Weekly N.H. News Roundup

Governor Chris Sununu announces he will renew the state's mask mandate that was set to expire this week, given the rise in COVID-19 cases in recent weeks. A second mass vaccination effort is planned for this weekend at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway. As the House continues its work the state budget, Republican leaders add an amendment that would give the legislature more power over a governor’s emergency orders -- a move criticized by Governor Sununu.  And the state Supreme Court weighs in on the school funding issue and considers a case involving the legal rights of those held against their will because of alleged psychiatric concerns.

Air date: March 26, 2021

We discuss Governor Sununu's 2021 Budget Address. We also explore how the COVID-19 vaccine rollout is going in New Hampshire, including the state's new method for scheduling appointments for second doses. And, we chat with Granite Stater Chris Viaud about competing on Top Chef. 

Air date: Friday, Feb. 12, 2021. 

With Republicans winning majorities across state government and Governor Sununu resoundingly winning a third term, how might this affect legislative and gubernatorial priorities? Meanwhile, the picture was very different on the federal level, with Democratic incumbents holding onto their seats in Congress and the U.S. Senate and former Vice President Joe Biden winning New Hampshire's four electoral college votes with some ease. Also, we check in on the voting process itself and any lessons learned for future elections in the Granite State.

Airdate: Nov. 6, 2020

As coronavirus cases increase in states across the country, New Hampshire has also seen an alarming surge in cases. We examine what may be contributing to this surge, including smaller gatherings that lead to community-wide spread, and we get an update on how schools are coping with Covid-19 positive cases.  Nursing homes, which have borne the brunt of this pandemic, have also been experiencing a resurgence of outbreaks; we talk with InDepthNH.org about their recent series on the challenges facing nursing homes in this state. And we get an update on voting-related issues, with the election just about a week away. 

Air date: Friday, Oct. 23, 2020

Democratic Congressman Chris Pappas joins us to discuss his campaign for re-election to represent the first congressional district.  We get an update from NHPR education reporter Sarah Gibson on how students, teachers, and parents are adjusting to a new school year under pandemic conditions.  And we talk with longtime Republican party leader Steve Duprey about former governor Stephen Merrill and his political legacy. Merrill died last Saturday, Sept. 5, in his Manchester home at the age of 74.      

Just days before the September 8 primary, we take a look at themes and issues playing out among campaigns, including for Governor, U.S. Congress, Districts 1 and 2, and U.S. Senate.  We also explore aspects of the final report of the Commission on Law Enforcement Accountability, Community, and Transparency, a group formed by Governor Sununu in the aftermath of George Floyd's killing to examine issues of police training, racial bias, and commmunity relations. And we talk with the editor of The New Hampshire, the student newspaper of UNH, about a recent spike in coronavirus cases on campus and an increase in the number of students quarantined.  

Celebrating Pride Month looks different this year; we chat with organizers about how they've had to change their events in light of both the COVID-19 pandemic and recent protests about racial injustice. We also discuss New Hampshire's new Commission on Law Enforcement Accountability, Community and Transparency, which met for the first time this week, and explore how summer camps are trying to accomodate demand while staying safe. 

Air date: Friday, June 26, 2020. 

Two top state lawmakers fill us in on what they've been working on these weeks, with the Statehouse shuttered and the economy on hold because of COVID-19.  Despite this, there has been some political activity and some turmoil, with top Democrats suing Governor Sununu over who should control huge sums of money the federal government is sending for coronavirus relief. This week, a judge ruled the Democrats do not have standing to sue the governor.   Meanwhile, there's bipartisan concern over the damage this crisis is doing to the state budget -- but differences of opinion when it comes to solutions. 

Air date: April 24, 2020. 

Concerns rise in New Hampshire over the coronavirus. This hour, we speak with Manchester mayor Joyce Craig about the city’s plan for the possible arrival of COVID-19 in New Hampshire. We also talk about a variety of other issues facing the city. Later in the hour, we discuss with Sierra Hubbard of the Keene Sentinel about what cuts to Monadnock United Way mean for nonprofits in the region. And we hear how the NHPR newsroom is covering coronavirus.

Air Date: March 6, 2020

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. 

In a long-held political ritual, several presidential candidates file their paperwork at the Statehouse for the 2020 New Hampshire Primary, while Vice President Mike Pence files on behalf of President Trump. Cities around the state hold elections for mayor — and on whether to allow sports betting in their communities. And the Statehouse has been a busy place, as deadlines loom for committees to complete their work on156 retained bills from last session.

Original air date: Friday, November 8, 2019. 

DHHS Commissioner Jeffrey Meyers announces he's stepping down in December after a four-year term overseeing the state's largest agency.  DCYF releases new data highlighting the increasing demands on the agency, with reports of child abuse and neglect reaching a record high during the last fiscal year. And the state Supreme Court considers a case involving a controversial bail-reform statute. 

  Air date: Friday, Oct. 18, 2019.

After mass shootings in El Paso, Texas,  and Dayton, Ohio, New Hampshire's Congressional delegation calls for federal action on gun control. And activists in New Hampshire urge Governor Sununu to sign three gun-related bills.  The N.H. Attorney General concludes that racism did not motivate a 2017 attack on a biracial boy in Claremont. And Dartmouth College reaches a $14 million settlement with seven current and former students who alleged Dartmouth adminstrators failed to protect them from harassment by three former neuroscience faculty members. 

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 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. 

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.

Governor Sununu issues several vetoes, including a long-promised veto of the death penalty repeal that passed this spring. An immigration checkpoint on I 93 results in five arrests -- and more controversy.

And data released by the federal government suggests chemicals known as PFAS may be risky at lower levels than regulated by New Hampshire.

This week's Roundup is hosted by Lauren Chooljian, politics and policy reporter for NHPR's State of Democracy project.

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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. 

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.

A  New Hampshire woman won $560 million in the Powerball lottery, and now she is fighting in court to stay anonymous.  Governor Sununu nominates Robert J. Lynn for Chief Justice of the State Supreme Court.  The wife of the state education commissioner urges lawmakers to oppose a bill that would ban gay conversion therapy. F or the first time in nearly a decade, New Hampshire legislators are debating seat belt requirements.  And we'll see plenty of Olympic hopefuls from New Hampshire as the Winter Olympics get underway in South Korea. 

Massachusetts picks Northern Pass for major energy contract.  A financially troubled addiction treatment center in Manchester shuts its doors, and sends its services to other local health providers. The N.H.  legislature considers lowering the state's drinking age.  And a massive ice jam on the Piscataquog River causes concerns about Spring flooding.

The Weekly N.H. News Roundup on The Exchange hit the road this week and recorded before a live audience at The Barley House in Concord. The show airs at 9 a.m. and 7 p.m Friday.

Click here to see photos from the event

Host Peter Biello also fielded questions from the audience, including two about marijuana legislation.