The New Hampshire Bulletin won 16 awards at the New Hampshire Press Association’s annual Distinguished Journalism Awards banquet on Thursday night, including Journalist of the Year for William Skipworth. The honors, for stories published in 2025, were presented at the New Hampshire Institute of Politics at St. Anselm College in Manchester.
A portion of Concord’s pine barrens, the only known home in all of New England for the iridescent, endangered Karner blue butterfly, is changing hands. Nearly seven acres of sandy, lupine-laden property adjacent to an existing conservation easement will transfer from private ownership to the New Hampshire Department of Fish and Game after the $575,000 […]
U.S. Sens. Jeanne Shaheen and Maggie Hassan filed legislation this week to increase federal funding to address the opioid crisis to the tune of billions of dollars.
A month after a federal judge struck down a law requiring hard proof of citizenship to register to vote in New Hampshire, the state Attorney General’s Office has requested a stay of the decision while it appeals. On May 28, Judge Samantha Elliott of the U.S. District Court of New Hampshire ruled that the Republican […]
U.S. Rep. Maggie Goodlander introduced legislation Wednesday to ban federal officials, elected and appointed, from trading and owning individual stocks or betting on prediction markets like Kalshi or Polymarket.
Steep, rocky, and unforgiving: Among hikers, New Hampshire’s trail network has a reputation. “When the trails … in New Hampshire were laid out, they were laid out to maximize adventure, challenge,” said Matt Moore, senior operations manager for Appalachian Mountain Club Trails. It’s common for trails in the White Mountains to follow direct routes up […]
When the New England Clean Energy Connect transmission line started carrying electricity from Canada into Maine in January, supporters hailed the project as a triumph for renewable power. Now, after nearly six months of operations, the early numbers raise questions about whether the project will be able to advance the region’s energy transition as much as […]
The U.S. House cleared a bipartisan housing policy overhaul Tuesday, aiming to lower the cost of homeownership as members of both parties attempt to focus on affordability issues ahead of November’s midterm elections. The House passed the bill, 358-32, sending it to President Donald Trump’s desk a day after the Senate’s 85-5 vote.
This story was updated at 4:50 p.m. June 23 to add a statement from North Country Healthcare CEO Tom Mee. New Hampshire Attorney General John Formella announced Tuesday he’s selected retired Circuit Court Administrative Judge David D.
This election season, political donors will be able to contribute more money to New Hampshire political candidates while staying anonymous, under a new law signed by Gov. Kelly Ayotte. Senate Bill 405, which Ayotte signed Friday, raises the total contribution cap for an anonymous donor to $200 per election cycle.
Across New Hampshire, small-business owners are watching their employees’ kids grow up. How nice, right? But it’s at the office, because there’s nowhere else for them to go.
New Hampshire Gov. Kelly Ayotte announced Friday that she signed House Bill 1460 into law, which prohibits the sale of data for a child under the age of 13. HB 1460 bans businesses from selling a child’s online personal data to a third party in New Hampshire.
A Republican effort to keep transgender people out of restrooms, sports teams, and other spaces in New Hampshire that align with their gender identity has again been stymied in the State House’s corner office. Gov. Kelly Ayotte vetoed Senate Bill 552, sometimes called a “bathroom bill,” Friday.
Five years into the state’s education freedom account program, Republican lawmakers are expressing some interest in increasing oversight and clarity over how it operates. In an April letter to the State Board of Education, a bipartisan group of lawmakers called for the board to write more specific descriptions of which programs may receive EFA funding […]
In the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department biennial report submitted to the Governor and Executive Council in October, Executive Director Stephanie Simek wrote: “The Department’s operations continue to serve all who live in and visit New Hampshire. However, our primary funding source — revenues from hunting and fishing licenses — has remained relatively flat […]
New Hampshire's election filing period has ended after candidates spent eight days registering for office at the State House. The filing process is now complete, with candidates and supporters having submitted their candidacy paperwork.
The New Hampshire Executive Council approved a $3.4 million contract with the Community Action Partnership of Hillsborough and Rockingham Counties to continue funding through the next biennium for various childcare workforce, resource, and data collection services the program operates. The contract is paid for entirely with federal funds. The community action partnership holds the contract […]
Earlier this month, New Hampshire legislators took their final regular session vote, marking the end of the state’s 2026 legislative session. While a handful of childcare-related bills are awaiting a final verdict from the governor, about half of the filed bills failed to make it to the end. So far, Gov.
Trash giant Casella Waste Systems has withdrawn an application with the state related to a contested landfill project in the North Country. Some who have fought the Dalton project for years over health, environmental, and economic concerns said the move was a sign that the company has been cowed. But it’s not the first time […]
May housing starts fell to the lowest level since the pandemic disrupted construction six years ago, the U.S. Census Bureau announced Tuesday. Builder confidence has dropped recently because of higher material and financing costs.
When the state Department of Fish and Game proposed an increase to the cost of hunting and fishing licenses earlier this year, the feedback the agency received from hunters and anglers was largely positive, officials said. But shortly after those information-gathering sessions, the department pulled back the changes until at least next year, a move […]
WASHINGTON — U.S. senators from both political parties said Tuesday they had yet to see the text of the deal Trump administration officials struck over the weekend to end the war in Iran, though several indicated any final agreement will require their approval. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said administration officials have signaled they […]
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Education announced sweeping efforts Tuesday to outsource its special education programs and civil rights enforcement to other agencies, in another major step by President Donald Trump’s administration to dismantle the department. The Department of Health and Human Services will administer programs under the Education Department’s Office of Special Education […]
Every week all summer long, a surveillance boat and diver make the rounds on New Hampshire’s Suncook Lake in Belknap County. Kayakers and paddleboarders help, too, heading out in the early morning when the surface is calm to peer into the depths. They’re tracking the progress of an invader the Suncook Lake Association has fought, […]
U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen and the New Hampshire congressional delegation announced that 21 grantees received $9.3 million in federal funding from the Northern Border Regional Commission.
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said Monday he had signed a ceasefire with Iran, moving the two countries one step closer to ending the war that began in February. Trump, speaking from the G7 conference in Europe, said the memorandum of understanding ensures Iran cannot possess a nuclear weapon and clears the way for ships […]
A mile-long dirt road, nestled in the woods on the outskirts of Franconia Notch State Park, separates Gale River Cooperative Preschool from its neighbors. The school is hidden, not just because of the deep woods surrounding it but because it’s located on the grounds of a sleepaway camp. For 10 months out of the year, […]
On Tuesday afternoon, I was walking toward Vanderbilt Avenue in Manhattan when a $5 bill dropped from someone’s pocket and onto a crosswalk along East 42nd Street. “Girl, girl,” a woman a few paces in front of me said, loud enough to rise above the din of the city. “You dropped your money.” The pedestrian […]
Gov. Kelly Ayotte quashed a bipartisan effort to make medicinal marijuana more affordable and available in New Hampshire. Senate Bill 468, sponsored by Loudon Republican Sen.
The Trump administration is determining how to safely remove nuclear materials from Iran following a potential agreement to end hostilities, according to a senior official who emphasized the technical complexity and hazards involved in the operation.
ALEXANDRIA, Va. — A federal judge in the Eastern District of Virginia issued a preliminary injunction Friday halting the Trump administration’s nearly $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization” fund for one week, giving the government time to sign a “clear, unambiguous” agreement that the fund is dead. U.S.
Today, Nenia Ballard is 2026’s Miss Wheelchair New Hampshire, but her early days using the chair were filled with shame. She stopped leaving the house. She didn’t want people to take her photo.
Where will our next generation of bright minds and young talent end up? The good news: about half of the 2,046 new tax filers the Granite State gained between 2022 and 2023 were younger working age adults. This population, age 26 to 44, adds to the state’s labor force and contributes to our local communities and economy.
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration has failed to refund more than $145 billion in tariffs that the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled unlawful, a pair of U.S. Senate Democrats said in a Wednesday letter to the administration’s chief of customs.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services approved New Hampshire’s spending plan for a large tranche of federal money that will go toward rural health initiatives, state officials announced Thursday. New Hampshire received roughly $205 million from the federal government late last year through the federal Rural Health Transformation Program and expects to receive similar […]
WASHINGTON — The head of the Social Security Administration testified before Congress on Wednesday that customer service has drastically improved during the last year, though he declined to offer ways to address the program’s dire financial situation. Commissioner Frank Bisignano instead deferred to lawmakers, who will need to make changes to the safety net program […]
During any response to a public school emergency, Hardy Allen can point to one pattern: “The first thing to break down is always communications.” That risk is especially high in rural areas, when multiple agencies might be responding to a medical or public safety incident and information about the school might be scarce, says Allen, […]
With many students and educators already using widely available artificial intelligence tools, state lawmakers and school districts are playing catch-up on AI policies. In Maryland, for example, AI usage policies for K-12 schools are “all over the map,” Democratic state Sen. Katie Fry Hester said.
A federal judge is set to weigh in on whether New Hampshire’s at-home care program for the elderly and people with physical disabilities is so lackluster it violates federal laws meant to protect people from institutionalization. On Wednesday, Judge Paul Barbadoro of the U.S. District Court of New Hampshire scheduled a trial to begin Nov.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is walking back, for now, a plan to sweep up data on millions of Americans who vote by mail under President Donald Trump’s executive order restricting mail ballots. In a federal court filing Monday night, the Justice Department significantly hedged the data-sharing plan, pulling back from a position the Trump […]
Gov. Kelly Ayotte kicked off 2026 with a call to open New Hampshire to advancement and expansion of nuclear power. Legislators shared her enthusiasm, filing a flurry of nuclear-related bills, three of which ultimately emerged from both chambers this spring.
WASHINGTON — U.S. House Republicans on Tuesday approved three years of funding for immigration enforcement without any new guardrails on how federal agents operate. The 214-212 vote sent the nearly $70 billion package to President Donald Trump, who is expected to sign the measure.
WASHINGTON — A hastily constructed immigrant detention facility on a military base in Texas wasted millions in federal funding and failed to meet basic standards, according to a report released Tuesday by a nonpartisan government watchdog. The report by the Government Accountability Office documenting problems at Camp East Montana is one of the first independent […]
WASHINGTON — Congress must act to shore up Social Security during the next six years to avoid an automatic drop-off in benefits in 2032, according to a report released Tuesday. The annual update on the Old Age and Survivors Insurance trust fund shows that it will “become depleted” in the fourth quarter of that year, […]
William Skipworth, a staff reporter for the New Hampshire Bulletin since January 2025, has won this year’s Livingston Award for Local Reporting for his series on abuse and neglect in the state’s disability care system. Announced Tuesday afternoon at The Yale Club of New York City, the awards recognize outstanding work in local, national, and […]
When a U.S. District Court judge struck down New Hampshire’s proof-of-citizenship voter registration requirement in May, advocates on both sides of the political spectrum responded with emotion. Republicans called the decision an unwarranted blow to a commonsense proposal to require new voters to provide hard evidence of citizenship, with no exceptions.
Every internet search, streamed video, and AI-generated response depends on a data center somewhere. Driven by rapid growth in artificial intelligence, cloud computing, and cryptocurrency, data centers have become the backbone of the modern digital economy. But though their key role is in enabling virtual and remote experiences, data centers are physical buildings in real […]
WASHINGTON — The Pentagon changed course Monday after its removal of dozens of religious denominations from a list of recognized faiths drew intense criticism over the weekend from Utah Republicans incensed by the failure to classify the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as a Christian denomination. U.S. Sen.
When former Executive Councilor Cinde Warmington launched a campaign challenging Republican Gov. Kelly Ayotte, the Democratic candidate was immediately met with loud and persistent accusations that she was an opioid lobbyist, and in the months since those accusations haven’t stopped. “Cinde Warmington spent her career as a lobbyist for the opioid industry, promoting OxyContin and […]
The New Hampshire House and Senate sent three bills to Gov. Kelly Ayotte intended to enable more housing construction, overcoming opposition from the New Hampshire Municipal Association and others. In a series of votes on the last standard session day of the year Thursday, the House and Senate approved final versions of House Bill 1010, […]