CONCORD: New Hampshire’s unemployment rate increased to 2.2 percent in September, a slight uptick from the record-low 2 percent rates recorded for three straight months over the summer. The September rate is a full percentage point lower than the 3.2 percent rate recorded in September 2021. New Hampshire’s September figure is over a point lower the national unemployment rate of 3.5 percent.
CONCORD: Pierre Rogers of Irvine, Calif., has pleaded guilty to charges that he fraudulently tried to obtain more than $3.5 million in pandemic funds and bought a Rolls-Royce with some of the proceeds he received, the U.S. attorney’s office in New Hampshire said. He was indicted for bank fraud at the end of June 2022. In 2020, the U.S. attorney charged at the time, he and Joshua Leavitt of Northwood, NH, applied for at least $5 million in federal pandemic funds ostensibly to support seven businesses. Rogers is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 31 and pay restitution of nearly $804,000. Leavitt previously pleaded guilty to bank fraud and wire fraud and is also scheduled to be sentenced in January.
WASHINGTON, D.C.: New Hampshire has been awarded a $388,080 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to fund research and promotion of maple syrup — an $8.2 million industry in the state, according to the USDA’s numbers from 2021. The award will be used by the Department of Business and Economic Affairs to work with the Division of Travel and Tourism Development to produce marketing materials that maple syrup producers could use to advertise their products and facilities, with the goal of boosting sales and tourism.
GREENFIELD: For the second time in two years, a specialized school in Greenfield is announcing that it’s closing its doors. Gersh Autism, which operates the Legacy by Gersh school at Crotched Mountain, said it would be shutting the school down on Nov. 18, just about a year after taking ownership of the Crotched Mountain Rehabilitation Center property. The Crotched Mountain Foundation, which said the move has no impact on its programming or services, said it has offered Gersh its support to help safely transition students to new placements.
LINCOLN: Loon Mountain Resort in Lincoln is expanding its South Peak ski area with a four-person lift and 30 more acres of skiable terrain. The new terrain will include tree-skiing areas for beginner and intermediate skiers as well as for snowboarders. The improvements will be ready for the 2023-24 season, Loon said.
HANOVER: The Hanover Selectboard has unanimously approved an ordinance that requires regular inspections of all rental properties in town, including bedrooms rented in owner-occupied residences, in an effort to address concerns about the safety and livability of housing options in town. The Valley News reported that the new ordinance provides the tools and authority for the town to enforce existing health and safety requirements for rental properties, which were adopted in 2013.
HAMPTON: Gas and electricity utility Unitil has purchased technology that it says will prevent the release of natural gas emissions into the air. The company said the two portable ZEVAC (Zero Emission Vacuum and Compression) units allow for natural gas to be safely captured and transferred from one pipeline to another rather than being released directly into the atmosphere. Unitil, which plans to acquire two additional units in the next few years, said the purchase is part of its commitment to cut company-wide greenhouse gas emissions from 2019 levels by at least 50 percent by 2030 and reaching net-zero emissions by 2050.
BEDFORD: Bedford Nursing and Rehabilitation Center has been fined by the U.S. Department of Labor for allegedly failing to pay workers properly and letting teenagers work more hours than they’re legally allowed. Officials said they recovered $86,000 in back wages and liquidated damages for dozens of employees at the center after the agency said workers weren’t paid fully for their overtime. The investigation also found that the facility allowed three 15-year-old employees to work more hours than permitted by federal child labor laws.