Todd Bookman

Earlier this summer, a performance audit carried out by state regulators identified 29 areas of concern in how the Community College System of New Hampshire manages its financial, budgeting and reporting processes.

Those concerns ranged from how the seven schools in the system calculate severance packages, to management of vehicles and the transfer of student credits.

A Wolfeboro woman accused of running a Great Dane ‘puppy mill’ is petitioning the court to have her dogs returned to her.

Christina Fay is facing a dozen counts of animal cruelty after 75 Great Danes were removed from her home earlier this summer. The dogs were alleged to be living in filthy conditions, with some suffering from infections.

(You can find NHPR's previous coverage of this story here.)

Colonel David Mikolaities has been confirmed as the next leader of the New Hampshire National Guard, after facing questions over his role in construction contracts awarded to his brother.

Ziggy, Ana, Ivy and Tuxedo, along with some of their animal buddies, were all up for adoption in Florida before the storm. 

But as families impacted by Hurricane Irma were forced to give up their pets, and other animals were abandoned, the shelters in the storm’s path became overwhelmed.

And so, 10 dogs and 32 cats boarded a plane bound for New Hampshire.

Senator Jeanne Shaheen joined a growing list of Democrats who are co-sponsoring a national single-payer health insurance plan put forward by Vermont’s Bernie Sanders.

The 2016 Presidential candidate has long championed universal health coverage, including efforts in his home state to pass a government-run program.

Sanders' latest national effort is garnering the support of at least fifteen Democratic Senators, though the bill stands little chance of passing in the GOP-controlled legislature.

New Hampshire’s unemployment rate, which ticked down to 2.7 percent in August, remains one of the lowest in the nation.

If you are a glass-half-full person, 2.7 percent is cause for celebration, especially when you compare it to where the state was in 2009, when the recession shot the unemployment rate up to 6.6 percent.

After giving the go-ahead earlier this summer to a scaled down Pumpkin Festival, the Keene City Council is now putting a permit on hold.

Organizers are planning for a smaller, tamer festival this year; one that would include more involvement from area school children. However, City Councilors are expressing concern that they could see a repeat of the riots that broke out in 2014.

A Wolfeboro woman is facing 12 additional charges of animal cruelty following the removal of dozens of Great Dane dogs from her mansion in Wolfeboro.

In a story that grabbed national headlines in June, police raided a 13,000-square-foot mansion owned by Christina Fay. Inside, they found 75 European Great Dane dogs, many of which were alleged to be in poor physical condition.

Governor Chris Sununu is weighing in on the Trump Administration’s decision to repeal DACA, or the so-called “dreamers” program.

He says his hope is that undocumented children living here can continue to contribute to society.

“I think the president sent a clear initiative, told Congress to get to work, find a solution here. Something that I’ve always said is, children shouldn’t be accountable for actions of their parents. They’re here, and I think Congress has to get to work and find a real solution.”

Starting an after-school robotics club isn’t cheap. Students need tools and robot kits, and if they want to compete against other schools, they need to pay travel and entry fees.

Lawmakers, however, are of the opinion these kinds of clubs are a smart investment in the state’s future workforce, and they are ready to chip in. The Robotics Education Fund, which was initially created in 2014 but failed to get off the ground, has been rebooted and is now accepting applications for schools looking to get seed money to start a team.

The Exeter UFO Festival is again drawing in experts in extraterrestrial sightings, abductions, as well those just curious about what may be out there.

This weekend marks the 8th edition of the Festival, which features two days of speakers, along with vendors and UFO tours.

In 1965, two Exeter policemen, along with others, had a famous encounter with a red orb just across the town’s border in Kensington. After that sighting drew national attention, Exeter became known as the ‘Roswell of the East,’ at least in certain circles.

The Loudon Zoning Board heard more than four hours of arguments Thursday both for and against a variance request made by the New Hampshire Motor Speedway. The track is hoping to host a three-day country music festival next summer.

The event would draw an estimated 20,000 music fans per day, with an estimated 5,000 attendees camping out on the Speedway grounds.

“Our team is geared specifically for these types of events, and have honed our skills over the years, and to not be boastful, but we are pretty good at it,” said David McGrath, the Speedway’s general manager.

An Upper Valley non-profit that serves veterans is being shut down after an investigation by the Attorney General’s office found evidence of fraud.

Project VetCare provides housing and support to military veterans, as well as a meeting place for students at Dartmouth College who are veterans. The non-profit, which was formed in 2012, owns two houses in Hanover.

Will Stewart arrived in New Hampshire, sight unseen, as a twenty-something in 2004. Now 38, he’s married, bought a home and is raising a child here.

In short, it’s exactly the scenario his new employer Stay Work Play wants to duplicate around the state.

Stewart will take over as executive director of the non-profit early next month.

Stay Work Play is dedicated to retaining and attracting young professionals to the state, doing so through events, partnerships and advocacy.

Governor Chris Sununu is backing stricter commercial breeding regulations. The move follows the rescue of 84 Great Danes from a suspected puppy mill in Wolfeboro earlier this year.

Under current state law, anyone who sells more than ten litters of puppies each year, or 50 individual dogs, must register as a commercial breeder. Animal rights activists say that threshold is too high, pointing to Vermont, which requires a license for the sale of just three litters.

Gov. Sununu says tightening the rules would ensure greater safety.

A New Hampshire man who once chained himself to a giant water slide stands accused of securities fraud.

Kevin Dumont opened the Liquid Planet Water Park in Candia in 2008. Since then, New Hampshire’s Bureau of Securities Regulation says he unlawfully sold unsecured promissory notes to investors, raising $1.5 million to fund the park’s operations.

Emergency personnel from around the Seacoast responded to Exeter Hospital Friday, where employee complaints of nausea and dizziness resulted in a partial evacuation. At this time, the cause is unknown.

Several high profile energy transmission projects submitted their applications Thursday, as the deadline passed for the next round of Massachusetts's clean energy program.

Senator Maggie Hassan met with health care leaders in Exeter Monday to talk about the need for a bipartisan plan forward in Washington--and to criticize President Trump for his handling of the health care issue.

Standing in the glass atrium of Exeter Hospital, the first-term Democrat did not mince words about what she sees as the flaws in the Republican approach to health policy.