News
Nearly all towns in the state have submitted paperwork for American Rescue Plan money
All but two New Hampshire towns have submitted paperwork to claim their American Rescue Plan money, and even with the deadline extended to Friday that’s unlikely to change. Officials in Sharon, which was allotted $19,300, decided to pass because they didn’t think they had any projects that would qualify, said Selectman Diane Callahan. “There are […]
Booster shots, third doses, and other vaccination topics covered during Q&A
With so much attention on vaccine boosters and third doses, state epidemiologist Dr. Ben Chan would like you to know this: They are different things for different populations, and most people aren’t yet eligible for either. Chan returned to that point a few times in a Thursday Zoom call with more than 300 health care […]
Former Trump administration official confirmed as assistant commissioner of Environmental Services
Mark Sanborn has been confirmed to take over as assistant commissioner at the Department of Environmental Services, the second-highest ranking environmental regulator position in the state. In a 4-1 vote on Wednesday, the Executive Council approved the governor’s nomination. Cinde Warmington, a Concord Democrat, was the only councilor to vote against the confirmation. Sanborn will […]
What will the new census data mean for the state’s two congressional districts?
When the U.S. Census Bureau released raw data for New Hampshire’s once-in-a-decade count, the numbers revealed a slowly diversifying state, whose population is growing in the Seacoast area but shrinking in the north and west. But the numbers also set the stage for a redistricting effort, one that could affect the state’s congressional representation. According […]
State and federal legislation bring opportunities for municipalities to build renewable infrastructure
With New Hampshire poised to receive an influx of federal money, the state’s largest solar company is encouraging cities and towns to spend it on solar. Some towns haven’t applied for American Rescue Plan Act funding because of uncertainty about what kinds of projects are eligible. According to ReVision Energy, a B Corporation (a business […]
Health and Human Services officials questioned about vaccine promotion campaign
When asked by an executive councilor how the state is measuring the effectiveness of its $435,000 vaccine promotion campaign – and how it will evaluate a second $844,000 campaign contract passed Wednesday – a state Department of Health and Human Services spokesman gave a list of numbers. And when asked whether future vaccine promotions would […]
COVID-19 booster shots to roll out starting next month
WASHINGTON – Top U.S. health officials announced a plan Wednesday to begin offering COVID-19 booster shots to Americans starting Sept. 20, with the scheduling of the additional shot to be based on when a person was fully vaccinated. The new round of jabs will be extended to those who received the two-dose vaccine from either […]
State eliminates documentation requirement for gender X marker on licenses, identification cards
Since 2014, the Division of Motor Vehicles has required the signature of a health care provider from anyone making a gender change. Beginning last year that also applied for those choosing X as their gender. But it was never required by law. A Granite State College student has put an end to that practice. Rho […]
‘It’s definitely not getting better’: The hiring struggle continues for employers
In the current housing crisis, none of New England Family Housing’s 600 rental units across the state should be vacant. But some are and for longer than CEO Kevin Lacasse would like because he can’t find maintenance workers or even subcontractors for quick plumbing and electrical jobs. He blames federal pandemic aid. “With the stimulus […]
Vaccine van launches 17-stop tour of state parks
The state’s mobile vaccine van launched a 17-stop tour of state parks this week and is offering an incentive to anyone who visits and gets vaccinated: a day pass to a state park or historic site. The announcement comes as COVID-19 cases climb to levels not seen since late April; there were 245 new cases […]
Federal money awarded to create new charter schools in the state, expand existing ones
After years of controversy and delay, New Hampshire’s Department of Education has awarded the first tranche of a $46 million effort to double the number of charter schools in the state. On Aug. 11, the department announced the first seven recipients of the federal funding, which was approved by the Trump administration and is meant […]
State poised for windfall of federal money for broadband
(This story was corrected at 10 a.m. on Aug. 17. Henry Underwood is the name of the GIS specialist and senior planner at the Monadnock Broadband Group.) The infrastructure bill that passed the U.S. Senate earlier this month contains $65 billion for broadband – a sum lawmakers say is enough to provide universal access to […]