Youth Detention Abuse Settlements: New Hampshire lawmakers agreed to add $20 million to settle claims from people abused at the state-run Youth Development Center, leaving about 1,700 unresolved cases and setting up hearings under new settlement fund administrator retired Judge Gerard Boyle. Public Defender System: A Massachusetts inspector general report calls the public defender system “broken” and urges tighter rules for determining indigency—an issue that could resonate in NH’s justice-policy debates. Housing Supply Push: At a New Hampshire real estate market event, free-market advocates and lawmakers argued for “starter” homes and fewer building barriers, pointing to HB 628 (“One State, One Code”) and third-party home inspection reforms. Affordable Housing Funding: The state Executive Council approved $5.1 million for 563 housing units across 12 municipalities, with most units targeted as affordable. Energy Policy: A Portsmouth conference is weighing next-generation nuclear options, including small modular reactors, as NH maps a longer-term energy direction. Retail Expansion: Whole Foods will open its fifth New Hampshire store in Salem on July 22. Politics & Ethics: Rep. Maggie Goodlander is pushing a bipartisan ban on federal officials’ stock trading and prediction-market bets, with penalties tied to profits. Immigration/Health Care: DOJ announced a healthcare fraud crackdown tied to massive Medicaid schemes, including charges involving defendants in New Hampshire. Local Food Security: Keene will host free weekly meal-kit pickups for children from July 10 through Aug. 7 via the NH Food Bank and Catholic Charities.