Sign up for the Today newsletter
Get everything you need to know to start your day, delivered right to your inbox every morning.
New Hampshire
After spike in fatal crashes, NH announces ‘zero tolerance’ on I-95 during Thanksgiving
From Seabrook to Portsmouth, a “zero-tolerance zone” along the I-95 corridor will be enforced this holiday season by state police. The initiative is part of a state directive to reduce unsafe, distracted and impaired driving after a recent uptick in serious and sometimes fatal crashes.
All drivers pulled over on I-95 in the Seacoast this holiday season, regardless of the reason for the stop, will receive a ticket as part of the state campaign, New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu announced Tuesday in Concord.
The state’s holiday season zero-tolerance policy on local stretches of the interstate comes in advance of Thanksgiving. Enforcement measures and increased state police patrols will begin Wednesday.
“If you’re pulled over on I-95, you’re getting a ticket. That’s it,” Sununu said Tuesday.
Sununu and representatives of state police agencies from Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts and New Hampshire spoke to the spike in crashes each state has seen this year and the New England-wide police effort to make cross-border holiday season travel safer for all motorists.
Fatal crashes increase during days around Thanksgiving
Five people have died in crashes on I-95 in New Hampshire this year, several of which occurred with at least one vehicle crossing the median into oncoming traffic.
Three recent Seacoast I-95 crashes resulted in three deaths and serious injuries to multiple motorists and passengers, which prompted the New Hampshire Department of Transportation to begin planning to add median barriers to the “most critical sections” of I-95. The project is still in the design phase and cost estimates have not been released, but construction will start in the summer of 2025, a Department of Transportation spokesperson said previously.
Since 2019, five people have been killed and nine more have been injured in all crashes on major New Hampshire roads during Thanksgiving week, with impairment playing a role in four of the crashes, state police reported. The agency defines the Thanksgiving period as the Wednesday through the Sunday during the holiday week.
From 2019 to 2023, 2,183 non-fatal crashes occurred on New Hampshire roads during the Thanksgiving holiday periods.
“This is a really important story. This isn’t sensational. People have been dying over the past few weeks at really alarming numbers,” Sununu said Tuesday. “The roads haven’t changed. The conditions haven’t necessarily changed. We’ve actually had pretty good weather, other than today, but pretty good weather out there. It’s all about driver behavior.”
The night before Thanksgiving has come to be called “Drinksgiving” and “Blackout Wednesday,” according to New Hampshire State Police spokesperson Tyler Dumont, as crowds descend upon hometown bars and drinking establishments in the hours leading up to the holiday.
“We are particularly concerned this year given the recent troubling trends on our roads across the state,” Dumont said.
2024 fatal crashes in NH on track to far exceed 2023
For the year to date, 127 people have died on major New Hampshire roads in fatal car crashes, according to state police Lt. Christopher Storm. That ties the entire death count from all 2023 crashes in New Hampshire, with over a month to go before the new year and without poor weather conditions having fully set in yet.
State police conducted a saturation patrol on I-95 on Wednesday, Nov. 20, with over 200 cars being pulled over. Hours after the patrol period ended, a 26-year-old Merrimack resident was sent to the hospital with life-threatening injuries after a series of multiple-vehicle crashes on I-95 in Greenland.
“Drivers, take note. If you are excessively speeding, driving recklessly or impaired on our roads, you will face consequences,” Storm said Tuesday. “Just a moment of carelessness can have lifelong repercussions for everybody involved.”
The New Hampshire Department of Transportation has recently installed 276 reflective markers around the area of the recent Seacoast I-95 serious and fatal crashes. The department is partnering with the state Department of Safety on safety messaging for drivers, with electronic billboards telling drivers to slow down, remain sober and stay alert during their travel.
Between 2018 and 2022, per data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, nearly 500 drivers in the United States were involved in fatal crashes on Thanksgiving Eve, Dumont said Tuesday.
On Thanksgiving Day 2022, Drew Ceppetelli, a 21-year-old Barrington resident and student-athlete at Salve Regina University, was killed in a single-vehicle crash at the Portsmouth traffic circle. All six passengers in that speeding vehicle were transported to local hospitals after the driver lost control, skidded across the roadway, flipped several times and occupants were ejected from the car.
Northwood resident Tyler Troy, the impaired driver at the wheel during the incident, recently pleaded guilty to negligent homicide while under the influence and four other charges, resulting in a minimum six-year state prison sentence.
In 2024, 10 motor vehicle operators under the age of 21 have been killed in crashes on New Hampshire’s major roadways, up from three deaths among the same demographic this time last year, according to state police data.
For all of 2022, a total of 146 people died on New Hampshire roads in fatal motor vehicle accidents, according to state police data.
Law enforcement officials from the four New England states on Tuesday urged drivers to buckle up, stay sober, remain awake while traveling, put down phones and handheld devices while driving, and to report unsafe and distracted drivers they view on the road.
Anyone planning to drink this holiday week, and in the future should always utilize a designated driver to get home afterward, the speakers in Concord said. Doing so could save lives.
“The ‘zero-tolerance’ policy that I’m really driving into effect over the holiday season is to bring some awareness, to make people wake up. (It’s) to make people realize, ‘Holy cow, this is real. It could be me, my kid, my neighbor, my dad.’ It could be anybody out there. It’s an absolute zero-tolerance policy on the I-95 corridor, where we’ve just had over the past few weeks an inordinate number of unnecessary crossings, specifically into the median,” Sununu said.
New Hampshire State Police expect to increase their presence on state roads the entirety of this week with between 50 to 100 patrols, according to Storm.
What employers are getting wrong, and how to fix it before it becomes a claim
New Hampshire’s employment law landscape heading into 2026 may not be dramatically different from last year, but the real risks lie in implementation missteps. From the initial setting of wages, to calculating and distributing wages, employers will likely find a specific statute and/or labor regulation governing the transaction. Failure to follow these detailed wage and hour laws can result in significant back wages and other penalties being imposed by the state or federal Department of Labor following an audit. Fortunately, however, this area of employment law is relatively easy to master, once you are familiar with the basics.
Notice compliance
One of the most common pitfalls for employers in New Hampshire is misunderstanding the wage and hour notice requirements under RSA 275 and the related New Hampshire Department of Labor Administrative Rules.
At the time of hire, employers must notify employees in writing of their rate of pay and the day and place of payment. This notice is traditionally delivered to employees by way of an offer letter or some sort of “New Hire Rate of Pay” form. (A sample form is available from the New Hampshire Department of Labor website.) What surprises most employers, however, is that Lab. 803.03(f)(6) also requires employers to request and obtain their employees’ signatures on this written notification of wages, and employers must keep a copy of the signed written notification of wages on file. Further, employers must notify employees in writing during the course of employment of any changes to wages or day of pay prior to such changes taking effect, and the employer must obtain the employee’s signature on this subsequent notification as well. (See RSA 275:49; Lab. 803.03.)
Employers are further required to notify employees in writing, or through a posted notice maintained in a place accessible to employees, of:
• employment practices and policies with regard to vacation pay, sick leave and other fringe benefits.
• deductions made from the employee’s payroll check, for each period such deductions are made.
• information regarding the deductions allowed from wage payments under state law. (RSA 275:49; Lab. 803.03.)
Policies regarding vacation and sick leave should inform employees whether or not the employer will “cash out” unused time at year end or at the end of employment, and if so, under what terms. Again, if any changes are made to vacation pay, sick leave and other fringe benefits during the course of employment (all of which are considered “wages” under New Hampshire law), employers must request and obtain their employees’ signatures on the written notification of the change, and must keep a copy of the signed form on file. (Lab. 803.03.) Importantly, notification by way of pay stub alone is not sufficient, and, these requirements apply to both increases and decreases in pay.
Two-hour minimum (reporting pay)
Another frequently overlooked obligation is New Hampshire’s two-hour minimum reporting pay requirement. Under RSA 275:43-a, non-exempt employees who report to work but are sent home early must generally be paid for at least two hours. Weather-related closures, client cancellations or operational slowdown days can trigger this rule. Employers should also note that the New Hampshire Department of Labor currently applies this law to remote-based employees. Consequently, employees who “report to work” at an employer’s request from a home office may likewise have a right to two hours of pay, depending on the circumstances.
Salaried vs. hourly employees
Misclassification of employees as exempt from overtime remains a significant source of compliance exposure. The position’s job duties — not the titles or label such as “salaried” — determine whether an employee qualifies for an overtime exemption.
Employers, particularly in nonprofits, health care and small businesses, unintentionally misapply exempt classifications to roles such as administrative staff, office managers, executive assistants, program coordinators or hybrid jobs that involve significant non-exempt tasks. Over time, as organizational needs evolve and employees take on broader responsibilities, job duties can drift outside of an exemption’s scope.
Best practice is to periodically review job descriptions and actual job duties to ensure continued compliance with exemption criteria, particularly following any significant restructuring or job redesigns.
Peg O’Brien is chair of McLane Middleton’s Employment Law Practice Group. She can be reached at margaret.o’brien@mclane.com.
Local News
“Our family wants to know what happened, who did this and why,” said the family of the victim.
A new photo has been released of the victim in a nearly 30-year-long unsolved murder case, in the hope of finding any new potential witnesses in the cold case, New Hampshire officials said.
“Our family wants to know what happened, who did this and why,” the family of Rosalie Miller said in a press release. “We miss her and want to give her peace.”
Miller was last seen on December 8, 1996 at her apartment in Manchester. At the time of her disappearance, Miller had plans on meeting friends in the Auburn, New Hampshire area, officials said.
Her body was found on January 20, 1997 in a partially wooded spot on a residential lot along the Londonderry Turnpike in Auburn, officials said in the release.
The autopsy report declared Miller’s death a homicide by asphyxiation due to ligature strangulation, N.H. officials wrote.
As part of a new effort to garner public help with the case, an “uncirculated” photo of Miller, 36, is being distributed “in hopes it may jog the memory of someone who saw or spoke with her in the winter of 1996,” Attorney General John M. Formella and New Hampshire State Police Colonel Mark B. Hall announced on behalf of the New Hampshire Cold Case Unit in a joint press release.
Investigators are especially hoping to talk to anyone who was in contact with Miller in December of 1996 or anyone “who may have seen her in the vicinity of the Londonderry Turnpike in Auburn during that time,” officials said in the release.
“We are releasing this new photograph today because we believe someone out there has information, perhaps a detail they thought was insignificant at the time, that could be the key to solving this case and bringing justice for Rosalie and those who loved her,” Senior Assistant Attorney General R. Christopher Knowles, New Hampshire Cold Case Unit Chief said in the release.
The New Hampshire Cold Case Unit encourages anyone with any amount of information to contact the group at [email protected] or (603) 271-2663.
Lifestyle39 minutes ago
For filmmaker Chloé Zhao, creative life was never linear
Technology51 minutes ago
Apple’s website leaks MacBook ‘Neo,’ which could be its new cheaper laptop
World57 minutes ago
Ambassador Huckabee describes ‘best option’ for Americans looking to flee Israel
Politics1 hour ago
Fraud-plagued Minnesota sues Trump admin for withholding $243M in Medicaid payments
Health1 hour ago
Seniors over 80 who eat specific diet may be less likely to reach 100 years old
Florida1 year ago
Florida High School Football Rankings: Top 25 teams – Oct. 21
Connecticut2 years ago
Cleary's 21 help Le Moyne down Central Connecticut State 69-64 in OT
Oregon2 years ago
How old is Bo Nix? What to know about Oregon quarterback ahead of 2024 NFL Draft
Virginia2 years ago
99th annual Pony Swim held in Virginia
Indiana1 year ago
Indiana Members Credit Union announced as new anchor tenant at Bottleworks District
Politics1 hour ago
Fraud-plagued Minnesota sues Trump admin for withholding $243M in Medicaid payments
World2 hours ago
Is Iran expanding attacks to target energy and civilian sites in the Gulf?
News3 hours ago
Trump claims US stockpiles mean wars can be fought ‘forever’; Kristi Noem testifies before Congress – US politics live
Videos5 hours ago
War in the Middle East: Iran’s broad retaliation in the Gulf • FRANCE 24 English
Politics13 hours ago
Trump sends official notification to Congress on strikes against Iran
-
World6 days agoExclusive: DeepSeek withholds latest AI model from US chipmakers including Nvidia, sources say
-
Massachusetts6 days agoMother and daughter injured in Taunton house explosion
-
Denver, CO6 days ago10 acres charred, 5 injured in Thornton grass fire, evacuation orders lifted
-
Louisiana1 week agoWildfire near Gum Swamp Road in Livingston Parish now under control; more than 200 acres burned
-
Oregon4 days ago2026 OSAA Oregon Wrestling State Championship Results And Brackets – FloWrestling
-
Florida2 days agoFlorida man rescued after being stuck in shoulder-deep mud for days
-
Technology1 week agoArturia’s FX Collection 6 adds two new effects and a $99 intro version
-
News1 week agoVideo: How Lunar New Year Traditions Take Root Across America