Editor's note: The following are excerpts from a letter written by Maura Carroll, executive director of the Local Government Center, to member communities.I am writing to provide you with a more detailed response to the recently released report from the…

Some people believe that judges are arrogant and elitist. Superior Court Chief Judge Tina Nadeau has given those people extra ammunition. She recently decreed that her courts will no longer enforce the collection of fines and restitution orders if they…

On Aug. 19, New Hampshire Legal Assistance closed its Nashua office due to a substantial reduction in the funds that it receives from the state of New Hampshire.During the past six years, we have done our best to deliver high-quality…

Each year, millions of Americans carefully save their hard-earned dollars in retirement savings accounts like 401(k)s or IRAs with dreams of a secure retirement. The federal tax code provides them with important incentives to do so.Under existing tax rules, individuals…

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. This old adage has never taken on greater importance than the present day as the cost of becoming and staying healthy continues to soar and as people continue to weigh…

Across the state, the various interests who have come to expect a never-ending supply of state taxpayer funds are now dealing with the difficult reality of a state budget that reduces spending by 11 percent. During the last two budget…

As debate continues in Washington over the best way to ensure the long-term sustainability of Medicare for future generations, the fact remains that beneficiaries and their caregivers need help understanding how the program works today.A recent survey of adults 65…

John Crosier, the former president of New Hampshire's Business and Industry Association, was feted by a group of his friends at a gathering in Concord on July 20.Crosier, a Massachusetts state department head before coming to New Hampshire to lead…

The biggest source of money for New Hampshire is the federal government. Dozens of federal grants are available to states, but a state must put up its own money to receive the federal money.The new state budget rejects over half…

On Election Day last year, the state's unemployment rate stood at 5.7% and the structural budget deficit was $895 million, according to state budget officials. We needed to help more state residents get back to work while also stopping a…

The results are in: Virginia is the most business-friendly state in the union. New Hampshire is 17th.The rankings come from CNBC, based on criteria such as the cost of doing business, infrastructure, education, access to capital and quality of life,…

Through the months-long debate over the state budget, much attention focused on the size of the spending reduction from the last budget. And while the new budget does spend significantly less than the last one, focusing on the bottom-line obscures…