Local voices chime in on a variety of topics.
At the State House, where I serve, we debate budgets, oversight, and fiscal responsibility every day. We review reports, question spending, and argue over priorities because taxpayer dollars demand accountability. But those conversations depend on a shared premise: that rules matter, and that they apply equally.
I’m as frustrated about AI as I am optimistic about it. I’ll tell you about both sides of that.
I am writing to express my concern about remarks made by Representative Walsh, Chair of the Transportation Committee, during testimony on SB 559 (timestamp 3:34:05) during the House Session on April 23.
While I understand the sentiment, this is analogous to treating cancer with Tylenol. The people who are really responsible for the dumpster fire that has been the 2026 Red Sox remain unscathed, largely Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow, who essentially lit the match.
If businesses are able to deduct from their federal income taxes donations to schools, high school sports teams, Manchester Transit Authority, etc., city government needs to let people know.
You have probably heard a lot about the tax cap in the last few weeks, and you will likely hear even more about it in the coming weeks. As the city works through its budget, the tax cap shapes what can grow, what gets cut and what gets pushed off another year. So it is worth asking what it actually is and what it actually does.
And when it comes to baseball, I’m a bit of a purist. I enjoy seeing the game when played as close as possible to its original design in the 1840s when The Knickerbocker Club of New York City played at the Elysian Fields in Hoboken, N.J.
New Hampshire has always stood for something simple and powerful: local control, fiscal responsibility, and the freedom to make our own choices.
That’s exactly why a proposed constitutional amendment to permanently ban a state income tax is the wrong move—especially for cities like Manchester.
I was listening to music the other day, and the song, “You’ve got a friend in me” from the 1995 movie, Toy Story, came on. This made me think of other songs, such as “Stand by Me,” (from the 1986 movie of the same name), and “That’s what friends are for.” This led me to think about the importance of true friendship. Now I’m not talking about Facebook friends, (although some on the platform can be real friends too), but those people in our lives that are true friends.
My meditation life is more like a beautiful mosaic of colors, sounds and tactile components. And yours can be, as well. Don’t let anyone tell you different. Some people confuse “different” with “wrong.” We’re not building jet engines, we’re just trying to give our own “gravity vehicles” the strength and serenity they need to help us live our best lives. It doesn’t have be any deeper than that.
Her doomscrolling, however, has become habitual. It is not only when we’re watching television. It is also while we’re driving in the car, or lying in bed, or getting ready for work in the mornings, or having drinks at a bar. My wife is constantly checking her phone for news that either angers or upsets her whenever there is a spare moment.
I am a Christian. I had an old fashioned, come-to-Jesus conversion experience as a young woman during the “Jesus Freak” era. For me, it wasn’t a fad; it was and is the real deal. We find ourselves living in an era where we have witnessed the rise of White Christian Nationalism in the United States; a trend that has now become a movement that is determined to make the U.S. a “Christian Nation.”
If you live in Manchester, you’re already feeling the pressure—higher property taxes, strained schools, and growing demands on local services.
From the perspective of those of us working in the field, the greatest benefit is clear: time matters. Freestanding emergency rooms can reduce travel times for patients who live farther from a traditional hospital emergency department. That can mean faster access to evaluation and treatment, and less time spent in an ambulance on the road. For families, it also offers peace of mind in knowing that emergency care is available nearby, day or night.
Speaker Mike Johnson said, “Look, there’s a lot of energy in the country, and a lot of popular sentiment, that the demand to impose Sharia law in America is a serious problem.” Is this grandstanding, a hidden message, or do they use grandstanding to hide their message?
Jon and I had finished volunteering at the food bank and were driving back to the church to meet up with our prayer circle when the call came in.
In continuing efforts to advocate for withdrawing Auburn’s partnership with ICE, residents push for clarification and scope of work. Urging that public safety and trust needs to be a priority for the Police Commission and the chief of police, a committee of Auburn residents form a culture of neighborly love and steadfast dedication to the heart and soul of what makes Auburn one of the best places to live in the Granite State.
On environmental protection and land conservation it’s obvious this is not Teddy Roosevelt’s Republican Party, or even Richard Nixon’s, but the paint bill was bipartisan and had industry support for a reason. Unless you’re brainwashed by think-tank ideology (or prone to cravenly pandering to a “Don’t Tread on Me” base), it’s easy to see that a stewardship fee is, quite literally, a very small price to pay for a less-toxic environment.
There’s a phrase I learned in recovery that advises expectations are just delayed disappointments. Which I find very helpful. Don’t have expectations of other people’s behaviors, success or failures. Be supportive but have strong boundaries. And realize their journey is their own. Not what you might hope, pray or expect it to be.
We were also attending the comedy show “Smiles for 26.2 Miles” at The Strange Brew Tavern that night—I had also written a piece about the event for the Ink Link—which left Paige and I with roughly three hours to saddle up to some barstools and celebrate my birthday at the place where I should rightfully receive my mail.