{"id":25641,"date":"2026-02-28T07:00:46","date_gmt":"2026-02-28T12:00:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nhtalkradio.com\/?p=25641"},"modified":"2026-02-26T19:35:46","modified_gmt":"2026-02-27T00:35:46","slug":"february-28-2026-new-england-news-roundup","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nhtalkradio.com\/?p=25641","title":{"rendered":"February 28, 2026 New England News Roundup"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><b>New Hampshire<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><b>Ayotte pitched tax credits for businesses with child care<\/b>: Senator Kelly Ayotte proposed tax credits for businesses offering child care, and the initiative is progressing through the New Hampshire Legislature with discussions on its implementation and potential impact. <a href=\"https:\/\/newhampshirebulletin.com\/2026\/02\/26\/ayotte-pitched-tax-credits-for-businesses-with-child-care-heres-how-its-going-in-the-legislature\/\">https:\/\/newhampshirebulletin.com\/2026\/02\/26\/ayotte-pitched-tax-credits-for-businesses-with-child-care-heres-how-its-going-in-the-legislature\/<\/a> &#8211; New Hampshire Bulletin<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>State to ask Supreme Court to overturn Claremont school funding rulings<\/b>: The New Hampshire government is planning to petition the state Supreme Court to reverse the 1990s Claremont rulings on school funding, arguing they misinterpret the constitution. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nhpr.org\/nh-news\/2026-02-25\/education-funding-taxes-nh-newhampshire-supreme-court-claremont\">https:\/\/www.nhpr.org\/nh-news\/2026-02-25\/education-funding-taxes-nh-newhampshire-supreme-court-claremont<\/a> &#8211; NHPR<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Merrimack officials relieved DHS is ditching detention facility plan<\/b>: Local officials and residents in Merrimack are expressing relief after Governor Kelly Ayotte announced the Department of Homeland Security is abandoning plans for an ICE detention center in the town. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nhpr.org\/nh-news\/2026-02-24\/ayotte-ice-detention-merrimack-newhampshire\">https:\/\/www.nhpr.org\/nh-news\/2026-02-24\/ayotte-ice-detention-merrimack-newhampshire<\/a> &#8211; NHPR<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>School choice programs grow in popularity and cost<\/b>: Enrollment in New Hampshire&#8217;s school choice initiatives is rising, along with associated financial costs, prompting discussions on sustainability and expansion. <a href=\"https:\/\/newhampshirebulletin.com\/2026\/02\/25\/repub\/school-choice-programs-grow-in-popularity-and-cost\/\">https:\/\/newhampshirebulletin.com\/2026\/02\/25\/repub\/school-choice-programs-grow-in-popularity-and-cost\/<\/a> &#8211; New Hampshire Bulletin<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Maine<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><b>Lawmakers consider bill to impose stricter hiring standards for teachers<\/b>: A bipartisan bill in Maine&#8217;s Committee on Education and Cultural Affairs aims to tighten teacher hiring rules to better protect children, addressing past educator-related incidents. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.themainewire.com\/2026\/02\/lawmakers-consider-bill-to-impose-stricter-hiring-standards-for-teachers\/\">https:\/\/www.themainewire.com\/2026\/02\/lawmakers-consider-bill-to-impose-stricter-hiring-standards-for-teachers\/<\/a> &#8211; The Maine Wire<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Ohio airline launches new twice-weekly route to Maine<\/b>: Breeze Airways is starting service from Akron-Canton, Ohio, to Portland, Maine, this summer while dropping its Los Angeles route due to costs, boosting local connectivity. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.themainewire.com\/2026\/02\/ohio-airline-dumps-california-launches-new-twice-weekly-route-to-maine\/\">https:\/\/www.themainewire.com\/2026\/02\/ohio-airline-dumps-california-launches-new-twice-weekly-route-to-maine\/<\/a> &#8211; The Maine Wire<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>3 hospitalized after head-on crash on Route 26 in Poland<\/b>: Three people, including two teenagers, were injured in a head-on collision when an SUV crossed the center line, leading to hospitalizations and an ongoing investigation. <a href=\"https:\/\/wgme.com\/news\/local\/3-hospitalized-after-head-on-crash-on-route-26-in-poland-maine-androscoggin-county-maine-street\">https:\/\/wgme.com\/news\/local\/3-hospitalized-after-head-on-crash-on-route-26-in-poland-maine-androscoggin-county-maine-street<\/a> &#8211; WGME<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Online wine sellers no longer shipping to Maine<\/b>: Some direct-to-consumer wine companies have stopped shipments due to a new state law requiring compliance with local regulations, as explained by the Maine Bureau of Alcoholic Beverages and Lottery Operations. <a href=\"https:\/\/wgme.com\/news\/i-team\/why-are-some-online-wine-sellers-no-longer-shipping-to-maine-convenience-variety-direct-to-consumer-wine-shipping-maine-bureau-of-alcoholic-beverages-and-lottery-operations\">https:\/\/wgme.com\/news\/i-team\/why-are-some-online-wine-sellers-no-longer-shipping-to-maine-convenience-variety-direct-to-consumer-wine-shipping-maine-bureau-of-alcoholic-beverages-and-lottery-operations<\/a> &#8211; WGME<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Vermont<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><b>Poll finds statewide housing crisis at a breaking point<\/b>: A new poll shows Vermont&#8217;s housing affordability and availability issues are critically affecting residents across party lines, with strong support for legislative action. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wcax.com\/2026\/02\/25\/poll-finds-vermont-housing-crisis-breaking-point\">https:\/\/www.wcax.com\/2026\/02\/25\/poll-finds-vermont-housing-crisis-breaking-point<\/a> &#8211; WCAX<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Concern over big data centers is growing<\/b>: Lawmakers and activists are pushing for pauses on large data centers in Vermont due to energy and environmental concerns, while regulators see potential opportunities. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vermontpublic.org\/local-news\/2026-02-26\/concern-over-big-data-centers-is-growing-is-vermont-likely-to-get-one\">https:\/\/www.vermontpublic.org\/local-news\/2026-02-26\/concern-over-big-data-centers-is-growing-is-vermont-likely-to-get-one<\/a> &#8211; Vermont Public<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Health insurance, inflation driving school budget increases<\/b>: Vermont school districts are facing about a 7% rise in health insurance costs, alongside inflation and federal funding cuts, contributing to higher budgets this year. <a href=\"https:\/\/vtdigger.org\/2026\/02\/26\/health-insurance-inflation-and-federal-funding-cuts-heres-whats-driving-school-budget-increases-this-year\">https:\/\/vtdigger.org\/2026\/02\/26\/health-insurance-inflation-and-federal-funding-cuts-heres-whats-driving-school-budget-increases-this-year<\/a> &#8211; VTDigger<\/li>\n<li><b>Jon Murad to officially take over Vermont&#8217;s Department of Corrections<\/b>: Former Burlington Police Chief Jon Murad is set to become commissioner of the state&#8217;s Department of Corrections, overseeing prison operations and reforms. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wcax.com\/2026\/02\/26\/jon-murad-officially-take-over-vermonts-department-corrections\">https:\/\/www.wcax.com\/2026\/02\/26\/jon-murad-officially-take-over-vermonts-department-corrections<\/a> &#8211; WCAX<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>New Hampshire Ayotte pitched tax credits for businesses with child care: Senator Kelly Ayotte proposed tax credits for businesses offering child care, and the initiative is progressing through the New Hampshire Legislature with discussions on its implementation and potential impact. https:\/\/newhampshirebulletin.com\/2026\/02\/26\/ayotte-pitched-tax-credits-for-businesses-with-child-care-heres-how-its-going-in-the-legislature\/ &#8211; New Hampshire Bulletin\u00a0 State to ask Supreme Court to overturn Claremont school funding [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20,"featured_media":25642,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[214],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-25641","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-new-england-news"},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.nhtalkradio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/New-England-News-3.jpeg?fit=1280%2C720&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nhtalkradio.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25641","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nhtalkradio.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nhtalkradio.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nhtalkradio.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/20"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nhtalkradio.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=25641"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.nhtalkradio.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25641\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":25643,"href":"https:\/\/www.nhtalkradio.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25641\/revisions\/25643"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nhtalkradio.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/25642"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nhtalkradio.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=25641"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nhtalkradio.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=25641"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nhtalkradio.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=25641"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}