Daniela Allee

The first weekend of Gov. Chris Sununu’s stay-at-home order saw a surge of hikers heading to popular trails in New Hampshire.

Some officials and conservation groups say that could become a problem.

Grocery stores and gas stations are among the businesses deemed "essential" under Governor Chris Sununu's new stay-at-home order. 

Related: What does N.H.'s stay-at-home order mean?

The Hanover Food Co-op, which owns four stores in the Upper Valley and employs close to 400 people, is one grocery store company taking additional steps to keep employees and customers safe.  

Many businesses in New Hampshire’s seasonal tourism industry fill job openings with international workers on a J-1 visa, also known as a work and travel visa.

But, as the ski season winds down, many of those international workers find themselves in a kind of limbo because of the coronavirus pandemic.

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Recycling handlers across New Hampshire are concerned about coronavirus exposure despite federal reassurance.

The current federal guidance to municipal waste operators is that they can keep handling people's trash and recyclables in the usual way without an extra risk of picking up coronavirus.

Click here for all of NHPR's coronavirus coverage, including our live blog, FAQs, and more

Recycling handlers across the state are concerned about coronavirus exposure despite federal reassurance.

The current federal guidance from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration to municipal waste operators is that they can keep handling people's trash and recyclables in the usual way without an extra risk of picking up coronavirus.

“That’s surprising to many of our members and they want to take additional steps," says Reagan Bissonnette, the executive director of the Northeast Resource Recovery Association.

Dartmouth-Hitchcock Health is seeking donations of personal protective equipment for its healthcare providers. The hospital system is looking for more hand sanitizer, face masks and gloves as it prepares for an influx of patients with COVID-19. 

Click here for our live coronavirus blog for more New Hampshire updates

From the minute she wakes up, Chelie Beaupre is thinking about grocery shopping. 

She’s been working 7 days a week, 12 hours a day, for the past two weeks -- getting groceries for a growing list of customers in the Manchester area who are using Instacart, an app that people can use for same-day grocery deliveries. 

Thousands of New Hampshire students, their parents and other employees will spend the next several weeks learning and working from home. But varying levels of broadband access and speed around the state might pose a challenge.

Scott Valcourt is the director of strategic technology at the University of New Hampshire. He says typically, the southern part of the state has pretty good broadband.

Most Fridays, between 300 and 400 people gather to pray at the Islamic Society of New Hampshire's mosque in Manchester. But starting Friday, the doors will be locked -- and there won’t be any more gatherings until further notice.

The Executive Council unanimously approved contracts for hospitals in Manchester and Nashua to serve as new hubs for the Doorway, a program which connects people substance use disorder treatment and recovery support services.

Earlier this year, the state terminated its Doorway contracts with Granite Pathway after a review found the organization struggled to connect with other community service providers and did not follow up on client referrals.

The Governor's Commission on Alcohol and Other Drugs voted today on how to spend an unused $3.8 million dollars of state funding from this fiscal year.

The commission voted to support substance abuse programs, as well as prevention and workforce programs.

One million dollars will go towards transitional living programs in the state.

These type of programs typically last six months, and provide housing and clinical services for people who are often post-residential treatment but needs a safe place to live to get longer term support.

Advocates in the Upper Valley say the region's housing shortage is impacting vulnerable populations there. The region is seeing rental prices rise while availability stays low. 

A new report from the Governors Highway Safety Association says there were roughly 6,590 pedestrian fatalities in the United States last year, the highest number in 30 years. 

The Upper Valley Lake Sunapee Regional Commission will hold a public forum Monday as it begins its study of eight main transportation corridors in the region.

The commission's goal is to identify what issues exist on these roads, from drainage issues to pedestrian and bicycle safety.  

At a public hearing Thursday, a state site evaluation subcommittee questioned developers behind a proposed 30 megawatt solar project about its potential impacts to the environment and wildlife.

The Chinook Solar array would cover about 100 acres near Route 119 in Ftizwilliam. If approved, it could be the largest solar array in the state.

A Massachusetts-based company is withdrawing its application to build a battery energy storage system in Littleton.  

The final days of the New Hampshire primary breathed new life into Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar's presidential campaign.

Muddled results in Iowa and an attention-getting debate performance gave Klobuchar a big boost at just the right moment.

Speaking to an energized crowd at her election night party in Concord, Klobuchar thanked supporters for helping her land in third place among a crowded Democratic field.

“And tonight in New Hampshire, as everyone had counted us out, even a week ago - thank you pundits - I came back and we delivered,” she said to applause.

Polls suggest Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar has gained momentum in the final days leading up to the primary.

One of the senator's campaign stops Monday included a visit to the Rotary Club in Nashua.

Speaking to a room of about 200 with mixed political views, Klobuchar focused on her economic plans, education reforms and making immigration reform a priority.

While she touted herself as a pragmatist, she also pitched herself as someone who understood the challenges small business owners and others face day to day.

Sen. Amy Klobuchar spent the weekend crisscrossing New Hampshire, hoping to capitalize on what her campaign says is new interest from undecided voters.

The State of New Hampshire is ending its contract with the organization that ran its Doorway program in Manchester and Nashua.

Granite Pathways will no longer run the Doorway - instead, those contracts will be moved to Catholic Medical Center and Southern New Hampshire Health.

The Department of Health and Human Services found that Granite Pathways struggled to connect with other community service providers and did not follow up on client referrals, among other reporting issues.

A federal judge has granted preliminary approval of a $14 million settlement in a class action sexual misconduct lawsuit against Dartmouth College.

Judge Landya McCafferty says she’s likely to approve the proposed class definition and the proposed settlement in this case, noting that the proposed class meets four standards set out in federal civil law. 

Local groups who work with immigrants in New Hampshire say they are trying to understand the implications of the recent Supreme Court decision allowing the Trump administration’s so-called public charge rule to take effect.

The rule would allow officials to deny green cards to immigrants who are likely to need public assistance.  It broadened the criteria to include “noncash benefits providing for basic needs such as housing or food” used in any 12 months in a 26-month period.

Voters in Lebanon will decide in March whether to adopt a proposed "Welcoming Ordinance" for the city.

The ordinance would limit city employees from working with or sharing immigration-related information with federal immigration authorities.

Lebanon city councilors considered the proposal Wednesday night, and voted 8 to 1 put the matter on the March ballot.

The House Science, Technology and Energy Committee held its first hearing on a bill that would propose a New Hampshire state climate action plan. Several committee members had questions about cost, oversight and enforcement. 

Under the proposed bill, the state would create a plan to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions to at least 80 percent below the 1990 levels by 2050. 

Community members in Manchester will gather to remember the life and work of Martin Luther King Jr. Monday where discussion will also center on the work of the Poor’s People Campaign.

Littleton residents continued to evaluate a proposal to build a battery energy storage system in town at a public hearing Tuesday night. 

The proposed battery storage system would cover about 13 acres in a rural zone in Littleton. At Tuesday’s meeting and in previous hearings, residents raised concerns about fire safety.

“There were a lot of what if questions,” said Jessica Daine, chair of the Littleton Planning Board.

The US Department of Agriculture has designated eight New Hampshire Counties as primary natural disaster areas.

Last winter temperatures dropped, then warmed up. Snow melted, and rain would freeze into sheets of ice.

The Littleton Zoning Board will continue to hear from residents at a hearing Tuesday about a proposed battery storage project.

Battery energy storage systems use rechargeable lithium ion batteries to store electricity from the grid when prices are low.