When LiQin Hong's family first moved to Peterborough, she was nervous about sending her daughter to school. As a Chinese immigrant, Hong wasn't yet proficient enough in English to help with homework and class assignments.
New landlord doubles single mom’s rent; whopping $1,500 monthly increase
Hotel rooms are the new normal for hundreds of evicted families; hundreds more on waiting list
On a hot and humid August afternoon, Rachel Jones and her husband Glen are sitting on a bed in their air-conditioned room at the Comfort Inn. It has been home for them and their 11-year-old granddaughter for nearly two months, ever since their new landlord hiked their rent and then evicted them for renovations.
Community ed centers help English learners break the ice(olation)
If you ask the students of Keene Community Education's English program what was most challenging about moving to New Hampshire, most offer the same answers: The cold, and the isolation.
The long winters are something the students have more or less gotten used to. But the feeling of being alone in a brand new place can take longer to overcome, especially since, in the students' experience, locals are sometimes slow to warm up to newcomers.
Towns Explore Potential of ‘Uber for Public Transportation’
In downtown Montpelier, Vermont, anyone needing a ride can open an app on their smartphone or place a phone call. A few minutes later, a vehicle shows up.
It’s not Uber or Lyft — those ride sharing apps aren’t active in Montpelier — but the newest iteration of public transportation. The concept is called microtransit, and the specific program in Montpelier is known as MyRide.
Plaintiffs in suit over state's anti-discrimination law hope to move case forward
The state’s teachers' unions will need to wait at least two months to find out if a federal judge will allow their lawsuit against the state to proceed.
Judge Paul Barbadoro said on Wednesday afternoon that it will take 60 to 90 days to weigh the arguments from both sides on the merits of the suit, which argues that a new law regulating how teachers can instruct around sensitive topics is unconstitutionally vague.
The Battle Over Divisive Concepts
Perhaps it's ironic — or even prophetic — that something purporting to stop so-called "divisive concepts" would be so divisive.
A lawsuit concerning these relatively new state regulations is making its way through the court system.
What are these concepts? What do they mean? And why is there a lawsuit against the state about them? In July, The State We’re In host Melanie Plenda explored these questions with NAACP President James McKim, Granite State News Collaborative Reporter Adam Drapcho, ACLU-NH Legal Director Gilles Bissonnette, and plaintiff Tina Philibotte, who serves as the Manchester School Districts Chief Equity Officer.
‘Divisive Concepts’ law makes a splash, ripples spread beyond just education
It’s been a little more than a year since a state law, regulating the teaching about racism, sexism and other forms of prejudice, went into effect. While no educators have been punished, or even investigated, according to a response to a Right to Know request, that doesn’t mean that the law hasn’t had an impact.
Divisive Concepts law yields no 'credible' complaints thus far
How a fired state trooper kept working in law enforcement
Native Americans in NH: Q&A with Anne Jennison and Denise Pouliot
Archeological evidence shows that indigenous people lived in New Hampshire for more than 13,000 years.
Today, about 4,000 Granite Staters, or .3% of the state's population, identify as Native American, though actual numbers could be double that.
The State We’re In host Melanie Plenda recently sat down to discuss the history of indigenous people in the state, and current efforts to recognize and celebrate that history and culture with historian Anne Jennison, chair of the state's Commission on Native American Affairs and Denise Pouliot, a member of the commission and the Sag8moskwa or Head Female Speaker of the Cowasuck Band of the Pennacook-Abenaki People.
'We have always been here': For New Hampshire Residents, Native American Heritage is Personal
During the evenings, Loudon resident Cheri Pernaw is focused on learning Abenaki, the language of her ancestors. Sometimes she attends a group with other students, and other nights she practices at home, flipping flashcards while her husband or grandchildren look at her skeptically. The language is challenging, but for Pernaw, the slow learning process is worth the hard work.
“The reason I want to learn Abekani, and I’m sticking to it, is that when I die, I want to be able to talk to my ancestors in their tongue,” said Pernaw.
'We have always been here': State Recognition Seems Unlikely For New Hampshire Native Americans
When the state of Vermont recognized four Native American groups in 2011 and 2012, Sherry Gould discovered an opportunity to not only join a tribe, but to protect her art.
Born and raised in New Hampshire, Gould is an Abenaki basketmaker who lives in Bradford. At the time, federal law blocked her from marketing her work as Native-made, since only members of state and federally recognized tribes gain the right to do so under federal arts and crafts legislation.
'We have Always Been Here': Despite Misconceptions, Native Americans Have Long History in New Hampshire
Anne Jennison is constantly referred to as if she isn’t here anymore. An indigenous resident of New Hampshire, Jennison said people default to talking about the Abenaki in the past, a habit that speaks to a long, dark history.
“Except for indigenous people themselves, they are almost invariably referred to in the past tense — like a great big rubber eraser literally has taken the history,” she said.
State to appeal personnel records release of fired state trooper
How and why UNH scientists spent four days underwater in EDALHAB 50 years ago
It was 1971 when Larry Harris, a professor of zoology at the University of New Hampshire, was approached by Jeff Savage, a professor of mechanical and ocean engineering, to collaborate on a research project. His proposal was to introduce the Dungeness crab, a West Coast species, to the Gulf of Maine off the coast of the Isles of Shoals, to see how it would interact with native species like lobsters and wolffish.
Juneteenth celebrations expanding this year in NH: Here's what to expect
The Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire will host expanded Juneteenth celebrations this year, with festivities running June 10-20. This year’s theme is “The Gift: Celebrating African American Public Arts,” featuring Black artists bringing their visual arts, dance and music to New Hampshire.
‘Tough on crime’ attitude leads to explosive growth of NH prison system
Nearly 30 years ago, the New Hampshire legislature adopted what remains one of the strictest parole policies in the country. The 1983 law, a so-called “truth in sentencing” policy, prevents incarcerated people from becoming eligible for parole until they serve all of their minimum sentence. This is in contrast to many other states that allow people to qualify for parole after a certain percentage of their sentences have been served, especially when they have shown good behavior and made attempts to better themselves through education and prison rehabilitation programs.
Future of enhanced child care credit still in limbo
A retired gentleman raising his 13-year-old grandson in Manchester. A homeless man with a 9-year-old daughter in Concord. A mother of two whose husband works as a parts manager for an auto dealer in Nashua. These households were among the estimated 130,000 in New Hampshire to benefit from the expanded child tax credit, a feature of the American Rescue Plan Act passed by Congress in March 2021.
That law made the existing tax credit of $2,000 more generous by increasing the amount per child and broadening the eligibility. The legislation also made the credit refundable, meaning it was not just a credit against taxes owed, but would be paid to families with little or no income and therefore little or no tax liability.
The State We're In - Helping Ukrainian Refugees
News updates, photos, and videos coming out of Ukraine have been horrifying. Watching millions flee their homes during the fighting has been equally heartbreaking. One granite Stater studying in Europe is doing what she can to help the refugees pouring into Poland. Wolfeboro natives Rebecca Connelly and her father, Jamie, about Rebecca's work helping Ukrainian refugees in Poland.