News – Politics – Opinion – Podcasts
Julie Smith 
It was my understanding that the formerly pending asphalt plant site at 145 Temple Street Nashua was in “mixed use” zoning, which could/would have been their argument had they not withdrawn their litigation against the City. I haven’t been paying attention to this matter since the last city election came and went, and they apparently … Read more
After submitting my most recent article on rogue Rs that voted the wrong way on HB1002 last year and removing property tax relief from HB2 this year, I started alerting constituents of the latter. A constituent of Bryer complained of him being a “union schmuck” and that inspired me to do more cross referencing. I … Read more
Rep Jeremy Slottje and various others have tweeted from Reps Hall during today’s House session while the budget was being worked on. It’s reported that 38 Rs voted to remove property tax relief from HB 2. Of the 38, Rep Kuttab and Judge Lynn come as no surprise because their disdain for Nashua taxpayers and … Read more
With a 2nd hearing (aka 2nd bite at the apple) coming up at 10 am on Tuesday for HB649 (removing the requirement for physical safety inspections and on-board diagnostic tests for passenger vehicles), I want to share some takeaways as I just got off the phone with the only member of Senate Commerce that replied … Read more
Let’s start by taking a look at this video of last night’s Finance committee meeting in Nashua, skipping to 1h18min where the mayor stokes discord and vitriol in the chamber against the federal government for cutting some of its funding to the PD and FD, particularly special equipment that also benefits communities outside Nashua. There … Read more
As COVID-related funds dry up, either by sunsetting or someone in Washington closing the valve, the amount of stupidity on full display is astounding. It’s mostly among the enemy camp, both in the ruling class and their supporters. Though gratefully relocated far from the most troubled city in the state, I still pay attention to … Read more
As I’ve been closely following HB 649 (removing the requirement for physical safety inspections and on-board diagnostic tests for passenger vehicles…), I’ve been trying to rally up the troops at every step of the way. Part of me is concerned with coming off as a keyboard warrior or armchair activist, as I wrote four previous … Read more
In the shadow of Queen Sharon’s Senate-chamber speech in support of SB268 (permitting classification of individuals based on biological sex under certain limited circumstances), I observed something that got less attention. It was Rochefort, a pharmacist, recusing himself from a pharmacy bill later in the afternoon. Good for him! Nurse Terese often quotes her late … Read more
Plato said, “If you don’t take interest in the affairs of your government, then you are doomed to live under the rule of fools.” Let me tell you, my friends, how much that resonates with me as a former constituent of Mr & Mrs Newman and Alderman Dowd, to name a few. The goal of … Read more
I just looked at an event flyer for the 2025 Greater Nashua Public Health Week Kickoff Event on Monday 4/7. When Grokster Beth Scaer showed it to me, her caption said, “It’s the third year in a row that they have moved the kickoff inside after I attended the kickoff on the city hall plaza … Read more
Remember that nut job with a disdain for carpenters that Senator Denise unseated in 2020? If you don’t, that’s ok because I’ll remind you now and she has a local opportunity to advance her struggle to stay relevant. It’s Jeanne Dietsch of Peterborough, founder of Granite State Matters, and there are a few details of … Read more
Let’s talk about the late Vesta Roy (3/26/25-2/9/02), someone I’ve known but didn’t know well until recently. Rep Moffett mentioned her in his recent article to promote his perennial pitch (CACR 1) for having a lieutenant governor. Her centennial birthday makes a good excuse to talk about her again. There’s no need to rewrite her … Read more
As someone with zero French ancestry and a mere “hobbyist student” of French, I am on the Franco-American Centre (FACNH) email list and regularly gloss over their newsletters for events of interest. One annual tradition of theirs that I’ve attended the past two times is their executive council meeting event recognizing March as “Francophonie Month.” … Read more
Let’s first acknowledge that not all House committees have a Senate clone of them. Prior to this year, they didn’t have one for Children and Family Law or Education FUNDING, for example. Gun bills and other Criminal Justice House bills usually go to Judiciary. House school mask bills have gone to HHS instead of Education, … Read more
March 13 is a busy day on the birthday calendar. First, there is Heather Birch, aka Mrs Howard Pearl, who is less than a year older than me. The late great Krauthammer would be turning 75. There’s also Don Grandmaison, my former mailman and Nashua’s oldest—still on the job and turning 83. Deviating from chronological … Read more
Think of this installment as “Part 2” to my previous article asking if our Senate is compromised. As HB649 makes its way to the Senate, I’ve already pointed out some “problem donors” and some of their disturbing amounts donated to Senate Transportation committee members and the Old Battle Axe, Queen Sharon (Carson). Let’s first look … Read more
The news of 2025’s perennial attempt to abolish the “sticker tax,” aka HB649 (ending annual passenger vehicles inspections), is good so far. The House has voted in favor despite the failure of the House Transportation Committee to produce a proper recommendation. The committee did not recommend either pass or fail, which has happened to other … Read more
The HB649 House roll call numbers are in (HB649 ends mandatory passenger vehicle inspections). 355 (out of 400) reps voted, and 15 out of 183 Republicans went rogue. Without further delay, let’s shame them now. As Chau Kelley would say, “There you have it, ladies and gentlemen.” *The 8 two-time tax-loving Uniparty establishment Rs are … Read more
Jeb Bradley is a gridiot. It is common knowledge and perhaps one of his biggest nonpolitical claims to fame. For those who don’t know what that means, it’s an elite status in the hiking community earned by climbing to the summit (and back to the trailhead) of all 48 peaks on the AMC list of … Read more
Tim Lang is the chair of Senate Ways & Means and most of us are familiar with how much power a committee chair has on “either side of the wall.” One of those powers is choosing who is heard and in what order. I wasn’t planning on being petty about it, but I’ll quickly point … Read more