Report to Readers: Your support helps us produce impactful reporting

By JONATHAN VAN FLEET

The Concord Monitor has been fortunate to have incredibly talented journalists work in our newsroom and cover your communities.

City considers proposal for sanctioned homeless encampment

By YAA BAME

Freeman Toth thinks it’s time the city of Concord considers establishing a sanctioned encampment for people living outside.

Preparing to say ‘I do’ – Inside the love story taking center stage at Market Days

By RACHEL WACHMAN

Cady Hickman remembers the first time she saw Cameron Green’s smile.

‘A big step forward’: 26 new Americans celebrate earning their citizenship in Concord

By CHARLOTTE MATHERLY

Eritier Demunga’s mother brought him and his siblings from southern Africa to New Hampshire in 2013, hoping to give her children a better life. He was six years old at the time.

Commemorating freedom: Project S.T.O.RY hosts Juneteenth celebration

Juneteenth marks the end of slavery in the United States with the emancipation of enslaved people in Galveston, Texas on June 19, 1865 following the conclusion of the Civil War. The Emancipation Proclamation had been issued two-and-a-half years prior but its enactment had not yet reached the 250,000 people living in enslavement in this area of the U.S.

‘The rug pulled out from under me’: For certain police and firefighters, last-minute changes to retirement deal breeds distrust

By CHARLOTTE MATHERLY

Brian Karoul was ready to move back east.

Bell-to-bell school phone ban advances after budget deal

By JEREMY MARGOLIS

A chaotic week that raised questions about the fate of a widely popular bell-to-bell school phone ban ended with the proposed law added to the latest version of the legislature’s state budget, increasing the likelihood that one of Gov. Kelly Ayotte’s signature policy priorities goes into effect ahead of the upcoming school year.

Hillclimbs, nightlife and cruising: Enthusiasts flock to 102nd Laconia Motorcycle Week

By ALEXANDER RAPP

Charles Michelson remembers his first time trying a drive up a steep hill on a motorbike, back when he was just a few feet tall and about the same age as his 8-year-old son is now.

Universal EFA program sees 2,000 applications in first week of expansion

By JEREMY MARGOLIS

Two thousand new students applied to New Hampshire’s Education Freedom Account program during the program’s first week without an income eligibility cap, according to the program’s administrator.

Company C is closing its Concord store – but the company itself isn’t closing

By DAVID BROOKS

The imminent closing of the Company C store on Storrs Street is a sad surprise to many local customers. The even bigger surprise is that the company itself isn’t closing.

Officer testifies in murder trial that she never saw colleague place knee on psychiatric patient

By JEREMY MARGOLIS

A Department of Corrections officer who helped restrain an uncooperative psychiatric patient said she never saw Matthew Millar place his knee on the man, offering little support for prosecutors’ claim that her fellow officer had caused the man’s death by kneeling on his back.

Lawmakers strike a last-minute deal on penalties for psychedelics, fentanyl

By CHARLOTTE MATHERLY

A push to create mandatory minimum prison sentences for fentanyl-related crimes will move forward after it hit the skids earlier this week.

NH Supreme Court dismisses case of Concord lacrosse player over eligibility to play

By ALEXANDER RAPP

The New Hampshire Supreme Court dismissed a lawsuit filed by a Concord athlete against the state’s athletic supervisory organization, ruling that the former student lacked standing in the case and the court system lacked jurisdiction over the claims.

Richard Ellison appeals second-degree murder conviction for fatal Concord fire

By YAA BAME

A jury should never have convicted Richard Ellison of second-degree murder because he was unable to mount a full defense due to court errors during his trial, his lawyer told the New Hampshire Supreme Court. 

Karen Read found not guilty of second-degree murder

By MICHAEL CASEY and PATRICK WHITTLE

DEDHAM, Mass. — A jury found Karen Read not guilty of second-degree murder and manslaughter charges Wednesday in the 2022 death of her Boston police officer boyfriend, a case that attracted legions of true crime followers who erupted in cheers when word of the acquittal spread outside court.

‘He died loving you’ — Jesse Sullivan sentenced in murder of half-brother Zackary

By CATHERINE McLAUGHLIN

While his older brother, Jesse, was in prison, Zackary Sullivan used to send him his allowance. Even as a kid, he wanted to share everything he had with the people he loved. 

You have to flip a lot of pages on the calendar to find the last time it didn’t rain on a Saturday

By DAVID BROOKS

Something weird is going to happen Saturday: It won’t rain.

Scammer who stole from Pittsfield convenience store to be arraigned in Concord

By RACHEL WACHMAN

A malware scam across New Hampshire and Massachusetts in February stole thousands of dollars from ATMs at multiple establishments, including Bell Brothers, a convenience store in Pittsfield.

Three arrested after Medicaid ‘die-in,’ refusing to leave Legislative Office Building

By CHARLOTTE MATHERLY

Lisa Beaudoin walked into the Legislative Office Building in Concord on Tuesday in a last-ditch effort to plead with state lawmakers not to cut Medicaid in the state budget.