Sharon cannabis revote set for next week

By CHRISTINA DOLAN

SHARON — Voters will take to the polls Tuesday for a second time in less than two months to decide whether to allow retail cannabis sales in town. Sharon voters rejected retail cannabis on Oct. 15 by just two votes, 135-137. A week later, the Town...

In response to fatal crashes, NH officials plan tougher ticketing of unsafe drivers

By OLIVIA RICHARDSON

New Hampshire authorities are planning to toughen up penalties for speeding, drunk driving and other reckless behavior on the roads in the coming weeks, following a wave of deadly crashes.Police said there have been 127 fatalities involving...

Bethel Fire Department leaders resign

By EMMA ROTH-WELLS

BETHEL — Interim Fire Chief Geary Coogler, who “managed to pull off the miracle” of leading the department during a tumultuous period has resigned, along with Assistant Fire Chief Greg Timmins.The resignations went into effect Sunday. The Selectboard...

NH regulators' decision on compensation for local renewables could shake up the industry.

By MARA HOPLAMAZIAN

New Hampshire’s Public Utilities Commission has issued a decision on the state’s net metering policy that could have ripple effects for the state’s renewable energy industry.Regulators will keep net metering rates the same as they’ve been since 2017,...

Tuesday lane and ramp closures planned for I-89 bridge project

WEST LEBANON — Lane closures at the interchange of interstates 89 and 91 are expected to cause traffic delays on Tuesday. The right lane on southbound I-89 and the Exit 10A off-ramp on northbound I-91 will be closed from 5 a.m. to 4 p.m., or until...

A historic tower clock in Concord will soon live again

By DAVID BROOKS and GEOFF FORESTER

Anybody who remembers the disappointment of Al Capone’s Vault, which was opened on live TV after being sealed for decades but turned out to be empty, will sympathize with the neighborhood group that has rehabilitated the Eastman tower clock monument...

Dog dies after jumping from pickup on I-89; owner faces charges

HARTFORD — A 5-year-old German Shepherd named Ace died from injuries suffered when he jumped out of the bed of a moving pickup on Interstate 89 in Hartford on Friday evening. The pickup’s driver has been cited in the incident. Adam Howard, 33, of...

Phil Scott again appoints Zoie Saunders secretary of education, half a year after the Senate refused to confirm her

By PAUL HEINTZ and EMMA COTTON

Seven months after the Vermont Senate refused to confirm Zoie Saunders as secretary of education, Gov. Phil Scott is giving it another go. Scott announced Tuesday that he had again appointed Saunders to the role, effective that day.She had been...

What’s in New Hampshire’s new minimum public school standards

By ETHAN DEWITT

After a two-year process, lawmakers approved a broad package of state rules last week governing how public schools should operate. But many public school educators say they aren’t happy.Known as the “minimum standards for public school approval,” the...

Upper Valley school notes for Dec. 2, 2024

Honor rollThe following Lebanon High School 11th graders were named to the honors list for the first quarter: Lillian Adams; Maezie Angles; Parker Arrington; Cole Ashline; Abigail Auch; Kestyn Avery; Khyla Avery; Nehemiah Billings; Payton Breedlove;...

In the name of government efficiency, a new bill could strip NH’s consumer advocate of its independence

By CHARLOTTE MATHERLY

New Hampshire’s consumer advocate, which represents residents and utility customers in government decisions, could be stripped of its funding and independence in the name of efficiency.Ross Berry, a state representative from Weare, filed a draft...

‘Woefully unprepared’ hiker refused to leave Sno-Cat atop Mt. Washington

Monitor staff

An unprepared hiker from Virginia who “forced his way into a State Parks Sno-Cat vehicle and refused to get out when requested” at the summit of Mount Washington on Tuesday morning, leading to “a brief altercation,” will be asked to pay for the cost...

Dartmouth students help Lebanon plan for e-bike chargers

By CLARE SHANAHAN

LEBANON — A team of Dartmouth engineering students are helping bring public electric bicycle charging to Lebanon. Dartmouth seniors Avery Moorhead, Nathan McAllister, Gannon Forsberg and Grace Connolly paired up with Lebanon Energy and Facilities...

A Look Back: The Upper Valley fight over NH’s ‘Live Free or Die’ motto

By STEVE TAYLOR

Half a century ago the Upper Valley was ground zero for a battle between state power to compel citizens to display a message they disagreed with and determined dissenters willing to resist, even to the point of going to jail for their beliefs.Over a...

Driver sought after dog from pickup truck injured on I-89

HARTFORD — A dog suffered life-threatening injuries Friday evening when it jumped or fell from a the bed of pickup truck on Interstate 89 and police are asking for the public’s help in identifying the driver of the truck.According to Vermont State...

Wrongfully imprisoned Massachusetts man awarded $13 million

By MICHAEL CASEY

FRAMINGHAM, Mass. — For the nearly three decades that he was behind bars, Michael Sullivan’s mother and four siblings died, his girlfriend moved on with her life and he was badly beaten in several prison attacks.All for a murder he long insisted he...

Rivendell towns to decide format of annual budget vote

ORFORD — The Rivendell Interstate School District will hold a hearing on Tuesday on a proposal to change in the format of the annual school budget vote from floor voting to paper ballot.Voters will decide whether to adopt the proposal at the school...

Overdose prevention training set for Canaan

CANAAN — Training on opioid overdose prevention and the use of overdose-reversal drug naloxone, also known by the brand name of Narcan, will be offered on Monday evening.Staff from Lebanon’s HIV/HCV Resource Center will provide the training, which is...

Vermont’s goals for a new residential center for justice-involved youth remain murky

By PETER D’AURIA and ETHAN WEINSTEIN

For more than 35 years, on a forested road near the banks of the Winooski River, Woodside Juvenile Rehabilitation Center housed some of Vermont’s most troubled youths.By the time Gov. Phil Scott’s administration shut it down in fall 2020, the 30-bed...