🗞️ News from the Boston Globe New Hampshire team.
For the third year in a row, a Republican-backed “bathroom bill” that would allow certain sensitive spaces in New Hampshire to be separated on the basis of sex, rather than gender, has been vetoed by the state’s Republican governor.
Governor Ayotte again vetoes N.H. ‘bathroom bill’ backed by GOP lawmakers - The Boston Globe
The legislation would have allowed separation in certain spaces based on “biological sex."
The opening ceremony for the 2026 Winter Olympics will happen today at San Siro Stadium in Milan, Italy, and several athletes with New Hampshire ties are among those preparing to step onto a snowy and icy world stage. ❄️
Keep an eye out for these competitors as the games get underway:
Do you know your N.H. Olympians? - The Boston Globe
These athletes with ties to the Granite State are about to compete in the biathalon, skiing, and hockey.
She highlighted New Hampshire’s accomplishments in the year since she took office and emphasized what she views as the state’s strengths. Ayotte also acknowledged some of the pain points for residents such as “unsustainable” property taxes and the high cost of child care and electricity.
After one year on the job, N.H. Governor Ayotte announces new reading, nuclear power initiatives - The Boston Globe
In her State of the State address, Governor Kelly Ayotte said New Hampshire stands apart from its neighbors in New England.
In her “State of the State” address on Thursday, New Hampshire Governor Kelly Ayotte is expected to tout her administration’s accomplishments so far and preview some of her priorities for the foreseeable future.
Sneak peek: Governor Ayotte’s big ‘State of the State’ speech on Thursday will tout N.H. as ‘envy of New England’ - The Boston Globe
Ayotte, a Republican, is expected to celebrate the state’s status as a regional outlier, according to excerpts of her written remarks.
In a statement, Sequel Med Tech said the Manchester-based company is aware of the documents pertaining to Kamen, one of its founders and board members.
Two more organizations reviewing N.H. inventor Dean Kamen’s ties to Epstein - The Boston Globe
The Manchester-based medical company, founded by Kamen, is hiring an external law firm to review his connection to Epstein.
The revelation that New Hampshire inventor Dean Kamen kept in contact with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein for years is putting political pressure on Democratic congressional candidate Stefany Shaheen, who worked in a prominent role for one of Kamen’s nonprofits.
Fallout from N.H. inventor Dean Kamen’s ties to Jeffrey Epstein fuels questions for Democratic candidate Stefany Shaheen - The Boston Globe
Shaheen served until recently as chief strategy officer for Kamen’s nonprofit Advanced Regenerative Manufacturing Institute.
Julia Williams, who floated her own name in January as a potential Democratic candidate for New Hampshire governor, has already withdrawn herself from consideration.
Daughter of former N.H. governor decides not to launch 2026 gubernatorial campaign - The Boston Globe
The 36-year-old withdrew her name from consideration as a potential Democratic candidate, citing health-related concerns.
Moments big and small during Mike Vrabel’s first year as head coach capture a team building the trust and chemistry that would catapult them from the bottom of the division to the brink of a seventh title.
Here are 10 moments — on the field and beyond — that have defined their remarkable season.
Ten ways the Patriots built a new culture, from a two-minute drive to a surprise barbecue drop-in - The Boston Globe
How New England built trust, chemistry, and a new culture in Foxborough.
The federal government is looking to buy a massive warehouse in southern New Hampshire and convert it into a regional “processing center” for US Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainees, according to newly released public records.
Records confirm ICE eyeing massive warehouse for regional detention facility in Merrimack, N.H. - The Boston Globe
Federal DHS officials told a state agency in January of their plans to buy the property.
New Hampshire has unveiled a new design for license plates commemorating the country’s 250th birthday coming up on July 4, 2026.
New N.H. license plate commemorates country’s 250th - The Boston Globe
The design features the state’s Old Man of the Mountain in a granite-tinged blue.
Firefighters first received a report of a gas leak at the Greater Nashua Mental Health Center on Amherst Street on Monday afternoon, according to fire officials. They were inside investigating the gas when an explosion damaged a large part of the building.
Three firefighters injured in explosion at Nashua, N.H., building - The Boston Globe
Nashua Fire Rescue officials said they responded to a fire and gas leak on Monday afternoon.
Newly released documents on Jeffrey Epstein reveal that New Hampshire inventor and businessman Dean Kamen kept in contact with the wealthy financier for years after Epstein was convicted of sex crimes involving minors.
N.H. inventor Dean Kamen on leave from the nonprofit he founded, after longstanding ties to Epstein surface - The Boston Globe
In addition to trading professional favors, Kamen visited Epstein’s Caribbean island in 2013.
Budgeters had planned for the tax amnesty program to generate at least $5 million in revenue. But it has already shaken loose $62.3 million since it began on Dec. 1, 2025, according to the Department of Revenue Administration.
New Hampshire’s tax amnesty program has outperformed expectations, adding a cushion to the near-term financial picture - The Boston Globe
A limited-time tax amnesty offer that New Hampshire extended to nudge delinquent businesses and individuals into paying what they owe, with a discount, has dramatically outperformed expectations.
Caroline Harvey, who is from Salem, N.H., will be a featured player and the leader of a 25-and-under contingent that is powering the Americans’ medal hopes.
The US women’s hockey team is counting on New Hampshire’s Caroline Harvey to help win gold in Milan - The Boston Globe
Harvey, who is from Salem, N.H., will be a featured player and the leader of a 25-and-under contingent that is powering the Americans’ medal hopes.
John E. Sununu secured the coveted endorsement of President Trump on Sunday in the contested GOP primary for US Senate in New Hampshire, where the upcoming retirement of Democrat Jeanne Shaheen has set the stage for a closely watched race.
President Trump endorses John E. Sununu in closely watched N.H. race for US Senate - The Boston Globe
John E. Sununu is competing with Scott Brown, a fellow former US senator, for the GOP nomination, while Chris Pappas leads in the Democratic primary to see who will succeed Jeanne Shaheen.
Fifty-nine people were rescued after a ski lift malfunctioned in Lyme, N.H., on Thursday, officials said.
59 people rescued from ski lift in Lyme, N.H. - The Boston Globe
Crews removed everyone from the lift within an hour and a half, officials said.
A gender gap in enrollment that had long tilted toward women for decades has widened to the point where at dozens of campuses in New England, males now make up less than 40 percent of the student population.
New England campuses are facing a shortage of male students. Why? - The Boston Globe
The gender gap at American universities is widening year by year, to the point where colleges are worrying about the shortage of male students.
A well-known Republican businessman who serves as a commissioner for the New Hampshire Lottery says he was among those who took a gamble on a purported investment opportunity with former New Hampshire gubernatorial candidate Jay S. Lucas, only to learn later it was a total fraud.
Well-known N.H. businessman sues former GOP gubernatorial candidate for alleged fraud - The Boston Globe
Andy Crews and his wife allege Jay Lucas duped them into investing $150,000 in a wellness company’s supposed AI-powered revamp.
Several days after a second US citizen was shot and killed by ICE in Minnesota, New Hampshire Governor Kelly Ayotte said she supports a “thorough investigation” into the shooting.
‘Tragic’: N.H. Governor Ayotte calls for investigation into ICE’s fatal shooting of protester - The Boston Globe
She stopped short of asking for a pause in ICE operations in Maine and Minnesota.
Merrimack’s town council is opposed to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement locating a warehouse to hold immigrant detainees in the New Hampshire town, according to a letter from the council’s chair.
Merrimack Town Council opposes ICE warehouse - The Boston Globe
In a letter to DHS, the council’s chair wrote that there are concerns about ICE housing immigrant detainees in town.
Why is everyone suddenly obsessed with shelf-stable seafood? A Stratham, N.H., native’s brand might have a little something to do with it.
More people are getting hooked on tinned fish. And this Stratham, N.H., native’s brand has helped lure them in. - The Boston Globe
Becca Millstein founded Fishwife, a premium tinned fish company, in 2020 during the pandemic.
The end of the road was in sight for mandatory annual motor vehicle inspections in New Hampshire after state lawmakers eliminated the requirement, with the change slated to take effect this weekend.
But a federal judge has hit the brakes.
Federal judge halts N.H. plan to end annual inspections for motor vehicles - The Boston Globe
The end of the road was in sight for mandatory annual motor vehicle inspections in New Hampshire after state lawmakers eliminated the requirement, with the change slated to take effect this weekend. But a federal judge hit the brakes.
Many Massachusetts residents who moved out of state in 2024 remained in New England or other Northeastern states, with neighboring New Hampshire among the most common destinations, new data show.
These are the top destinations for Mass. residents who moved away in 2024 - The Boston Globe
While some residents moved to different parts of the country, most chose nearby states as their new home.
House Bill 1709 would require prospective renters to disclose their immigration status when applying for residential housing.
Failure to do so would be a Class B felony, according to the bill.
N.H. weighs felony-level offense to stop illegal immigrants from renting an apartment - The Boston Globe
“Illegal aliens are not welcome in the Granite State,” said the bill’s sponsor. “We will continue to make sure that there is nowhere they can live.”
New Hampshire lawmakers held a series of hearings in January for public testimony on four proposals that would resurrect some version of the death penalty, which lawmakers abolished more than six years ago.
New Hampshire lawmakers weighing pros and cons of reviving death penalty, including its costs - The Boston Globe
Most witnesses, including several who recounted the anguish they felt when immediate family members were murdered, testified in opposition to the pending proposals.
A fourth potential Democratic candidate is floating a trial balloon over the New Hampshire gubernatorial race, as she mulls whether to try to take on Republican incumbent Governor Kelly Ayotte.
Another Democrat is considering entering the N.H. gubernatorial race - The Boston Globe
Julia Williams, the daughter of former Democratic governor John Lynch, said she’s still “early” in the process but “it’s something I’m eager to do.”
New Hampshire is weighing a proposal to require all cyclists in the state to pay a $50 annual registration fee in order to ride on state or municipally funded paths, trails, or roadways.
N.H. residents outraged over proposal to require a $50 annual bike fee - The Boston Globe
Representative Thomas Walsh said he doubts the bill will move forward this year given the response from the community.
Mrs. Oliver, famous around the world as Maine’s legendary “lobster lady,” had lived for years in her Rockland home next to the house where she was born. She was 105 when she died Wednesday in a nearby hospital.
Maine’s legendary ‘lobster lady’ dies at 105: ‘More than a local icon’ - The Boston Globe
“When I first started, there weren’t any women but me,” Mrs. Oliver told the Globe in 2021, when she was still lobstering at 101.
The bulk of this storm, the largest New England has seen in four years, moved through by 2 a.m., with lingering snow showers now continuing into early Monday evening.
Monday’s forecast: We’re not done yet. More snow is on the way as bitter cold drags on. - The Boston Globe
This Arctic freeze won't be loosening its grip on the Northeast anytime soon.
A Lawrence man was arrested for allegedly leading police on a high-speed chase through several New Hampshire communities on Interstate 93 Saturday night, New Hampshire State Police said.
Lawrence man arrested after allegedly leading police on high-speed chase on I-93 in New Hampshire - The Boston Globe
The driver was arrested after running out of gas in the southbound lane in Salem, N.H., officials said.
Here we go, folks! For snowstorm lovers, this is what you’ve been waiting for. For everyone else, this is going to be a massive headache.
Typical New England snowmaker or Snowmageddon? Here’s the latest forecast. - The Boston Globe
Travel will be "very difficult to impossible" Sunday and Monday with up to 2 feet of snow forecast.
With just over seven months to go before voters decide which candidates will advance to the general election in New Hampshire’s federal races, the University of New Hampshire Survey Center released new data Wednesday offering a fresh snapshot.
Survey shows which N.H. candidates for federal office are surging, holding steady - The Boston Globe
The University of New Hampshire Survey Center released new data offering a fresh snapshot on the status of New Hampshire's contests for US House and US Senate.
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jonathan A. Kiper didn’t hire an attorney when he sued New Hampshire last fall, alleging the state’s 424 state lawmakers are unconstitutionally underpaid. Instead, he filed the lawsuit himself.
Did he have help? Of course. From artificial intelligence.
Democratic candidate for N.H. governor sues to boost lawmakers’ compensation - The Boston Globe
The AG’s office has asked the court to dismiss the suit from Jonathan Kiper, who leaned heavily on AI-generated insights in his legal effort.
As chief of law enforcement for New Hampshire Fish and Game, Colonel Kevin Jordan is in charge of leading search and rescue missions.
Given the brutally cold temperatures predicted ahead, he is expecting a busy weekend of rescuing people who are unprepared for the weather.
N.H. search and rescue braces for a busy weekend amid frigid temperatures - The Boston Globe
“We worry that people are going to get in trouble much faster,” said the head of search and rescue.
Dr. Amy Watson, a private practice pediatrician in Concord, said she’s hearing more questions from parents trying to understand why the federal guidance is different from the American Academy of Pediatrics, and that it’s sowing uncertainty about who to trust.
N.H. considers eliminating childhood vaccine requirements, as providers warn of confusion from federal changes - The Boston Globe
Providers said new federal guidelines are undermining trust in vaccines.
A bag full of 11 dead sea ducks, believed to be from Massachusetts, was found at a highway rest stop in Seabrook, N.H., a possible violation of state hunting laws, New Hampshire wildlife officials said.
Bag of 11 dead sea ducks found at Seabrook rest stop, N.H. wildlife officials investigating - The Boston Globe
Discarding the ducks, which are believed to be from Massachusetts, may violate N.H. state hunting laws, officials said.
An arrest was made in the investigation into the suspicious death of a man in Manchester, N.H., law enforcement officials said Wednesday night.
Man arrested in suspicious death in Manchester, N.H. - The Boston Globe
Marke Deslisle, 32, of Londonderry, N.H., is charged with the fatal stabbing of Yank Leek, 35, officials said Wednesday night.
There’s no doubt that there’s going to be a significant amount of snow for parts of the eastern U.S. that have not seen much snow, not only this winter but over the past several years.
Arctic air clash could trigger a major snowstorm for New England. Here’s the latest. - The Boston Globe
Once the storm exits the Mid-Atlantic coast, it will have to fight the bitter cold, dense Arctic air that will overtake the region this weekend.
A state lawmaker promoting a backup plan to curb local property taxes in New Hampshire was quick to acknowledge Tuesday that his proposal is still rough around the edges.
Hastily drafted property tax cap legislation in N.H. could spark ‘chaos and confusion,’ critics say - The Boston Globe
Representative Ross Berry, a Republican, told colleagues the legislation seeks to address concerns from GOP members who sided with Democrats earlier this month to kill a bill that would have created an inflation-based spending cap for every local school district.
A former nursing assistant accused of sexually assaulting a child patient at a New Hampshire hospital is facing a long list of new charges alleging he abused additional victims entrusted to his care.
Former N.H. hospital employee accused of sexually assaulting child patient faces new felony charges - The Boston Globe
Police said investigators found child sex abuse material that Alexander Colbath is accused of manufacturing, involving additional victims.
New Hampshire has agreed to pay $239 million to victims of alleged abuse at the state-run youth detention facility through a settlement fund, according to a report issued Jan. 14.
N.H. agrees to pay $239 million to settle claims of abuse at state-run facility - The Boston Globe
Thousands of claims are still pending, with requests totaling more than $1.8 billion.
Authorities were investigating the suspicious death of a man in Manchester, N.H., on Tuesday.
At about 9:20 p.m. Jan. 20, Manchester police were dispatched to the area of Barry Avenue and Spruce Street in Manchester in response to a 911 call reporting an injured man.
Authorities investigating suspicious death in Manchester, N.H. - The Boston Globe
Officers found the man lying on the ground unconscious with an apparent stab wound to his chest.
A New Hampshire Episcopal bishop is attracting national attention after warning his clergy to finalize their wills and get their affairs in order to prepare for a “new era of martyrdom.”
New Hampshire bishop warns clergy to prepare for ‘new era of martyrdom’ - The Boston Globe
Episcopal Bishop Rob Hirschfeld’s speech cited several historical clergy members who risked their lives to protect others.
Forensic experts say a human skull seized from a store in Seabrook, N.H., in 1994 likely belonged to a girl between the ages of 7 and 9 who “may have died two to ten years prior.”
Forensic experts seek public’s help to identify girl whose skull was found in N.H. store in 1994 - The Boston Globe
A California-based nonprofit began its genealogical research into the skull in 2023, nearly 30 years after authorities recovered it in New Hampshire.
What if New England trees could produce a culinary oil on par with olive oil? 🤔
Bitternut hickory, once considered a ‘trash’ tree, could be the key to a new cottage industry in New England - The Boston Globe
Local producers and foresters are working to put homegrown hickory oil on the map. Some experts even claim the oil, pressed from hickory nuts, could become the region’s next maple syrup.
New Hampshire residents have been clamoring for information about ICE’s plans in the state, after a Washington Post report in December named Merrimack as the possible site of an industrial warehouse that could be renovated to house immigrant detainees.
Merrimack, N.H., residents watch warehouse listed as possible ICE facility - The Boston Globe
“I believe they’re moving forward on this,” said state Representative Rosemarie Rung of the Trump administration’s plan to accelerate deportations.
A man from Maine who was wanted for allegedly killing his girlfriend led police on a chase from Lowell to New Hampshire, where he crashed and was arrested Sunday morning, authorities said.
Maine murder suspect leads police on chase from Lowell to New Hampshire, authorities say - The Boston Globe
Dane Burke, 55, was arrested and charged with the murder of his girlfriend, Nichole Jackson, in Skowhegan, Maine.
Two skiers from Massachusetts were rescued after they got lost in deep snow and “blizzard-like conditions” on the summit of Mount Moosilakue in the New Hampshire White Mountains on Saturday afternoon, New Hampshire Fish and Game said.
Two Mass. skiers rescued from Mount Moosilakue summit in N.H. White Mountains during storm - The Boston Globe
The skiers from Cambridge and Somerville said they lost the trail because of strong winds and had no visibility, according to officials.
Former University of New Hampshire star Jerry Azumah was announced Wednesday as a member of the National Football Foundation College Football Hall of Fame class.
Former New Hampshire football star Jerry Azumah named to College Football Hall of Fame - The Boston Globe
The Worcester native was the first FCS player to eclipse 1,000 rushing yards in four consecutive seasons.
A federal lawsuit filed Thursday in New Hampshire seeks to compel US Immigration and Customs Enforcement to publicly release the materials it uses to train state and local police officers who are carrying out arrests on ICE’s behalf.
What does ICE tell local N.H. police in their ‘task force’ training? This lawsuit aims to find out. - The Boston Globe
Some recent immigration arrests by local police raise questions about their training, says the ACLU of New Hampshire.
