Certain towns in northern New Hampshire are becoming destinations for artists. But why? And can music fuel community development and growth? Jason Tors thinks so. He’s the owner and artist behind the Loading Dock in Littleton. It’s an unlikely
Two years ago, VA employees blew the whistle on what they called bad care for veterans at the Manchester VA , kicking off a scandal that made national news. This week, we’re taking a look at what happened in New Hampshire’s only VA Medical Cent
During our reporting, some conversations don't make the final cut because they don't quite fit the subject at hand – but it's often the meandering moment and quiet stories that bring a place to life. Here's a few too good not to share: we're ca
This week on Word of Mouth, we're continuing our series on the North Country by answering a listener's question about access to high-speed internet. You can send us your questions about New Hampshire by emailing us or submitting a question onli
What's nearly triangular, fiercely litigated, and often just rivers? The state border, of course. This week, we look at how New Hampshire fought for its borders. And how the borders inside the state determine how we are represented.
When you think of ghost towns… you might picture something from a western. A dusty town abandoned after a gold rush; no obvious signs of life, a random tumbleweed. But ghost towns are all over… including in New Hampshire. This week, answers to
Running for office in NH is more than kissing babies and shaking hands. There are qualifications to meet, paperwork to be filed, yard signs to be placed… and town dumps to visit. Then, we'll head into the woods to discover the department that m
Over the last few months, here at Word of Mouth, we've asked listeners to send us their questions about northern New Hampshire. In the first episode of our North Country Series answering those questions, we cover the basics: Where exactly does
When you think about civics and government, you probably think about voting and politicians, but the government touches every part of your life from birth to death. Today, we look at birth. What does it take to be born an American citizen? And
The Executive Council is a peculiar New Hampshire institution made up of five “citizen” councilors that, together with the governor, make up the executive branch. Why do we have one? And how does it work? Then, o verpopulation was one of the bi
When workers at the American embassy Cuba claimed to have been attacked by a mysterious weapon that left no trace, it led to a major shift in American diplomacy toward the Caribbean socialist state. But the story has also led to a split in jour
Over 100 years ago, in 1909, Edwin Grozier, publisher of the Boston Post, had an idea for a publicity stunt. He would send out an ebony cane with a gold top, complete with inscription, to 700 New England towns. The cane was to be given out to t
New Hampshire like every other state has its own Supreme Court. It’s not the all-powerful arbiter of justice that the name would imply. A primer on the New Hampshire Surpreme Court from Civics 101: NH. Then, the controversial start to our Const
In the early 1940s, an inventor from Berlin created a container made of refined polyethylene, an odorless, non-toxic plastic that would revolutionize food storage. Then, a mystery in the woods involving a beloved New Hampshire product from Outs
This is the fourth and final episode of “The Rules Are Different Here,” a four-part series on mass incarceration in New Hampshire. Listen to the full series here. Annie Wrenn is middle-aged with blond hair she wears with bangs. She’s a little o
Before any bill can become a law in New Hampshire, it has to have at least one public hearing, where anyone can show up and talk to their lawmakers face to face. You can tell them what you think about the bill. A lot of people have never testif
Town meetings are a New Hampshire institution. It’s where all the year’s business is voted on by citizens in town halls, gyms, and community centers around the state. But for the uninitiated, town meeting can be confusing. Civics 101: New Hamps
Three years ago, Samuel and Rachel purchased a wooden crate manufactured by inmates at the New Hampshire State Prison, but they wondered: was it ethically made? This is the third episode in our four-part series on mass incarceration in New Hamp
When you visit the state house in Concord, you might notice some well-dressed people sporting bright orange name tags: lobbyists. What do lobbyists do and how does lobbying work? Then we’re going inside drug court, a program designed to divert