New Hampshire
Drag queens agree to settle defamation lawsuit against NH state rep.
A New Hampshire state representative admits he lied about two drag queens, making false allegations about them.
He’s now apologized and will pay a substantial sum to settle the defamation case they brought against him.
Robert Champion and Michael McMahon say they’re grateful their ordeal is over.
“We as drag queens we need to stand up for ourselves,” McMahon said.
The two men filed a lawsuit against Rep. David Love, saying Love accused Champion of being a sex offender and McMahon of touching children inappropriately.
“Both allegations were completely false and two years later we have an apology letter and resolution,” Champion said.
Love, a Republican who represents Rockingham 13, made the false claims when introducing a bill mandating criminal background checks for library volunteers.
Champion, who goes by the stage name Monique Too Soon, and McMahon, who goes by Clara Divine, have both performed at children’s story events at public libraries.
Contributed
“I don’t want people to look at something online about me that’s untrue and believe it and then not cast me for further story times or the children’s activities stuff, because I really like to educate the younger generation on what drag is,” McMahon said.
In a statement, Love apologized to both men, saying “During my testimony I referred to information which I believed to be true at the time only to find out a few days later that I was totally wrong…my emotions got the better of me and I made these mistakes.”
“I just want this to stand as a message for other people to not do this sort of thing, to not lie,” McMahon said.
The representative has agreed to pay both men $100,000 each, along with a formal apology.
New Hampshire
Officers who killed Manchester man had limited experience on the force
The New Hampshire Attorney General has completed interviews with three Manchester police officers who opened fire earlier this month, killing 24-year old Nickenley Turenne.
According to a statement issued late Tuesday, Officers Brandon Baliko, Andre Chan, and Devin Lambert responded to a report of a suspicious vehicle near Green Acres Elementary School before dawn on Dec. 6. Turenne initially tried to flee, before having what authorities described as an “encounter” with the officers.
There has been no indication from law enforcement that Turenne, who was Black, was armed.
Family and friends have called for the release of the officers’ body-worn camera footage from the incident.
“Transparency is not optional,” Tanisha Johnson, executive director of Black Lives Matter New Hampshire and Anthony Poore, president of NH Center for Justice and Equity, wrote in a joint op-ed. “It is a legal and moral obligation.”
The three officers involved in the incident have limited experience on the Manchester police force. Baliko and Chan were both formally sworn in Nov. 2024, according to social media posts by the department. Baliko previously served as a police officer in Colorado. Chan previously held positions in the Massachusetts Department of Corrections, and in a local sheriff’s office.
Lambert was sworn in in Oct. 2024, according to a separate police department social media post.
All three officers were placed on paid administrative leave following the shooting.
Turenne was born in Haiti, and then spent his childhood in the greater Boston-area. After aging out of the state’s child protection system, he resided for a short time in Nashua, and most recently in Manchester.
While details around Turenne’s death remain scarce, here’s what we learned about him from people who loved him.
The New Hampshire Attorney General’s office is leading the investigation into the shooting and will make a determination on if the officers’ use of force was justified.
“The Manchester Police Department and the officers involved are cooperating with the investigation and the officers’ voluntary interviews were completed late this afternoon,” the attorney general said Tuesday. “The exact circumstances surrounding the incident remain under active investigation.”
New Hampshire
NH Lottery Mega Millions, Lucky For Life winning numbers for Dec. 23, 2025
The New Hampshire Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big. Here’s a look at Tuesday, Dec. 23, 2025 results for each game:
Winning Mega Millions numbers from Dec. 23 drawing
15-37-38-41-64, Mega Ball: 21
Check Mega Millions payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Lucky For Life numbers from Dec. 23 drawing
02-04-12-37-42, Lucky Ball: 10
Check Lucky For Life payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Pick 3 numbers from Dec. 23 drawing
Day: 1-9-3
Evening: 0-1-6
Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Pick 4 numbers from Dec. 23 drawing
Day: 4-9-8-7
Evening: 6-4-8-4
Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Gimme 5 numbers from Dec. 23 drawing
21-25-31-36-39
Check Gimme 5 payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
When are the New Hampshire Lottery drawings held?
- Powerball: 10:59 p.m. Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
- Pick 3, 4: 1:10 p.m. and 6:55 p.m. daily.
- Mega Millions: 11:00 p.m. Tuesday and Friday.
- Megabucks Plus: 7:59 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
- Lucky for Life: 10:38 p.m. daily.
- Gimme 5: 6:55 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Winning lottery numbers are sponsored by Jackpocket, the official digital lottery courier of the USA TODAY Network.
Where can you buy lottery tickets?
Tickets can be purchased in person at gas stations, convenience stores and grocery stores. Some airport terminals may also sell lottery tickets.
You can also order tickets online through Jackpocket, the official digital lottery courier of the USA TODAY Network, in these U.S. states and territories: Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Idaho, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Puerto Rico, Washington D.C., and West Virginia. The Jackpocket app allows you to pick your lottery game and numbers, place your order, see your ticket and collect your winnings all using your phone or home computer.
Jackpocket is the official digital lottery courier of the USA TODAY Network. Gannett may earn revenue for audience referrals to Jackpocket services. GAMBLING PROBLEM? CALL 1-800-GAMBLER, Call 877-8-HOPENY/text HOPENY (467369) (NY). 18+ (19+ in NE, 21+ in AZ). Physically present where Jackpocket operates. Jackpocket is not affiliated with any State Lottery. Eligibility Restrictions apply. Void where prohibited. Terms: jackpocket.com/tos.
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a New Hampshire managing editor. You can send feedback using this form.
New Hampshire
N.H. city’s refusal to fly ‘Save Women’s Sports’ and ‘An Appeal to Heaven’ flags is unconstitutional, appeals court rules – The Boston Globe
A federal appeals court has ruled officials in Nashua, N.H., engaged in unconstitutional viewpoint discrimination when they denied requests to fly certain politically charged flags, while allowing others, on the city’s “citizen flag pole.”
Bethany and Stephen Scaer, whose requests to hoist banners with the slogans “Save Women’s Sports” and “An Appeal to Heaven” were rejected, teamed up with the Institute for Free Speech and filed a lawsuit in 2024 alleging their First Amendment rights were violated.
The trial court in New Hampshire initially concluded the Scaers hadn’t demonstrated a likelihood that their case would succeed, since the flags approved for display at City Hall constitute government speech. But three judges on the First Circuit Court of Appeals reversed that decision Monday, finding that the flagpole in question had actually been a venue for private speech all along.
The case relates to one Boston lost in 2022, when the US Supreme Court ruled unanimously that the city had unconstitutionally rejected an application to fly a Christian flag.
Even though Nashua sought to clarify its policy in response to that 2022 precedent, the city’s process for deciding which flags from the general public would be allowed still didn’t convert private speech into government speech, according to the First Circuit ruling.
“Nashua was doing no more than simply approving that private speech with which it agreed,” Judge Sandra L. Lynch wrote in the ruling, joined by judges Gustavo A. Gelpí and Jeffrey R. Howard.
In a statement, Beth Scaer said the ruling offers a sense of vindication.
“No one should have to face government censorship for expressing their beliefs,” she said. “We’re thrilled with this victory for free speech rights throughout New England.”
Nathan Ristuccia, an attorney with the Institute for Free Speech who argued the case on appeal, said his team is delighted by the ruling.
“As the First Circuit recognized, governments cannot get away with censorship by labeling that censorship ‘government speech,’” Ristuccia said.
Before the lawsuit was filed, Nashua Mayor James W. Donchess said the city declined to fly the “Save Women’s Sports” flag because officials interpreted it as implying transgender people should face discrimination.
The Scaers, who regularly demonstrate against gender-affirming medical interventions for minors and against inclusion of transgender athletes in women’s and girls’ sports, rejected the notion that their messaging is transphobic.
As for the “Appeal to Heaven” flag, which features a pine tree, Donchess said city officials want to avoid endorsing the additional meaning it has taken on in recent years.
The banner emerged during the American Revolution, with a nod to the Pine Tree Riot in New Hampshire, an act of American resistance that preceded the Boston Tea Party. More recently, the flag has also been used by Christian nationalists, including some who carried it to the US Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, when a violent mob delayed the certification of President Trump’s 2020 electoral defeat.
In her application to raise the “Appeal to Heaven” flag, Beth Scaer said she wanted to honor the soldiers from Nashua who fought and died at the Battle of Bunker Hill in 1775. She and her husband said their request has nothing to do with the Capitol riot.
Nashua has also declined to fly several other flags since the 2022 policy update, including a “pro-life” flag and a Palestinian flag, according to the lawsuit.
Nashua’s attorney, Steven A. Bolton, said on Tuesday that the city has not yet determined whether to file an appeal. He noted that the appellate ruling calls for the trial court to grant interim declaratory relief while the case proceeds.
Bolton said the city has stopped inviting community members to fly their own flags.
“A new policy was adopted more than a year ago, and we no longer use the term ‘citizen’s flag pole,’” he said. “We no longer accept applications from other parties to fly flags on any of the poles on the City Hall grounds.”
Steven Porter can be reached at steven.porter@globe.com. Follow him @reporterporter.
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