New Hampshire
Driver, 19, seriously hurt in Merrimack crash that temporarily closed Everett Turnpike
A 19-year-old was seriously injured in a single-vehicle crash that closed the northbound side of the F.E. Everett Turnpike in Merrimack, New Hampshire, for a couple of hours Saturday evening.
NH State Police say troopers, along with the Merrimack Fire and Rescue Department and the state department of transportation, responded around 4:28 p.m. to reports that a vehicle had crashed into construction barrels at the Exit 10 offramp.
Responding crews found a Honda Accord off the roadway with heavy front-end damage, and a driver who had sustained serious injuries.
Police initially released limited information, saying only that a crash had closed the highway at Exit 10, and that drivers should anticipate delays and detours, avoiding the area if possible.
Police said later Saturday that a preliminary investigation showed the Honda, driven by Michael Ruiz, struck the barrels and traveled down an embankment to the edge of the woods.
Ruiz’s injuries are serious but non-life threatening, according to police. There were no other vehicles involved, and no one else was hurt.
All northbound lanes of the highway were closed at Exit 10 for about two hours while debris was cleaned up, and the Honda was removed from the scene.
Speed appears to be a factor in the crash, police said, and Ruiz was cited for reckless driving.
All aspects of the crash remain under investigation, police added, and anyone with information that may assist the investigation is asked to contact Trooper Matthew Howe at 603-223-4381 or Matthew.S.Howe@DOS.NH.GOV.
An 80-year-old Canadian hiker required a military helicopter rescue from Franconia Ridge Wednesday afternoon after suffering chest pains near the summit of Mount Lincoln in New Hampshire.
The New Hampshire Fish and Game Department received a call at 4pm on June 24th, 2026, reporting that Andre Bissonnette, 80, of Orford Township, Quebec, was experiencing a medical emergency while hiking the ridge with his son Vincent Bissonnette, 45, of Drummondville, Quebec.
The two had ascended via the Falling Waters Trail when Andre began experiencing chest pains while traversing the ridge near Mount Lincoln. Vincent called 911 and a New Hampshire Fish and Game Conservation Officer spoke with the hikers by phone, confirming Andre was unable to continue under his own power.
After determining that rescuers were still hours away and a ground carry-out would take several hours more, officials contacted the New Hampshire Army National Guard to coordinate a helicopter hoist.
A flight crew departed Concord and reached Mount Lincoln just before 6pm. Crew members lowered a medic to the hikers and hoisted both men into the helicopter. By 6:05pm, the aircraft was en route to Littleton Regional Hospital for further treatment.
New Hampshire Fish and Game reminds hikers that mountain weather can change rapidly and extreme conditions can develop without warning. Hikers are encouraged to check the Higher Summits Forecast at MountWashington.org before heading out and to carry the ten essentials: map, compass, warm clothing, extra food and water, headlamp, fire starter, first aid kit, whistle, rain and wind jacket and pants, and a knife. Additional preparedness information is available at HikeSafe.com.
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New Hampshire has the highest share of adults who identify as atheists in the U.S., at about 11%, according to a Pew Research Center study.
Nearly half of adults in the Granite State (48%) identify as religiously unaffiliated, a group that includes atheists, agnostics, and people who describe their religion as “nothing in particular.”
In the U.S. overall, 5% of adults identify as atheists, meaning New Hampshire’s share is more than twice the national average. About 29% of U.S. adults identify as religiously unaffiliated.
However, regionally, the West has the highest share of adults who identify as atheists among the four major U.S. regions – Northeast, Midwest, South, and West – according to the data.
The Pew Research Center’s Religious Landscape Study (RLS) regarding Americans’ beliefs was conducted in English and Spanish from July 17, 2023, to March 4, 2024, among a nationally representative sample of 36,908 U.S. adults.
What is atheism? 10 US states with the highest percentage of atheists
Atheism is defined by Merriam-Webster as “a lack of belief or a strong disbelief in the existence of a god or any gods.” However, people may interpret and describe the term in different ways.
Here are the 10 U.S. states with the highest shares of adults who identify as atheists, according to data from the Pew Research Center:
- New Hampshire – 11% of residents
- Washington – 9% of residents
- Colorado – 8% of residents
- Massachusetts – 8% of residents
- Montana – 8% of residents
- Oregon – 8% of residents
- Vermont – 8% of residents
- California – 6% of residents
- Idaho – 6% of residents
- Maryland – 6% of residents
New Hampshire religious composition
About 45% of adults in New Hampshire identify as Christian, 5% identify with other religions, and 48% as religiously unaffiliated, according to the Pew Research Center.
Breaking it down even further, 20% identify as Catholic, 13% as Mainline Protestant, 10% as Evangelical Protestant, 1% as Historically Black Protestant, 1% as Latter-day Saint (Mormon), 1% as Orthodox Christian, and less than 1% as Jehovah’s Witnesses or other Christian groups.
Roughly 1% identify as Jewish, less than 1% as Muslim, less than 1% as Buddhist, less than 1% as Hindu, less than 1% as Native American religions, and less than 1% as other world religions. About 1% identify with Unitarian and other liberal faiths, and 1% with New Age beliefs.
Among all adults in New Hampshire, 11% of all adults in New Hampshire identify as atheists, 1% as agnostics, and 29% with “nothing in particular.”
About 3% of respondents did not answer the question, the survey said. Additionally, the margin of error for the 2023-24 figures among adults in New Hampshire is plus or minus 8.0 percentage points.
CHARLEVOIX COUNTY, Mich., (WPBN/WGTU) — A Northern Michigan man accused of torching a Charlevoix County farm is now behind bars in New Hampshire.
Investigators said 23-year-old Daniel Fournier is linked to a January fire that caused an estimated $500,000 in damage.
Authorities tracked him to Merrimack, where he was arrested during a traffic stop while allegedly carrying a loaded pistol.
A search of his apartment turned up more firearms, suspected incendiary devices and evidence investigators say ties him to the Michigan arson.
Fournier is fighting extradition and remains jailed pending another court hearing.
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