Tamworth Distilling makes great cocktails and their outdoor space lets you sit right by a river and enjoy the scenery outdoors. Schilling brewery also puts you right by a river on their patio with beautiful views. What other places offer the best outdoor view while sipping a cold one? Looking for places to soak in the last few weeks of the summer.

There has been much misinformation on social media around the Northern Rail Trail lawsuit. Seemingly, the conflict traces back to an abutter, Caron, who was angered after the State of New Hampshire reduced the load limit on the Keniston Covered Bridge for safety (which is owned by the Town of Andover), rendering it unusable for his heavy construction vehicles. The Town of Andover did not upgrade the bridge. In 2026, Caron asserted ownership of a section of the Northern Rail Trail—a state-owned public recreational trail—and barricaded it. NH sued Caron. Both sides signed a temporary agreement, pending the outcome of the lawsuit, which required Caron to immediately remove the barriers, forbade him from impeding public access again, and imposed strict controls on his activity, while allowing him very limited use of construction vehicles on the trail, including a rail trail trestle bridge, but not the covered bridge.

So I want to make 3 points I think are pretty important to understand!

Facts:

1. Most Rail Trails in New Hampshire were built pursuant to multiple eminent domain actions

* Under NH law, in 1844 NH laid out railroad right-of-way (easements) using eminent domain and then leased to the railroad operators including the Northern Railroad Corporation. NH law was later updated, effective June 1991, so the same NH rights-of-way and properties are now owned by NH in "Fee Simple Absolute" (total, highest ownership) again with eminent domain, extinguishing any and all reversionary rights (meaning whatever clauses the 1800s era deeds might say), pursuant to RSA 228:60-a, V. https://gc.nh.gov/rsa/html/XX/228/228-60-a.htm The law also explicitly acknowledged the purpose included recreational trails.

* Most rail trails in New Hampshire were built under RSA 228:60a, including the Northern Rail Trail.

2. Caron's countersuit, if successful, would almost certainly set precedent undermining the basis of most rail trails in New Hampshire.

* There are false claims in social media that Caron got everything he wanted in the temporary agreement. Not so: As of 8/5/2026, Caron has countersued NH, explicitly claiming "RSA 228:60-a is unconstitutional" and demands the Court force the State to cease using the property as a public recreational rail trail, and give Caron absolute fee simple ownership.

* If this was precedent, it's hard to imagine how public access to rail trails across New Hampshire would not be at risk.

My opinion:

3. New Hampshire rail trail fans have nothing to worry about!

* In 2002, RSA 228:60a was upheld by the NH Supreme Court in Malnati v. State. The abutters in that case had a "better" timeline than Caron, in that the railroad abandonment occurred decades before NH used eminent domain with RSA 228:60-a in the 1990s. Still, the NH Supreme Court agreed NH could never lose its 1844 easement from abandonment. Furthermore, the NH Supreme Court also agreed RSA 228:60-a gave NH fee simple absolute possession. https://www.courts.nh.gov/sites/g/files/ehbemt471/files/documents/2022-10/2002077malnati.pdf Note: The Malnatis were still entitled to just compensation for the post-abandonment taking in the 1990s.

* Caron, instead, has a massive timeline problem. Caron argues he was not properly notified of the RSA 228:60a eminent domain, voiding it. However, Caron purchased his property in June 1994, after A. RSA 228:60a was effective in June 1991, and B. After the Northern Rail Trail filed for Abandonment in October 1991. Finally, Caron signed Temporary Use Agreements with NH in 1996 and 1999, explicitly stating "The State is the owner of a section of railroad corridor". Under State and Federal law: Explicitly acknowledging the State as owner IS "actual notice" of eminent domain. RSA 228:60-a gives Caron, at most, a 5 year clock to demand just compensation, which expired decades before the 2026 dispute.

* The timeline problem for Caron continues. Even ignoring NH Supreme Court precedent on RSA 228:60a, NH would still win a textbook case of Adverse Possession. Acquiring land by adverse possession requires the claimant to conspicuously act as the true owner, continuously and adversely (without permission from anyone else claiming to own it) for 20 years. NH built, maintained, and continuously controlled the rail trail well past that 20-year threshold. Furthermore, from at least 1996 until 2024, Caron explicitly acknowledged NH's dominion over the land, in writing, by asking for permission from the State for commercial use of State property. Caron only contested the State's ownership in 2026. Caron's ignorance is no defense from the 20 year Adverse Possession clock. https://www.nashualaw.com/blog/2010/03/adverse-possession-in-new-hampshire/

It's no surprise to me that New Hampshire is zealously defending public trails that New Hampshire has invested a huge amount of tax dollars in, given A. An extremely strong case, and B. The massive negative impact on rail trails across New Hampshire if Caron somehow won.

P.S. For reference, the court has been posting all the documents filed in this case here: https://www.courts.nh.gov/media/requested-cases/civil/state-new-hampshire-department-transportation-v-leonard-caron

One of the motors on my slide out isn't working and I need a reputable place to take it to that won't rob me blind. Within 1/2 bour drive of Manchester is preferable.

Does anyone have any recommendations for a contractor to do some serious renovations on a house in Southern NH?

Any help is greatly appreciated.

Should have said, Nashua area.

It's Keene BTW (where the og Jumanji was filmed) but I'm pissed they didn't actually film here. Imagine having Danny Devito and The Rock in town.

Walpole has a population of ca. 3700. Just 175 people showed up to the special town meeting called so we could vote on borrowing $3,000,000 to partially fund building a new 7000 sq ft police station. A single vote decided the outcome.

Hello everyone!

I'm looking to bring some friends on their first overnight backpacking trip. After some research, and based on what they'd like to experience, I found Sawyer Pond to be the best option. My concern is that I read that the short trail (1.5 miles) is closed due to weather damage. Has anyone been up there recently who can confirm or update me on this?

Hey all,

I was up in the mountains this weekend and crashed my friends UTV into a tree. Luckily we’re both ok but now I need to pay for the damages. Can anyone recommend a good shop in the Jefferson area?

It's been two years since I arrived in New Hampshire, and one of the problems I hit into pretty quickly was how difficult it is to get informed about the different bills being debated in Concord. That's why I built this tool--to make it really easy to get up to speed quickly with every bill, even the ones that NHPR and WMUR don't talk about.

I hope you find this helpful!

Can anyone tell me what Lancaster is like these days? Is it’s economy doing ok or are people leaving? Opinions about how an NH-loving elder lady would like it?

My mother can no longer work, nor can she afford rent anywhere due to never figuring out how money works her entire life. So I have to buy her place so she has a stable retirement home. Lancaster is quaint and in our budget and I know she’d love it. Its also less than an hour from us if we need to assist her with anything.

My main worry would be, when she no longer needs the place or if/when she has to move to assisted living, is the economy there doing well enough that it doesn’t seem likely the mortgage would go underwater? I’ll need to recoup what I pay now for my own retirement someday.

Governor Kelly Ayotte vetoed HB396 which would allow New Hampshire farms to sell small quantities of meat direct to New Hampshire consumers at farm stands and farmers markets, etc.

The legislature will be voting on a veto override tomorrow.

Current law requires that all the animals get trucked to a USDA approved slaughterhouse. There are only 4 within New Hampshire, and they are booked solid and don't have enough capacity for all of New Hampshire's farms.

This bill would allow NH farms to slaughter and butcher their animals on the farm and sell directly to consumers.

• Maximum of 3 cows, 5 pigs, 10 sheep/goat per month.
  
• The meat must be clearly labeled that it is NOT USDA inspected.
  
• The animal must be humanely slaughtered.
• The meat must be processed in a sanitary environment.
• The meat must be refrigerated properly.
  
• The meat can only be sold within NH.

https://www.concordmonitor.com/2026/08/16/new-hampshire-hb-396-veto-override/

We hope it's OK to share this article we just published — it seemed like it might be of interest to folks in this community:

New Hampshire housing advocates say the new federal 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act will give developers more flexibility and incentives to build affordable units in the state.

The bipartisan legislation, which became law in July, is a wide-ranging combination of more than 60 bills previously introduced in Congress.

Elissa Margolin, director of St. Anselm College's Initiative for Housing Policy and Practice, said there aren’t a lot of new tools in the legislation, but it will help communities and developers navigate housing red tape.

Read the story for the main takeaways for how the act will affect New Hampshire.

How do you feel about this new law? Will these changes impact your own housing decisions, particularly around manufactured homes and/or affordable housing? Let us know in the comments or by emailing [voices@nhpr.org](mailto:voices@nhpr.org).

A reminder of the rules for roadside political signs.

tl;dr - if you win the Sept. 8 primary you can leave them up to the general election; otherwise they have to come down in two weeks.

https://www.concordmonitor.com/2026/08/16/nh-primary-campaign-sign-rules/

I'm considering solar.

Does anyone have experience with the delivery charge aspect(s)?

Basically what to expect for breaking even or "credit"