Concerns about COVID-19 and other respiratory illnesses sparked accusations about exposure in the closely divided House of Representatives, where attendance can shift the balance of power.
By Christopher Maidment
With COVID-19 cases rising and in the wake of the death of Speaker Dick Hinch, concerns have been growing about the upcoming NH House of Representatives sessions scheduled for the University of New Hampshire s Hamel Recreation Center. According to multiple NHGOP sources, the university has expressed reservations about hosting the legislature under these circumstances.
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But acting Speaker Sherm Packard (R-Londonderry) tells NHJournal he may have the solution: A drive-in style legislative session when the House convenes on Jan. 6. We will not be meeting indoors at UNH, Packard told NHJournal, an apparent concession to the pushback from UNH. Concerns have only heightened with word Speaker Pro Tempore Kim Rice (R-Hudson) tested positive for coronavirus last week.
From USA TODAY Network and wire reports
Alabama
Montgomery: Before his death from COVID-19, former state senator Larry Dixon spoke to his wife of 53 years from his hospital bed and asked her to relay a warning. “Sweetheart, we messed up. We just dropped our guard,” Dr. David Thrasher, a pulmonologist and friend of Dixon, recalled him saying. Dixon, 78, died Friday from complications of COVID-19. Thrasher said his longtime friend had been mostly careful but may have contracted the virus after gathering with friends. “Larry has been conscientious with masks, doing everything right, social distancing since March … he made one slip-up,” Thrasher said. Three people at the gathering became ill, he said. “The last thing he told her was, ‘Gaynell, I love you. We’ve got to tell people this is real,’ ” Thrasher said. He said he’s telling his friend’s story with the family’s permission in the hopes that people can learn just how easily the virus can spread at casual