Posts by Maureen Milliken
f you feel like you’ve been sending “congratulations” cards for a lot of new Charlottes and Theodores entering the world over the past few years, you are correct. Both were New Hampshire’s most popular baby names in 2025. And 2024. And beyond.
Bills that address multi-family housing in commercial zones and towns and city length limits on dead-end roads are close to becoming law after Committees on Conference agreed on them this week.
You are NOT getting a tariff refund check, but some of the businesses you patronize may pass their refund money down to you with either lower prices or prices that don’t rise as fast as they would without the refund. There’s also the possibility of a lawsuit settlement, but not any time soon.
The populations of Manchester and Nashua, New Hampshire’s largest cities, have rebounded from pandemic-era declines over the last few years, but slow housing growth may temper any economic gains, according to U.S. Census Bureau numbers released last week.
Some of the housing supply gains achieved in recent years remain alive despite a slew of repeal-focused bills that were introduced months ago, as the New Hampshire Legislature gets close to finishing up business.
JetBlue is taxiing down the runway about to take off into what it hopes is a new era bright with Florida sunshine and fueled in part by the demise of Spirit Airlines earlier this month, but Manchester’s airport won’t be along for the trip.
A Manchester home healthcare agency is one of 20 businesses from eight states to be recognized with a Small Business Community Champion Award from Citizens Bank.
Sen. Keith Murphy, R-Manchester, at the May 7 Senate session, said the change offers more options for employers and employees and sets clear expectations for employees. He noted that 42 other states have similar laws.
As the weather gets warmer, so, traditionally, does the housing market, and April’s key indicators for New Hampshire’s single-family home sales mostly followed the trend.
Last month we were still in wait-and-see mode as far as the impact of rising gas prices on groceries. This month, the waiting is over, at least as far as produce goes.
April is financial literacy month, and yes, I’m getting in right under the wire as far as acknowledging it. The need for financial literacy, though, doesn’t start on April 1 and end on April 30. Knowledge is power, and knowing how your money works gives you power over how much stays in your pocket. It’s just as important when the economy is going well as when it’s not.
The Housing Champions program, which provides grants to cities and towns as incentives to build affordable housing, will continue after the New Hampshire Senate did not approve a House-endorsed repeal.
Businesses and business owners from across the state will be recognized at the 2026 SBA Small Business Week Awards Celebration, Thursday, May 7.
A public hearing on a proposed 34-unit tiny home development Wednesday night drew a large, loud and hostile crowd – too much for the Planning Board to accommodate – prompting the board to postpone the meeting until May 13.
Two years ago, town meeting voters approved an ordinance that opens the door to a type of workforce housing the town has never seen – a grouping of smaller homes, sharing some utilities, and available for rent, not purchase.
Last week, Department of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth notified most of the unions that have contracts with the department that their collective bargaining agreements are terminated, including American Federation of Government Employees and the and United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners, which represent about 800 civilian workers at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, in Kittery, Maine.
The Housing Champions program, seemingly doomed after a New Hampshire House vote to repeal in February, may now survive after the Senate Commerce Committee voted against going forward with the appeal Tuesday.
After a tough February, March single-family home sales perked up in New Hampshire, with all major indicators trending positive, though inventory and affordability still remain historically low.
It was a year ago that the first Grocery Snapshot was published. At the time, I said I’d track prices for a year. Silly me, right? Thinking that a year would be enough. With all the craziness going on, we’re just going to keep going.
“Affordable” housing means different things to different people. There’s the official designation, which can be a hot button when it’s proposed for a neighborhood. There’s the mortgage lender’s definition when they’re considering your application. Then there’s the very specific definition when you sit down and crunch your numbers.