What a week: The New Hampshire Legislature convened and quickly engaged in a floor fight over whether state representatives can carry guns in the Housechambers. A day later, Gov. Chris Sununu was sworn in. He delivered an hour-longinaugural speech outlining 2019 goals.
He wrapped it up with a family story from 1985—he was in fifth grade at the time. His father, then Gov. John H. Sununu, was attending a conference in Idaho. Afterward, the family piled into a "Wally-Wagon-looking" station wagon, the governor recalled.
And then, well, let's hear the 82nd Governor of New Hampshire finish his story:
-wnclEA
And so New Hampshire kicked off 2019 with a lot to consider. The moral of the story: Don't fall asleep in the car, and to see things through to the end. (Craters of the Moon National Monument, by the way, is partially closed due to the federal government shutdown.)
Other New Hampshire stories of the week include:
Donna Soucy, the new president of the New Hampshire Senate, does not see eye-to-eye with Sununu. She responded to his inaugural speech, and what Democrats want to see get done in 2019 (like paid family leave).
In the 400-member House of Representatives, anti-harassment training is now mandatory. And Dartmouth College has unveiled its plan to strengthen policy and protocolon sexual harassment.
House Speaker Steve Shurtleff wants the state to look deeper into how the opioid addiction epidemic is affecting children. "I look at this crisis with the opioids as like throwing a pebble into a pond. We sometimes don't recognize the ripples that go go out, and how they affect people."
Hopkinton seeks legislative interventionin a year-long beaver dam saga.
New Hampshire wouldban single-use plastics, like grocery shopping bags and straws, under different bills introduced this month.
The state Department of Environmental Services has put forth new standards for PFAS limits in public drinking water. Advocates say they still do not go far enough.
How does the state of New Hampshire work to recruit and retain businesses? NHPR's Todd Bookman drilled down on ways the state, and municipalities, try to lure companies.
