PORTSMOUTH — After skipping out on a Sunday night restaurant and bar tab, a Massachusetts couple was found shoplifting their dessert at a city supermarket, say police.

PORTSMOUTH — Perched beneath a helicopter hovering over the Spaulding Turnpike on Tuesday, contractors for Public Service of New Hampshire upgraded power lines, while entertaining motorists.

PORTSMOUTH — In a town with 252 restaurants, rumors about restaurant openings, closings, sales and chef shifts are as juicy as the latest Brangelina gossip, and with the economy as bad as it is, more and more dining establishment closing...

PORTSMOUTH — A Maine man was "heavily intoxicated" in Market Square Monday morning when he bit one police officer and grabbed another by the throat, police allege.

PORTSMOUTH — State Sen. Martha Fuller Clark hopes a new bill on an old idea will gain the support of the Legislature and change the term of governor from two years to four.

PORTSMOUTH — You could call it "The Curious Case of Tugboat Alley."

EXETER — Unitil representatives told the Exeter Board of Selectmen that its results in restoring power after the recent devastating ice storm were not what the electric company wanted.

CONCORD — An estimated 800 bills could be considered in the upcoming legislative session in Concord which begins on Wednesday. The bills submitted by the 24-member Senate and the 400-member House will cover a wide canvas of life and liberty...

PORTSMOUTH — A city man convicted of stealing cash from a store safe is charged with five new crimes alleging he sold stolen musical instruments and equipment at local pawn shops.

PORTSMOUTH — A 14-year-old boy fell out of a moving car, then rolled down Lafayette Road Saturday afternoon, prompting a police investigation.

PORTSMOUTH — Black ice is assumed to be the cause of a rollover accident on Interstate 95 on Monday morning.

YORK, Maine — A two-alarm fire that caused an estimated $100,000 in damage to the Cottage Place office condominium complex on Route 1 was arson, according to the Maine fire marshal's office.

YORK, Maine — Dane Cook's half-brother embezzled at least $4 million from the comedian since 2007, according to the police report that accompanies the Bay State man's arrest.

SEABROOK — Longtime resident and community activist Miliki Sturgis-Chapin is picking up the pieces after her home was destroyed in a fire on New Year's Day.

NEW CASTLE — A "Journalism Jam" is happening at the New Castle Church Parish Hall on Wednesday.

EXETER — An Exeter man charged with assaulting two minors waived a probable cause hearing in Hampton District Court on Monday.

HAMPTON — Members of the Coalition for a Fair Assessment aired their frustrations to town leaders Monday night regarding a recent revaluation that showed their property assessments and tax bills skyrocketing.

PORTSMOUTH — Dave Succi is “one of those guys who would do anything for you,” said police Lt. Rodney McQuate.

PORTSMOUTH — Charley Mayer is a man of few words, but the people he does work for say he is priceless.

PORTSMOUTH — A city man convicted of stealing cash from a store safe is charged with five new crimes alleging he sold stolen musical instruments and equipment at local pawn shops.

PORTSMOUTH — A Maine man was “heavily intoxicated” in Market Square Monday morning when he bit one police officer and grabbed another by the throat, police allege.

NEWINGTON — A $15 million contract for the final design of an expansion of the Spaulding Turnpike in the towns of Newington and Dover would require the closing or reconfiguring of several exit ramps on the heavily traveled roadway.

With the campaign more than two months behind, four women from Maine and New Hampshire will take the oath of office Tuesday — and begin the hard work of lawmaking as members of the 111th Congress.

"The Memorial Bridge. My last name is Long, so I'm kind of partial to the Sarah Mildred Long (Bridge)."

RYE — With the Seavey Creek Bridge closed for construction on Route 1A, visitors must take a short but scenic detour to Odiorne Point State Park in order to reach the Seacoast Science Center.

CONCORD (AP) — Both sponsors of a bill that would require all New Hampshire felons to supply DNA samples for a national databank say they may back more narrow efforts.

PORTSMOUTH (AP) — More shoplifters would face felony charges under a bill proposed by a Portsmouth lawmaker.

PORTSMOUTH — Peter E. Randall Publisher received three awards from the 2008 New England Book Festival.

PORTSMOUTH — Following a nearly two-year hiatus, the city vendors committee will reconvene Tuesday to discuss several issues concerning vending in the city.

Meetings

PORTSMOUTH — Christmas trees will be collected curbside Jan. 5-16 on the same day that trash and recyclables are collected. Residents also may bring Christmas trees to the Recycling Center for disposal. For hours and information, visit...

KITTERY, Maine — The Coast Guard Cutter Reliance returned home to Portsmouth Naval Shipyard this month following a six-week drug patrol in the Caribbean Sea.

Staff and wire reports

SOUTH BERWICK, Maine — Trying to go green for the new year? The Marshwood/Traip hockey team was there to help on Sunday.

You won't find many 18-year-olds with the attitude, work ethic and desire to succeed that Winnacunnet High School senior Brett Sanchez possesses. Then again, you won't find many 18-year-olds who have lived the life he has.

EXETER — After the first period of Monday night's game against Portsmouth High School, it was tough to tell that the Bedford boys hockey team was just in its third game at the varsity level.

ORONO, Maine — When the final horn sounded on the University of New Hampshire hockey team's 5-4 win over Maine on Sunday, defenseman Kevin Kapstad and Maine freshman Will O'Neill began jostling and had to be separated.

Associated Press

BOSTON (AP) — Jeff Jagodzinski of Boston College has been invited to interview for the New York Jets' coaching job, a BC official told the Associated Press on Monday, and the school has reportedly threatened to fire him if he goes through with...

EXETER — Customers who find themselves inside Ablaze Boutique often comment that they feel like they are shopping in New York or Boston. It is the result of the chic atmosphere and fashions on display.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Commercial banks and investment firms borrowed less from the Federal Reserve's emergency lending program during the last full week of December, the government said, although demand for the loans remains high amid a global...

NEW YORK (AP) — Caution returned to Wall Street Monday as investors gave back some gains from last week's rally even as they found encouragement from President-elect Barack Obama's calls for an economic stimulus package. Some retreat was to be...

WASHINGTON — President-elect Barack Obama is betting that a combination of hefty tax cuts and government spending on big public works projects will snap the country out of a painful recession that's left millions of Americans unemployed and...

and BREE FOWLER

MANCHESTER (AP) — FairPoint Communications is recommending that Maine, Vermont and New Hampshire residents consider putting a plug-in phone in their emergency storm kits. FairPoint says the standard plug-in phone will work when the power goes...

Portsmouth

Ian LeJeune was a Marine sergeant serving in Iraq when a rocket burst into his barracks and exploded.