Newscast

Attorney General Denies State Violating Federal Law

Amy Quinton — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 22:33:10 +0000

New Hampshire is denying claims made by the U-S Department of Justice that the state is violating the Americans with Disabilities Act.

The Attorney General’s Office issued a formal response to the findings Tuesday.

The U-S Department of Justice concluded in April that the state was violating federal law in the way it treats the mentally ill.

It criticized the state for failing to provide adequate community-based services, leading to prolonged stays at the state hospital.

New Hampshire One of Healthiest States In Nation

Amy Quinton — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 21:04:51 +0000

A new report shows New Hampshire is again among the healthiest states in the nation.

But health officials say there is still room for improvement.

The United Health Foundation’s report looked at a variety of health issues, including heart disease deaths, cancer rates, premature births and access to health insurance.

New Hampshire was ranked second healthiest, an improvement from third last year.

The state scored well because of its low percentage of children in poverty, low crime rate, and high use of prenatal care and immunizations.

Cain's a No-Show for Union Leader Interview

Jon Greenberg — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 23:47:50 +0000

Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain is facing questions about why he didn’t show up for a Union Leader editorial board interview.

According to the Union Leader, an hour-long interview with Herman Cain was confirmed on Tuesday. The newspaper agreed not to videotape the interview.

Cain spokesman J.D. Gordon says the campaign then told the Union Leader the candidate could not take a full hour.

"We wanted to do the ed board for 20 minutes. But the Union Leader decided that wasn’t worth it so they cancelled it this morning.”

Occupy New Hampshire Hits Peterborough

Donna Moxley — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 23:25:25 +0000

People from across southwestern New Hampshire gathered at a park in Peterborough Thursday to rally for the job creation and improvement to the state’s roads and bridges.

As part of a national protest, more than 100 New Hampshire residents turned out in Peterborough to declare an “economic emergency” for the ninety nine percent.

They focused on the country’s decaying transportation infrastructure and high unemployment rate, Peterborough resident Joe Graley urged Congress to pass President Obama’s jobs plan

Governor Tours Highway Improvements

Roger Wood — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 21:49:44 +0000

Governor John Lynch got a first hand look at two major projects on the Spaulding Turnpike in Southern New Hampshire.

Shaky Outlook for NH Economy

Sam Evans-Brown — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 18:28:50 +0000

A forecast released today warns that the New Hampshire economy is skating on thin ice. The report from the New England Economic Partnership says that acceleration from private-sector job creation has been partially offset by a shrinking public sector.

Cain Returns To N.H.

Josh Rogers — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 16:13:04 +0000

Republican Herman Cain is back in NH today. The visit is his first since early October. NHPR’s Josh Rogers reports.

A lot has changed for Herman Cain in the last 5 weeks. The former businessman has faced sexual harassment allegations, and was videoed as he struggled to answer a basic policy question on Libya. Cain told reporters in Concord that he remains strong in the polls and said getting out of the race was never an option.

NH Delegation Pressuring Supercommittee

Matt Laslo — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 22:02:23 +0000

New Hampshire lawmakers are trying to pressure the so-called “supercommittee” to exceed its goal of cutting $1.2 trillion from the debt, but the special panel remains grid locked as it nears its end date. If the supercommittee fails to reach a bipartisan solution by next Wednesday, deep spending cuts are supposed to fall on nearly the entire federal budget.

Some lawmakers want to scrap that agreement to protect the Pentagon’s budget and other favorite spending items.

Berlin Prison Funding Likely This Week, Shaheen Predicts

Chris Jensen — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 20:35:40 +0000

The new federal prison in Berlin – which has been sitting empty – could finally be funded this week, providing a huge economic boost to the North Country. NHPR’s Chris Jensen reports.

Funding for the federal prison in Berlin is likely to be approved this week, according to Sen. Jeanne Shaheen.

“We’re very excited because there has been an agreement reached between the House and Senate on the bill that includes funding for the Berlin prison.”

Shaheen sees it as a done deal.

Northern Pass Eyes Part Of The Balsams

Chris Jensen — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 20:24:16 +0000

The Northern Pass hydro-electric project is interested in buying a section of land associated with The Balsams Resort. If such a sale went through it’s likely to create a furor in the North Country. NHPR’s Chris Jensen reports.

One of the companies interested in purchasing a slice of the Balsams resort in Dixville Notch is Northern Pass.

“They have identified land that they would like.”

That’s Tom Deans.

He’s the president of the Tillotson Corporation. It has been hoping to stem financial losses by selling the resort.

Perry Plays Up Outsider Role

Jon Greenberg — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 19:57:48 +0000

Texas governor Rick Perry is stumping in the state today. The Republican presidential hopeful urged workers at a manufacturing plant in Manchester to put pressure on congress to change.

Rick Perry has been targeting the Washington establishment in recent days. He issued a plan to cut the salaries of senators and congressmen in half. Asked how he would get congress to go along, he said the public would need to browbeat them into agreement.

Perry said the counties around DC are some of the wealthiest in the country.

O'Brien Signals Conditional Support for Lynch Ed. Plan

Tue, 15 Nov 2011 23:38:44 +0000

House Speaker Bill O’Brien says he could get behind the education funding constitutional amendment proposed by the governor. The Speaker’s support comes with one caveat.

House Speaker Bill O’Brien says he’s not thrilled with the language included in Governor Lynch’s education funding constitutional amendment.

He believes it gives the courts too much oversight.

But O’Brien says he’s open-minded, provided this is truly a bi-partisan proposal.

House Democrats Warn of GOP Agenda

Tue, 15 Nov 2011 22:30:45 +0000

House Democrats are raising alarms that a handful of bills they oppose could be voted on later this month. The announcement comes before lawmakers return to Concord November 30^th.

Speaker Bill O’Brien has taken the unusual step to call the full House together several times this fall already. The chamber is returning in two weeks to take up education funding constitutional amendments.

Democrats say they aren’t sure if Republicans will use that session day to push a number of controversial bills.

Study Shows RGGI Saves Consumers Money

Amy Quinton — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 20:29:06 +0000

The Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative faces an uncertain future in some states. New Jersey plans to end its participation and New Hampshire has considered legislation that would do the same.

But a new analysis shows the carbon dioxide cap and trade program has saved consumers money and created jobs. Under the program, power producers buy pollution allowances at auction for each ton of carbon dioxide they emit.

Lynch Vows Gambling Veto

Jon Greenberg — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 22:18:54 +0000

Governor John Lynch promises to veto any bill that would allow casinos or similar forms of gambling in the state.

Governor Lynch struck preemptively. In a letter to the Republican leaders in the House and Senate, he said more gambling would increase social service costs and, with casinos likely to come to Massachusetts, fail to raise as much revenue as backers predict.

The governor’s spokesman, Colin Manning said furthermore, any expansion will lead to proliferation.