Here are some quick hits to start the day:

Here’s what’s inside today’s newsletter:

📰 What we’re reading: News from around the state

📢 We asked, you answered: Do you support NH National Guard members being deployed in the war with Iran?

🔍 Question of the week: Should NH police work with ICE?

🏕️ 603 Unfiltered: Why are NH campgrounds going corporate?

🦪 New England oysters are mysteriously dying off during the winter. New Hampshire farmers are seeing losses as high as 50%, even in normal years. Scientists are now studying everything from environmental stress to new storage methods to figure out what’s behind the die-offs. Boston Globe

🎿 And if you’re chasing spring turns… a new film is spotlighting the real risks of skiing Tuckerman Ravine on Mount Washington. “The Proving Ground” was sparked by a fatal 2024 fall. New Hampshire Public Radio

🎒 Switching gears to schools… Manchester is exploring later start times for public schools and wants community input. Officials say shifting schedules could improve student sleep and even save about $600,000 by making bus routes more efficient. Surveys are expected to go out soon. WCAX

⚖️ And… a wrongfully convicted former Rhode Island police officer is urging New Hampshire lawmakers to scrap the state’s three-year limit on introducing new evidence to cases. Union Leader

This week, we asked readers: Do you support NH National Guard members being deployed in the war with Iran?

Here’s what they had to say…

“The governor should be challenging the constitutionality of deploying the National guard. Gov Ayotte was the former Attorney general for the state and she knows the law.But for some reason she is ignoring it and will tow the party line whether it is right or wrong. She was elected by the people and should be working for people of NH. But right now, she seems to be ignoring working for all of us in NH.” — Debbie Manning

“Our National Guard should definitely not be deployed to Iran. This is an illegal war precipitated by an unfit president with minimal mental capacity. He should never have gotten us involved in this situation.” — Karen Swango

“We should follow the rule of law.” — Mike E.

“The war in Iran is not a legal war. Sending any troops is a violation of the Constitution and places our military/guard members in a tenuous legal situation, Our Governor needs to support and protect our residents, not play cozy with the Trump administration.” — Art Maerlender 

“Challenge the illegal deployment. We have a Constitution that protects us from government abuse.” — Kevin Macmillan

“Gov. Ayotte should NOT send our National Guard out of country! There are plenty regular military to go overseas!” — Frances Taylor

“No, I do not support NH National Guard members being deployed to the illegal war with Iran, for that very reason—it is illegal. Gov. Kelly Ayotte should absolutely legally challenge the constitutionality of deployment. Considering the fact that she’s the one who’s always going after the bad guys, she’s on the wrong side of the table politically.” — Jane Duggan

“Sending more troops to Iran is an oxymoronic concept. The war was declared (illegally), without approval from Congress and without the involvement of allies or the United Nations. Military members serving are under threat due to the fact that this war is considered illegal.” — Kay Campbell

Over the past year, local law enforcement made 51 immigration-related arrests, according to reporting from New Hampshire Public Radio, which also published charts showing where those arrests happened.

At the same time, the ACLU of New Hampshire says 15 police agencies in the state have signed agreements with ICE through what’s known as the 287(g) program.

That program essentially allows certain local officers to act like federal immigration agents—giving them the authority to identify, detain, and process people for immigration violations, which can ultimately lead to deportation.

It’s also worth noting: New Hampshire is the only state in New England where local police are part of this kind of ICE partnership.

So this week’s question is:

Should New Hampshire require local police to work with ICE—or should Gov. Ayotte push back to protect them?

By Katy Savage

Joseph DiPrima gets one or two calls a week from people looking to buy his campground—and he has for the past four or five years.

DiPrima, who has owned Cozy Pond Camping Resort in Webster for 16 years, gives them all the same answer: “I’m not ready to sell right now.”

Dave Edgerly hears similar pitches. His campground, Great Bay Camping in Newfields, has been in his family since 1987, and he gets multiple calls during the camping season from prospective buyers.

The interest reflects a broader trend. About a quarter of New Hampshire’s privately owned campgrounds are now owned by corporations, according to Jeremy Sprince, executive director of the New Hampshire Campground Owners Association.

Modern America, a Boston-based real estate firm, owns 12 of them.

Thanks for reading. This newsletter was written by Katy Savage. It was edited by Brook Bolen.

Granite Post is free for everyone. Your support makes our work possible.