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Legislative committee approves use of robotic delivery devices
New Hampshire could be on the path to legalizing and regulating autonomous package carriers, after the House Transportation Committee voted unanimously to recommend a bill to do so. In a 20-0 vote Tuesday, members of the committee recommended a bill that would allow a “personal delivery device” or “mobile carrier” to operate on sidewalks and […]
Banks rally opposition to IRS reporting proposal
A federal proposal to require banks to file financial reports about U.S. bank accounts to the Internal Revenue Service has attracted sharp criticism from New Hampshire Republicans in recent weeks – with the governor and House speaker arguing it will impinge on privacy and freedom. But as lawmakers tinker with the idea down in Washington, […]
For the state’s school nurses, it’s been a year like no other
Pre-pandemic, Erin Stewart’s job as a school nurse at Rundlett Middle School in Concord wasn’t exactly calm. Each day, Stewart and her colleagues would issue regular medications, administering them to the kids who showed up to take them and tracking down the ones who forgot. The nurses provided check-ins for students with diabetes, monitoring blood […]
Plymouth State University to automatically accept state community college business graduates
This story was updated on Oct. 19 at 12:30 to correct the number of community colleges in the state. Plymouth State University has partnered with New Hampshire’s community college system to offer certain community college graduates guaranteed admission to its business program, the university announced Friday. Beginning in the 2022 school year, Plymouth will allow […]
House Education Committee votes against mandatory nonbinary gender marker in schools
New Hampshire lawmakers dealt a setback to a bill requiring schools to offer nonbinary identification options for students, voting, 11-9, on Thursday to recommend the bill be deemed “inexpedient to legislate.” In a party-line vote, Republicans on the House Education Committee voted to recommend rejecting House Bill 136, which would require all public and charter […]
New study links state’s high cost of living to the number of building restrictions
New Hampshire has one of the highest costs of living in the United States and the fourth highest number of building restrictions. A new study from the Josiah Bartlett Center for Public Policy and St. Anselm College’s Center for Ethics in Society says the two are connected. In a 50-page report published Wednesday, study author […]
Sununu announces revamped juvenile justice advisory task force
A committee overseeing New Hampshire’s juvenile justice system is getting an overhaul this month, two months after Gov. Chris Sununu abruptly disbanded its predecessor. In an executive order issued Oct. 7, Sununu formally created the newly organized group, now known as the New Hampshire Juvenile Justice Reform Commission, and named its members. The new arrangement attempts […]
New Hampshire employers face another pandemic hiring challenge: housing
Back in spring, Simbex was looking to expand. The Lebanon-based medical device manufacturer was hoping to grow its workforce from 32 to 46. The hiring market was brutal; restaurants, main street stores, and businesses were struggling to entice new employees and coax back old ones. But Simbex wasn’t having trouble attracting employees. The real difficulty was […]
Commissioner accepts school’s remote learning decision but says it should be ‘last resort’
One day after Raymond High School entered into remote learning over concerns about COVID-19, Department of Education Commissioner Frank Edelblut offered tacit approval. The department is still stressing that students should be sent home only as a “last resort,” Edelblut said in a statement Thursday. “The Department of Education understands that families have legitimate concerns […]
Under new law, state will stop regulating small career schools
New Hampshire will no longer regulate small private schools that offer career training – such as beauty schools and electrical training centers – under a new law that takes effect Saturday. Under Senate Bill 148, any private vocational training center that brings in $100,000 or less in tuition every year will no longer need to […]
Weyler resigns as chairman of House Finance, Joint Fiscal committees
Rep. Ken Weyler resigned as the chairman of the House Finance Committee and the Joint Legislative Fiscal Committee Wednesday, two days after sending his committee a conspiracy-laden document claiming tentacled creatures are infiltrating people who receive COVID-19 vaccines. In a statement, House Speaker Sherman Packard said he had “reluctantly” accepted Weyler’s resignation. “Rep. Weyler and […]
Residents opposed to mask policies aim to use petitions to overrule school boards
It started when Paige Sturgeon felt she wasn’t being heard. A resident of Moultonborough with two teenagers at the high school, Sturgeon had strong objections to her school district’s proposed mask policy. At a school board meeting in August, she voiced those objections, urging the board to vote against mandating masks during periods of high […]