Poll: Should N.H. redesign the state flag?

New Hampshire’s flag – the round state seal featuring the U.S.S Raleigh floating on the ocean with the sun in the background – all set on a lovely shade of blue is certainly iconic in these parts.   In somewhat of a shock to longtime Granite Staters,...

Judge rules use of drug-sniffing dogs unconstitutional in checkpoint lawsuit

By CAITLIN ANDREWS

Police dogs used to sniff out drugs at a border patrol checkpoint on Interstate 93 last summer amounted to a violation of the state Constitution, a judge ruled, throwing out evidence against 18 defendants.The American Civil Liberties Union of New...

Rebuild the Old Man of the Mountain? Many say let him be

By RAY DUCKLER

Rest in pieces, Old Man.That’s what I was told Thursday, which marked the 15th anniversary of the day the Old Man of the Mountain crumbled during an early-morning fog.Not out of disrespect. Quite the contrary, this opinion grew out of love and respect...

Face of Old Man of the Mountain in Franconia Notch fell 15 years ago

After a stormy night in Franconia Notch 15 years ago, daybreak on May 3 – still rainy and dreary from the night before – revealed that New Hampshire’s iconic Old Man of the Mountain was gone.News of the rocky profile’s fall spread quickly, and people...

At least six trees in Concord are the biggest of their kind in the whole state

By DAVID BROOKSand JONATHAN VAN FLEET

It turns out Concord has something to brag about on Arbor Day when it comes to trees: Within the city limits, at least six trees qualify as the biggest of their species in all of New Hampshire. That includes the huge Norway maple next to the arch in...

Franklin man pleads guilty to shooting boyfriend in head, waiting for him to die in woods

By ALYSSA DANDREA

Fresh off Laconia’s annual Motorcycle Week, Richard Tripaldi II and James Brock returned to the remote campsite bordering the Great Gains Memorial Forest in Franklin.The two young men, in a fledgling relationship, had spent some nights there...

Once looking for scoops, author Tom Ryan found solitude with his best friend, Atticus

By RAY DUCKLER

To this day, Tom Ryan can’t explain it, and don’t expect him to try during his appearance Thursday night at Red River Theatres.There, starting at 7, he’ll talk about Following Atticus, the latest selection for Concord Reads – a citywide literary...

Timeline: Key moments in the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing

A timeline of events related to the Boston Marathon bombing, which killed three people and injured 260 others on April 15, 2013:March 2011: The Russian FSB intelligence security service gives the FBI information that Tamerlan Tsarnaev, who lives in...

Five years later, five lives affected by Boston Marathon bombing move on

By WILLIAM J. KOLE

One was an attacker. One was a volunteer first responder. One lost her leg. Another lost his little boy. And a police officer very nearly lost his own life.Half a decade ago, these five lives probably never would have intersected. Then bombs bloodied...

The noose in Laconia tells a story about the last man executed in the state

By RAY DUCKLER

The rope is behind glass, in a rectangular wooden box, and it leaves no room for interpretation.It signals death, end of story.A rope will do that – invade your mind with darkness – when tied into a noose. This one is on a back wall at the...

Convicted child killer Dale loses federal appeal, files another in 1st Circuit Court

By Nancy West

Jim Dale has lost his latest case in U.S. District Court, but plans to further appeal his second-degree murder conviction for the rape and murder of a six-year-old girl in Hopkinton more than 20 years ago.Dale, 60, who is adamant that he didn’t rape...

Army aviator, former N.H. student killed in Apache helicopter crash

By ALYSSA DANDREA

James Casadona, a graduate of New Hampton School, knew early on he wanted to follow in his uncle’s footsteps and join the U.S. Marine Corps.“I remember the phone call like it was yesterday,” Retired Marine Master Sgt. Dan Crim said of the conversation...

Final song for former bagpiper to the Queen of England

By LOLA DUFFORT

A Concord man who once served as the queen of England’s personal piper was remembered by loved ones Wednesday for his mischievous sense of humor, distinguished military career and love of Scottish music.The service for Pipe Major Gordon Webster at St....

The most iconic Wolfman of N.H. train ride fame has died

By RAY DUCKLER

Bill Farrand, whose portrayal of Wolfman at Clark’s Trading Post in Lincoln remains the standard by which all others who played the part have been judged, died Monday at the age of 60.Farrand had been battling lung disease, which forced him to retire...

Once upon a time, Betty and Barney Hill told a story that was out of this world

By RAY DUCKLER

Leon Noel moved carefully toward the row of twisted, sagging apple trees near the Interstate 93 overpass in Lincoln, each step swallowed by two feet of snow. He pointed with a sweeping motion across the horizon. “There,” he said. “That’s them.” The...

Judge sentences former Pembroke Academy dean to jail in drug case

By ALYSSA DANDREA

Rekha Luther recalled vividly in court Monday the first time she shot up heroin, aiming to suppress chronic pain from an underlying health condition that had led her to abuse prescription drugs.After the first time, she was hooked and the choice to...

More than two years later, questions on deadly crash remain

By CAITLIN ANDREWS

The day Dunbarton teen Trevor Gonyer died, Stephanie Burke called his phone dozens of times.Burke, a Goffstown High School student at the time, knew her friend was dead. Her baby sister had told her, “bawling her eyes out,” the morning of July 3,...

On Presidents Day, Franklin Pierce remains a mystery to many in N.H.

By RAY DUCKLER

So who the heck was Franklin Pierce? I tried to find out, thinking Monday – Presidents Day – was a good time to try. Turns out, one of the most important people in the state’s history featured more gray area than a giant storm cloud.Pierce was the...

Penny Pitou looked great, both on the slopes and in front of the camera

By RAY DUCKLER

Penny Pitou, famous for winning two Olympic silver medals and booking European ski tours, says it’s okay to call her attractive.In fact, she likes it, as long as you include the part about skiing, too.Both defined her in 1960, when the woman behind...

Statewide drug sweep leads to 151 arrests in NH

By ALYSSA DANDREA

Eighty-eight local, state and federal law enforcement agencies executed one of the largest ever drug sweeps Thursday in the Granite State that resulted in 151 arrests, the seizure of more than 551 grams of heroin and fentanyl, $37,251 in cash and 24...