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As schools prepare to get kids back in classrooms, bus driver shortage looms large
Guy Routhier didn’t start his life with the dream of being a school bus driver. He didn’t end his 40-year career in human resources with that goal either. But retirement didn’t come naturally, and Routhier had a few friends who drove school buses and enjoyed it. So at 71, still restless and intrigued, he jumped […]
New law ‘uncouples’ state’s tipped workers from changes to federal minimum wage
Whether congressional lawmakers ever pass an increase to $7.25 federal minimum wage remains an open question. But if it does happen, New Hampshire tipped employees will not see a proportionate wage hike. A bill signed by Gov. Chris Sununu Friday eliminates a provision pegging the state’s minimum wage for tipped employees to 45 percent of […]
Under new law, displaying a firearm no longer constitutes reckless conduct
This story was updated July 27 at 3:30 p.m. to clarify New Hampshire’s minimum age requirements for the state’s concealed carry law. New Hampshire residents and visitors will no longer face reckless conduct charges for displaying a firearm, after Gov. Chris Sununu signed a bill Friday creating a new exception. House Bill 195 amends the […]
How will the state’s new ‘divisive concepts’ law affect municipal training programs?
Since 2016, the city of Manchester has used a catchy mnemonic for its employee training: SPIRIT. The acronym stands for Service, Pride, Integrity, Respect, Initiative, and Teamwork, and forms the backbone of the city’s training efforts for employees and supervisors. But this summer, organizers of the trainings have added a new disclaimer: The instructional sessions […]
State Board of Education approves interim rules for ‘education freedom accounts’
New Hampshire’s State Board of Education approved an interim set of rules for its new “education freedom accounts” Thursday, bringing the Granite State a step closer to implementing one of the most sweeping school voucher-like programs in the United States. In a unanimous vote, the board approved the rules, which seek to flesh out the […]
House Republicans remain divided over the pursuit of affordable housing
This story was updated at 8:50 a.m. to correct Rep. Jim Maggiore’s party affiliation. He is a Democrat. It took just five years for rents in southeastern New Hampshire’s to become unrecognizable. As recently as 2015, the median rent for two-bedroom apartments in Rockingham County hovered around $1,200 a month, according to data from the […]
Board of Education to vote on rules for ‘education freedom accounts’
A new state program creating “educational freedom accounts” could receive more clarity this week, as the New Hampshire Board of Education meets Thursday to take up rules governing the program. Republican lawmakers passed the EFA program last month, allowing parents who withdraw their child from public school to take their child’s per-pupil state funding with […]
Legislation on outdoor dining among bills signed by Sununu
New Hampshire restaurants will be allowed to continue to set up tables in parking lots, side streets, and sidewalks this summer and beyond after Gov. Chris Sununu signed a bill cementing certain emergency COVID-19 executive orders into law. Under Senate Bill 155, an omnibus bill, restaurants “may expand into a shared space, such as a […]
As they await state guidance, teachers consider how ‘divisive concepts’ law will affect lesson plans
For a history teacher, Ryan Richman’s assignments are often firmly rooted in the present day. Every week, students in Richman’s world history class at Timberlane Regional High School receive a simple assignment: find an event in the news, bring it to class, and be prepared to discuss its connections with the past. The results vary, […]
Sununu signs bill that clears way for public dollars to go to religious schools
Gov. Chris Sununu has signed a bill allowing public school districts to send public money to religious schools, lifting a longstanding funding barrier. House Bill 282 changes the rules around tuition agreements – the arrangements in which public schools send students in their district to other public or private schools to address capacity problems. Currently, […]
State’s medicinal marijuana industry has stabilized, but barriers to growth remain
The video announcement was framed like a victory address. Standing before a woodpile, Prime Alternative Treatment Center CEO Keenan Blum gave the center’s Facebook followers a breathless update: the New Hampshire medical marijuana dispensary was lowering its prices. Prime had increased its growing capacity, bumped up its offering of cannabis strains, and reduced expenses, Blum […]
Hassan presses IRS on delayed stimulus checks
A federal program to distribute stimulus checks to Americans in the wake of COVID-19 is facing delays, U.S. Sen. Maggie Hassan said, with some Granite Staters still waiting for their $1,400 checks. In a letter to the U.S. Internal Revenue Service Tuesday, Hassan said some constituents have not received the checks, and pressed the department […]