N.H. News Recap

The Midterm elections will be upon us soon, and some campaigns are gaining traction here in New Hampshire. A federal court issued a ruling this week that ends the Trump administration's ban on diversity and equity initiatives in public schools, including here in New Hampshire. And Republican lawmakers are backing a bill that would allow students to attend any public school in the state. We talk about these stories and more on this edition of the New Hampshire News Recap with NHPR's Josh Rogers and Annmarie Timmins.

Gov. Kelly Ayotte has long denied knowing anything about Immigration and Customs Enforcement's plan for a detention facility in Merrimack. But at a U.S. Senate hearing Thursday, ICE director Todd Lyons told New Hampshire Sen. Maggie Hassan his agency had been in contact with the governor. Thursday night, Ayotte released an additional statement that she now has documents on the facility from the Department of Homeland Security. These updates come after other communication gaps within Ayotte's administration about the facility. We discuss these stories and more on this week's edition of the NH News Recap with reporter William Skipworth at the New Hampshire Bulletin and NHPR's Annmarie Timmins.

The latest batch of Epstein files include dozens of records about the relationship between Jeffrey Epstein, the convicted sex offender, and New Hampshire businessman Dean Kamen. The board of directors for ARMI, the government-funded Manchester research project led by Kamen, says it will investigate its founder. Newly revealed documents show some state officials had known for weeks about federal plans for an immigrant detention facility in Merrimack. And the Gov. Kelly Ayotte gave her second State of the State address this week. We talk about these stories and more with NHPR's Todd Bookman and Kate Dario.

Senators reached a deal Thursday to avoid a government shutdown. The deal funds most of the government, and also gives Republicans and Democrats time to negotiate on future funding for the Department of Homeland Security. At the center of the negotiations is the federal immigration crackdown across the country and criticisms of Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers, who shot and killed a U.S. citizen, Alex Pretti, in Minneapolis last weekend. We hear how New Hampshire's congressional delegation is responding to the immigration crackdown around the country. In New Hampshire, Gov. Kelly Ayotte said this week she's reached out to the White House and the Department of Homeland Security, saying the town of Merrimack should have a say on ICE's alleged proposal to establish a detention facility there. And a federal judge blocked New Hampshire from ending annual mandatory auto inspections, which were supposed to permanently end starting in February. We discuss these stories on this week's edition of the New Hampshire News Recap with NHPR's Josh Rogers and Mara Hoplamazian.

Reports of Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Manchester schools spread across social media and within local communities this week. The Manchester School District says it has not received any substantiated reports of ICE activity, but would continue to monitor the situation. And earlier in January, federal officials dropped the number of vaccines recommended for children. Now it's up to the state as to whether it will adopt those same recommendations. At the same time, New Hampshire lawmakers are considering proposals to eliminate some or all vaccination requirements for children. We talk about these stories and more on this edition of the New Hampshire News Recap with NHPR's Lau Guzmán and the Boston Globe's Amanda Gokee.

Protests have erupted in Minneapolis and across the country this week in opposition to tactics used by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement or ICE. How active is the federal agency here in New Hampshire? State lawmakers repealed the death penalty in New Hampshire in 2019. Now some lawmakers are looking to bring it back. We talk about these stories and more on this edition of the New Hampshire News Recap with NHPR's Josh Rogers and the Boston Globe's Steven Porter.

Two New Hampshire courts have told the Legislature that it needs to increase the amount of money the state spends per public school student. But in the first meeting of the legislative session this week, lawmakers voted against doing so. And the Trump administration has frozen child care funding in several states amid allegations of fraud in Minnesota, but Gov. Kelly Ayotte told child care providers this week funding hasn't paused here in New Hampshire. We discuss these stories on this week's edition of the New Hampshire News Recap with NHPR reporter Annmarie Timmins and Ethan DeWitt from the New Hampshire Bulletin.

It's been a busy year in politics with Donald Trump's return to the White House bringing sweeping federal funding cuts and an aggressive anti-immigration agenda to New Hampshire. The state also saw the start of Kelly Ayotte's first term as governor. As we near the end of 2025, we're recapping the some of the year's top headlines with NHPR's Josh Rogers, Annmarie Timmins and Lau Guzmán.

Parts of New Hampshire have been under extreme drought conditions this year. This summer was the driest on record in the state, and that's led to more than 200 households with dry wells. What's the state doing in response? And state lawmakers won't officially head back to Concord until next month, but Gov. Kelly Ayotte and leaders in both parties are starting to lay out their priorities. We talk about these stories and more on this edition of the New Hampshire News Recap with NHPR's Josh Rogers and New Hampshire Bulletin's Molly Rains.

The Disability Rights Center in New Hampshire is investigating the state's disability care system following reporting from the New Hampshire Bulletin, which revealed allegations of systemic abuse and neglect. Congressional Republicans made some significant changes to Medicaid this year, but they need states like New Hampshire to figure out a system for implementing those changes. We discuss these stories and more on this week's edition of the NH News Recap with New Hampshire Bulletin reporter William Skipworth and NHPR's Kate Dario.

The Trump administration has dismantled the U.S. Department of Education and its special education offices. What effect could this have on programs for children here in New Hampshire? And New Hampshire's education system is facing budgetary challenges at every level. How are these schools working to bridge gaps in funding? We talk about these stories and more on this edition of the New Hampshire News Recap with NHPR's Annmarie Timmins and New Hampshire Bulletin's Ethan DeWitt.

Congress voted this week to end the longest government shutdown in U.S. history. New Hampshire's Senators Jeanne Shaheen and Maggie Hassan helped negotiate the deal with Republicans. Representatives Chris Pappas and Maggie Goodlander voted against the measure in the House, dividing the state's all-Democratic congressional delegation. And an investigation by the New Hampshire Bulletin into a series of tragedies has exposed a pattern of abuse and neglect in the state's intellectual and developmental disability care system. We discuss these stories on this week's edition of the New Hampshire News Recap with NHPR's Josh Rogers and New Hampshire Bulletin reporter William Skipworth.

The New Hampshire Department of Justice is reviewing a series of personnel maneuvers that allowed a top state court employee to collect nearly $50,000 in employment benefits following a layoff that lasted just 48 hours. And New Hampshire voters made their way to the polls in municipal elections this week. Several incumbent mayors were reelected. We talk through the results and more on this edition of the New Hampshire News Recap with NHPR's Todd Bookman and Josh Rogers.

Starting Saturday, federal nutrition benefits, also known as SNAP, will pause due to the ongoing federal government shutdown. Tens of thousands of Granite Staters are set to lose their benefits and local food pantries are bracing for a surge in demand. The U.S Drug Enforcement Administration claimed it arrested 171 high-level members of Mexico's Sinaloa Cartel in New England this August. In Franklin, New Hampshire alone, there were 27 arrests. But an investigation from the Boston Globe's Spotlight team found many of those arrested were instead low-level offenders with little to no link to the drug cartel. We talk about these stories and more on this edition of the New Hampshire News Recap with NHPR's Kate Dario, Josh Rogers and the Boston Globe's Steven Porter.

As the federal shutdown continues, people across the country, including here in New Hampshire are feeling the effects. To make up for delayed funds, the state is planning to provide support for the 75,000 residents who rely on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or SNAP. Dartmouth College has rejected a compact with the Trump administration. It was one of nine colleges and universities asked to sign the agreement. The school said it wouldn't trade academic freedom for federal funding. We discuss these stories and more on this week's edition of the New Hampshire News Recap with NHPR reporters Kate Dario and Annmarie Timmins.

Tensions between Gov. Kelly Ayotte and members of the state's Executive Council boiled over this week, as the council tabled more than 20 state contracts to protest what they say is a withholding of information by the governor. And the Claremont School District continues to grapple with $5 million budget deficit. Republicans in Concord debated this week over how much the state should step in to help out. We talk about these stories and more on this edition of the New Hampshire News Recap with the New Hampshire Bulletin's Ethan DeWitt and Keene Sentinel's Rick Green.

New Hampshire Supreme Court Justice Anna Barbara Hantz Marconi has been found guilty of misusing her position. She pleaded no contest Tuesday to the allegation that she tried to improperly influence former Gov. Chris Sununu, but she'll also be able to return to her seat on the state Supreme Court. And this year the New Hampshire Supreme Court ruled that the amount the state currently pays per student to public schools is not enough — not by thousands of dollars per student. The court didn't say how the state should fix its funding problem or give a timeline for when that should happen. But some state lawmakers say they have ideas on how to solve the issue. One such idea includes increasing property taxes. We discuss these stories and more on this week's edition of the New Hampshire News Recap with NHPR reporter Todd Bookman and Ethan DeWitt at the New Hampshire Bulletin.

There are over 9,000 federal employees working here in New Hampshire, and a number of services and programs that could be disrupted under this federal government shutdown. At the heart of the shutdown is a fight over health policy. Democrats are seeking to continue health insurance subsidies established through the Affordable Care Act. Republicans say there's time to negotiate on those subsidies later. In New Hampshire, marketplace experts are preparing people to expect higher health care premiums whether or not subsidies through the Affordable Care Act are extended. We talk about these stories and more on this edition of the New Hampshire News Recap with the Boston Globe's Amanda Gokee and NHPR's Olivia Richardson.

The U.S. Department of Justice is suing New Hampshire and five other states for access to confidential voting records. Months ago the DOJ asked New Hampshire for the data and Secretary of State David Scanlan denied the request. And the Trump administration abruptly ended funding for two programs that are helping over 5,000 New Hampshire students pursue college and careers. We discuss these stories and more on this week's edition of the New Hampshire News Recap with NHPR reporters Todd Bookman, Kate Dario and Annmarie Timmins.

The murder of right-wing political commentator Charlie Kirk has sent shockwaves across the country. Here in New Hampshire, his assassination is leading to a crack down from conservatives on what they perceive as left-wing ideology in public schools. We follow the local response to Kirk's murder on this edition of the New Hampshire News Recap with NHPR's Annmarie Timmins and the Boston Globe's Steven Porter.

After 40 years, the high-profile cold case known as the Bear Brook murders has now been solved. But in solving it, investigators have revealed new mysteries. The case has loomed large in the state for decades, baffling investigators, journalists and sleuths on the internet. And much of New Hampshire is in a drought right now according to the latest report from the U.S. Drought Monitor. After a wet spring, the summer has been anything but. That's led to some communities restricting water use, and farmers struggling to keep crops and animals watered and fed. We discuss these stories on this week's edition of the New Hampshire News Recap with NHPR reporters Jason Moon and Kate Dario.

The Claremont School Board has authorized a bank loan that will cover some daily expenses as the district faces a $1 to $5 million deficit. Meanwhile another New Hampshire town, Pittsfield, is also facing a budget shortfall of over a million dollars And a federal judge temporarily blocked a state law that would cut funding for schools that pursue diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. The decision pushes off a deadline the Department of Education set for when schools need to report if they've had any contracts or policies involving DEI. We discuss these stories and more on this week's edition of the New Hampshire News Recap with Concord Monitor reporters Jeremy Margolis and Sruthi Gopalakrishnan.

New Hampshire is among the states targeted by the U.S. Department of Justice seeking information about its voting system. That includes the state's voter registration list. New Hampshire election officials have refused to hand over that information to the federal government, and now they are rejecting yet another request from the feds. As the Trump administration is weighing whether to deploy National Guard troops to additional American cities, Republican governors around the country are mobilizing troops at the president's request. What has Gov. Kelly Ayotte said about sending soldiers from New Hampshire? We talk about these stories and more on this edition of the New Hampshire News Recap with NHPR's Todd Bookman and the Boston Globe's Amanda Gokee.

A superior court judge ruled this week that the state is underfunding both general and special education. This follows another ruling by the state Supreme Court earlier this summer that also determined New Hampshire isn't spending enough. But both that court and the judge in this case left it to the Legislature to take next steps. So what does this actually mean moving forward? We talk about this story and more on this edition of the New Hampshire News Recap with NHPR's Annmarie Timmins and New Hampshire Bulletin's Ethan DeWitt.

A land sale in Nashua earlier this year is now sparking rumors and misinformation online and across the city. A Chinese bottling company purchased an industrial property in January leading to speculation about the deal on social media. And New Hampshire ranks last in the country in spending on public higher education. At the same time, universities and other education institutions are undergoing funding cuts from both the state and federal governments. We talk about these stories and more on this edition of the New Hampshire News Recap with NHPR's Kate Dario and Annmarie Timmins.

Concord Police are leading the investigation into a neo-Nazi group's actions in the city last weekend. The Attorney General's Civil Rights Unit is also monitoring as the group's appearance has been condemned by municipal and state political leaders. Many families are taking interest in New Hampshire's expanded school choice program as we near the upcoming school year. Fall enrollment has reached the 10,000 cap and nearly 300 students are on a waitlist. We talk about these stories and more on this edition of the New Hampshire News Recap with the Boston Globe's Steven Porter and New Hampshire Bulletin's Will Skipworth.

A dozen local law enforcement agencies, including state police, have signed agreements with Immigration and Customs Enforcement in the last six months to add some of those federal duties on their beat. Federally, these agreements are part of a push to increase immigration enforcement. And Gov. Kelly Ayotte's pick for New Hampshire's next education commissioner received broad political support during her confirmation this week. Caitlin Davis said she'd support public education and evaluate the programs established by outgoing Commissioner Frank Edelblut. We talk about these stories and more on this edition of the New Hampshire News Recap with NHPR's Lau Guzmán and the Boston Globe's Steven Porter.

Some Granite Staters are raising concerns about how ICE agents are operating in their communities. The concerns follow apparent detentions of people in Manchester and Portsmouth this month. A video circulating this week shows a man being arrested outside a Manchester courthouse this week, and in Portsmouth, four restaurant workers were detained by ICE agents earlier this month. A new person will soon be deciding the settlement awards given to alleged victims of abuse at the state's youth detention facility. Current state settlement administrator John Broderick recently announced he'll be leaving the job. We discuss these stories and more on this week's edition of the New Hampshire News Recap with NHPR's Lau Guzmán and the Boston Globe's Amanda Gokee.

Gov. Kelly Ayotte vetoed several Republican-backed bills this week that addressed key priorities for conservatives in her party. That includes a bill that would have rolled back civil rights protections for transgender people in the state and a bill that would have allowed parents to request books be removed from their child's school. New Hampshire real estate developer Robynne Alexander admitted in court this week that she had defrauded at least 25 investors of more than $3 million. One of those deals involved 217 acres in Laconia that former Gov. Chris Sununu had chosen to sell her for $21.5 million. We discuss these stories and more on this week's edition of the NH News Recap with NHPR's Annmarie Timmins and New Hampshire Bulletin reporter Ethan DeWitt.

A federal judge in Concord has blocked President Trump's executive order restricting birthright citizenship nationwide. And funding cuts on the federal and state levels continue to threaten social programs. We talk about these stories and more on this edition of the New Hampshire News Recap with NHPR's Olivia Richardson and Boston Globe's Amanda Gokee.

State lawmakers voted to pass a two year spending plan for the state on Thursday. They worked right up to the deadline to pass the budget after Gov. Kelly Ayotte and Republican State House leaders reached a deal to avoid a veto from the governor. We discuss what's in the budget — and what got cut — and more top headlines on this week's edition of the New Hampshire News Recap with reporter Amanda Gokee from the Boston Globe and NHPR's Josh Rogers.

House and Senate negotiators completed work on a new state spending plan for the full legislature to vote on next week. As soon as they were done, Gov. Kelly Ayotte said she couldn't support it, and would veto the proposal. As we near the end of the current legislative session, we have an update from the State House with NHPR's senior political reporter Josh Rogers.

As the New Hampshire Legislature approaches the end of this year's session, first-term Gov. Kelly Ayotte can point to political success on a number of issues, including parental rights, immigration enforcement and school choice. The state Supreme Court has ruled that New Hampshire's long-standing practice of using a statewide property tax to pay for education is largely legal. We talk about these stories and more on this edition of the New Hampshire News Recap with NHPR's Josh Rogers and Annmarie Timmins.

The state Senate passed its two year spending plan Thursday. The nearly $16 billion budget reverses several deep spending cuts made by the New Hampshire House, restoring some funds for Medicaid and the state's public university system. The Senate also voted to expand New Hampshire's school voucher program and ban state and local governments from having DEI policies. We dive into the Senate's budget on this edition of the New Hampshire News Recap with Boston Globe reporter Steven Porter and Ethan DeWitt from the New Hampshire Bulletin.

A new law signed by Gov. Kelly Ayotte grants the gun manufacturer Sig Sauer immunity from some lawsuits in New Hampshire. Market Basket's board of directors is investigating its CEO, and has placed him on administrative leave. And there's a lot happening at the State House in Concord right now as lawmakers near the end of the legislative session. We talk about some of the bills you might've missed on this edition of the New Hampshire News Recap with NHPR's Todd Bookman and the New Hampshire Bulletin's Will Skipworth.

New Hampshire's top corrections official resigned this week without explanation ending a more than two decade career with the department. Commissioner Helen Hanks oversaw the Department of Corrections for eight years until this week. Tensions had been brewing between Hanks and top New Hampshire Republicans. And the number of Canadians visiting the U.S. declined in recent months and state officials are expecting a drop in tourists from our northern neighbors this summer. Parts of New Hampshire rely on tourist spending in the summertime. We discuss how a drop in Canadian tourists could affect local municipalities on this edition of the New Hampshire News Recap with Concord Monitor reporter Charlotte Matherly and NHPR's Josh Rogers.

Gov. Kelly Ayotte recently signed a law making New Hampshire the first state to authorize its treasury to purchase Bitcoin. What's driving efforts here to make the state more attractive for cryptocurrency businesses? And top House Republicans have accused New Hampshire's public universities and colleges of admitting undocumented individuals as students at the exclusion of legal New Hampshire residents. But the most recent enrollment numbers show a total of three students — out of 22,000 —would be considered undocumented or part of the federal DACA program. NHPR's Josh Rogers and Annmarie Timmins join us for this edition of the New Hampshire News Recap.

The state could lose over $80 million in federal grant money for health programs, and funding for university research is also on the chopping block as the Trump administration continues to make cuts. Gov. Kelly Ayotte and Republican lawmakers continue to be at odds over the next state budget as they work to resolve a shortfall. We talk about these stories and more on this edition of the New Hampshire News Recap with Boston Globe's Amanda Gokee and New Hampshire Bulletin's Ethan DeWitt.

Lawmakers are crafting the state's budget for the next two years, and one area facing a shortfall is the settlement fund for alleged victims of abuse at the state's Youth Development Center. How does that settlement process work, and what would happen if lawmakers don't fund it? We hear from the settlement fund's administrator, former New Hampshire Supreme Court Chief Justice John Broderick. We also speak with NHPR's Annmarie Timmins about some of the politics surrounding the fund during the budget process. She also discusses how a federal judge in Concord temporarily blocked the Trump administration's restriction on DEI in schools. We discuss these stories on this week's edition of the New Hampshire News Recap.

New Hampshire lawmakers have proposed significant spending cuts as the state faces a shortfall in the next budget. Among those cuts, is a proposal to eliminate the Office of the Child Advocate, an independent watchdog agency that oversees the state's treatment of at-risk youth. House budget writers have also proposed moving around funds originally meant for helping people living with opioid addiction. We talk about these stories and more on this edition of the New Hampshire News Recap with NHPR's Paul Cuno-Booth and New Hampshire Bulletin's William Skipworth.

Kelly Ayotte is approaching her 100-day mark as New Hampshire governor. NHPR's Josh Rogers talks about what kind of a start she's made to her first term. A New England real estate attorney and U.S. citizen says he and his wife are pursuing legal action after they were detained at the Vermont-Canadian border without explanation. Bachir Atallah says he was handcuffed and then held by Customs and Border Patrol for several hours last weekend. Bachir and his sister Celine Atallah joined NHPR's Rick Ganley to talk about his experience. Celine is an immigration attorney here in New England.

The New Hampshire House passed its version of the state budget this week that includes deep spending cuts and eliminates state jobs. The spending plan will now go to the Senate for review. Students at universities across the country, and here in New Hampshire, have lost their immigration status abruptly in the last week, affecting their ability to work and conduct research. We talk about these stories and more on this edition of the New Hampshire News Recap with NHPR's Josh Rogers and Lau Guzmán.

Congressman Chris Pappas announced this week he's running for the U.S. Senate seat currently held by Sen. Jeanne Shaheen. Shaheen announced last month that she won't be seeking election. The New Hampshire House Finance Committee voted this week to make steep cuts to government spending in its proposed state budget for the next two years. We discuss these stories with NHPR senior political reporter Josh Rogers. And the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has tapped Mark Sanborn to be the next Regional Administrator for New England. Sanborn will be in charge of advancing the Trump administration's environmental agenda across New England states and federally recognized Tribal Nations. Rick Ganley speaks with him about his goals in his new position.