News
Student loan repayment program to expand
The state is expanding its student loan repayment program, a critical recruiting tool for the community mental health centers and providers who work with low-income people. And there’s hope good budget news this year will allow even more expansion. Currently, certain drug and alcohol counselors, mental health workers, nurse practitioners, and several other health care […]
How school lunch leftovers could help in hunger fight
New Hampshire lawmakers are hoping to tackle a persistent problem in the state’s schools: leftover school lunch food that goes to waste. House Bill 500 would allow schools to team up with nonprofit programs to redistribute leftovers. Under the law, schools could repackage perishable meals into frozen meals and send them home on Fridays for […]
Senate approves environmental protection for coastal marshlands
In a unanimous vote, the Senate passed a proposal on Thursday to protect fragile marshlands in the state’s coastal region. House Bill 184 would prevent people from taking jet skis within 300 feet of the Rye estuary and the New Castle back channel, areas that are environmentally sensitive. Jet skis have been banned from the […]
Pandemic fight, ‘personal liberty’ collide in state legislatures
Rep. Tim Lang introduced his “immunization freedom” bill in 2019, before COVID-19, to end a state requirement that foster parents be vaccinated against the flu and other communicable diseases. Once the pandemic arrived, so did out-of-staters determined to recast it as an anti-mandate, “personal liberty” bill, similar to nearly 500 others pending in state legislatures […]
Secretary of State hosts controversial briefing on federal legislation to expand voting access
This story was updated April 21, 2021 at 9 p.m. The Secretary of State’s Office held a briefing on Wednesday for state election officials about the impact federal legislation would have on elections in New Hampshire. The briefing, which was led by Deputy Secretary of State David Scanlan, came after Secretary Bill Gardner’s controversial testimony […]
Court nominee Conway withdraws her name
Rockingham County Attorney Patricia Conway has withdrawn her name from consideration to serve as a superior court judge, Gov. Chris Sununu announced Wednesday, a day after at least two executive councilors had raised objections. In brief remarks to the Executive Council Wednesday morning, Sununu said he had received a call from Conway. “I’ll note that […]
Proposal would provide protections to sex workers reporting sexual assault
This story was updated on April 21 at 5:12 p.m. to correct the spelling of Pamela Keilig’s name. A proposal before the Senate Judiciary Committee aims to provide protections to sex workers who report a sexual assault. Opponents of the measure said it would grant sex workers immunity from all crimes, a claim the bill’s […]
Federal background checks on ammunition sales pushed by Democrats
WASHINGTON — Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Florida and Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut on Tuesday reintroduced legislation that would require instant background checks to prevent people with a criminal record from illegally purchasing ammunition. The measure backed by the Democrats, known as Jaime’s Law, is named in honor of Jaime Guttenberg, a student who […]
Some schools struggle to meet mandate on in-person learning
When Seacoast Charter School in Portsmouth opened its doors for the school year last fall, there was little in the way of hard guidelines from the state. So the district designed its own plan. The school divided its students into “cohorts.” Cohort A would come into school for in-person learning on Monday and Tuesday and […]
Voting record of superior court nominee Conway under scrutiny
The state Attorney General’s Office has been asked to investigate whether a superior court judicial nominee lived in one town and voted in another in 2008. At a confirmation hearing last week, Rockingham County Attorney Patricia Conway said she voted in Atkinson in 2008 while helping her elderly father to the polls. At that time, […]
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 […]
Tourism rebounds even as pandemic persists
By September, Melissa and Nick Kielbania of Ipswich, Massachusetts, needed a vacation. Their three kids were home, attending school remotely, and their jobs – his at a hospital, hers with the post office – felt relentless. They chose New Hampshire because it was the closest state with the fewest COVID-19 restrictions. “Our governor (Republican Charlie […]