New Hampshire Public Radio

NHGOP Chair Condemns 'Talk of Impeachment' By Some Reps Upset With Mask Mandate

The chairman of the New Hampshire Republican Party is condemning an effort by a handful of GOP lawmakers to launch impeachment proceedings against Gov. Chris Sununu. Backers of the probe say Sununu, who ordered a mask mandate last week, has overused his emergency powers during the coronavirus pandemic.

Coronavirus Update: 1 Additional Death, 362 New COVID Cases in N.H.

Thanksgiving Travel, More Exposure in N.H. Behind High Demand For COVID-19 Tests

Bachmann Staffers Call It Quits

By Josh Rogers • Oct 21, 2011

Minnesota Congresswoman's local campaign workers resign en masse. NHPR's Josh Rogers reports.

Michele Bachmann announced her presidential run at a debate here in June. And during each of her 4 trips to NH, Bachmann's been quick to insist she is a natural fit for the state.

"NH is all about low taxes and liberty and that’s what I’m about, so we are perfect match. We are a marriage made in heaven."

Lynch's Ed Funding Move Draws Mixed GOP Reaction

By Jon Greenberg • Oct 21, 2011

The governor says this amendment will preserve the state's obligation to fund education but give it the flexibility to target funds.

Here's the text of Lynch's amendment:

PSNH Asks for Rate Increase

By Sam Evans-Brown • Oct 20, 2011

Public Service of New Hampshire announced today it wants to increase its rates.

NHPR’s Sam Evans-Brown tells us why.

PSNH has asked the Public Utilities commission for a rate increase of a little more than a half cent per kilowatt hour.

For the typical resident that would mean about three dollars and seventy-seven cents more every month.

The hike will pay for a new scrubber designed to clean up emissions from PSNH’s coal burning plant in Bow.

After Don't Ask Don't Tell- One Guard Member's Story

By Rick Ganley • Oct 20, 2011

Charlie Morgan will be allowed to bring her same-sex partner to a family guard event this weekend, but says it's just the first step to true equality.

A New Hampshire National Guard member will be allowed to bring her same-sex partner to a family guard event this weekend.

The Guard originally said Chief Warrant Officer Charlie Morgan couldn’t bring her spouse, Karen Morgan, to a service designed to help returning soldiers and their families deal with the transition back to civilian life.

National Guard Controversy Reveals Inequity

The official end of ‘Don’t Ask Don’t Tell’ is barely a month old. But the circumstances around Chief Warrant Office Charlie Morgan reveal inequities still exist within the U.S. military. Gay rights advocates hope Morgan’s story pressures the Department of Defense and Congress to keep leveling the playing field.

Now that ‘Don’t Ask Don’t Tell’ is gone, Chief Charlie Morgan can be as OUT to friends and co-workers at the New Hampshire National Guard as she wants to be.

NH GOP Leaders Warn Prez Candidates: Boycott Nevada or Else

By Jon Greenberg • Oct 19, 2011

A coalition of Republic leaders is calling on the presidential candidates to boycott the Nevada caucuses. The goal is to get Nevada to postpone its voting by three days.

Saying democracy will suffer without New Hampshire style retail politics, a group of top Republicans want the candidates to put the squeeze on Nevada. The organizer of the GOP gathering in Concord, Jennifer Horn, said they should promise to avoid the state unless it compromises.

New Massachusetts Rules Could Hurt New Hampshire Biomass

By Sam Evans-Brown • Oct 19, 2011

Massachusetts is expected to announce new rules that will raise the bar on the definition of green energy.

NHPR’s Sam Evans-Brown reports that shift could cost NH electric producers millions of dollars.

Massachusetts is on track to pass new regulations aimed at cutting the amount of greenhouse gasses going into the atmosphere.

The focus is on power from biomass – basically, burning wood to make electricity.

Dwayne Breger of the Massachusetts Division of Energy Resources, says there are two good reasons to get the most out of every tree.

N.H. Gets High Marks

Wall St. is giving the Granite State a good bill of health. The nation’s leading rating agencies say New Hampshire is managing the recession well.

The state is set to sell $100 million dollars in bonds for a variety of capital projects, including improvements for community colleges and a new liquor store.

State Treasurer Kathy Provencher says during the economic downturn state bonds have fetched better interest rates than the state’s double AA credit.

That’s a credit to how the governor and lawmakers are managing the state’s finances.

Forecast Calls for Home Heating Oil Spike

The price of home heating oil is expected to hit an all-time high this winter. That’s unwelcome news from Maine to Maryland, where millions of people rely on the fuel to stay warm. The spike could make life difficult for heating oil suppliers and their low-income customers.

When the price of crude oil jumps the price of home heating oil pretty much follows.

In the last 12 months, the price of crude has shot up 40%.

What’s causing the spike?

Aaron Brady, an analyst for IHS Cambridge Energy Research Associates, says its emerging markets like India and China.

Report Highlights Prison Inequity

The treatment of female prison inmates in New Hampshire is raising questions of civil rights violations. After a two year investigation, that’s the conclusion reached by the New Hampshire Advisory Committee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights. The Commission reports that male inmates enjoy greater opportunities in everything from vocational training to mental health services.

JerriAnne Boggis didn’t have to see anything at the Women’s Prison to know about the problems in Goffstown.