N.H. News Recap

It's been a busy year in politics with Donald Trump's return to the White House bringing sweeping federal funding cuts and an aggressive anti-immigration agenda to New Hampshire. The state also saw the start of Kelly Ayotte's first term as governor. As we near the end of 2025, we're recapping the some of the year's top headlines with NHPR's Josh Rogers, Annmarie Timmins and Lau Guzmán.

Parts of New Hampshire have been under extreme drought conditions this year. This summer was the driest on record in the state, and that's led to more than 200 households with dry wells. What's the state doing in response? And state lawmakers won't officially head back to Concord until next month, but Gov. Kelly Ayotte and leaders in both parties are starting to lay out their priorities. We talk a...

The Disability Rights Center in New Hampshire is investigating the state’s disability care system following reporting from the New Hampshire Bulletin, which revealed allegations of systemic abuse and neglect. Congressional Republicans made some significant changes to Medicaid this year, but they need states like New Hampshire to figure out a system for implementing those changes. We discuss these...

The Trump administration has dismantled the U.S. Department of Education and its special education offices. What effect could this have on programs for children here in New Hampshire? And New Hampshire's education system is facing budgetary challenges at every level. How are these schools working to bridge gaps in funding? We talk about these stories and more on this edition of the New Hampshire N...

Congress voted this week to end the longest government shutdown in U.S. history. New Hampshire’s Senators Jeanne Shaheen and Maggie Hassan helped negotiate the deal with Republicans. Representatives Chris Pappas and Maggie Goodlander voted against the measure in the House, dividing the state's all-Democratic congressional delegation. And an investigation by the New Hampshire Bulletin into a series...

The New Hampshire Department of Justice is reviewing a series of personnel maneuvers that allowed a top state court employee to collect nearly $50,000 in employment benefits following a layoff that lasted just 48 hours. And New Hampshire voters made their way to the polls in municipal elections this week. Several incumbent mayors were reelected. We talk through the results and more on this edition...

Starting Saturday, federal nutrition benefits, also known as SNAP, will pause due to the ongoing federal government shutdown. Tens of thousands of Granite Staters are set to lose their benefits and local food pantries are bracing for a surge in demand. The U.S Drug Enforcement Administration claimed it arrested 171 high-level members of Mexico’s Sinaloa Cartel in New England this August. In Frankl...

As the federal shutdown continues, people across the country, including here in New Hampshire are feeling the effects. To make up for delayed funds, the state is planning to provide support for the 75,000 residents who rely on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or SNAP. Dartmouth College has rejected a compact with the Trump administration. It was one of nine colleges and universities a...

Tensions between Gov. Kelly Ayotte and members of the state’s Executive Council boiled over this week, as the council tabled more than 20 state contracts to protest what they say is a withholding of information by the governor. And the Claremont School District continues to grapple with $5 million budget deficit. Republicans in Concord debated this week over how much the state should step in to he...

New Hampshire Supreme Court Justice Anna Barbara Hantz Marconi has been found guilty of misusing her position. She pleaded no contest Tuesday to the allegation that she tried to improperly influence former Gov. Chris Sununu, but she’ll also be able to return to her seat on the state Supreme Court. And this year the New Hampshire Supreme Court ruled that the amount the state currently pays per stud...

There are over 9,000 federal employees working here in New Hampshire, and a number of services and programs that could be disrupted under this federal government shutdown. At the heart of the shutdown is a fight over health policy. Democrats are seeking to continue health insurance subsidies established through the Affordable Care Act. Republicans say there’s time to negotiate on those subsidies l...

The U.S. Department of Justice is suing New Hampshire and five other states for access to confidential voting records. Months ago the DOJ asked New Hampshire for the data and Secretary of State David Scanlan denied the request. And the Trump administration abruptly ended funding for two programs that are helping over 5,000 New Hampshire students pursue college and careers. We discuss these stories...

The murder of right-wing political commentator Charlie Kirk has sent shockwaves across the country. Here in New Hampshire, his assassination is leading to a crack down from conservatives on what they perceive as left-wing ideology in public schools. We follow the local response to Kirk's murder on this edition of the New Hampshire News Recap with NHPR's Annmarie Timmins and the Boston Globe's Stev...

After 40 years, the high-profile cold case known as the Bear Brook murders has now been solved. But in solving it, investigators have revealed new mysteries. The case has loomed large in the state for decades, baffling investigators, journalists and sleuths on the internet. And much of New Hampshire is in a drought right now according to the latest report from the U.S. Drought Monitor. After a wet...

The Claremont School Board has authorized a bank loan that will cover some daily expenses as the district faces a $1 to $5 million deficit. Meanwhile another New Hampshire town, Pittsfield, is also facing a budget shortfall of over a million dollars And a federal judge temporarily blocked a state law that would cut funding for schools that pursue diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. The de...

New Hampshire is among the states targeted by the U.S. Department of Justice seeking information about its voting system. That includes the state’s voter registration list. New Hampshire election officials have refused to hand over that information to the federal government, and now they are rejecting yet another request from the feds. As the Trump administration is weighing whether to deploy Nati...

A superior court judge ruled this week that the state is underfunding both general and special education. This follows another ruling by the state Supreme Court earlier this summer that also determined New Hampshire isn’t spending enough. But both that court and the judge in this case left it to the Legislature to take next steps. So what does this actually mean moving forward? We talk about this...

A land sale in Nashua earlier this year is now sparking rumors and misinformation online and across the city. A Chinese bottling company purchased an industrial property in January leading to speculation about the deal on social media. And New Hampshire ranks last in the country in spending on public higher education. At the same time, universities and other education institutions are undergoing f...

Concord Police are leading the investigation into a neo-Nazi group's actions in the city last weekend. The Attorney General's Civil Rights Unit is also monitoring as the group's appearance has been condemned by municipal and state political leaders. Many families are taking interest in New Hampshire’s expanded school choice program as we near the upcoming school year. Fall enrollment has reached t...

A dozen local law enforcement agencies, including state police, have signed agreements with Immigration and Customs Enforcement in the last six months to add some of those federal duties on their beat. Federally, these agreements are part of a push to increase immigration enforcement. And Gov. Kelly Ayotte's pick for New Hampshire's next education commissioner received broad political support duri...

Some Granite Staters are raising concerns about how ICE agents are operating in their communities. The concerns follow apparent detentions of people in Manchester and Portsmouth this month. A video circulating this week shows a man being arrested outside a Manchester courthouse this week, and in Portsmouth, four restaurant workers were detained by ICE agents earlier this month. A new person will s...

Gov. Kelly Ayotte vetoed several Republican-backed bills this week that addressed key priorities for conservatives in her party. That includes a bill that would have rolled back civil rights protections for transgender people in the state and a bill that would have allowed parents to request books be removed from their child’s school. New Hampshire real estate developer Robynne Alexander admitted...

A federal judge in Concord has blocked President Trump’s executive order restricting birthright citizenship nationwide. And funding cuts on the federal and state levels continue to threaten social programs. We talk about these stories and more on this edition of the New Hampshire News Recap with NHPR's Olivia Richardson and Boston Globe's Amanda Gokee.

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 with reporter Amanda G...

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.