In the month before Gov. Chris Sununu ordered New Hampshire restaurant dining rooms closed, employment at New Hampshire full-service restaurants dropped by more than 8 percent (2,000 people), state figures show. In the month since the governor’s March 16 order, restaurant business has plummeted. State employment data are not yet available for those weeks, but […]
By Andrew Cline Ken Spilman usually spends early April preparing B’s Tacos for the season. This week, the food truck he’s owned for seven years sits idle as he waits out the coronavirus. “We’re hunkered down and we’re not going to get out there until the curve starts to go down,” he said. He’s already […]
If you’re sheltered at home and want a book or a puzzle, you have more options than you might realize. Almost all of New Hampshire’s independent bookstores are open for curbside pickup and local delivery for the duration of the governor’s stay-home order. Though bookstores are not classified as essential businesses under Executive Order 17, […]
WMUR’s Hometown Hero this week is Alexa Cannon, a Founder’s Academy senior who started delivering groceries to people after she lost her job. She’s one of many, from business owners to individuals, who have begun offering urgently needed services outside of traditional regulatory controls. Alene Candles in Milford has switched to making face shields for […]
“The extraordinary government clampdown on economic life that we are enduring — in order to preserve hospital beds and the capacity of doctors and nurses — is the result, not just of the coronavirus, but of the severe restrictions on economic activity that have made our economy brittle and poorly-suited to adapt and respond to […]
On April 1, rents were due for the first time since Gov. Chris Sununu declared a state emergency on March 13. News organizations reported on Granite Staters struggling to pay rent after suffering significant income loss in March. As communities come together to help each other through these difficult situations, it’s important to understand that […]
Here’s a surprise. In New England, only the Republican governors of New Hampshire and Vermont have issued COVID-19 executive orders that direct all individuals to stay home unless otherwise allowed to go out. That finding comes from a review of all of the New England governors’ executive orders that restrict travel and business activity. To […]
Forcing people to carry reusable food and beverage containers in public could accelerate the spread of microbes that cause infectious diseases, multiple academic studies suggest, the Josiah Bartlett Center for Public Policy shows in a new policy briefing paper. As government strives to suppress the spread of the novel coronavirus, policymakers should immediately repeal laws, […]
If you haven’t stocked up on toilet paper, hand sanitizer, disinfectant wipes or milk yet, good luck. By the time you read this, your local supermarket might well be out. At noon on Friday, the Bedford Market Basket had some scattered half gallons and a single gallon-jug of milk left. (It was chocolate, indicating poor […]
The state’s first vaping tax took effect on January 1, just nine weeks ago. On Thursday, the House approved a bill to more than quadruple it. But the revenue is unlikely to be the bill’s biggest effect. House Bill 1699 raises the tax on the liquid used for e-cigarette vaping to 40% of the wholesale […]