Stories of alleged sexual harassment or misconduct are not just relegated to Washington or New York. They ricocheted from Congress to Concord, as Casey McDermott reported this week. Her story, "Women Lobbyists, Legislators Describe Coping with Harassment at N.H. Statehouse," pulled the curtain back on serious complaints.
One representative of a nearly all-female lobbying team says women who work at the Statehouse become aware of which lawmakers are likely to engage in inappropriate behavior. "If we're having a meeting with a particular legislator or even going to a particular event, we use the buddy system," she says.
The NHPR story package included a sidebar: What We Know About Harassment at the N.H. Statehouse. And it provides a form where people can submit their experiences of sexual harassment, whether at the Statehouse or elsewhere, for potential investigative reporting.
Other top New Hampshire news stories of the week included:
Hillary Rodham Clinton, the 2016 Democratic presidential nominee and former Secretary of State, was back in town to sign copies of her book, "What Happened." A thousand people showed up for the event. Fringe presidential hopeful Vermin Supreme also showed up. He held a "pony protest" in a parking space across the street from Gibson's Bookstore.
Over in Somersworth, meanwhile, there was a different kind of free speech event playing out. As Todd Bookman reports, the city will fly an atheist flag on a city flag pole adjacent to a monument of the Ten Commandments.
An eye-catching story by NHPR's Morning Edition team was well-read: Small New Hampshire Towns Struggle to Keep Police Chiefs. The head of the N.H. Association of Chiefs of Police reports that the job in small communities can be demanding.
Several energy stories keep bubbling up in the news. Liberty Utilities proposed a gas pipeline to run from the Seacoast to Manchester.
Liberty Mutual, one of New Hampshire's largest employers, announced this week it's cutting around 620 employees. Liberty Mutual has major offices in Dover and Portsmouth.
New Hampshire on Saturday received its first significant snowfall of the season. Another storm is in the forecast for Tuesday.
And the Piscataqua Region Estuary Partnership issued its 2018 report Friday on the State of Our Estuaries. As Jason Moon reports, there is some good news, but negative indicators are noticeable across the charts, including declines in eel grass, and clam and oyster populations.
