The Winter Olympics kick off Friday, and nearly 2,900 athletes are headed to Italy to compete on the world’s biggest winter stage.

One of the newest additions is ski mountaineering, also known as “skimo,” making its Olympic debut. Think uphill mountain climbing on skis followed by fast, technical downhill racing.

It’s also a good reminder of how far the Olympics have come. When the first Winter Games were held in 1924 in Chamonix, France, just 258 athletes competed—and only 11 were women, limited to figure skating. This year, women make up about 47% of the field.

➡️ Read more: New events in the 2026 Winter Olympics

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

📰 What we’re reading, news from around the state

📣 Ayotte admin worked with ICE on Merrimack detention site

🥇 Local Olympians to watch out for

📢 Question of the week: Should New Hampshire expand or restrict local law enforcement’s cooperation with ICE?

📅 Top events for your calendar

👉 It’s 2026 and you’re uninsured. Now what?

“Health policy changes in Washington will ripple through the country, resulting in millions of Americans losing their Medicaid or Affordable Care Act coverage. But there are still ways to find care.” — KFF Health News

👉 Nashua explosion investigators issue warning about ice on roofs

“‘If you see ice buildup above the gas meter or utility line, do not attempt to clear it yourself. Keep people clear of the area and contact your local utility provider.’” — CBS News

👉 Portsmouth High School students walk out to protest ICE

“‘The people who are saying school isn’t a place to be protesting these things, I’ve seen that ICE is going into schools and waiting outside of schools to take teenagers,” Caldwell said. “If they’re going to make it the place, we’re going to make it the place. It’s wrong.’” — Seacoastonline

👉 Executive Council approves $230K to study leaving electric grid

“The New Hampshire Department of Energy is hiring a consultant to assess whether it would be feasible for the state to cut itself off or step back from the regional power grid.” — New Hampshire Bulletin

Gov. Kelly Ayotte is scrambling to explain how her administration worked to advance plans for an ICE detention facility in Merrimack without her knowledge.

By Colin Booth

New Hampshire Republican Gov. Kelly Ayotte’s administration is scrambling to explain how a state agency under her purview exchanged formal correspondence with federal officials about advanced plans to convert a Merrimack warehouse into an immigration detention site. The governor said just days ago she couldn’t confirm the facility was moving forward and such plans were merely “speculative”.

The ACLU of New Hampshire on Tuesday released records it obtained through a Right-to-Know request that it says show Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), in mid-January, initiated a regulatory consultation with the New Hampshire Division of Historical Resources about its intent to “purchase, occupy and rehabilitate a 43-acre warehouse property in support of ICE operations” at 50 Robert Milligan Parkway.

(Girish Sangammanavar/Unsplash)

🏒 Caroline Harvey, Women’s Hockey
Hometown: Salem, New Hampshire
Achievements: She was part of the team that won silver at the 2022 Beijing Games, where she was the youngest person on the team. She’s a senior at the University of Wisconsin. 

🛷 David Eustace, Paralympic Sled Hockey
Hometown: Stoneham, Massachusetts
Achievements: Two-time Paralympian and Paralympic gold medalist. Stoneham High School graduate; played youth sled hockey with Northeast Passage at the University of New Hampshire.

🎯 Sean Doherty, Biathlon
Hometown: Center Conway, New Hampshire
Achievements: Eight-time World Championship Team member; competing in biathlon since age 12.

⛷️ Grace Henderson, Freestyle Skiing
Hometown: Durham, New Hampshire
Achievements: She’s making her Olympic debut at 24 years old. She’s had two top-10 finishes on the World Cup in 2019 and 2020.

⛷️ Hunter Henderson, Freestyle Skiing
Hometown: Durham, New Hampshire
Achievements: The younger brother of Grace. He’s also making his Olympic debut at 23 years old. He competed in the youth Olympics, placing third and fourth in 2022.

Several New Hampshire agencies, including the New Hampshire State Police and the sheriff’s departments in Belknap, Grafton, Hillsborough and Rockingham counties, announced they’re planning to cooperate with ICE.

So this week’s question is…

Should New Hampshire expand or restrict local law enforcement’s cooperation with ICE?

Here’s what you’re saying…

“Definitely restrict local law enforcement cooperation with ICE, given the cruel and lawless organization ICE has shown itself to be, with untrained, mentally unstable thugs bullying and killing us. Who are all the people who are being targeted going to turn to for fair treatment?? We need local law enforcement to keep ICE in line, if at all possible. I am a senior white woman who has been an activist my entire life and I am afraid for the first time, and for good reason. I know there are decent people in law enforcement with integrity, but at this point I trust no one.” — Mary Livingston

“Restrict! The current unlawful activities of ICE should not be cooperated with by anyone. We must resist having them here and resist any suggestion that NH host a warehouse for detaining and mistreating human beings. Any person, town, city, county or state official who chooses to cooperate with these unlawful, untrained thugs will be held responsible and accountable for the chaos ICE will create here and for the horrible, hateful harm they will impose on immigrants and all of our Granite Staters. ICE OUT” — Suzanne Dupont

“Absolutely not. This federal agency is ignoring our constitutional rights as they demonstrate hate-based actions toward our immigrant brothers and sisters. Supposedly, they were targeting ‘the worst of the worst.’ Am I supposed to be fearful of children? Why are they being deported? Used as bait?

Disgusting and anti-American to its core. They are Trump’s gestapo in every way.” — Dot Hyde

“Local police cooperation with ICE should only happen if group is adhering to proper training, full police protocol, laws, rules with police in full charge.” — Kay Campbell

“They have murdered American citizens who were exercising their First Amendment rights. ICE has proven itself to be a marauding pack of untrained, inhumane, lawless goons. Keep them OUT of NH until they can follow the law, unmasked, wearing body cams.” — Meg Trainor

“NO COOPERATION WITH ICE. THEY ARE NOT OPERATING IN A LEGAL WAY. OUR LAW ENFORCEMENT SHOULD BE PROTECTING OUR RESIDENTS FROM THEIR ABUSIVE TREATMENT” — Sharon Bove

“We should neither expand, nor restrict but work with them when a criminal alien is in our State for the safety of our State residents and citizens. Desperate people are dangerous. We should not be in the business of seeking out immigrants but if one comes into our law enforcement custody because of an alleged crime, especially if it relates to violence or drugs, then we should turn them over.

For instance, local police or sheriffs arrest an offender for committing a crime in NH. If they discover the person should not be in our country then I agree to contact ICE for removal.

If ICE or Border Patrol notifies authorities in NH they are aware of a criminal who comes into our State, we should be made aware of the location of this individual(s) and cooperate with ICE.

We should maintain professional courtesy and it goes both ways. We have enough criminals and drug addicts to contend with that are US and NH citizens. It is costly and uses our resources, as it should. So, if the Federal government is willing to take the violent and criminal illegal immigrants away, let them.” — Sharon Thorne

🎓 Dartmouth Winter Carnival
Hanover — Feb. 5–8
Founded in 1911, Dartmouth’s Winter Carnival celebrates winter in the Upper Valley and Dartmouth’s winter sports programs. The 116th annual carnival features the theme The Blizzard of Oz: Wicked Cold. Events and programming take place throughout the Dartmouth campus and the surrounding area.
More info

⛄ Keene Ice & Snow Festival
Sat. Feb. 7
An annual winter festival with ice sculptures, seasonal activities, and community events throughout downtown Keene.
More info

🎭 Newport Winter Carnival
Feb. 11–15
The nation’s oldest continuously running winter carnival returns for its 110th year. Events include a parade, torch lighting, horse-drawn wagon rides, ice sculpting demonstrations, and a winter carnival pageant. The 2026 theme is Red, White, & BRRR.
More info

🐕 World Championship Sled Dog Derby
Laconia — Feb. 13–15
A three-day sled dog racing event drawing professional mushers and teams from across the U.S. and Canada. The event includes meet-and-greet opportunities with mushers and dogs, followed by races along snow-covered trails.
More info

🍷 Winter Wine Festival
New Castle — Jan. 23 to Feb. 15
A monthlong wine festival at Wentworth by the Sea featuring multi-course Grand Vintner’s Dinners, large-scale tastings, flight nights, and a Bubbles & Jazz Brunch, with winery representatives and curated pours from around the world.
More info 

❄️ Squam Lakes Winter Fest
Holderness — Sat. Feb. 14
A free winter festival held along Squam Lake, featuring sledding, ice skating, winter mini golf, fire pits, conservation and environmental demonstrations, and a chili cookoff with local restaurants.
More info

🎉 Alton Bay Winter Carnival
Sun. Feb. 15
A Lakes Region winter carnival featuring horse-drawn sleigh rides, ice sculpture demonstrations, kids’ activities, food vendors, a chowder tasting, and a bob house decorating contest.
More info

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Thanks for reading. This newsletter was written by Katy Savage. It was edited by Paula Solis.

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