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By ETHAN DeWITT

In Kelly Ayotte’s campaign for governor, the now-governor-elect was clear in ads and speeches: She would not be making changes to the state’s abortion law. That law, passed in 2021, bans abortions after six months of pregnancy except in cases of fatal...

By ETHAN DeWITT

Two weeks ago, Jaye Duncan was the type of lawyer handling 100 cases at once.As a Manchester public defender, Duncan represented dozens of clients, helping them to advocate for favorable bail conditions, enter plea agreements, and defend themselves...

By ETHAN DeWITT

After a two-year process, lawmakers approved a broad package of state rules last week governing how public schools should operate. But many public school educators say they aren’t happy.Known as the “minimum standards for public school approval,” the...

By ETHAN DeWITT

The new law that will require hard proof of voter ID and citizenship to vote in New Hampshire just barely took effect – six days after the Nov. 5 general election.But already, Republican and Democratic lawmakers are seeking to change it this...

By ETHAN DeWITT

New Hampshire school districts will be hit with a spike in costs for special education this year due to higher than usual costs per student, according to the state Department of Education.And the state’s special education aid fund – which is supposed...

By ETHAN DeWITT

New Hampshire’s education freedom account program grew by 12 percent over the past year, the Department of Education announced Thursday. But as Republican lawmakers seek to expand the program and potentially remove all income limits, Democrats...

By ETHAN DeWITT

As Democrat Joyce Craig and Republican Kelly Ayotte hone their final pitches to voters over who should be the next governor, one topic has proven particularly contentious: taxes.Craig has assailed New Hampshire Republicans’ moves to repeal the...

By ETHAN DeWITT

Joyce Craig and Kelly Ayotte made many economic differences clear during a debate Tuesday. Ayotte, the Republican gubernatorial nominee, applauded the elimination of the interest and dividends tax next year, while Craig, the Democratic nominee, said...

By ETHAN DeWITT

Denis Murphy Jr. styles himself as a down-the-middle kind of guy. As Winchester’s town moderator, he’s had to be, he says. “I try to remain neutral, and I try to hear all sides and make sure that everybody has a voice,” Murphy said in an interview.As...

By ETHAN DeWITT

When Kansas passed a law requiring all voters to provide documentary proof of citizenship to register to vote, the effects were swift.Three years after the law took effect, 31,089 voter registration applicants – 12 percent of all applications – were...

By ETHAN DeWITT

In 2022’s Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, the U.S. Supreme Court erased nearly 50 years of precedent by finding Roe v. Wade was wrongly decided and overturning it.This year, a group of Republican lawmakers are hoping the state Supreme...

By ETHAN DeWITT

Gov. Chris Sununu has days to decide the fate of a bill that would require proof of voter identification with no exceptions in future New Hampshire elections, after the legislation arrived at his desk Monday. Opponents of the bill are attempting to...

By ETHAN DeWITT

In five cases, families approved for an Education Freedom Account did not present sufficient documentation that they lived in New Hampshire, according to a Department of Education review.In two cases, families were found to be above the income limit...

By ETHAN DeWITT

After months of preparation, lawyers have submitted their first filings in the lawsuits concerning New Hampshire’s school funding system. The New Hampshire Attorney General’s Office is taking to the Supreme Court to argue that two groundbreaking...

By ETHAN DeWITT

For years, teacher pay in New Hampshire has remained low, with new teachers facing average salaries of $41,590. And for years, Democrats, teachers unions, and other advocates have urged increased state investment in public schools to direct money to...

By ETHAN DeWITT

As the State House voting chambers lie empty this summer, Gov. Chris Sununu’s desk has been flooded. Hundreds of bills passed by lawmakers in late spring have circulated from the Office of Legislative Services to the Secretary of State’s Office to the...

By ETHAN DeWITT

Six years after approving a “bail reform” bill supported by defendants’ rights groups, Gov. Chris Sununu signed a follow-up bill last week that is set to overhaul the state’s bail system once more. Representatives of both parties have applauded the...

By ETHAN DeWITT

Years after the pandemic threw businesses into disarray, changing expectations around work and leading to widespread worker shortages, New Hampshire’s workforce demand is still strong. Currently, 85 percent of New Hampshire residents between 25 and 55...

By ETHAN DeWITT

Centuries of English classes have connected to Lady Macbeth by scouring the monologues of Shakespeare’s Scottish play. “Come, you spirits that tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here, and fill me from the crown to the toe top-full of direst cruelty,”...

By ETHAN DeWITT

New Hampshire cities and towns will be required to provide accessible voting machines for all elections after January 2025, according to a bill signed into law by Gov. Chris Sununu this month.House Bill 1264, signed by Sununu July 3, states that every...

By ETHAN DeWITT

New Hampshire’s Department of Corrections is facing a temporary $3.44 million deficit caused in large part by an increase in overtime payments, according to DOC Commissioner Helen Hanks. Now, as the June 30 end of the state fiscal year approaches,...