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Hassan: Joyce Craig leads the New Hampshire way

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Hassan: Joyce Craig leads the New Hampshire way


Serving as New Hampshire’s governor was one of the greatest privileges of my life. Particularly in an independent state like New Hampshire, I knew that as governor, my job wasn’t to just represent the people that voted for me – the governor’s job is to serve everyone and do what’s right for our state. It also means putting our Live Free or Die values ahead of partisan politics and championing freedom for all – including a woman’s freedom to make her own health care decisions. In New Hampshire’s governor’s race this year, there is only one candidate who knows how to bring people together, who will stand up for our Live Free or Die values and fight for all Granite Staters: Joyce Craig.

Joyce exemplifies the kind of smart, common-sense, and bipartisan leadership that has marked New Hampshire’s best governors, whether Republican or Democratic. As mayor, she worked hand-in-hand with business leaders to help make Manchester a leader in entrepreneurship and high-tech manufacturing, bringing in millions in investments and thousands of new jobs. She worked with law enforcement, reducing crime and increasing the number of police officers to create the largest force in Manchester’s history. While she would be the first to say that there is more work to be done, on her watch violent crime dropped by nearly 40%. Joyce knows that the issues facing our state aren’t easy, but she also knows that the best way to overcome them is by working together. That’s always been the New Hampshire way.

Joyce Craig’s executive experience and record make it clear that as governor she will be able to tackle the most important challenges facing our state. As mayor, she delivered results. We all know, for instance, that the housing crisis is holding our families and economy back. We can’t attract new businesses or skilled workers if people can’t even afford to live here. As mayor, Joyce made real progress on this front; under her leadership, more than 2,000 new housing units were created in Manchester. She knows it will take statewide leadership to support the construction of affordable new homes and apartments for hard-working Granite Staters all across our state – and Joyce’s record tells us that she’s the leader who can help us achieve that goal.

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In any given year, Joyce’s executive experience, proven record, and collaborative leadership would make her a great candidate for governor. But I’m writing today because the stakes this year, in this election, make Joyce’s election particularly important. Like the majority of Granite Staters, I was horrified and outraged by the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. But even before the Supreme Court acted, anti-choice politicians in Concord passed the first abortion ban in our state’s modern history. We need a pro-choice governor again in the corner office, one who will champion reproductive freedom. For those who think New Hampshire Republicans won’t act to further restrict abortion rights in our state, remember: We also thought Roe would never be overturned. But it happened.

Joyce will always fight for a woman’s fundamental freedom to make her own health care decision. But her opponent, Kelly Ayotte, has repeatedly tried to take that right away. When she was a U.S. senator, Ayotte voted for a national abortion ban. She also voted repeatedly to defund Planned Parenthood. In state after state, women have lost their freedom because of draconian abortion bans, and if Donald Trump wins in November, he will try to ban abortion nationwide. And even if Trump doesn’t win, Republican politicians in New Hampshire will continue to push harmful restrictions on women’s access to birth control and health care. In this time of peril for a woman’s fundamental freedom, Kelly Ayotte is a particularly bad fit for the Granite State’s corner office. We need someone who will hold the line against anti-choice restrictions and who will stand up for freedom. For everyone.

More than ever, we need a governor who will lead the New Hampshire way. As Granite Staters, we know that freedom matters, and our best governors understood that freedom always comes first. Our love of freedom defines us; it’s why we are proud to call the Live Free or Die State home. We’ll always have our debates and disagreements – that’s just part of living in a democracy. But our best governors have understood that it’s their job to represent everyone and to stand for freedom for all. We need a leader who can bring people together and deliver results and who has the conviction to stand up for our freedoms and our families when it really counts. Joyce Craig is exactly that kind of leader and the Live Free or Die state needs her as our next governor.

Maggie Hassan is a former New Hampshire governor now serving her second term in the U.S. Senate.

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Townsend man arrested in connection with two armed robberies in New Hampshire and New Jersey, authorities say – The Boston Globe

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Townsend man arrested in connection with two armed robberies in New Hampshire and New Jersey, authorities say – The Boston Globe


Authorities allege Joseph Sawyer brandished what appeared to be a handgun during a robbery at St. Mary’s Bank in Nashua, N.H., on June 12.Boston FBI

A Townsend man was arrested Wednesday night in connection with two armed bank robberies in New Hampshire and New Jersey last month, federal authorities said.

Joseph Sawyer, 52, was arrested by FBI Albany’s SWAT team after the bureau’s Boston office and Nashua, N.H., police learned he might be in upstate New York, FBI Boston said in a statement Thursday.

Investigators said the alleged robberies happened at St. Mary’s Bank on Northwest Boulevard in Nashua on June 12 and at a Chase Bank in Boonton, N.J., on June 27.

During both robberies, prosecutors allege Sawyer brandished what appeared to be a black semiautomatic handgun, ordered everyone inside the banks to get on the ground, and demanded their cell phones before stealing cash, according to a criminal complaint filed in New Hampshire federal court.

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The complaint alleges Sawyer stole $6,000 from the Nashua bank before fleeing in a Honda minivan. Investigators say he discarded a shopping bag containing the bank manager’s cell phone in a nearby parking lot before driving away.

Investigators linked the two robberies through surveillance footage and license plate reader data, according to court filings. Authorities allege the minivan was driven with stolen New Jersey plates during the Boonton robbery that were later replaced with Massachusetts plates registered to Sawyer’s late father.

Sawyer was charged with one count of bank robbery in New Hampshire, court records show. It was not immediately clear Thursday night if he is being represented by an attorney.

The case is being prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s office for the District of New Hampshire, the FBI said.


Breanne Kovatch can be reached at breanne.kovatch@globe.com. Follow her @breannekovatch.

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Trans athletes drop lawsuit to gain access to girls’ sports in New Hampshire after SCOTUS ruling

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Trans athletes drop lawsuit to gain access to girls’ sports in New Hampshire after SCOTUS ruling


A pair of trans athletes in New Hampshire have dismissed their lawsuit to challenge the state law that protects girls’ sports after the U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark Title IX ruling on June 30.

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The trans teenage plaintiffs, Parker Tirrell and Iris Turmelle, originally filed the lawsuit in 2024 to challenge a current New Hampshire state law prohibiting trans athletes from participating in girls’ sports. The lawsuit later expanded to add President Donald Trump’s administration to the defendants after Trump signed the “No Men in Women’s Sports” executive order on Feb. 5, 2025.

The lawyers for the trans athletes claimed Trump’s executive order, along with parts of a Jan. 20 executive order that forbids federal money from being used to “promote gender ideology,” subjects the teens and all transgender girls to discrimination in violation of federal equal protection guarantees and their rights under Title IX.

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A transgender athlete and the Supreme Court (Getty Images)

The U.S. District Court for the District of New Hampshire then ruled last year that female athletes represented by Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) attorneys were permitted to intervene in the case to defend the state’s women’s sports law and the administration’s executive orders.

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Now, after the Supreme Court’s landmark ruling, which protects state laws that ensure only females compete in girls’ sports, there is no room for the trans teens to fight the law in New Hampshire.

“Women and girls deserve privacy, safety, and equal opportunities. That can’t happen when males are competing in women’s sports, taking spots on women’s athletic teams, and winning women’s championships,” ADF Senior Counsel and Vice President of Litigation Strategy Jonathan Scruggs said in a statement provided to Fox News Digital.

USA POWERLIFTING, ONCE IN TRANS ATHLETE LAWSUIT, SUPPORTS SCOTUS RULING: ‘LAW HAS CAUGHT UP WITH THE SCIENCE’

“President Trump’s executive orders and New Hampshire’s law recognize common sense and track Title IX, the federal law that ensures equal opportunities for women in athletics. We are grateful this case is coming to an end and that New Hampshire is free to protect its female athletes.”

Fox News Digital has reached out to Tirrell and Turmelle’s attorneys at GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD) for a response.

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A protester waves a transgender pride flag outside of the U.S. Supreme Court Building on June 18, 2025 in Washington, DC. Advocates organized a rally in response the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in US v. Skrmetti, in which the justices ruled to uphold state bans on gender-affirming medical care for transgender youth. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

The SCOTUS rulings in West Virginia v. B.P.J. and Little v. Hecox, the high court upheld state laws requiring student-athletes to compete on sports teams that correspond with their biological sex at birth rather than their gender identity, in a 6-3 decision.

However, there are still 23 states, including California, New York and Massachusetts, that don’t have any such laws, and some of those have laws to protect trans athletes in girls’ sports.

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New Hampshire Gov. signs law requiring schools to out trans kids

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New Hampshire Gov. signs law requiring schools to out trans kids


New Hampshire Gov. Kelly Ayotte has signed legislation requiring public school employees to disclose information about transgender students to their parents or legal guardians, reversing a 2024 state Supreme Court ruling that upheld students’ privacy rights in certain circumstances.

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Ayotte’s office announced on 2 July that the legislation had been signed into law. Under SB 430, educators must respond to written requests from parents for “material information” about their child, even if a student has asked that the information be kept confidential or fears negative consequences at home.

Supporters of the legislation, such as Republican state Senator Tim Lang, argue the measure strengthens parental rights and enables families to better support children who may be struggling. “If you don’t tell the parent, the parent can’t watch for the signs of self-harm,” Lang told New Hampshire Public Radio.

Educators and LGBTQ+ advocates, however, say the law places teachers in an impossible position by forcing them to choose between complying with the law and protecting vulnerable students. Megan Tuttle, president of NEA-New Hampshire, the state’s largest teachers’ union, said in a statement that the legislation is “vaguely written and risks putting educators in a position of outing a student.” She added that schools should remain places where every student feels “safe, seen, and free to be themselves.”

Aimee Terravechia, executive director of LGBTQ+ advocacy group 603 Equality, warned the law could erode trust between students and educators while speaking with New Hampshire Public Radio. “Schools should be a place of learning… and a place of critical self-examination,” she said. “Placing educators into a role of monitoring and reporting removes the trust necessary for a thriving academic environment.”

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The legislation also effectively overturns a 2024 New Hampshire Supreme Court decision, in which justices ruled that keeping a student’s gender identity confidential did not unlawfully interfere with parents’ rights, noting that parents still retained numerous ways to support and communicate with their children outside the classroom.

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