News

Two Republican candidates for governor debated each other at an event in Manchester Wednesday night.

The Department of Veteran Affairs expects to spend $57 billion in 2013. A significant part of that budget pays for nursing home care for elderly vets. This month, Washington Monthly magazine is exploring American wealth. Editor John Gravois wrote about the V.A. program that follows the foster care model.

This Green River Festival in Greenfield Massachusetts has a packed line-up this weekend with a celebration of Woody Guthrie’s 100th birthday, Los Lobos, the Rebirth Brass Band and a few Word of Mouth veterans, including the Winterpills, Chris Smither, and the eclectic Brooklyn ensemble, Rubblebucket. In September, six of Rubblebucket’s eight members stopped by to play live at NHPR’s studios.

Imagine you’re confronted with the question: what do you take from your burning house?  Money, photographs, your laptop, or your favorite pair of old shoes?  What is so important in your life that you cannot live without? That is exactly what our guest Foster Huntington set out to discover when he started the Burning House Tumblr project – a collection of submitted photographs and drawings that reveals what we value most. 

New Hampshire-ites are called a lot of things…flinty, self-reliant, and fiercely independent. But what about skeptical? Producer Adam McCune recently infiltrated a group dedicated to spreading the word of fact, not faith—the Granite State Skeptics.

Bastille Day is this Saturday and what better way to show your zest for French history than attenting Orphans of the Storm, a dramatic silent film about two sisters separated during the French revolution, and their struggle to reunite. The film was directed by legendary filmmaker D.W. Griffith.

Silent film musician Jeff Rapsis created a score for Orphans of the Storm, and will be accompanying the film, live, July fourteenth in the screening room of the red river theatres in Concord at 7 pm.

Faced with tighter budgets three hospitals in the North Country are forming an alliance to do something about it.

NHPR’s Chris Jensen reports.

With cuts in funding - and facing an increasing demand for services -  three hospitals in Coos County have agreed to work together to see how they can save money.

Without such cooperation there’s trouble ahead, says Scott Howe, the CEO of the Weeks Medical Center in Lancaster.

New Hampshire’s Commissioner of employment security has resigned amid allegations that she hired her daughter for a part time job and then had her fired so she could collect unemployment benefits.

Commissioner Tara Reardon’s resignation letter to the Governor says she is “stepping down to pursue other opportunities.”  In a separate statement to the press, she claims disgruntled employees “distorted the truth and fabricated a story.” Governor Lynch, for his part says the allegations facing Reardon are serious ones and that he is disappointed.

This week the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service granted more than $950 thousand to 30 states with bats affected by a fungal disease called ‘white-nose syndrome.’ New Hampshire received more than $14 thousand.

State Fish and Game wildlife biologist Emily Brunkhurst says white-nose has severely impacted local bats.

In a couple of species we are seeing 99 percent declines.

State Fish and Game officials will use the grant to monitor bat populations and raise public support.

Wednesday, a House vote to repeal the Affordable Care Act has passed 244 to 185.

Both New Hampshire Congressmen voted to repeal the nation’s healthcare law.

Many have called this vote symbolic. Charlie Bass says this new vote was triggered by the Supreme Court decision to uphold the law. But, he says, he considers it a kickoff to congressional races for re-election.

New Hampshire's Executive Council has approved hiring a consultant to assist the state in reviewing proposals from several companies to run its prisons. The council approved a contract Wednesday of $171,347 to hire consultant MGT of America of Tallahassee, Florida

Governor John Lynch says it’s a lot of money, but necessary to figure out which proposal is really the best deal.

The New Hampshire Housing Finance Authority has released its annual ‘Residential Rental Cost Survey.’ The survey shows increased rental costs coupled with decreased vacancies across the state. 

The median monthly rent for a two bedroom unit including utilities has risen 3 percent in the past year to $1085 per month. The highest rent increases were evident in Grafton, Carroll and Belknap counties, as well as the cities of Manchester and Nashua.

The new federal prison in Berlin still has plenty of jobs to fill and there’s a chance next Tuesday to learn more about them.

NHPR’s Chris Jensen reports.

With 255 jobs at the new federal prison still available a job fair is planned next Tuesday in Berlin.

Officials from the Bureau of Prisons will be answering questions,  says Diana Nelson, with New Hampshire Employment Security.

“We’ve had a lot of questions come up about what were the hours be, when will my days off be, is it shift work. These people will be able to answer those questions for them.”

But we begin with news from the world of computing…the cult of Steve Jobs is a buzz over remarks made by Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak last week at the Entel Technology Conference in Chile.