GE MANDATES COVID-19 VACCINES FOR U.S. WORKERS

General Electric Co., which operates a jet engine plant in Hooksett where it employs almost 1,000 people, has asked its U.S.-based workers to get Covid-19 shots or seek a medical or religious accommodation by Dec. 8 in order to comply with President Joe Biden’s executive order.

As part of efforts to control the pandemic, which has killed more than 700,000 Americans, Biden in September signed the order requiring federal contractors to mandate Covid-19 shots for employees and get them vaccinated by Dec. 8.

As a federal contractor, GE said it’s complying with the executive order. The company updated its vaccine policy for more than 50,000 U.S. workers last month.

The Boston-based conglomerate is the latest U.S. employer to impose such a requirement, which has sparked a political fight.

STATE RETIREMENT SYSTEM POSTS 29.4% INVESTMENT RETURN

The New Hampshire Retirement System reported its best return on investment in decades for the year that ended June 30, according to state officials.

The 29.4 percent return was well above the system’s assumed annual rate of return of 6.75 percent.

“Despite a still-fragile economy, the retirement system was able to achieve its best rate of return in more than 30 years,” NHRS Executive Director Jan Goodwin said in a statement on its annual investment report. “While this is very good news, as long-term investors we know that we will see returns above and below our assumed rate of return in any given year.”

Goodwin said this return was better than 80 percent of public retirement programs similar to NHRS.

The system’s unaudited net income in trust was $11.573 billion, an increase of $2.44 billion over the prior fiscal year. This was the first time NHRS assets exceeded $11 billion, officials said.

THIRD POPEYES RESTAURANT IN NH COMING TO CONCORD NEXT YEAR

A Popeyes fast-food restaurant will be arriving in Concord next year on Loudon Road in Concord — the third Popeyes outlet in New Hampshire.

Popeyes was founded in Louisiana in 1972 as a fried-chicken restaurant and is now owned by Restaurant Brands International, a Canadian firm. It has more than 3,450 restaurants worldwide, almost all of them owned by independent franchisors rather than the company itself.

It may be best known recently for a fried-chicken sandwich that it rolled out in 2019, spurred by the success of the Chick-fil-A chain. It quickly sold out across the country, producing stories of tussles at some eateries as people tried to get their hands on one.

POSITION IMAGING UNVEILS NEW PACKAGE TRACKING SYSTEM

Position Imaging Inc. of Stratham, a developer of package logistics and asset tracking systems, has unveiled its new iPickup RooM, an entry-level system that provides secure resident access and similar pickup convenience features as its predecessor, the Smart Package Room.

The new system provides constant monitoring within the package room and manages items in the room by type (flat, parcel or oversized), using area signage for guidance. The firm said the iPickup RooM is suited for multi-family dwelling owners and landlords seeking a low-cost entry point into self-service or staff-assisted package room systems.