Three New England bus lines that shut down in March because of the coronavirus will resume service this month between destinations in Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts and New York.
Concord Coach Lines, Dartmouth Coach and Boston Express will resume service Aug. 16 with trips to Boston. Service to New York will be limited to Dartmouth Coach trips on Fridays and Sundays.
The bus lines have put numerous safety protocols in place. Each bus will run at reduced capacity, masks are required and plexiglass shields have been installed around headrests. Air filtration has been upgraded in terminals and on buses, and new cleaning procedures are in place.
CONCORD — New Hampshire is investigating whether other states are improperly taxing its residents during the coronavirus pandemic.
The review by the state Department of Justice announced Wednesday was sparked by a recent emergency regulation enacted in neighboring Massachusetts. According to the July 21 rule, residents in other states who were working in Massachusetts before the pandemic are subject to Massachusetts’ income tax while they work from home.
The regulation, which is in effect until Dec. 31 or 90 days after the state of emergency in Massachusetts is lifted, raised strong objections in New Hampshire, one of nine states without an income tax.
“We will take immediate steps to stop any attempts to impose income taxes on Granite Staters in a manner that violates the law or the New Hampshire or United States Constitution.” Republican Gov. Chris Sununu said in a statement.
A federal judge has granted the request of the receiver overseeing Burke Mountain and Jay Peak ski resorts, whose owner was charged with fraud, to execute a $3.2 million federal government coronavirus relief loan to help keep the resorts open and employees working.
The resorts have reopened after being closed down for several months due to the pandemic and hope to prepare for the ski season and boost staffing by November, federal receiver Michael Goldberg told U.S. District Court, according to Caledonian Record. The loan through the Paycheck Protection Program would be financed by City National Bank.
Miami businessman Ariel Quiros, who owned Jay Peak and Burke, pleaded not guilty in May 2019 to 12 felony charges, including seven counts of wire fraud and three counts of false statements.
Quiros and three others were indicted over a failed plan to build a biotechnology plant in Newport using $200 million in foreign investors’ money. His lawyer said last month that Quiros plans to withdraw his not guilty pleas.
The federal Securities and Exchange Commission also accused him and his associates in a Ponzi-like scheme. As part of the SEC settlement, Quiros surrendered more than $80 million in real estate and other assets including the two ski resorts. The receiver plans to eventually sell Burke and Jay Peak.
As of Tuesday, 6,693 people had tested positive for the virus in New Hampshire, an increase of 33 from the previous day. One new death was announced, for a total of 418. The seven-day rolling average of daily new cases has risen over the past two weeks; it was 21 new cases per day on July 20, and 28 new cases per day on Aug. 3.
Vermont reported five new cases of the coronavirus on Wednesday, for a total of 1,436 statewide since the pandemic began. The total number of deaths remained at 57. One person was hospitalized with COVID-19.