By Dana Wormald | Editor
Good morning, New Hampshire, and welcome to Friday. Today, Maya Mitchell reports on how concerns about childcare affordability and access are showing up in the 1st Congressional District race. Also, in the Friday commentary, Anthony Veltri explains how a pair of issues in New Hampshire prove the importance of follow-through after officials make public promises. And, from States Newsroom’s David Lightman, a bipartisan attempt to tackle the red tape hindering new energy projects runs into criticism from environmental groups. Thank you for reading, and have a great weekend. — Dana
Stefany Shaheen speaks to supporters at a primary election results watch party in Portsmouth on Sept. 9, 2026. (Photo by William Skipworth/New Hampshire Bulletin)
By Maya Mitchell
Throughout campaigns in New Hampshire and all over the country, candidates have made affordability a key focus as the cost of living rises. In New Hampshire’s 1st Congressional District, both Republican nominee Anthony DiLorenzo and Democratic nominee Stefany Shaheen say rising childcare costs are impacting families. Plans from the two candidates on how to address it in the Capitol, if elected, differ.
In 2024, Granite Shore described plans to turn Merrimack Station into a renewable energy park. (File photo by Hadley Barndollar/New Hampshire Bulletin)
COMMENTARY
By Anthony Veltri
“Three questions separate a commitment from an assurance: (1) Who owns the obligation, with suitable authority and resources to meet it? (2) What evidence would show whether it is being met? (3) What survives a change in leadership, funding or ownership? If an announcement cannot answer all three, residents are holding an assurance, however sincere. Answers do not guarantee follow-through, but they make it possible to check. A forest’s staff can be reassigned. A data center can be sold. Responsibility needs to survive those changes.”
By David Lightman
Top Republican and Democratic senators have unveiled a 417-page bill to overhaul the approval process for new energy projects, a pathway for what’s known as “permitting reform.” A debate is likely when lawmakers return for their lame-duck session in November, though getting to a finish line anytime soon won’t be easy. Reformers will have to fight environmental groups, who tend to appreciate today’s detailed, often lengthy process for reviewing energy projects. They worry that streamlining reviews will make it easier for energy-gulping and air-and-water-polluting projects to proceed.
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