N.H. man who shot Manchester officers to spend 5 years in psych unit

BrentwoodMan who shot police officers to spend 5 years in psych unitA man charged with shooting and wounding two New Hampshire police officers has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity and will serve five years in a state psychiatric unit.Ian...

Penacook mom sent to jail for raising children around methamphetamine

By ALYSSA DANDREA

A mother began serving a 90-day jail sentence Tuesday for exposing her two children to methamphetamine in Penacook in summer 2016, resulting in the death of her 2-month-old son.Kayla Austin, 21, of Penacook pleaded guilty to two counts of endangering...

Homes with private wells would be exempt from drought restrictions

By DAVID BROOKS

A bill being considered in the state Legislature would allow homes on private wells to continue watering their lawns during a drought, even when homes connected to municipal systems have to stop.“Private wells are private property and this has always...

Judge dismisses 1 of 4 charges against N.H. representative

By LOLA DUFFORT

A Hooksett district court judge dismissed one of four charges in the DWI case against state Rep. James Spillane on Tuesday and could issue a ruling on the remaining counts as soon as Wednesday.Spillane was arrested a little after 11 p.m. May 4, on...

Downtown: New gym looks to shake up Concord

By CAITLIN ANDREWS

In the bright light of a new year, you might be tempted to make a resolution or two.There’s the classics, like writing more or calling your mother more often, and getting back to the gym. You’ll soon have a new place in Concord to try out that last...

Live Nation buys Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion

By CAITLIN ANDREWS

One of the state’s largest concert venues has been purchased by Live Nation, the entertainment giant that owns Ticketmaster. The global company announced Wednesday it had acquired an interest in the Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion, formerly known as...

The farmhouse, shown in a documentary, is gone, to be replaced by something more hopeful

By RAY DUCKLER

The big white farmhouse on Mountain Road, near Sanborn and Sewalls Falls roads, is gone, razed to make room for new homes and families.It stood lonely for years, with a blank expression of chipping paint and rotting wood that, to passing drivers,...

Concord dentist accused of sexual assault reaches agreement

By ALYSSA DANDREA

A Concord dentist charged with assaulting a woman in the parking lot of a company-sponsored event in 2015 has settled with prosecutors.Mostafa El-Sherif, 60, of Bedford has completed three hours of one-on-one sexual harassment training and 40 hours of...

From grief to advocacy, a father takes action on opioid epidemic

By CAITLIN ANDREWS

Doug Griffin’s view on the opioid epidemic has shifted since he lost his daughter, Courtney, to a fentanyl overdose three years ago at the age of 20.At first, he shied away from his pastor even mentioning how Courtney died during her funeral service....

Before they ski down, an increasing number of people are hiking up

By DAVID BROOKS

Early November snowfall has gotten plenty of folks looking forward to zooming down New Hampshire mountains on skis. But a surprising number of them are willing – even eager – to hike uphill in order to do it.“This is the fastest-growing segment of the...

Learning from loss: Family of 16-year-old who committed suicide hopes his story will save a life

By LEAH WILLINGHAM

Jeffrey White knew something wasn’t right with his son Alec.It hit him in the face when the 16-year-old tried to overdose last spring. He knew his son needed help and he tried his best to get it for him.Just last month, White, 46, went to a suicide...

Why is the Ralph Pill Marketplace called the Ralph Pill Marketplace, anyway?

By DAVID BROOKS

One of the mysteries of the Ralph Pill Marketplace is its very prominent name, since the Massachusetts-based suppliers of electrical components didn’t build the tower and hasn’t existed since it sold out to another firm a decade ago.“When we converted...

Jury awards more than $274M in billboard defamation case

The owner of a New Hampshire mortgage company who used electronic billboards to accuse three businessmen of crimes is liable for $274.5 million in damages in a defamation lawsuit against him, a jury found Friday. The plaintiffs’ lawyer said he...

Fitzsimmons, Moran announce engagement

Fitzsimmons – Moran Mr. and Mrs. Richard Fitzsimmons of Brielle, N.J., announce the engagement of their daughter, Elizabeth Chase Fitzsimmons, to Thomas Moran, son of Dr. and Mrs. Douglas Moran of Concord.Fitzsimmons is a graduate of Manasquan High...

Remember when: 2 years have passed since emu found in Bow

In 2015, one of the Monitor’s best-read stories were of an emu found on the lam in the Bow woods.After about a week from the intial sighting, the bird, Beatrice, was captured by Kevin Welch, Sam Seagroves and Joe Miller and brought to Wings of Dawn...

Deerfield Fair pig scrambles: Dangerous, or barnyard fun?

By CAITLIN ANDREWS

To catch a piglet, you gotta go for its hind legs.That’s what Carole Soule, standing amid a litter of pigs, thermometer in hand, will tell you. On an overcast afternoon at Miles Smith Farm in Loudon, she’d been tasked with catching one of her sick...

Newly retired state medical examiner reflects on 20-year career

By DAVID BROOKS

In his 20 years as New Hampshire’s medical examiner, Dr. Thomas Andrew has consulted with medical specialists, weapons specialists, crime-scene specialists, specialists about which bugs get attracted to corpses – and, once, a plant specialist.“It...

Judge to rule on restraining order against Sunapee police chief

By LOLA DUFFORT

A Sullivan County Superior Court judge is expected to decide Friday whether to grant a Sunapee family a restraining order against the town’s police chief.During a roughly three-hour hearing Thursday in Newport, Heather and Joseph Furlong accused...

N.H. tiny house company has big plans for the future

By ELIZABETH FRANTZ

Barely a year old, Tiny Living Spaces, a new home construction business in Henniker, is still getting off the ground, but there’s no shortage of interest in the niche market it aims to serve.“Oh, cool. You’re building tiny houses,” Michael Charron...

Concord man builds his own sternwheel paddleboat

By CAITLIN ANDREWS

Anyone can see Harold Harasko loves his lady.You can hear it in the way he talks about her sturdy strength, her quiet dignity, her cheerful whistle. You can see it in the way he handles her – making sure she has enough room to turn around, or how...