New Hampshire

‘A day I will never forget’: Massive shark crashes bachelorette party off NH coast

Published

8 months ago

June 24, 2025

‘A day I will never forget’: Massive shark crashes bachelorette party off NH coast

For bride-to-be Morgan Irons, her bachelorette party started out as a picture-perfect escape on the open water, but it quickly became a personal tribute to the 50th anniversary of “Jaws” as she came face-to-face with her deepest fear.

“Any type of open water, I just am very fearful,” Irons said.

To celebrate, Irons’ future sister-in-law, Colby Taylor, planned a surprise bachelorette cruise around the picturesque Isle of Shoals, promising a relaxing day of whale watching.

“I’ve never seen a shark. My dad’s been a lobsterman his whole life, I’ve always been on the boat, I’ve never seen a shark in these waters, you have nothing to be worried about,” Taylor recalled assuring her.

That assurance quickly evaporated, according to RJ Lincoln, the ship’s first mate.

“All the gals are out back having a fun time, and all of the sudden, we hear Colby scream,” Lincoln said.

“Colby goes, ‘I see a fin!’ And we all look and everybody’s like, ‘Oh, no, that’s a bird, that’s a sunfish.’ And she’s like, ‘No, that’s a fin!’ And my heart starts racing,” Irons said.

The bride’s last sail before the veil quickly evoked images of the iconic 1975 movie.

Filmed right here in Massachusetts, the summer blockbuster became a classic American movie.

“We were quoting ‘Jaws’ going out into the ocean, so maybe we manifested the sharks? I’m not sure we meant to,” Taylor said.

As Taylor captured the sharks on camera, Irons sought refuge at the back of the boat. The group, about 15 miles offshore, ultimately spotted not one, but two sharks.

“We looked down and then this monstrosity, it looked prehistoric, like a dinosaur coming out from underneath. It was just this massive, massive body,” Taylor said.

The Atlantic White Shark Conservancy (AWSC) confirmed they were basking sharks, a species known to migrate to these waters around this time of year. As the second-largest shark species, outgrown only by the whale shark, they can reach lengths of up to 40 feet, though most adults average between 20 and 30 feet. Their immense size often leads to them being mistaken for great white sharks, particularly in Massachusetts waters.

Actor Richard Dreyfuss was back on the Vineyard 50 years after helping to create a Hollywood phenomenon: Jaws.

However, these gentle giants are filter-feeders and harmless to humans, according to the AWSC. They’re commonly seen swimming near the surface with their dorsal fin protruding, mouths wide open as they filter plankton using bristle-like gill rakers.

RJ Lincoln, despite his extensive time on the water, still found the sighting remarkable.

“To be honest, that’s the biggest basking shark I’ve ever seen. It was like 25 or 30 feet,” Lincoln said.

“It was the topic of conversation for the rest of the night,” Taylor said.

“Definitely a day I will never forget. That is for sure,” Irons added.

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New Hampshire

New Hampshire employment law in 2026 – NH Business Review

Published

3 hours ago

March 2, 2026

Press Room

New Hampshire employment law in 2026 – NH Business Review

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.

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New Hampshire

New photo released in unsolved 1997 homicide of a N.H. woman

Published

16 hours ago

March 2, 2026

Press Room

New photo released in unsolved 1997 homicide of a N.H. woman

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.

The newly released photo of Rosalie Miller, 36, who was strangled to death nearly 30 years ago. – Attorney General John M. Formella and New Hampshire State Police Colonel Mark B. Hall

“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.