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Boston Globe
3 days ago
- Health
- Boston Globe
N.H. lawmakers send bills banning gender-affirming care, surgeries for minors to Governor Kelly Ayotte
Advertisement If the bills become law, New Hampshire would become the first state in New England to enact such bans, joining 25 other states across the country that have banned gender-affirming medication for young people, according to the Get N.H. Morning Report A weekday newsletter delivering the N.H. news you need to know right to your inbox. Enter Email Sign Up New Hampshire was already one of two states to ban gender-affirming surgeries, along with Arizona. All other New England states have laws protecting access to this care, according to the project. Proponents of the bans argue that children shouldn't access the treatments they view as harmful and irreversible, while opponents said the measure discriminates against transgender individuals and that medical decisions should be left to doctors and the families seeking care. Advertisement The approval of the bills comes on the heels of a US Supreme Court decision last week that upheld a similar ban in Tennessee on gender-affirming care, emboldening 'It is now legal and constitutional for states to regulate and or ban the use of these harmful drugs in minors,' said Representative Lisa Mazur, a Goffstown Republican and the prime sponsor of both bills. But some attorneys disagree with that interpretation and contend there are still legal avenues for challenging the bans if they become law in New Hampshire. Potential challenges could focus on whether the law complies with New Hampshire's constitution, if it was intended to harm transgender youth, and whether it violates parental rights, according to Chris Erchull, senior staff attorney at GLBTQ Legal Advocates and Defenders. Democrats in both the House and the Senate echoed similar concerns on Thursday ahead of votes that fell largely along party lines. 'We have heard time and time again this session, even on the previous bill, the parents should have the final say about their children and their child's health, and here we are taking away life saving health care options for all parents,' said Representative Alice Wade, a Dover Democrat and transgender woman, who choked back tears during an emotional speech on the House floor Thursday. Wade said she has taken hormone therapy medication since 2018, but this bill would stop doctors from prescribing it to transgender youth, while allowing them to prescribe it to cisgender youth. HB 377 explicitly allows children with a ' Advertisement 'That is not parental rights,' said Wade. 'It's just discrimination, plain and simple.' Governor Kelly Ayotte has not said whether she will sign the bills. Amanda Gokee can be reached at
Boston Globe
4 days ago
- Health
- Boston Globe
Locals looking for ways to protect Lake Winnipesaukee from harmful bacteria
In 2024, Winnipesaukee saw Get N.H. Morning Report A weekday newsletter delivering the N.H. news you need to know right to your inbox. Enter Email Sign Up For some, the high levels served as a wake-up call about water quality issues threatening New Hampshire's largest lake, a beloved destination for locals and visitors alike and home to summer camps that families have attended for generations. Advertisement 'This lake is the center of this region. It is the reason that people come here from all over the world,' said Manley, an owner of Bob Manley of Meredith, N.H., is rowing across Lake Winnipesaukee in June to raise money for environmental conservation efforts. David L. Ryan/Globe Staff Lake Winnipesaukee contributes about $17 billion to the state's economy each year, according to Advertisement 'I don't think you could stress enough how important it is for us to save this body of water,' said Manley. He is rowing to raise money for the The organization has been tracking water quality at Winnipesaukee since the early 1980s. In that time, it has seen the levels of phosphorus increase and, with it, record-high levels of cyanobacteria blooms, according to Bree Rossiter, conservation program manager. A view of Lake Winnipesaukee in Meredith. David L. Ryan/Globe Staff Cyanobacteria is a naturally occurring algae-like bacteria found in low levels in all of New Hampshire's lakes and ponds. It's one of the oldest living organisms on Earth, but when it grows quickly, it can be toxic, causing skin rashes, respiratory and gastrointestinal distress, and in rare cases, death to people 'In 2024, we had the most amount of cyanobacteria blooms that we've ever seen on Winni,' including in parts of the lake that typically don't harbor the potentially toxic blooms, Rossiter said. Ice coverage on the lake has lessened in recent years, said Rossiter, noting that 2023 saw the shortest period of coverage since the 1800s. That has allowed sunlight, which helps cyanobacteria grow, to penetrate the lake earlier in the season. Intense rainstorms have created runoff flowing from lawns into the lake and bringing along nutrients that fuel the cyanobacteria's growth. Leavitt Beach on Lake Winnipesaukee, which had been closed in 2024 for pollution. David L. Ryan/Globe Staff Thanks to climate change, the region is Advertisement 'It's just kind of a recipe for disaster,' she said. Meanwhile, phosphorus levels in the lake are about 300 percent higher now than they were prior to European settlement, according to the alliance's data. There's been an uptick over the past 10 years, Rossiter said, and phosphorus levels in the lake's water have grown to about six parts per billion. The more phosphorus in the water, the more algae and other plants can grow, often leading to murkier water. Andrea LaMoreaux, president and policy advocate at NH Lakes, a nonprofit that works on lake preservation and restoration, warns that Lake Winnipesaukee is not alone in water quality issues. Around the state, she said, increased algae levels, decreased transparency, and large cyanobacteria blooms are signs that lakes are approaching a tipping point, where conditions could get much worse – and remediation could be significantly more difficult. A gull on a dock piling at Lake Winnipesaukee. David L. Ryan/Globe Staff As lakes age, they naturally start filling in thanks in part to materials carried in by streams. The amount of plants growing in the water increases, and clear water becomes murkier. Over time, lakes turn into ponds, then marsh, until eventually they become meadows and, finally, dry land. But people are accelerating that process by adding more nutrients to lake water from sources like agriculture, fertilized lawns, and stormwater runoff, according to the Since the 2000s, LaMoreaux said, cyanobacteria bloom sightings have been on the rise, a trend that's been accelerating in recent years. 'What's new is that last summer, Lake Winnipesaukee bloomed almost lakewide two times,' she said. 'I think that's what caught people's attention. . . . The big pristine lake all of a sudden is having cyanobacteria.' Advertisement Amanda McQuaid, director of the University of New Hampshire Lakes Lay Monitoring Program, said the tipping point for more algal growth and cyanobacteria typically happens when there's about 10 parts per billion of phosphorus in the water. 'Unfortunately, a lot of our lakes kind of dip in and out of that range,' she said. (The Lake Winnipesaukee Alliance is trying to limit phosphorus to no more than eight parts per billion in that lake.) McQuaid said human development around lakes can contribute to the problem, pointing to the flurry of development after the COVID-19 pandemic. Impervious surfaces like roofs, parking lots, and driveways deflect water instead of allowing it to be absorbed into the ground, and the runoff carries nutrients into the water, feeding algae, bacteria, and plants. Leaky lakeside septic systems are another culprit. Winnipesaukee is a highly developed lake, with private properties dotting much of the shoreline. That limits where the Lake Winnipesaukee Alliance can conduct mitigation projects. Bob Manley rowed in Lake Winnipesaukee. David L. Ryan/Globe Staff But the alliance also works with property owners to provide recommendations about how to be more lake friendly, like getting their septic system pumped, avoiding fertilizers, or adding a buffer of native plants to their shoreline to filter polluted storm water runoff. Still, the uptick in cyanobacteria blooms last summer disrupted small business on and around the lake. Peggy Ames is the fifth generation innkeeper at Ames Farm Inn in Gilford, N.H. Last summer she had to explain to her guests why they couldn't swim in the lake. Advertisement She said that if the blooms continue, visitors could go elsewhere. 'People don't want to come up here and not be able to enjoy the water,' said Ames. But, she said, the blooms caught people's attention, and it could push them to take action. 'It woke people up to knowing that this is a resource we do need to protect,' she said. Amanda Gokee can be reached at
Boston Globe
7 days ago
- Politics
- Boston Globe
Amid Trump's deportations, citizenship brings relief and security to some new Americans
Nabil Souidi said he's been 'I follow all the news, and I was like, no, I'm not going to travel until I get my citizenship,' said Souidi, who is originally from Algeria. He said he followed the Get N.H. Morning Report A weekday newsletter delivering the N.H. news you need to know right to your inbox. Enter Email Sign Up Now, Souidi said, the trips he's been putting off – like visiting his brother in Canada – are back on. He said he's relieved to finally have his citizenship, and he's happy to be able to travel with ease. Advertisement His wife, Nesrine Bouziane watched the ceremony with their 2-year-old son, Amir Souidi. She filmed the entire ceremony, while her son quietly enjoyed some screen time. Bouziane said watching the news in the lead-up to the ceremony had been nerve-wracking, and she was nervous about whether her husband's application for citizenship would be accepted. The news about the Advertisement 'We're all Americans now,' said Bouziane, who was born in the United States. Bouziane and Souidi met through friends in Boston in 2019 when Souidi was visiting on vacation. Their relationship deepened over WhatsApp messages they exchanged over the next two years, and they married in 2021. They now live together in Nashua, and they're expecting their second child in August. 'I think it's a relief for him, and he's more comfortable,' Bouziane said of her husband securing his citizenship. Nesrine Bouziane, left, her husband Nabil Souidi, center, and their son, Amir Souidi, are pictured after Nabil Souidi was granted American citizenship in a naturalization ceremony on Friday hosted by New Hampshire's Secretary of State David Scanlan at the State Archives in Concord, N.H. Amanda Gokee This year was the second annual naturalization ceremony New Hampshire's Secretary of State David Scanlan has hosted at the State Archives. Similar events are held at other venues around the state. During Friday's naturalization event, 25 people from 17 different countries were granted American citizenship. 'It's that diversity that is really important to making us a strong, vibrant country that stands for freedom around the world,' said Scanlan. Governor Kelly A. Ayotte also addressed the new Americans, calling it an important moment in their lives and an important moment for the country. 'This is a wonderful day, and we are thrilled to welcome you as an American citizen,' she said. In recent months, Ayotte has made cracking down on illegal immigration a top issue, But on Friday, Ayotte congratulated the cohort of New Americans for successfully navigating the United States' immigration system. Advertisement 'It's not an easy process to navigate through our system, but you stuck with it,' she said. Eva Castillo, an immigrant rights advocate, urged the new citizens to start voting and remain active in their local communities around issues that are important to them. For new Americans, she said, citizenship can provide an extra sense of security, especially as some immigrant communities have grown fearful amid the Trump administration's deportation efforts. Once people have obtained citizenship, she said, it's only under extreme circumstances that they can be deported. 'That gives you an extra layer of protection,' she said in an interview after the event. Maykol Mamedes, 33, and his wife Samantha Mamedes, 31, said they, too, were breathing a sigh of relief that Maykol had been granted citizenship Friday. 'You feel more secure,' Maykol Mamedes said after the event. He is originally from Brazil, and he now lives with his wife and two children in Nashua. Of the two of them, Samantha Mamedes said she was more worried about paperwork and proving her husband's documentation, especially when there was a delay in renewing his green card and no way to prove he was in the United States lawfully. 'It's a good feeling knowing that we're on the tail end,' she said. Along with their two kids, the family said they planned to mark the occasion by going out to eat. And they had an extra reason to celebrate: Samantha Mamedes said her birthday was on the same day as the naturalization ceremony. Maykol Mamedes, left, and his wife Samantha Mamedes, right, their two children after a naturalization ceremony in Concord, N.H., on Friday. Amanda Gokee Amanda Gokee can be reached at
Boston Globe
17-06-2025
- Politics
- Boston Globe
Trump administration cuts threaten vocational training program in N.H.
'It was my main plan because it was affordable,' said 17-year-old Martin-Bennitt of Manchester, who was hoping to study electrical technology. 'Hands-on training is one of the fastest ways I can start working and building a better future for me and my family.' On May 29, the Get N.H. Morning Report A weekday newsletter delivering the N.H. news you need to know right to your inbox. Enter Email Sign Up 'Job Corps was created to help young adults build a pathway to a better life through education, training, and community,' said Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer. 'However, a startling number of serious incident reports and our in-depth fiscal analysis reveal the program is no longer achieving the intended outcomes that students deserve.' Advertisement A handful of companies that operate these centers then filed a lawsuit in New York in early June to Advertisement Isaiah Martino, 22, is a recent graduate of the Jobs Corps program in Manchester, and he said the program helped him turn his life around. Amanda Gokee/Globe Staff The program provides free vocational training for low-income students between 16 and 24 years old, in addition to Education advocates in New Hampshire said the 'pause' would effectively eliminate the program in the Granite State. New enrollment in the New Hampshire program has been halted since March, when the administration stopped allowing the Job Corps site to conduct required background checks, according to Tina Philibotte, a former teacher and education advocate. On Monday, Republican Executive Councilor John Stephen was among those who spoke in support of the program, which he called a vital community resource. He said the program's closure could leave 250 students in a difficult position, without developing necessary skills, and even put some at risk of homelessness. Stephen, who campaigned as a 'The state of New Hampshire needs to put all its resources together to make sure we help these youth every single step of the way,' he said. Nationally, Job Corps has been operating for more than 50 years and is the largest nationwide residential career training program in the country, according to the Isaiah Martino, 22, is a recent graduate of the Jobs Corps program in Manchester, and he said the program helped him turn his life around. Advertisement 'Just two years ago, I was an unemployed high school drop out,' he said. Martino said he hit rock bottom after he was evicted from his apartment and resorted to sleeping on his parents' couch. He said, at first, Job Corps was a way to get out of their hair, but with time, it became more than that. 'I now have my high school diploma, driver's license. I am a certified kitchen cook. I have a stable job, an apartment, and a car,' he said. 'Before going to Job Corps these are things I never imagined I would achieve.' He said he's troubled to think that his friends who were close to graduating from the program might not have the same chance that he did. 'It's upsetting that they won't get that opportunity,' he said. Amanda Gokee can be reached at
Boston Globe
09-06-2025
- Politics
- Boston Globe
N.H. tourism office deletes post, webpage of Pride-related events after Republican complaint
Advertisement Maidment tagged Get N.H. Morning Report A weekday newsletter delivering the N.H. news you need to know right to your inbox. Enter Email Sign Up 'It's the low level bureaucrats that are drowning us,' he Update - it's been deleted. — Chris Maidment (@ChrisMaidmentNH) Along with the social media post, the VisitNH Advertisement Caswell and a division spokesperson did not directly answer questions from the Globe about who decided to delete the Pride-related content, why they made that decision, and what policies govern their editorial decision-making regarding which events to feature. 'We regularly promote events throughout New Hampshire, and the webpage you mentioned is active,' division spokesperson Kris Neilsen said in an email Sunday, after the webpage was restored. It's not entirely clear why the complaint yielded such a prompt response, since VisitNH had made similar social media posts for Pride events in Caswell was first appointed in 2017 by Republican Governor Christopher T. Sununu. He was reappointed by Sununu in 2021 to a second four-year term. That term will expire Some other Sununu appointees have already been shown the exit on Ayotte's watch. The governor announced that Education Commissioner Frank Edelblut The deletion of this Pride-themed content also comes at a crucial stage in the budget process, as state lawmakers finalize their spending plan for the next two fiscal years. Although the House and Senate have Advertisement That ideological lens has been applied to individual line items. In advocating deep cuts in funding to the University System of New Hampshire, some have argued the reductions are appropriate to curb left-leaning ' At least one lawmaker drew a direct connection between the budgeting process and the Pride-themed post from VisitNH. 'This is why we tried to strip away their funding,' Republican Representative James Spillane of Deerfield wrote Spillane called on Ayotte to 'get the department under control' or face legislative intervention. The New Hampshire House and Senate are likely to form a committee of conference this week to reconcile the differences between their versions of the budget, with a June 26 deadline to act on the committee's compromise. Steven Porter can be reached at
