The Latest
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NH Lawmakers OK $13.5 Billion Budget Package With Tax Cuts, Abortion Restrictions
The Republican-led New Hampshire Legislature on Thursday passed a two-year state budget that includes not only $13.5 billion in spending but tax cuts, abortion restrictions and controversial education programs and policies. When Democrats controlled both chambers two years ago, Republican Gov. Chris Sununu vetoed the budget and forced the state to operate under a temporary spending plan until a compromise…
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New Hampshire's COVID Pandemic State of Emergency Ends Friday
New Hampshire’s nearly 15-month state of emergency will end Friday night, Gov. Chris Sununu said Thursday. Sununu first declared a state of emergency because of the coronavirus pandemic on March 13, 2020. He renewed it every three weeks until two weeks ago, when he indicated he would let it expire June 11 at midnight. The state will operate under a…
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NH Investing Up to $100M in Mental Health Services
The state of New Hampshire is investing up to $100 million in mental health services following a recent state Supreme Court ruling to help psychiatric patients who are being held involuntarily in emergency rooms. A combination of federal and state funds will support 30 new emergency beds at hospitals, 60 new transitional housing beds, and 20 long-term care community beds,…
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NH House Republican Conducted Hearings Maskless After Out-of-State Travel
A Republican legislator in the New Hampshire House failed to cover his face as required for more than three hours of testimony in a hearing room Friday, a day after he returned from Florida. Rep. Al Baldasaro, a Republican from Londonderry, said he had maintained social distance throughout his trip and later donned a face shield, saying he was doing…
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NH Gov. Sununu Inaugurated Amid Virus, Violence Concerns
The coronavirus pandemic that has shaken New Hampshire to its core also offers a path to both individual and collective transformation, Republican Gov. Chris Sununu said Thursday as he officially began his third term.
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New Hampshire Lawmakers to Bundle Up for Outdoor Session
Hot days at the New Hampshire Statehouse traditionally feature a formal motion to allow men to remove their jackets. This week, a motion to permit extra layers of wool and fleece would be more fitting. Newly elected members of the Legislature will meet Wednesday for Organization Day on an outdoor field hockey pitch at the University of New Hampshire, where…
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NH Restaurants Fined, Warned Over Lack of Masks
A New Hampshire bakery, bagel shop and pizza place each have been fined $500 after repeated complaints about staff not wearing masks during the coronavirus pandemic. The attorney general’s office said Wednesday that it has assessed penalties against Simply Delicious Baking Co. in Bedford, What a Bagel in Nashua, and Checkmate Pizza in Concord. Two other establishments — Game Changer…
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NH Reports No Coronavirus Cases Linked to Aug. 28 Trump Rally
No cases of the coronavirus have been linked to President Donald Trump’s rally in New Hampshire two weeks ago, the state health commissioner said Thursday, and only one person who attended Motorcycle Week in Laconia has since tested positive. About 1,400 people attended the president’s rally in an airport hangar in Londonderry on Aug. 28. Many were not wearing masks,…
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‘Old Home Days' Get Creative, or Canceled, During Pandemic
“Old Home Day” is more like “Stay Home Day” this year. In a clever marketing campaign to boost the economy, New Hampshire Gov. Frank Rollins launched a summer celebration in 1899 aimed at luring young people back to their hometowns. It became an enduring tradition that spread to other New England states and beyond, but the coronavirus pandemic has forced…
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Weekly Poems Elevate New Hampshire City's Coronavirus Newsletters
Valerie Rochon is eager to read her email every Monday morning, even when it makes her cry. In addition to the endless Zoom meeting invitations, each week brings a new poem tucked into otherwise matter-of-fact messages about the coronavirus pandemic from the Portsmouth city manager. Tammi Truax, the city’s poet laureate, has been contributing to the newsletters since early...
