As a public health professional and state representative, I’m alarmed by recent shifts in federal vaccination policies from the US Department of Health and Human Services. These changes threaten to undermine decades of progress in protecting New Hampshire families from preventable diseases.
Vaccines remain one of the most powerful tools we have against serious illnesses, from seasonal flu to emerging infectious threats. Historically, federal agencies like the CDC have provided clear, science-based guidance and helped ensure vaccines are affordable and accessible to all Americans.
But recent moves signal a retreat from this commitment. The decision to abandon universal COVID-19 vaccine recommendations for adults is just the latest example of how federal leadership is stepping back when we need it most. Without straightforward guidance, confusion grows, and with it, vaccine hesitancy and misinformation flourish.
This shift disproportionately harms the most vulnerable Granite Staters: Those in rural areas, low-income families, and elderly residents who already face barriers to health care. Worse, the change threatens to increase out-of-pocket costs by removing insurance coverage guarantees tied to universal recommendations. This is a direct threat to equal access and public health.
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New Hampshire has fought hard to maintain vaccination rates, investing in outreach and community clinics. But state-level efforts can’t fully compensate for federal retreat. When Washington cuts funding, muddles messaging, and abdicates responsibility, it’s our communities that pay the price.
Vaccination is not a partisan issue. It is about protecting lives, reducing strain on our health care system, and safeguarding the future of our children and elders.
I call on our federal leaders to restore strong, science-driven vaccine policies, fully fund public health programs, and ensure vaccines remain affordable and accessible to all Granite Staters. The health of our communities depends on clear leadership and unwavering commitment.
Jennifer Mandelbaum is a public health expert representing Rockingham 21 in the New Hampshire House of Representatives.
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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