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New Hampshire

Arkansas, Arizona, New Hampshire Open for BEAD Apps

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Arkansas, Arizona, New Hampshire Open for BEAD Apps


WASHINGTON, Jan. 7, 2025 – Three more states this week opened the door to applicants seeking funding under a federal program designed to close the digital divide in rural America.

That announcements by Arizona, Arkansas, and New Hampshire meant that at least 20 states have reached the same application milestone under the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment program.

The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021 set aside $42.5 billion for getting broadband to every home and business in the country, with states and territories getting individual allocations to dole out themselves. Arkansas began taking applications for funding Tuesday, with Arizona and New Hampshire getting started on Monday.

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Arkansas and Arizona received $1.02 billion and $993 million respectively, while New Hampshire, with a relatively smaller and less remote unserved population, took home $196 million. The eligible location count is 84,000 in Arkansas, 184,298 in Arizona, and 9,527 in New Hampshire, according to data from the states’ challenge processes. States had to accept and adjudicate challenges to government broadband data before funding projects under the program.

Arkansas and Arizona are both planning on multiple rounds of applications in an effort to ensure universal coverage. States can also negotiate directly with providers.

At least three states have put forward their preliminary awards under the program, spending plans that will have to be approved by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration before projects get underway. NTIA chief Alan Davidson is stepping down Jan. 20, and it’s not clear who will head the agency under the incoming Trump administration. 

Republicans have strongly criticized the program, in part because of its preference for fiber broadband. That and satellite ISP-owner Elon Musk becoming a close advisor to Trump have sparked speculation that rules might be changed going forward but states have been moving ahead under the current project selection rules. 

States can fund non-fiber projects when fiber exceeds a cost threshold they decide on, or if no fiber providers show interest in a given area. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, Chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee, has promised to “review” the fiber preference and other spending provisions in his new role.

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In the states that have made tentative awards—Louisiana, Nevada, and Delaware—fiber has been the go-to technology, covering at least 80 percent of eligible locations in each state. Louisiana and Nevada did award money to satellite providers, with Nevada tapping Amazon’s nascent Project Kuiper service. Louisiana was still hammering out the terms of the deal when it released its draft spending plan and hasn’t said which satellite provider it’s going with.

Massachusetts is set to open its application window Wednesday, with Michigan following Thursday.



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New Hampshire

Woman dies in Wilton, NH house fire – Boston News, Weather, Sports | WHDH 7News

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Woman dies in Wilton, NH house fire – Boston News, Weather, Sports | WHDH 7News


WILTON, N.H. (WHDH) – A woman died in a Wilton, New Hampshire, house fire Wednesday morning, according to the New Hampshire State Fire Marshal’s Office.

At 9:08 a.m., Wilton firefighters responded to Burns Hill Road after a caller said their home was filling up with smoke. When they arrived, a single-family home was on fire and they found out two people were still inside on the second floor.

A man and a woman were both taken out of the house by firefighters and taken to Elliott Hospital. The woman was pronounced dead and the man is in serious condition.

Officials have not released the name of the victim at this time.

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At this time, investigators are looking into the cause of the fire and are trying to determine if a power outage in the area played a factor. The fire is not currently considered suspicious.

(Copyright (c) 2025 Sunbeam Television. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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New Hampshire

N.H. woman accused of civil rights violation after allegedly shooting at lost man because he was Black

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N.H. woman accused of civil rights violation after allegedly shooting at lost man because he was Black


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Diane Durgin, 67, is accused of shooting at a Black man who inadvertently drove to her property after a prearranged truck part sale, prosecutors said.

A New Hampshire woman is accused of violating the state’s Civil Rights Act four times after she allegedly shot at a man because he was Black, prosecutors said.

Diane Durgin, 67, of Weare, N.H. could face up to a $5,000 fine for each violation she is found to have committed, the office of New Hampshire Attorney General John Formella said in a press release Tuesday.

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Durgin is also charged with criminal threatening against a person with a deadly weapon and attempted first degree assault with a deadly weapon, Michael Garrity, a media representative for the New Hampshire Attorney General, said in an emailed statement to Boston.com.

Durgin had a final pre-trial conference last week, Garrity said.

In a civil complaint filed Tuesday, Durgin is accused of threatening physical force against the victim, the AG said. Prosecutors asked the court to issue a preliminary injunction barring Durgin from repeating her alleged behavior and from contacting the victim and his family.

During the morning hours of Oct. 20, 2024, the victim claims, he “mistakenly” drove to Durgin’s home after a prearranged purchase of a truck part with a seller online, prosecutors wrote as part of their request for an injunction.

When the man — whom prosecutors identified in court documents as X.G. — arrived, Durgin allegedly stepped out of her home and approached his car with a gun “holstered by her waist,” prosecutors wrote. 

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Upon noticing that X.G. was Black, Durgin allegedly “removed her gun and pointed it at X.G.,” prosecutors said in the injunction request.

While X.G. explained that he was lost, Durgin called the victim a “Black mother[expletive],” and threatened to “kill him,” prosecutors allege.

As the victim attempted to drive away, Durgin allegedly took her gun and fired two shots at the fleeing man’s car, missing both times, the AG’s office said.

While on the phone with a dispatcher, Durgin allegedly said she shot the man’s car because the victim is Black, the AG said.

“The guy is Black. And he, he…he says he’s meeting someone here and I think he’s coming here to steal,” Durgin allegedly said.

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Police located X.G. and brought him to the Weare Police Department, stopping along the way at the correct seller’s home to complete the truck part purchase, prosecutors wrote in court documents.

To prove a violation of the New Hampshire Civil Rights Act, the AG must show that Durgin “interfered or attempted to interfere with the rights of the victim to engage in lawful activities by threatening to engage in or actually engage in physical force or violence, when such actual or threatening conduct was motivated by race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, sexual orientation, sex, gender identity, or disability,” prosecutors said.

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New Hampshire

Up to 4 inches of snow expected in NH tonight. See latest forecast

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Up to 4 inches of snow expected in NH tonight. See latest forecast


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It may be March, but winter in New Hampshire is far from over. Just one week after a blizzard tore through the state with heavy snow and high winds, the state is getting another round of snowfall.

The state will get three to five inches during the evening and night of Tuesday, March 3, says the National Weather Service (NWS) of Gray, Maine. While the accumulation will not be significant, the snowfall may cause dangerous road conditions and a layer of ice on the ground in certain parts of the state.

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Here’s what to know before tonight’s snow in New Hampshire, including snow totals and timing.

When will it snow in NH tonight?

According to the NWS, it will start snowing in New Hampshire during mid-afternoon or early evening and continue through the night. Specifically, snow will arrive to the southern part of the state around 2-3 p.m., spreading northwards through the rest of New Hampshire by 5 p.m.

Rain or freezing rain will mix in later this evening across southern New Hampshire, creating a wintry mix. All precipitation should move out of the state by midnight.

Due to the timing of today’s snowfall, the Tuesday evening commute will be affected, with the NWS warning to slow down and exercise caution while driving.

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How much snow will NH get tonight?

New Hampshire will get one to four inches of snow tonight, with one to two inches in northern New Hampshire, two to three inches in southern New Hampshire and three to four inches in the center of the state, with the possibility for five inches in localized areas.

In the Seacoast specifically, Portsmouth, Rye, Hampton and York are expected to get between two to three inches of snow, while Dover, Exeter and Rochester may get up to four.

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The wintry mix may also cause a light glaze of ice across southern New Hampshire.

NH weather watches and warnings

The NWS has issued a winter weather advisory for the state of New Hampshire, in effect from 1 p.m. on Tuesday, March 3 through 4 a.m. on Wednesday, March 4.

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