Sept. 1 marked the second incremental increase in our state’s minimum wage, boosting the hourly rate from $6.55 to $7.25 per hour - the state’s first minimum wage adjustments in 10 years. In a July 2007 discussion paper, the Federal…

The University of New Hampshire recently opened a new atmospheric observatory to systematically monitor the chemical makeup of the air — and the pollutants — over our heads. This includes the first systematic recording of atmospheric mercury and some 200…

The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, so when I saw the television ads run on WMUR by the Employee Freedom Action Committee, I started to wonder. Who are these crusaders for justice, so concerned about our rights as…

As the economy slows, employees and employers are feeling the pinch of stagnant wages and increasing costs. For employees, the cost of living continues to rise, while for employers the costs of business makes them less competitive/profitable in today’s marketplace. If…

It’s fair time again in New Hampshire. Actually, late July kicked off the season with the North Haverhill, Stratham and Cheshire fairs. We backyard farmers take this time of the year seriously. It’s our chance to rub shovels with the…

Bob Sanders’ article (“How Pax came to alter its investment rules”) in the Aug. 15-28 issue of NHBR purports to address investments by Pax World in military contractors against the backdrop of a recent SEC settlement involving compliance issues in…

The summer round in the energy policy war is over, and the oil industry seems to have won. Public opinion and both presidential candidates have now fallen in line behind the industry’s “drill everywhere” agenda. Congress has stalemated over every…

Just say yes. It’s a simple concept, but one so powerful and uplifting that its results can’t be debated. What would happen if everyone viewed the world through this prism and set out to approach all of life’s challenges from…

John Lynch will be New Hampshire’s governor for at least one more term. No one, Democrat or Republican, has the slightest doubt. Sure, there is a Republican nominee. But his party seems to want nothing to do with Joe Kenney.…

It was a cause for celebration in Colebrook in June when North American Equipment Upfitters opened a new plant there, expanding its Hooksett-based business by taking advantage of the new Coos County tax credit. It’s good news for the rest…

Manchester Community Health Center is celebrating its 15th anniversary in 2008. Much has changed in that time. Health-care costs have escalated, transportation needs have increased, and language and cultural differences have made providing care difficult. No longer can one simply…

Although some politicians believe we’re only experiencing a “mental recession,” working men and women in New Hampshire know that we’re in real trouble, and that we didn’t get here overnight. We need real long-term solutions to our deep-rooted economic problems…