New Hampshire
Hundreds gather in Concord to talk about a diversifying New Hampshire | Manchester Ink Link
CONCORD, NH — Dwight Davis went straight to the point when he spoke at The Barn at Bull Meadow on the afternoon of Tuesday, April 30.
“The New Hampshire Center for Justice and Equity is making it possible to have a seat at the table of decision-making,” said Davis, chair of the NHCJE’s board, to the more than 150 activists, business leaders, educators, labor organizers, and politicians in attendance. “Because if you don’t have a seat at the table, you might be on the menu.”
Davis’ remarks opened the Second Annual Meeting for the NHCJE. Launched in September 2022, NHCJE seeks to elevate and empower people of color in New Hampshire by fostering connections, changing systems, and meeting community needs to make a better Granite State where all belong. In his opening remarks, NHCJE founding President and CEO Anthony Poore made sure to thank all those who contributed toward advancing the center and its goals.
“We have a lot to be thankful for,” he said. “Let’s be clear: This work is hard. We recognize that making progress on these issues will take work.”
He went on to say the work will continue to become more challenging but of crucial importance as New Hampshire’s population continues to diversify. As of the 2020 Census, 13% of the state’s population identified as people of color, the first time this proportion hit double digits in NH in Census history.
Though changing, the Granite State’s long history and narrative of a largely racially homogeneous population means that there will be challenges moving forward in the eyes of many participants.
“A lot of the culture in New Hampshire is the lack of diversity,” said Jason Green, Deputy Director of the New Hampshire Chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), adding that Granite Staters must learn to live with a more diverse population.
In counting off NHCJE’s successes, Poore highlighted NHCJE’s Implicit Bias and Tactical Mindset Training for law enforcement. The program — which has already trained 200 public safety officers in multiple jurisdictions across the state — looks to mitigate the harm caused by racially biased policing. Poore said NHCJE hopes to expand the program and work with more agencies soon.
He added to the list of wins the increasing number of visitors to the NHCJE website, saying that in 2023, there were 15,000 unique visitors from 49 states and about 42,000 page views.
Bringing NHCJE’s Policy Platform to Life
The opening speakers did not allow themselves to go on for too long. They swiftly moved the event toward collaboration and advocacy.
“Who likes to be talked at for three hours?” said Jamal Downey, the event’s MC and NHCJE board member. “Let’s take a minute to look at how [activism] is supposed to work in an ideal setting.”
In that spirit, attendees were split into six groups focused on each of NHCJE’s Sectors of Effort — Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice, Government, Education, Health, Economic Development, and Civic Engagement. The groups were encouraged to discuss NHCJE’s Policy Platform, exploring the strengths, weaknesses, and blind spots of each pillar.
The Law Enforcement & Criminal Justice table had a particularly lively conversation focused on the availability of demographic incarceration data, re-entry after leaving prison, and combatting stigma.
“What’s missing [from the policy platform] is recognition of an omnipresent stigma,” said Anna Adachi-Mejia, a coach, founder of Adachi Labs, LLC, and activist for prisoner reintegration. “Stigma applies to everything.”
Jason Green of the New Hampshire ACLU added that stigma directed at returning prisoners from the general public is not the only type of stigma that needs to be addressed. “Stigma is not just external,” he said. “It’s about feeling worthy and about dignity.”
The group agreed with the NHCJE Policy Platform in its call for greater detail from authorities in reporting the demographics of their incarcerated populations in the hope it may reveal the information needed to help create programs for issues like reintegration into society.
“Thinking about data is nuanced,” said Adachi-Mejia. “But it helps to understand which pathways are associated with different experiences.”
In the ensuing discussion between all groups, it became clear that all present needed to look at the big picture because all the issues NHCJE hopes to confront are connected.
“We can’t afford to not take a systems approach to our problems here,” said Woullard Lett, Education Chair of the Manchester Chapter of the NAACP.
Taking Stock
Afterward, the groups reconvened for panel discussions about policy activism and government.
The first panel focused on efforts to make permanent the Medicaid Expansion under the Affordable Care Act and combating the 2021 Divisive Concepts Law.
“We defended some things that were very good,” said Josephine ‘Jo’ Porter, panel moderator and Chief Strategy Officer at NHCJE. “And we went after some things that were very bad.”
Brian Hawkins, Director of Government Relations for the National Education Association’s NH chapter, spoke about the fight against HB544 — the Divisive Concepts Law. The law, now in effect in the Granite State was passed despite overwhelming public testimony in opposition during the 2021 legislative session.
“As much as we think of ourselves as a homogeneous state, we are diversifying,” Hawkins said. He added the law’s vagueness effectively stopped many classroom conversations about issues of identity.
“That is the point,” Hawkins said. “The point is to write something so vague that it would chill discussion in the classroom.”
Hawkins added that, at first, they thought there was no chance the bill could pass, but events quickly dispelled that notion.
“So, what can we do?” asked Lisa Vásquez, a Behavioral Health Strategist at the City of Nashua’s Division of Public Health, in response to Hawkins’s presentation. “What else could have been done to prevent that from becoming a law?”
“By taking even the things that are really out there seriously,” Hawkins responded. “You have to take it all seriously now.”
Jake Berry, the Vice President of Policy at New Futures, Inc., a public health advocacy non-profit, followed with a talk about the successful push for continuing Medicaid Expansion.
Initially passed as part of the Affordable Care Act in 2010, Medicaid Expansion means that those with incomes 138% or more below the Federal Poverty Line can access the program for low-income Americans.
Berry said that, though it faced considerable opposition in the state, the secret to their success was building a coalition of advocates for children, the elderly, veterans, the impoverished, businesses, and others.
“This is a multi-year process,” Berry said. “We have to keep our heads up and keep going forward.”
Effective Lobbying
The day’s second panel featured Jim Monahan, Managing Partner for government relations firm The Dupont Group; Abigail Rogers, Legislative Liaison for the Division of Public Health at the NH Department of Health and Human Services; and NH House of Representatives Minority Leader Rep. Matthew Wilhelm, D-Manchester.
Moderator Ben Frost, the Deputy Executive Director at New Hampshire Housing, opened the panel with a question about handling diverse viewpoints in the General Court.
“I feel like I learn every day more and more how to do that,” Wilhelm said. Wilhelm continued that one of the biggest difficulties in getting progressive change through the General Court was the constitutionally mandated pay rate for legislators of $100 a year.
Wilhelm said the pay rate means the legislature tends to skew towards older and wealthier individuals. With the size of the legislature (over 400 legislators) and frequent turn-over of many legislators “because of that, change moves a little slow”.
Frost later asked when it would be best to contact a department head directly rather than a legislator. Rogers said legislative agency leaders can help develop strategies to tackle New Hampshire’s social issues.
“We’re subject matter experts,” said Rogers, adding that contacts in the General Court were necessary too, since many decisions come down to the availability of funds.
Frost then asked Monahan — a lobbyist — for his thoughts. He recommended that those gathered take advantage of election season and invite legislative candidates to visit their respective organizations to give them an idea of what the group is about. In this way, he said, they could build relationships for change.
Building on that concept, Wilhelm emphasized the role of clarity in effective advocacy.
“We need to be clear about our values,” he said. “About where we can compromise and where the line is.”
Vásquez, from the audience, noted the session passed on some important lessons about NHCJE’s chief mission, elevating marginalized voices.
“I think it’s important to highlight [marginalized] voices because of the lack of diversity at our state house,” she said. “We need to make it clear that lifting people up doesn’t mean pushing someone else down.”
That was exactly the type of takeaway Poore hoped for.
“We recognize progress on our public policy priorities will require a sustained and consistent focus as well as collaboration and cooperation across a myriad of sectors, geographies, and interests,” he said. “NHCJE stands prepared to lead when necessary and offer support when that is the best approach.
We look forward to sharing the results of our collective efforts soon.”
HUDSON, N.H. — An animal cruelty investigation led to the arrest of two former tenants who police say left three cats behind in the apartment they were evicted from.
The Hudson Police Department said officers responded to 19 Oliver Drive on Nov. 25 after the town’s animal control officer received a report that multiple cats had been left behind in an apartment previously occupied by Faith Byers, 48, and Kevin Greene, 57.
The pair had reportedly been evicted a week earlier, on Nov. 18.
Police said that attempts to reach Byers and Greene by phone were unsuccessful, and the property owner later confirmed that the two had moved out without taking the cats or arranging for their care.
With the owner’s permission, police entered the apartment and found three cats alone inside the unoccupied residence.
Police said they determined the cats had been left unattended for several days in conditions lacking adequate airflow, sunlight, litter and consistent access to food or water. Police added that no care plan had been made for the animals, and neither former tenant indicated any intention to return for them.
The animals were safely removed and transported to the Animal Rescue League of New Hampshire in Bedford, where they are now receiving care.
Arrest warrants were issued for Byers and Greene, who are each charged with one count of cruelty to animals, a Class A misdemeanor. They were arrested on Friday and released on personal recognizance bail.
They are scheduled to appear in 9th Circuit Court Nashua District Division at 1 p.m. April 28.
Follow Aaron Curtis on X @aselahcurtis, or on Bluesky @aaronscurtis.bsky.social.
Foreign ministers from Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Egypt will meet in Islamabad today in an attempt to come up with a plan to de-escalate the Iran war.
The meeting comes as several thousand more U.S. troops arrived in the region and after another group got involved in the expanding conflict: Yemen’s Houthis.
The Iran-backed Houthis launched missiles towards Israel, and there’s concern their involvement could threaten another vital global shipping lane in the Red Sea.
Here are more updates on day 30 of the Iran war.
Diplomacy Push in Pakistan
The four foreign ministers from regional powers will meet in Islamabad today and Monday for a push towards diplomacy to end the war.
In a statement ahead of the meeting, the Egyptian government said: “Discussions are expected to focus on recent developments related to regional military escalation and ongoing diplomatic efforts to contain tensions and promote de-escalation.”
“The talks come amid heightened concerns about regional stability, with participating countries seeking to coordinate their stances and support political solutions to emerging crises,” it added.
Whether whatever consensus the countries known as “the quad” come up with will be accepted by the US, Israel, and Iran is another question.
Pakistan has emerged as a possible peace-broker in the conflict, passing messages between the U.S. and Tehran. Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said Saturday that “dialogue, diplomacy, and such confidence-building measures are the only way forward.”
Dar also welcomed the fact Iran has agreed to allow 20 Pakistan-flagged ships – or two a day – through the Strait of Hormuz.
Houthis enter war
Iranian-backed Houthi militants in Yemen launched the first missile they have fired since the war began toward Israel on Saturday. Israel’s military successfully intercepted it but the Houthis’ attack opens another front in a war that has now moved into its second month.
Up until Saturday’s missile launch the Houthis had stayed out of this war. But a Houthi spokesman said attacks will continue until “the aggression on all resistance fronts stops.”
Pakistan Ministry of Foreign Affairs / AP
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AP
The Yemen-based rebels were active during Israel’s war in Gaza, firing on cargo ships in the Red Sea and disrupting global commercial traffic.
With Iran essentially blockading the Strait of Hormuz, driving up global oil prices, there are concerns that if the Houthis start attacking ships in the Red Sea again global shipping will be even more disrupted.
Iran also hit multiple sites around Tel Aviv and Jerusalem Saturday and Israel’s military says Iran is increasingly using cluster bombs.
Designed to detonate at high altitude the munition disperses dozens of smaller bombs that are more challenging for Israel’s multi-layered air defense system to intercept and can cause damage over a wider area.
Dozens of countries have signed onto a cluster munitions treaty banning the weapons – except Iran, Israel and the U.S.
Iran threatens U.S. universities in region
Iranian authorities and residents say more airstrikes hit them overnight. Social media videos from across Iran showed strikes hitting all over the country.
Israel’s military said it had completed what it called a wide-scale wave of strikes targeting weapons production and storage sites.
Iran claims U.S.-Israeli strikes hit a Tehran university over the weekend and Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps threatened American university campuses in the Middle East in retaliation.
“We advise all employees, professors, and students of American universities in the region and residents of their surrounding areas” to stay a kilometer away from campuses, the statement, carried by Iranian media, said.
Several US universities have campuses in the Gulf, including New York University in the United Arab Emirates and Texas A&M University, among others, in Qatar.
Meanwhile, Iran continues to fire drones and missiles at Gulf countries, with Kuwait saying it was intercepting missile and drone attacks early Sunday. Saudi Arabia said it intercepted and destroyed ten drones.
Iran also claimed it had attacked two major aluminium sites in Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Emirates Global Aluminium confirmed an Iranian attack wounded several and caused significant damage to its plant.
U.S. Troops injured, more arrive
At least 15 U.S. service members were wounded Friday in an Iranian strike on a Saudi air base that hosts American troops, according to the Associated Press, including at least five in serious condition. The missile and drone strikes targeted Saudi Arabia’s Prince Sultan air base, located outside the capital Riyadh.
Iran has targeted U.S. service members at bases throughout the region since the war began a month ago, in retaliation for the U.S. attacks and seeking to drive troops out of the region. Overall, the Pentagon has put the U.S. casualty toll at 13 killed and more than 300 injured.
On Saturday, troops from the Japan-based 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, made up of around 3,500 sailors and Marines, arrived in the Middle East, according to U.S. Central Command.
The U.S. military will not say where and how they might be deployed. Thousands more soldiers from the U.S. military’s 82nd Airborne Division are also expected to be deployed.
Journalists killed in Lebanon
Three Lebanese journalists covering the Israeli invasion of the country’s south were killed in an Israeli airstrike in Jezzine.
One of them worked for a TV channel affiliated with Hezbollah and Israel accuses him of being a militant rather than a journalist – but has not provided evidence. The journalist Israel says it targeted was Ali Shaeb, a veteran TV correspondent and household name in Lebanon. After killing him, Israel’s military issued a statement accusing him of exposing the locations of Israeli troops.
The other two journalists killed were siblings, TV correspondent Fatima Ftouni and her cameraman brother, Mohammed Ftouni. Afterward their father appeared on TV, saying he was proud of his children.
All three had been covering Israel’s invasion of southern Lebanon.
Lebanese officials called the attack a flagrant violation of international law, and said they’re complaining to the UN Security Council. Hundreds of fellow journalists marched at a protest vigil in Lebanon’s capital.
The three journalists were among at least 47 people killed Saturday in Israeli attacks, according to Lebanese health officials.
Nine of those killed were paramedics, which the head of the World Health Organization called “a tragedy,” noting health workers are protected under international law.
Israel has intensified its attacks across Lebanon, mostly in the South, where Israeli ground troops are moving northward to try to oust Hezbollah militants.
Another Israeli soldier was also killed in Lebanon, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressing his condolences on X over the weekend.
Developments in Syria, Iraq
The war is spreading to more parts of the Middle East. On Sunday, Syria said it had intercepted a drone strike from Iraq targeting a U.S. military base. Pro-Iran Iraqi groups have claimed responsibility for some attacks on US interests.
Separately, the Syrian and UAE governments condemned an attack targeting the residence of the Kurdish region’s president Nechirvan Barzani.
French President Emmanuel Macron also condemned the attack saying: “The sovereignty of Iraq, and of Kurdistan within it, is essential to regional stability. Everything must be done to prevent Iraq from being drawn into the ongoing escalation.”
On Sunday, the Israeli army said it had launched its “first” attack into Lebanon from Syria.
Jane Arraf in Amman, Emily Feng in Van, Turkey, Lauren Frayer in Jezzine, Lebanon, Carrie Khan in Tel Aviv, and Kate Bartlett in Johannesburg contributed to this report.
Copyright 2026 NPR
New Hampshire
Abandoned Camper Fire On South Main Street Knocked Down By Concord Fire And Rescue Teams
CONCORD, NH — The Concord Fire Department is investigating the cause of a camper fire on South Main Street late Friday night.
Around 11:30 p.m., fire and rescue teams were sent to South Main Street, not far from Langdon Avenue, for a report of a camper on fire. Dispatch said it was unknown if anyone was inside or if the camper was abandoned.
“We have a couple of calls on it,” a dispatcher said. “It’s fully involved.”
A few minutes later, the fire was confirmed, and firefighters worked to extinguish it. The battalion commander confirmed no one was inside, and it appeared to be abandoned. Dispatch said, if they recalled correctly, the camper had been there for “quite a while.”
News 603 posted videos from the scene on Facebook here:
And here:
The bulk of the fire was knocked down after about 20 minutes, with firefighters overhauling and dealing with “the hot spots.”
Not long after the overhaul update, firefighters were sent to a business on South Main Street, near the camper fire, in response to a report of an alarm activation.
After investigating, there did not appear to be an activation at the business, a commander said. Later, dispatch said the alarm appeared to restore itself automatically. Firefighters cleared the scene of the business alarm just after midnight on Saturday.
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