New Hampshire Business Review - Jan. 16, 2026

Mike Cote
Brad Cook Columnist

Cook on Concord: 2026 starts with a bang

Brad Cook,

On the morning of Jan. 3, American air forces executed an extraordinary raid in Caracas, Venezuela, capturing President Nicolas Maduro and his wife in their fortified home, brought them out of the country and ultimately to New York to face charges of drug trafficking.

3d Illustration Of A Judicial Hammer Held By The Hand Of An Artificial Intelligence Robot. Question Is, Is It A Good Or Wrong Idea. A New System Of Assessing Justice

iLawyer: artificial intelligence and the law

Todd A. Sullivan, Colin Dean,

In 2024, computer programmers from DeepMind won the Nobel Prize in chemistry for developing an AI that predicts protein folding. If AI that is advanced enough to simulate protein folding (and allow programmers to win the world’s top chemistry prize) has arrived, is the law any more complicated? Why should lawyers invest time learning about various facets of the law to draft briefs or contracts, when they can task AI?

More news from NHBR:

Mwobs 300x200
Charitable Giving Guide 2026

Mount Washington Observatory

Mount Washington Observatory is a private, nonprofit, member-supported institution with a mission to advance understanding of the natural systems that create Earth’s weather and climate. It serves this mission by maintaining a weather station on the summit of Mount Washington, performing weather and climate research, conducting innovative science education programs and interpreting the heritage of the Mount Washington region.

Down To Business 32 Preview
Down to Business

Filling a niche in life sciences

Predictive Monitor CEO Laurie Masiello shares how she and her husband/co-owner, John, built their company out of a need to solve a problem keeping pharma products chilled while en route to its destination without compromising integrity

Nongfu Spring From Alibabacom
Energy and Environment, Government, Real Estate & Construction

Nongfu Spring down to a trickle

It’s been a year since a Chinese water and beverage bottling company purchased commercial property in Nashua. Not much more is known now than it was then about the company’s intentions for the 337,391-square-foot building on 23 acres at 80 Northwest Blvd., purchased Jan. 31, 2025 for $67 million by a subsidiary of Nongfu Spring, a giant Chinese bottled water and beverage company.

Newborn Baby Feet Close Up On Mother's Lap: Black And White Photo Showing First Tender Moments, Soft Texture, Skin Tone, Parenthood, And Love.
Government, Health, Law, News

Preparing for NH’s parental medical leave law

Now that 2026 is underway, New Hampshire employers should turn their attention to the state’s new Parental Medical Leave law (PML). Effective January 1, 2026, most employers with 20 or more employees are required to provide unpaid leave to allow employees to attend childbirth-related medical appointments, postpartum care and pediatric visits during a child’s first year.