Jason Moon

New research from the University of New Hampshire shows many towns outside the I-93 corridor lack access to grocery stores and farm stands.

That’s among the findings of a new report from UNH’s Carsey School of Public Policy that maps every grocery store and farmers market across the state.

"You will be powerful."

That was the message from world-renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma to graduates of Dartmouth College and a crowd of approximately 11,000 on Sunday.

Ma told the graduates to use their power wisely. He urged them to be “humans first” and to resist the urge to “build walls instead of bridges.”

"Never abuse this power. Never abuse this power," repeated Ma. "It is a gift."

Ma also performed a song in honor of the graduating class – a piece by Pablo Casal called the Song of the Birds.

Mental health care providers are reacting to Governor Chris Sununu's veto of a bill that would have provided new money for mental health services in the state.

The bill, backed mostly by Democrats, would have spent $3.5 million to raise the rates that Medicaid pays out for mental health services and substance use disorder treatments.

The N.H. Department of Health and Human Services is reminding cities and towns that CBD is not approved for use in food products. In a written statement, the department says, per FDA regulations:

“CBD is not a permitted additive in the state. This guidance has also been issued to self-inspecting municipalities to follow those regulations.”

The city of Rochester is telling businesses they can no longer sell edible forms of CBD -- another sign that regulations around the cannabidiol chemical remain unclear even as it grows in popularity.

The decision came following a review of FDA food service regulations by city officials.

[CBD is Budding in Popularity. But What Is The Cannabis Extract, Exactly?]

Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders campaigned across New Hampshire this week, with three events scheduled on Memorial Day and three more for Tuesday.

During a stop in Warner, Sanders told a crowd that many of the unpopular positions he's taken in the past now have widespread support -- including his votes against the war in Iraq.

Now, as tensions with Iran mount, Sanders accused the current president of failing to learn from history.

Towns and cities across the state are marking Memorial Day, with parades and other festivities.

In Hopkinton, Don West watched a line of classic cars with American flags slide through the center of town. He came to remember his uncle who was killed in World War II. But he also had his mind on the world today.

"It's really somewhat scary to think about all the tension around the world and how easy it would be to get sucked into another conflict," he said. "And I just hope that doesn't happen."

Prescription opioids in New Hampshire could soon be marked by orange stickers on their lids. A bill passed by the state senate by a vote of 22-1 on Thursday would also require pamphlets be given out with each prescription.

The bill's sponsor, Democratic state rep Tom Loughman, says he introduced the bill after hearing stories of people who took opioids without realizing it.

Two Seacoast hospitals have signed an agreement to become part of the Massachusetts General Hospital network.

Exeter Hospital and Wentworth-Douglass Hospital in Dover say the move will help them make investments that they can't currently afford as standalone organizations.

The proposed merger is subject to review by state and federal regulators. Public meetings will also be held as a part of the review process.

The news comes just months after another proposed hospital affiliation was announced, between Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center and Catholic Medical Center.

Governor Chris Sununu wants New Hampshire's congressional delegation to change a Medicaid rule that covers how services for people with developmental disabilities are provided.

The rule is designed to eliminate conflicts of interest. It requires that agencies which provide case management and direct services for people with developmental disabilities cannot provide both to the same people under Medicaid.

Senator Maggie Hassan was one of a group of bipartisan lawmakers who introduced a bill on Thursday designed to stop surprise medical billing.

The plan would set up an arbitration process where medical providers and insurers could work out who pays for an out-of-network visit without involving the patient.

“That's really the key part of our legislation,” said Hassan at a press conference in Washington, D.C., “taking the patient out of these payment disputes between plans and providers.”

Senate Democrats are urging Governor Chris Sununu and Attorney General Gordon MacDonald to join 44 other states in a lawsuit against makers of generic drugs.

The lawsuit, which could be the largest of its kind in American history, alleges that makers of generic drugs have been conspiring for years to artificially inflate prices.

New Hampshire is one of just six states that hasn't signed on to the suit, though the state did join an earlier lawsuit that came out of the same investigation.

Democratic presidential candidate Cory Booker told a crowd of people in Concord Monday that a positive message is the best way to confront President Donald Trump in the next election.

“I'm kinda worried about my party as much I'm worried about other things,” said Booker. “Because I don't think we win this election by showing the worst of who we are. I think this idea, ‘when they go low, we go lower’ is terrifying to me.”

The New Hampshire Attorney General's Office says it is still deciding whether to join a lawsuit filed by 44 other states alleging a massive price-fixing scheme by generic drug makers.

Democrats are criticizing Governor Chris Sununu's veto of a paid family and medical leave bill.

The bill would have offered up to 12 weeks of family and medical leave at up to 60 % of a worker’s salary. The state would've paid for this with a mandatory .5 % payroll tax.

Sununu called it an income tax and vetoed it on Thursday.

Senate Majority Leader Dan Feltes, a Democrat from Concord, says that was a missed opportunity for the state.

New Hampshire's Child Advocate says the Department of Corrections and the Division for Children, Youth and Families could do more to protect children from the negative experiences of having their parent incarcerated.

Studies show when a parent goes to jail, it can have long-term mental and emotional impacts on their children.

One way to mitigate that is to maintain a relationship through visitation or regular communication between the parent and child. At the state prison, a Family Connection Center is supposed to facilitate that connection.

A group of medical providers, patients, and lawmakers gathered in front of the State House Monday in support of a bill designed to address a shortage of health care workers in New Hampshire.

The coalition is backing a bill currently in the Senate that would add state money to health care training programs, increase Medicaid reimbursement rates, and streamline the background check process for health care workers, among other things.

A bill to add dozens of new state employees at the agency tasked with investigating child abuse has now passed both chambers of the legislature.

Multiple outside reviews of the Division of Children, Youth and Families have identified a shortage of caseworkers as a problem. DCYF employees currently juggle a caseload that is nearly four times the nationally recommended average.

A plan to spend more than $10 million to address a shortage of mental health beds has passed the New Hampshire House.

The money would pay for a number of efforts including renovations at existing hospitals to make room for more mental health beds, a new mobile mental health crisis unit, and new transitional housing for people who are released from inpatient psychiatric care.

A bill that seeks to limit the impact of a controversial new Medicaid work requirement is now headed to Governor Chris Sununu’s desk.

The so-called community engagement requirement is set to take effect in June. It will require some low-income people who get their health insurance through the state's expanded Medicaid program to complete 100 hours of work or other qualifying activities each month or risk losing their coverage.

A federal judge has granted the state of New Hampshire's request to intervene in a lawsuit over a new Medicaid work requirement.

Last month, a group of low-income New Hampshire residents sued the Trump administration for granting New Hampshire a waiver that allowed the state to implement the work requirement. 

More than 80 local police departments and pharmacies across New Hampshire are set to participate in National prescription drug take back day on Saturday.

The drop-off locations will accept any expired or unused prescription drugs, but officials like John McGough with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services say they are most interested in getting rid of prescription opioids.

The state Senate Thursday passed a bill restricting access to vaping devices for minors in New Hampshire.

The bill would add vaping devices like e-cigarettes and e-liquid to the existing law that makes it illegal for people under the age of 18 to buy cigarettes.

Lawmakers at the State House heard testimony on a bill Wednesday that would pave the way for an expansion of telemedicine in New Hampshire.

Senate bill 258 would add primary care physicians and pediatricians to the list of doctors in New Hampshire who can bill Medicaid and private insurers for telemedicine.

In an effort to halt an ongoing hepatitis A outbreak, health clinics in Manchester, Nashua, Somersworth, and Concord are offering free vaccines to people without health insurance.

A bill to add 77 new positions at the Department for Children, Youth and Families received unanimous approval from a committee of House lawmakers Tuesday.

The vote comes a day after a legislative Advisory Board for DCYF put its support behind the bill.

New Hampshire health officials are warning that a recent outbreak of hepatitis A in the state is accelerating.

The Department of Health and Human Services first announced the outbreak in February, when 13 people had been infected since last November.

Now, DHHS says that number has jumped to 79, including one person who has died. The average number of cases over an entire year in New Hampshire is seven.