‘It’s a ritual’: Best practices and benefits in caring for bonsai

By RACHEL WACHMAN

When Isabel Burley first delved into the world of bonsai a few years ago, she discovered a plethora of possibilities for growing plants.

‘Something to chase’: Pascal Zabayo’s art fundraiser grows soccer from Concord to Kampala, Uganda

By ALEXANDER RAPP

Pascal Zabayo chased his biggest dreams when he moved to New Hampshire in 2016.

Granite Geek: Take advantage of living on the edge of the grid

By DAVID BROOKS

The nation’s power grid is a massive beast — by some definitions, it’s the biggest thing ever built by humans. But these days, its most interesting changes are happening as close as your garage.

Joan Vallieres retires from coaching and character building at Concord Crew

By ALEXANDER RAPP

Joan Vallieres has dedicated nearly 20 years of her life to Concord Crew. Her role as a coach was never about finding the most powerful rowing techniques or setting the team’s tempo, but more about building strong and kind character in each child who showed up at the boathouse.

Photos: Memorial Day parade in Concord

Concord was among the many towns and cities across New Hampshire to observe Memorial Day with a parade on Monday. Monitor photo editor Geoff Forester captured photos and video from the Concord event. 

Loudon police received a mental health call. Here’s how they avoided escalating it.

By SRUTHI GOPALAKRISHNAN

Dana Flanders walked into a room at the Quality Inn on Staniels Road on Jan. 27 with almost no information. The Loudon police chief knew only that a man inside was experiencing suicidal ideation and hadn’t answered his phone or answered the door in hours.

‘For the sport that I love’ — Community groups backing golf, ski, skatepark project pitch City Council for support

By CATHERINE McLAUGHLIN

Former Concord Schools Athletic Director Bill Whitmore remembers watching his wife, Jill, help create the city’s skatepark in the late 1990s so that their son had a place to inline skate. Decades later, his son coaches basketball at the University of Wyoming, and Whitmore believes it’s time for a deserved upgrade to the park.

‘Would you raise your right hand?’ — Local veterans consider the meaning of Memorial Day

By RACHEL WACHMAN

When Mason DeFrancesco initially returned home to Concord from four years of service in the Marines, he spent his first few Memorial Days going to the New Hampshire State Cemetery in Boscawen and thinking of those he knew who didn’t return home.

‘The smiles say it all’: Sweet Dreamz brings creative soft-serve to Penacook

By YAA BAME

At Sweet Dreamz in Penacook, hardware, animals and ice cream mix every day.

Memorial Day events in the Concord area

Memorial Day provides a time for solemn remembrance of those who died serving their country. Many local towns hold ceremonies or events to commemorate these lives lost in service. Here is a list of local Memorial Day events.

Giving life back to board sports: Back Alley Boards upcycles boards into art

By ALEXANDER RAPP

Snowboarding, skateboarding and surfing are great ways to stay active, but once a board gets scraped and beat up, most people move on from their well-loved piece of equipment and store it in the garage or toss it away. Back Alley Boards, the brainchild of three New Hampshire artists, gives these boards new life by upcycling and turning them into art.

Plans advance on $27M Memorial Field project

By ALEXANDER RAPP

Emerging plans to renovate Concord’s athletic complex at Memorial Field include four new fields, bleachers, parking and a field house, all of which are expected to cost $27 million over two main phases.

Drought is completely gone from New Hampshire – maybe it can stop raining now?

By DAVID BROOKS

The National Weather Service has made it official: The last vestige of drought in our soggy state is gone.

Concord businesses receive grants to build self-sufficiency

By SRUTHI GOPALAKRISHNAN

Four Concord businesses have been selected to receive grants aimed at building financial resilience and self-sufficiency.

N.E. will have enough electricity this summer but future winters may start to get dicey

By DAVID BROOKS

Demand for electricity in New England is about to start rising for the first time in two decades, causing potential problems in winter when solar power is weak, but for the time being we’re in good shape.

N.H. Senate passes bathroom bill, sending it to Ayotte’s desk

By CHARLOTTE MATHERLY

Republicans’ push to allow businesses and government entities to classify people by biological sex instead of gender identity has landed on the governor’s desk once again.

A soggy spring continues

Our soggy spring hasn’t let up this week, and we’ll likely get more rain on Friday and possibly this weekend. Memorial Day showers remain a possibility as of midday Thursday, but by all accounts, next week is shaping up to be a nice one with temperatures in the high 60s and low-70s and dry skies through Thursday. Weather, Page A8

Fire at Bradford house kills four pets

By SRUTHI GOPALAKRISHNAN

A fire broke out at a house in Bradford on Wednesday afternoon, killing four pets and rendering the home uninhabitable, officials said.

Penacook parade to commemorate Memorial Day

By YAA BAME

The Penacook Village Association will host its fourth annual Memorial Day Parade on Sunday, May 25 at 10 a.m.

Blue Envelope program to start next year, promising safer police interactions during traffic stops in New Hampshire

By SRUTHI GOPALAKRISHNAN

Blue envelopes will soon become a familiar sight under some vehicle windshields in New Hampshire, an initiative aimed at bettering outcomes from interactions between law enforcement and drivers who may experience heightened levels of stress because of a medical condition.