New Hampshire
Ashland couple plead guilty to illegally voting in N.H. elections. Here’s their penalty
CONCORD, N.H. — An Ashland couple reached a plea deal with prosecutors and have pleaded guilty in Merrimack (N.H.) Superior Court to illegally voting in elections in New Hampshire while they were living in Massachusetts.
Joshua Urovitch, 56, and Lisa Urovitch, 54, each pleaded guilty to one count of wrongful voting.
Both were originally charged with three counts of wrongful voting. But as part of the plea agreement, the two of the charges were not prosecuted.
They were each sentenced to 12 months in the Merrimack County of House of Corrections, but the sentence was suspended for two years on condition of good behavior. They were also each fined $2,000, issued a $480 penalty and assessed an additional civil penalty of $1,240 apiece.
The couple also lost their right to ever vote in New Hampshire.
Authorities charge Concord address is actually a rental property
The New Hampshire Attorney General’s Office said the Urovitches, while living in Ashland, voted in the Nov. 3, 2020, general election, the Nov. 8, 2022, general election and the Nov. 8, 2022, Concord School District Election while using the address of a Concord home they owned as their home address.
Authorities charged the couple actually lived in Ashland and used the Concord home as a rental property. Its renters told investigators the Urovitches did not live at that address and only visited in their capacity as landlords.
The Ashland Town Clerk’s Office said neither Jacob nor Lisa Urovitch was registered to vote in town until 2023.
Norman Miller can be reached at 508-626-3823 or nmiller@wickedlocal.com. For up-to-date public safety news, follow him on X @Norman_MillerMW or on Facebook at facebook.com/NormanMillerCrime.
One-third of Americans support Christian nationalism, report shows
A new report finds about three in 10 Americans back or sympathize with Christian nationalism, according to the Public Religion Research Institute.
New Hampshire has the highest share of adults who identify as atheists in the U.S., at about 11%, according to a Pew Research Center study.
Nearly half of adults in the Granite State (48%) identify as religiously unaffiliated, a group that includes atheists, agnostics, and people who describe their religion as “nothing in particular.”
In the U.S. overall, 5% of adults identify as atheists, meaning New Hampshire’s share is more than twice the national average. About 29% of U.S. adults identify as religiously unaffiliated.
However, regionally, the West has the highest share of adults who identify as atheists among the four major U.S. regions – Northeast, Midwest, South, and West – according to the data.
The Pew Research Center’s Religious Landscape Study (RLS) regarding Americans’ beliefs was conducted in English and Spanish from July 17, 2023, to March 4, 2024, among a nationally representative sample of 36,908 U.S. adults.
What is atheism? 10 US states with the highest percentage of atheists
Atheism is defined by Merriam-Webster as “a lack of belief or a strong disbelief in the existence of a god or any gods.” However, people may interpret and describe the term in different ways.
Here are the 10 U.S. states with the highest shares of adults who identify as atheists, according to data from the Pew Research Center:
- New Hampshire – 11% of residents
- Washington – 9% of residents
- Colorado – 8% of residents
- Massachusetts – 8% of residents
- Montana – 8% of residents
- Oregon – 8% of residents
- Vermont – 8% of residents
- California – 6% of residents
- Idaho – 6% of residents
- Maryland – 6% of residents
New Hampshire religious composition
About 45% of adults in New Hampshire identify as Christian, 5% identify with other religions, and 48% as religiously unaffiliated, according to the Pew Research Center.
Breaking it down even further, 20% identify as Catholic, 13% as Mainline Protestant, 10% as Evangelical Protestant, 1% as Historically Black Protestant, 1% as Latter-day Saint (Mormon), 1% as Orthodox Christian, and less than 1% as Jehovah’s Witnesses or other Christian groups.
Roughly 1% identify as Jewish, less than 1% as Muslim, less than 1% as Buddhist, less than 1% as Hindu, less than 1% as Native American religions, and less than 1% as other world religions. About 1% identify with Unitarian and other liberal faiths, and 1% with New Age beliefs.
Among all adults in New Hampshire, 11% of all adults in New Hampshire identify as atheists, 1% as agnostics, and 29% with “nothing in particular.”
About 3% of respondents did not answer the question, the survey said. Additionally, the margin of error for the 2023-24 figures among adults in New Hampshire is plus or minus 8.0 percentage points.
CHARLEVOIX COUNTY, Mich., (WPBN/WGTU) — A Northern Michigan man accused of torching a Charlevoix County farm is now behind bars in New Hampshire.
Investigators said 23-year-old Daniel Fournier is linked to a January fire that caused an estimated $500,000 in damage.
Authorities tracked him to Merrimack, where he was arrested during a traffic stop while allegedly carrying a loaded pistol.
A search of his apartment turned up more firearms, suspected incendiary devices and evidence investigators say ties him to the Michigan arson.
Fournier is fighting extradition and remains jailed pending another court hearing.
Two people are facing charges after they allegedly broke into a New Hampshire home on Tuesday wearing black masks and armed with baseball bats, all while a 12-year-old was inside.
Danville police said they received a call around 9 p.m. Tuesday for a report of a home invasion on Beatrice Street. A 12-year-old was home alone on a video chat with his friend when three people wearing black masks and armed with baseball bats broke through his front door. The 12-year-old’s friend quickly called 911.
According to police, the three people were attempting to locate the child’s father and threatened the father with serious bodily injury.
An officer soon arrived at the scene, set a perimeter, and called in two K9 units.
A search of the area didn’t initially turn up anything, but a K9 track led officers to another nearby home. Police interviewed the resident of the mobile home, identified as Nathan Wilder, who denied any involvement in the home invasion.
As the investigation continued, police learned that the original caller had heard from some other friends that one of the suspects in the home invasion had bragged about being involved. They determined that Nathan Wilder, John Wilder and a juvenile were the three people who had broken into the home.
John Wilder admitted to police that he had broken into the home on Beatrice Street and said that Nathan Wilder and a juvenile had assisted him.
Police were able to locate and seized three baseball bats, two ski masks and a few articles of clothing used in the crime.
John and Nathan Wilder were arrested and the juvenile who was involved was released to a parent.
John Wilder is charged with burglary with a weapon, criminal threat with a deadly weapon and criminal mischief. Nathan Wilder is charged with with burglary with a weapon and criminal threat with a deadly weapon. Both men are currently being held at the Rockingham County Jail awaiting arraignment.
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