By Jacki Fogarty
 
OLLI at Granite State College (GSC) is halfway through an ambitious Spring Class schedule for local seniors making this semester the best one yet for folks over age 50.  About 1/3 of the 217 courses offered in our four sites (Concord, Manchester, Seacoast and Conway) are offered in the Concord area, mostly on the GSC campus. With the advent of Spring, many classes are in the form of field trips and hikes.
 
Coming up in early May is From Bell to Broadband: 133 Years of Telephone History which is a tour of the New Hampshire Telephone Museum in Warner.  Laura French and Paul Violette will lead the OLLI class through the exhibits of over 1,000 telephone-related artifacts while educating them about the real story of the invention. This tour, like all OLLI classes, is open to members and nonmembers over age 50.
 
Other local courses coming up in the next month with seats available include a hands-on workshop in Acrylic Painting, three literary offerings – Chaucer’s Prologue to the Canterbury Tales, Shakespeare’s Hamlet and Two Novels by New Hampshire Authors, a discussion of Bobcats in New Hampshire and two wellness-focused courses – Tai Chi and Becoming a More Vibrant Healthier You.
 
Join your neighbors and friends at an OLLI class, tour or other event.  You can find more information about joining OLLI, or attending a class either as a nonmember or a member (with a $20 discount!) on the OLLI website, olli.granite.edu.  OLLI, the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, is committed to providing high-quality, cost-effective, nonacademic education to adults over age 50.

Sister Banks, Merrimack County Savings Bank (the Merrimack) and Meredith Village Savings Bank (MVSB) are launching their annual photo contest on Monday, April 2nd, 2018. Winning full color photographs will be featured on four websites: the two Banks, New Hampshire Mutual Bancorp (NHMB) and MillRiver Wealth Management; as well as in desktop and wall versions of printed calendars for both Banks. Final photos may also be included in desk calendars, holiday cards and note cards.

Hello Everyone:
To Our Veterans: Are you aware that you may possibly be entitled to receive a tax credit on your property taxes?
A bill passed in 2017 that allows cities and towns in NH to vote in a “Veteran’s Tax Credit” against property taxes. It could be phased in over 3 years. The bill also modifies the time period for applications for recovery from the FRM victims’ contribution recovery fund.
If you have any questions about this, please reach out to me or ask your town tax collector if you would qualify for this valuable tax credit as a veteran.
Another important bill that passed I think you should be aware of HB1418. “Relative to transparency and cost control of pharmaceutical drug pricing”. The Commissioner of the Department of Health and Human Services would have to work with the Insurance Commissioner to develop a list of certain “critical prescription drugs” for purposes of cost control and transparency. The bill now goes over to the Senate for approval. It passed with a bipartisan 312:17 vote.
This term several bills in my opinion should be considered parental decisions, but some voted as if they feel only the State knows what’s best for each child. A good example is a bill that would have limited the type of beverages your children could have with their Happy Meals. While there may have been good intentions, these decisions should not be settled by a State mandate.
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Merrimack County Conservation District, Stacy Luke, District Manager, info@merrimackccd.org
 
The Merrimack County Conservation District is taking applications for its Stanley Grimes Conservation Scholarship to be awarded June 2018. This scholarship will be awarded to a resident in Merrimack County who has been accepted to a two or four year college/university (full time status) with the intent to pursue studies in the field of agriculture, forestry, environmental science, soil science, or a related natural resources program. Applicant must be attending the accepted college/university in the fall of 2018.  
 
Applications must be submitted by May 4, 2018. For a full description of the scholarship and the application, please visit the district website at http://www.merrimackccd.org, call the District at 223-6020, or email info@merrimackccd.org. 
 
Merrimack County Conservation District
10 Ferry Street, Suite 211
Concord, NH  03301
603.223.6020
w merrimackccd.org ​