NH/Maine News Briefs 2-13-2026

The Manchester School District may have to cut 15-million-dollars from it’s budget in the coming months.  That reduction would be mandatory if city aldermen decide to approve a tax-cap compliant budget.  In order to achieve the necessary savings, up to 100 positions in the district could be eliminated.  Other potential ideas include getting rid of bus service for students living within two miles of schools and delaying repayment for construction and repayment work.

Casino Salem at the Mall at Rockingham Park is going to be closing its doors next month.  The shutdown will go into effect March 9th as part of the transformation into the Rockingham Grand Casino that’s expected to open in 2027.  The project could cost up to 200-million dollars and the casino owner will keep some employees in addition to hiring new team members.  Casino Salem currently operates out of the former Lord and Taylor store space at the mall.

Getting from the Granite State to Music City will be easier in the coming months.  That’s because Southwest Airlines is offering nonstop service from Manchester-Boston Regional Airport to Nashville, Tennessee.  Those flights are set to begin in October and this is the first new market for the carrier since 2011.  The flight takes under three hours and will be available Sunday, Monday, Thursday, Friday at Saturday.

The University of Maine is reviewing its association with former United States Senator George Mitchell.  The school system is looking into renaming campus institutions affiliated with Mitchell after his name appeared in the latest release of files involving Jeffrey Epstein.  UMaine has two programs tied to Mitchell, including one that supports students in their effort to spend a year at an Irish university.  Mitchell has denied all knowledge of Epstein’s criminal activity.