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New Hampshire Is New England's Number One in Post-COVID Job Recovery – NH Journal

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New Hampshire Is New England's Number One in Post-COVID Job Recovery – NH Journal


A new analysis of Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data finds New Hampshire’s economy is number one yet again in New England, with one of the highest job creation rates in the entire Northeast.

Joseph Politano, a Financial Management Analyst at the BLS, also writes about economics and labor markets. On Tuesday, he posted a chart showing the change in nonfarm payrolls by state since January 2020, when the COVID pandemic hit.

“Forty-five states and Puerto Rico have now seen job levels completely recover from COVID, with many vastly exceeding 2020 payrolls,” Politano wrote, noting that the fastest growers included Idaho, up 12.7 percent since January 2o2o, Utah (11.7 percent), and Nevada (9.9 percent).

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Among the six New England states, New Hampshire had the biggest surge in payrolls, up three percent. While that doesn’t compare favorably with Florida (up 9.6 percent), it’s the best in the region and far better than Massachusetts and Vermont. They’re still negative on job growth by -0.1 percent and -0.4 percent, respectively.

Maine closely trails the Granite State at 2.8 percent growth, followed by Rhode Island (1.2 percent) and Connecticut (0.6 percent).

The only state in the entire Northeast Corridor with higher job growth was New Jersey, at 4.4 percent.

This is just the latest ranking to place New Hampshire at the top of the economic heap in New England. Or, in some categories, the entire nation.

In just the past few months, the Granite State has been ranked number one in the best return on investment for taxpayer dollars and the most economic freedom. U.S. News and World Report ranked New Hampshire the best state in New England to live in and the second-best in the entire country. (Utah is number one.)

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And New Hampshire has consistently had among the lowest unemployment rates in the U.S., currently tied for the fourth lowest at 2.5 percent.

Why does New Hampshire consistently outpace its bigger and wealthier neighbors like Massachusetts and New York? Ross Connelly, northeast regional director with Americans for Prosperity, credits the “pro-growth policies of Gov. Chris Sununu and the legislature.”

“They are directly responsible for this success,” Connelly said. “The other New England states should take note: reducing barriers in government, whether that be regulations or taxes, helps all citizens.”

The gap between the performance of New Hampshire and Massachusetts has emerged as an issue in the race for Granite State governor.

“Because of our focus on lower taxes, fiscal responsibility and freedom, New Hampshire is the best state in New England for small businesses to thrive, grow, and create jobs,” Ayotte told NHJournal. “These new jobs numbers further prove that the New Hampshire model works — while the Massachusetts model leaves our neighbors falling behind. As Governor, I’ll keep us on the path to prosperity and stop any effort to MASS up our state with higher taxes and reckless spending.”

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Democrat Joyce Craig, on the another hand, has endorsed Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey (D) as a campaign ally.

Republican Chuck Morse is reminding voters that, as the former state Senate president, he played a key role in the tax cuts and regulatory relief that helped New Hampshire prosper over the past eight years.

“These rankings are no accident, and they are not luck either,” Morse told NHJournal. “They’re because of the conservative policies we put in place.”

“For nearly a decade, I fought on the front lines to propel New Hampshire to the top in every category,” Morse added. “And as governor, I will continue to keep our state on the right track forward.”

Asked why they think New Hampshire’s economic achievement is outpacing progressive Massachusetts, both Craig and her fellow Democratic gubernatorial candidate, Executive Councilor Cinde Warmington, declined to comment.

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Michael Skelton, president and CEO of the Business & Industry Association, spreads the credit around, including to the business owners themselves.

“The job recovery numbers are a testament to Granite State employers’ commitment to their employees and the state,” said Skelton. “New Hampshire’s low and stable taxes contribute to the success of businesses as does the state’s pragmatic regulatory structure.”

New Hampshire’s population growth in recent years is the second highest in New England after Maine. Skelton said while that is good news, there are challenges to future economic expansion. BIA’s top public policy priorities include continuing to address New Hampshire’s workforce shortage, the lack of housing for workers, and the state’s high energy costs.

“BIA is committed to leading efforts to solve these challenges to build an even stronger competitive business climate and prosperous economic future for New Hampshire,” Skelton said.

At a candidate forum hosted by the National Federation of Independent Business last week, Warmington joined the two Republicans in opposing any business tax hikes. (Craig was a no-show.)

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Asked about New Hampshire’s success, the NFIB’s Bruce Berke calls it a statewide effort.

“Remember that famous saying about ‘of the people, by the people, and for the people’? Well, in New Hampshire, we mean it,” Berke said. “Our public officials talk to and work with community and business leaders to find solutions to challenges. They do their best to keep spending down, therefore tax rates can be minimal allowing investment, growth and start-ups to be confident going forward.

“It’s not rocket science: communicating and working in a logical manner can produce positive results.”



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Pakistan hosts diplomatic discussions on ending war

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Pakistan hosts diplomatic discussions on ending war


Foreign ministers from Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Egypt will meet in Islamabad today in an attempt to come up with a plan to de-escalate the Iran war.

The meeting comes as several thousand more U.S. troops arrived in the region and after another group got involved in the expanding conflict: Yemen’s Houthis.

The Iran-backed Houthis launched missiles towards Israel, and there’s concern their involvement could threaten another vital global shipping lane in the Red Sea.

Here are more updates on day 30 of the Iran war.

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Diplomacy Push in Pakistan

The four foreign ministers from regional powers will meet in Islamabad today and Monday for a push towards diplomacy to end the war.

In a statement ahead of the meeting, the Egyptian government said: “Discussions are expected to focus on recent developments related to regional military escalation and ongoing diplomatic efforts to contain tensions and promote de-escalation.”

“The talks come amid heightened concerns about regional stability, with participating countries seeking to coordinate their stances and support political solutions to emerging crises,” it added.

Whether whatever consensus the countries known as “the quad” come up with will be accepted by the US, Israel, and Iran is another question.

Pakistan has emerged as a possible peace-broker in the conflict, passing messages between the U.S. and Tehran. Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said Saturday that “dialogue, diplomacy, and such confidence-building measures are the only way forward.”

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Dar also welcomed the fact Iran has agreed to allow 20 Pakistan-flagged ships – or two a day – through the Strait of Hormuz.

Houthis enter war

Iranian-backed Houthi militants in Yemen launched the first missile they have fired since the war began toward Israel on Saturday. Israel’s military successfully intercepted it but the Houthis’ attack opens another front in a war that has now moved into its second month.

Up until Saturday’s missile launch the Houthis had stayed out of this war. But a Houthi spokesman said attacks will continue until “the aggression on all resistance fronts stops.”

Pakistan Ministry of Foreign Affairs / AP

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AP

In this photo released by the Pakistan Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, left, meets with his Pakistani counterpart Ishaq Dar in Islamabad, Pakistan, Sunday, March 29, 2026.

The Yemen-based rebels were active during Israel’s war in Gaza, firing on cargo ships in the Red Sea and disrupting global commercial traffic.

With Iran essentially blockading the Strait of Hormuz, driving up global oil prices, there are concerns that if the Houthis start attacking ships in the Red Sea again global shipping will be even more disrupted.

Iran also hit multiple sites around Tel Aviv and Jerusalem Saturday and Israel’s military says Iran is increasingly using cluster bombs.

Designed to detonate at high altitude the munition disperses dozens of smaller bombs that are more challenging for Israel’s multi-layered air defense system to intercept and can cause damage over a wider area.

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Dozens of countries have signed onto a cluster munitions treaty banning the weapons – except Iran, Israel and the U.S.

Iran threatens U.S. universities in region

Iranian authorities and residents say more airstrikes hit them overnight. Social media videos from across Iran showed strikes hitting all over the country.

Israel’s military said it had completed what it called a wide-scale wave of strikes targeting weapons production and storage sites.

Iran claims U.S.-Israeli strikes hit a Tehran university over the weekend and Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps threatened American university campuses in the Middle East in retaliation.

“We advise all employees, professors, and students of American universities in the region and residents of their surrounding areas” to stay a kilometer away from campuses, the statement, carried by Iranian media, said.

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Several US universities have campuses in the Gulf, including New York University in the United Arab Emirates and Texas A&M University, among others, in Qatar.

Meanwhile, Iran continues to fire drones and missiles at Gulf countries, with Kuwait saying it was intercepting missile and drone attacks early Sunday. Saudi Arabia said it intercepted and destroyed ten drones.

Iran also claimed it had attacked two major aluminium sites in Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Emirates Global Aluminium confirmed an Iranian attack wounded several and caused significant damage to its plant.

U.S. Troops injured, more arrive

At least 15 U.S. service members were wounded Friday in an Iranian strike on a Saudi air base that hosts American troops, according to the Associated Press, including at least five in serious condition. The missile and drone strikes targeted Saudi Arabia’s Prince Sultan air base, located outside the capital Riyadh.

A first responder assists an injured boy following a strike that hit a residential building amid the U.S.-Israeli military campaign in Tehran, Iran, Saturday, March 28, 2026.
A first responder assists an injured boy following a strike that hit a residential building amid the U.S.-Israeli military campaign in Tehran, Iran, Saturday, March 28, 2026.

Iran has targeted U.S. service members at bases throughout the region since the war began a month ago, in retaliation for the U.S. attacks and seeking to drive troops out of the region. Overall, the Pentagon has put the U.S. casualty toll at 13 killed and more than 300 injured.

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On Saturday, troops from the Japan-based 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, made up of around 3,500 sailors and Marines, arrived in the Middle East, according to U.S. Central Command.

The U.S. military will not say where and how they might be deployed. Thousands more soldiers from the U.S. military’s 82nd Airborne Division are also expected to be deployed.

Journalists killed in Lebanon

Three Lebanese journalists covering the Israeli invasion of the country’s south were killed in an Israeli airstrike in Jezzine.

Women hold posters showing Al-Mayadeen TV reporter Fatima Ftouni, left, and, in another poster, Hezbollah's Al-Manar TV correspondent Ali Shoeib, center, and cameraman Ali Ftouni during their funeral at a temporary cemetery in Dahiyeh, Beirut's southern suburbs, Beirut, Lebanon, Sunday, March 29, 2026.
Women hold posters showing Al-Mayadeen TV reporter Fatima Ftouni, left, and, in another poster, Hezbollah’s Al-Manar TV correspondent Ali Shoeib, center, and cameraman Ali Ftouni during their funeral at a temporary cemetery in Dahiyeh, Beirut’s southern suburbs, Beirut, Lebanon, Sunday, March 29, 2026.

One of them worked for a TV channel affiliated with Hezbollah and Israel accuses him of being a militant rather than a journalist – but has not provided evidence. The journalist Israel says it targeted was Ali Shaeb, a veteran TV correspondent and household name in Lebanon. After killing him, Israel’s military issued a statement accusing him of exposing the locations of Israeli troops.

The other two journalists killed were siblings, TV correspondent Fatima Ftouni and her cameraman brother, Mohammed Ftouni. Afterward their father appeared on TV, saying he was proud of his children.

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All three had been covering Israel’s invasion of southern Lebanon.

Lebanese officials called the attack a flagrant violation of international law, and said they’re complaining to the UN Security Council. Hundreds of fellow journalists marched at a protest vigil in Lebanon’s capital.

The three journalists were among at least 47 people killed Saturday in Israeli attacks, according to Lebanese health officials.

Nine of those killed were paramedics, which the head of the World Health Organization called “a tragedy,” noting health workers are protected under international law.

Residents inspect their home after it was struck by an Iranian missile in Eshtaol, central Israel, Saturday, March 28, 2026.
Residents inspect their home after it was struck by an Iranian missile in Eshtaol, central Israel, Saturday, March 28, 2026.

Israel has intensified its attacks across Lebanon, mostly in the South, where Israeli ground troops are moving northward to try to oust Hezbollah militants.

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Another Israeli soldier was also killed in Lebanon, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressing his condolences on X over the weekend.

Developments in Syria, Iraq

The war is spreading to more parts of the Middle East. On Sunday, Syria said it had intercepted a drone strike from Iraq targeting a U.S. military base. Pro-Iran Iraqi groups have claimed responsibility for some attacks on US interests.

Separately, the Syrian and UAE governments condemned an attack targeting the residence of the Kurdish region’s president Nechirvan Barzani.

French President Emmanuel Macron also condemned the attack saying: “The sovereignty of Iraq, and of Kurdistan within it, is essential to regional stability. Everything must be done to prevent Iraq from being drawn into the ongoing escalation.”

On Sunday, the Israeli army said it had launched its “first” attack into Lebanon from Syria.

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Jane Arraf in Amman, Emily Feng in Van, Turkey, Lauren Frayer in Jezzine, Lebanon, Carrie Khan in Tel Aviv, and Kate Bartlett in Johannesburg contributed to this report.

Copyright 2026 NPR





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Abandoned Camper Fire On South Main Street Knocked Down By Concord Fire And Rescue Teams

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Abandoned Camper Fire On South Main Street Knocked Down By Concord Fire And Rescue Teams


CONCORD, NH — The Concord Fire Department is investigating the cause of a camper fire on South Main Street late Friday night.

Around 11:30 p.m., fire and rescue teams were sent to South Main Street, not far from Langdon Avenue, for a report of a camper on fire. Dispatch said it was unknown if anyone was inside or if the camper was abandoned.

“We have a couple of calls on it,” a dispatcher said. “It’s fully involved.”

A few minutes later, the fire was confirmed, and firefighters worked to extinguish it. The battalion commander confirmed no one was inside, and it appeared to be abandoned. Dispatch said, if they recalled correctly, the camper had been there for “quite a while.”

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News 603 posted videos from the scene on Facebook here:

And here:

The bulk of the fire was knocked down after about 20 minutes, with firefighters overhauling and dealing with “the hot spots.”

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Not long after the overhaul update, firefighters were sent to a business on South Main Street, near the camper fire, in response to a report of an alarm activation.

After investigating, there did not appear to be an activation at the business, a commander said. Later, dispatch said the alarm appeared to restore itself automatically. Firefighters cleared the scene of the business alarm just after midnight on Saturday.





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New Hampshire may see rare Atlas V rocket launch. Here’s when to look

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New Hampshire may see rare Atlas V rocket launch. Here’s when to look


A 20-story tall, 1.3 million-pound Atlas V rocket will blast off from Florida this weekend, and Granite Staters waking up very early might able to see it if the clouds in the sky don’t cover it.

Teams with United Launch Alliance are prepping for the Atlas V rocket launch, the fifth Amazon Leo constellation mission. Liftoff is planned at 3:53 a.m. ET Sunday, March 29, 2026, from Cape Canaveral, Florida.

Pending weather conditions and cloud cover, the Atlas V-Amazon Leo predawn launch could be visible from Florida to New England, according to ULA. That is, if their city falls on the ULA Atlas V rocket launch visibility map (see below), and if they’re awake at the time of liftoff.

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The Atlas V rocket will be equipped with five solid rocket boosters to launch the next batch of Amazon Leo broadband satellites (previously referred to as Project Kuiper) into low-Earth orbit, giving a great show to those watching.

However, weather could disrupt viewing, as the New Hampshire area on the visibility map is set for isolated snow showers before 10 p.m. on Saturday night as well as partly cloudy skies, the National Weather Service said.

Here’s what to know about ULA Atlas V rocket launch visibility from New Hampshire.

When will ULA Atlas V launch?

The United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket will launch from Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida in the early morning hours on Sunday, March 29. The 29-minute launch window will begin at 3:53 a.m.

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The visibility map provided by ULA shows about when and where your best chances are to see the rocket as it streaks northeasterly into space.

Will New Hampshire be able to see the ULA Atlas V launch

New Hampshire, specifically just outside Concord, New Hampshire, falls in the semi-outer periphery of the visibility area for the ULA Atlas V rocket launch, according to ULA’s visibility map.

Estimated visibility will occur at launch +330 seconds, or about five minutes and 30 seconds, following the launch in Florida. However, viewing chances depend on weather conditions, and Concord, New Hampshire is currently set for isolated snow showers before 10 p.m. and then partly cloudy skies on Saturday night into Sunday morning, according to the National Weather Service. This might block visibility, as clear skies are essential for best views.

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What is ULA Atlas V?

United Launch Alliance’s Atlas V rocket is a spacecraft with five solid rocket boosters that will send a batch of Amazon Leo broadband satellites into outer space, to low-Earth orbit.

How can you follow along live?

FLORIDA TODAY will offer live coverage via a live webcast with live tweets and updates for the rocket launch.



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