1. In mid-February, U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan visited downtown Laconia businesses with Laconia Mayor Andrew Hosmer. The two of them are pictured at the Colonial Theater, which is undergoing a $15 million revitalization project that is expected to bolster the downtown economy. The senator also visited Wayfarer Coffee Roasters and Spyglass Eyewear, where she spoke to the owners about how their businesses have adapted to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.
2. Shirley Bhutto, director of ERM and compliance at St. Mary’s Bank, was recently recognized as the first St. Mary’s Bank employee ever to hit and exceed the 300-hour mark, volunteering a total of 307 hours. Bhutto spent the majority of her time (210 hours) managing a crisis text line for individuals experiencing mental health issues. She also led a crochet club of 20 St. Mary’s Bank employees who, together, logged 319 of the credit union’s 2020 volunteer hours making and donating hats for newborns and lapghans for seniors.
3. The Marlborough Board of Selectmen announced last month the selection of Zachary D. Byam as the next chief of police. Byam began his career with the New Hampshire Division of State Police–Marine Patrol in 2010. Earning his Part- Time Police Officer Certification in 2011 allowed for the expansion of his law enforcement career, becoming a member of the Lyndeborough Police Department and in 2013 upon his graduation from the 160th Full-Time Police Academy, he joined the Marlborough Police Department as a patrol officer, rising through the ranks to sergeant in 2017.
4. With support from St. Mary’s bank, the shows go on(line) at the Palace Theatre. Palace Theatre President & CEO Peter Ramsey (left) is pictured with St. Mary’s Bank President & CEO Ron Covey (right). A longtime supporter of The Palace Theatre, St. Mary’s Bank recently made a three-year, $180,000 commitment to become the Theatre’s new performing arts series sponsor.
5. The staff of Concord Coalition to End Homelessness thanks Carol Bickford for the $5,000 donation made by Merrimack County Savings Bank in her name upon her retirement after 37 years. Bickford, who served as senior vice president, retail lending officer at New Hampshire Mutual Bancorp, retired in December 2020 and handpicked the nonprofit to receive the donation made in her honor.
6. Volunteer Breanna Gunderman prepares to cut the first slices from the Aviation Museum of NH’s Apollo 14 cake, “From Manchester to the Moon.” The cake marked the celebration of the 50th anniversary of Apollo 14’s lunar landing on Jan. 31, 1971. The mission commander was New Hampshire’s own Alan Shepard.
7. Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center nurse Natalie Hansel, BSN, RN, was recently honored with a DAISY Award, an international program that celebrates the skillful, compassionate care nurses provide every day. Hansel was nominated by a colleague at DHMC, who highlighted her competence as a nurse, calm demeanor and kindness toward patients.
8. The following New Hampshire State Police Probationary Troopers were recently sworn in by Colonel Nathan Noyes: Jevin Fortin, Alison Baumbach, Jesse Trimm, Bryan Griffin, Henry Gula and Brett Romig, and Campus Police Officers Peter Ciccarello and Madelynn Davis.
