N.H. News Recap

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.

As the Trump administration's Department of Government Efficiency, or DODGE, has made sweeping cuts to federal spending, members of New Hampshire's Commission on Government Efficiency, or COGE, are beginning their work — though the panel says it's taking a different approach than its federal counterpart. New Hampshire libraries and arts organizations are bracing for possible 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 the Concord Monitor's Charlotte Matherly and NHPR's Oliva Richardson.

Local immigration lawyers are raising concerns after two people with legal status were recently detained at Boston Logan Airport after traveling internationally. In one of those cases, a person was deported despite having a visa allowing her to work in the US. We hear how one New Hampshire immigration lawyer is advising clients to prepare if they have international travel plans. And the number of ICE detainees at Strafford County Jail has increased since January as the Trump administration commits to mass deportations. We talk with a reporter who visited the jail and followed a program that assists people facing deportation. We discuss these stories and more on this week's edition of the New Hampshire News Recap with reporters Lau Guzmán and Amanda Gokee.

Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen announced this week that she will not run for reelection in 2026. Felice Belman, editor for the New York Times, joins us to talk about what's next for Shaheen and how could her decision affect the upcoming midterm elections. And voters across the state went to the polls this week for town elections. We talk through some of those results with Abigail Ham, reporter for the Keene Sentinel.

President Trump's tariffs on goods from Canada and Mexico were slated to take effect earlier this week, but on Thursday Trump changed course, saying he would give a break to all goods covered by the United States-Mexico-Canada agreement. We hear if energy imports are covered in the exemptions and how tariffs could affect Granite Staters' energy bills. Also: A new lawsuit out of New Hampshire is challenging the Trump administration's ban on diversity, equity and inclusion programs in public schools. The lawsuit alleges the restrictions chill teachers' free speech. We discuss these stories with local reporters Jeremy Margolis from the Concord Monitor and NHPR's Mara Hoplamazian on this week's edition of the New Hampshire News Recap.

New Hampshire's bail system has been the subject of debate among state lawmakers and municipal leaders since it was overhauled back in 2018. A recent case in Manchester has helped bring that debate to the forefront once again. A prison in Berlin will potentially be one of five federal facilities used to hold immigration detainees in the U.S. And New Hampshire farmers are feeling the effects of the Trump administration's federal funding freeze. 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.

The state's Education Freedom Accounts program gives money to families for homeschooling costs or private school tuition. A recent analysis from the Concord Monitor found those funds can go toward a wide range of different expenses, including ski trips and horseback riding. New Hampshire lawmakers are hoping to address a number of concerns related to maternal health this session. And businesses in the state could be losing millions of revenue to due a shortage of child care. We talk about these stories and more on this edition of the New Hampshire News Recap with the Concord Monitor's Jeremy Margolis and the New Hampshire Bulletin's Will Skipworth.

Two New Hampshire high school students are challenging President Trump's transgender sports ban. The students are also fighting the state's version of the ban in federal court. Gov. Kelly Ayotte presented her budget proposal to the New Hampshire Legislature this week. And a new state law allows New Hampshire voters to cap school funding in their local districts. 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.

State advisory panels on policing and diversity initiatives are no more after former Gov. Chris Sununu rescinded over a hundred executive orders before he left office. And a state lawmaker is apologizing after making derogatory comments about victims of abuse at the state's youth detention facility. Republican Rep. Ken Weyler said victims may have brought abuse on themselves and didn't deserve settlement payments from the state to compensate them. We discuss these stories and more on this week's edition of the New Hampshire News Recap with Steven Porter of the Boston Globe NHPR's Paul Cuno-Booth.

New Hampshire schools and hospitals are figuring out how they'll respond if immigration enforcement comes to their grounds. This comes after the Trump administration lifted protections on schools and other areas from immigration operations, including arrests. And a Trump administration directive that would freeze federal grants and assistance was rescinded this week. We hear about New Hampshire nonprofits who would have been affected by the order. We discuss these stories and more with NHPR reporters Olivia Richardson and Paul Cuno-Booth.

A New Hampshire nonprofit is one of three organizations suing President Donald Trump and other government agencies over efforts to end birthright citizenship. The ACLU of New Hampshire, as well as the groups affiliates in Massachusetts and Maine, are representing the plaintiffs. And the cost of public education in New Hampshire is rising, even as student enrollment continues to decline. 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.

New Hampshire legislators are considering immigration enforcement as the incoming Trump administration promises to carry out a mass deportation of immigrants when he's in office. How could these state proposals affect New Hampshire's labor force? And Granite Staters rallied outside the State House earlier this week, calling on lawmakers to fund special education programs. We discuss these stories and more on this week's edition of the New Hampshire News Recap with NHPR's Annmarie Timmins and Lau Guzmán.

Gov. Kelly Ayotte officially took office this week and gave her first inaugural address. She touched on many different issues in her speech – from the state budget, to education and housing. We discuss her message to Granite Staters. And state officials have approved the acquisition of Catholic Medical Center by HCA Healthcare. We hear what this means for the state of the healthcare industry in New Hampshire on this edition of the NH News Recap with reporters Ethan DeWitt and Paul Cuno-Booth.

Voters turned out in record breaking numbers in New Hampshire's general elections this November. Students across the country and here in New Hampshire took to college campuses this spring to protest Israel's war in Gaza. Communities across the state continue to recover from multiple flooding events. We look back on these top stories and more from 2024 in this edition of the New Hampshire News Recap with NHPR reporters Josh Rogers, Olivia Richardson and Mara Hoplamazian.

In the new year, a former New Hampshire prison guard will stand trial for murder. State prosecutors say he killed a man in a prison psychiatric unit by restraining him in a dangerous way. But this wasn't the first time someone in this unit with serious mental illness died after being held down by officers. And in that case, the state denies any wrongdoing. NHPR reporter Paul Cuno-Booth digs into the case on a special edition of the New Hampshire News Recap.

The Republican-controlled New Hampshire Legislature picked its leaders this week. And House representatives voted this week to create a new committee dedicated to the state's housing crisis. Lawyers for state Supreme Court Justice Anna Barbara Hantz Marconi asked a lower court judge this week to toss out her corruption case. We talk about these stories and more on this edition of the New Hampshire News Recap with Boston Globe's Steven Porter and Concord Monitor's Michaela Towfighi.

New Hampshire agencies are facing potential funding cuts in the next state budget. That includes Fish and Game, which is already facing significant financial challenges. And it's unusually dry in New Hampshire this November, a time of year when drought is relatively uncommon. We talk about these stories and more on this edition of the New Hampshire News Recap with NHPR's Mara Hoplamazian and New Hampshire Bulletin's Claire Sullivan.

One year ago this Sunday, Bradley Haas, a security guard at New Hampshire Hospital, was killed when a former patient walked into the lobby and opened fire. Moments later, a state trooper shot and killed the gunman, John Madore. The tragedy prompted calls to reform New Hampshire's gun laws and security measures at public buildings. In this edition of the NH News Recap, we look at where those efforts stand now with NHPR's Paul Cuno-Booth and Annmarie Timmins.

Voters turned out in record numbers this week to cast their ballots. New Hampshire Democrats won the federal races, while Republicans claimed victory at the State House. We dive into the election results on this edition of the New Hampshire News Recap with the Boston Globe's Amanda Gokee and the New Hampshire Bulletin's Ethan DeWitt.

Voters across New Hampshire will head to the polls on Tuesday to cast their ballots for president, the state's next governor and more. In this edition of the New Hampshire News Recap, we discuss the top issues on voters' minds ahead of the election. We also discuss the latest updates from the campaign trail with NHPR's Josh Rogers, Anna Brown, director of Citizens Count and the Rudman Center at UNH Law, and Manchester Ink Link's Carol Robidoux.

As Election Day nears, candidates are trying to mobilize voters with campaign events and high profile endorsements. And Gov. Chris Sununu says new allegations about Donald Trump's support for authoritarians don't change his support for the former president. We discuss these stories and more on this edition of the NH News Recap with NHPR's Josh Rogers and InDepthNH's Paula Tracy.

The longtime head of New Hampshire's Port Authority, Geno Marconi, has been indicted for alleged witness tampering, retaliation and other charges. His wife, Anna Barbara Hantz Marconi was also indicted this week for allegedly trying to intervene in that investigation. She is a New Hampshire Supreme Court Justice. And former state Sen. Andy Sanborn was also indicted this week for allegedly stealing pandemic relief funding. We talk about these stories and more with New Hampshire Bulletin's Ethan DeWitt and Boston Globe's Amanda Gokee.

In less than a month Granite Staters will elect a new governor. Former Manchester Mayor Joyce Craig and former US Senator Kelly Ayotte are vying for the corner office, and we hear the top issues they're campaigning on as they work to sway voters. And the Keene Board of Education met this week to discuss possible changes to its lunch debt policy. Advocates have raised concerns that Keene's middle and high schools could withhold food from students who have lunch debt. We discuss these stories on this week's edition of the New Hampshire News Recap with NHPR's Josh Rogers and the Keene Sentinel's James Rinker.

A group of parents is suing the Bow School District after officials barred two of them from school grounds for protesting transgender athletes' participation in girls' sports. And the city of Manchester has passed an ordinance regulating syringe service programs. It's the first municipality in the state to do so. Manchester Public Health Director Anna Thomas says harm reduction initiatives have reduced overdoses by 25% and fatalities by 44% over the past two years. We talk about these stories and more on this edition of the New Hampshire News Recap with NHPR's Lau Guzmán and Concord Monitor's Sruthi Gopalakrishnan.

The legal fight over how the state funds its schools continues as the New Hampshire Supreme Court takes up two separate lawsuits. The plaintiffs claim claim the current funding model is unfair to school districts and taxpayers and that the state is not providing an "adequate education." Republican and Democratic lawmakers are also weighing in. And with the cost of buying or renting a home in New Hampshire more expensive than ever, affordable housing is a top issue in the state political races this year — especially in the race for governor. New Hampshire Bulletin's Ethan DeWitt and NHPR's Josh Rogers join us for this edition of the NH News Recap.

A new voter ID law has already faced its first legal challenge. Gov. Chris Sununu signed the law just a week ago. It would require people to show proof of citizenship and residency when they register to vote at the polls. Exeter Hospital says it will stop offering certain services in just a couple weeks. The state attorney general says the hospital isn't being fully transparent about the decision. We hear how this is affecting patients on this week's edition of the New Hampshire News Recap with NHPR reporters Todd Bookman and Paul Cuno-Booth.

The race for governor, congressional seats and offices at the state and local level are now set; we have a look ahead to the November election. Also: a criminal trial tied to the YDC abuse scandal ends with a hung jury- and new reporting from NHPR reveals one of the witnesses who testified is himself accused of abuse. NHPR's Josh Rogers and Jason Moon report.

Vice President Kamala Harris made a campaign stop in North Hampton this week. It's her first visit to New Hampshire since President Joe Biden dropped out of the race and she became a presidential candidate. And the New Hampshire state primary is coming up this Tuesday. There are many competitive contests on both the Democratic and Republican sides of the ballot. We run through these latest stories with NHPR's Todd Bookman and Citizens Count's Anna Brown.

The Democratic primary for New Hampshire's 2nd Congressional District has largely been about the biographies and competing resumes of the two leading candidates, Colin Van Ostern and Maggie Goodlander. What are they choosing to say, emphasize and deemphasize as they campaign? And New Hampshire has seen increasingly dangerous flooding events in recent years, placing financial strain on towns and cities, especially those that have sustained damage multiple times. Financial assistance is available through the federal government, but some communities are falling through the cracks. NHPR's Josh Rogers and Keene Sentinel's Sophia Keshmiri join us this week to share their reporting.

Democratic National Convention delegates celebrated in Chicago last night as Vice President Kamala Harris officially accepted the party's nomination for president. JJ Dega, a rising junior at Dartmouth, tells us about his experience at the DNC as a first-time delegate representing New Hampshire. And the families of two transgender teenage girls are suing the state over a law preventing them from playing on girls sports teams. NHPR 's Paul Cuno-Booth reports a judge ruled this week that one of the girls can continue playing on her soccer team for now. We discuss these stories and more on this week's edition of the New Hampshire News Recap.

A school board in Lempster has filed suit against the state of New Hampshire, alleging it has established a pattern of overstepping its authority. And the housing market continues to be a nightmare for buyers in New Hampshire with the latest median home price at over $500,000. Manufactured housing is supposed to be a more affordable option for those looking to own, but those associated costs are also going up. We talk about these stories and more on this edition of the New Hampshire News Recap with the Boston Globe's Steven Porter and the Concord Monitor's Michaela Towfighi.

A new law will ban products for sale in New Hampshire that intentionally include PFAS chemicals, starting in 2027. The man-made chemicals have been linked to adverse health effects, including certain kinds of cancer. And new data requested by the ACLU of New Hampshire shows almost no illegal migrant crossings at the New Hampshire-Canada border in recent months. The group says the data show ramped up law enforcement at the border is unnecessary. Attorney General John Formella called the data a “tunnel vision approach.” We discuss these stories and more on this week's edition of the New Hampshire Recap with New Hampshire Bulletin Reporter Claire Sullivan and Boston Globe reporter Amanda Gokee.

Chuck Morse and Kelly Ayotte are seeking the Republican Party nomination for governor. They both have endorsed — and have said they'd welcome being endorsed — by Donald Trump. But their support of the former president hasn't always been so strong. And the state has long dealt with a shortage of mental health care providers, but that shortage is really taking a toll on children who need help. We talk about these stories and more with NHPR's Josh Rogers and Paul Cuno-Booth.