about the ones that have enough drama to make the nightly news. We’ve all seen the heartbreaking footage of demonstrators and bystanders being harassed and hurt by ICE in the past few months, but the reality is that hundreds of peaceful protests are happening all over the country all of the time, and most of them are extremely safe and feel like…a block party with a purpose. I’m not hitting the pavement every weekend, but I’ve been to my fair share of marches, and I’m always inspired by the people I meet and the way it feels to all come together around something we care about. The most common risks of taking to the streets are sore feet and dehydration, so if you do plan to join your SIL, make sure you wear good shoes and bring a water bottle.

Let’s talk about how you can stand up for your sister-in-law while she exercises her constitutional rights…

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Thanks for reading. This newsletter was written by Katy Savage with stories from Colin Booth and Galvanize Together. It was edited by Paula Solis.

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