The Park Theatre To Produce Live-Streamed Programming Information & Entertainment For In-Home Watching
“Monadnock Tonight!” Premieres on March 24

JAFFREY, New Hampshire (March 19, 2020) The Coronavirus/COVID-19 has impacted everyone’s lives, even our bucolic Monadnock Region. Closures are appropriate for everyone’s health and well-being. Due to the federal and state recommendations of social distancing, The Park Theatre announced today that they would be producing a live TV program as well as a website dedicated to streamed movie recommendations to help people confined at home be entertained and informed.

Starting Tuesday, March 24th, Jaffrey’s Park Theatre will produce a twice-weekly television program entitled Monadnock Tonight!. The 30-minute program will feature important very local news for the communities of the Monadnock region, including interviews with health officials, state & local government representatives, as well as businesses & individuals affected by the limitations that are now a part of our daily life. The program will air Tuesdays and Thursdays at 5pm. The second half of each show will include a live performance by a regional musical group, comedian, or other entertainer. The program will be broadcast live simultaneously on Facebook Live, YouTube Live, Periscope, Twitter, and Vimeo. The shows will be archived so they can be seen on demand at any time after the initial broadcast.

Monadnock Tonight!’s first week’s guests include Jaffrey Town Manager Jon Frederick and classical guitarist Ted Mann. Schedule information will be available on The Park Theatre Facebook page and their website, theparktheatre.org.

Additionally, The Park Theatre is introducing ParkPixFlix. The Park Theatre will curate a website page on their main website that picks entertaining films of all genres that are available for free online. A new movie will be added every day. Films for children will also be featured. Background and link information for each film will be posted on the page. The Park Theatre choices will be innovative, surprising, and most definitely, always entertaining. The public will also be given a chance to recommend films (and TV series) that are available on any streaming platform. Their recommendation and their photo will be included on the ParkPixFlix page. The Park Theatre’s Facebook page will also highlight and give links to all films as they are added to the list.

“There will be a great time spent at home. We felt The Park Theatre could add something positive to the lives of our communities during this unsettling period. These programs will be produced by and produced for the Monadnock region. We can’t wait to unwrap the new Park Theatre to the public later this year. Until then, we are going to bring The Park Theatre to the people,” said Steve Jackson, CEO, Managing Director of The Park Theatre.

Questions about Monadnock Tonight!, including booking of guests and musical performers, can be addressed to the program’s producer, Kim Graham, at gomonadnock@gmail.com or by calling The Park Theatre office, (603) 532-9300.

Auditor’s Office Receives Highest Possible Rating in Third Consecutive Peer Review

Boston, MA – Today, state auditors representing the National State Auditors Association (NSAA) gave the Office of State Auditor Suzanne M. Bump (OSA) the highest possible rating in its third consecutive peer review, referencing the office’s adherence to government auditing standards.

“The Auditor’s office must model the behavior we expect of our auditees. That means we must meet the standards set by the Office of the United States Comptroller General to ensure our competence, integrity, objectivity and independence,” Bump said. I am proud that we continue to make the grade.”

The announcement comes after an independent review of the office’s quality control system. In the peer-review process, six professional state auditors from across the country evaluated Bump’s office’s policies, procedures, and work products issued from January 1, 2019, through December 31, 2019. State audit organizations can receive a rating of pass, pass with deficiencies, or fail. The Office of the State Auditor (OSA) received a rating of pass.

Peer reviews performed through the NSAA are conducted on a three-year interval. The team of professionals that conducted Massachusetts’ peer review was comprised of state auditors from Illinois, Missouri, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas, and Vermont. The reviews are required as part of compliance with the Generally Accepted Government Auditing Standards, promulgated by the U.S. Government Accountability Office. The OSA is required by statute to comply with these standards in conducting its audit work.

During her tenure, Bump’s office has become a national leader in government auditing and accountability. Last month, Bump was awarded the Excellence in Government Leadership Award by the Association of Government Accountants, citing the Office’s use of data-analytics tools and technologies to address complex challenges facing state government.

The NSAA letter detailing the peer review is available here (PDF).

Audit Leads to Improved Revenue Protection at Department of Fish and Game

Boston, MA – In an audit released today, State Auditor Suzanne M. Bump noted deficiencies in the way in which the Department of Fish and Game (DFG) safeguards license fees and other revenue it takes in, and in its information technology (IT) controls. The audit examined the period of July 1, 2016 through December 31, 2018.

“We rely on the Department of Fish and Game to manage our state’s wildlife and to facilitate recreational permitting and licensing for our hunting and fishing residents. This audit has helped the agency implement better revenue protection and IT protocols which will ensure payments from residents are adequately protected from theft or inappropriate use,” Bump said of the audit. “I commend the Department for taking our findings seriously and for acting with urgency.”

The audit found DFG lacked an effective segregation of duties within its Division of Marine Fisheries (DMF). Auditors revealed DMF had only one employee, the revenue coordinator, responsible for all daily revenue processing for the Division. The audit notes this could result in funds not being adequately safeguarded. Additionally, the audit found the revenue coordinator was using the username and password of DMF’s chief fiscal officer to access the fish permitting program. The audit notes, under state technology guidelines, user account information must not be shared because it can lead to security breaches and inappropriate use.

In its response, DFG reports it published new policies to address the audit recommendations.

DFG is responsible for preserving the state's natural resources. The agency has four major divisions: DMF, the Division of Fisheries and Wildlife, the Office of Fishing and Boating Access, and the Division of Ecological Restoration. In fiscal year 2019, DFG received $29,705,777 in state appropriations.

The full audit report is available here.