Good News in New Hampshire Newsletter #7 - Touch the Future

Plus: conservation wins, regional food systems, arctic research, minority entrepreneurship, offshore wind, high-schoolers voting, new airlines, and more!

Hello! Welcome to the Good News in New Hampshire Newsletter, part of Granite Goodness.

We share stories of progress and positivity in New Hampshire.

My name is Andy DeMeo. I’ve lived in NH all my life. Granite Goodness is my love letter to this extraordinary state.

I created this project because I believe that being aware of positivity and progress leaves people more inspired to create their own. Optimism, kindness, and the will to solve complex problems are infectious qualities.

Also, being an optimist is just more fun.

As a general rule, this newsletter aims to include stories that fit the following criteria:

• The story is in or about New Hampshire

• The story is about something bigger than singular acts of kindness

• The story is about something good— people building, creating, or doing things that improve the world and reduce suffering

Just think- as long as it’s good and New Hampshire sized, it belongs here!

If you have any story tips, let us know at hello@granitegoodness.com.

For more personal stories about progress in New Hampshire, make sure to check our podcast, Granite Goodness, available anywhere.

Enjoy!

GRANITE GRID-BUILDING

Energy & Renewables

• NH Among New England states receiving $389M boost to help plug in offshore wind

  • “The Power Up New England plan — a collaboration between Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont, as well as local utilities — will expand and upgrade the shared interconnection points for the undersea cables that bring power from offshore wind farms to the grid.” - Canary Media

• First offshore wind energy sale becomes available for NH

  • “The Department of the Interior today announced it will hold an offshore wind energy lease sale on Oct. 29, 2024, for eight areas on the Outer Continental Shelf off Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Maine. If fully developed, these areas have a potential capacity of approximately 13 gigawatts of clean offshore wind energy, which could power more than 4.5 million homes.” - US Department of the Interior

• Federal money is streaming into hydro dams in NH for repairs and upgrades

  • “New Hampshire is set to receive almost $5 million from the federal government for upgrades to hydroelectric facilities. That money will flow to 17 projects throughout the state to help those facilities replace parts, make repairs, and create new pathways for river creatures to move up and downstream around impoundments.” - NHPR

GRANITE GARDENING

Farming & Agriculture

• New Hampshire’s First-Ever Food System Strategic Plan is Underway

  • “Granite Staters will have an easier time accessing locally grown and caught foods, thanks to a new effort by the NH Food Alliance, a food system-focused community outreach program of the Sustainability Institute at the University of New Hampshire, and the NH Department of Agriculture, Markets and Food. Experts at UNH and other food system organizations have been tapped to develop the first strategic plan in support of farmers, fishermen and consumers.” - UNH Today

GRANITE GOVERNING

Politics & Governance

• Governor signs child welfare reform law

  • “Senate Bill 417 will reduce out-of-state placements for youth in the state’s care and reinforced protections for kids who are unable to be placed in a New Hampshire facility.” - Concord Monitor

• NH passes law prohibiting racial profiling

  • “House Bill 596 is the first statute to define ‘profiling’ – ‘the practice of relying solely on race, ethnicity, color, national origin, nationality, language, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, political affiliation, religion, socioeconomic status, or disability’ in order for law enforcement to interview, detain, search, or stop a person..it is the first state statute to formally ban the practice.” – NH Bulletin

• Governor signs law to help ease housing shortage

  • “House Bill 1400, whose main sponsor was Rep. Rebecca McWilliams, will give municipalities greater authority to ease some zoning requirements and offer tax incentives for converting office buildings to residential use.” - Concord Monitor

• Governor signs law to help reduce fire risk at landfills

  • “Gov. Chris Sununu signed a bill Friday banning lithium-ion batteries and some electronic waste from disposal at New Hampshire landfills and incinerators, stemming a serious fire hazard.” - NH Bulletin

GRANITE GRIT

Building & Infrastructure

• Elm Grove Companies to break ground on $20 million - 52-unit workforce housing project

  • “Elm Grove Companies, has started construction of The Rapids On Cocheco, an approved 52-unit Workforce Housing community at 29 Wadleigh Rd. This will be the company’s 9th venture in the affordable housing arena with other affordable properties in the state totaling 430 apartments (completed and under construction)” - Nerej.com

• NH celebrates 150th resident-owned community, leading the nation in affordable homeownership

  • “New Hampshire is the first state where residents of a manufactured housing community purchased their park, forming a cooperative to retain control over bylaws, like lot rent, to maintain affordability within their community. Derry Oak Village, a 27-home park, celebrated a milestone this week as the 150th resident-owned community in the state.” - NH Business Review

• New junior high school opens in Manchester

  • “This year, 125 seventh and eighth graders are attending the $26 million, 45,000-square-foot school, which is now connected to the Trinity High building. The junior high school had been housed on Belmont Street with an elementary school for the past 14 years.” - NH Business Review

• Exeter replacing dilapidated building with new housing

  • “The plan calls for the demolition of the Cocheco Auto Repair building at 46 Main Street to make room for two three-story duplexes with four townhouse-style residential units” - NH Business Review

GRANITE GROWTH

Economy & Workforce

• NH Export Accelerator graduates first cohort of small businesses

  • “Launched in May and funded by the State Trade Expansion Program (STEP), the NH Export Accelerator, according to the program, “combines educational sessions and one-on-one advising to help businesses develop their export plan.” - NH Business Review

• New airline comes to Manchester Airport

  • “…Sun Country is a hybrid low-cost leisure carrier with flights to over 150 locations throughout North America and the Caribbean. While Sun Country has operated unscheduled charter flights into MHT before, Thursday’s flight marked the first passenger flights and an investment of over $2 million in annual operating capital into Manchester.” - Manchester Ink Link

• Chemotherapy firm opens new headquarters in Portsmouth

  • “Novocure’s new U.S. headquarters opened in Portsmouth on Sept. 3 with fanfare that included high praise from an assortment of New Hampshire’s elected officials, as well as optimism that its work on cancer treatments will help cement the state as the epicenter of life-altering health discoveries.” - NH Business Review

• NH Named top state for minority entrepreneurs

  • “New Hampshire has recently been recognized as one of the TOP 10 Best States for Minority Entrepreneurs, highlighting its supportive environment for business owners of diverse backgrounds.” - Let’s Move to New Hampshire

• NH makes top 10 list of best places to retire in US

  • “Kiplinger’s compares all 50 states across 46 key indicators, including tax rates, the cost of living, access to quality medical care, and recreational activities. New Hampshire stood out by scoring #5 for healthcare and #8 for quality of life” - Let’s Move to New Hampshire

GRANITE GADGETS

Science & Innovation

• UNH Receives $12 million award to advance marine energy research

  • “The Atlantic Marine Energy Center (AMEC), led by the University of New Hampshire, is working to develop the technology and skills that will help unlock the power of the sea as a renewable source of energy. A $12 million award from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) will advance those efforts by funding research, facilities and workforce development for the marine energy industry.”  - UNH Today

• Team of UNH researchers trek through Arctic to study rising sea levels

  • “The team from UNH joined 40 other researchers from across the globe with the mission to study methane levels, measure ice thickness and assess rising sea levels caused by warming Atlantic waters.” - WMUR

• UNH research examines potential weather resistant pasture crops

  • “…farmers can use the results of this study to manage their forage crops more effectively. For example, it may be best to limit red clover or avoid grazing and harvesting it when it is drought-stressed to keep cattle’s phytoestrogen consumption low.” - UNH Today

GRANITE GRADUATES

Education

• UNH Paul College Adds Supply Chain and Hospitality Tracks to Business Administration Major

  • “‘These new options not only provide students with greater flexibility but also equip them with the skills and knowledge needed to excel in dynamic global markets in high-demand industries’ says Luciana Echazu, associate dean for undergraduate education.” - UNH Today

• UNH invests in student to career pipelines

  • “The strategic expansion of offerings is centered in two key initiatives: the creation of a high-impact practices unit – which includes an innovative Campus-2-Career program piloted last year that focuses on professional development for on-campus student workers – and the expansion of an employer relations unit to better establish and enhance connections to regional companies and organizations who are or could be employing UNH students.” - UNH Today

• NH high school students self organizing to drive up voter registration at schools

  • “[Voter registration] events…organized by teens, are happening all over the state, with more than 500 new voters registering during the 2023-24 school year — including 45 in Exeter. Foundation grants are supporting Open Democracy, The Civics Center and other nonpartisan voter-registration and youth organizing efforts.” - NH Charitable Foundation

GRANITE GREENERY

Sustainability & Environment

• NH Audubon sees record breaking breeding season results for bald eagles and peregrine falcons

  • "New Hampshire Fish & Game (NHFG) removed the Bald Eagle from the NH Endangered and Threatened Wildlife List in March 2017 after NH Audubon and our state and federal wildlife partners documented 20 years of strong population growth. Looking back this was clearly the right decision, and the population has continued to expand since then." - NH Audubon

  • “This marks the 44th breeding season in the post-DDT recovery era for NH’s Peregrines, which even today remain on NH’s state-threatened list. Their population growth in the Granite State continues to take place very gradually.” - NH Audubon

• Forest Society Purchases & Protects 730 Acres in Berlin: Cascade Hill Forest

  • “The Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests recently purchased and permanently protected a 730-acre parcel in Berlin, New Hampshire, now to be called the Cascade Hill Forest. The Forest Society will manage this land as a working forest, and it will remain open to the public for hunting, fishing, hiking, and snowmobiling.” - Society for the Protection of NH Forests

• Mt. Major Sustainability Upgrade Wraps Up

  • “For decades, the soil eroding from these areas has been washing down the trail, into streams and directly into Lake Winnipesaukee across Route 11 from the Mt. Major parking area. The new trail section requires much less maintenance over time and will reduce runoff and silting into Lake Winnipesaukee.” - Society for the Protection of NH Forests

GRANITE GIVING

Nonprofits & Philanthropy

• Car dealers kickstart fund to make driver education more accessible in New Hampshire

  • “In an effort to improve access to affordable and accessible driver education programs, the NH Division of Motor Vehicles, NH Auto Dealers Association, NH Driver Education Teachers Association, and the NH Commission for Human Rights have united to create the NH Driver Education Fund.” - Manchester Inklink

• Nashua recognized as a welcoming city by Welcoming America organization

  • “Nashua, New Hampshire, has officially been designated as a ‘Welcoming City,’ joining the Welcoming America initiative, a prestigious network dedicated to fostering inclusive and supportive communities across the nation.” - Let’s Move to New Hampshire

GRANITE GOSSIP

Positive content about NH

• NHPR: Give Back NH— Give Back New Hampshire is a bi-weekly segment that spotlights nonprofit organizations across the Granite State.

  • “On this week’s episode of Give Back New Hampshire, our focus is the Friends of the Northern Rail Trail. Their mission is to improve, promote, and maintain the Northern Rail Trail as a four season, multi-use trail.”

• City of Dover, NH: Dover Download - Dover Download is a weekly look at what's happening in the City of Dover, New Hampshire, hosted by Deputy City Manager Christopher Parker.

  • Rooting for Dover: Street Trees and Clean Energy Initiatives — This episode covers “the multiple benefits of street trees, including aesthetics, drainage, reducing heat island effects, and improving public health.”

GRANITE GREATNESS

Human Interest & Our Favorite Stories

• Christa McAuliffe statue is the first of a woman at New Hampshire's Statehouse

  • “Decades after she was picked to be America's first teacher in space, Christa McAuliffe is still a pioneer - this time as the first woman to be memorialized on the grounds of New Hampshire's Statehouse, in the city where she taught high school. McAuliffe was 37 when she was killed, one of the seven crew members aboard the Challenger when the space shuttle broke apart on live TV on Jan. 28, 1986. She didn't have the chance to give the lessons she had planned to teach from space. But people are still learning from her.”

  • “The 8-foot-tall (2.4-meter) bronze likeness atop a granite pedestal is believed to be the first full statue of McAuliffe, known for her openness to experimental learning. Her motto was: ‘I touch the future, I teach.’” - CBS

That’s it for this edition of the Good News in New Hampshire Newsletter. This newsletter is free and shareable to anyone anywhere. We also post on Instagram and Linkedin.

If you are hungry for good news beyond the borders of the Granite State, I encourage you to check out our friends at Fix the News or the Progress Network.

Special thank you to Zoe Dawson at NH Audubon for writing us and sharing some great news about rebounding populations of bald eagles and peregrine falcons in NH.

Thanks for reading!

-Andy