By Michael Kitch

LACONIA -- Retired district court judge Bud Martin on Thursday threw down the gauntlet before the Belknap County Commissioners, challenging them to defend their recommendation to strike funding for a number of agencies and programs from the county budget before a public meeting at the Belknap Mill on Thursday, November 20, beginning at 5 p.m. "I'm trying to get something going," the Laconia attorney said.

The commissioners are expected to recommend reducing or eliminating appropriations totaling almost $810,000 to so-called "outside agencies" when they meet on November 19. Some -- the University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension Service, Belknap County Conservation District the Restorative Juvenile Justice Program, Belknap County Citizens Council on Children and Families -- would be funded only for the first quarter of the year.

Judge Bud Martin

Others -- Genesis Behavioral Health, Belknap County Economic Development Council and the family planning, pre-natal and Winnipesaukee Transit programs of the Belknap-Merrimack County Community Action Program, would be eliminated altogether. Finally, the commissioners propose to fund half the annual $478,356 budget of the Lakes Region Mutual Fire Aid Association to allow the agency time to secure funding for the remainder from its member municipalities.   ...continue reading

By Chris Cillizza

WASHINGTON - The day after the 2008 election ended, the 2010 cycle began for political junkies.

For both parties and their political operatives this is a time filled with possibility and hope. Maybe, just maybe, that governor who has held out on a Senate race for so long will finally make the leap. Maybe, just maybe, a wealthy candidate willing to write his or her own check, will emerge to take on that surprisingly vulnerable incumbent.

In other words: at this point in the cycle, hope springs eternal.

A quick glance at the playing field, however, suggests that Republicans could -- yet again -- be in for a difficult time in 2010.

Paul Hodes

Judd Gregg

John Lynch

Republicans must defend 19 seats including six (North Carolina, Iowa, New Hampshire, Florida, Pennsylvania and Ohio) in states won by President-elect Barack Obama earlier this month.

Democrats have far less vulnerability; only one incumbent up for re-election (Colorado Sen. Ken Salazar) won with less than 55 percent of the vote in 2004 and several potential races are entirely contingent on one Republican candidate deciding to run.    ….continue reading

By Anne E. Kornblut and Michael D. Shear

CHICAGO - President-elect Barack Obama met Friday with New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson in Chicago, Democratic sources said, and is under consideration to be Secretary of State in the Obama administration.

News of the meeting comes after a similar face-to-face meeting Thursday between Obama and Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) sparked a day-long frenzy of speculation about the possibility that she could be Secretary of State.

Hillary Clinton greeting voters at Laconia's Health Link building.

Bill Richardson speaking to a crowd at Laconia's Opechee Park Clubhouse.

Sources said Clinton is now a top contender for the job. Clinton, in an appearance televised live on Friday, said she would not speculate about Obama's Cabinet selections. Her aides have referred questions about the process to the Obama transition team, whose officials are not commenting. Advisors warn that only a small handful of officials know for certain where Clinton ranks on Obama's short list, which also includes Sen. John F. Kerry of Massachusetts.   ….continue reading

By Chris Cillizza

WASHINGTON - Democrat Mark Begich now leads Sen. Ted Stevens (R) by just over 1,000 votes with more than 90 percent of the total ballots now counted in the high-profile Alaska Senate race.

The Alaska Division of Elections counted another 14,500 votes on Friday and Begich's lead increased from 841 before the day started to 1,022 when the counting ended.

That means that Begich has gained more than 4,200 votes on Stevens since the 90,000 early, absentee and questioned ballots began to be counted on Wednesday. There are roughly 24,000 votes left to be counted, and the counting will resume, and presumably conclude, early next week, according to the Begich campaign.    ….continue reading

Mark Begich

By Gary Rayno

MANCHESTER - John Lynch is "the worst governor the state has ever had," former Gov. John H. Sununu told members of the Seacoast Federated Republican Women meeting yesterday in Portsmouth.

Later, explaining his opinion to a reporter, Sununu cited a $250 million state budget deficit; what he called the erosion of family values in the last legislative session; and Lynch's failure to persuade lawmakers from his own party to vote for his constitutional amendment on education.

"A deficit that size is huge and makes it impossible to do anything else worthwhile," Sununu said. "The deficit and the education issue are the two biggest issues in New Hampshire.    ….continue reading

By Eileen Sullivan

WASHINGTON - Threats against a new president historically spike right after an election, but from Maine to Idaho law enforcement officials are seeing more against Barack Obama than ever before. The Secret Service would not comment or provide the number of cases they are investigating. But since the Nov. 4 election, law enforcement officials have seen more potentially threatening writings, Internet postings and other activity directed at Obama than has been seen with any past president-elect, said officials aware of the situation who spoke on condition of anonymity because the issue of a president's security is so sensitive.

Earlier this week, the Secret Service looked into the case of a sign posted on a tree in Vay, Idaho, with Obama's name and the offer of a "free public hanging."   ….continue reading