Granite State News Collaborative

On this week’s episode of The State We're In, we discuss a proposed asphalt plant near downtown Nashua and the concerns of residents and community members around it. Joining us to talk about the issue are Gabriela Lozada, a reporter from New Hampshire Public Radio who has been following the issue, Heidi Trimarco, a staff attorney with the Conservation Law Foundation, and community organizer Kristy Besada. 

New Hampshire has a lot of nonprofits that do amazing work to help people from all walks of life. Occasionally, those organizations need some help too — specifically in fundraising so they can keep doing what they do.

On this week’s episode of The State We’re In we talk about NH Gives – a 24 hour period where nonprofits across the state get together to raise funds to aid their work. Joining us to share more about NH Gives and what happens on that day is Kathleen Reardon, the CEO of the NH Center for Nonprofits, and Mary Jo Brown, former Board Member of the NH Charitable Foundation, and the founder and president of Brown & Company and Big Brown Books. Disclosure: The Granite State News Collaborative and NHPBS are participating in NH Gives and GSNC is a media sponsor.

Our relationship with technology is fraught with contradictions. It has the potential to do so much good, and make our lives so much easier. Yet there are dangers and pitfalls to almost everything we do online – especially when it comes to our kids. At what age is it appropriate for a child to have a phone? When should they be allowed to be on social media?

On this week’s episode of The State We’re In, we meet with school psychologist Dr. Nate Jones to discuss all things children, technology, and mental health, and get his recommendations on technology use and talking to your children about the pitfalls of using the internet.

Tick season has officially begun. If you like going out into nature, then you’ve likely encountered them, and these tiny bugs can cause huge problems for both people and their pets. Where are the little critters in New Hampshire and what kind of trouble do they cause? 

On this week’s episode of The State We’re In, we speak with Concord Monitor science and tech reporter David Brooks, Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center infectious disease and tick-borne illness expert Dr. Jeffrey Parsonnet, and Dr. Kaitlyn Morse, founder and executive director of BeBop Labs, a nonprofit that, among other things, is collecting and testing ticks. Dr. Morse was a principal author of a recent study about ticks, called “Passive collection of ticks in New Hampshire reveals species-specific patterns of distribution and activity,” in the Journal of Medical Entomology.

It’s no secret that the average age of a Granite State resident skews a little older than most states. That  has an impact on New Hampshire – and not always a positive one. It affects several sectors of life here, from housing and education to the economy. For years, several organizations and government entities have tried to find ways to welcome more young people to the state or get the ones here to stay.

On this week’s episode of The State We’re In, we dive into this issue with Will Stewart, Executive Director at the nonprofit Stay Work Play NH. Will’s organization recently teamed up with the Saint Anselm College Survey Center to conduct a survey checking in with young residents about their quality-of-life. Are young people satisfied with their quality of life in New Hampshire? Is the Granite State welcoming to young people and young families? We discuss the study’s interesting findings and what our state can do to lower the average age of our citizens. 

Spring is a time of rebirth and renewal — and the season seems to arrive a little earlier in New Hampshire every year. A look at temperatures recorded since 1900 by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shows New England is warming faster than any other region of the world. Winters are shorter, summers are longer and these shifts in temperature are expected to wreak havoc on the New England economy, ecology and cultural heritage. The question is – what can be done?

The University of New Hampshire’s Carsey School of Public Policy has launched a new toolkit, “Local Civic Health: A guide to Building Community and Bridging Divides.” 

The guide serves as a follow up to its 2020 New Hampshire Civic Health Index, which examined civic health at the state level. However, the toolkit aims to help communities gauge civic health at the local level and provide tools and resources to help take action to strengthen it. 

The evening of March 6th was a full house at the UNH Franklin Pierce School of Law’s  Warren B. Rudman Center for Justice, Leadership & Public Service in Concord, NH, where more than 50 people gathered for a Community Conversation on the Culture of Policing, and 36 others joined online. After a moment of reconnecting and conversations in the lobby, the enthusiastic crowd settled into the auditorium.

Bank problems have dominated newscasts in recent weeks. Headlines about banks being closed, bailouts, and stock price swings can create a lot of anxiety for the average person. Should we be concerned?

On this week’s episode of The State We’re In, host Melanie Plenda talks to Tom Sedoric, Executive Managing Director of the Sedoric Group, and journalist Michael Kitch, a regular New Hampshire Business Review contributor, about the what's really going on in the banking industry and whether or not we should be worried.

It’s no secret that New Hampshire is in a mental health crisis. The National Alliance of Mental Illness in New Hampshire (NAMI) reported that 221,000 adults in New Hampshire have a mental health condition. That’s more than five times the population of Concord. But there aren’t enough providers to address those conditions, or beds available for those experiencing a crisis. 

In this week’s episode of The State We’re In we discuss the current mental health crisis facing New Hampshire, why these issues are so important to New Hampshire residents, and what solutions and resources are available for Granite Staters. We also look at a year-long mental health awareness series done in partnership with the Seacoast Media Group and The Union Leader. Joining us is Seacoast Executive Editor Howard Altschiller, Union Leader President Brendan McQuaid, NAMI New Hampshire Executive Director Susan Stearns, and the “guiding spirit” of the series, Senior Director of External Affairs Dartmouth-Hitchcock Health and former Chief Justice of the New Hampshire Supreme Court John Broderick.  

Lawmakers are considering a bill, HB 514, which would remove exemptions to state obscenity laws from K-12 staff and teachers – a move that would potentially lead school officials to remove books proactively or face misdemeanor charges. Advocates say this puts more educational power in parents' hands, while opponents contend this amounts to a book ban that will silence minority perspectives. 

In this episode of The State We’re In, we dig into the history, impact, and ramifications of a bill that would require each local school board to develop policy for responding to parental complaints of obscene material and remove some protections for K-12 school officials in state laws against obscenity. Joining us is bill sponsor, State Rep. Glen Cordelli from Carroll County District 7, and New Hampshire Bulletin Reporter Ethan DeWitt, who has been following the topic closely.

Town Meeting is a quintessentially New England form of government tracing back to colonial times. Residents would gather together to discuss, debate, and vote on the biggest issues in town — especially how to spend money. While Town Meeting has evolved with the times, it still functions in much the same way as it did in the colonial era.

On this week’s episode of The State We’re In we discuss the ins and outs of Town Meeting with Jack Rooney, the Managing Editor for Audience Development at The Keene Sentinel, and Margaret Byrnes, Executive Director of the New Hampshire Municipal Association. 

Whether or not to renew recent efforts to expand Medicaid insurance coverage for Granite Staters is back before the state legislature. At one point this was a tough sell in the legislature. Fiscal conservatives were concerned it would create increased dependence on the government, while advocates said it improves insurance coverage, health outcomes, and saves lives. Lawmakers have voted twice to continue the program which was vital during the pandemic, and must decide whether to do so again this year. If they don't, benefits are set to end for tens of thousands of people according to officials. 

On this week’s episode of The State We’re In, Paul Cuno-Booth, who covers Health for New Hampshire Public Radio, insurance expert and president of Market Health Connect Keith Ballingall, and Amber Macquarie, one of the thousands of Granite Staters affected by the expansion will discuss what Granite Staters can expect.

COVID-19, itself, was bad enough. But this season we’re also dealing with a tough flu variant and RSV. What should you know? And what can you do to keep yourself and your family safe? Host Melanie Plenda speaks with Dr. Aalok Khole, an infectious disease specialist at Cheshire Medical Center in Keene.

Milford citizens recently discussed a topic that has come up in several communities across New Hampshire and the country. It concerns policies for transgender students using school facilities like bathrooms and locker rooms. Host Melanie Plenda speaks with 603 Equality activist Linds Jakows and chair of the Milford school board member Judi Zaino about a recent Milford School Board meeting that turned into a rally in support of transgender students and a discussion of the district's policies concerning those students.

What are the differences between the candidates for governor or US Senator? Where do candidates stand on the issues that matter to you? The midterm election is next week, and there's a lot of information to sift through. The State We’re In host Melanie Plenda and a panel of journalists and state political experts talk about some of the major candidates and races on the ballot.