The New Hampshire · Rochester, NH
ROCHESTER, N.H. — A year ago, the Habitat for Humanity build site in Rochester was a foundation and a few bare frames. Today it has come together as a house with four walls, a roof, a second story, and mostly installed windows. Based on the progress already made, Habitat is projected to begin interior work before the end of the academic year. The progress has come largely through volunteer labor from various contributors and schools, including University of New Hampshire (UNH) students. Organizers say plenty remains to be done on this project. “It’s fun,” said June Demers, a longtime volunteer and overseer of the Rochester site. “I like meeting all the different people and corporations that come out. It’s also very interesting to watch the interactions between those that work together and learn each other’s skills.” Elizabeth Pollock Inside of the house under construction Habitat for Humanity is a nonprofit that builds and repairs homes with the people who will live in them.
The New Hampshire · Durham, NH
Nearby: Durham, NHDURHAM, NH - Voters, campaigners, and candidates gathered at Oyster River High School on Nov. 3 as decisions regarding the future of New Hampshire, and America were made. Among the many voters, University of New Hampshire (UNH) students were casting their ballots to weigh in on the issues that are shaping their communities. On-site campaigners were one source in which voters were exposed to the agendas of the candidates, however, the local community has become accustomed to other styles of advertising. “I don’t think you should be campaigning like ‘I hate this person, I hate that person’ I think it should be ‘I want this, this is what I’m gonna do, for you,” said Oliver Goodchild, a senior at UNH who was voting alongside other students Wednesday. These “fearmongering ads”, as labeled by Mariah Curtis, a UNH senior, have been taking over TV breaks for months leading up to the election. Students found it difficult to make decisions on candidates as a result.
Concord Monitor · Pittsfield, NH
Nearby: Pittsfield, NHAn afternoon fire believed to have begun in the basement of a Pittsfield home displaced six people on Wednesday. One resident sustained minor injuries and a cat died in the blaze, according to Pittsfield Fire. The two-alarm fire broke out around 2:15 p.m. First responders rescued one resident who was inside the home, and transported her to Concord Hospital, according to Pittsfield Fire Chief Peter Pszonowsky. She was medically evaluated and cleared for release shortly after. The building’s other five residents were not home at the time. Firefighters also saved several cats and dogs from the building, but one cat did not make it out. About 10 municipalities dispatched emergency staff to the fire and knocked it down shortly after arrival, Pszonowsky said. The cause is still under investigation, Pszonowsky said, but it is currently believed to be related to the building’s basement wood stove.
Tryon Daily Bulletin · Kittery, ME
Nearby: Kittery, MEIt was a bicyclist’s worst nightmare. A group of 30 riders were making their way along Optimist Farm Road in Holly Springs, a suburb of Raleigh, a week ago when a 76-year-old man, apparently drunk, plowed into them. One cyclist was killed, and a dozen other riders were seriously injured. Donald R. Morris-Jones was arrested. He appeared in court to answer several charges, including felony death and felony hit-and-run, that could put him in prison for the rest of his life. The riders are members of the Carolina Cycling Club. The road they were riding on that day goes through a residential area. It is a wide, quiet stretch of road without much traffic. The driver crossed the center line and hit the riders head-on as they were biking in a double file to leave ample space between them and the center line. The driver continued on after striking the bikers and only stopped when he crashed his car into a ditch. He was being held on a $1 million bond.
New Hampshire Bulletin · North Hampton, NH
Nearby: North Hampton, NHThis story was updated at 9:55 a.m. Nov. 12 to correct Maggiore’s hometown and add more context on his background. He’s from North Hampton, not New Hampton. After last week’s election results dramatically shifted power in the New Hampshire House, the new Democratic majority faces its first big task: picking leadership. Republicans held a 215-177 majority prior to Election Day. Once the new lawmakers elected last week are sworn in, that’ll become a 291-108 Democratic majority (including one independent), pending recounts. With their new majority, Democrats will have enough control to pick the speaker of the House for the first time in six years. The speaker has an array of responsibilities. They make committee assignments, preside over voting sessions and control how bills move through the legislative process. Rep. Alexis Simpson, who has led the caucus as minority leader since 2024, was instantly seen as a candidate for the role. But she now faces a challenge from Rep.
Concord Monitor · Loudon, NH
Nearby: Loudon, NHHalloween is over, the candy bowl is empty, and the jack-o’-lanterns on your porch are starting to slump. Don’t toss them. At Miles Smith Farm in Loudon, November brings a different kind of pumpkin season, the one where castoff pumpkins become cattle cuisine. Every year after Halloween, people drive to my farm with trunks of pumpkins to feed my cattle. Red, our 15-year-old steer, greets every delivery in anticipation. “I love this time of year when we get to recycle pumpkins and feed the cows,” Ginnie said when delivering pumpkins with her son, grandson and two great-grandchildren. “It’s so much fun.” The cattle agree, though they’d say it with more slobber. The cattle don’t care whether a jack-o’-lantern wears a goofy grin or a ghoulish scowl. They care about one thing: Can I bite it? A whole pumpkin is about as edible as a bowling ball, especially when you have no top front teeth, and cattle don’t.
Concord Monitor · Concord, NH
Nearby: Concord, NHThe pool at Garrison Park is headed for permanent closure after a vote by the Concord City Council this week, and leaders are seeking public input as they weigh the future of the West Street Ward House. With multiple ongoing major capital projects, Concord City Councilors have been wary of how much taxpayers can take on. At the same time, city leaders have been criticized for deferring crucial maintenance on city-owned facilities, like Memorial Field, over the years. Two city facilities are in need of major investments — the pool and the ward house — and city staff came to the council this month asking, essentially, what they should do. Garrison Pool The Garrison Pool has been due for updating for several years. Garrison, with a smaller parking area and farther from dense neighborhoods, has historically seen the lowest attendance. In years when the city has been short on lifeguards (almost every year since COVID), it’s been the first pool to close.
New Hampshire Bulletin · Concord, NH
Nearby: Concord, NHRep. Alexis Simpson, who has led the New Hampshire House Democrats as minority leader for two years, is the caucus’ pick for speaker of the House. House Democrats met in Concord Thursday to vote on who to rally behind to lead the chamber. On Dec. 2, the entire New Hampshire House of Representatives will meet to officially elect the speaker. After Democrats won a supermajority in last week’s elections, the party controls who holds the speaker’s gavel. Thursday’s meeting was an attempt by Democrats to get on the same page before the final vote. Still, fractures have emerged within the party in recent weeks after Rep. Jim Maggiore, a former Republican candidate who now represents North Hampton as a Democrat, unsuccessfully challenged her for the role and rallied a group of supporters unhappy with Simpson’s leadership. The final vote was 200-75. Simpson is a Christian minister who represents Exeter. This will be her fifth term in the House.
Concord Monitor · Concord, NH
Nearby: Concord, NHChloe Norman came into her shift at the Red Arrow Diner off Loudon Road in Concord right at 3 p.m. on a Wednesday in early November and found the eatery mostly empty. A few minutes later, an older couple sat down at a booth in her section and she swiftly poured one a fresh cup of coffee and the other a cool glass of chocolate milk. The 41-year-old from Henniker started working part-time at the diner last winter, while also working as a lead bartender at another establishment in Concord. Those were the first two jobs she had held since being diagnosed with autism and ADHD in the last three years. “I’ve never been able to hold down a job for more than a year,” Norman said. “I have a really high sensitivity, like a dysphoria, for justice, and so when I see injustices happening in the workplace, I’ve never been able to kind of shut my mouth.” People like Norman who have physical or cognitive disabilities often struggle not only to find work, but to find success in their jobs long-term.
Concord Monitor · Concord, NH
Nearby: Concord, NHConcord High School’s music program raised $5,250 in partnership with Grappone Mazda’s Be Moved Drive Program last weekend. More than 100 community members turned up at the school on Saturday between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m., totaling 105 qualified test drives, each of which generated $50 for the program. “It feels nice to know there are people out there who care about our program,” said Sylas Ruff, a Concord High junior and choir member. The donations will go a long way to support the Tri-M Music Honor Society. The money will help fund scholarships for additional performing arts studies, department-sponsored travel and educational experiences — reducing the out-of-pocket costs that can keep students from participating. A student shows off her new instrument to music teacher and art coordinator Gabe Cohen. Credit: CHANCE VILES / CourtesyWhile too young for a test drive, an attendee got a first-hand lesson in how a car engine works from Mazda organizers.
Concord Monitor · Concord, NH
Nearby: Concord, NHHooksett, NH – Claire Diana (Desmarais) DiCicco, 85, a resident of Hooksett for nearly 60 years, died peacefully at home on Tuesday, November 3, 2026 following a brief illness.Claire was born in Concord, NH on November 1, 1941, to the late Oscar E. and Diana A. (LeBrun) Desmarais. She attended Sacred Heart School in Concord, and then as a sophomore, entered Concord High School, graduating in 1959.Claire fondly remembered growing up in Concord surrounded by friends and relatives from her large, extended French Canadian family. One of her favorite activities was ice skating at White Park. Many of the children she skated with remained her lifelong friends. Claire and her husband, Al, first met in December of 1961 at an outing with mutual friends. They soon fell in love, and Al proposed to her only three months later.
Concord Monitor · Biddeford, ME
Nearby: Biddeford, MERonald D. Mapes Sr Concord, NH – Ronald D. Mapes, Sr. of Concord, NH died 4 November 2026 at the VNA Granite Hospice House Concord, NH. He was born in Biddeford, Maine at the Trull Hospital on November 29, 1939. He was the youngest son of George & Beryl Mapes of Saco, Maine, His Dad, George E. Mapes was a former City Marshal of Saco, Maine. He leaves behind his wife Barbara R. Mapes, Ronald D. Mapes, Jr., Felicia M. Mapes, Garett P. Mapes, Victoria L. McGarvey of Missouri, Daniel C. Johnson of Maine. Calling Hours will be held on November 17, 2026 at Bennett FUneral Home, 209 N Main St Concord, NH from 10:00 AM- 12:00PM with a Funeral Service at 1:00PM. A Burial will follow at NH State Veterans Cemetery at 2:00PM. Click here to sign the guest book or honor their memory with flowers, donations, or other heartfelt tributes