New Hampshire's Business News for June 23
A look at today's top business headlines, including: Hassan signs business tax changes into law, state agencies investigating failed LaconiaFest, mixed-use project at former Macy’s site gets a new name, Annie Kuster speaks out about personal experiences with sexual assault, the strange story behind Trump’s $35,000 payment to a fictional NH ad agency
Governor signs business tax package into law Gov. Maggie Hassan has signed into law two tax bills, one that quadruples the up-front deductions for major capital expenses and another that alleviates the tax burden on businesses that go public and update the state’s entire business tax code. – NH BUSINESS REVIEW
State agencies investigating failed LaconiaFest The Attorney General’s Office and Department of Labor are looking into a Laconia music festival that abruptly ended days early. – WMUR-TV
Task force meets on Seacoast cancer cluster Officials from the state Departments of Health and Human Services and Environmental Services, along with lawmakers and area residents met in Portsmouth today for the first meeting of a new task force on the investigation of a cancer cluster on the Seacoast. – NH PUBLIC RADIO
Local activists chastise NRC over nuke plant NextEra Energy Seabrook nuclear power plant is performing safely, according to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission safety performance review, but anti-nuclear activists at a recent hearing gave the NRC a poor grade. – LAWRENCE EAGLE-TRIBUNE
Mixed-use project at former Macy’s site gets a new name The owner of the eagerly awaited mixed-use development at the former Macy’s site in Bedford has decided to rename the project following concerns over its original name. – NH BUSINESS REVIEW
Windham residents meet with I-93 officials It’s been almost 10 years since New Hampshire Department of Transportation employees began working on the area around Interstate 93’s Exit 3, and residents are still bothered by traffic related to the construction project. – LAWRENCE EAGLE-TRIBUNE
Mill Road Plaza project gets facelift in Durham The most recent plan for remodeling the Durham site involves demolition of the rear commercial building, construction of four new buildings, addition of new residential units on the upper floors of the new rear buildings, new parking areas, several open space/seating areas and other site changes. – FOSTER’S DAILY DEMOCRAT
Fram to buy North Village Common retail complex Brian Fram, a local real estate investor and owner five of Dunkin’ Donuts shops in the Mount Washington Valley, is buying the North Village Common retail complex in Conway. – THE CONWAY DAILY SUN
HM Machine moving to Dover Industrial Park HM Machine, a high-tech machine shop that creates metal parts for many industries, is planning a move to Dover from its current location in Rochester. – FOSTER’S DAILY DEMOCRAT
SMP Architecture settles suit over Vt. library The town of Rockingham, Vt., has reached a $100,000 settlement with the Concord, NH-based architectural firm SMP over the troubled $3 million renovation of the town’s library. – NH BUSINESS REVIEW
Is a ‘storm’ brewing in commercial real estate? Two more voices have been added to the growing chorus of concern over the state of the U.S. commercial real estate market. – NH BUSINESS REVIEW
Ruger gifts gun collection to police Sturm Ruger, the firearm company with headquarters in Connecticut and a plant in Newport, has donated a supply of guns to the Henniker Police Department that was accepted by the selectboard at Tuesday’s meeting. – CONCORD MONITOR
U.S. Rep. Annie Kuster speaks out about personal experiences with sexual assault U.S. Rep. Annie Kuster kept silent about the sexual assaults she had endured as a young woman for nearly 40 years. – CONCORD MONITOR
Democratic gubernatorial hopefuls stake out positions at Dover forum Funding for Planned Parenthood, Medicaid expansion, the state’s opioid crisis, and a passenger rail line between southern New Hampshire and Boston were topics touched on by Democratic gubernatorial hopefuls at a forum held Wednesday evening at the McConnell Center in Dover. – NH UNION LEADER
Marchand brings ‘passion for data’ to campaign for governor Among the Democrats vying for the title of New Hampshire governor this year is former Portsmouth Mayor Steve Marchand. He's hoping his mix of political and fiscal experience will win over voters in the Democratic primary this September. – NH PUBLIC RADIO
Both parties optimistic on chances in state races Both parties are claiming candidate advantages for the state Legislature, regardless of the pell-mell pace of the White House race. – NH UNION LEADER
How Maine redirected millions meant to help poor families with kids Documents show the state has spent at least $7.8 million in federal welfare funds in ways that run afoul of the law. – BANGOR DAILY NEWS
The story behind Trump’s $35,000 payment to a fictional New Hampshire ad agency gets stranger and stranger Draper Sterling was registered in March with the New Hampshire secretary of state to Jon Adkins and headquartered at his home in Londonderry. Adkins co-founded a medical device startup with Paul Holzer, a former Navy Seal and current medical student at Dartmouth, who performed “voter contact strategy” for Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker’s 2014 campaign. – BOSTON MAGAZINE
