COVID-19
Court: Hotels ‘damaged’ by pandemic shutdowns don’t qualify for tax relief
Nine New Hampshire hospitality businesses have lost an argument that their forced closures during the start of the pandemic warrant property tax relief. In an opinion released Tuesday, the state Supreme Court rejected their claim that the pandemic was a “natural disaster” that “damaged” their businesses, elements required for property tax abatement in New Hampshire. […]
Attorney general seeks $5 million in federal money for victim services
This story was updated Monday, Feb. 20, 2023, at 12:30 p.m. to clarify which victim services are supported with federal funding. The effects of COVID-19’s social isolation, health problems, and job loss continue to drive increases in calls to domestic violence and sexual assault hotlines, emergency shelters, and child abuse referrals, according to the Department […]
New buyer keeps Crotched Mountain School open
A Massachusetts-based company that provides health and other services at more than 200 locations in New England and abroad announced Monday that it is buying the Crotched Mountain School for children with disabilities, which was set to close this week. Seven Hills Foundation, headquartered in Worcester, announced it had an agreement to buy the 125-acre […]
Millions of workers are dealing with long COVID. Advocates call for expanding social safety net.
Emily Withnall caught COVID-19 from her teenager in July 2020. In the more than two years since, the 40-year-old has suffered from debilitating fatigue, spinal pain, and heart palpitations. In addition to her primary care doctor, she regularly sees a cardiologist and says her acupuncturist and craniosacral therapy help relieve her pain and the trouble […]
State to use $6 million to bring COVID-19 vaccines to communities and homebound Granite Staters
With final state approval in hand, the Department of Health and Human Services plans to use $6 million in federal pandemic money to bring COVID-19 testing and vaccines to Granite Staters’ neighborhoods and homes. The money will allow the department to send three mobile vaccination vans into communities, providing not just vaccines and boosters but […]
Much of $3 million in pandemic aid for restaurants remains unspent
Blue Harbor Coffee was four months old when COVID-19 first arrived in New Hampshire, and business was strong. It was about to get stronger. As Gov. Chris Sununu issued an executive order closing down indoor dining and officials urged residents to stay at home, many restaurants found themselves challenged by dwindling customers and departing employees. […]
Shibinette on ‘functional conflict,’ misinformation, and departing early
When she steps down in December, Health and Human Services Commissioner Lori Shibinette will technically be leaving her term one year early. By another measure, three years of managing a pandemic crisis is a full term, and then some. “I have 10 dogs at home,” said Shibinette, who announced her departure plans last week. “I […]
‘We are just treading water’: State still struggling to ensure poor people have an attorney
Late last year, several of the state’s most experienced attorneys accepted an urgent invite to the state Supreme Court’s conference room. The state Supreme Court justices, including Chief Justice Gordon MacDonald, made a big ask. Crushing caseloads had driven a mass exodus of public defenders, leaving 185 criminal defendants too poor to hire an attorney […]
From skepticism to insurance denials, long COVID patients face more than only health challenges
With so much still unknown about long COVID, Wendy Thomas has accepted that managing her myriad of debilitating symptoms will require trial and error. So, when her doctor prescribed Adderall for her struggle to focus, even to understand a paragraph, she agreed to give it a try. Thomas’ insurance company was less agreeable. She was […]
New federal COVID aid delayed after U.S. Senate Republicans insist on immigration debate
WASHINGTON – Members of Congress have departed their offices and hearing rooms on Capitol Hill for a two-week spring recess without passing additional funding to combat the coronavirus, amid a stalemate over immigration policy. Despite reaching a bipartisan agreement Monday for $10 billion for testing, treatments, and vaccines, much of it needed in states, the […]
Biden administration details new research plan on ‘long COVID’ illness
WASHINGTON – The Biden administration announced plans Tuesday to create a national research action plan that could provide answers to public health officials trying to diagnose and treat so-called long COVID-19. The illness that lasts for months and possibly even years has so far confounded doctors trying to figure out exactly why some people are […]
5 questions about COVID-19 funding that’s stuck in D.C.
WASHINGTON – Congress remains undecided over how exactly to provide billions more to fight the COVID-19 pandemic as a new variant spreads throughout states and public health officials caution the virus doesn’t show signs of fading away. Negotiators were close to an agreement for about $10 billion in federal spending, but as of Friday, several […]