Politics
Charities will not have to pay rent to casinos under new law
By SRUTHI GOPALAKRISHNAN
Deb Leahy can finally breathe easy, freed from the fluctuating rental fees each time her organization partners with a New Hampshire casino for donations.Thanks to a new law, casinos are now prohibited from imposing rent charges on charities for...
As lawmakers contemplate requiring voter ID, one organization is ready to help
By ETHAN DeWITT
Sue Nastasi lost her birth certificate years ago. “Beats me where it is,” she said. But getting it back is not a simple matter. Nastasi was born in Elizabeth, New Jersey, in a hospital that doesn’t exist any more, under a different name, she said. She...
New Hampshire residents weigh compassion and caution in medical aid in dying bill
By SRUTHI GOPALAKRISHNAN
Phillip Kaneb, sporting a vibrant blue shirt with a sticker boldly stating “no suicide,” strolled around the State House’s hallways on Wednesday, pausing intermittently to admire the paintings hanging on the walls, his infectious smile bringing joy to...
Bill requiring educators to answer parents’ questions moves forward
By JEREMY MARGOLIS
A bill that would require educators to answer parents’ questions about their children “completely and honestly” will move forward in the New Hampshire House without a recommendation from its Education Committee.On Tuesday – a day after the committee...
College due process rights at issue in NH bill
By RICK GREEN
An attorney for the University System of New Hampshire testified Tuesday that pending state legislation would disrupt an already effective system for handling disciplinary complaints at higher learning institutions.House Bill 1288 is aimed at ensuring...
At House hearing, some argue proposed transgender sports ban would violate anti-discrimination law
By JEREMY MARGOLIS
A week after a federal appeals court ruled a transgender sports ban in West Virginia was discriminatory, more than a dozen transgender girls, parents, educators and advocates in New Hampshire argued that a similar ban under consideration in New...
Committee approves bill allowing host communities to join charitable gaming
By SRUTHI GOPALAKRISHNAN
The House Ways and Means Committee unanimously voted on Tuesday to advance Senate Bill 472, which allows host communities to participate in charitable gaming alongside charities and non-profits.Senate Bill 472, now heading to the full House of...
N.H. legislators continue to ignore three-year-old school-funding recommendations
The N.H. Senate is considering a bill to ban gender-affirming surgeries on minors. Hospitals statewide say they don't perform these procedures.
By JAMES RINKER
A bill that would ban gender-affirming surgery for minors in New Hampshire will have a public hearing before the state Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday.But representatives from a dozen hospital systems statewide say they don’t perform this type...
Republicans have made illegal immigration a top issue in NH – sometimes with misinformation
On the trail: NH GOP leaders urge ‘decorum and respect’
By PAUL STEINHAUSER
Top Republican Party leaders in New Hampshire are calling for “decorum and respect” as candidates face off in the GOP gubernatorial primaries.The statement from NHGOP chair Chris Ager and New Hampshire’s two committee members on the Republican...
Sununu says he’ll support Trump even if he’s convicted
By JOSH ROGERS
As jury selection begins this week in the hush-money trial of former President Donald Trump, New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu says he doesn’t believe many voters view Trump’s criminal indictments, his actions on Jan. 6, 2021, or his election denialism...
NH mayors want more help from state on homelessness prevention funds
By ETHAN DeWITT
When homeless residents request housing assistance from Keene, the city must help, even when shelters are full. As the number of New Hampshire’s homeless has grown, that has become increasingly expensive.During the fiscal year that ended in June 2023,...
Two democrats with parallel views run for same State Senate seat
By SRUTHI GOPALAKRISHNAN
Angela Brennan of Bow and Rebecca McWilliams of Concord, both Democratic State Representatives, have entered the race for the New Hampshire State Senate in District 15, to fill the shoes of Sen. Becky Whitley, who is eyeing a congressional seat.The...
On the Trail: New congressional candidate spotlights border, inflation, overseas conflicts
By PAUL STEINHAUSER
Vikram Mansharamani charges that “Washington D.C. is completely dysfunctional,” but he’s hoping voters send him there to help fix the gridlock.Mansharamani, a businessman, entrepreneur, and author who made an unsuccessful run for the 2022 Republican...
Van Ostern ready to jump in as soon as Kuster steps down
By MICHAELA TOWFIGHI
Colin Van Ostern, a former state Executive Councilor with a long resume as a political operative, will run for Congress this fall, he announced Thursday, the day after U.S. Rep. Annie Kuster announced she would not seek a seventh term.Van...
On the trail: Kuster not seeking re-election this year
By PAUL STEINHAUSER
After six terms in Congress, Democrat Annie Kuster says she won’t seek re-election to the House of Representatives this year.“I always said I wouldn’t be there forever and most of my colleagues don’t realize this,” the Hopkinton lawmaker...
House takes up bevy of bills related to free speech in schools
By ETHAN DeWITT
Since the mask debates of COVID-19, New Hampshire schools have become fervent battlegrounds for ideological debates around race, sexuality, and gender identity. And last Thursday’s House session was no exception. Over a series of floor votes,...
House passes bill removing exceptions to state voter ID law
By ETHAN DeWITT
The House narrowly approved a bill Thursday that would eliminate any exceptions to the state’s voter ID laws and require documentary proof of citizenship to vote, 189-185. The bill, House Bill 1569, would require a person registering to vote to...
League of Women Voters suing over AI robocalls sent in NH
By HOLLY RAMER
CONCORD, N.H. — The League of Women Voters filed a lawsuit Thursday seeking to prevent those who sent robocalls mimicking President Joe Biden’ s voice to New Hampshire voters from using artificial intelligence for future deceptions.The lawsuit was...