State House
Executive councilor defends voting practice amid transparency questions
Republican Executive Councilor David Wheeler has made his votes against funding for family planning and sex education well known at council meetings. But for years, he’s made other potentially controversial votes quietly by taking no position during the meeting and arranging afterward for his votes to be included in meeting minutes. That includes his votes […]
State seeks increase to benefits under homeowner assistance fund
State officials are hoping to expand payouts from a COVID-19-related homeowner assistance program, as the state continues to see lower-than-expected participation. In a request due before the Executive Council Wednesday, the Governor’s Office for Emergency Relief and Recovery (GOFERR) is asking for approval to increase the maximum payments per household for the New Hampshire Homeowner […]
Attorney general seeks $5 million in federal money for victim services
This story was updated Monday, Feb. 20, 2023, at 12:30 p.m. to clarify which victim services are supported with federal funding. The effects of COVID-19’s social isolation, health problems, and job loss continue to drive increases in calls to domestic violence and sexual assault hotlines, emergency shelters, and child abuse referrals, according to the Department […]
Fentanyl is killing Granite Staters. But the tools to test for it are illegal.
This story was updated on Feb. 20, 2023, at 2:10 p.m. with additional information about syringe exchange programs. As the deadly fentanyl crisis rages on, Gov. Chris Sununu has made his concerns known – in press conferences and campaigns dedicated to the scourge, and during a national CBS News appearance. Last June, he spoke of […]
Sununu’s budget, by the numbers
Gov. Chris Sununu’s proposed budget includes a number of new spending items, from one-off payments toward affordable housing and planning for a new men’s prison to longer-term expenses such as an increase in Medicaid reimbursement rates. Here’s a look at some of the numbers. Overall spending: Sununu’s budget would spend about $14.9 billion in total […]
Sununu’s budget suggests fears of harsh recession are easing
When Gov. Chris Sununu held budget hearings back in November, he gave his commissioners a warning: Prepare for an economic downturn. “There’s really no way to avoid some form of a national recession,” Sununu said at the time. “It is real. It is coming.” Three months later, the outlook of the governor – and many […]
Pay hikes, school funding, licensing reform highlight Sununu budget address
This story was updated Feb. 15, 2023 at 9:50 a.m. to correct the professions that are regulated by the Office of Professional Licensure and Certification. Gov. Chris Sununu has big plans for the state’s $330 million surplus and what he predicts will be ongoing strong tax revenue. He gave lawmakers a budget Tuesday that would […]
Governor signs bill to slow closure and replacement of Sununu Center
This story and headline were updated Feb. 14, 2023, at 3 p.m. to include the state Senate vote, and at 5:25 p.m. to note that Gov. Chris Sununu signed the bill. Gov. Chris Sununu signed a bill Tuesday to slow the process of closing and replacing the Sununu Youth Services Center until the state chooses […]
Buying show tickets? Be careful where you shop.
A woman arrived at the Palace Theater box office in Manchester recently with an online receipt for four tickets to “Newsies,” a kids show with no seat over $15. The box office couldn’t find tickets under her name because she had unknowingly bought them from a third-party site she believed was the Palace’s. The woman […]
New ‘provisional ballot’-type system to debut next week during Rochester special election
For the candidates in next week’s special House election in Rochester, the circumstances may feel familiar. Republican David Walker is facing off against Democrat Chuck Grassie in a rematch, after the election in November resulted in a dead tie. But this time around, the process will be slightly different. The Feb. 21 election marks the […]
Some NH police chiefs say it’s time to get rid of officer physical fitness requirements
Enough law enforcement officers are failing to pass the required fitness test for sit-ups, push-ups, and a 1.5-mile run that some police chiefs are backing a bill that would do away with the fitness requirement. That includes Hinsdale Police Chief Charles Rataj, who told the House Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee this week that […]
In ‘extremely frustrating’ vote, House committee derails Senate’s Sununu Center plans
It was deja vu Thursday for child advocates who’ve watched with frustration as lawmakers have repeatedly failed to close and replace the 144-bed Sununu Youth Services Center with a facility that emphasizes therapy over detention. The Senate bill that was supposed to fast-track the closure and replacement of the center hit a major hurdle Thursday […]