Weekly N.H. News Roundup

This week we saw the latest, smallest, and whitest Democratic debate of the cycle. How'd it go? And with the Iowa caucuses just weeks away, who has the momentum, how are candidates ramping up their door-to-door campaigning, and where does the Senate impeachment trial fit in?

Original air date:  Friday, January 17, 2020

Medicaid funding challenges for public school districts, charter school funding controversy, the latest in the debate over marijuana legalization, and updates in the trial over voter registration in NH, and the law known as SB3 - we discuss these big stories in New Hampshire news, and more. 

Original air date: Friday, December 13, 2019. 

The 100th anniversary of New Hampshire as the first in the nation primary officially begins as the candidate filing period kicks off this week. Elizabeth Warren's campaign joins the suit calling for a pause in the residency law, HB 1264, currently being challenged in court.  And wet weather delays Halloween for some towns.

The next legislative session doesn't begin until January, but intriguing legislation is being shaped now in committee meetings at the statehouse, including banning assault weapons and importing low-cost drugs.  Executive Councilor Andru Volinsky officially enters the race for governor.  Municipal aid payments, part of the budget compromise, begin reaching cities and towns. And vaping devices are included in some N.H. city's drug take-back day. 

NHPR's Casey McDermott hosts the Weekly New Hampshire News Roundup.  New Hampshire was hit with a lawsuit over its new limits on chemicals in drinking water on the same day the new regulation took effect.  In a rare reversal, the state Attorney General's office says a Claremont fatal police shooting is no longer considered legally justified.  Syringe services were long ago adopted in some parts of the country as a useful public health tool. Why, in a state hit hard by the opioid crisis, has New Hampshire been so slow to adopt them?

An historic number of vetoes by Governor Sununu means the legislature revisits bills on gun control, voting access laws, alternative energy and more. We get an update on continuing negotiations over the state budget.  And with a Global Climate Strike taking place Friday, we find out how New Hampshire students are participating. 

GUESTS:

We discuss how 2020 candidates fare in the third Democratic Presidential debate from a national, and Granite State, perspective.  Former Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts share the debate stage for the first time.  We check in on any progress in negotiations on the state budget.  And we take a closer look at the mounting pressure on leaders in Manchester to deal with a crisis of homelessness and addiction.  NHPR's Southern New Hampshire reporter Sarah Gibson is guest host.  

GUESTS:

Students are back at school and we focus on education issues. The N.H. Supreme Court is asked once again to weigh in on school funding. In Concord, the school board considers a petition to remove two administrators for how they handled allegations of sexual assault and inappropriate behavior by former teacher, Howie Leung.  We find out why the Manchester Police Department says it is losing confidence in Hillsborough County Attorney Michael Conlon.

We focus on environmental news on this edition of the Weekly New Hampshire News Roundup. We talk about climate issues on the 2020 campaign trail after the departure of Jay Inslee, and compare the climate plans offered by other Democratic candidates. Following protests at the statehouse over the Merrimack Station coal plant, we discuss the future of fossil fuel generators in the state. Plus, the latest environmental vetoes and bill signings from Governor Chris Sununu.  Annie Ropeik, NHPR's environment and energy reporter, is guest host.

GUESTS:

President Trump returns to New Hampshire, and we hear about his rally in Manchester as well as some national perspective on the 2020 Presidential Primary from NPR White House Correspondent Tamara Keith. With the Iowa State Fair wrapping up, a parade of Democratic candidates are coming back through the state and we catch up on the Democratic primary here. We also discuss whether Claremont is the new Dixville Notch; a bellwether for primary watchers.  NHPR Reporter Casey McDermott is guest host.

GUESTS:

Voting issues are back in the news with Governor Sununu vetoing two Democratic-backed election law bills. Meanwhile a federal judge gives the go-ahead for two Dartmouth College students to sue the state over increased regulations for student voters. 

The recent heat wave with high humidity and temperatures in the 90s may be  the weather of the future for New Hampshire.  And a bobcat burger burglar is nabbed at a Seacoast drive-through restaurant. 

We discover why Vice President Mike Pence abruptly cancelled a recent trip to N.H. Former Republican House Speaker Bill O’Brien jumps into the U.S. Senate race, hoping to unseat Democratic Senator Jeanne Shaheen in 2020. And Governor Sununu sets a modern record for the number of gubernatorial vetoes in a single year. 

GUESTS:

The governor signs a bill into law to protect New Hampshire children from discrimination at school. He also signed into law a bill requiring public schools to provide tampons or pads in all gender neutral and female restrooms. We discuss the controversy in Newington over Pride Month lawn signs. And the Supreme Court releases its decision on the Northern Pass appeal of the denial of its $1.6 billion high-transmission power line project.

GUESTS: 

The Executive Council shoots down the nomination of Attorney General Gordon McDonald to the New Hampshire Supreme Court. Two-thirds of Medicaid recipients in New Hampshire failed to comply with the new work requirement, prompting a delay of the penalties; the Concord School Board examines how it handles allegations of sexual abuse. 

GUESTS:

• Ethan DeWitt - Concord Monitor statehouse reporter.
• Sarah Gibson - NHPR Reporter.
• Jason Moon - NHPR Reporter.
• James Pindell – Political reporter for The Boston Globe.
• Dean Spiliotes - Civic scholar in the School of Arts and Sciences at SNHU.

A crash in Randolph leaves 7 motorcyclists dead, stunning the state and making national news. After a bitter debate, state lawmakers pass a $13 billion budget along party lines and prepare for a promised gubernatorial veto. And Retired Brigadier General Don Bolduc announces he is running for U.S. Senate, the first Republican to challenge incumbent Democrat Jeanne Shaheen in her bid for re-election in 2020.

We hear about the latest development in the Bear Brook cold case; genetic genealogy helped to identify the likely killer but the victims remain unknown. In a ruling that could have far reaching impacts, a  judge has called the state's current method for funding public schools is unconstitutional. And The Mount Washington Observatory and the Cog Railway are going to court over property rights on the summit of Mt. Washington. 

GUESTS:

We recap the fate of the state's death penalty and the efforts to override the governor's veto. The state files two statewide lawsuits against eight companies, including 3M, DuPont and its spinoff, Chemours, for environmental contamination caused by PFAS chemicals. Senate budget writers try to wrap up the state spending plan with a close eye on education funding. And we preview the events in celebration of the bicentennial of the New Hampshire State House.

GUESTS:

Governor Sununu makes it official, he's running for a third term - ending speculation that he would challenge Senator Jeanne Shaheen.  After nearly a decade of debate, the Northern Pass project presents oral arguments in its appeal to the state Supreme Court.  And it took a second try to live free and fly - the red-tailed hawk is one step closer to being the N.H. state mascot.

GUESTS:

We find out how Granite Staters are reacting to the release of the Mueller report, and how it is playing out on the campaign trail with 2020 candidates. Secretary of State Bill Gardner urges lawmakers to go slow when it comes to undoing voting laws enacted by the last Legislature. And the Senate backs a bipartisan plan to expand net energy metering in New Hampshire by a veto-proof margin. 

The Democratic-led House passes its version of the state spending plan, with funding for the secure psychiatric unit restored.  A bill to repeal the death penalty in the state clears NH Senate with a veto-proof margin. N.H.'s 400 state legislators get paid $100 a year; we examine the conflicts of interest they sometimes encounter in this small state. And another Democrat jumps into the 2020 primary race.

GUESTS:

It's budget season in the legislature -- and the construction of a secure psychiatric unit, a major part of the state’s new ten-year mental health plan, is at the center of a partisan tussle. Also, the state fined real estate developer Brady Sullivan half a million dollars for breaking environmental regulations. And presidential candidates: who’s here this weekend and who’s emerging from the crowded field.

The battle to abolish the death penalty advances to the state senate. Governor Sununu sends stronger signal that he may run for the Senate next year, boosted by polls suggesting he may have a chance at defeating Senator Shaheen. And we look how several national issues may affect the state, including a federal court ruling on Medicaid work requirements, and a multi-million dollar settlement against Purdue Pharma, maker of Oxycontin.  Dean Spiliotes is guest host.

The NH Senate votes unanimously to fund full-day kindergarten entirely from state funds, rather than using money generated by Keno. Instead Keno funds would go to school building aid. Eight Democratic presidential candidates (including two potential contenders) will be in N.H. this weekend. And, in honor of Sunshine Week, we'll revisit some stories that would not have been possible without reporters seeking information using state and federal open records laws. 

A hearing on proposed red-flag legislation gained national attention after several male lawmakers wore pearl necklaces during testimony on gun violence. The move drew widespread criticism. Rep. David Welch, one of the lawmakers wearing pearls,  said they'd been handed out by members of the Women's Defense League of New Hampshire and he'd worn them in solidarity with their opposition to red-flag laws. In other news, town meeting season is in full swing, and public hearings on PFAs regulations for drinking water began this week. We discuss all of this, and other big stories in New Hampshire this week. 

With at least seven Democratic presidential candidates - and one Republican - showing up in New Hampshire recently, it's hard to tell the 2020 primary is a year away. Political observers are remarking on the number of candidate visits to the state as well as the crowds in N.H. at candidate events and are wondering how long the early energy can last. How many house parties or town halls have you attended so far?  We take the entire hour to look at the field and get a sense of emerging themes.

We focus on the state budget following Governor Chris Sununu's budget address on Thursday, Feb. 14. We provide some context for the state's priorities and examine what new efforts the governor is highlighting. We also take a look at what was not covered in the budget address. The democratically-controlled legislature will now begin a months-long process of debate and negotiation over some $13 billion worth of spending over two years. 

A bill to legalize recreational marijuana gets a hearing in Concord.  A seemingly routine request for a pay raise at the Executive Council became a tense discussion of the financial management of the state's Liquor Commission.  And Dover school officials stand by their decision to NOT fire a teacher at the center of a controversy over racist song lyrics. 

The N.H. Republican Party gets a new leader, who's now charged with building up the party's bank account. Senator Jeanne Shaheen announces she'll seek a third term.  We check out who's already on the campaign trail in the Granite State for the first in the nation presidential primary, and who will sit this one out.  And we get some insight into Sunday's Superbowl LIII from the Nashua Telegraph's Tom King, who is covering his tenth Superbowl.

Some federal workers in New Hampshire log another week of work without pay as the partial government shutdown continues. Debate continues in Concord over new pieces of legislation, including one that would create an independent commission to draw boundaries for state elections. And we'll have a chat with New Hampshire's first Kid Governor.

GUESTS:  

The State's Office of the Child Advocate releases its first annual report on the state of DCYF. Director Moira O'Neill says lots more needs to be done to keep kids safe. Julian Castro comes to New Hampshire in his bid to win over Democrats in the 2020 presidential primary. And democrats have made legal marijuana a part of its platform, so why do some leading democrats seem reluctant to back legalization bills?