Welcome to InDepthNH.org’s roundup of news that matters in New Hampshire for Dec. 29
Right-to-Know law changes coming to Granite State Jan. 1 (Keene Sentinel)
Requiring public boards to keep more detailed nonpublic meeting minutes and exempting some footage recorded from police body cameras are among the changes to the New Hampshire Right-to-Know law set to take effect Jan. 1.
Video: Fire Consumes First Baptist Church in Lebanon (Valley News)
Lebanon — The First Baptist Church was lost to flames late Wednesday night, drawing firefighters from several towns out in icy conditions to battle a three-alarm fire that continued to burn late into the night.
Mittersill project celebration packs Peabody Base Lodge (Berlin Daily Sun)
FRANCONIA — The Mittersill ski area has been revitalized thanks to public-private-nonprofit partnerships, including a recently completed $4 million fund drive to which over 500 private donors contributed and a $150,716 federal Northern Border Regional Commission grant in 2015 …
East Boston man injured in snowmobile accident near Hurricane Mountain Road (Conway Daily Sun)
CONWAY — A Massachusetts man was taken to Memorial Hospital in North Conway on Tuesday afternoon following a snowmobile accident on Corridor 19 about a mile from Hurricane Mountain Road, which runs east and west between Intervale to Chatham.
Man pleads guilty to selling undercover cop heroin, fentanyl in NH (NH1)
CONCORD — A Massachusetts man pleaded guilty to distributing fentanyl and heroin within New Hampshire. According to court documents, Luis Martin Carvajal Gonazalez, 34, sold heroin and fentanyl to an undercover law enforcement officer on multiple occasions in December of 2015 at retail stores in Salem.
With Dozens of N.H. Election Law Bills on Deck, Here Are Five Issues to Watch in 2017 (NHPR)
From changes in voting registration to changes to party primaries or the Electoral College, New Hampshire lawmakers are preparing a slew of bills aimed at reforming the state’s elections. In all, at least 40 bills aimed at tinkering with the state’s election laws are in the works for 2017.
Here Are Some New N.H. Laws Taking Affect On January 1st (NHPR)
The New Year will bring plenty of new rules and regulations to New Hampshire, covering everything from police body cameras to the use of laser pointers. Here’s a look at some of the bills that will officially be law as of January 1st:
No easy fix for 2017-’18 budget woes (Nashua Telegraph)
NASHUA – With the city facing a likely budget crunch in fiscal 2017-18, caused in large part by increasing pension costs, lifting the spending cap.
State’s economy ends year strong; low unemployment rate makes it hard to find skilled workers (Nashua Telegraph)
CONCORD – New Hampshire is closing out 2016 with the nation’s lowest unemployment rate, wages that are on the rise and strong real estate sales.
Bradley seeks to cut BPT rate to 7.5% (NH Business Review)
NH Senate GOP leader to sponsor added business tax cuts through 2021.
Story of the Year No. 5: Chessy Prout sheds anonymity in St. Paul’s rape case (Concord Monitor)
The former St. Paul’s freshman, who the public had come to know only as Owen Labrie’s victim, shed her anonymity in summer 2016 to tell her story as a survivor.
Lawyer: Concord man accused of lighting sister on fire may be mentally unfit for trial (Concord Monitor)
The Concord man who police said lit his twin sister on fire this month was deemed unfit to stand trial in a separate case in 2015 because of his mental health, according to court documents.
AROUND THE NATION AND WORLD
Israel-Palestine: Netanyahu condemns John Kerry speech (BBC)
Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu has condemned as biased a speech by outgoing US Secretary of State John Kerry on Israeli-Palestinian issues.
Debbie Reynolds, who sang and danced to fame in ‘Singin’ in the Rain,’ dies at 84 (LA Times)
And her death Wednesday at the age of 84 had the kind of tragic story line Hollywood made famous, coming only one day after her daughter, Carrie Fisher, died at the age of 60.
Child abuse in the military: Failing those most in need (LA Times)
The Pentagon has struggled to deal with a cascade of child abuse and neglect cases in military families in the years since the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, a Times investigation has found.
Mass. Lawmakers push back marijuana sales (Boston Globe)
Drafters of the marijuana legalization measure have said the quick opening of stores is critical.
‘A Bullet Could Hit Me and My Kids Anytime’ (New York Times)
It has been a violent year in Chicago, and for thousands of children, just walking to school can be dangerous. That’s why more than a thousand workers line up along Safe Passage routes.
Philippines Duterte: I threw suspect from helicopter (BBC)
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has threatened to throw corrupt officials from helicopters mid-air, saying he has done it before.
Compiled by InDepthNH.org, a nonprofit investigative news outlet published online by the New Hampshire Center for Public Interest Journalism 603-738-5635