Tackling unresolved issues in NH heading into 2026

30S AT THE END OF THE WEEKEND. NEXT WEEKEND. WELCOME TO NEW HAMPSHIRE’S BUSINESS. I’M FRED KOCHER. HEADING INTO 2026, IN NEW HAMPSHIRE, THERE ARE UNRESOLVED ISSUES THAT WILL CONTINUE INTO THE NEW YEAR ONCE MORE. BUT WITH THE NEW YEAR TO TACKLE THEM AND TWO GUESTS ARE HERE TO COMMENT. NOW, HERE ARE THE ISSUES, AT LEAST IN THIS SEGMENT, WE’RE GOING TO TALK ABOUT AFFORDABLE HOUSING SHORTAGE. CHILDCARE SHORTAGE. OF COURSE HEALTH CARE INSURANCE COSTS, EDUCATION 4.0 REWIRING. IN OTHER WORDS, THE COSTS ARE UP AND THE CUTS ARE DOWN. AI IMPACTS ARE AHEAD. WITH ME TO COMMENT ARE SAVVY JOURNALISTS FROM TWO NEW HAMPSHIRE PUBLICATIONS AND MIKE CODY, EDITOR OF NEW HAMPSHIRE BUSINESS REVIEW, AND MATT MURRAY, CO-PUBLISHER OF BUSINESS NEW HAMPSHIRE MAGAZINE. WELCOME. NICE TO HAVE YOU HERE. THANKS. HI, FRED. YOU KNOW, FOUR OF THOSE FIVE ISSUES WE JUST PUT UP ON THE SCREEN HAVE BEEN AROUND HERE FOR YEARS. AND AS YOU SAID EARLIER, A DECADE. HERE THEY GO AGAIN. YES THEY DO. HOUSING, CHILDCARE, HEALTH CARE COSTS, EDUCATION. YOU GUYS REPORT ON THIS MUCH MORE THAN I DO. IS THERE ANY GREEN, ANY BRIGHT LIGHT OUT HERE ON ANY OF THOSE ISSUES THAT WE CAN SAY IS POSITIVE? YES. THESE ARE HUGE CHALLENGES THAT WE FACED. WE’VE BEEN WRITING FOR, LIKE, AS YOU SAID, A DECADE, ABOUT THESE PENDING AFFORDABLE HOUSING CRISIS, THE CHILDCARE CRISIS, AND NOW THEY’RE HERE. THE GOOD NEWS IS THAT THEY’RE BEING TAKEN SERIOUSLY AT ALL LEVELS AT THE BUSINESS, THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY, THE NONPROFIT COMMUNITY, AND THE GOVERNMENT LEADERS. AND SO WE HAVE BEEN SEEING PROGRESS ON BILLS THAT HAVE BEEN SET FORTH TO MAKE ZONING EASIER AT THE STATE LEVEL. AND WE’RE GOING TO SEE BILLS NOW COMING THROUGH IN 2026 THAT ARE GOING TO FOCUS ON INCREASING INFRASTRUCTURE FOR THESE AFFORDABLE HOUSING PROJECTS, BECAUSE THERE ARE ISSUES WITH WATER AND SEWER. AND SO THAT’S GOING TO BE, I THINK, A FOCUS IN THE UPCOMING LEGISLATURE. AND SO IT’S GOOD NEWS THAT THEY’RE FOCUSING ON THESE THINGS. I THINK THAT, YOU KNOW, THESE LOOK AT THESE PROBLEMS. AND THE REASON WHY THEY’RE TAKEN SERIOUSLY IS BECAUSE THEY’RE AFFECTING EVERYBODY. I MEAN, THROUGHOUT MY CAREER, I’VE ALWAYS WE’VE ALWAYS HEARD ABOUT AFFORDABLE HOUSING, BUT IT WAS AFFORDABLE HOUSING FOR THE WORKING CLASS OF PEOPLE WHO WORK IN THE HOTELS OR WHATEVER. THE MAYOR OF MANCHESTER WAS AT A RECENT HOUSING FORUM, AND HE SAID THAT IF HE BOUGHT HIS HOUSE IN 2018, HE COULDN’T AFFORD IT NOW. I THINK HE PAID 24 OR SOMETHING AND IT’S WORTH MORE THAN 500,000. AND THIS IS THE MAYOR, HE SAID. IT COULD BE PRICED OUT OF MY OWN CITY. THAT’S WHY PEOPLE ARE PAYING ATTENTION, BECAUSE IT’S AFFECTING SUCH A HUGE PART OF THE POPULATION. INTERESTING HOUSING. WE NEED 23,000 MORE UNITS IMMEDIATELY. ACCORDING TO ANALYSIS BY NEW HAMPSHIRE HOUSING, CHILDCARE, LICENSED CHILD PROVIDERS, DOWN 14% IN 2024. AND AND OF COURSE, EDUCATION BEING CUT BY MILLIONS BOTH AT THE UNH LEVEL, NEW HAMPSHIRE AND KEENE STATE AND PLYMOUTH STATE. AND NOW CLAREMONT HIGH SCHOOL AND CONCORD HIGH SCHOOL AND THE SCHOOL DISTRICTS THAT THEY REPRESENT ARE DOWN MILLIONS IN THEIR BUDGET. WHAT’S GOING ON WITH EDUCATION? IT IS IN CRISIS MODE, YOU KNOW, AT THE THE COLLEGE LEVEL. IT’S BEEN WELL KNOWN. WE’RE AT AN ENROLLMENT CLIFF. WE DON’T HAVE THE SAME NUMBER OF STUDENTS COMING IN AS WE USED TO. COLLEGES ARE HAVING TO FIGHT FOR THEIR ENROLLMENTS, AND SMALL RURAL COLLEGES ARE GETTING HIT, WHICH IS BAD NEWS FOR NEW HAMPSHIRE, BECAUSE WE THAT’S A LOT OF WHAT WE HAVE HERE. SO COLLEGES ARE HAVING TO COME UP WITH NEW PROGRAMS. WE ARE SEEING, YOU KNOW, I THINK IT WAS RIVIER UNIVERSITY ROLLED OUT A PROGRAM IF I’M WRONG, BUT SOME OF THE COLLEGES ARE NOW ROLLING OUT PROGRAMS WHERE YOU CAN GRADUATE WITHIN THREE YEARS. SO THEY’RE REALLY HAVING TO INNOVATE IN ORDER TO ATTRACT STUDENTS. AND TEN WEEK PROGRAM. IT’S ALMOST LIKE A TRADE SCHOOL. AND SOME OF THE COMMUNITY COLLEGES HAVE PROGRAMS. I THINK IT’S A GREAT WAY TO TRAIN PEOPLE TO BE, YOU KNOW, ADMIN ASSISTANTS WORK AT THE FRONT DESK IN HEALTHCARE BECAUSE THOSE JOBS ARE IN HIGH DEMAND, RIGHT? I THINK EDUCATION IN GENERAL IS TAKING A IT’S A HUGE SHIFT THAT WHAT WE HOW WE THINK ABOUT EDUCATION. AND WE’RE GOING TO TALK ABOUT AI IS GOING TO CHANGE WHERE WE’RE GOING TO FOCUS MORE ON WHAT SKILLS DO YOU NEED TO GET A JOB VERSUS GOING AWAY FOR FOUR YEARS? YEAH. AND AI THAT WAS ON THAT LIST. WE JUST PUT UP. AND NOW THE NEW HAMPSHIRE TECH ALLIANCE HAS A SPECIAL AI TASK FORCE TO TRY TO GIVE NEW HAMPSHIRE AN ADVANTAGE IN TERMS OF THE DEVELOPMENT. THAT’S HUGE. THAT’S GOING TO DICTATE THE NEXT WHAT, MILLENNIUM? NOW, I’LL TAKE THIS BRIEFLY. I’M ON THE I’M ON THE JUDGING COMMITTEE FOR THE PRODUCT OF THE YEAR. THAT ALLIANCE DOES RIGHT FOR THE LAST TEN YEARS. AND EVERY COMPANY THIS YEAR, SOME MORE THAN OTHERS, ALL HAD AI INCORPORATED INTO THEIR AND WHAT THEY WERE DOING, WHETHER OR NOT THEY WERE ONE COMPANY DEVELOPED A PROCESS TO TRACK SKI RACERS. ANOTHER ONE WAS CANCER DETECTION. THEY’RE ALL USING IT. IT’S ALL PART OF WHAT DRAWS A LOT OF ELECTRICITY. MIKE CODY FROM NEW HAMPSHIRE BUSINESS REVIEW AND MATT MOWRY FROM BUSINESS NEW HAMPSHIRE MAGAZINE. THANK YOU. WE’RE GOING TO CONTINUE TALKING