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Republican Gov. Chris Sununu delivered his final state-of-the-state address Thursday, urging lawmakers to continue on the path of fiscal prudence and limited government that he said has made New Hampshire “a beacon of success.”
“Continued success is not inevitable. We must continually challenge ourselves, putting individuals before the system, to strive to be better stewards of taxpayer dollars and more accountable to the people of the state,” he said. “Over these last seven years, New Hampshire has stood out as a beacon of success and a safe haven for freedom and opportunity. We have all put in the hard work, and this has always been a true team effort.”
Sununu, who is only the second governor in New Hampshire history to serve four terms, has just under a year left in the corner office. After flirting with running for U.S. Senate and president, he announced in July that he wouldn’t seek another term as governor, though he joked about that decision Thursday.
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“The filing period to run again isn’t until June, so you never know!” he said, before quickly adding, “Just kidding!”
Republican New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu waves in the leadup to his final State of the State address on Thursday, Feb. 15, 2024, in Concord, New Hampshire. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
The son of a former governor, Sununu was the youngest top executive in the country when he took office in 2017 at age 42. Now 49, he has seen control of the Legislature flip from Republican to Democrat and back again, with a near-even split in the 400-member House during his fourth term. At times he’s had a rocky relationship with members of his own party thanks to the growing influence of libertarian-leaning members bent on severely limiting state government. But he gave lawmakers credit Thursday for what he deemed one of the state’s greatest achievements during that time: the bipartisan budget that sailed through the Legislature last year.
“It didn’t come with any gimmicks or any promises. It was achieved with a lot of hard work,” he said.
Senate Minority Donna Soucy, a Democrat from Manchester, said she was pleased to hear that praise, while noting one topic Sununu didn’t bring up.
“I think it was most notable that the governor’s greatest accomplishment was the Legislature’s accomplishment,” she said. “The one thing I thought was an omission on his part was the fact that he’s the first governor in New Hampshire’s history to sign an abortion ban. Clearly it must be something he’s not very proud of.”
Sununu signed a state budget in 2021 that included a ban on abortion after 24 weeks of pregnancy, saying the alternative would have been a veto that would have shut down state government during the coronavirus pandemic. The current Legislature is considering at least half a dozen bills aimed at either further restricting the procedure or enshrining abortion rights in state law.
His speech Thursday lasted less than half an hour, barely four minutes for each year in office. He highlighted investments in affordable housing, education and mental health, using the latter as a springboard to discussion of the state’s opioid crisis. Sununu described successful programs that connect those struggling with addiction with services and recovery-friendly workplaces.
Sununu then segued into his recent plan to join other states in sending National Guard soldiers to Texas to control illegal crossings on the U.S.-Mexico border.
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“The fentanyl supply over America’s southern border is increasing daily,” said Sununu, who will ask the Legislature’s fiscal committee for $850,000 on Friday to send 15 Guard members to Texas. “This is not a Texas problem. This is a national crisis, and New Hampshire has the chance to provide specialized support, follow the laws of the land and keep our citizens safe.”
Local News
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.
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.
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.
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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Streets of Portsmouth after snow storm
The streets of Portsmouth are still in the process of being cleaned up, as seen the afternoon of Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2026, following a huge snow storm.
It may be March, but winter in New Hampshire is far from over. Just one week after a blizzard tore through the state with heavy snow and high winds, the state is getting another round of snowfall.
The state will get three to five inches during the evening and night of Tuesday, March 3, says the National Weather Service (NWS) of Gray, Maine. While the accumulation will not be significant, the snowfall may cause dangerous road conditions and a layer of ice on the ground in certain parts of the state.
Here’s what to know before tonight’s snow in New Hampshire, including snow totals and timing.
According to the NWS, it will start snowing in New Hampshire during mid-afternoon or early evening and continue through the night. Specifically, snow will arrive to the southern part of the state around 2-3 p.m., spreading northwards through the rest of New Hampshire by 5 p.m.
Rain or freezing rain will mix in later this evening across southern New Hampshire, creating a wintry mix. All precipitation should move out of the state by midnight.
Due to the timing of today’s snowfall, the Tuesday evening commute will be affected, with the NWS warning to slow down and exercise caution while driving.
New Hampshire will get one to four inches of snow tonight, with one to two inches in northern New Hampshire, two to three inches in southern New Hampshire and three to four inches in the center of the state, with the possibility for five inches in localized areas.
In the Seacoast specifically, Portsmouth, Rye, Hampton and York are expected to get between two to three inches of snow, while Dover, Exeter and Rochester may get up to four.
The wintry mix may also cause a light glaze of ice across southern New Hampshire.
The NWS has issued a winter weather advisory for the state of New Hampshire, in effect from 1 p.m. on Tuesday, March 3 through 4 a.m. on Wednesday, March 4.
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