Local

  Whether a casino would be a boon for businesses in Salem  depends on a number of factors. Based on anecdotal evidence from a trip to Washington County, PA, these are a few important ones.

1. Is your business a restaurant or shopping mall within a half mile of the casino? 

2. Does the casino bring in out-of-town visitors?

3. Are casino employees local residents? 

To get the whole story, have a listen:

Geraldine Pajak and her friend Pauline Stripp feed dollar bills into a Gladiator-themed slot machine at The Meadows in PA.

The Executive Council chambers were packed as N.H.'s political class came together to honor what has become one of the best known things about the state,  the presidential primary. Bill Gardner.

"This is a special day in N.H., in the old days they’d call this a red letter day."

Bill Gardner is N.H.’s Secretary of State. He came equipped with plenty of historical detail, including the biography of Democratic  Rep, Stephen Bullock, who authored law that took effect May 21st 1913.

Working largely on what amounts to the honor system state officials say they have decided state air pollution standards were not violated in a fire last January when two buildings at the Balsams resort were burned down as part of a renovation.

Manchester police partnered with State Police on Tuesday to educate people about the dangers of distracted driving.

Lieutenant Jim Flanagan approached drivers as they stopped at the corner of Hanover and Elm streets in downtown Manchester.

He had a smile on his face and an informational pamphlet about distracted driving in his hand.

“We’re just trying to get the word out and let people know before the worst happens. And we see most of our accidents, or a great deal of them, are related to distracted driving, in some fashion or another.”

As the New Hampshire House prepares to vote on a casino bill this week, NHPR is bringing you a series of stories that look at the implications of opening a casino in the Granite State.  Today we turn our focus to the potential social costs related to gambling addiction: how the state is handling problem gambling now, and how it could in the future.

If a casino is built in the state, charities in New Hampshire worry their low-stakes table games and bingo nights just won’t be able to compete. Many hold annual charity gaming events to raise funds, and fear big losses. Annmarie Timmins has been covering the casino debate for the Concord Monitor. She joined Morning Edition to talk about the possible effects to charitable gaming.