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Portsmouth Activists Plan Accessible Black ...

A Black Lives Matter protest more accessible to those in the disabled community is being organized for next Friday in Portsmouth.

Portsmouth Activists Plan Accessible Black Lives Matter Protest

‘A User’s Guide to Democracy’ and why civics matters

‘A User’s Guide to Democracy’ and why civics matters

The study of the rights and duties of citizenship - also known as civics - isn't something that gets a lot of attention in New Hampshire or across the country. Joining The State We’re In host Melanie Plenda are three people who are doing their part to change that and find fun ways to teach people about how the government and its institutions work: hosts of New Hampshire Public Radio Civics101 podcast Nick Capodice and Hannah McCarthy, as well as Martha Madson, the executive director for the New Hampshire Civics.

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The State We're In - ‘A User’s Guide to Democracy’ and why civics matters

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The State We're In - ‘A User’s Guide to Democracy’ and why civics matters

The study of the rights and duties of citizenship - also known as civics - isn't something that gets a lot of attention in New Hampshire or across the country. Joining The State We’re In host Melanie Plenda are three people who are doing their part to change that and find fun ways to teach people about how the government and its institutions work: hosts of New Hampshire Public Radio Civics101 podcast Nick Capodice and Hannah McCarthy, as well as Martha Madson, the executive director for the New Hampshire Civics.

BITCOIN—BLESSING OR DISASTER?

BITCOIN—BLESSING OR DISASTER?

Cryptocurrencies are privately developed and maintained digital products for making and accepting financial payments and protecting wealth. They are intended to replace government currencies, such as the dollar-based currency provided by the U.S. Treasury. By far the most widely accepted and used cryptocurrency is Bitcoin, introduced in 2009. Millions of individuals and entities worldwide hold or have held investments in Bitcoin, and tens or hundreds of thousands of individuals and entities engage in Bitcoin “mining” (the process of creating new Bitcoin by solving computational puzzles).

America Writ Small

America Writ Small

Eaton, New Hampshire is a place where a town official agrees to talk about a local controversy but insists on making eggplant parmesan for the occasion, where a reticent citizen who doesn’t want to be interviewed does so by “respectfully declining,” and where visitors to the Little White Church are reminded to check their politics at the door.

But it’s also a place where longtime friends have ceased speaking to one another, where name-calling attacks appear in the letters to the editor section of the local newspaper, and where a Confederate flag, a gay pride flag, a Black Lives Matter flag, a middle finger flag and other banners compete, flapping idly like the remnants of a recent war.

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Missing children: NH doesn’t track pre-school kids; community has a role to play in protecting the vulnerable

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Missing children: NH doesn’t track pre-school kids; community has a role to play in protecting the vulnerable

With a search for 7-year-old Harmony Montgomery ongoing for weeks now, the question still being asked, but for which the answer remains elusive, is how does a child go missing for more than two years and neither police nor child protection services know about it?

“The more provocative question would be who noticed the child when she wasn’t missing,” said Moira O’Neill, Director of the New Hampshire Office of the Child Advocate, which has oversight for the state Department of Children, Youth and Families (DCYF). She is not seeking reappointment to her post which expires on Jan. 31, 2022.

COVID-19 numbers hit all-time highs

COVID-19 numbers hit all-time highs

"In recent weeks, the number of new cases and hospitalizations has surged across our state and we continue to operate at or near capacity as a result," says Dr. Tom Wold, Chief Medical Officer at Portsmouth Regional Hospital.

The surge is hurting hospitals at two levels, doctors say, both increasing the burdens on their staff and reducing the number of staff available to meet the community's needs.

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The State We're In - Lead Paint

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The State We're In - Lead Paint

As part of an ongoing series about environmental justice, the Granite State News Collaborative and NH Bar News have teamed up to look at environmental challenges facing New Hampshire families. In this series of stories, the team explores why lead paint is still a problem in New Hampshire and what’s being done to clear homes of this hazard, particularly for children living in poverty. Joining The State We’re In host Melanie Plenda this week are Scott Merrill (editor at NH Bar News), Kathie Ragsdale (reporter for the Granite State News Collaborative), John Bassett (data and research editor for the Granite State News Collaborative), and Paul Cuno-Booth (reporter for the Granite State News Collaborative).

COVID-19 cases increase, Hospitalizations remain steady

COVID-19 cases increase, Hospitalizations remain steady

According to data from the state’s official COVID response dashboard, New Hampshire averaged 1,495 new cases per day for the week ending Tuesday, up 41 percent from 1,057 a week earlier. The seven-day average for the share of antigen and PCR tests coming back positive was 20.6 percent, up from 15.2 percent a week ago. A total of 503 people were hospitalized for the diseases as of Wednesday, including 359 people with active infections and 144 people who are no longer infectious but still need critical care. (This last type is now being referred to in state data reports as "COVID-recovering.")

COVID-19 numbers continue to drop; Hospitals under strain

COVID-19 numbers continue to drop; Hospitals under strain

According to data from the state’s official COVID response dashboard, New Hampshire averaged 992 new cases per day for the week ending Wednesday, down 14 percent from a week earlier. The seven-day average share of antigen and PCR tests coming back positive was 15.2 percent, up from 13.2 percent a week ago. 384 people were hospitalized for the disease as of Wednesday, down slightly from 399 the previous week.

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The State We're In - Year in Review

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The State We're In - Year in Review

From the pandemic to our economy to schools to local government, 2021 has been a challenging year. With the release of the COVID 19 vaccines at the end of 2020, many were hopeful that the worst days of the pandemic would soon be behind us, but that's not been the case. The virus continued to dominate our lives and local headlines. Sarah Gibson (Education and Demographics reporter from New Hampshire Public Radio), Nora Doyle-Burr (Health reporter from the Valley News), and Matt Mowry (Editor of Business New Hampshire Magazine) join The State We’re In host Melanie Plenda to review some of the year’s biggest stories.

NH House comes back with a bang: big bill votes in January

NH House comes back with a bang: big bill votes in January

Every year the New Hampshire House of Representatives reconvenes the first full week of January. In non-election years, their first order of business is voting on bills kept in committee for more work over the summer and fall. This year is notable because there are several major policy changes coming out of committee. Representatives have scheduled a three-day voting marathon for these bills January 5, 6, and 7.

Pandemic makes finding child care even more difficult

Pandemic makes finding child care even more difficult

A 2018 Center for American Progress analysis found that more than half of Americans live in a childcare desert. And now add a pandemic that has stretched almost two years to the scarcity of spaces and ever-rising cost, and the stress for both child care providers and those looking for a facility has increased exponentially.

COVID-19 numbers remain high; Omicron now in NH

COVID-19 numbers remain high; Omicron now in NH

"The trend is discouraging," said Martha Wassell, Director of Infection Prevention at Dover's Wentworth-Douglass Hospital, in emailed comments on Wednesday. She said the increase is "unequivocally driven by insufficient vaccination and booster rates in our community, combined with lack of consistent indoor mask use. Many people gathered indoors for the Thanksgiving holiday, likely unaware of their COVID-19 infection status."

After long career, NH Press Association Exec. Director to Retire

After long career, NH Press Association Exec. Director to Retire

Phil Kincade covered county commissioner meetings, worked as a city hall beat reporter, covered the statehouse and served as the editorial page editor. Then, in 1995, having a hunch that the Internet would become a big deal, he threw himself into digital, helping the paper launch its first website, which became one of the first in the state.

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Police say Wilton man shot ex-girlfriend, then killed himself

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Police say Wilton man shot ex-girlfriend, then killed himself

Nearly two months before she was shot in the head after leaving her job at a sail manufacturer in Salem, Massachusetts, a 33-year-old Hampton woman filed a restraining order against her ex-boyfriend, a Wilton man who police say shot her and then killed himself on Monday night.

The woman, who is still alive and in critical condition at a Boston hospital, has not been identified.

Fraud narrative drives attempts to change NH election law

Fraud narrative drives attempts to change NH election law

Major changes would be required in the way New Hampshire conducts elections under bills proposed by Republican state legislators, many of whom have questioned the integrity of the last statewide vote.

Perhaps the biggest change would come under House Bill 1064, sponsored by Rep. Mark Alliegro, R-Campton, which would require every ballot to be counted by hand. A total of 814,000 votes were cast in last year’s election, and 80 percent of the ballots were tallied by optical scan machines. About one-third of the state’s municipalities count by hand.

Claims of widespread voter fraud lack specific examples

Claims of widespread voter fraud lack specific examples

Republicans were quite successful in the 2020 general election in New Hampshire, but that hasn’t stopped some members of the GOP from claiming significant voter fraud.

“I think there was a tremendous amount of fraud across this country and in every state,” GOP Senate candidate Don Bolduc said. “I do know in the state of New Hampshire we have big problems with election integrity.”

Heated competition for nurses sparks incentive pay arms race

Heated competition for nurses sparks incentive pay arms race

Last month, hospitals across New Hampshire announced they were raising their wage floors as part of a “market adjustment” to stay competitive amid a labor shortage by offering a minimum $15 to $17 an hour.

But that’s only part of the story. Most registered nurses already get paid roughly twice as much as that, and third-party staffing agencies commissioned by local hospitals are now offering up to $200 an hour for travelling nurse rates.

After surge in adoptions, pet surrenders spiking

After surge in adoptions, pet surrenders spiking

First, when everyone was stuck in their homes, many people wanted a new dog or cat because they figured they had the time to train and acclimate the animal, and spend time with them.

Then, about a year later, shelters started seeing an influx of surrendered pets. The reasons varied, according to animal shelter workers.

Some nurses vocal in opposition to COVID-19 vaccine mandate

Some nurses vocal in opposition to COVID-19 vaccine mandate

A total of 5,862 health care workers have contracted COVID-19 in New Hampshire since the pandemic began, 87 have been hospitalized and 10 have died, according to state statistics.

But that hasn’t stopped a vocal group of nurses and others in the medical industry from loudly objecting to vaccination requirements, even at the risk of losing their jobs.