Eligible organizations with a reduction in revenue due to the COVID-19 pandemic will have the opportunity to receive up to a $10 million grant under the program. This webinar will provide introductory information about the grants, who can apply, how potential organizations can prepare, and additional details re: eligibility and applications.

Eligible Entities

• Live venue operators or promoters
• Theatrical producers
• Live performing arts organization operators
• Certain museum operators, zoos and aquariums that meet specific criteria
• Motion picture theater operators
• Talent representatives
• Business entities owned by an eligible entity that also meets the eligibility requirements

Other requirements of note:

• Must have been in operation as of February 29, 2020
• Venue or promoter must not have received a PPP loan

Learn more here: 

https://www.sba.gov/funding-programs/loans/coronavirus-relief-options/shuttered-venue-operators-grant

PPP Re-Opens to Small Lenders on 1/15 & All Lenders on 1/19

The U.S. Small Business Administration, in consultation with the U.S. Treasury Department, will re-open the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan portal to PPP-eligible lenders with $1 billion or less in assets for First and Second Draw applications on Friday, January 15, 2021 at 9 a.m. EST. The portal will fully open on Tuesday, January 19, 2021 to all participating PPP lenders to submit First and Second Draw loan applications to SBA.

Earlier in the week, SBA granted dedicated PPP access to Community Financial Institutions (CFIs) which include Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs), Minority Depository Institutions (MDIs), Certified Development Companies (CDCs), and Microloan Intermediaries as part of the agency’s ongoing efforts to reach underserved and minority small businesses.

On Friday, SBA will continue its emphasis on reaching smaller lenders and businesses by opening to approximately 5,000 more lenders, including community banks, credit unions, and farm credit institutions.  Moreover, the agency also plans to have dedicated service hours for these smaller lenders after the portal fully re-opens next week.

“A second round of PPP could not have come at a better time, and the SBA is making every effort to ensure small businesses have the emergency financial support they need to continuing weathering this time of uncertainty,” said SBA Administrator Jovita Carranza. “SBA has worked expeditiously to ensure our policies and systems are re-launched so that this vital small business aid helps communities hardest hit by the pandemic. I strongly encourage America’s entrepreneurs needing financial assistance to apply for a First or Second Draw PPP loan.”

“We are pleased to have opened PPP loans to CDFIs, MDIs, CDCs, and Microloan Intermediaries.  The PPP is already providing America’s small businesses hardest hit by the pandemic with vital economic relief,” said Secretary of the Treasury Steven T. Mnuchin. “As the Program re-opens for all First and Second Draw borrowers next week, the PPP will allow small businesses to keep workers on payroll and connected to their health insurance.”

First Draw PPP Loans are for those borrowers who have not received a PPP loan before August 8, 2020. The first round of the PPP, which ran from March to August 2020, was a historic success helping 5.2 million small businesses keep 51 million American workers employed.  

Second Draw PPP Loans are for eligible small businesses with 300 employees or less, that previously received a First Draw PPP Loan and will use or have used the full amount only for authorized uses, and that can demonstrate at least a 25% reduction in gross receipts between comparable quarters in 2019 and 2020. The maximum amount of a Second Draw PPP loan is $2 million. 

The Project ECHO Team at Dartmouth-Hitchcock invites you to join our newest ECHO

 

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Science & Practices to Keep People Safe and Businesses Productive

as COVID-19 Continues

 

Launches January 27th 2021

Every other Wednesday from 12:00-1:00 pm EST

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, understanding of the virus and strategies to keep people safely engaged in productive work and business encounters is evolving. This second DH ECHO series on COVID-19 for employers and organizational leaders will examine advances in scientific understanding of COVID-19 and its prevention and management. It will explore timely new topics of importance such as strategic distribution of COVID vaccines, emerging perspectives on aerosols and ventilation, business travel considerations, and operationalization of pods to safely maximize social and work interactions. It will update more familiar topics such as PPE, surface and facility hygiene, regulatory changes, and emotional health during COVID with the latest information. Critical new topics will be integrated as they emerge. Each session will include a brief didactic and robust discussion. 

 

Invited Participants: Employers and their teams, organizational leaders, employee assistance/health/wellness personnel, occupational medicine professionals, worker advocates and representatives.

Details in the attached and at Registration link: https://connect.echodartmouth-hitchcock.org/Series/Registration/1350

 

Free of Charge

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What is Project ECHO?
Project ECHO® (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes) transforms the way education and knowledge are delivered. This telementoring model uses video-conferencing technology to connect participants with subject matter experts. ECHO® sessions use case-based learning to provide education. Participants learn from experts, participants learn from each other, and experts learn from participants as best practice emerge.

 

Click this link to watch a short video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Faz3O1clDMU

View the Flier Here:

ECHO_Science and Practices to Keep People Safe as COVID continues Flyer.pdf

Gather Meals 4 Kids and Mobile Markets

603-436-0641  info@gathernh.org

Text MARKET to 33-222 to sign up for alerts

Tuesdays: Grace Community Church Rochester 

Noon-4pm

57 Wakefield St Rochester, NH 03867

Wednesdays: Alternating Locations-

January 20th Seabrook Recreation Department

311 Lafayette Rd Seabrook, NH

1pm-4pm

January 27th Kittery Post Office

10 Shapleigh Rd Kittery, ME

Noon-1:30

January 27th Gosling Meadows Portsmouth

Weald Rd Portsmouth, NH

2:30pm-4:00pm

Fridays: Alternating Locations

January 22nd We Care Food Pantry Milton

370 White Mtn Hwy Milton, NH

10am-Noon

January 15th and January 29th Indian Brook Drive Somersworth

Tuckers/Old Staples Plaza Somersworth, NH

10:00am-Noon

Eversource Earns National Emergency Response Award for Efforts to Restore Service After Tropical Storm Isaias

 

Washington, D.C. (January 14, 2021) — The Edison Electric Institute (EEI) today announced Eversource as a recipient of EEI’s Emergency Response Award for its outstanding power restoration efforts following Tropical Storm Isaias last summer.   The Emergency Response Award recognizes recovery and assistance efforts of electric companies following service disruptions caused by extreme weather or other natural events. The winners were chosen by a panel of judges following an international nomination process, and the awards were presented during EEI’s virtual Winter Board and Chief Executives Meeting.

 

“This national award truly belongs to our employees, who were the driving force behind our successful restoration across our entire service territory of Massachusetts, Connecticut and New Hampshire,” said Eversource Chairman, CEO and President Jim Judge. “Tropical Storm Isaias caused epic devastation, and our employees worked tirelessly – day and night – to address the extensive damage to the electric grid that left hundreds of thousands in the dark. Despite the tough conditions, our employees demonstrated their commitment to being there for our customers and communities when they needed us most.”   Tropical Storm Isaias was one of the most powerful and destructive storms over the past decade causing more than a million power outages. Despite the widespread damage by the August 4 storm, which caused 25% more damage than Tropical Storm Irene and Superstorm Sandy, Eversource crews restored power to its customers in 33% less time, especially challenging under the COVID-19 pandemic.   “I congratulate and applaud Eversource for demonstrating continued commitment to the customers and to the communities it serves,” said EEI President Tom Kuhn. “In the midst of a global pandemic and often in the most hazardous of conditions, Eversource and its frontline employees worked around-the-clock to restore service safely and quickly. Eversource is exceptionally deserving of this prestigious award.”

About EEI

EEI is the association that represents all U.S. investor-owned electric companies. Our members provide electricity for more than 220 million Americans and operate in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. As a whole, the electric power industry supports more than 7 million jobs in communities across the United States. In addition to our U.S. members, EEI has more than ​65 international electric companies, with operations in more than 90 countries, as International Members, and hundreds of industry suppliers and related organizations as Associate Members.

 

About Eversource

Eversource (NYSE: ES) transmits and delivers electricity and natural gas and supplies water to approximately 4.3 million customers in Connecticut, Massachusetts and New Hampshire. Celebrated as a national leader for its corporate citizenship, Eversource is the #1 energy company in Newsweek’s list of America’s Most Responsible Companies for 2020 and recognized as one of America’s Most JUST Companies. The #1 energy efficiency provider in the nation, Eversource harnesses the commitment of approximately 9,000 employees across three states to build a single, united company around the mission of safely delivering reliable energy and water with superior customer service. The company is empowering a clean energy future in the Northeast, with nationally-recognized energy efficiency solutions and successful programs to integrate new clean energy resources like solar, offshore wind, electric vehicles and battery storage, into the electric system. For more information, please visit eversource.com, and follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn. For more information on our water services, visit aquarionwater.com.

January 15, 2021

Governor Janet Mills released the following today on the Maine Public Utilities Commission’s (PUC) issuance of its latest request for proposals for renewable energy:

“The solicitation released today stems from bipartisan clean energy legislation I signed in 2019, which puts Maine on a trajectory to meet its nation-leading targets for curbing harmful greenhouse gas emissions, while reducing our dependence on fossil fuels and developing affordable, renewable energy resources right here in our state,” said Governor Mills. “As called for by Maine’s four-year Climate Action Plan, Maine Won’t Wait, I am committed to creating a flourishing clean energy sector in Maine to combat the effects of climate change on our state, strengthen our economy, and grow sustaining, good-paying jobs across Maine.”

The request for proposals issued today by the PUC is the result of bipartisan legislation, LD 1494, “An Act To Reform Maine's Renewable Portfolio Standard” sponsored by Senator Eloise Vitelli and signed into law by Governor Mills. LD 1494 increased Maine’s Renewable Portfolio Standard from 40 percent to 80 percent by 2030 and set a goal of 100 percent renewable energy by 2050.

This request for proposals is the second procurement to stem from this legislation and is another major step toward reaching those renewable energy goals and strengthening Maine’s economy. The first procurement, the largest in Maine’s history, resulted in the selection of 17 projects to deliver clean energy to Maine at highly competitive prices.

Concord, NH – Today, Governor Chris Sununu issued two emergency orders as part of the state's efforts to combat COVID-19:
Emergency Order #81 : Extension of Emergency Order #74 , extending the statewide mask mandate through March 26, 2021
Emergency Order #82 : An order regarding travel guidance and extending Emergency Order #52 
Following the extension of New Hampshire's statewide mask mandate through March 26, 2021, Governor Sununu issued the following statement:

"With high case rates, hospitalizations, and fatalities, our health care system is still under an immense amount of pressure," said Governor Chris Sununu. "To loosen or eliminate the tools we have utilized with success so far is the wrong approach to fighting this pandemic. The light at the end of the tunnel is within sight - but we must remain vigilant and we cannot let up now."

Portable Document Format (.pdf) . Visit nh.gov for a list of free .pdf readers for a variety of operating systems.

ROCHESTER, NH – HRCU is pleased to announce that Donna West has been hired as their Director of Human Resources. West takes the lead on overseeing the credit union’s HR efforts companywide.

West brings nearly a decade of HR experience to HRCU. Most recently, serving as the HR Manager at RiverWoods Durham, in Durham NH. In this role, West oversaw HR, while facilitating professional development, managing all benefits, and onboarding new employees. Prior to RiverWoods Durham, she also ran HR for Anchor Insurance Managers in St. Petersburg, Florida, as well as, ReEnergy Holdings LLC, of Latham, New York.

“Donna brings a great deal of human resource experience to HRCU. With the growth we have experienced and the challenging times we are in to keep staff well informed and safe, Donna will be a tremendous asset to our organization”, said HRCU President & CEO Brian Hughes.

West is a member of both the Society of Human Resource Management and the Southeast Human Resource Association. She and her husband Mike reside in nearby Alton Bay, NH.

HRCU is a state-chartered and federally insured community credit union that has been serving the New Hampshire community since its inception in 1962. With several locations throughout the seacoast, HRCU prides itself on helping its members achieve their financial goals through convenient, technology-driven, services and a compassionate, personalized approach.

SBA has announced Ascent, an interactive digital platform packed with resources women business owners need to set, and achieve, their business goals. Ascent is designed for the “missing middle” — growth-oriented women entrepreneurs who are beyond the start-up phase and already generating revenue yet looking to grow and scale. Most learning resources for business owners focus on either start-ups or mature businesses. Ascent is here to change that! During these challenging times, SBA’s Ascent can also help you elevate your business with research-backed tips and strategies. Within Ascent, you can examine both internal (strengths and weaknesses) and external factors (opportunities and threats) that may have arisen because of COVID-19 to help you set up a comprehensive recovery strategy. And Ascent is a resource you can turn to again and again, as your business grows and your needs change. Join the Ascent today at Ascent.SBA.gov Ascent was created through a joint initiative between the White House, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), the U.S. Department of Labor’s Women’s Bureau, and the U.S. Department of the Treasury. Bringing these agencies together provides Ascent users with unique access to a wealth of knowledge and expertise not found anywhere else.