Granite State Matters: Recent Episodes
New Hampshire Citizen Reporters
Get the real story on how NH officials — extremists and their enablers — impact property taxes, schools, housing, workforce shortages, and other matters that affect you and your family. https://www.GraniteStateMatters.org Follow us on: Facebook - www.facebook.com/GraniteStateMatters Instagram - @granitestatematters Twitter - @GrStateMatters
Has the right to speak freely and the notion of freedom overwhelmed caring and civil speech? Steve Marchand gathers three diverse views on the subject:
- Policy Director, NH ACLU: Frank Knaack
- Rev. Dr. Gail Kinney, Meriden Congregational Church, UCC, co-convener of Faith & Labor Community, of which NH Council of Churches is a member.
- Former Executive Council Candidate, articulate op-ed writer, and parent of mixed-race children, Dan Weeks
Listen now.
Don't miss this discussion of how NH can solve its housing problem with economist Brian Gottlob, Dir of Economic & Labor Information Bureau, NHES, and Representative Ivy Vann, town planner and sustainability advocate. They don't agree on the how, but they both believe it can be done and point to towns that are doing it right.
NH is a state that looks great for families from its averages: income, test scores and health. What averages mask is the great disparity. Dropping income, due to COVID, or increasing inflation sends them over the edge financially. And mental health problems know no income boundaries. Nathan Fink of the Children's Trust, Rebecca Woitkowski and Emma Savigny of New Futures join Steve Marchand in what NH is and could be doing to make itself more family friendly. LISTEN NOW.
NH Rep Manny Espitia, Manchester Alderman Christine Fajardo and teen activist Loreley Godfrey joined host Steve Marchand to discuss how to get involved, civically, and what they aspire to accomplish.
Former mayor of Lebanon and current NH Senator Suzanne Prentiss uses her unique position to look at the question of local control from both sides. Why, she wonders, are legislators who ran on platforms of local control, trying to constrain the ability of locals to run their towns?
HEALTH IMPACTS OF CLIMATE INACTION: Doctors Dewey, Gerson and Sherman of NH Healthcare Workers for Climate Action tell us why we need to bring climate action to the fore and turn the state from the laggard of New England to a leader.
HOW DIFFERENT WOULD NH BE IF YOUNG VOICES WERE HEARD? People over 70 are 39 times as likely to be legislators as people under 40 in NH. Is it any wonder that NH laws and priorities are out of sync with families and youth? This harms the state's ability to attract workforce. In this episode, three leaders, aged 20-43, talk about their experiences running and serving in local and state office. They cite the barriers young people face and how they overcame them. Listen now to the fascinating stories of Molly Lunn Owen, Karen Liot Hill and Tony LaBranche. Then learn more about running for office at 603Forward.
NH Rep. Tony LaBranche of Amherst is the youngest state legislator in the US! In this short from Granite State Matters' podcast on "NH Youth's Priorities", Tony describes how he ran for School Board as a high-school senior and State Rep. upon graduation. Then Molly Lunn Owen of 603 Forward describes how her organization helped Tony and many other young candidates register as candidates and win elections. LEARN MORE ABOUT RUNNING FOR OFFICE.
How can wealthy outsiders control what happens in New Hampshire? Steve talks with Anita Burroughs about the strange bedfellows that collaborate to pass laws that the public disagree with.
How out-of-state groups push the legislation that will make it harder for NH to attract workforce and keep young people in the state.
How out-of-state groups representing the interests of the 0.1% build coalitions to pass radical legislation in NH.
What happens to a state when leaders stifle opposition voices and let radicals disrupt the processes of normal government? Steve talks with Representative David Meuse about how the NH House, Executive Council and Governor's office are letting democracy and rule of law fray in our state.
Rep. David Meuse describes bills that discourage voter participation in democracy. (3 min)
A 4-min briefing on letting armed protestors threaten government staff and halt a vote to accept millions in federal funding to help expanded COVID vaccinations to children.
NH went from 9th worst to 3rd worst property-tax burden in the nation over the last six years. Much of the cause is from downshifting costs from the state to towns. The burden can be trivial for the affluent, but crushing for others. Steve and Teri discuss rising property taxes with Andru Volinsky, former NH Executive Councilor.
A 4 min. briefing on how the State uses sleight of hand to make it appear that they're helping most towns, when the truth is they're not.
Teri and Steve review NH's uneven history of voter access. Liz Tentarelli, President of League of Women Voters NH discusses good and bad election bills in the works,
Liz Tentarelli, president of League of Women Voters NH, discusses the good and bad proposals might change elections this year.
Many complain that NH tries to stop people from noting, yet we have same-day registration. Steve and Teri explain why and why that could change.
Why does a state with no coal mines or oil fields promote fossil fuels over homegrown biofuels and renewables, forcing fuel prices higher and increasing carbon pollution? Steve and Teri explore this question with Sam Evans-Brown of Clean Energy NH and with Rep. Kat McGhee of the Science & Energy Committee.
Why NH energy costs keep rising and we have the only coal-generation plant in New England. Listen.
Science & Technology Committee member Kat McGhee of the House describes how the governor changed the state's 10-year energy plan. Listen.
How did NH start with the lowest level of COVID infection in the country a year ago, only to find itself with the highest rate now? Steve & Teri talk Rep. Dr. William Marsh, a member of the state's ReOpening Taskforce. Then they learn how COVID has stricken those with mental health and other non-COVID diseases, joined by Mary Drew, director of Reality Check.
Steve and Teri discuss how New Hampshire went from the lowest COVID rate in the nation to the highest.
Mary Drew, Director of Reality Check, describes the forces making Manchester one of the largest landing points for addictive drugs and how COVID is intensifying the mental health crisis in New Hampshire.
Tiny New Hampshire has more than its share of outside interests spending big money to influence our government. Steve and Teri discuss who these are and what they're doing here, with guest Zandra Rice-Hawkins, who has followed their actions for years as leader of Granite State Progress.
While NH fails to alert hungry families about food benefits, Americans for Prosperity went door-to-door to promote NH's $4600 school vouchers. AFP is only one example of outsiders changing NH. Listen.
Zandra Rice Hawkins describes how national groups enflame anger & train locals to disrupt school board meetings. Her greatest concern is that NH leaders are enabling efforts to disrupt state government. Listen.
Two decades ago, the Free Staters plotted to invade and take over NH. We are now seeing the consequence of their plan. Join Steve and Teri as they discuss radicals in the State House with Garry Rayno, who analyzes them in his column "Distant Dome." (Go here to see a list of Liberty Alliance candidates.)
Garry Rayno describes how Jason Osborne and colleagues control the NH House, enabled by the governor and his fellow party members.
As the governor, GOP and St. Anselm's College enable Free Staters' efforts to secede from the US, Steve and Teri discuss what the cult's utopia would actually look like.
Olivia Zink of Open Democracy explains how to minimize gerrymandering so every vote counts.
An intro to what redistricting is and how gerrymandering forced NH Republicans to support extremist legislation.
What most people don’t realize is that gerrymandering helped create the divisiveness we see in America today. Co-hosts Steve Marchand and Teri Harkins discuss how it harms both political parties and exacerbates extremism.
Guest Olivia Zink describes how Open Democracy’s Mapathon project is trying to curtail it in New Hampshire. And guest Louise Spencer describes how the governor’s office is fighting independent redistricting, and even governmental transparency, to the point of requiring all his emails to be destroyed within 30 days!
In this short, Jack Schneider explains why vouchers suddenly resurged after disappearing for decades, when promoted by Education Secretary Betsy DeVos and New Hampshire Commissioner Edelblut.
In this short, author Jack Schneider reveals how an education savings account model New Hampshire is copying has fared in another state. The real story is who is promoting it and why.
Join us for a conversation about what supporters boast is the most extreme education voucher bill in the nation! Co-hosts Steve Marchand and Teri Harkins help us understand how the third-rated public school system in the nation came to this point. Then we interview Jack Schneider, co-author of Wolf at the Schoolhouse Door, who puts New Hampshire’s “Education Freedom Accounts” in context with what is happening to students and teachers across the US.