The Boston Globe is reporting there was a small earthquake Wednesday morning near Conway.

The Globe said it was "A tiny, 1.6-magnitude earthquake" that was "small enough that it may have gone unnoticed."

The newspaper said: "The earthquake, with a depth of 15 miles, was recorded just before 11 a.m. by the Weston Observatory at Boston College. The epicenter was 8 miles southeast of Conway, N.H., at the coordinates 43.885 degrees north, 71.040 degrees west. "

Former House speaker Newt Gingrich’s surge to the top tier of the GOP presidential field has been sudden. Its also come without the benefit of a traditional campaign structure in early voting states. NHPR’s Josh Rogers reports.

 Newt Gingrich predicted victory when he opened his state campaign headquarters in Manchester last week. But Gingrich also told supporters winning wouldn’t be easy.

New Hampshire lawmakers are trying to pressure the so-called “supercommittee” to exceed its goal of cutting $1.2 trillion  from the debt, but the special panel remains grid locked as it nears its end date.  If the supercommittee fails to reach a bipartisan solution by next Wednesday, deep spending cuts are supposed to fall on nearly the entire federal budget.

Some lawmakers want to scrap that agreement to protect the Pentagon’s budget and other favorite spending items.

The new federal prison in Berlin – which has been sitting empty – could finally be funded this week, providing a huge economic boost to the North Country.  NHPR’s Chris Jensen reports.

Funding for the federal prison in Berlin is likely to be approved this week, according to Sen. Jeanne Shaheen.

“We’re very excited because there has been an agreement reached between the House and Senate on the bill that includes funding for the Berlin prison.”

Shaheen sees it as a done deal.