Entries by Andrew Cline

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Mask mandates and the urge to control

Portsmouth’s City Council approved a mask mandate on a 7-2 vote last week. The city had fewer than five known active coronavirus infections the day the ordinance passed, meaning more councilors voted for the ordinance than there were active cases in the city, NH Journal pointed out. The city still has fewer than five known […]

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Reopening is putting N.H. back to work

In May, some politicians and activists warned that reopening the state’s economy would be a public health disaster. Instead, it’s been an economic savior.  New Hampshire employment fell by more than 151,000 from March to April as the economic shutdown tanked the economy, according to the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics. As of this week, […]

Halfway through September, COVID-19 hospitalizations, deaths continue to fall

The first two weeks of September have seen a noticeable increase in positive tests for the SARS-CoV-2 virus in New Hampshire, coinciding with an increase in testing and the reopening of schools and colleges. Yet hospitalizations and deaths from COVID-19 have continued to decline during this time, state data show.  Media reports have tended to […]

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Without innovation, labor can’t generate progress

The weekend has arrived when Americans play for three days while politicians give speeches and issue press releases recognizing the economic contributions of the American labor movement.  Labor’s contributions are worth recognition. But have any politicians ever acknowledged that laboring in isolation produces nothing beyond basic subsistence? For labor to generate human progress, it has […]

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Croydon grandparents sue over state law that bans religious schools from tuition program

A Croydon couple on Wednesday filed a civil rights lawsuit against the state, challenging a law that forbids local school districts from paying tuition to religious schools. In 2017, New Hampshire passed a law that allows school districts that don’t offer education at certain grade levels to send students to private schools for those grades. […]

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August’s big drop in COVID-19 numbers brings N.H. back to spring levels for top three metrics

NOTE: This post, originally published Aug. 28, was updated on Aug. 31 to add the final numbers for the month.    August has recorded New Hampshire’s lowest numbers of COVID-19 infections, hospitalizations and deaths since May. The dramatic, summer-long decline in all three metrics occurred as the state reopened its economy. But it has been […]