Commission awards $2.8 million in northern New Hampshire

BERLIN, N.H. (AP) - A commission that helps economically distressed counties in the Northeast has awarded more than $2.8 million in New Hampshire.

The Northern Boarder Regional Commission is a federal-state partnership that supports three dozen counties in Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont and New York. It recently awarded 15 grants in New Hampshire, including $250,000 to expand behavioral health and substance abuse treatment in Berlin, $200,000 for a recreational trail project in North Conway, and $156,000 for a marketplace for farmers and artists in Lancaster.

Officials say the projects will enhance efforts to strengthen local economies.