Mary McIntyre

Gov. Chris Sununu is ordering all New Hampshire schools to fully reopen, five days a week, by April 19. School leaders were caught off guard by this decision last week, and some districts are scrambling to make sure they're fully prepared to meet that deadline. 

State leaders often hold New Hampshire up as a beacon of civic engagement. We do host the first in the nation primary, after all. 

But a new report from the UNH Carsey School of Public Policy shows that the state actually ranks toward the bottom of the country in some key measures of civic health.

The New Hampshire Senate passed a bill last week based on recommendations from Gov. Sununu's commission on police accountability and transparency.

The governor created the so-called LEACT commission last summer in response to the killing of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolice Police.

But Senate members voted in favor of an amendment that eliminated key parts of the bill, and police reform advocates say the changes effectively gut the bill.

Tensions have been high in the New Hampshire House of Representatives this legislative session, between lawmakers of opposing parties and between lawmakers and members of the public.

NHPR's Morning Edition host Rick Ganley spoke with Speaker of the House Sherman Packard about how he's handling these tensions among representatives.

President Joe Biden signed an almost $2 trillion COVID-19 relief bill on Thursday. Now, what does that mean for New Hampshire?

Morning Edition host Rick Ganley spoke with Phil Sletten, a senior policy analyst with the New Hampshire Fiscal Policy Institute, about how this relief money will have an effect on the state.

New Hampshire has seen an increase in grassroots organization around racial justice this past year, and more activists are showing up in legislative sessions to push for civil rights. Now, those advocates are leading conversations on criminal justice and police reform at the State House.

More and more people are receiving their COVID-19 vaccines each day in New Hampshire, and NHPR has been getting a lot of questions from listeners about what life looks like after they are fully vaccinated.

It's been a tough year for college students as the pandemic has completely upended college life. The University of New Hampshire moved all classes online again last week to help combat the rising number of COVID cases on campus.

Julia Sommer is a junior at UNH studying theatre. NHPR's Morning Edition host Rick Ganley talked with Sommer about what things are like on campus now that there are even more restrictions in place.

New Hampshire Democratic Rep. Chris Pappas is serving on a House committee on transportation and infrastructure, and he says those are his priorities in this next term as Congressman.

NHPR's Morning Edition host Rick Ganley spoke with Pappas about the issues facing New Hampshire's infrastructure and transportation sectors.

There's a strong push across the state to get students back in the classroom. In Nashua, where schools have been mostly remote since April because of COVID-19 concerns, a group of parents is fighting the school board to resume in-person learning.

NHPR's Morning Edition host Rick Ganley spoke with one of those parents, Wayne Georgiana, about how his family has been handling remote learning for about ten months now.

The state began "Phase 1B" of its vaccine rollout two weeks ago. Those who are 65 and older, and younger people who have serious medical conditions, are now getting their first doses. 

NHPR's Morning Edition host Rick Ganley spoke with Dr. Beth Daly, the state's Chief of the Bureau of Infectious Disease Control on Tuesday. He asked her questions NHPR has received from listeners about the vaccine rollout.

There's been a lot of public debate over police reform in the last year. A statewide commission on police accountability and transparency made many recommendations for reform this past summer, and now some of those are under consideration this legislative session.

A group of parents in Nashua is looking to remove multiple members of the city's Board of Education, citing frustrations with the district's decision to forgo in-person learning for most students.

Students with special needs and those in grades K-2 have been given the option of a hybrid learning model, but the majority of students have been fully remote since April. Board members say community transmission of the virus in Nashua remains too high to send students back at this time.

Morning Edition host Rick Ganley spoke with Heather Raymond, president of the board. 

Fewer people than usual attended Wednesday's inauguration of President Biden and Vice President Harris, due to COVID-19 and security concerns. New Hampshire Democratic Senator Jeanne Shaheen was in attendance for the historic event, and she spoke with Morning Edition host Rick Ganley Thursday morning about her experience and the challenges facing the Senate going forward.

Gov. Chris Sununu is starting his third term as governor of New Hampshire. Morning Edition host Rick Ganley spoke with Sununu Friday about the challenges facing the state, events this past week in Washington, and what he hopes to accomplish in the next two years.

N.H. House Speaker Sherman Packard from Londonderry says State House security is taking precautions after reports of planned protests in connection with President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration. Republicans in the state legislature elected Packard last week after he served as acting speaker following the COVID-19 death of his predecessor, Dick Hinch. 

The U.S. House voted to impeach Donald Trump for a second time on Wednesday, this time for incitement of an insurrection. This follows last week's events when pro-Trump extremists stormed the U.S. Capitol, an incident that left five people dead.

Morning Edition Host Rick Ganley spoke with New Hampshire Democratic Representative Annie Kuster, who voted for impeachment.

This month, NHPR has been checking in with Granite Staters to see how they're doing and what they've learned after so many months of the pandemic. It's part of an end-of-year series we're calling Hindsight.

NHPR is checking back in with Granite Staters to see how they're holding up as 2020 comes to a close. It's part of a series we're calling Hindsight.

The pandemic has changed how many people are celebrating Christmas this year, but one thing remains constant, and that's the joy of Christmas music.

New England musician Dan Blakeslee has released a new album this month called "Christmas Jubilee" that has a mix of tradition and original songs. NHPR's Morning Edition Host Rick Ganley caught up with Blankslee to chat more about the album.

(Editor's note: We recommend listening to this story.)

Rick Ganley: What makes you love Christmas music so much?

2020 has been a tough year, and as we approach the end, NHPR is checking in with people we spoke with early on in the pandemic to see how they're holding up, and what they've learned. It's part of a series we're calling Hindsight.

NHPR's Morning Edition Host Rick Ganley is talking with some of the lawmakers who have been newly elected to the New Hampshire legislature. Tony Labranche, a Democrat, will represent Amherst in the House of Representatives.

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Rick Ganley: So, Tony, you're going to be the youngest representative in the House for this session. How did you first get interested in politics and how did you decide to run?

NHPR's Morning Edition Host Rick Ganley is talking with some of the lawmakers who have been newly elected to the New Hampshire Legislature. Maria Perez, a Democrat, will represent Milford in the state House of Representatives.

New Hampshire hospitals and health care facilities have long struggled to recruit and retain workers, especially licensed nursing assistants.

Recent data from the New Hampshire Board of Nursing shows the COVID-19 pandemic has only exacerbated the shortage of health care workers in the state.

People in New Hampshire and across the country are having renewed conversations about police reform and the role of law enforcement.

NHPR's Morning Edition Host Rick Ganley recently sat down with Manchester's new police chief, Allen Aldenberg, to talk about how his department is responding in this moment.

New Hampshire voters may have re-elected Democrats to the U.S. Senate and congressional seats this week. But when it came to State House races, Republicans are the ones celebrating.

Republicans appear poised to claim new majorities in the state Senate and House of Representatives, as well as the Executive Council. And Gov. Chris Sununu, a Republican from Newfields, was perhaps the biggest victor on Tuesday night, winnning re-election by a 2 to 1 margin over his challengers. 

New Hampshire's state legislature is overwhemingly made up of older white men. This is also true for many local governments across the state.

A political action committee created this year is dedicated to increasing the diversity of New Hampshire's state and local governments. 

Every two years, voters in New Hampshire get to weigh in on their next county attorney. It’s an elected position that doesn’t get a lot of attention, but county attorneys quietly hold tremendous power over key aspects of the state’s criminal justice system.