DURHAM: More than half of New Hampshire residents support the right of businesses and institutions to require their workers to get vaccinated against Cvoid-19, a University of New Hampshire Survey Center poll shows. According to the poll, 53% of Granite State residents support employer vaccine requirements. A national Gallup poll released earlier this month showed 52% of people nationwide favored the idea of their employers requiring a Covid-19 vaccine.

AUGUSTA, MAINE: Joseph Purington, president of Eversource’s New Hampshire operations since 2020, has been named the new CEO of Central Maine Power. A Maine native, Purington worked for 28 years at CMP and then joined Eversource New Hampshire in 2014. CMP’s interim president and CEO, Scott Mahoney, will transition back to his role as senior vice president, general counsel and corporate secretary of Avangrid, CMP’s parent company, when Purington assumes his position in late September, CMP said.

CONCORD: The New Hampshire Lottery Commission hit it big in the last fiscal year, generating a record $518.5 million in total sales. The result smashed the lottery’s previous record from the last fiscal year of $392.2 million. The enhanced results were a result of an expanded menu of games, including sports betting, keno and online lottery sales, said Charlie McIntyre, the lottery’s executive director. New Hampshire had the third most sports bets per capita among states that offer wagering, behind Rhode Island and Delaware, McIntyre said.

BEDFORD: The Bedford Zoning Board has approved a gated housing community to be built on property next to The Grand at Bedford Village Inn. The board okayed three waivers to allow construction of the Hillside Residences at the BVI, including a waiver to forgo affordable housing requirements. The upscale development will include nine single-family homes of about 2,500 to 3,500 square feet on 7.5 acres. It will be reserved for residents ages 55 and older.

PETERBOROUGH: Willard Williams, who in 1972 opened the Toadstool Bookshop in Peterborough and later opened two more, one in Keene and another in Nashua, says he’s looking for a new owner for the stores. The 69-year-old Williams told The Keene Sentinel he doesn’t have “a specific timeline” for the sale and that his top priority is finding a new owner who shares his commitment to the community. Ideally, Williams said, the new owner would take over all of the existing Toadstool Bookshop locations, but that could depend on who is interested in buying the business.

DOVER: An ambitious plan to transform the former Strafford County courthouse in downtown Dover into housing and commercial space has been given a green light by the city planning board. Developer Eric Chinburg’s plans for the 1889 building includes commercial space and 17 apartments. Chinburg Properties will also construct a new four-story building to house roughly 40 more apartments.

PORTSMOUTH: Aclara Technologies, which last year announced the end of operations at its Somersworth plant, will be moving its global headquarters to a building at Pease International Tradeport in Portsmouth.

Portsmouth-based real estate firm The Kane Company said Aclara, a manufacturer of smart meters and other technology, will be moving into the 52,600-square-feet building at 30 New Hampshire Avenue. Aclara, a subsidiary of Hubbell Utility Solutions, is currently based in St. Louis, Mo.

EPPING: A developer is proposing to build a 315-unit apartment complex instead of a distribution center on Martin Road in Epping, after talks between Epping and Fremont on a road weight limit imposed by the latter community stalled. The weight limit forced Thomas Prieto to scrap the original plan and, instead of building the distribution center, to put up the apartment complex, 20% of whose units will be workforce housing, he said.