CONCORD: Only 45 Granite Staters filed for bankruptcy protection in December, beating the modern record by three, and that was set in September. That brought the total to 729 for the year, a 31-percent drop from 2020, which itself was 41 percent below 2019. No businesses filed for bankruptcy in December and no individual filed with business-related debt — the first time that has happened since NH Business Review started keeping track of filings about a decade ago.

MANCHESTER: LaBelle Wineries, the Amherst-based business that has expanded to three locations since its founding more than a decade ago, has agreed to pay a $22,800 fine and another $14,000 in back wages to 69 employees to settle labor violations brought by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division. The penalties stem from an investigation into child labor law violations at LaBelle’s flagship venue in Amherst and Americus at LaBelle, a restaurant that is part of the company’s Derry location. Its third venue, on Congress Street in Portsmouth, wasn’t cited.

LONDONDERRY: Londonderry police have arrested the owner of RPCL Construction for allegedly bribing a state official $28,000 for information and relief from inspections and fines related to a lack of employee documentation. On Dec. 21, authorities arrested and charged Rogelio Perez-Lorenzo of North Reading, Mass., with bribery of a public official, a Class B felony. According to an arrest report, Perez-Lorenzo made the initial offer to Department of Labor Inspector Andres Benitez during a phone call on July 2, 2020. Benitez transcribed the conversation from memory. RCPL is a framing, siding and roofing company that has been in business in New England for 30 years.

MONTPELIER, VT.: The Vermont Rail System and Vermont Agency of Transportation have dropped their opposition to CSX Transportation’s proposed acquisition of Pan Am Railways, which is pending before the federal Surface Transportation Board. Vermont officials opposed the original terms of the transaction, claiming that by limiting competition it would have adverse impacts on shippers in the Green Mountain State, but under a new agreement, the Vermont system will get access to the regional rail network. The merger proposal has been endorsed by political and business leaders in New Hampshire, including Gov. Chris Sununu, Transportation Commissioner Victoria Sheehan and Manchester Mayor Joyce Craig.

CONCORD: The New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services’ Pollution Prevention Program and the New Hampshire Brewers Association have launched the Sustainable Craft Beverage Recognition Program to recognize environmental leaders in the craft beverage industry. They will recognize craft beverage producers who are making sustainable choices, preventing pollution and conserving resources and also encourage other producers to implement sustainable practices.

The agency said the voluntary program will promote environmental best practices and provide technical assistance toward sustainable and operational goals. For more information, email [email protected].

SEATTLE, WASH.: Starbucks, the international coffee shop chain with some 20 locations in New Hampshire, has announced that its U.S. employees must be vaccinated against Covid-19 or submit to weekly testing by Feb. 9. The new rules apply to staff in cafes, offices, plants and distribution centers. The Seattlebased chain is requiring workers to pay for their own tests, should they choose not to vaccinate.

KITTERY, MAINE: Three southern Maine locations have been identified as potential sites for Seacoast workforce housing development in a report focused on Portsmouth Naval Shipyard employees and other regional employers. Two sites in Kittery — the town’s Water District offices and the Outlets shopping area on Route 1 — as well as the former Prime Tanning site in Berwick, Maine, were named. The study and report were conducted and prepared by a Berwick and Kittery Technical Assistance Panel under the guidance of the Boston/New England District Council of the Urban Land Institute.