New Hampshire's Business News for March 21

A look at today's top business headlines including: despite employment numbers NH still has homeless, Northern Pass tour avoids controversial areas, state of NH plans to help The Balsams by fixing road, senate bill debates accommodations for pregnant workers, almost everyone is on board for Fisher Cats stadium updates and Contoocook has a 2.9 magnitude earthquake

Even employment doesn’t prevent homelessness in NH Housing affordability creates difficult barrier. – NH BUSINESS REVIEW

Opponents to strategize last-ditch effort to stop Sunapee expansion  Groups against the DRED-approved expansion of Mount Sunapee Resort will gather by teleconference Monday morning to strategize a last-ditch effort to stop the project. – NH UNION LEADER

Northern Pass tour through Concord criticized for limited access, steering away from controversial areas  State regulators took a seven-hour bus tour last week to view the proposed Northern Pass route through Merrimack County, to physically see where the electric transmission lines would be planted and imagine their impact on the landscape. – CONCORD MONITOR

Vote looms for Little as top bank regulator  Little retired from the Bankers Association in 2011 and was elected to the Senate in 2014, representing District 8, which includes his hometown of Weare. The prospect of him now returning to the banking industry as commissioner has raised howls of protest in some quarters, and even garnered national attention. – NH UNION LEADER

Hoping to help The Balsams, state plans to spend $2.8m on road to golf course  This summer the state plans to help the developers of The Balsams by spending almost $3 million to fix a 1.8 mile road at the resort. – NH PUBLIC RADIO

Senate to debate bill on accommodations for pregnant workers  Senators are poised to take up a bill that would require employers to provide certain accommodations for pregnant workers to help them stay on the job. – NH PUBLIC RADIO

Hampton Beach officials expect drop in visitors from Canada  A projected drop in the Canadian dollar’s exchange rate with the United States dollar this summer is causing Hampton Beach officials to rethink marketing strategies. – PORTSMOUTH HERALD

Nashua mayor looks to build public support for rail  Nashua Mayor Jim Donchess is hosting an event tonight to highlight a proposed commuter rail service between southern New Hampshire and Boston. – NH PUBLIC RADIO

DES broadens water investigation after high levels of PFOA found in three wells  Public meetings will be held in Merrimack and Litchfield this week, where state environmental officials have been investigating chemical water contamination. – NH PUBLIC RADIO

Yellow flags fly in ‘Deflategate’ investigation  Lessons that companies can take away from NFL’s problematic probe – NH BUSINESS REVIEW

NH’s sales hiring challenge  Recruiting salespeople is the number one challenge facing business owners. – NH BUSINESS REVIEW

Construction work underway at Manchester-Boston Regional Airport  The airport plans to consolidate its multiple screening and entry points into a single, six-lane checkpoint. – NH PUBLIC RADIO

Everyone (well, almost everyone) is behind stadium upgrade  The Manchester Board of Mayor and Aldermen voted last week to direct staff to negotiate the final terms of an agreement with the New Hampshire Fisher Cats to commit taxpayer funds to pay for improvements at Northeast Delta Dental Stadium. But not everyone on the board thinks it was a good idea for the city to step up to the plate for the team. – NH UNION LEADER

State House continues to tackle bills aimed at NH's drug crisis  State lawmakers are set to tackle a pile of bills this week, many of which address New Hampshire's drug crisis.  The bills include proposals to legalize needle exchanges and the creation of a statewide drug court program. – NH PUBLIC RADIO

USGS: Earthquake shakes up Concord area  The Contoocook section of Concord was shaken up this morning by a 2.9-magnitude earthquake, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. – NH UNION LEADER

Governor's race picks up steam; Crowded field looks to replace Hassan  With Gov. Maggie Hassan running for the U.S. Senate seat, the race to replace her promises to attract a crowded field. – LAWRENCE EAGLE-TRIBUNE

Staples' showdown with FTC over Office Depot merger heads to court  An open letter issued on Friday criticized the FTC for its efforts to block the merger of the two office suppliers. – THE BOSTON GLOBE

How many laws can we afford? Interesting questions raised by the current legislative session – NH BUSINESS REVIEW