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New Hampshire

NH’s minimum wage is $7.25. After latest House vote, it’s unlikely to change this year

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NH’s minimum wage is .25. After latest House vote, it’s unlikely to change this year


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  • On Thursday, the NH House voted to table a bill that would eventually raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2028.
  • Democratic lawmakers in New Hampshire have tried to raise the minimum wage for the past 12 years, but they’ve continued to face steep opposition from Republicans.
  • New Hampshire’s current minimum wage is $7.25, which is the federal minimum, and is the lowest of all New England states.

New Hampshire’s minimum wage is about half the amount workers are paid in all other New England states, and that seems unlikely to change this year.

On Thursday, the New Hampshire House set aside the issue for now by voting to table a bill that would eventually raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2028. It was a largely party line vote of 197 to 159, with all Democrats and two Republicans in opposition to tabling the bill.

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New Hampshire’s current minimum wage is $7.25, which is the federal minimum. It has not increased since 2009. 

Lawmakers can vote later to take the bill off the table and decide whether to pass it. But if the bill is not taken off the table by the end of this year’s session, it will die. The bill had come to the floor with a report of inexpedient to legislate, meaning it was unlikely to pass before the tabling motion was made.

Why doesn’t NH increase the minimum wage?

Rep. Kathy Staub, D-Manchester, who sponsored the bill, said that the low minimum wage is “out of step” with surrounding states. All other states in New England have raised their minimum wage to at least $14 as of 2025.

“The 61,000 workers who make less than $15 an hour in the state do important work and deserve fair compensation,” she said. 

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However, Rep. James Creighton, R-Antrim, who asked to table the bill, said that the bill will “harm New Hampshire businesses” and that “the market should drive wages.”

Another bill to increase the minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2026 was already killed by the Senate in early March.

Democratic lawmakers in New Hampshire have tried to raise the minimum wage for the past 12 years, but they’ve continued to face steep opposition from Republicans.

These bills also face an uphill battle with new Gov. Kelly Ayotte, who opposed raising the federal minimum wage as a U.S. Senator and has stuck to that position, saying during her campaign for governor that the minimum wage should be up to the market and private businesses.

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What’s the minimum wage in other New England states?

Rhode Island, Vermont, Connecticut and Maine increased their minimum wage in 2025, largely due to cost-of-living increases.

Here is the minimum wage in each New England state, from lowest to highest:

  • New Hampshire: $7.25
  • Vermont: $14.01
  • Maine: $14.65
  • Massachusetts: $15
  • Rhode Island: $15
  • Connecticut: $16.35

What state has the highest minimum wage?

While technically not a state, Washington D.C. has the highest minimum wage in the country at $17.50.

Washington state has the next highest at $16.28, and it increased in 2025 to $16.66 per hour.

The third highest is California, which increased its minimum wage to $16.50 in 2025. Fast food restaurant employers and healthcare facility employers have a higher minimum wage. The minimum wage for fast food workers starts at $20 and for healthcare workers it’s a scale that starts at $18 depending on the type of work.

New York and then Connecticut are the next two highest.

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Contributing: Katie Landeck



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New Hampshire

Is Hannaford open Christmas Day 2025? Target? See what’s open and closed in NH

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Is Hannaford open Christmas Day 2025? Target? See what’s open and closed in NH


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Cooking your Christmas dinner and missing that one key ingredient? In New Hampshire, you might find it difficult to locate an open grocery store on Dec. 25.

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New Hampshire state laws don’t restrict grocery stores from opening on Christmas Day, which falls on a Thursday this year.

But while most businesses are allowed to open, many still opt to close in observance of the December holiday. You should check a shop’s hours or call ahead before heading over.

Here’s what to know about New Hampshire grocery stores on Christmas Day.

Are any grocery stores open on Christmas in NH? Market Basket? Hannaford?

Several grocery store chains, like BJ’s Wholesale Club, ALDI, Market Basket, and Costco, will be closed on Christmas. Target, which sells groceries, will also be closed on Dec. 25. So will Walmart and Trader Joe’s.

Most Hannaford locations in New Hampshire, like those in Portsmouth, Dover, Nashua, and Manchester, will be closed on Christmas Day.

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Most Shaw’s locations will be closed on the holiday, as well as most Price Chopper and Market 32 stores.

All Price Rite locations, including the Manchester store, will be closed on Dec. 25, according to a company spokesperson.

Additionally, Whole Foods said all of its stores will be closed on Christmas.

While more New Hampshire grocery stores will be open on Christmas Eve (Dec. 24) than on Christmas Day, many chains will operate with limited hours.

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Are liquor stores open on Christmas in New Hampshire?

All 67 of New Hampshire’s state-run liquor stores will be closed on Christmas this year, according to the N.H. Liquor Commission.

Will convenience stores be open on Christmas? What about pharmacies?

Most businesses, like gas stations, restaurants, and pharmacies, are allowed to open on Christmas.

Certain Cumberland Farms, CVS, and Walgreens locations have opened on Dec. 25 in previous years.

However, many shops still close on certain holidays to give employees time with their families. It’s best to call ahead and check.

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Melina Khan of USA TODAY and Margie Cullen of the USA Today Network contributed to this report.



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New Hampshire 6-year-old tests positive for cocaine, cannabis; mother faces multiple charges

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New Hampshire 6-year-old tests positive for cocaine, cannabis; mother faces multiple charges


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A New Hampshire woman was charged with child endangerment and witness tampering after her daughter ingested a THC gummy and later tested positive for cannabinoids and cocaine, according to officials.

The incident prompted a police investigation after the state Division for Children, Youth and Families notified the Nashua Police Department Nov. 3.

According to a release shared by Nashua Police Department, detectives learned the 6-year-old had been hospitalized following the ingestion and that her mother, Paige Goulet, allegedly told a witness not to cooperate with investigators.

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DRUG-LACED CANDY DISGUISED AS KIDS’ TREATS FUELS NEW HALLOWEEN SAFETY WARNING FOR PARENTS: POLICE

The Nashua Police Department took custody of Goulet and formally charged her. (Nashua Police Department)

“While at the hospital, the juvenile victim tested positive for the illegal drugs, cannabinoids, and cocaine,” the release said.

“Detectives learned that Goulet had told a witness not to cooperate with the police investigation, and detectives determined that Goulet had neglected her duty to care for her juvenile daughter.”

Goulet, 30, was arrested Monday by Meredith police on a felony warrant for tampering with witnesses involved in the Nashua police investigation.

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GUATEMALAN NATIONAL FREED WITHOUT BAIL IN THC GUMMIES CASE THAT SENT 12 MIDDLE-SCHOOLERS TO THE HOSPITAL

Nashua police determined Goulet had neglected her duty to care for her daughter. (Wang Zhao/AFP/GettyImages)

She was taken into custody by Nashua police and formally charged.

She is facing charges of tampering with witnesses and endangering the welfare of a child, according to the release.

FLORIDA PARENTS ARRESTED AFTER 4-YEAR-OLD TWINS ALLEGEDLY SHOT THEMSELVES

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Paige Goulet was taken to the Nashua Police Department and charged with witness tampering and child endangerment after her daughter’s THC gummy ingestion. (Google Maps)

Goulet was released on $300 cash bail and is scheduled to be arraigned in Nashua District Court Jan. 7.

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Fox News Digital has reached out to the Meredith and Nashua police departments for comment.

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New Hampshire

It’s been 50 years since turkeys were reintroduced to N.H. A survey will check on the population. – The Boston Globe

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It’s been 50 years since turkeys were reintroduced to N.H. A survey will check on the population. – The Boston Globe


In recent years, the survey has helped identify about 910 flocks on average, with about 16,488 birds reported per year.

Those numbers can fluctuate based on winter conditions. The birds are more likely to congregate at backyard feeders during winters with heavy snow and limited food, driving up reported numbers. On the other hand, when birds can easily get the food they need in the wild, reports tend to decrease, according to Daniel Ellingwood, a wildlife biologist and turkey project leader at New Hampshire Fish and Game.

He said the state has been conducting the survey for about 20 years. This year, the survey started in December and will run through March.

Right now, the turkey population in New Hampshire includes about 48,000 birds, Fish and Game estimated.

But just over 50 years ago, there weren’t any turkeys in the state at all. In fact, Ellingwood said, turkeys had been absent from New Hampshire’s landscape for about 125 years — starting in the 1850s and lasting until a successful reintroduction effort began in 1975.

Populations were diminished to the point of disappearing because of human activities like hunting and deforestation.

Then, in 1975, the state launched a successful effort to bring the turkeys back.

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“A single flock from southwest New York was captured and translocated to Walpole, New Hampshire in ’75,” Ellingwood said. “That population took hold and began to expand.”

That first flock included about 25 birds. In the following years, other flocks were relocated to New Hampshire, and the turkey population began spreading to other parts of the state.

At this point, the birds have made a remarkable recovery.

“The population is largely stable and healthy,” Ellingwood said.


This story appeared in Globe NH | Morning Report, a free newsletter focused on New Hampshire, including great coverage from the Boston Globe and links to interesting articles elsewhere. To receive it via email Monday through Friday, sign up here.

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Amanda Gokee can be reached at amanda.gokee@globe.com. Follow her @amanda_gokee.





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