Portsmouth Herald
Seacoast Landing TIF district OK’d
NEWINGTON — The town’s first tax increment financing district was approved by voters in a special meeting May 30, paving the way for Torrington Properties’ Seacoast Landing redevelopment project to move forward. The TIF district, which will fund $9...
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Graduates celebrate, urged to pursue ‘unique paths’
DOVER — The 62nd commencement at St. Thomas Aquinas High School on May 29 saw 85 students celebrate their accomplishments, with most headed to college, some to the military and some entering apprentice programs. Almost 200 family members packed the...
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HOUSING CONSTRUCTION BOOM MOVING FAST
PORTSMOUTH — The city is in the midst of a housing boom, with hundreds of units under construction, soon to be completed or recently completed. Despite the torrid pace of housing construction in Portsmouth, the demand for both luxury condos and...
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‘Quite an interesting guy’
HAMPTON — When Army veteran Kyle Saltonstall stepped to the podium at Hampton’s American Legion Post 35 Memorial Day ceremonies on May 25, the crowd met a speaker whose path to service has been anything but ordinary. Saltonstall, 44, spent years with...
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Woman killed by son was beloved volunteer
DOVER — Eileen Shevelin, the 78-year-old woman found dead in her home, is the victim in a murder-suicide, killed by her son, according to autopsy results released May 27 by the New Hampshire attorney general. Thomas Wallace, 57, killed his mother in...
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Global honeybees art project coming to Portsmouth Middle School
PORTSMOUTH — The city has reached a contract with a New York artist to create a Good of the Hive mural and art project in the courtyard of the Portsmouth Middle School. Former city councilor Chris Dwyer, who now chairs the city’s Public Art Review...
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$2M homes to be built beside late Ruth Griffin’s farmhouse
PORTSMOUTH — A pair of luxury single-family homes will be built beside the locally famous Ruth Griffin residence and former Half-Acre Farm, though the late politician and public servant’s home won’t be touched in the construction. Chinburg Properties...
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Mural honors former slave’s legacy of freedom
PORTSMOUTH — Celebrating the 230th anniversary of her escape from slavery, Ona Judge Staines became a permanent icon of the city’s landscape with a mural dedicated in her honor and to her determination to be free. On Saturday, May 23, the Black...
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Portsmouth honors sailors eternally ‘on patrol’
PORTSMOUTH — On the Friday before Memorial Day, the city annually conducts a ceremony to honor sailors lost at sea, within sight of Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, the oldest continually operating shipyard in the nation. On May 22, the public gathered in...
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FIERCE FIGHTING AT COUNTRY’S FOUNDING
ROCHESTER — One American flag among the estimated 550 being placed at Rochester Common for Memorial Day weekend honors the sole Revolutionary War hero in the annual Field of Honor display. Each flag represents one of the country’s fallen from wars and...
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‘A steadfast champion of our core principles’
Barney Frank, a longtime Massachusetts lawmaker who was the first U.S. congressman to voluntarily come out as gay, died May 19 after being in hospice care in Maine. He was 86. Frank, from Newton, represented the Fourth Congressional District of...
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Hampton Beach heat hits 90s
HAMPTON — A scorching 94-degree day packed Hampton Beach on Tuesday, May 19 — and by late afternoon, police were breaking up fights and declaring an unlawful assembly after a sudden downpour. Portsmouth topped out at 94.1 degrees and Rochester hit 93,...
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Hampton Beach Memorial Day weekend 2026
HAMPTON — The beach is ramping up for the unofficial start to summer as the restaurants and shops on Ocean Boulevard prepare for Memorial Day weekend. Live music will be playing across venues big and small for the weekend of May 22 to 24, with...
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Googie’s Sandwich Shoppe to close after 25 years
PORTSMOUTH — A quarter-century after its founding, Googie’s Sandwich Shoppe will permanently close at May’s end. Rich Wentworth, owner of the 148 State St. business, will retain the rights to the name and didn’t rule out reviving the joint elsewhere...
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Summer preview
YORK, Maine — New restaurants, a rooftop bar, capybaras and more are coming to York for the 2026 summer season, as well as popular road races and the annual York Days celebration. The hippie-themed Vibe has taken over the former Rick’s Restaurant...
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New Hampshire campus carry bill amended
The New Hampshire Senate on May 14 passed a bill that would allow faculty — but not students — to carry weapons on the state’s college campuses. The original bill, HB 1793, would have barred public colleges and universities in New Hampshire from...
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WHAT’S NEW THIS SUMMER
Hampton Beach is already buzzing with early season activity as businesses reopen like Bernie’s Beach Bar and free entertainment returns to the Seashell Stage for Memorial Day weekend. “We are really excited, and we have a lot of great stuff happening...
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York may roll back Harbor parking meters
YORK, Maine — The town’s Selectboard will consider rolling back some of the newly added metered parking spaces in York Harbor after hearing concerns about the impact on local staff and residents. A public hearing is scheduled for May 18 on potential...
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La Mulita Coffee plans expansion project in Rye
RYE — La Mulita Coffee’s owners aspire to expand their shop and roasting business while also building multifamily housing units, condominiums and retail space on their property adjacent to the traffic circle at Foyes Corner. Two new mixed-use...
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A UNIQUE STAY
PORTSMOUTH — The Grand Heritage Suites in developer Mark McNabb’s new Treadwell Mansion Boutique Hotel are a combination of high-end features and Portsmouth history. Liam Annis, the business operations manager for the hotel in the heart of the city’s...
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Cheese Louise pays MIT living wage
PORTSMOUTH — The minds behind Cheese Louise are urging fellow Seacoast restaurant owners to pay their workers a living wage at a rate recommended by Massachusetts Institute of Technology. All part- and full-time employees at Cheese Louise’s downtown...
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Portsmouth rail trail use surges
PORTSMOUTH — The number of people using the city’s section of the New Hampshire Seacoast Greenway — which is more commonly known as the rail trail — can reach as many as 1,200 on weekends. David Allen, who is president of the nonprofit New Hampshire...
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What city’s budget means for tax, water and sewer bills
PORTSMOUTH — The city’s fiscal year 2027 budget has been proposed by City Manager Karen Conard at $157,971,390, she said during a City Hall press conference May 7. The proposed city budget represents a net increase of $7,676,450 or 5.11% over the...
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THE EDGE
DURHAM — University of New Hampshire officials expect the state economy will be bolstered with the development of The Edge, a massive mixed-use, research and residential community planned for the western portion of the school’s campus. In November,...
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‘Not sent off alone’
YORK — As the sun broke through after days of chilly April rain, about 30 people gathered at the First Parish Cemetery in York to honor a man none of them had known. James, 80, had no friends and family to attend his funeral. His wife, Dorothy, is...
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What’s the Vibe?
YORK, Maine — Pancake tacos and the Jerry Garcia sandwich have landed in York Village as the hippie-themed Vibe restaurant prepares to open its doors. Tie-dye décor and jam-band memorabilia fill the former Rick’s Restaurant space at 242 York St.,...
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Rye to hold special meeting on barn swallows
RYE — Advocates of the migratory swallows blocked from entering the Goss Farm barn have petitioned for a new ordinance to protect bird colonies in town. Nesting barn swallows that journey to Rye each year are barred from accessing the historic barn,...
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‘Life is short’
HAMPTON — Whether at the beach on Ocean Boulevard or in the Route 1 space attached to Lamie’s Inn, the Higgins family always found passion and meaning in running the Old Salt. “I don’t think in 40 years there’s been a day that I didn’t want to go to...
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Trails in jeopardy
RYE — Conservation Commission members will soon decide which public trails to close in town in the interest of protecting wildlife and natural resources. Rachel Stevens, a local ecologist formerly employed by New Hampshire Fish and Game, was...
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Costco at former Fox Run site?
NEWINGTON — Costco Wholesale Club is seeking to open its second New Hampshire location at Seacoast Landing, the first prospective tenant revealed for the commercial development proposed to replace the Mall at Fox Run. Torrington Properties, owner of...
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Verdict is in
BRENTWOOD — A mistrial was declared on defendant Andrew Lucas’ two negligent homicide counts tied to the August 2023 death of Rochester resident Zachary Colbroth in downtown Portsmouth. Lucas was convicted on several assault charges, including two...
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Jury deadlocked in Andrew Lucas garage death trial
BRENTWOOD — Jurors are deadlocked in Andrew Lucas’ negligent homicide trial tied to the August 2023 death of Zachary Colbroth in Portsmouth, failing to reach a verdict after two-plus days of deliberations. Rockingham County Superior Court Judge Lisa...
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IMPROVING ENTERTAINMENT
PORTSMOUTH — The City Council passed a motion to “collaborate with Prescott Park Arts Festival” officials to initiate park improvements, “including a covered stage and ancillary structures.” The motion, made by City Councilors Kate Cook and John Tabor...
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Kittery man in top 100; Seacoast runners’ times
BOSTON — Samuel Bradbury forgets how many times he has run the Boston Marathon, but he will always remember his finish at the 2026 race Monday, April 20. In a field with more than an expected 30,000 runners, Bradbury, who moved to Kittery, Maine last...
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Seacoast Eat Local opens 4 farmers markets
PORTSMOUTH — The City Council has approved a license agreement with Seacoast Eat Local, ushering in another season for the city’s popular farmers market. “We are excited once again to work with Seacoast Eat Local … this is the 30th season of the...
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Lucas denies he knew about fatal fall from parking garage
BRENTWOOD — Defendant Andrew Lucas testified he was unaware of Zachary Colbroth’s whereabouts immediately after assaulting the Rochester man outside the Portsmouth Gas Light Co. in August 2023. Lucas, a 26-year-old Rochester resident, took the stand...
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LEVELING UP
DOVER — As Wentworth-Douglass Hospital marks its 120th anniversary in August 2026, President and COO Darin Roark says millions in recent investments are bringing Mass General Brigham-level care to the Seacoast. Since joining Mass General Brigham nine...
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‘I was just trying to defend myself ’
BRENTWOOD — Negligent homicide defendant Andrew Lucas testified his assault of Zachary Colbroth came moments after Colbroth hurled a racial slur at him and attempted to “bull rush” him outside the Portsmouth Gas Light Co. Lucas, 26, of Rochester, took...
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Ex-city clerk Barnaby felt forced to retire
PORTSMOUTH — Kelli Barnaby, Portsmouth’s former longtime city clerk, said she was told she was no longer “a good fit after 38 years working for the city.” “I was told that by the HR director per Karen” (Conard, Portsmouth’s city manager),” Barnaby...
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Republicans express concerns over campus carry bill
CONCORD — Republicans in the New Hampshire Senate Judiciary Committee expressed concerns about a bill to allow guns on college campuses and suggested changes to soften it at a hearing April 14. HB 1793, sponsored by state Rep. Sam Farrington,...
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Hadd
happen at any time. Hospital rooms replaced playgrounds. Everything felt hard and unfair. Instead of dreaming about playing in the NBA, I started dreaming about something simpler, just one week seizure-free,” Hadd wrote in a prepared statement. Hadd...
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Banfield Road traffic source of concerns
PORTSMOUTH — City staff expressed concerns to Saint Patrick Academy officials about traffic congestion near the school, which they say typically occurs when parents arrive in the afternoon to pick up their kids. St. Patrick is an independent Catholic...
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Portsmouth restaurateur plans new bistro at former District site
PORTSMOUTH — Julian Armstrong is no stranger to Congress Street, having grown up working at Bull Moose’s old downtown shop and the Friendly Toast, and now as owner of The Wilder gastropub nearby. The restaurateur is adding to his downtown Portsmouth...
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ONE OF THE BOYS
DURHAM — The Oyster River Middle School boys lacrosse team is scheduled to open its season April 9 against Rundlett Middle School of Concord. The team will be without Rynn Haley, a 12-year-old seventh-grade girl who has been playing boys lacrosse with...
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Lenny’s Lobster Shack to open in Seabrook
SEABROOK — Lenny’s Lobster Shack — a tribute to 103-year-old World War II veteran Lenny Atkinson — is eyeing an early-July opening on Route 286, just in time to mark America’s 250th birthday with a hometown hero in attendance. Bradford Atkinson said...
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‘It’s such an intense, powerful letter’
PORTSMOUTH — A 1962 letter from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to a Portsmouth minister and civil rights activist received an appraisal of tens of thousands of dollars on “Antiques Roadshow.” The late Rev. John Papandrew received King’s letter that...
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SURVEYING THE SCENE
PORTSMOUTH — Defendant Andrew Lucas returned to the High-Hanover parking garage April 7 as jurors in his negligent homicide trial surveyed the scene of Rochester resident Zachary Colbroth’s August 2023 fatal three-story fall. Rockingham County...
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TRIAL BEGINS
BRENTWOOD — Prosecutors in the negligent homicide trial of Andrew Lucas urged jurors on April 6 to consider the defendant had “opportunity after opportunity” to back away after allegedly assaulting a Rochester man moments before his August 2023 death...
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HISTORIC BARN VS. TWO NEW HOMES
PORTSMOUTH — A group of neighbors are asking a city board to reconsider its decision to grant several variances needed to redevelop a 238 Austin St. property, which includes a plan to demolish a historic barn. The neighbors filed a request for a...
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Hampton’s Old Salt at Lamie’s Inn to be sold
HAMPTON — A sale of the Old Salt at Lamie’s Inn will soon be finalized, transferring control of a Hampton institution to a hospitality group that owns and operates hotels in Maine, Massachusetts and New Hampshire. The centuries-old property that sits...
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THE BEST OF THE BRUNCH
Brunch elevates your everyday breakfast and dresses it in its Sunday best. Instead of sipping a smoothie behind the steering wheel during your harried commute, brunch can stretch for hours and actually cover two meals in a relaxing atmosphere that can...
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‘He could fix anything’
HAMPTON — Phil Cote, the man who helped generations of local DIYers fix what was broken, died March 26 at age 84. For 35 years, Cote managed Hampton Center Hardware — a post-World War II landmark at the corner of Lafayette Road and High Street —...
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‘Crunch time’ for new Portsmouth master plan
PORTSMOUTH — Planning Board Chairman Rick Chellman stated it’s “really becoming crunch time” in the development of the city’s new master plan. “Think about how and whether you might want to possibly get more involved as we go forward,” Chellman told...
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BIG PLANS FOR HISTORIC STAGE
OGUNQUIT, Maine — As the Ogunquit Playhouse nears a century of providing top-notch entertainment to theatergoers, a sweeping, three-phase vision is now taking shape for the iconic landmark’s next 100 years. Once achieved, the Playhouse will be a...
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‘It’s time for a break’
NEWFIELDS — At the historic Conner Bottling Works in Newfields, 17 bottles of small-batch soda rattle off the lone production line each minute, clanging as they hit a spinning collection plate. For Tom Conner — whose greatgrandfather started the...
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DEMOLITION PREP WORK IS UNDERWAY
DOVER — Demolition prep work has begun on the old Gen. Sullivan Bridge, and both drivers and boaters can expect traffic closures this summer. The 1934-bridge has been closed for years. It’s located adjacent to the Little Bay bridges, which carry...
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‘No Kings’ protesters reject Trump and ‘concentrated power’
“No Kings” protesters gathered in Portsmouth’s Market Square, in Exeter, in Dover, and in more communities around Seacoast New Hampshire and Maine, Saturday, March 28, totaling more than 3,000 locations around the nation. The events were a coordinated...
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FACING THE MUSIC
PORTSMOUTH — The Music Hall hopes to hire a new president and chief executive officer between July and September, tasking a new leader with helping move the theater past a 2025 controversy and toward its milestone 150th anniversary. The new leader...
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‘Things fell into place’
HAMPTON — Now open in the town center, Variegated Roots is a new retail shop its owner hopes will grow into a community gathering spot reminiscent of the beloved business that stood there for more than eight decades. Located at 457 Lafayette Road...
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Portsmouth police seek 2nd social worker for homeless
PORTSMOUTH — Upwards of a dozen homeless encampments are scattered throughout Portsmouth, according to city police, a primary reason the Police Department is looking to hire a second social worker. “My guess is there are far more homeless encampments...
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Giving back
Each year, the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute awards roughly 500 charity bibs to runners hoping to take on the Boston Marathon in support of its mission. ● Thousands of applicants from across the country— each with their own personal reason for...
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Complementary restaurants
DOVER — Renowned chef Evan Hennessey has a new vision for Topolino, his Mediterranean restaurant set to open March 31 in the city’s emerging Waterfront District. ● Hennessey said the restaurant is a “totally different idea” than his Dover restaurant...
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The Brook’s big bet
SEABROOK — With its 24,000-square-foot expansion and renovation nearing completion, The Brook’s leadership believes the venue is poised to cement its status as a destination in New Hampshire’s growing charitable gaming scene. Eureka Casino Resort, a...
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Demolition of Mall at Fox Run on hold for now
NEWINGTON — The demolition of the closed Mall at Fox Run and the adjacent Newington Park Shopping Center buildings appears to be on hold for now, pending a town vote on Torrington Properties’ tax increment financing district proposal. Torrington...
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‘Simply superb’
YORK, Maine — Marilyn Willey once loved the freedom of two wheels — whether pedaling her bicycle or cruising on her motorbike near her cottage in the northern woods. Now 84 and living at Durgin Pines Nursing Home in Kittery, she thought those riding...
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Rebuilding ‘Founders Building’
RYE — Star Island’s motel-style “Founders Building” is poised for demolition and redevelopment following the summer season. The five-unit visitor’s quarters, one of four on the island, would be razed and rebuilt. Three other five-unit buildings for...
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Portsmouth OKs $400K more to fight lawsuit
PORTSMOUTH — The City Council voted to approve a $400,000 supplemental appropriation this week to continue paying for outside counsel to fight a lawsuit brought against the city in 2022. City Attorney Susan Morrell told the council the city has...
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