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Concord update: What do you want to see in Governor Ayotte’s budget?

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Concord update: What do you want to see in Governor Ayotte’s budget?


Happy (early) Valentine’s Day. Don’t forget to do something nice for that “special someone” before it’s too late… and all the “good cards” and still alive roses are all gone.

State budget

On Thursday, Feb. 13 Governor Ayotte will be presenting the outlines of her budget for the next two years to the NH House of Representatives. If you are interested in watching her address go to the NH House’s YouTube Page and you can stream it live. The next day on Feb. 14, the governor will be sitting down with me and my colleagues on the House Finance Committee to discuss her proposal in more detail.

We on the House Finance Committee will be making our budget recommendation to the full House by no later than April 3. The full House will then vote on the budget and pass it over to the Senate for their consideration by no later than April 10.

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A budget is about priorities and our state’s budget should reflect the priorities of Granite Staters. Ahead of Governor Ayotte’s budget address, I – along with my House and Senate Democrats – want to hear from you — what are the top priorities you want to see receive funding?  Please take a few moments to share your thoughts by Clicking Here or going to https://www.facebook.com/NHHouseDemCaucus.

Housing

The low supply of housing units in New Hampshire is driving up prices and our property taxes. We need to build about 60,000 new units before 2030 and 89,000 units before 2040 to meet projected demand. I am looking forward to hearing what Governor Ayotte will be proposing to “jump-start” that effort.

Whatever the governor does propose, will take several years to have a dramatic impact. In the meantime, we need to do what we can to keep the homes that already exist affordable and available for Granite Staters.

On Feb. 6, the House voted on two bills that are likely to make that more difficult.

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HB 60 allows tenants to be evicted without cause when their lease has expired. Given our historically low vacancy rate (0.6 percent for a two-bedroom rental unit), Democrats felt that this “no cause” eviction should only take effect when the vacancy rate is 5% or more (which is the generally recognized indicator of a “healthy” rental market). That amendment was defeated with 217 no (Hampton State Reps. Nicholas Bridle and Linda McGrath) to 140 yes (Hampton State Reps. Erica de Vries, Mike Edgar, and Chris Muns). A subsequent amendment to delay no-cause evictions only when the rental vacancy rate is 2.5% or higher was also defeated 212 no (Bridle and McGrath) to 145 yes (de Vries, Edgar and Muns)

HB 444 would have ensured tenants in a restricted multi-family residential property receive 30 days’ notice before the sale of their building, so that if they have to move, they can begin planning to do so or if they want to make a competing offer, they have a chance to do so. Defeated 213 no (Bridle and McGrath) to 144 yes (de Vries, Edgar and Muns).

Abortion

Since 2021, New Hampshire has had a ban on abortions after 24 weeks with exceptions for the life of the mother and fatal fetal anomalies. 

During the 2024 election season, House and Senate Republican leaders pledged they would not pass further restrictions on abortions. And, in her inaugural speech, Governor Ayotte pledged that “if you send me legislation that further restricts access to abortion beyond our current law, I will veto it.” 

That did not, however, stop a group of nine House Republicans (backed by Cornerstone Action, a religious liberty advocacy group) from sponsoring HB 476, which would have made abortions after 15 weeks illegal, even if the pregnancy was caused by incest or rape. 

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On February 6, that bill was withdrawn from consideration by a vote of 340 yes (Bridle, de Vries, Edgar, McGrath and Muns) to 15 no.

While that is an encouraging sign, it is no guarantee that other limitations on every woman’s right to safe and protected reproductive healthcare will not be considered by this legislature. We will need to hold Governor Ayotte to her promise.

Climate change

In mostly partly line votes, the House’s Republican majority rejected several efforts to address the local impacts of climate change during our February 6 Session.  Among them were:

HB 189 changes the state’s definition of clean energy, to include “low greenhouse gas emitting sources.” In other words, rather than cutting our greenhouse gas emissions, we are OK with continuing to emit them. Adopted 206 yes (Bridle and McGrath) to 148 no (de Vries, Edgar and Muns).

HB 526-FN would have established a Division of Climate Change and Damage within the Department of Environmental Services to take a proactive, data-driven approach to climate adaptation. Defeated 207 no (Bridle and McGrath) to 146 yes (de Vries, Edgar and Muns)

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HB 106 would have created a commission to study the financial risks of climate-related impacts like extreme precipitation, coastal flooding and extreme heat and recommend equitable ways to pay for resilience efforts.  During the debate, the Republican vice-chair of the House Science, Technology and Energy Committee said the bill ran contrary to the Trump Administration’s “Drill, baby, drill,” approach to climate change and added that the premise of climate change as a real issue is “still up for debate.  Defeated 207 no (Bridle and McGrath) to 149 yes (de Vries, Edgar and Muns)

This was only the first session of the House in which we voted on bills that were voted out of committee. Approximately 800 bills were introduced by House members this year. We will be meeting every week to get through all of those by mid-April, when we need to hand over those that we pass to the NH Senate.

Office hours

I will be holding Open Office Hours on Saturday, Feb. 15, between noon and 2 p.m. at the Lane Memorial Library in Hampton. If you have any questions or would just like to say hello, please join me then. In the meantime, if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me at  chris.muns@gc.nh.gov.

Chris Muns is one of Hampton’s five NH state representatives. He is currently serving his third term, having previously served between 2012 and 2014 and 2022 and 2024.



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New Hampshire

CAUGHT ON CAMERA: Driver seen driving across Windham, NH lawn late at night – Boston News, Weather, Sports | WHDH 7News

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CAUGHT ON CAMERA: Driver seen driving across Windham, NH lawn late at night – Boston News, Weather, Sports | WHDH 7News


WINDHAM, N.H. (WHDH) – Police are searching for a person seen on camera driving across a lawn in Windham, New Hampshire.

Windham police say on April 25, around midnight, a driver plowed across a lawn on Trails Edge Road in Windham.

Police say the vehicle is believed to be a late 1990s-early 2000s Chevrolet Silverado, but the color in unknown due to the video being black and white.

A next-door neighbor says their driveway was just redone one day before the incident.

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“The boys came in the other morning. I was surprised I didn’t hear anything,” she said. “That’s not that bad but kind of scary, though. I just hope it never happens again.”

The incident is still under investigation.

(Copyright (c) 2026 Sunbeam Television. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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Commission sets sights on UNESCO recognition for Mount Washington – NH Business Review

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Commission sets sights on UNESCO recognition for Mount Washington – NH Business Review


Ice coats instruments, buildings and rock fields atop Mount Washington. The peak’s extreme weather is one reason members of the Mount Washington Commission say they are seeking potential UNESCO World Heritage Site status for the peak. (Photo by Charlie Peachey, courtesy of the Mount Washington Observatory)

Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, Egypt’s Great Pyramids, Arizona’s Grand Canyon … and New Hampshire’s own Mount Washington?

At their April meeting, the group of institutions that steward the Northeast’s tallest mountain voted, 9-1, to take a preliminary step toward pursuing UNESCO World Heritage Site designation for the peak. The process may take years to decades, but if it is successful, Mount Washington could become the first site in New England to rank on the internationally recognized list.

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The possibility requires unique considerations, commission members said, including the need it would create to manage increased visitation that is already straining the summit’s alpine ecosystem and infrastructure.

Mount Washington Commission Chair Rob Kirsch believes the designation would be a boon for the mountain, bringing in not only more visitors but also more funding to invest in making the peak more resilient to traffic. Kirsch said he sees the application as a chance to showcase the wonder of Mount Washington at a grander scale.

“It will lead to an improved experience for people, generally,” Kirsch said. “It will give the state something to really be proud of.”

A property must meet at least one of 10 criteria to be considered for World Heritage Site status, according to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Mount Washington could invoke several categories in its application, including one for sites that “contain superlative natural phenomena or areas of exceptional natural beauty and aesthetic importance.”

There are many steps before Mount Washington could potentially be added to that list. The motion approved at the April 17 meeting of the Mount Washington Commission was the first: At that meeting, the commission approved pursuing “Tentative List” status for the mountain. One site is selected from that national list each year for submission to the United Nations World Heritage Committee.

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To move ahead, the application must receive support from the federal government. The commission has engaged with federal officials, and U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen has been supportive of the project, commission members said.

“Mount Washington’s unique natural environment, scientific significance and rich history deserve global recognition,” Shaheen said in a statement to the Bulletin. “I am proud to support the Commission as they work to have our region’s most iconic peak designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.”

From here, Kirsch said, the process may take decades. UNESCO designation typically boosts visitorship to a site, and proponents generally point to the associated regional economic boost as a benefit of the status. But the list has also been criticized as contributing to overtourism that can degrade sites or harm the communities around them. While it can boost public awareness of a place, there is no funding attached to the status itself.

The Mount Washington Commission is guided by a 2022 master plan for the mountain’s stewardship and conservation. In November 2025, the commission reviewed preliminary results from an assessment conducted as part of that plan, showing that crowds and climate change were large factors in the strain on the summit’s delicate natural environment and aging infrastructure.

With significant investment, the summit could readily accommodate significant crowds, said Kirsch, who is also an environmental lawyer, former weather observer at the Mount Washington Observatory, and a member of the observatory’s board of trustees. It’s not clear yet where the money for those investments will come from, but Kirsch said he hoped the UNESCO designation would help.

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“You can bring as many people as you want to Mount Washington as long as you make sufficient infrastructure investment to protect the environment,” he said.

The commission is still waiting for more results from the summit’s environmental assessment, but Kirsch said the boost to visitation would not affect the environment if the commission adheres to the guidelines laid out in the Master Plan. Rather, he said, the investments he hopes designation would help secure could help prevent any danger from overcrowding and ensure the mountain’s environment is protected.

He added that the benefit of a UNESCO designation would go beyond the businesses operating on the mountain — which include the Mount Washington Auto Road and the Mount Washington Cog Railway — to boost others throughout the North Country.


This story was originally produced by the New Hampshire Bulletin, an independent local newsroom that allows NH Business Review and other outlets to republish its reporting.

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Investigation into woman’s 2007 death resolved, NH officials say

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Investigation into woman’s 2007 death resolved, NH officials say


New Hampshire authorities said Thursday that they have resolved their investigation into the death of a woman nearly 20 years ago.

On Feb. 24, 2007, 25-year-old Carrie Hicks was found dead from two gunshot wounds to the head at the Acworth home of Wayne Ring, who was found alive in the same room with a single gunshot wound to the head.

Ring died at the age of 57 on May 26, 2012.

Investigators officially determined Ring fatally shot Hicks before attempting to take his own life.

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People who knew Hicks and Ring told authorities that they had formed a suicide “pact” and openly discussed suicide.

“Witness testimony revealed that Ms. Hicks had specifically instructed Mr. Ring to shoot her twice so she would not be left alive,” the office of Attorney General John Formella wrote in a press release.

A review of the autopsy report this year, along with a forensic reconstruction of bloodstain patterns, demonstrated that it was “medically and physically impossible” for Hicks to have fired the second shot she sustained, officials said. They added that, beyond a reasonable doubt, she could not have inflicted either injury on herself, and that Ring fatally shot Hicks before turning the gun on himself.

Formella said that if Ring were alive, there would be sufficient evidence to prosecute a first-degree murder case against him.

“We hope that the conclusion of this investigation brings a measure of clarity and peace to the loved ones of Carrie Hicks,” he said in a statement. “This resolution underscores the commitment of the New Hampshire Cold Case Unit. By thoroughly re-examining the forensic evidence, witness statements, and autopsy records, our investigators have finally established the truth behind this tragic loss of life.”

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