Free New Hampshire Blog

Some interesting dish in the UL this morning about Republicans trying to figure out what’s gone wrong and how to fix it. Interesting tidbits for anybody who’s interested in the internal machinations of the party. But what struck me most about the article was the catty comment by Fergus Cullen posted at the end: This [...]

So I was in bed a few nights ago and suddenly got woken up by a racket in the kitchen. I wasn’t sure what was going on so I almost reached for my pistol as I thought somebody was breaking into my house. I went out into the kitchen and turned on the light and [...]

Hey, let’s all cheer about this one: Declining oil prices are leading to lower gas and heating oil costs and limiting the rate of electricity increases. Crude oil dropped to below $50 per barrel on Monday, and Public Service Co. of New Hampshire said that because of the continued decline in the price of oil, [...]

Uh oh, watch out for the license plate gestapo! In New Hampshire, motorists do not have to pay sales tax to register their vehicles. The state doesn’t even require auto insurance. But where Massachusetts motorists might see opportunity for financial gain by registering their vehicles across the border, officials in the Bay State see a [...]

Heh. Good for him. Too bad they aren’t edible. EFFINGHAM, N.H.—He didn’t get a deer, but a hunter in Effingham, N.H., stopped two burglars in their tracks. Police say the man was out hunting when he heard glass breaking at a neighbor’s home Wednesday. He went to investigate, found two men inside, and held them [...]

Sounds like a good time for worthy causes: Dec. 12 will be payback time for the state’s organized hunting and fishing guides. In this case, that’s a good thing. Our resident experts who concentrate on the hook-and-bullet sports are hoping the proceeds from their first annual banquet will build their association’s treasury, start a scholarship [...]

Excellent article on deer hunting in MA as the season opens. Some good history in this article and a good overview of why hunting is such a critical wildlife management technique particularly in states like MA that suffer from a lack of hunters and an overpopulation of deer. The size of the herd, an estimated [...]

Well there are two contradictory stories in today’s Union Leader. One focuses on talk of a tax revolt happening in New Hampshire and the other talks of politicians in Concord salivating over possible new taxes on everything under the sun. From the tax revolt article: Hard times are spurring tax revolts in New Hampshire. Ed [...]

Well it looks like debate is going to open up about gay marriage again: The legislator who sponsored New Hampshire’s civil union bill will push next year to legalize same-sex marriage. But Portsmouth Democrat Rep. Jim Splaine will face a fight, as those opposed to civil unions vow to try to pare the law down.Splaine [...]

It’s nice to read a happy store like this: It has been nearly four years since New Hampshire gas prices were as low as they have fallen in the last week. According to the AAA Web site, the average cost of regular unleaded gasoline Tuesday in Manchester stands at $1.85 per gallon – a more [...]

This is the time of year to be especially careful when driving especially in southeastern New Hampshire: Mark Ellingwood, programs administrator for the Department of Fish and Game, said the state realizes the growing concern about the deer population in the southeastern part of the state and the need to manage it properly under a [...]

If you’re going up there you better make sure you’re prepared: The White Mountains are living up to their name this week and if a hike is on the list of ways to work off the turkey, the advice is to be prepared. The U.S. Forest Service has issued an early general avalanche advisory for [...]

NPR has a report about the possible effect of a bailout or lack thereof on jobs in New Hampshire’s auto industry. Take it as you will as it comes from NPR. My own feeling is that I would hate to see anybody lose their job but the detroit based automakers MUST restructure drastically or any [...]

A bit of a downer post over at Granite Grok about the proper role of the government in people’s lives. Do you ever think that the social organizations ever, other then faint lip service, ever really think that getting more money from the taxpayers puts those right on the edge right at risk as well [...]

I’ve been meaning to re-register as an independent (or undeclared as it’s called here in New Hampshire) for a while. I had registered as a Republican to vote for Ron Paul back in the 2008 Republican primary. I had no illusions about Ron Paul winning, mind you, but I wanted to express my support for [...]

Before they even consider raising the gas tax in New Hampshire they need to stop using the money they are taking from it for non-road and non-bridge spending. Until that changes the gas tax should remain exactly where it is right now. Rep. David Campbell ought to be ashamed of himself for even considering raising [...]

News from the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department November 24, 2008 Phone: (603) 271-3211 Email: info@wildlife.nh.gov 11 Hazen Drive, Concord, N.H. 03301 For information and online licenses, visit http://www.wildlife.state.nh.us * * * * * * * CONTACT: Kent Gustafson: (603) 271-2461 Mark Ellingwood: (603) 271-2461 Jane Vachon: (603) 271-3211 November 24, 2008 N.H. DEER [...]

Well this story just made my mouth water…so delicious…mmmmm…a bit pricey though. But if the quality is that much better than store-bought then it might be worth forking over the extra cash. Looking to snag your farm-raised New Hampshire turkey? Here’s the contact info for McClary Hill Farm and for Twist of Fate Farm. Live [...]

If you’re a Republican who wants to make a difference in a Reaganesque kind of way you might want to consider joining the NH Republican Volunteer Coalition. Here’s a blurb from their Yahoo Groups site: NHRVC Mission Statement: We are a grassroots coalition of highly motivated volunteers, working to elect articulate and principled Republicans who [...]

I thought that this was the worst part of this story: A college student in southern China was bitten by a panda after he broke into the bear’s enclosure hoping to get a hug, state media and a park employee said Saturday. The student was visiting Qixing Park with classmates on Friday when he jumped [...]

Always good to see a conservative leave Massachusetts behind and move to New Hampshire: At 10AM this morning I became a homeowner in Merrimack, NH. I am now a resident of the great and Free State of New Hampshire!!! I hereby announce my DEFECTION from the People’s Republic of Taxachusetts! Let Freedom RING!! Welcome to [...]

But why are they leaving $89 million in the “rainy day” fund? I personally hate these “rainy day funds.” If there’s extra money the state should return it to the taxpayers not leave it sitting in some account somewhere. Lawmakers chopped almost $60 million from the state’s budget yesterday, with wide-ranging cuts hitting school building [...]

I will be glad if he does come back. As New Hampshire Republicans search for a way to rebound from two consecutive devastating defeats in federal and state elections, former three-term Gov. John H. Sununu says he is open to the possibility of leading them. Two decades after he was the state’s chief executive and [...]

Well this really isn’t a surprise at all. Cabelas and Hooksett have been dragging this on for far too long. With the Cabela’s sporting goods store project all but dead, the Hooksett Town Council is considering directing its economic development advisory committee to explore other options for developing Interstate 93′s Exit 11. Committee Chairman Bill [...]

I bumped into this via a Google Search and can’t resist linking to it here. It’s from the Art of Manliness Blog. With a title like that, I just had to link it. Heh. According to Stephen Colbert, bears are the number one threat to America today. Sure, bears look cute when they’re rummaging through [...]

Somebody over on NH Insider touting a gas tax increase: New Hampshire’s major revenue source for state highway and bridge work is the gasoline tax. It is sobering to compare how gas taxes have fared compared to highway costs. In fiscal 2000, the state collected $116 million in gas taxes, so we would have been [...]

Now this is the kind of sneaky type of thing I really like. Heh. The state Division of Economic Development has long wooed out-of-state businesses. But the approach was too subtle, too traditional. Now the division has launched a clever initiative to directly target Massachusetts-based businesses for poaching. Called “Open Invitation,” the initiative involves contacting [...]

I have to laugh at the media’s coverage of all of this. DiMasi’s advocacy for the tax hike will put the highly controversial issue at the top of the agenda as lawmakers arrive for their new session in seven weeks. And it will reshape the battle over the large toll increases the Turnpike Authority wants [...]

Well this has to be one of the silliest articles I’ve seen anywhere for a while. Have people in Boston become so stupid that they don’t even know how to chase away a few wild turkeys? It boggles the mind, really. “No one ever guessed turkeys would become comfortable in urban and suburban areas…biologists thought [...]

This is a long read but quite interesting. Gives a detailed report on how Heller came about and what it’s ramifications might be for gun owners across America. In retrospect, D.C. v. Heller seems almost inevitable, because of shifting public and academic attitudes toward gun rights. But victory came only after a protracted struggle, with [...]

Wow. It’s looking a LOT better than I expected. Here’s a plot synopsis: Paramount synopsis: From director J.J. Abrams (“Mission: Impossible III,” “Lost” and “Alias”) and screenwriters Alex Kurtzman & Roberto Orci (“TRANSFORMERS,” “MI: III”) comes a new vision of the greatest space adventure of all time, “Star Trek,” featuring a young, new crew venturing [...]

Ed Mosca has a blog entry up about this that is somewhat interesting. As I said earlier, I think that the NH GOP needs to focus back in on fiscal accountability and it needs to leave the social issues that are championed at the national level by southern type conservatives behind. Running against civil unions [...]

The pubbies are trying to figure out how to get back in power. I’m not sure there’s much that they can do right now. The Bush administration is going to have to fade away into history a bit before the Republican brand is going to recover. Here in NH, like it or not, the state [...]

Michael Graham on why MA is the same as it’s always been. You know, they told me that if I voted yes on Question 1, I’d see massive tax and toll hikes. They were right! A $500 million corporate tax hike earlier this year, two toll hikes that will more than double what we paid [...]

I can’t decide which award to give to them. What do you think? Four teenagers were rescued yesterday morning after having gotten lost while hiking down from Saddleback Mountain. The four could get the bill from authorities for the rescue, which followed a hike the four began at 7 p.m. Saturday. Rescuers from Northwood and [...]