New Hampshire Gov. John Lynch announced on Thursday that he would sign legislation allowing for civil unions. "New Hampshire has a proud history and tradition of taking the side of opposing discrimination where it occurs. This bill will go a long way toward assuring that," Lynch told the Associated Press, as reported by the Valley News. Republican opponents, however, asserted that support for civil unions would be costly to the state's Democrats, as New Hampshire voters will be taken by surprise.
Nelnet Inc. disclosed Friday that it had improperly given plane tickets and other benefits to colleges and financial aid officers, according to the New York Times. The company, a leading lender based in Nebraska, has agreed to provide $1 million to a fund for educating borrowers and to follow a code of conduct, the Times said. The disclosure comes in response to New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo's investigation of illegal practices by educational lending firms and follows similar agreements with lenders Citibank and Sallie Mae. While Nelnet argued that its transgressions are small in comparison to its competitors, Cuomo said that his investigation of Nelnet will continue despite the agreement.
Jared Barrows, 23, a senior at Plymouth State University, died Friday night from injuries sustained during a fight the previous Sunday, according to the Union Leader. Barrows had been in a coma since the incident. "The university community as a whole is tremendously saddened by this," Christopher Williams, university spokesman, told the Union Leader. Plymouth Police have charged Benjamin Grew, 19, with second degree assault in connection with the injury, and added that the charge may be upgraded. "It's a process that will require sifting through the details of the investigation [and] looking at the medical evidence," Jeffery Strelzin, a senior assistant attorney general, told the Union Leader.
