Forum for April 4, 2025: Free speech

The First Amendment guarantees freedom of religion, speech and the press, the right of assembly and petition. “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free expression thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”

Column: Do New Hampshire voters really want one-size-fits-all zoning mandates?

By MARGARET ML BYRNES

With multiple polls showing housing as the top issue in New Hampshire by a wide margin, it’s no shock that the current legislative session is awash with proposals ostensibly aimed at addressing the state’s housing crisis. These bills are framed as attempts to tackle the shortage of affordable housing and to foster development, which sounds like a no-lose proposition. But take a step back and you’ll notice that most of these proposals are sweeping, one-size-fits-all statewide planning and zoning mandates.

Forum for April 3, 2025: A question of safety?

On March 20, the New Hampshire House approved HB 148, which allows businesses and government agencies to segregate prisons, bathrooms and locker rooms based upon the biological sex a person was assigned at birth. Rep. Jonah Wheeler, D-Peterborough, justified his yea vote by stating that some of his female cisgender constituents expressed that they would feel unsafe in a space that allows transgender women to freely enter. I have to wonder how safe they will feel when transgender men are forced to share that space with them instead?

A Yankee Notebook: Americans were once beloved in the world

By WILLEM LANGE

Some years ago my wife, my younger daughter, Martha, and I stopped for the night in the ancient town of Nettuno, on the west coast of Italy. It happened to be the feast day of La Madonna delle Grazie, a major festival featuring carnival rides, various team competitions and games of chance along the esplanade, followed by a parading of the enthroned Madonna by hundreds of costumed celebrants. (It was also the scene of a bizarre incident in which an Italian cop, who wouldn’t let me drive to our hotel because of temporary one-way signs, allowed me to back up two blocks instead. But that’s another story.)

Forum for March 31, 2025: Solar installers

I write to emphasize a couple of issues relevant to the solar net metering program in New Hampshire.

Forum for March 29, 2025: Lebanon’s crows

In response to Maggie Cassidy’s wonderful article (“Lebanon acclimates to the sound of no crows”; March 15), I would like to say that I do not hear the BirdXPeller device at all. I am just a bit north of 65 and the frequency is out of my hearing range. I expect that it may be out of the hearing range of most people over 60, particularly men.

Editorial: Jeanne Shaheen blazed a trail in politics

News that U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire will not seek re-election in 2026 is widely regarded as a serious blow to Democratic hopes of retaking control of that chamber, where Republicans now hold a 53-47 majority.

Column: Trump gets it wrong on foreign aid

By JIM BEDNAR

I served my country for almost 40 years, not in uniform but with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the agency that managed 60% of our humanitarian and development assistance. I have hundreds of on-the-ground examples of how USAID employees served America’s interests. (Over the agency’s six decades of work, 99 USAID staff gave their lives in service to their country.)

A Solitary Walker: Is it OK to feel joy?

By MICKI COLBECK

The river is fully melted now. She sings a lullaby that helps me sleep. In the morning, the little brown dogs and I will go along the banks to see if the red petals of the beaked hazelnuts are opening. Then up into the wet fir woods to look for liverworts and mosses and the first flowers of the forest, the leatherwood tree.

Column: One field and set of rules for Vermont schools

By NEIL ODELL

Fairness is a level playing field, a basic expectation. Whether it’s a soccer game or a courtroom, the same rules should apply to everyone. That’s how public systems are supposed to work.

Column: Films offer split views of Israel and Palestine

By LIZ BLUM

I was happy that Hanover’s Nugget Theater showed the Oscar-winning documentary “No Other Land” even though the film hasn’t yet acquired a U.S. distributor.

Column: In Guatemala, witnessing deportations from the US

By HELEN WHYTE

On vacation here in Guatemala, my husband and I had the opportunity to chat at some length with a Guatemalan woman who works at the airport, these days helping returning Guatemalan deportees. We are struck by the contrast between the Trump administration’s abrupt and cruel deportations, and the sensitivity with which Guatemalans are welcomed to their country.

A Yankee Notebook: Wielding blunt instruments in the halls of government

By WILLEM LANGE

Years ago, during my days as a remodeling contractor, we often had to demolish an existing structure, a wall, or plaster and lath in order to begin to work our magic. I asked my guys to list such labor on their time cards as “R&T” — Ripping and Tearing — and couldn’t help but notice that the youngsters went at it with incredible gusto, often with sledge hammers and lots of noise and dust. My tools of choice were usually just a claw hammer and a small “flat bar,” which I found more effective and a lot less noisy and dangerous. My counsel to my men was often, “Pretend you’re a 70-year-old man and work more gently.” First thing I knew, I was that 70-year-old man, and began to ease myself out of a business that I really had enjoyed.

Column: Changes to Medicaid jeopardize our progress on mental health

By LISA K. MADDEN

The 60-year-old Medicaid system, signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1965, ensures that individuals have access to critical mental health and substance use treatment, along with primary care. In 2025, the Medicaid system serves about 184,000 individuals in New Hampshire, or 13% of the state’s population.

Forum for March 25, 2025: EFA votes

Plainfield joined 16 other towns in passing a warrant article calling for a hold on the expansion of New Hampshire’s Education Freedom Account (EFA) program, also known as education vouchers. Why ask for a hold on expansion? Because taxpayers want fiscal responsibility, transparency and accountability for the property-taxpayer-funded EFA program that is on track for universal eligibility.

Forum for March 24, 2025: Immigrant story

My favorite story about the huge contributions immigrant newcomers make to our communities is about the Sithavady family, who came here as refugees from Laos.

Column: Federal funding for medical research puts America first

By WILL KING

When my grandmother was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in the mid-1990s, there were few options for therapies and treatments. As her disease progressed over the next decade, there was little that could be done until she died in 2004. I was still in elementary school when she faced this disease, which has unfortunately left me with few memories of her where she was not ill or bed-ridden.

Column: Get ready for the DOGE tax burden

By WAYNE GERSEN

For the past several weeks, budget cuts ruthlessly implemented by the Trump Administration’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) have dominated the national news. DOGE is overseen by billionaire Elon Musk who promised he would be able to find $2 trillion dollars in “savings” that would make the government function more efficiently.

Forum for March 22, 2025: Headrest’s help

Headrest bites the dust. The creation of a ragtag bunch of compassionate conspirators has fallen victim to the curse of blind leadership. When the first consideration became self, then service would be quickly compromised.