N.H. News Recap

State lawmakers voted to pass a two year spending plan for the state on Thursday. They worked right up to the deadline to pass the budget after Gov. Kelly Ayotte and Republican State House leaders reached a deal to avoid a veto from the governor.

We discuss what’s in the budget — and what got cut — and more top headlines on this week’s edition of the New Hampshire News Recap.

Guests:

• Amanda Gokee, Boston Globe
• Josh Rogers, NHPR

Top stories from around New Hampshire this week:

Working until deadline, lawmakers and Ayotte reach deal to pass state budget

The deal that Gov. Kelly Ayotte and Republican State House leaders reached on the final day of the legislative session means New Hampshire will have a state budget in place July 1.

NH lawmakers spike plan for mandatory minimum sentences for fentanyl possession

Gov. Kelly Ayotte has prioritized toughening state drug laws. But a compromise plan that would do just that was tabled by the state Senate — effectively scuttling its chances for the year.

‘Our livelihood is in danger’: Lake Winnipesaukee has a bacteria problem, and locals are worried

For some, the high levels served as a wake-up call about water quality issues threatening New Hampshire’s largest lake, a beloved destination for locals and visitors alike and home to summer camps that families have attended for generations.

N.H. lawmakers send bills banning gender-affirming care, surgeries for minors to Governor Kelly Ayotte

If the governor signs either bill into law, New Hampshire would be the first New England state to enact such a ban.

More New Hampshire headlines:

Shaheen: ‘I'm pleased that we were involved in setting back Iran's nuclear program’

‘We’re not Nazi Germany': Protestors call on Ayotte to veto book ban bill

‘We’ll start from scratch again’: Changes to NH’s landfill rules will have to wait till next session

Scott Brown says he's running for U.S. Senate for 'a better America'

House and Senate negotiators completed work on a new state spending plan for the full legislature to vote on next week. As soon as they were done, Gov. Kelly Ayotte said she couldn't support it, and would veto the proposal.

As we near the end of the current legislative session, we have an update from the State House with NHPR's senior political reporter Josh Rogers.

Top stories from around New Hampshire this week:

Republican negotiators agree on a state budget, but Ayotte promises a veto

House and Senate leaders scrambled Thursday to reach a final deal, adding polices to shore up support for their plan before key votes next week.

State House negotiators reach deal on mandatory minimums for some drug crimes in NH

Gov. Kelly Ayotte has prioritized stiffening criminal penalties for fentanyl. This deal would also reduce them for personal use of psilocybin.

Teachers, parents raise concerns of a literacy crisis in the Berlin school district

Roughly 70% of elementary school students in Berlin aren’t reading at their grade level. Some teachers are saying that’s because of how those students are taught to read.

More New Hampshire headlines:

Photos: On the Seacoast, Junteenth is a day of celebration and protest

Advocates challenge permit for Manchester’s wastewater system, citing PFAS concerns

NH students speak on the effects of school budget cuts

Bike Week 2025: Fewer Canadians, but still lots of leather and motorcycles

As the New Hampshire Legislature approaches the end of this year's session, first-term Gov. Kelly Ayotte can point to political success on a number of issues, including parental rights, immigration enforcement and school choice.

The state Supreme Court has ruled that New Hampshire’s long-standing practice of using a statewide property tax to pay for education is largely legal. We talk about these stories and more on this edition of the New Hampshire News Recap.

Guests:

• Annmarie Timmins, NHPR
• Josh Rogers, NHPR

Top stories from around New Hampshire this week:

Ayotte signs bills to eliminate school voucher income cap and codify parental rights

Both polices have been longstanding goals for New Hampshire conservatives.

NH Supreme Court’s decision upholding statewide education tax draws mixed reactions

Justice James Bassett dissented, saying the tax scheme is unconstitutional because it is not uniform across communities.

More New Hampshire headlines:

State tourism agency takes down Pride Month promo post following Republican pushback

What’s the connection between hotter, warmer summers in NH and climate change?

To protect against ticks, scientists say we need to get better at tracking them

Winter weather helped drive up business at NH ski slopes

The state Senate passed its two year spending plan Thursday. The nearly $16 billion budget reverses several deep spending cuts made by the New Hampshire House, restoring some funds for Medicaid and the state’s public university system.

The Senate also voted to expand New Hampshire's school voucher program and ban state and local governments from having DEI policies.

We dive into the Senate’s budget on this edition of the New Hampshire News Recap.

Guests:

• Steven Porter, Boston Globe
• Ethan DeWitt, New Hampshire Bulletin

Top headlines from around New Hampshire this week:

After ‘tough choices’ on spending, N.H. Senate approves budget with notable cuts

While this version restores much of the spending the House had cut, it still calls for the elimination of about 60 positions in the Department of Corrections, a 10.5reduction in funding to the university system, and many other trims.

The New Hampshire Senate is set to vote on a budget. Here’s what’s in it.

Senate President Sharon Carson praised the final budget, stressing that it came amid a difficult economic reality for the state.

More New Hampshire headlines:

Pro-Palestine Dartmouth protesters stage hunger strike

Canadian bookings at NH State Park campgrounds show big slide, as boycott persists

Republicans want to put the governor in charge of choosing YDC fund administrator

Manchester protesters urge boycott of Avelo Airlines over deportation flights

A new law signed by Gov. Kelly Ayotte grants the gun manufacturer Sig Sauer immunity from some lawsuits in New Hampshire.

Market Basket's board of directors is investigating its CEO, and has placed him on administrative leave.

And there's a lot happening at the State House in Concord right now as lawmakers near the end of the legislative session. We talk about some of the bills you might've missed on this edition of the New Hampshire News Recap.

Guests:

• Will Skipworth, New Hampshire Bulletin
• Todd Bookman, NHPR

Top headlines from around New Hampshire this week:

Facing a wave of P320 lawsuits, Sig Sauer asked for immunity. NH lawmakers granted it.

The new law has drawn pushback from people who've been injured from unintentional firings of their Sig Sauer pistols.

Market Basket CEO on paid leave over allegedly plotting work stoppage

Family drama atop the famed New England grocery chain is spilling into public view again, more than 10 years after an employee- and customer-led boycott nearly crippled the company.

In New Hampshire, people with disabilities face challenges hiring the help they need

Amid New Hampshire’s tight labor market and low Medicaid reimbursement rates, people with disabilities face challenges hiring the help they need. And for people with unique needs, this can be difficult, isolating, and exhausting.

More New Hampshire headlines:

Lawyers want to question former NH corrections chief in trial over prison death

What work requirements would mean for people covered by Medicaid in New Hampshire

‘No surprise’ ambulance billing could be on the way for Granite Staters

New book reports Saint-Gobain was aware it could be spreading toxic chemicals in Merrimack

New Hampshire’s top corrections official resigned this week without explanation ending a more than two decade career with the department. Commissioner Helen Hanks oversaw the Department of Corrections for eight years until this week. Tensions had been brewing between Hanks and top New Hampshire Republicans.

And the number of Canadians visiting the U.S. declined in recent months and state officials are expecting a drop in tourists from our northern neighbors this summer. Parts of New Hampshire rely on tourist spending in the summertime. We discuss how a drop in Canadian tourists could affect local municipalities on this edition of the New Hampshire News Recap.

Guests:

• Charlotte Matherly, Concord Monitor
• Josh Rogers, NHPR

Top stories from around New Hampshire this week:

Helen Hanks resigns as Department of Corrections commissioner

Head of police standards approved as interim leader of NH Corrections

By all appearances, Canadians are leery of coming to NH

Amid U.S.-Canada tensions, NH expects drop in cross-border summer tourists

New director of state aging commission fights to keep her agency alive

More New Hampshire headlines:

How a growing cohort of Black women are redefining doula care across New England

Emily started puberty blockers during a raging state and national debate

Senate budget writers move to nix New Hampshire’s arts council

Report finds no problems with management of state's YDC victim settlement fund

Judge rules Conway pastry painting can stay; town's argument crumbles

Gov. Kelly Ayotte recently signed a law making New Hampshire the first state to authorize its treasury to purchase Bitcoin. What’s driving efforts here to make the state more attractive for cryptocurrency businesses?

And top House Republicans have accused New Hampshire’s public universities and colleges of admitting undocumented individuals as students at the exclusion of legal New Hampshire residents. But the most recent enrollment numbers show a total of three students — out of 22,000 —would be considered undocumented or part of the federal DACA program.

Guests:

• Annmarie Timmins, NHPR
• Josh Rogers, NHPR

Top stories from around New Hampshire this week:

Numbers don’t bear out lawmakers’ claims of vast undocumented student population on NH campuses

Top State House Republicans have accused public campuses of “harboring an unknown number” of undocumented students. In fact, there are three enrolled.

Bitcoin booster push to make New Hampshire ‘the granite cradle of crypto’

Top Republicans see cryptocurrency as an opportunity to transform New Hampshire’s economy. The momentum is driven in part by libertarian-minded lawmakers and activists connected to the Free State Project.

Testing reveals DNA evidence in alleged wrongful conviction in New Hampshire murder case

Jason Carroll has spent more than 30 years in prison claiming innocence in the murder of Sharon Johnson. Now, he could be one step closer to proving it.

More New Hampshire headlines:

Should NH students learn gun safety in school? A Republican lawmaker says yes.

Hanover voters encourage town officials to avoid contract with ICE

Faith, celebrations and community provide hope for NH Ukrainians

In Manchester, a funeral for an infant no one knew

The state could lose over $80 million in federal grant money for health programs, and funding for university research is also on the chopping block as the Trump administration continues to make cuts.

Gov. Kelly Ayotte and Republican lawmakers continue to be at odds over the next state budget as they work to resolve a shortfall. We talk about these stories and more on this edition of the New Hampshire News Recap.

Guests:

• Amanda Gokee, Boston Globe
• Ethan DeWitt, New Hampshire Bulletin
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Top stories from around New Hampshire this week:

Senate sets budget revenue targets below Ayotte’s, frustrating governor

In February, Ayotte presented an optimistic portrait of the state's economy and revenue forecasts. In April, the House took a less rosy approach. This week, the Senate recommended a middle ground.

Federal funds were the lifeblood of US scientific discovery. Where will the money come from now?

So far, officials say at least $2 million in research funding has been cut, and an additional $8 million grant has been identified as vulnerable.

Once dissed by DOGE, NH company now partnering with Musk on modernization project

Portsmouth-based Iron Mountain secured a $142 million contact with the U.S. Treasury less than three months after Elon Musk targeted the company’s operations as antiquated.

More New Hampshire headlines:

NH Supreme Court strengthens protections for crime victims’ mental health records

Sununu to join venture capital firm run by former classmate

Proposed cuts to colleges, Medicaid draw crowd to NH State House

Want to start a garden in NH this spring? It’s not too late.

Lawmakers are crafting the state’s budget for the next two years, and one area facing a shortfall is the settlement fund for alleged victims of abuse at the state’s Youth Development Center.

How does that settlement process work, and what would happen if lawmakers don’t fund it? We hear from the settlement fund’s administrator, former New Hampshire Supreme Court Chief Justice John Broderick.

We also speak with NHPR’s Annmarie Timmins about some of the politics surrounding the fund during the budget process. She also discusses how a federal judge in Concord temporarily blocked the Trump administration’s restriction on DEI in schools.

We discuss these stories on this week’s edition of the New Hampshire News Recap.

Guests:

• Justice John Broderick, YDC settlement fund administrator
• Annmarie Timmins, NHPR Youth and Education Reporter

Top headlines from around New Hampshire this week:

‘Hanging on a rope’: Victims wait as lawmakers debate the future of the YDC fund.

Nearly 800 people with claims pending before the state’s Youth Development Center settlement fund. With the fund down to about $13 million, lawmakers who enthusiastically established it three years ago appear to be backing away over concerns about how victims’ lawyers are being paid.

New Hampshire federal judge partially blocks Trump administration DEI ban

A New Hampshire federal judge partially blocked a Trump administration directive forbidding diversity, equity and inclusion programming in schools that receive federal funding.

More New Hampshire headlines:

Judge grants preliminary injunction amid ‘constantly shifting ground’ for Dartmouth student

Most charges against protesters arrested at Dartmouth, UNH last spring have been dropped

Facing 30% budget cut, state university leaders say raising tuition is not an option

NH universities remain vigilant amid immigration records changes

New Hampshire lawmakers have proposed significant spending cuts as the state faces a shortfall in the next budget. Among those cuts, is a proposal to eliminate the Office of the Child Advocate, an independent watchdog agency that oversees the state’s treatment of at-risk youth.

House budget writers have also proposed moving around funds originally meant for helping people living with opioid addiction. We talk about these stories and more on this edition of the New Hampshire News Recap.

Guests:

• William Skipworth, New Hampshire Bulletin
• Paul Cuno-Booth, NHPR

Top headlines from around New Hampshire this week:

Money set aside to help NH’s opioid crisis could be steered elsewhere in the state budget

The money at issue comes from legal settlements with companies accused of fueling the opioid crisis.

As Senate takes up budget, state rep intensifies attacks on New Hampshire’s child advocate

What was initially pitched as purely a cost-cutting measure has morphed into attacks on the New Hampshire Office of the Child Advocate.

In Manchester, those treating substance use disorder fear the repercussions of Medicaid cuts

Nearly 10,000 people in New Hampshire receive medication treatment for opioid use disorder through Medicaid.

More New Hampshire headlines:

New Hampshire Catholics mourn Pope Francis

At Dartmouth, some focus on building ‘networks of care’ as risks to campus activists mount

Federal judge hears arguments over NH’s proof of citizenship voting law

Merrimack Station is exempt from new air pollution rules, as it moves toward closing in 2028