As statewide school phone bans sweep the nation, New Hampshire takes a characteristic ‘local control’ approach

By JEREMY MARGOLIS

On the rare occasions Rundlett Middle School principal Jay Richard takes his phone out during the school day, his students hound him.“Mr. Richard, we’re not supposed to be on phones during school,” they gleefully remind him.But Richard needs no...

Vote to move middle school motivates another candidate to run for Concord School Board

By CATHERINE McLAUGHLIN

Joe Scroggins is one of more than 1,500 people who signed petitions to reduce the power of the Concord School Board and to rebuild the middle school in the South End where he lives with his family.After months of conversations with neighbors who were...

Talk of the Towns in the Capital Region

AllenstownPublic notice of the lowering of the Webster dam impoundment, Irish Pond, on the Suncook River here and in Suncook is planned to occur Sept. 9 through 21 to perform maintenance. Do not assess the exposed shoreline as people or pets can get...

Gravel biking ‘has exploded’ in the Upper Valley

By CHRISTINA DOLAN

LEBANON — Cyclists are enjoying the unpaved back roads of Vermont and New Hampshire in new ways, boosting rural businesses and shifting how residents and visitors experience the Upper Valley’s rural landscapes.Bike sales surged during the COVID-19...

Sun Country Airlines receives glowing welcome from MHT

By TRISHA NAIL

Despite gray clouds overlooking Manchester-Boston Regional Airport on Aug. 22, skies directly above remained blue as an orange-and-white livery airplane landed on the runway. As the plane received a water salute greeting from fire engines, its landing...

New campground in Hillsborough the first of its kind to open in New Hampshire in five years

By ALEXANDER RAPP

When Kevin McCauley bought 500 acres of forested land in Hillsborough 45 years ago, it was an unusual purchase for a college student, but it just made sense.“I was on one of my breaks from New England College and between classes, and I walked in this...

Concord City Councilor Brown and Senate candidate Reardon to face ethics hearings Monday

By CATHERINE McLAUGHLIN

Concord’s Board of Ethics is set to weigh a claim that City Councilor Stacey Brown, who is married to a city police officer, ran afoul of city rules by voting on a street closure that could have created a financial conflict of interest.Later in the...

Meredith 9/11 survivor recounts experience escaping South Tower

By DANIEL SARCH

Karen Truberg was working for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey on Sept. 11, 2001, and was in the South Tower on the 62nd floor when the planes hit. She recounted her experience escaping from the building after seeing the first plane hit...

North Main Street bus stop will stay put amid competing safety concerns

By CATHERINE McLAUGHLIN

Ian McGregor knows as well as anyone the multitude of reasons people use public transportation.As a kid, he relied on Milwaukee’s bus system to get around.“I’m the son of an alcoholic who could not drive,” he told Concord city councilors. “This is...

Chamber, state officials hold tourism forum at Cranmore

By TOM EASTMAN

CONWAY — In an effort to bring Concord to the mountains, state Business and Economic Affairs Commissioner Taylor Caswell and his staff presented and state resources forum for local businesses at the Fairbank Lodge at Cranmore Mountain Resort on...

Lower interest rates a help — but not a fix — for NH housing

By PAUL BRIAND

Interest rates may indeed start to drop through the rest of 2024 and into 2025, maybe not to the historic lows of less than 3% in 2020-21, but lower than the current average interest rates have been so far this year.That would certainly help the...

Remembering those lost: 9/11 remembrance ceremony on 23rd anniversary of terrorist attacks

By RACHEL WACHMAN

At 8:46 a.m., the bells of St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Allenstown began to toll, marking the exact time American Airlines Flight 11 struck the North Tower in New York City 23 years ago. Solemn vibrations echoed throughout the church and...

Judge allows transgender girls to continue to play on girls’ sports teams as case heads to trial

By JEREMY MARGOLIS

Two transgender girls in New Hampshire may continue playing on girls’ sports teams indefinitely, despite a newly enacted law that bars them from doing so, a federal court judge ruled Tuesday.Judge Landya McCafferty granted a request for a preliminary...

Generational divide begins to emerge over Concord School Board charter amendments

Editor’s note: This story has been updated to reflect the Concord School Board’s position that the charter amendments need a three-fifths vote to pass.Nicole Fox, the mother of three children in the Concord School District, believes the Concord School...

Concord man arrested on gun- and drug-related charges

A Concord man was arrested by city police on Monday night on a warrant stemming from an August incident during which he allegedly was in possession of a stolen handgun, methamphetamine, and fentanyl, and tried to hide them from police, according to...

CYPN: Meet Sarah Glaude, co-owner of Social Club Creamery

Concord Young Professionals Network (CYPN) introduces you to the “Young Professional of the Month,” Sarah Glaude. Each month, the CYPN Steering Committee recommends an individual in the community it thinks readers would enjoy getting to know...

For small towns, emergency medical service costs continue to mount. Towns that share EMS providers are increasingly at odds over how to divvy them up.

By JEREMY MARGOLIS

Salisbury Selectman Brett Walker believes his town of 1,500 residents is being overcharged.Five years after Salisbury signed on to an unusual agreement to share emergency medical services with Boscawen and Canterbury, Salisbury is footing nearly...

New American farmers grow passion for farming on New Hampshire soil

By JACKIE HARRIS

Mohamed Shegow grew up farming and cooking with his mom, Batulo Mohamed, who brought her experience growing food in Somalia to New Hampshire. These days, he spends time working with her at her food truck, Batulo’s Kitchen.At the Morning Star Farmer’s...

Federal money is streaming into hydro dams in NH for repairs and upgrades

By MARA HOPLAMAZIAN

New Hampshire is set to receive almost $5 million from the federal government for upgrades to hydroelectric facilities.That money will flow to 17 projects throughout the state to help those facilities replace parts, make repairs, and create new...