Superior courts in New Hampshire are suspending jury trials for a month this fiscal year as one of many cost saving measures. Another month off has been proposed, which could further delay civil cases for those seeking a right for a wrong.

Due to a state budget shortfall, Gov. John Lynch and the state Legislature requested cuts from government agencies and branches. The decision to suspend jury trails, under the direction of Superior Court Chief Justice Robert Lynn, is part of an effort to cut back $2.7 million in the judicial branch.

The recent scandal involving Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich raises questions about how isolated such cases are or are not. Among the many allegations leveled against Blagojevich, he stands accused of trying to sell off the U.S. Senate seat to be vacated by President-elect Barack Obama. The governor’s arrest is turning stomachs in Illinois, but other states rank even higher on the corruption scale, according to information from the U.S. Department of Justice and Census Bureau.

All Ballet New England wants for Christmas is a new home. That’s because city officials recently notified the group that it must vacate the Connie Bean Community Center in downtown Portsmouth, where it has leased space for 28 years.

According to recreation director Rus Wilson, the city decided to clear all tenants from the Daniel Street building’s second and third floors, as well as its basement, due to safety issues. During an inventory of the city’s recreation facilities, safety inspectors raised concerns about the exits on these floors, Wilson said. In addition to Ballet New England, a number of other organizations must relocate, including the Seacoast African American Cultural Center and the Portsmouth Judo Club.

Martha Lemire, executive director of Ballet New England, said the order to vacate came as a complete surprise.

Although many residents shiver at the thought of the oncoming New Hampshire winter, this perennial shifting of the seasons is one of New England’s defining traits. But a recent study conducted by researchers at the University of New Hampshire shows that winters in the Northeast are rapidly becoming warmer and less snowy.

The study, recently published in the Journal of Geophysical Research-Atmospheres, analyzed wintertime climate data in the northeastern United States from 1965 to 2005. UNH researchers Elizabeth Burakowski and Cameron Wake, of the Institute for the Study of Earth, Oceans and Space, found that the region’s traditional winter conditions are vanishing at an alarming rate.

Gents hazing involved dunkings in ‘jungle juice’

New details have surfaced about the spring 2008 incident that led to the probation of one of UNH’s popular a cappella groups. The New Hampshire Gentlemen accepted responsibility for nine violations of UNH policy, including hazing and providing alcohol to minors.

According to the disciplinary hearing decision released by the Office of Conduct and Mediation, the hazing occurred at a large party that involved punch with high alcohol content, a drink commonly referred to as “jungle juice.” Members of the singing group dunked the heads of new recruits in the punch as a rite of initiation.

One of the best stickers I’ve seen recently is plastered to the side of former Solid 8 front man Andrew May’s sound equipment. The sticker asks simply, “What have you done for rock lately?” Seacoast rock act One Hand Free had this sticker printed around the same time it released its latest record, “Quadraphonic.”

For the Nate Wilson Group, the answer has finally presented itself with the band’s debut album, “Unbound.” The disc is a genuine throwback to the great classic sound of 1970s rock, complete with enough psychedelia to get you to bring out the black lights and turn up the volume knob until the glassware in the hutch is in a dancing frenzy.

The Rockaholics will spread some holiday cheer this weekend with a pair of shows to benefit needy families. The Goodwill Weekend Concert Series will include gigs at the Prime Time Sports Grill in Seabrook on Sunday, Dec. 19, and the Blue Mermaid in Portsmouth on Saturday, Dec. 20.

Guests at both shows are asked to bring donations of kids’ toys and clothing, which will be collected at the doors and distributed to families through local chapters of The Salvation Army. There is a $5 cover charge at the Blue Mermaid show.

There are plenty of things you probably already know going into this picture. Yes, it’s a remake of the 1951 anti-nuke sci-fi classic by Robert Wise. Yes, it concerns the arrival of Klaatu, an alien herald with some advice for the human race. And yes, he’s got a killbot. A really big killbot.

Associated General Films, 1978
starring: James Brolin, Elliott Gould and Hal Holbrook
written and directed by: Peter Hyams

author chronicles Hollywood’s rocky battle between advancement and the status quo

The rise of Pixar Animation is a story of monumental success or blown opportunities, depending on who you ask. For George Lucas, who hired Pixar co-founder Ed Catmull to work in the computer division of Lucasfilm back in 1979, Pixar clearly represents what could have been. For Apple CEO Steve Jobs, who bought the computer division of Lucasfilm in 1986 and turned it into Pixar, the company represents the value of foresight and innovation.

Jobs took Pixar off Lucas’ hands for $10 million—not a modest sum by most standards, but pocket change compared to the $7.4 billion the Walt Disney Co. spent to purchase Pixar 20 years later, making Jobs a Disney board member.

In 2003, when Chilean author Roberto Bolaño died of liver disease at the age of 50, he had just barely finished the first draft of his epic novel, “2666.” Published in Spanish to great acclaim in 2004, the 1,100-page tome has been beautifully translated into English (and a more manageable 898 pages) by Natasha Wimmer, who also posthumously translated Bolaño’s earlier award-winning novel, “The Savage Detectives.” A note from Bolaño’s heirs at the beginning of the novel explains why they went against his wishes to have it published as five books and instead released it as one novel (the book is available as one formidable hardcover or a collection of three paperbacks).

It was a bad weekend for Ebenezer Scrooge and the other characters in a local theater company’s production of “A Christmas Carol” at the Garrison Players Arts Center in Rollinsford. The ice storm that wreaked havoc on the entire region caused a weekend-long power outage at the Garrison Players, forcing cancellations of several shows.

Director Michael J. Tobin called the cancellations a “huge financial loss” to Dramedy Productions, the small theater and film company putting on the show. There is still one weekend of shows remaining, with show times on Thursday, Dec. 18 at 7 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, Dec. 19 and 20 at 8 p.m.; and Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 20 and 21 at 3 p.m. Dramedy plans to add two more shows to make up for the cancellations.

Ruthie Tredwell has big plans for her art gallery in downtown Portsmouth. “Huge,” she says.
She is the executive director of the Tredwell Foundation for the Visual Arts and curator of Tredwell Contemporary Art, currently located at One Harbour Place. Tredwell is still working to secure a large, downtown space for the gallery and expects to have one within a couple of months.