NH News

Enacting any constitutional amendment is tough. It requires a three-fifths vote by both House and Senate, and two-thirds support from voters at the polls.  Add to this the fact this amendment deals with school funding and that lawmakers have killed 80-odd  Claremont-inspired amendments over the past 14 years, and the guardedness of even the boldest of lawmakers is understandable.

While most of the public’s attention is focused on the education funding amendment, two tax proposals are also up for consideration.

One would ban an income tax, the other would make it much harder to raise new or existing taxes and fees.

If there is any sign of Republican domination of the Legislature, it’s that these two amendments are – basically - flying under the radar.  

GOP leaders like Senator Jeb Bradley are thrilled that after years of talk, they believe voters will finally have a chance to weigh in on the income tax question.  

Federal regulators have given the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Service 30 days to provide information about the state’s Medicaid program.

Two adults and four small children were rescued Friday night in the White Mountains after they became lost and were trying to light the trail with a cell phone, according to a news release from New Hampshire Fish and Game.

Lt. James Kneeland said about 9:15 p.m. Fish and Game was notified that the group has used a cell phone to call for help.

The group was composed of Josie Rogers and her husband, Christopher Kangas, of St. Johnsbury, Vt.  They were with their four children, ages eight, six, five and two.

Passing a voter identification law has been a priority for Republicans in Concord, but the House and Senate differed on how tough to make its requirements. The Senate supported accepting college IDs, for instance. The Senate also wanted to allow people to vote without identification if local election officials knew who they were. The House meanwhile favored allowing only government-issued IDs. It also favored  to force voter without IDs to have their picture taken before getting a ballot.

In the end, both sides got some of what they wanted.

New Hampshire's Exeter Hospital has temporarily closed its cardiac catheterization lab after four patients contracted hepatitis C, and officials are asking 651 other people who've been treated at the lab since August to get tested for the liver-destroying virus.

House and Senate negotiators have agreed to take turns when it comes to legislation requiring voters to show photo identification at the polls.

The three Democratic candidates for New Hampshire Governor – Jackie Cilley, Maggie Hassan, and Bill Kennedy – met at New England College for their first debate.

The three outlined their views on an income tax, which is seen as the most controversial difference between the three candidates.