Business and Economy

Booksellers and publishers are worried that Amazon is going to devour their industry. The giant online retailer seems to have its hands in all aspects of the business, from publishing books to selling them — and that has some in the book world wondering if there is any end to Amazon's influence.

Home sales in New Hampshire remained about even with last year. About 200 more homes changed hands in 2011 than in 2010. Prices continued to slide. The median sales price was about $201,000, or about 6 percent less than the year before. The latest numbers from the New Hampshire Association of Realtors leave it unclear where the market is headed. There are some signs of improvement. Between November and December, prices held steady and at least from one month to the next, the number of homes sold rose by about 8 percent.

Governor John Lynch announced Wednesday that three manufacturing companies will participate in the latest round of the Green Launching Pad.

The stimulus-funded Green Launching Pad is a partnership between UNH and the state designed to develop businesses, bring new products to market, and create jobs.

One of our most popular on-going series has been "Losing The Lotto," our continued look at the facts, figures, and people behind the New Hampshire Lottery.

Losing The Lotto: What The New Hampshire Lottery Pays For: Our first installment of the series tackles the basics of what you need to know about how the state lotto works and maps its steady revenue decline over the years.

Gary Hirshberg has spent half his life at the helm of Londonderry-based Stonyfield, growing the brand from a small dairy farm to the world's top organic yogurt manufacturer, employing 470 people.*

Now, after 28 years, Hirshberg's stepping down from his position as CEO (or "CE-Yo," as the position's been dubbed at Stonyfield).

The last of the U-S troops are now returning from Iraq.

Once home they’re likely to end up joining thousands of other veterans looking for work in a bleak job market.

Despite government incentives to get companies to hire vets, unemployment among vets is still higher than civilians.

The youngest veterans struggle the most.

Twenty-two year old Courtney Selig went into the military to better herself.

At the 2012 North American International Auto Show, it's clear that the industry's love affair with alpha-numeric designations hasn't waned. There's the ATS, the 700C, the MKZ. Now comes the CTX, a new line of Craftsman riding lawn mowers. They are fast, powerful and loaded with amenities.

"Everybody knows that Detroit's the national stage for cars — Motor City is where autos come from. So this show made perfect sense to come here and launch the tractor," says Onney Crawley, Craftsman's director of brand management for lawn and garden.

Twinkies maker Hostess Brands Inc., is again seeking protection from its creditors, filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy as the company tries to cope with high debt and rising costs of labor and raw materials.

Hostess, which also makes Ho Hos, Sno Balls, and Wonder Bread, is a privately held company based in Irving, Tex. It owes millions to suppliers and labor unions. The company has reportedly found some financing to keep it running during bankruptcy proceedings.

For our Newscast desk, Larry Abramson reports:

There's been a collective notion swirling among New Hampshire politicos and pundits that this year's Republican primary just doesn't stack up to past events. Candidates aren't as anxious to go to town hall meetings and shake hands at nondescript diners. By and large, they're not throwing astronomical sums of cash into unending TV ads. Yes, they're here, touting the importance of the early New England vote.