Boat sales off to a good start

Lakes across New Hampshire are still covered with ice, but boat sales are already starting to warm up.

Ed Crawford of Winnisquam Marine says he sold six boats in the week after a boat show in Manchester earlier this month.

He says good weather on weekends helps boost visits to his showroom next to the Mosquito Bridge over Lake Winnisquam.

Don Thurston of Thurston's Marina at Weirs Beach says winter sales have been good so far this year, and he expects that will continue.

- The Associated Press

Laconia rents increasing dramatically

LACONIA - City landlords say tax increases are to blame for rent increases in the area.

Property owners say raising rent is the only way to keep up with tax assessments that are going up 25 to 30 percent every year.

"As a landlord I look at my expenses and my number one is property taxes ... they are absolutely killing me," said James Belcher, who owns 20 rental units in the area.

A recent study shows Lakes Region residents are struggling to put roofs over their heads as housing prices rise faster than their incomes. The study by Applied Economic Research, a local company, found that the average rent for a two-bedroom apartment in Laconia went from $550 to $800 in the last eight years. That's an increase of more than 30 percent.

- The Associated Press

North Country landlord touts casino plan

LINCOLN - State Rep. Edmond Gionet is betting a North Country casino can provide local jobs and stabilize the state economy.

Gionet, a Republican from Lincoln, filed legislation that would permit the creation of a privately owned and operated White Mountain Resort & Casino. Under the plan, the state lottery commission would collect 20 percent of the proposed casino's gross profits for deposit into the state's general fund.

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