Boston could soon be empowered to raise the maximum fines for “scofflaw” landlords who flout local laws around property upkeep for the first time in more than three decades, from $300 to $2,000 for each violation.  

Originally Published: January 2, 2025 at 1:22 PM EST

After learning about the fate of Peanut and Fred, Representative James Spillane took action to make sure their story isn’t repeated in the Granite State. This legislative session, the Deerfield Republican is proposing legislation that would allow the ownership of some squirrels and raccoons.

“It gave a black eye to New York and we don’t need to get a black eye in New Hampshire,” he said.

“My fear is somebody’s going to move into the state with a pet, and we’re going to tell you, ‘You can’t get veterinary care, and you’ve got to pretend you don’t have that pet,’” he said.

Spillane said his bill, which has the backing of several other Republican lawmakers, provides two paths to legal ownership of pet raccoons and squirrels, including for people who move into New Hampshire from states that permit the animals as pets, and allowing them to become pets after being rehabilitated by NH Fish and Game.

But, Spillane said, his bill stops short of making all ownership of pet raccoons and squirrels legal. It still wouldn’t allow people to purchase the animals at a pet store, to breed them, or to capture them from the wild.

“We’re in the same position with these as we were with ferrets about 15 years ago,” Spillane said.

Raccoons and squirrels aren’t the only critters lawmakers are eyeing in 2025. A proposal from

Democratic Senator Donovan Fenton of Keene would proclaim the Virginia opossum as New Hampshire’s official state marsupial.

The nocturnal critter, which is already the official state marsupial of North Carolina, can be found in New Hampshire and throughout much of North America.

This story first appeared in Globe NH | Morning Report, our free newsletter focused on the news you need to know about New Hampshire, including great coverage from the Boston Globe and links to interesting articles from other places. If you’d like to receive it via e-mail Monday through Friday, you can sign up here.

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

The Delaware woman that drove her car into a New Jersey hospital on New Year’s Eve had called authorities earlier in the night asking for help, according to police.

The 38-year-old woman from New Castle, Delaware, said that she called New Jersey State Police in Seabrook earlier in the night asking to be admitted to the hospital for a “crisis” after she was upset with her mother-in-law, authorities wrote in a warrant for her arrest.

When police responded, the woman declined to be taken to the hospital and stated she did not want to be transported to the hospital, but wanted to drive herself with an escort, according to the affidavit of probable cause.

Once state police left, she found the keys to her car and struck two other vehicles in Seabrook before driving to Bridgeton to find help, she told police after she was arrested.

The woman told police she saw the Inspira hospital and thinking no one would help her, decided to drive her car through the double door entrance to the emergency room hoping to knock herself unconscious.

The incident happened around 11:30 p.m. on Tuesday and the woman’s car reached about 60 feet down a hallway and almost struck a security guard, Bridgeton police said Wednesday.

Authorities said the woman exited the car and was taken to another area of the hospital where she waited for authorities to arrive and was uncooperative, according to charging documents.

A state police spokesperson did not immediately return a request for comment Thursday.

The hospital security guard suffered a minor injury jumping out of the way of the vehicle, according to an Inspira spokesperson.

No one was else was injured, authorities said. The woman was charged with assault by motor vehicle, endangering others and third-degree criminal mischief, according to court documents.

The damage to the hospital was estimated at over $135,000 and ambulances were rerouted away from the hospital until about 3:30 a.m. Wednesday to allow authorities to secure the damaged entrance and establish a new temporary entrance, the spokesperson for the hospital said.

The woman did not have an attorney listed in court records as of Thursday.

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Matthew Enuco may be reached at Menuco@njadvancemedia.com. Follow Matt on X