Weekly N.H. News Roundup

The debate season is well underway, and in the first congressional district, the two candidates are staking out their differences - but both agree, the historic nature of their race is no big deal.  More than two dozen sites at the Saint Gobain plant are under scrutiny for contamination. And the bear-human conflicts continues this fall, with Fish & Game making the decision to shoot two bear cubs in Manchester. 

NHPR's president Betsy Gardella  announces her retirement at the end of the year following an investigation into management issues; we talk with NHPR reporter Todd Bookman about how he reported on this story for the station.  U.S. Senator Jeff Flake, who has been at the center of the Brett Kavanaugh controversy, visits the Granite State.  Concord's downtown is looking spiffy lately  -- we learn about the ongoing redevelopment process. And Concord's Christa McAuliffe will be the subject of a feature film.

GUESTS:

N.H.'s congressional delegation reacts to the Kavanaugh hearing. Key New Hampshire unions make endorsements in the gubernatorial race. A U.N.H. student is the third person charged with voter fraud. And Dartmouth decides to move racially insensensitive murals to an off-campus storage facility. 

We get an update on reform efforts at the Manchester VA. A Hampton couple is charged with a felony for allegedly voting in New Hampshire and Massachusetts in 2016. N.H. Senate Democrats have outlined the agenda they will pursue if they gain a majority in the Statehouse. And a dead whale washes up on on Jenness Beach in Rye, offering a chance to learn about the mammals, but moving it proves a challenge.

We reflect on trends in the primary election. Legislators narrowly overturn Governor Chris Sununu's veto of a bill subsidizing biomass plants, while upholding a veto on a bill that would have expanded net metering in the state.  And the Fisher Cats have home-field advantage as they try to clinch the Eastern League Championship. 

We take a look at this final week of debates, forums, and politicking before next Tuesday's primary. In Massachusetts it's being called a political earthquake - do historic victories in primaries there have ramifications for New Hampshire races?  And the Red Sox add a shimmy to the lineup.

GUESTS:

The Granite State's two U.S. Senators call for a delay in the upcoming Supreme Court confirmation hearings. With state primary elections around the corner, a plethera of polls predicts who's up and who's down.   

In the first congressional district G.O.P. primary, Eddie Edwards opts out of a debate with Andy Sanborn.  A federal judge nixes New Hampshire's absentee ballot law, on the books for forty years.  The Coakley Landfill is back in the headlines, more than three decades after it became a Superfund site.  And second congressional district candidate, Robert Burns, spells out where he stands on the issues.

NHPR's Casey McDermott discusses her reporting on allegations of a veteran statehouse lawmaker accused of creating a "hostile work environment" at the statehouse. The state Democratic Party renames their Fall fundraising dinner - again- this time in honor of Eleanor Roosevelt.  And Lynne Blankenbeker, Republican candidate for the second congressional district, spells out where she stands on the issues. 

GUESTS:

State Sen. Jeff Woodburn arrested on domestic violence and assault charges, followed by calls for his resignation.

Governor Sunuu's commission on diversity is inciting some strong - and some say racially charged - reactions.

Rudy Giuliani, former New York City Mayor, visits the state to endorse Republican Eddie Edwards in his bid for N.H.'s First Congressional district. 

New Hampshire Education Commissioner Frank Edelblut condemns a statement by a departmental spokesman that has been called racist. 

Prosecutors say a former Wolfeboro dog breeder found guilty of animal abuse misled the court during her sentencing. 

And the Concord Police are the latest department to throw down in a national viral video challenge.

New Hampshire House lawmakers fail to pass a challenge to the Internet sales tax, an apparent rebuke to Governor Chris Sununu and the Senate, which had unanimously approved the original bill. In a tense meeting with EPA officials, Nashua residents demand more cleanup at a toxic site tapped for redevelopment. And state officials hold a public hearing on how best to use $23 million in federal funds to fight the opioid crisis.

GUESTS:

Dean Spiliotes - Civic scholar in the School of Arts and Sciences at SNHU and author of the website NH Political Capital.

The N.H. Supreme Court decides that the voting bill defining residency/domicile, HB1264, is constitutional. Candidates for New Hampshire's First congressional district hold their first debate, amid new allegations about State Senator Andy Sanborn. State lawmakers return to Concord to figure out how tax-free New Hampshire can fend off an internet sales tax.  And Attorney General Jeff Sessions visits N.H. to discuss the opioid crisis.

On Friday, July 6, we do things a little differently on the Weekly New Hampshire News Roundup.

Following the tragedy at the Capital Gazette newspaper in Maryland, we focus on New Hampshire journalists and their experiences in newsrooms around the state: how they do their jobs, what they wish people knew about their profession, and how journalism has changed.  

We look at how Supreme Court decisions on union dues and a tax on internet sales may affect businesses here in the state.  More prominent Republican lawmakers are bowing out of state politics.  And, it's not too early to think about tightening up your home for winter - Eversource says rates are going up almost twenty percent. 

The state parole board wrestles with public access to hearings.  A V.A. task force issues recommendations for improving N.H. veterans' health care.  And several property-poor districts consider suing the state over its education-funding mechanism.     

We look at the public feud between the largest state employees union and the top managers of the New Hampshire Liquor Commission.  Are state liquor store employees at risk in high-volume cash sales?  Lakes Region residents consider possible future plans for the former Laconia State School.   And what to do with the troublesome bear pardoned by Governor Sununu last year, now rummaging again in backyards in the Upper Valley.

GUESTS:

We find out why the A.C.L.U. of N.H. is challenging the voting law, HB1264, that is before the N.H. Supreme Court. After exhaustive investigations, New Hampshire's Ballot Law Commission determines no voter took place in recent elections and has an explanation for claims of "busloads" of out-of-state voters.  A border patrol roadblock on I-93 over Memorial Day weekend nets seventeen immigration violations and the A.C.L.U. has questions.  And keep your free-range chicken in your own yard or face a fine.

We dig into the results of the legislative session as it winds up, and tally up Governor Sununu's wins and losses.  Eversource gets permission to invest in gas pipelines to supply electricity - NHPR's Annie Ropeik considers ramifications for future efforts to revive Northern Pass. And the town of Hampstead decides to cut back on homework.  NHPR's political reporter Lauren Chooljian will be in for her first stint as substitute host.  

The governor says it will be hard not to sign a bill that would tighten voter eligibility if the N.H. Supreme Court says it is indeed constitutional.  Lawmakers fail to reach a compromise on animal cruelty legislation.  And police search a wooded area in Manchester in the case of a decades-old missing woman with possible links to the Bear Brook killings.

GUESTS:

The state's new Child Advocate launches an investigation into the Sununu Youth Center following allegations of a pattern of illegal use of restraints on juveniles there.  For the third time this year, the New Hampshire House of Representatives votes against a bill to create education savings accounts. Voting laws and Medicaid expansion are on the governor's desk to be signed into law.  And it's that time of year - bears are out, looking for easy pickings at your bird-feeder...even in Manchester.

WATCH THE SHOW:

Statehouse lawmakers make decisions on a number of contentious issues, including Medicaid Expansion, education freedom accounts, voting eligibility, transgender rights, and marriage age.  The House-passed version of an animal cruelty bill conflicts with the Senate version - compromise is necessary, but is it likely?  And two more candidates enter the crowded race for Congress in the first congressional district.

The New Hampshire legislature approves a bill to repeal the state’s death penalty, sending the measure to the governor despite his vow to veto it.  A bill re-defining “domicile” for voting purposes is headed for an up or down vote in the Senate.  Debates on Family Medical Leave and school choice may be over...for now.  And four state employees unions may finally have a contract. 

All these stories and more on the Weekly NH News Roundup.

Legislators find the state may be on the hook to pay a lot more money to hospitals for people with no insurance or for those on Medicaid.  A proposed constitutional amendment that would give crime victims more rights gets hung up in a House committee.  And the state emphasizes cost and competition in its new energy plan. 

We look at the impact Paul Ryan's retirement may have, if any, on congressional races in New Hampshire. Former Democratic State Senator Molly Kelly decides to run for governor.  Debates over voting laws and victims' rights draw crowds at the statehouse.

It's feeling a lot like primary season in New Hampshire, with two past, and possibly future, Presidential hopefuls making the rounds in the state.  The Internal Revenue Service also visits New Hampshire, examining state liquor sales.  And despite several high-profile animal abuse reports in the state, a bill to tighten breeding regulations gets pushback.

There's been lots of talk about voter fraud in New Hampshire elections - we take a look at the reality found in the data behind the rhetoric.  Massachusetts drops the Northern Pass bid in favor of a Maine transmission line for a major energy project.  We get reaction from local veterans organizations on the firing of Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin. And, hope springs eternal as the the Red Sox open the 2018 baseball season.

In a visit to Manchester this week, President Trump discusses efforts to combat the opioid crisis and floats the idea of the death penalty for drug traffickers.  With the deadline for bills in the legislature to "crossover" from one chamber to the other, we look at which bills struggled, which sailed through, and what is still up for debate.  Plus,  a last-minute attempt to change the Granite State’s gun laws.

As next Tuesday’s town meeting day approaches, the N.H. Senate sides with the Secretary of State over who has the power to reschedule town meetings.  The state House of Representatives vote to send to the Senate a bill adding gender identity to existing state anti-discrimination laws. The Executive Council unanimously approves $600,000 for Manchester-based Hope for New Hampshire Recovery.

After the Parkland Florida school shooting, police respond to a number of threats at high schools in New Hampshire, and the House of Representatives votes down a bill would have allowed firearms on state college campuses.  Senate Republicans propose a bill to reauthorize Medicaid expansion for another five years.  And a bill to raise the minimum marriage age in New Hampshire to 16 years of age is headed for a full House vote. 

We parse the Governor's State of the State address for what it might tell us about his agenda for the state in 2018.  EPA chief Scott Pruitt jets into New Hampshire to meet privately about water contamination.  NHPR's Todd Bookman  unpacks allegations made against the NH Liquor Commission. And we follow up on the court battle over the lottery ticket that's been called the "most valuable piece of paper on Earth."  

GUESTS: