Todd Bookman

After more than two months of roped off parking and patrolled sand, New Hampshire’s beaches reopened on Monday.

Huge swaths of the shoreline remained empty, though, likely due to a combination of chilly morning weather and the large number of restrictions that remain in place, including limited parking capacity, in an effort to limit the spread of the coronavirus.

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The New Hampshire Supreme Court issued two opinions Friday that will require government agencies to share more information with the public.

While most of the state's businesses appear to be adhering to emergency orders issued by Gov. Chris Sununu designed to limit the spread of the coronavirus, more entities are openly violating the guidelines as the pandemic drags into warmer weather.

Related: What's open and what's not open in New Hampshire?

With parades and public ceremonies cancelled because of the coronavirus, communities across New Hampshire are marking Memorial Day in novel ways.

Across Dover, Rochester and Somersworth, church bells tolled at 10am to mark the day of remembrance.

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For the faithful, live streaming Sunday Mass is akin to watching fireworks on television: you can see it, and hear it, but you don’t feel it.

“It’s not the same,” said Mary Sanphy of Concord, who has spent the past few months praying alongside a screen. 

On Sunday, though, Sanphy and other Catholics in New Hampshire were able to receive Holy Communion in person for the first time in more than two months.

As long as social distancing is observed and other guidelines followed, the Diocese of Manchester is allowing parishes to offer the Eucharist.

A recent graduate of Southern New Hampshire University is suing the school, seeking a partial refund on her tuition after in-person classes were cancelled in mid-March due to the coronavirus pandemic.

After two months of being limited to curbside pickup and delivery only, restaurants and cafes across New Hampshire are again serving customers outdoors.

Monday marked the next phase in the gradual reopening of the state’s food service industry, which has been devastated by the coronavirus pandemic and resulting restrictions.

Planet Fitness is facing a potential class action lawsuit filed by a member who alleges the New Hampshire-based gym chain charged membership fees despite the facilities closing their doors due to the coronavirus pandemic.

On May 4, members of Anytime Fitness, a West Lebanon gym, received an unexpected email.

“We are so excited to share with you that our doors are now OPEN,” it read. 

Manchester is easing the process for restaurants to set up outdoor seating, including using sidewalk space in front of adjacent properties.

In response to the coronavirus pandemic, restaurants in the state will be allowed to serve customers outdoors beginning May 18, though tables will need to be spaced at least six feet apart.

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New Hampshire retail stores, hair salons, and barbershops will be permitted to allow customers back inside on Monday for the first time since Gov. Chris Sununu instituted limits to curtail the spread of coronavirus nearly two months ago.

Hospitals in New Hampshire reopened their doors for a limited range of elective and other time-sensitive procedures on Monday, allowing patients to access care delayed by the global pandemic. 

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Escrito en inglés por el personal de NHPR, reportado por Todd Bookman  

Traducido al español por María Aguirre y Daniela Allee 

El gobernador Chris Sununu anunció que la orden de quedarse en casa seguirá vigente hasta el 31 de mayo. La orden previa debía expirar el 4 de Mayo. 

Gov. Chris Sununu rolled out a limited reopening plan for some areas of New Hampshire’s economy Friday, citing what he called a “downward trend” in the overall rate of coronavirus cases and the readiness of the state’s hospitals to handle any surge in infections.

Local banks say technical glitches are delaying the submission of applications for the second round of an emergency funding program for small businesses and nonprofits.

On Monday, the second phase of the Paycheck Protection Program, or PPP, got off to a rocky start. Local banks reported technical glitches as they attempted to submit loan applications for approval through the Small Business Administration.

A task force created to safely re-open the state’s economy met for the first time on Thursday.

The group consists of lawmakers, as well as leaders from a variety of industries including restaurants, retail and hospitals.

D.J. Bettencourt, policy director for Gov. Chris Sununu, said the committee’s mandate is “to ensure that New Hampshire’s economy is able to reopen efficiently, and in a manner that protects public health, while limiting the risks of any resurgence.”

The man accused of opening fire at a wedding last October in Pelham, New Hampshire will remain in jail pending trial.

Dale Holloway appeared in court Tuesday via videoconference from Hillsborough County House of Corrections, where he is being held on attempted murder charges, as well as for the alleged assault of his first court appointed attorney.

[You can read NHPR's previous coverage of this story here.]

The man accused of opening fire during a wedding ceremony inside a Pelham church last year will argue that he should be released pending trial due to concerns over the coronavirus.

Dale Holloway, who will appear in court for a bail hearing Tuesday, is facing attempted murder charges for shooting Bishop Stanley Choate as well as the bride, Claire McCulllen, during a wedding last October inside the New England Pentecostal Ministries.

The groom, Mark Castiglione, was struck in the head with a firearm during the altercation. 

A superior court judge has denied a request for a bail hearing made by the driver of a pick-up truck who crashed into a group of motorcycles in Randolph last June that left seven people dead.

Volodymyr Zhukovskyy is facing seven counts of negligent homicide, along with a range of other charges including driving while intoxicated, for his role in the accident involving the Jarheads Motorcycle Club, which is made up of Marine Corps members and their families.

Gov. Chris Sununu announced new measures Monday to slow the spread of the coronavirus in New Hampshire, as newly-released testing results reveal the toll the disease is taking on the state's healthcare workers.

Governor Sununu is asking the Executive Council to waive a public hearing for Eddie Edwards to serve as the director of the state’s Office of Professional Licensure and Certification.

Edwards, who ran for congress as a Republican in 2018, was nominated earlier this month.

Sununu is requesting the confirmation be fast-tracked so that Lindsey Courtney, who has been serving as interim executive director, can return to her full-time position overseeing public health licensing.

After initially resisting the idea, last week Gov. Chris Sununu implemented a historic “stay-at-home” order aimed at curbing the threat of the coronavirus, which, as of April 2, has sickened 479 in New Hampshire, and been blamed for five deaths.