New Hampshire Public Radio

08/23/2025

Since 1983, Pam Bartlett has relied on traditional arts apprenticeship funds from the New Hampshire State Council on the Arts to pass the craft of rug hooking onto new generations. Those modest grants have allowed her to mentor local artists, some of whom have gone on to train others.

The state arts council has also helped to amplify her artistry – and supplement her income – in other ways. They’ve put her in contact with libraries and museums to run community workshops and showcase her rugs.

“As my father famously once said, ‘Artists don’t make any money.’ Well, they can, if they have the right training and they have the right opportunities,” Bartlett said.

Last year, Bartlett was one of 17 artisans to receive funding through the state's folk art apprenticeship program. But now, that funding is on hold, after state lawmakers cut the arts council's budget from about $1.4 million to $150,000 for the next two years.

After steep cuts to state arts support, some programs that helped to sustain New Hampshire's cultural traditions are on hold.

08/23/2025

After a wet spring, gardeners have had to do a lot of watering this summer thanks to near-drought conditions.

Emma Erler, host of Homegrown NH and lead horticulturist at Kirkwood Gardens at Squam Lakes Natural Science Center, has also been busy with the hoses. She has some suggestions for keeping your garden hydrated.

Suggestions for ensuring your plants are getting as much water as they need.

08/22/2025

Starting Sept. 30, people with certain out-of-state licenses — standard, "drive-only" licenses — can’t drive legally in New Hampshire. The change is the result of a series of Republican-backed bills that were aimed at restricting license access for non-citizens and generally increasing immigration enforcement this session.

Here's what you need to know about the new law.

The law takes effect on Sept. 30, making New Hampshire the second state to pass this type of legislation. Florida was the first in 2023.

08/22/2025

This weekend’s events calendar has everything: a celebration of monarch butterflies, gemstones, a vintage market and plenty of live music! 💎🎸🎤🛍🦋

P.S. Don’t forget to sign up for our Weekender newsletter for more fun ideas to help you make the most of your weekends in New Hampshire! You can subscribe at NHPR.org/weekender 📬

08/22/2025

Dozens of people gathered outside of a small church in Madbury on Thursday evening to remember the Long family. There were candles, prayers, but few answers for the unimaginable violence that ripped through the family’s home.

Early Monday morning, Emily Long shot and killed her husband, Ryan, as well as two young children. Long then turned the gun on herself, according to autopsy results released by the Attorney General’s office. Later that evening, police found a toddler in the home who was unharmed.

Rev. Catherine Allard, a resident of Madbury who leads the Lee Church Congregational, said community members, including those who may not have known the Long family, are supporting each other.

“We know that there has been a great loss, and that is not just a today sorrow. That will be ongoing,” she said. “And there are some facts that we may never know.”

08/21/2025

Proponents of a new pipeline, like Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont and New Hampshire Gov. Kelly Ayotte, say it would reduce energy prices, make the electricity system more reliable and bolster economic growth.

But critics, like many environmental advocates, say it would be a short-sighted investment that would derail the region’s climate plans and raise energy prices in the long-run. Instead, they say, New England should focus on building renewables and big batteries, as well as trying to reduce peak electric demand.

While there’s no specific pipeline project under consideration — and only distant proposals in the works — it’s clear is that whatever choice the region makes will shape the energy landscape and the prices people pay for decades to come.

Our news partners at WBUR 90.9 FM took a closer look at what the project could mean for the region's energy costs.

08/21/2025

A tightening vise of inquiries is pressuring the New Hampshire Department of Business and Economic Affairs to explain what it knew, and whether it aided, a Chinese water bottling company’s purchase of commercial property in Nashua.

The property at issue is a 337,391-square-foot, single-story building on 23 acres at 80 Northwest Blvd. The land sits adjacent to the watershed used by Nashua’s water supplier, the Pennichuck Corp.

Gov. Kelly Ayotte and several executive councilors are now pressing the state business development agency for more answers, while U.S. Rep. Maggie Goodlander has asked the U.S. Treasury Department to review the transaction.

08/21/2025

Three years ago, Kyle Courcy and James Parsons were working together in the Boston Children’s Hospital engineering department when they struck up a conversation about mini golf — and it led to a question:

Would it be possible to play every course in Massachusetts?

“We both had a little bit of a golfing background,” said Parsons, who lives in Brookline. “It was the opening up of COVID … I don’t think our schedules were as packed as they are today.”

One day after work, Courcy and Parsons decided to drive down to Monster Mini Golf in Norwood for a friendly game. It would be the first of 66 mini-golf courses (and counting) in Massachusetts the two reviewed for their website, Mass Mini Golf.

The journey has taken them from Greater Boston to the Berkshires to the Cape. (Their website includes an interactive map of all the courses they’ve reviewed.) They’ve played through disorienting tunnels and in front of live goats. Courcy, who moved from Massachusetts to Maine last year, even became internationally ranked at mini golf during the project.

08/21/2025

Last week, Hampton Beach lifeguards made 144 rescues, almost triple the total amount of rescues they had made so far this summer.

All rescues were completed successfully.

Patrick Murphy, chief of the New Hampshire State Beach Patrol, said it was a bit of a perfect storm.

“Number one, there was beautiful weather. A lot of people were here,” he said. “We had larger surf than we've seen all summer… And we saw a lot of flash rip currents.”

08/21/2025

Authorities investigating the death of four people inside a home in Madbury on Monday now believe Emily Long fatally shot her husband and two young children before turning the gun on herself.

Autopsy results released Wednesday by the New Hampshire Medical Examiner found that Long, 34, died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Her husband Ryan Long, 48, and two of the couple’s children died from gunshot wounds.

The Attorney General’s office said that “while investigators are becoming aware of various concerns/issues ongoing in the household at the time of the event in question, people should avoid speculating that this event was caused by a single reason or stressor.” The agency said it would not immediately release any more information about the incident.

If you or someone you know is in crisis, you can call, text or chat with the Su***de and Crisis Lifeline at 9-8-8, or contact the Crisis Text Line by texting TALK to 741741.

Authorities believe Emily Long killed her husband and their two young children before shooting herself on Monday evening. A third child, a toddler, was unharmed.

08/20/2025

Karishma Manzur is launching a campaign for New Hampshire’s U.S. Senate seat, challenging Rep. Chris Pappas in the Democratic primary.

In her announcement video released Wednesday, Manzur touts her working class and immigrant roots, contending she would help “restore power to the people” if elected to serve in Washington.

“I don’t come from wealth, power, or a famous name, but I’m living proof the American dream is still possible, and still worth fighting for,” Manzur said.

Manzur is mounting her first campaign for political office after serving as a volunteer with a range of progressive groups, including New Hampshire Peace Action and Open Democracy. According to her online biography, Manzur holds a Ph.D. in biochemistry and molecular biology, and has researched illnesses including Alzheimer's disease and epilepsy. She currently resides in Exeter.

Two Republicans have also entered the race: Scott Brown, who served in the U.S. Senate while a resident of Massachusetts, and Dan Innis, a state senator who has previously mounted two campaigns for Congress.