State House
State sees boost in tax revenue
This story was updated April 20, 2021 at 4 p.m. While the COVID-19 pandemic has created an economic crisis for many, the state has seen a boost in tax revenue, including for tobacco, business, real estate, and interest and dividends taxes. The exception is rooms and meals, which is down 17 percent from what the […]
With dog theft on the rise, lawmakers look to crack down
There’s a dark side to the increase in demand for pets during the pandemic: when those procuring the animals do so illegally. Dog theft has been on the rise nationally during the pandemic, with thieves snatching dogs from their yards and even from houses. Now state lawmakers are considering a proposal to increase the penalty […]
Vaccination of minority populations continues to lag
When Clifton West learned that there was a surplus of vaccines in Strafford County, he promptly went into fire-drill mode. He made calls, sent text messages, composed emails – any method he could think of to get the word out. “It was like, oh my God, okay, we have to get people there,” he said. […]
What would a new Department of Energy mean for New Hampshire?
A proposal to create a new Department of Energy would be a major overhaul of how energy policy is made and regulated in New Hampshire. Clean-energy advocates are eager for change. With energy policy and regulation spread between various state agencies, some key decisions and the allocation of funding have been delayed for years, leaving […]
Support for closing Sununu Center stops at jail as an alternative
State lawmakers and juvenile advocates have long wanted to close the Sununu Youth Services Center, believing a youth detention facility is the wrong place to hold and rehabilitate children. They also oppose spending the governor’s proposed $13 million a year for the approximately 17 children held there at any given time. They’re divided, however, on […]
Budget dispute: House Finance chairman issues ultimatum to Senate colleagues
A week after passing New Hampshire’s two-year budget onto the Senate, one prominent House Republican is urging his Senate colleagues to keep some of its most controversial items in place – or risk defeat on the House floor. In an email Wednesday, House Finance Chairman Ken Weyler urged the Senate Finance Committee to keep a […]
Merrimack Republican Boyd wins House seat
Republican Bill Boyd captured one of the New Hampshire House’s 400 seats Tuesday evening, beating back a high-intensity Democratic challenge to succeed the late Republican Speaker Dick Hinch. In a 2,531 to 2,144 vote, Boyd prevailed against Democrat Wendy Thomas to win one of eight House seats in Merrimack. The town held a special election […]
Bill moves state primary from September to June
New Hampshire’s state primary is currently one of the latest in the country. It is one of only four states that hold primaries after August. Last week, the House passed House Bill 98, which would move the primary up from the second Tuesday in September to the fourth Tuesday in June. Some political analysts say […]