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Portsmouth Activists Plan Accessible Black ...

A Black Lives Matter protest more accessible to those in the disabled community is being organized for next Friday in Portsmouth.

Portsmouth Activists Plan Accessible Black Lives Matter Protest

Business Leaders Fear Extended Unemployment Could Exacerbate State Labor Shortage.

Business Leaders Fear Extended Unemployment Could Exacerbate State Labor Shortage.

There has been strong tourist trade in the 1,600-person White Mountains town, near Loon Mountain Resort and not far from Cannon Mountain, Waterville Valley Resort and other attractions. Lincoln has approved plans for four new hotels and building permits for 20 new houses.

The only potential bump in the road, as Burbank sees it, is a shortage of workers to wait tables, tend bar and clean rooms. He wonders whether federal supplemental unemployment benefits dissuade people from joining the workforce.

Igloos Pop Up Across New Hampshire As Diners Seek Outdoor Options

Igloos Pop Up Across New Hampshire As Diners Seek Outdoor Options

Like most everyone else in the Granite State, the McBees need to get out of their house every once in a while. But the Merrimack residents tended to follow the safe practices suggested by the state and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and were hesitant to venture to an indoor option, even though wineries are operating at half-capacity, per state guidelines.

One on One with Gov. Chris Sununu - The State We're In

One on One with Gov. Chris Sununu - The State We're In

Despite teachers asking to be moved up in the vaccination cue, it will be seniors and a few others with April appointments for first shots invited to a mass vaccination event at NH Motorspeedway in Loudon this weekend, said Gov. Chris Sununu.

Sununu explained his reasoning on this and a variety of other issues-- including a controversial bill aiming to ban “divisive” training on sex and race and division at the statehouse-- during a recent interview on NH PBS’ digital public affairs show, The State We’re In.

Pandemic Complicates Grieving Process

Pandemic Complicates Grieving Process

Victoria Austin and her husband Brent were on their screened-in porch, having a nightmare conversation. Their son, Clyde, died unexpectedly at home at just 16-months. Because of the pandemic, they couldn’t talk about arrangements in the warmth of their Derry home, so to keep everyone safe they were meeting with a funeral home director in the cool October breeze.

Business Booms For Contractors, Despite COVID Cases Rising

Business Booms For Contractors, Despite COVID Cases Rising

The majority of clients who had committed to projects opted to back out due to uncertainty about having someone else in their house. But unlike many other professions -- most anything indoors comes to mind -- the lull for contractors was only a blip in the grand scheme of things.

Greg Baier, owner of Knollstone Contracting in Concord, saw business plummet early on during the pandemic, but it quickly sprang back.

Summer Camps Likely to Re-open After Pandemic Closure

Summer Camps Likely to Re-open After Pandemic Closure

Overnight camps that serve thousands of young people and generate millions of dollars for the New Hampshire economy are expected to resume operations this summer, a year after the COVID-19 pandemic shuttered many of them for the first time in decades.

Guidelines approved by the New Hampshire Economic Re-Opening Task Force and awaiting Gov. Chris Sununu’s approval set out precautionary steps the camps must take, including testing, health screening, use of face masks and social distancing.

‌Online‌ ‌Gambling‌ ‌A‌ ‌Concern‌ ‌During‌ ‌The‌ ‌Pandemic‌

‌Online‌ ‌Gambling‌ ‌A‌ ‌Concern‌ ‌During‌ ‌The‌ ‌Pandemic‌

New Hampshire lottery sales, particularly from online games, are surging during the pandemic, and with that increase comes a jump in another statistic — the number of problem gamblers who seek assistance for a disorder that can destroy lives.

The National Council on Problem Gambling received 443 calls to its 24-hour helpline (800-522-4700) from New Hampshire last year, compared to 337 in 2019. That’s an increase of 24 percent.

ECONOMIC OUTLOOK: Bankruptcies and Foreclosures: A Coming Storm

ECONOMIC OUTLOOK: Bankruptcies and Foreclosures: A Coming Storm

It’s been a slow year for bankruptcy lawyers in NH, but Blackwood predicts that will soon end. “We’re in the middle of a tough nine to 15 months, then there’s going to be a giant wave.”

It is an assessment shared by other lawyers and analysts who crunch the numbers.

The infusion of government money into personal and business bank accounts; a federal moratorium on foreclosures and evictions that continues to Dec. 31; limited access to the courts; and what Blackwood describes as a general atmosphere of “forbearance” have all combined to keep the cork on a potential flood of foreclosures and bankruptcies.

ECONOMIC OUTLOOK: Banking & Finance

ECONOMIC OUTLOOK: Banking & Finance

Despite the economic uncertainty wrought by the COVID-19 pandemic and already low interest rates driven down further by the public health crisis, local banking leaders say 2020 wasn’t all bad.

“Still, we’ve had a record year for the bank in terms of growth, in terms of lending, in terms of earnings,” says Mark Bodin, president of Savings Bank of Walpole.

ECONOMIC OUTLOOK: Real Estate: The 'COVID Bump'

ECONOMIC OUTLOOK: Real Estate: The 'COVID Bump'

The COVID-19 pandemic created a surge in buyer demand, most of it from out of the immediate area. Without a corresponding increase in available properties, selling prices jumped as buyers competed to be the winning bid.

COVID also ushered in a new way of doing business with virtual showings, Zoom discussions and a host of safety protocols that would have seemed unimaginable when the year began.

ECONOMIC OUTLOOK: The Green Economy

ECONOMIC OUTLOOK: The Green Economy

Across sectors, the COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted businesses large and small, even forcing some local favorites to shutter for good. But for the green energy economy in the Monadnock Region and beyond, there could be a bright spot on the horizon.

According to a report published in December by the Solar Energy Industries Association, solar energy accounted for 43% of new U.S. power capacity additions through the third quarter of 2020. And the industry expects to install more than 19 gigawatts of solar this year, which is enough to power more than 3.6 million homes — a 43% increase compared to the previous year.

Monadnock Agriculture: A Year of Highs and Lows

Monadnock Agriculture: A Year of Highs and Lows

While it’s too soon to tell what the hard figures for 2020 will be for agriculture, trends emerging from the area tell a complicated story. One that Beth Hodge of Echo Farms and current Cheshire County Farm Bureau president says is “a year of highs and lows.”

With consumers looking for safe alternatives to grocery stores, the clear winners this year were produce-based businesses.

ECONOMIC OUTLOOK: Manufacturing: Pivoting Pays Off for Area Manufacturers

ECONOMIC OUTLOOK: Manufacturing: Pivoting Pays Off for Area Manufacturers

Innovation and the ability to pivot and adapt to the changing marketplace became more important than ever before for manufacturers in 2020. Many Monadnock Region manufacturers predict growth in production in 2021 because of the pandemic and the varying demands it has created.

“It was an unconventional year, and it was a challenging year, but it was a good year,” notes Whitney Brothers Company President Mike Jablonski.

ECONOMIC OUTLOOK: Retail: Still Uneasy, But More Confident of Survival

ECONOMIC OUTLOOK: Retail: Still Uneasy, But More Confident of Survival

Uncertainty is something that many retail owners are dealing with, both around the country and throughout the Monadnock Region. Since coronavirus shut down large swaths of the U.S. economy in March, the retail industry has been rocked. While online mega-retailers, such as Amazon, are seeing profits skyrocket, most retailers have seen a sales slump. Overall, it is estimated that the American retail market will drop more than 10% in 2020, a more significant fall than in 2009, during the Global Financial Crisis.

ECONOMIC OUTLOOK: Health & Wellness

ECONOMIC OUTLOOK: Health & Wellness

For some, keeping active amidst an ongoing pandemic has posed many challenges, but for those operating various fitness centers in the Monadnock Region, a whole new set of obstacles are stretching them thin.

This past summer, local gyms and yoga studios were able to ease back into in-person activities, which helped these businesses gain momentum. But as the winter approached — and the second wave of the pandemic hit our area — gym and yoga studio attendance has fallen by the wayside.

ECONOMIC OUTLOOK: The Pandemic & Health of Local Economy: The Numbers

ECONOMIC OUTLOOK: The Pandemic & Health of Local Economy: The Numbers

In the nine-plus months since COVID-19’s torrent upending of everyday life, Michael Polizotti, a policy analyst at the New Hampshire Fiscal Policy Institute (NHFPI), has concluded that, despite the economic recession induced by the coronavirus, the ability to draw comparisons between the current state of local economies and other eras of financial turmoil isn’t simply apples-to-apples.