CONCORD: New Hampshire’s unemployment rate for December 2022 rose a tenth of a percent from November, to 2.7 percent, according to the Department of Employment Security. The jobless rate was 3 percent in December 2021. There were 1,000 more Granite Staters unemployed in December than in November, Employment Security said. Nationally, the unemployment rate for December was 3.5 percent compared to 3.6 percent from November.
CONCORD: A vaccine against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), being developed by Moderna, is expected to be made available later this year, and a bill in the NH Senate is hoping to insure that there’s a quick rollout of it in the Granite State. The bill, sponsored by a bipartisan group of senators, would allow pharmacies to administer the vaccine. They say having it available in pharmacies would be more convenient for seniors. Moderna announced its new vaccine is 84 percent effective in preventing RSV in older adults. Doctors said RSV causes 14,000 deaths annually among U.S. adults over the age of 65.
CONCORD: The Concord Planning Board has approved a proposal to build a 45,000-square-foot casino and hotel near Interstate 93 and Route 106. The proposal for the Concord Casino — put forth by Andy Sanborn, a former state senator and owner of The Draft Sports Bar & Grill in downtown Concord — calls for construction of a charitable gambling hall, hotel, restaurant and a parking lot at the site.
PORTSMOUTH: Seacoast Media Group, publisher of the Portsmouth Herald, Foster’s Daily Democrat and other publications, is shutting down its printing operations, bringing an end to one of the last large newspaper printing presses in New Hampshire. The move was announced by Virginia-based Gannett Newspapers, owner of the publication group. According to InDepthNH, the papers’ last edition will come off the line March 19, and starting March 21 papers for the Seacoast Media Group will be printed at Gannett-owned presses in Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Gannett’s statement did not disclose how many people will lose their jobs as a result of the press shutdown.
CONCORD: The NH Insurance Department says that its Consumer Services Unit processed 929 consumer complaint investigations in 2022 along with 4,080 assistance requests and 90 applications for external health review. The unit recovered an unprecedented $4.1 million for consumers, eclipsing its 2021 recovery by more than $2.8 million, according to Keith Nyhan, director of the Consumer Services Unit.
NEWINGTON: Chick-fil-A is opening its first outlet on the Seacoast, in the Newington Park Shopping Center on Woodbury Avenue in Newington. It will be located on land owned by real estate development and investment company Torrington Properties, owner of several shopping center properties. The Newington Chick-fil-A location will be the chain’s fourth in New Hampshire. Two are in Nashua and the third is at Tuscan Village in Salem.
PORTSMOUTH: An affordable housing development with up to 160 units is being discussed for the 5-acre former Sherburne School property in Portsmouth. Under the Portsmouth Housing Authority’s proposal, the 17,000-square-foot Sherburne School would be renovated for anywhere from 80 to 160 units, Executive Director Craig Welch told the City Council. If the city and the Housing Authority reach a partnership agreement, the new housing will be “permanently affordable,” Welch said.
