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State and local election officials get behind Senate proposal.

The bill would require voters to present a photo ID or be photographed to receive a ballot starting in 2016, but still allow those without an ID to vote. The bill’s author, Kingston Senator Russ Prescott, hopes his plan can forge accord on a topic that tends to produce partisanship.

"People will come to the polls, present their ID, and not be presented a provisional ballot if they don’t have an ID; they would fill out a affidavit and vote. We are working within the system that we have today."

Last week the Green Launching Pad made its latest round of grants to New Hampshire businesses. The idea is to provide support to companies that are or want to be eco-friendly, while also developing jobs.

A House Committee has voted to recommend that New Hampshire pull out of No Child Left Behind.

Republican lawmakers on the House education committee cited local control and small government as reasons to withdraw the state from No Child Left Behind.

The vote was along party lines.

The dissenting democrats say they too are frustrated with the federal education laws, but are concerned about the federal money the state would lose if it withdrew from the program.

If the bill passes the state would forfeit $63 million in federal grants.

A Whitefield firm wants to buy part of Isaacson Steel in Berlin and hopes to save those jobs. NHPR’s Chris Jensen reports.

Last year Isaacson Steel in Berlin filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy.

The company has about 150 employees in two operations.

One does steel fabrication for buildings.

The other, much smaller operation, sells steel. It has 19 employees.

The smaller operation is what Presby Steel of Whitefield wants to buy.

NHPR brings you live coverage via NPR as President Obama delivers his State of the Union address tonight, January 24 at 9 p.m. EST.

NPR's Melissa Block will host this live coverage. She'll be joined in-studio by NPR National Political Correspondent Mara Liasson.

Facing into an election year, the President is expected to continue pushing Congress on his economic agenda. The GOP response will be given by Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels.

Tune-in to NHPR and nhpr.org tonight at 9 p.m.

The Academy Award nominations were announced this morning with some expected names – Meryl Streep and George Clooney, and a few surprises, Bridesmaids got asked to the party, for example…and who the heck is Demián Bichir?

The National Transportation Safety Board has concluded its investigation into the crash of a tour bus in Littleton last year saying no action is required.

The crash occurred on March 21stand involved a tour bus carrying 23 Korean tourists, a guide and a driver. It was coming from Canada and was headed for Boston.

It’s been almost two years since President Obama signed into  law sweeping health care reform called The Affordable Care Act".  Since its passing, its set off legal challenges but also set in motion changes that have taken hold, including requiring coverage for young adults.  We’ll take a look at this law, its progress, its problems, and its prospects, as well as how the political climate affects the debate, especially as President Obama prepares for his State of the Union address Tuesday evening.

Guests

Lawmakers heard testimony Monday about a bill that would give public school students an average of $2,500 for homeschooling or private school attendance.

The funds would come from a tax credit given to businesses that donate to state-certified scholarship programs.

 “In the last decade eight states have launched education tax credit programs to expand educational opportunities for hundreds of thousands of students,” said House Majority DJ Bettencourt, who sponsored the legislation.

“Education tax credit programs have saved money in other states,” said Bettencourt.

An industry group has put out a new study that disputes Public Service of New Hampshire’s claims about the number of jobs the Northern Pass project will create.

The study cuts PSNH’s jobs prediction in half.

A trade group representing power plant owners commissioned an independent analyst to study how many jobs the Northern Pass project might create.

That analysis found that the project could expect to create just over 600 jobs in New Hampshire, about half of the 1,200 jobs figure released by Northern Pass.

Every year New Hampshire takes in hundreds of refugees from all around the world.

They have fled wars, persecution, and even torture in their home countries, and some bear scars – both inside and out. After the trauma they have endured some refugees arrive with undiagnosed mental illness, but identifying and treating these patients is no easy task.

Most of the few routines we have in my house involve the thermostat - at night, as we all trek upstairs to bed, I turn the main floor thermostat down and turn the upstairs thermostat up. In the morning, we do the reverse. It keeps our heating bill down, but it's a little like trying to save gas by hypermiling - not everyone is going to put in that much time to save a buck here and there.

A roundup of the top-ten most-read stories on nhpr.org and the StateImpact - NH website.

1) North Country: As Purchase Falls Through, Groveton Paper Plant Eyed for Demolition - A deal to bring the closed Groveton paper mill in the North Country back to life has fallen through raising the possibility it will be demolished.

NHPR brings you live NPR coverage Saturday night from the South Carolina Primary.