A motorcyclist from Douglas was killed in a crash on Friday, April 17 in Campton, New Hampshire.

Police in Campton identified the victim as Elias Alexandro Ramos, 18, of Douglas. He was pronounced dead at the scene, police said.

The crash occurred shortly before 11 a.m. on Route 3. The initial investigation indicates Ramos was traveling north on a Honda motorcycle when it went off the road and into a guardrail, police said. He was thrown from the motorcycle.

It appears speed or alcohol were not factors in the crash, according to police. Ramos wore a helmet, although it may not have been properly worn, police said.

The crash remains under investigation.

Ramos was due to graduate from high school in the spring. He had dreams of becoming a mechanic, according to his older brother, Alexander.

“He was so mature for his age, already having the next couple of years planned out,” said Alexander in an email to the Telegram & Gazette.

On a GoFundMe page he created to help with family expenses after his brother’s death, Alexander wrote of the way Elias would bring joy and laughter to those around him.

“Elias had a gift for making people smile, and he was always there to help anyone in need,” he wrote.

New Hampshire residents have a lot of pride in where we live.  Especially if you’ve lived here your whole life.  There are certain questions that when people not from around here ask, we tend to roll our eyes.  I’ve come up with a few that really get under my skin.

Not Everyone in New Hampshire Knows How to Garden

People assume that everyone from New Hampshire grow their own food.  That’s just not true.  I shop at Hannaford, sometimes Tendercrop for my produce.  Don’t get me wrong, I admire those who grown their own food, but just because I live in NH, doesn’t mean I can grow a tomato.  I wish.

Not Everyone in NH Loves the Cold

This one really gets me.  I do not know how to ski.  I suppose it’s true that at a few times in my life I have been dragged to the mountain and convinced that I should put on a pair of skis and try my skill at flying down a mountain with these huge sticks on my feet, trying to avoid the trees. All the while being frozen to the bone.  No thank you. I’ll meet you in the lodge and greet you with hot cocoa and love.

READ THIS:  Here are 6 New Hampshire Restaurants That Opened in March 2026

No, we don’t have an In & Out Burger and I’m not sure we want or need one.  We have Five Guys and if you’ve ever tried their french fries, you know that’s all we need. We also don’t have as many Starbucks as you might want if you’re not from around here. We are happy with a Dunks around every corner.

Oh, and I wish I knew Adam Sandler.

Check out this list of annoying questions and let me know if you have any additions to the list.  👇

A bill to bar state colleges and universities from curbing gun rights on their campuses drew a crowd to Concord on Tuesday. Most came to fight the bill, including the president of the University of New Hampshire, students from several state colleges, and multiple members of law enforcement.

“We are stunned we are even here today talking about this,” Durham Deputy Police Chief Jack Dalton said at a small rally before the bill’s state Senate hearing. “Hopefully common sense prevails, so we can move on in Durham.”

Under the bill, anyone legally allowed to carry a weapon could do so on a college campus in the state without limit. The proposal is similar but more sweeping than laws already on the books in about a dozen states. Its backers say the bill, which cleared the New Hampshire House along party lines in February, will make campuses safer while honoring fundamental rights.

“We want senators to understand, they took an oath to defend the Constitution,” said Rep. Sam Farrington, R-Rochester, the bill’s lead sponsor and a current UNH student. “College students are adults and deserving of all their rights.”

The bill would block any college or university that accepts taxpayer funding of any kind from regulating firearms, as well as non-lethal weapons like pepper spray, stun guns or tasers. Right now, UNH students are allowed to keep guns for hunting or target shooting but must store them at the local police department. This bill would allow students to store weapons in their dorm rooms.

According to several people who showed up for the hearing who manage college dormitories, the atmosphere there is already volatile enough.

“A lot of our incidents revolve around alcohol,” said Hans Hendricks, who has been a UNH resident hall director for three years. “We see it every single week, and truly I cannot say it enough: We don’t need guns added to the mix.”

That message was echoed by top college administrators, who stressed that this bill goes farther than similar policies in effect in other states.

This would make New Hampshire unique, said UNH president Elizabeth Chilton: “It would be the most liberal or the most conservative, depending on the way that you look at it.”

According to Farrington, that was by design: “This would be the best campus carry statute in the entire nation,” he told lawmakers.

But the proposal’s breadth appeared to be a sticking point with several senators.

“I am a big gun person, but I do have concerns,” Sen. Bill Gannon, R-Sandown, said, noting that even U.S. military academies bar cadets from keeping guns. “I am scared that institutions that really know weapons have chosen not to have it in their dorms.”

Sen Daryl Abbas, R-Salem, meanwhile, pushed Farrington about whether his bill should include provisions to allow colleges and universities to punish students from carrying weapons while drunk.

“It seems to me pretty much a no-brainer,” Abbas said after Farrington at first seemed to oppose the idea.

“I would support an amendment, so long as it was carefully written, that allows the school to regulate that,” Farrington said.

Winning favor with the Senate Judiciary Committee, which is expected to vote on it later this month, will be this bill’s first test. Republicans hold a 16-8 Senate majority, and this bill has four Senate co-sponsors.

But Gov. Kelly Ayotte, who has prioritized policies she says promote public safety, has yet to take a position on the bill.

Tuesday’s hearing attracted several dozen students to the Statehouse plaza who held signs protesting the proposed bill.

Emily Hunt, a student at the University of New Hampshire, said she felt safe on campus but was worried that making it easier for people to carry guns would change that dynamic.

“I spent all of my education, K through 12, being afraid of a school shooting, both for myself and for my loved ones,” Hunt said. “And I don’t want that at college.”

Eli Orne, a UNH freshman, said he was concerned that more guns on campus could lead to more suicides as it would be easier for students in crisis to get their hands on a deadly weapon.

“Because when you have access to a gun in any capacity — it doesn’t have to be yours, it could just be around — your risk of dying by suicide increases,” he said.

These articles are being shared by partners in The Granite State News Collaborative. For more information, visit collaborativenh.org.