New Hampshire's Business News for May 9

A look at today's top business headlines, including: DES names 44 sites with possible PFC use, Hitchiner shuts down in Littleton, In survey, NH residents optimistic about businesses, NH still looking for public health chief, what’s happened to the two political parties?

DES lists 44 NH facilities as potential PFC users  Manufacturing sites are located in 8 of 10 counties. – NH BUSINESS REVIEW

Hitchiner closes Littleton location  After 32 years in town, Hitchiner Manufacturing, a privately held company that makes stainless steel investment castings for customers in the automotive, aerospace, defense and industrial gas turbine industries, recently closed its doors for good. – NH UNION LEADER

Hospitals find strength, resources in numbers  The strategic partnership between two community hospitals and Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center is expected to reduce redundancies and make for more uniform care in the region, hospital officials said. – THE KEENE SENTINEL

Wentworth-Douglass sees healthy future  Wentworth-Douglass Hospital is now officially part of the Massachusetts General Hospital family, and the impacts of the partnership are starting to come into focus. – FOSTER’S DAILY DEMOCRAT

Survey: NH residents optimistic about businesses  A survey of New Hampshire residents shows they remain optimistic about business conditions in the state, and the percentage expecting bad times is the lowest in over a decade. – FOSTER’S DAILY DEMOCRAT

Shackles on Seacoast economy  The commercial real estate market for office and industrial space is booming in the region. – PORTSMOUTH HERALD

Misunderstood pollock key to New England seafood’s future  A loose consortium of fishermen, processors, restaurateurs and sustainable seafood advocates is trying to rebrand Atlantic pollock as New England's fish. – PORTLAND PRESS HERALD

Hassan issues executive order on fossil fuel reduction  Gov. Maggie Hassan has issued an executive order updating New Hampshire's goals of reducing fossil fuel use at state-owned facilities by 50 percent by 2030. – NH PUBLIC RADIO

Understanding ice storms  Scientists have long known that ice storms are destructive, but are still wondering: How destructive? And for how long? – THE CONWAY DAILY SUN

February freeze decimates the peach crop  The peach crop in much of the Northeast was decimated by sub-zero temperatures in mid-February in what one fruit tree expert describes as the Valentine's Day massacre of the peach blooms. – FOSTER’S DAILY DEMOCRAT

Rules of the Uber road  Can rural areas accommodate ride-sharing? – NH BUSINESS REVIEW

FDA regulations on 'vaping' industry causes some concern in NH  At least one owner of a shop that sells electronic devices and liquids for people to inhale vapors, and get off cigarettes believes the Food and Drug Administration's new regulations on e-cigarettes and cigars will ultimately squash the industry and hand a monopoly over to a tobacco giant. – NH UNION LEADER

NH still looking for public health chief  It’s been a year since Dr. Jose Montero, New Hampshire’s nationally recognized public health director, left to take a new position at Cheshire Medical Center in Keene. – NH UNION LEADER

New Hampshire sees surge in nesting eagles  So far, 39 eagle nests with incubating eggs have been identified, a 30 percent increase from last year and a dramatic rise from the 1990s, when the state only had one nesting pair. – FOSTER’S DAILY DEMOCRAT

Navy christens USS Manchester  The U.S. Navy has christened a combat ship in honor of New Hampshire's largest city. – NH PUBLIC RADIO

Phillips Exeter probe reaches to N.C. Another graduate of Phillips Exeter Academy has come forward with sexual abuse allegations dating back several decades, this time involving a 43-year-old man who claims he was molested by a male admissions officer as a 14-year-old visiting freshman in the 1970s. – NH UNION LEADER

What’s happened to the two parties? Identity politics. Back in the 1990s, the phrase meant one thing – people voting in the interests of their group. Today it’s a question of party identity. What is a Democrat, what is a Republican? – NH BUSINESS REVIEW

NHBR Featured Event: NHBSR Spring Conference  The theme of this year’s NH Businesses for Social Responsibility Spring Conference is “A Story Worth Sharing – The Chapters of Your Sustainability Journey,” featuring branding expert Simon Mainwaring, breakout sessions and in-depth huddle-up sessions. Tuesday, May 10, 2016 Grappone Conference Center, Concord. – NH BUSINESS REVIEW