News
Court releases congressional district maps drawn by special master
The New Hampshire Supreme Court released congressional district maps drawn by the appointed “special master,” Nathaniel Persily, a Stanford law professor, on Friday, a day after the Legislature failed to produce a viable one of its own by the legislative deadline. The court rejected a motion to dismiss the plan filed by President Sen. Chuck […]
Senate drops bail reform rollback bill after apparent drafting errors
The New Hampshire Senate abandoned a bill intended to pare back sections of the 2018 bail reform law Thursday, in a surprise turnaround brought about by drafting errors in the final legislation. Voting unanimously, senators opted to table the legislation, House Bill 1476, which would have imposed stricter requirements around jailing people charged with crimes […]
Infant formula stockpile for the U.S. suggested by FDA chief
WASHINGTON – The U.S. government should consider creating a stockpile of infant formula to avoid the possibility of future shortages, the head of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration told a Senate committee on Thursday. Commissioner Robert Califf said during his third hearing on Capitol Hill about the months-long shortage that his agency and lawmakers […]
In narrow vote, parental rights bill rejected by House
This story was updated at 7 p.m. on May 26, 2022, with additional comments and details. The New Hampshire House rejected a “parental rights” bill Thursday that would have required schools to notify parents of a number of developments with their children, including with their gender identity and expression. In a narrow 171-176 vote, the […]
Bid to cut unemployment benefits in half fails
Legislation that would have cut unemployment benefits in half unless the state’s unemployment rate reached 8 percent failed Thursday. The rest of Senate Bill 401 passed with $75 million for bridge repairs and police body cameras and dashboard cameras for Department of Transportation vehicles. As introduced, the bipartisan bill sought to increase the Medicaid reimbursement […]
Congressional district maps en route to governor
Update: 3:11 p.m. Gov. Chris Sununu told a WMUR reporter he will veto the congressional district map passed by the Legislature Thursday. “The citizens of New Hampshire will not accept this map, which moves both members of Congress into the same district. Our races have to be fair, which is why I will veto this […]
Program to address teacher and student stress runs into Executive Council funding hurdle
The idea came to Emily Read Daniels in 2017. Teachers appeared to be observing greater stress levels, both personally and among their students. If given training, Read Daniels thought, they could take control over those emotions and re-establish balance and calm in the classroom. In the following years, Read Daniels, a certified school counselor, developed […]
Frustrated Democrats call for GOP help on federal gun laws after mass school shooting
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer on Wednesday implored Senate Republicans to work with Democrats to pass bipartisan gun control legislation, following a mass school shooting that took the lives of 19 children and two teachers in Texas. Tuesday’s massacre was the nation’s second-deadliest mass school shooting since another at Sandy Hook Elementary […]
DES poised to get $30,000 to address cyanobacteria
Fueled by climate change, the state’s cyanobacteria problem has been worsening in recent years – making some rivers and lakes potentially harmful to human health. On Thursday, lawmakers in the House and Senate will vote on House Bill 1066 – one attempt to tackle this problem. If both bodies approve it, the bill would advance […]
NOAA forecasts busy Atlantic hurricane season, with at least 3 major storms
WASHINGTON – The 2022 Atlantic hurricane season is predicted to be the seventh in a row with an above-normal number of storms, according to a forecast the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration released Tuesday. NOAA administrator Rick Spinrad said the agency expects there will be between 14 and 21 named storms, with six to 10 […]
Intimidation at the polls and what it means for elections in the future
When Zib Corell decided to run for supervisor of the checklist in Concord, it wasn’t a hard decision. She had seen her mom work the polls as a child, and she was eager to fulfill her civic duty in turn. But Corell worries that recruiting the next generation of poll workers won’t be so easy. […]
CDC expects more monkeypox cases in the U.S.
WASHINGTON — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Monday it’s likely the United States will see additional cases of monkeypox in the coming weeks, but officials cautioned that it’s harder to transmit the virus than it is to spread respiratory illnesses like COVID-19. Monkeypox, which is also spreading throughout Europe, has an incubation […]