Last week in The Sentinel | Local News | sentinelsource.com – The Keene Sentinel

Keene State College plans to cut 15 faculty positions over the next year, while adding seven new ones, President Melinda Treadwell announced Friday.

The moves are part of the college's multi-year effort to balance its budget and adjust to a smaller student body as enrollment has declined.

The ConVal Regional High School Class of 2020 had a graduation ceremony Saturday evening, which was live-streamed online for those who could not make it.

The graduates spoke bluntly about the challenges the world presents them, and their duty to work toward solving problems like human rights abuses and climate change.

Most students in the Monadnock Region will return to classrooms in the fall, at least for a few days a week.

When they are in school, students and staff will be required to wear masks in almost all situations.

Keene State's commencement will be held virtually after all, though the college had planned to have an in-person ceremony this fall.

The Class of 2020 will be honored during an online graduation Oct. 3.

The largest number of COVID-19 infections in the state has been among 20-somethings.

"This is certainly not just a New Hampshire thing. It's happening here in Tennessee and all over the country," said Dr. William Schaffner, professor of preventive medicine and infectious diseases at Vanderbilt University.

Members of the Tanglewood Estates mobile home community in Keene will pay an additional $15 in monthly rental fees to the resident-owned cooperative association that manages the park, starting in November.

The increase, which a quorum of the co-op's members approved Saturday, will finance an overhaul of the park's sewer system.

Cedarcrest Center for Children with Disabilities in Keene announced Tuesday that a staff member has tested positive for COVID-19.

The employee, who has not been at the Maple Avenue facility since Aug. 2, had not been feeling well and was tested for the viral disease this past weekend, according to spokeswoman Patty Farmer.

Gov. Chris Sununu announced Tuesday that he has instituted a mask mandate for "scheduled gatherings" of 100 or more people.

The new requirement, which went into effect immediately via emergency order, is geared toward large, public events, such as the upcoming Laconia Bike Week, and an upcoming religious gathering in New Ipswich.

Hannah Grimes Marketplace in Keene is temporarily closed for in-store shopping while one of its employees is tested for COVID-19, the Main Street boutique announced Tuesday on its Facebook page.

The store will continue to sell its artisanal items, which include locally produced home decor, food and jewelry, through socially distanced means.

Keene officials have concerns about the future of the city's commercial tax base and what it might mean for residential taxpayers.

During a teleconference Wednesday with U.S. Rep. Annie Kuster, D-N.H., leaders from several Granite State municipalities addressed some of the issues their communities are facing in the fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic.

The town of Swanzey is continuing to look at alternative polling places after concerns were raised about the current voting location.

The selectboard on Wednesday instructed Town Moderator Bruce Tatro, along with other town officials, to visit potential alternative voting sites to determine whether they could accommodate Swanzey's Election Day needs.

Due to the financial impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, Valley Regional Healthcare will not reopen its Charlestown clinic.

Valley Regional opened the Main Street clinic after Labor Day last year.

Gov. Chris Sununu laid out the process by which communities will be notified if a COVID-19 case is discovered in a school and how districts should proceed.

The governor said Thursday that students or faculty members who test positive for COVID-19 will be required to stay home and isolate until at least 10 days after the onset of symptoms and until after they've been feeling better for at least 24 hours.

Keene Housing received nearly $200,000 in federal funding this week that the organization plans to channel into efforts to protect the health and welfare of its residents and employees during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The money comes from a $1.25 billion program administered by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development that was created as part of the CARES Act.

With less than an hour of debate, fall sports and other extracurricular activities got the green light from the Monadnock Regional School Board Thursday night.

Monadnock administrators will be determining a feasible preseason start date.

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Last week in The Sentinel | Local News | sentinelsource.com - The Keene Sentinel