News
Hanover to power municipal electricity through new 8-acre solar array
Hanover debuted a new solar array on Thursday that will produce enough energy to power almost all of the municipality’s electrical needs. The array, which is on 8 acres, is made up of 4,560 solar panels that will generate 2 million kilowatt hours of electricity a year. That makes it the largest municipal solar farm […]
Rollout of booster shots skewing state’s data on first and second vaccine doses
The state’s daily report of first and second COVID-19 vaccine doses has been an important tool for assessing risk and targeting vaccine outreach. That count will become less accurate and perhaps less useful with the rollout of boosters. The state knows some booster shots are being included in the state’s vaccination rate but not how […]
State in the process of buying Hampstead Hospital, a provider of mental health care for children
The state is in the final stages of purchasing the 111-bed Hampstead Hospital, which it has used throughout the pandemic to provide children in mental health crisis inpatient psychiatric care. It will remain a treatment facility for children, Health and Human Services Commissioner Lori Shibinette said. The price has not been determined, Gov. Chris Sununu […]
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 […]
Council votes to restore funding for one family planning clinic
One of the family planning clinics defunded by the Executive Council last month saw its funding restored Wednesday after Councilor Janet Stevens reversed course and supported it. In doing so, Stevens praised the clinic’s broad, low-cost medical services, details that were discussed at length prior to her no vote last month. But that still leaves […]
$500,000 for lavender products: an untraditional take on New Hampshire agriculture
A Warner farm has been awarded $250,000 in federal grant money to start a new line of lavender-infused food and beverages. As a part of the match grant, Pumpkin Blossom Farm will also contribute $250,000 to the half-a-million-dollar project. Farm owner Missy Biagiotti said more than half of the money will go toward creating six […]
Executive Council rejects $27 million in federal money for vaccine outreach, angering Sununu
The Executive Council’s Republican majority voted down $27 million in federal money for vaccine outreach Wednesday – some for reasons unrelated to the contracts – pleasing dozens of protesters in the room and angering Gov. Chris Sununu enough that he called one councilor’s rationale “un-American.” And while a heavy police presence kept more than 100 […]
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 […]
Border to reopen to vaccinated Canadians next month
Vaccinated Canadian tourists will be able to travel across the land border with the United States starting in November, the Department of Homeland Security announced on Tuesday. That’s good news for New Hampshire residents and businesses that have been negatively impacted by the closure that started in March 2020. And it follows calls from the […]
At hearing, lawmakers and stakeholders debate the future of state’s energy efficiency programs
The fight over the future of energy efficiency in New Hampshire is now being waged in the Legislature, with a new proposal that will be up for a vote in the House Science, Technology, and Energy Committee later this month. During a public hearing Tuesday on House Bill 549, which was retained by the committee […]
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 […]
Lawmakers want state to publicly track number of COVID cases among House members
The state reports COVID-19 infections by town, county, long-term care facilities, and schools. A group of Democratic lawmakers would like to add the Legislature to that list. Doing so would allow lawmakers and the public to better assess their risk of exposure, they said. They see another benefit, too. “I think one of the advantages […]