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What are the top states in the U.S.? Here’s where Vermont ranks

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What are the top states in the U.S.? Here’s where Vermont ranks


Andrea Amico named among USA TODAY’s Women of the Year for New Hampshire

Andrea Amico, who sounded the alarm about toxic PFAS chemicals in contaminated drinking water, is one of USA TODAY’s Women of the Year.

Vermont is one of the ten best state in the U.S., according to a new ranking from U.S. News and World Report.

The Best States rankings look at eight categories: health care, education, natural environment, opportunity, economy, crime and corrections, infrastructure, and fiscal stability.

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With top rankings in the crime and corrections and natural environment categories, U.S. News gave Vermont the seventh spot. That makes it the second best New England state, coming in behind New Hampshire which was ranked No. 2.

Why was Vermont ranked No. 7

Vermont ranked very high in several key metrics.

It was rated as the best state for opportunity, which looks at economic opportunity, affordability and equality It’s one of the safest states, coming in at No. 4 for crime and safety. And it doesn’t slack when it comes to the natural environment, coming in at No. 9. It also ranked No. 9 for infrastructure.

The main ranking pulling it down was fiscal stability, coming in at No. 41. It’s second lowest score was education, coming in at No. 23.

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Why is New Hampshire ranked so high?

New Hampshire’s first place ranking in the crime and corrections category and fourth place ranking for natural environment helped propel the state to its second-place finish.

“The state’s natural beauty stands out more for its valleys, rivers, lakes and mountains than its mere 13 miles of Atlantic Ocean coastline,” said the report. “Its highest peak, Mount Washington, stands at 6,288 feet in the White Mountains, and Lake Winnipesaukee is its best-known inland resort.”

New Hampshire was also ranked 6th in opportunity, which included a first-place ranking in economic opportunity and third-place in equality. 

It’s worst category was fiscal stability, with a ranking of 37th.

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Gov. Kelly Ayotte said the ranking comes as “no surprise.”

“Today’s ranking is a testament to our dedicated law enforcement officers, hardworking business leaders, and energetic, independent people,” she said in a post on X, also emphasizing the state’s high public safety ranking. “Thank you to all those who protect and serve our communities each day. Together, we will ensure our state remains the safest in the nation.”

What is the best state in the country?

According to U.S. News and World Report, Utah is the best state in the country for the third year in a row.

It earned top 10 marks in five categories: fiscal stability, economy, infrastructure, education and crime and corrections.

The report said that Utah’s economy has become one of the most diverse in the U.S., giving it great strength in the fiscal-related categories.

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“In the last two and a half decades, Utah’s economy has outperformed the nation, had greater strength, and when we’ve had downturns, we have been able to rebound much more quickly in our state,” said Natalie Gochnour, director of the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute at the University of Utah.

What are the 10 best states in the U.S., according to U.S. News and World Report?

  1. Utah
  2. New Hampshire
  3. Idaho
  4. Minnesota
  5. Nebraska
  6. Florida
  7. Vermont
  8. South Dakota
  9. Massachusetts
  10. Washington



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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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