News

A New Hampshire bill aimed at strengthening penalties for repeat drunk drivers is headed to the governor's desk.

The sighting of endangered Piping plovers nesting at Hampton Beach has prompted officials to cancel the first two fireworks shows of the summer season.

House budget negotiators have quickly acceded to the Senate on the spending portion of New Hampshire's next two-year budget.

Compared to the House-passed bill, the Senate's $13.5 billion proposal included 20 more liquor inspection officers, an additional $5 million for mobile crisis units for mental health treatment and a March 2023 closing date for the Sununu Youth Services Center.

The Bull Moose record store chain is apologizing, re-hiring workers and promising pay raises after controversy over the sudden closure of its Salem location last month.

Ready to have some fun? We're excited to relaunch this weekend to-do list after a season off due to the pandemic. Consider this an idea starter kit, a quick rundown to inspire you to have the summer of your lives. 

Law enforcement officers in the state facing possible suspension or loss of certification will no longer automatically have their disciplinary hearings behind closed doors if requested, a result of an order released Thursday by a superior court judge.

NHPR is continuing to cover the developing story around coronavirus in New Hampshire. Bookmark this page for the latest updates, including case numbers and other important news of the day.

Anne Carle’s workday begins with a screen of red, green and yellow boxes. The red ones mean higher risk patients. Carle is a telehealth nurse and RN at Cornerstone VNA in Rochester. She starts to make calls.

After a chaotic transition to telehealth and more than a year of the COVID-19 pandemic, health care workers and lawmakers are learning more about how effective remote appointments can be. Now, some providers are noting that patients and caregivers will often initiate calls to ask questions and check in if something seems off. Increasing capacity for telehealth may also help with the workforce shortage in the health care industry.

The Geisel School of Medicine has dismissed all honor code charges against students accused of academic misconduct this winter, the dean said in an email message to the school community.

“I have apologized to the students for what they have been through and believe dismissal of the charges is the best path forward,” Geisel Dean Duane Compton wrote in his Wednesday email.

The town of Conway is taking its ongoing battle against short-term rentals to court. The move comes amid a heated debate about the role of Airbnbs and other vacation properties in the Mount Washington Valley.

After years of court battles, a secret list containing the names of more than 270 law enforcement officers with credibility issues is one step closer to public release.

Gov. Chris Sununu plans to let the state of emergency put in place at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic last year end on Friday at midnight.

As NHPR continues to track the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic in New Hampshire, we welcome your questions, and your input guides our reporting.

Here, we answer some common questions, and share other important information about the coronavirus, vaccines and how to stay safe.

How widespread is the coronavirus in New Hampshire? 

From the early days of COVID-19 to now, as vaccines start to signal a close to the pandemic, your voices have guided our coverage. We’ve answered your questions about coronavirus, vaccines and the state’s reopening, updating our information as we learn more.

We know much more about COVID-19 than we did in March 2020, but the state of the pandemic continues to change, leading to previously unanswered questions. 

As activists, residents and police met at a homeless encampment known as The Bucket in Manchester this week, most residents left by Tuesday as the city brought in a cleaning crew to clear out the camp. On Monday, city officials dropped off a dumpster and totes for people to throw out or stow their things. Residents vacated after they said they didn't want to be forced into a shelter.

Utility and municipal officials are asking Seacoast residents to take more water conservation measures as the state’s dry spell continues.

New Hampshire's lakes are seeing more toxic algae blooms than normal this early in the season, according to state officials. 

Over a dozen cyanobacteria blooms were reported in the week after Memorial Day, the N.H. Department of Environmental Services says. There are normally just a few reports during this time of year.

People experiencing homelessness, police, activists and city officials met at an encampment in Manchester on Tuesday.  A cleaning crew brought in by the city was attempting to clear the camp, known as “The Bucket,” on Douglas Street.

Julio Gonzalez has been living at The Bucket for about four months. He says it’s frustrating to be uprooted.

”They want to throw us out, for whatever reason, they do,” Gonzalez says. “And now we have to find another place, so we can stay safe [...] which is hard for us.”

State lawmakers have approved plans for about $160 million in new federal aid flowing to the state under the American Rescue Plan. The money is earmarked for a range of projects, ranging from drinking water and mental health, to defraying the costs of prosecuting abuse cases at what is now the Sununu Youth Services Center.

A state proposal to give hospitals their own power to detain people in emergency rooms while deciding their mental health needs was rejected, 4-0, by a Senate committee Tuesday following a two-hour public hearing where no one voiced support.

In the back of La Fama 2 Barbershop in Nashua, a group of men gather around black pleather couches, examining the vials and needles used to distribute the COVID-19 vaccine laid out on the coffee table. 

They tease each other about who’s brave enough to get the shot first.

“Do you want me to hold your hand?”  one of Nashua’s public health nurses asks.

On May 13, the CDC updated their guidance to say that fully vaccinated adults can safely resume activities indoors or outdoors without masks or distancing.  The CDC still says “Masks are a critical step to help prevent people from getting and spreading COVID-19” and recommends that unvaccinated people wear a mask in any public setting where they will be around other people.

New Hampshire Public Radio says it will cease production of its long-running call-in show The Exchange this month, a decision made in part to reduce station expenses as it faces looming financial challenges. 

The move is also a reflection of the public broadcaster’s continued shift into podcasts and other digital outlets, as its traditional radio audience erodes.

As temperatures stretched into the 90s Monday, a heat advisory remained in place from the National Weather Service for most of New Hampshire.

Over the last few months, Gov. Chris Sununu and other state leaders eagerly touted New Hampshire’s apparently booming COVID-19 vaccination rate. They pointed to a range of numbers — the percent of New Hampshire’s population with at least one shot, the speed at which the state was using up its vaccine supply — to portray the state as a leader in the race out of the pandemic.