Last month, the members of an after-school club called Dover Youth 2 Youth took a field trip to the State House in Concord. They arrived armed with empty beer cans, part of their planned testimony before lawmakers.
“For example, we have this brand of beer from Concord Brewing Company that has cans designed like the kids animated movie we’ve all seen: ‘Finding Nemo,’ ” explained Megan Merrigan, 12, during public testimony on the bill.
State senators were handed a can with an illustration of a brightly colored fish resembling a character in the Disney movie.
Merrigan, along with her teenage peers, contend that alcohol-makers are using imagery on their labels–whether intentional or not–that appeals to minors. They offered this as Exhibit A for why the laws needed to change.
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Concord Craft Brewing Company’s Finding NEIPA beer label, which the state liquor agency said it mistakenly approved despite its potential for inducing minors to drink.
“They’re most likely not going to pick something that’s like a big, boring bottle of beer,” said Dani Lynn Somer, 14, another member of the Dover after-school program. “Kids go for something that’s more enticing to the eye.”
The legislation these students are backing seeks to provide more clarity to both the alcohol industry and state regulators about what’s acceptable on a label of beer, wine or spirits. Cartoons, toys and other fictional characters that a kid may associate with would be prohibited.
But local craft brewers contend their labels, which are often designed by local artists and rooted in the individual culture of the business, are at risk of getting caught up in any enhanced regulations. These beers are being brewed for adults, they contend, and only available for purchase by people 21 and up.
Real dog, illustrated dog
Under current New Hampshire law, the state Liquor Commission has the power to block any alcohol label that regulators believe is designed to induce minors to drink. Alcoholic products that also falsely imply through labeling that they improve athletic performance are also prohibited.
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In total, the agency reviews 5,400 labels annually — every bottle of wine, can of beer, or spirit sold in the state — approving 96% of them.
Senate Bill 335 would add clarifying language to the statute, spelling out that cartoons, toys, robots, fictional animals and creatures that are consistent with other products marketed at minors are a no-go. It would also create a new board to handle appeals from rejected applicants.
Aaron Share, co-owner of To Share Brewing Company in Manchester, opposes a plan to explicitly prohibit certain images on alcohol labels.
(The Liquor Commission said, in a statement to NHPR, its approval of the “Finding NEIPA,” Nemo-themed label was done in error, and that after a “constructive conversation with the brewer, Concord Craft agreed to change the imagery, according to a spokesperson.)
Last November, To Share Brewing based in Manchester submitted four labels that were initially rejected by the Liquor Commission. Two of those labels included illustrations by a local artist of the co-owner’s pet.
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“It’s the face of my dog with her tongue sticking out,” said Aaron Share, holding up a can inside of his brewery on a recent morning. He said he has submitted more than 80 labels since founding the brewery, and that these were the first to be rejected.
“I don’t see anything on this label that would be considered a cartoon, or that would induce a minor to drink,” he said.
Share said the Liquor Commission later notified him, without explanation, that it had reversed course and approved the labels.
He fears that under the proposed legislation, regulators would have to make subjective calls about products, and may lack the qualifications to do so.
“Do they have a background in art? You know, are they a child psychologist?” he said.
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As well known as Mickey Mouse
The debate now going on in the New Hampshire State House is in some ways a throwback to the 1990s, when it was tobacco, and not alcohol, coming under scrutiny. Federal regulators determined that much cigarette advertising — including Camel’s cartoon spokesperson, Joe Camel — was designed to appeal to children.
Dr. James Seargent, a behavioral epidemiologist at Dartmouth’s Geisel School of Medicine, was a young researcher at Joe Camel’s peak, and said the ads were so ubiquitous and seductive that a study found the camel was “recognized as commonly as Mickey Mouse” amongst children.
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Labels submitted by To Share Brewing Company that were initially rejected, but later approved by the New Hampshire Liquor Commission.
Courtesy of To Share Brewing Company
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Labels submitted by To Share Brewing Company that were initially rejected, but later approved by the New Hampshire Liquor Commission.
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Courtesy of To Share Brewing Company
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Labels submitted by To Share Brewing Company that were initially rejected, but later approved by the New Hampshire Liquor Commission.
Courtesy of To Share Brewing Company
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There were eventually stricter labeling and marketing rules applied to cigarettes in the United States, and some parts of Europe have gone farther with tobacco packaging restrictions.
“I don’t think we’re ready to do that for beer,” Sergeant said, “but I certainly think the New Hampshire law to do away with cartoon-like characters is not unreasonable.”
But during the legislative hearing last month, some lawmakers, including Republican state Sen. Dan Innis, seemed skeptical that any new guidance or regulation could be done in a way that’s consistent.
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“The hard part for me is how are these decisions going to be made,” he said. “And that’s where it just gets messy.”
Take for example other boozy offerings now available on store shelves: alcoholic Monster energy drinks, spiked Sunny D, and Eggo Waffles branded liquors. What do you do with those products? Are they aimed at kids? Nostalgic adults?
Mia Mozzoni, 18, from the Dover Youth 2 Youth group, said she doesn’t appreciate how the broader industry views people her age and wants to see adults take steps to protect her and other young people.
“I don’t like being targeted by the industry. I don’t like seeing my peers ruin their brains and their livers at like 14 and 15 because they’re binge drinking,” she said, adding, “It’s just a problem.”
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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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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The streets of Portsmouth are still in the process of being cleaned up, as seen the afternoon of Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2026, following a huge snow storm.
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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Warmer weather: It may not look like it now, but spring is on its way: Nature News
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.
Blizzard snowfall totals: Latest snowfall total from New Hampshire, Maine after blizzard
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.
