The world’s largest privacy organization is headquartered right here in Portsmouth. We talked with president Trevor Hughes about the role of corporations in protecting consumer rights.

Next Friday, June 21, an international “think-tank” conference taking place in Portsmouth, called “Navigate,” will provoke conversation about the many aspects of digital and data privacy among professionals who address the issue for corporations, public policy, higher education and more. It’s hosted by the International Association of Privacy Professionals, located at Pease Tradeport.

In an era of budget cuts, volunteers pitch in to measure, count, trap, and seed—to bring back science and to save the species.

For a few hours of time, as often as once a week, or as rarely as once a year, citizen scientists contribute to the creation of huge data sets. Citizen scientists are volunteers trained to do everything from gather water samples to record bird sightings to count phytoplankton under a microscope. Dozens of citizen-scientist-powered projects take place each year in New Hampshire and Maine, allowing researchers to gather far more data than staff alone could, over a longer period of time.

“We never have enough resources to do what we want to do,” says Ted Walsh of the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Science. Forty percent of the data the DES submits to the Environmental Protection Agency, which gathers it to monitor water quality across the country as part of the Clean Water Act, is from citizen scientists.

The festival season is upon us! Don't worry, we'll help you sort it all out.

Travel up and down the coast and inland for a variety of experiences that will appeal to even the pickiest of fun-seekers. Sailing the seas, enjoying music, indulging in hot dogs, touring flower gardens and embarking on carousels are a few ways to have a sure-fire unforgettable summer.

As NOAA predicts a busy and strong Atlantic hurricane season, The Wire wondered how we'd fare during a Hurricane Sandy-type impact on our coast. Roger Stephenson with the Union of Concerned Scientists in New Hampshire shares how we're faring when it comes to climate change readiness.

We once dreamed of a more walkable, sustainable city, but a post-recession building boom in Portsmouth just looks like more. Citizen planners can help change that.

At that point, more than 400 citizens got involved in the Portsmouth Listens “Master Plan Study Circles,” meeting in three phases over two years. largely guiding the 2005 Master Plan with their vision and energy. The plan led the city from the good times through the recession. But today, as the national economy recovers, a pent-up appetite for real estate development is now putting entirely new pressures on the city’s historic downtown.

A roundup of community gatherings that will honor American men and women who have lost their lives at war.

While the federal government works with local communities to reduce pollution in Great Bay caused by aging wastewater treatment plants, a new study shows that the majority of nitrogen that’s choking the bay comes from places like our septic systems and our evil lawns.

The Maine House and Senate have voted to urge the state’s congresional representatives to craft a constitutional amendment to overturn the U.S. Supreme Court ruling known as “Citizens United.” The bi-partisan vote was 111-33 in the House and 25-9 in the Senate.

Most people think of “Cooking Italian” and “Introduction to Watercolor”—enrichment courses—when they hear “adult education.” But there is another side to adult ed: adult basic education, which prepares adults to take the GED or for college or the workplace. Next year, those courses are facing major changes as the new GED is unveiled in January 2014. The changes to the GED include a new scoring system, combining two sections (reading and writing) into one, and increased test difficulty. The new GED will also be entirely computer-based, with no option for a paper-and-pencil test.

The towns and cities of the Seacoast offer a host of enrichment courses for adults in topics from art to cooking to foreign languages. “My goal is to make (the students) feel as comfortable as possible,” Tiffany Brand says. “No question is too crazy or too stupid.” In Computer Novices class, she helps everyone find the power button and login. Then, she goes through the steps to open the program for the game Solitaire.

On top of the 10 live talks, the day featured three music and dance performances, and four videotaped talks from previous national TED conferences, plus socializing among the audience members during several breaks. In the audience alone were enough city government, business, arts and non-profit leaders to create another whole TEDx conference.

An informally organized group of city residents who have been meeting and talking for more than a month in Portsmouth about the pace and character of development have taken their concerns to City Council in the form of a petition. Councilors responded at their May 6 meeting by agreeing to a joint work session with the planning board to discuss an emergency one-year city-wide hold on all commercial and residential development over 5,000 square feet.

Our life in the public square—talking with neighbors, voting, volunteering—is a subject of enduring interest locally and nationally.

Residents of New Hampshire, in greater numbers than most states in the country, turn out to vote, to talk to our neighbors, and even to contact our lawmakers when something is bugging us. But the time we spend volunteering and our education levels are declining, and that’s worrisome, according to a new study from the University of New Hampshire on civic health in the state.

It’s a city where the population has remained virtually unchanged for the past 20 years, only about 21,000 people in fewer than 10,000 households, but it’s being asked to face the parking challenges of a much larger community, thanks to businesses and attractions drawing many times that number of visitors each year.

Despite the recession, the number and diversity of women-owned businesses is on the rise.

Sarah Brown, of the Green Alliance, is excited when she finds women in traditionally male industries, such as Melissa Aho, owner of Ultra Geothermal in Barrington. Annette Lee and Nicole Carrier are also breaking barriers in another traditionally male industry by brewing beer at Throwback Brewery in North Hampton. At 26 percent, the number of women-owned businesses in New Hampshire is still slightly below the national average of 29 percent. But the number of women-owned businesses has increased 45 percent in New Hampshire in the past 16 years, including dozens of recession-era start-ups on the Seacoast.

New online "dashboard" shows trends in N.H. environment

The N.H. Department of environmental services has created a new online tool to reflect the status of New Hampshire’s environment. On the new Environmental Dashboard, a green, yellow, or red button indicates basic trends in drinking water, air pollution, coastal waters, and waste management. Under the topic of “Drinking Water,” for example, the indicator of “Public Water Systems” is yellow. The dashboard explains that only 85 percent of public community water systems currently meet all regulated health-based standards.

New Hampshire state officials held a news conference on Monday to discuss the recent and somewhat anticipated discovery of a beetle originally from Southeast Asia, known as the emerald ash borer. The beetle spreads quickly and has killed millions of ash trees in 19 other states and two Canadian provinces.

After adding more trips for weekday commuters last summer, COAST says the number of riders on Route 2 has increased by 25 percent over the past eight months.

Route 2 bus route connects Rochester, Somersworth, Dover, Newington and Portsmouth along one of the busiest commuter corridors on the Seacoast. With chances to catch a bus every 30 minutes during the morning and evening peak commuting periods, area residents have increasingly been trying out riding on the bus, and sticking with it, says COAST director Rad Nichols.

Lt. Gen. Mary A. Legere, the Army’s deputy chief of staff for intelligence, will deliver the commencement speech at the University of New Hampshire Saturday, May 18.

Five years of research into the state’s ten community mental health centers indicates a range of challenges that suggest the need of both state- and community- based solutions, say the authors of a report commissioned by the New Hampshire Bureau of Behavioral Health.

The U.S. Coast Guard will continue to investigate why a tanker that had recently arrived at the Port of New Hampshire broke free from its mooring on Monday, April 1, was swept upriver by the incoming tide and drifted broadside into the Sarah Mildred Long Bridge.

After being beleaguered by budget troubles in 2012, the American Independence Museum in Exeter recently announced that they will re-open their doors on a limited basis for public and school tours this spring, and under the leadership of a new interim director, will coordinate this summer’s American Independence Festival, scheduled for Saturday, July 20.

Cherry trees have a long history of connecting Japan and the United States, in times of both war and peace. In appreciation of that impulse, Portsmouth is celebrating the recent gift of cherry trees from Japan with a Cherry Tree Festival event on May 11 at Wentworth by the Sea hotel.

Downtown Somersworth revitalization project will modernize the area, but cut parking for businesses

Somersworth’s downtown cityscape is overdue for improvements—sidewalks are cracked and pot-holed, parking spaces are narrow, and the traffic pattern is confusing at best. “Everyone agrees it needs to be done,” economic development manager Christine Davis says. “It just hadn’t been a priority.” The project will require at least one year of major construction, possibly more. This spells a mini-recession for businesses already located along High Street and Market Street, and drafts show that the project could remove between 30 and 47 parking spaces in front of retail business storefronts.

A household of minimum wage earners in New Hampshire would need nearly three people working full-time to afford a two bedroom apartment, according to a report called “Out of Reach 2013: New Hampshire,” produced by the National Low Income Housing Coalition using data from the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Though a continuing resolution was passed to prevent a government shutdown, it will not necessarily stop pending furloughs that are expected to begin at the end of April. Portsmouth Naval Shipyard workers are expecting to experience the equivalent to a 20 percent pay cut due to forced days off without pay.

After 15 years as one of the consistent events on the Seacoast’s fall culture calendar, the Newmarket Heritage Festival will pause to take a breath and plan for its future.

Some new numbers out from the U.S. Census show that, with the slowly recovering economy, more people are moving around within the United States as employment and housing markets loosen up. But New Hampshire remained largely population neutral between 2010 and 2012.

New Hampshire’s population trends match economic trends that show our economy is not as robust as when it outpaced the U.S. economy during the recession. And the state’s more rural areas—in the North Country and bordering the Connecticut River with Vermont—experienced a population decline ranging from 1 to 5 percent, consistent with the national trend of people moving away from rural areas.

The City of Dover is turning to its residents for guidance on what programs and services are most valuable to the community. The next proposed budget for the city will be presented to the City Council in April and take effect in July.

The city will share an overview of the upcoming budget at a “Budget Revealed” meeting on March 28, and they’ll collect residents’ opinions through April 4.

Hillary Clinton is the heavy favorite among New Hampshire Democrats for the 2016 New Hampshire primary., and there is no clear frontrunner among Republicans, according to a WMUR Granite State Poll conducted in February.

The Great Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, the New Hampshire Coastal Adaptation Workgroup and the NERRS Science Collaborative have announced the spring date for their annual discussion and collaborative forum among scientists, agencies, municipal leaders, watershed organizations and citizens concerned about the impacts of climate change in coastal New Hampshire.

Adjunct teachers at the Community College System of New Hampshire, which voted two years ago to form their first union, protested on March 11 their lack of a contract with the state’s Community College System. They also delivered 500 petitions to the administration that have been signed in support of the adjunct’s cause.

Starting in October 2013, residents and businesses in New Hampshire will be shopping for health insurance through a partnership with the federal Health Insurance Marketplace.

This week, the state Senate votes on a bill that supporters hope will open the doors to New Hampshire’s first casino.

The disposable income and large population of southern New Hampshire and northern Massachusetts is an attractive bet for both the private casino industry and plenty of New Hampshire legislators. Supporters see an opportunity for a new source of revenue, while opponents say the net impact is overestimated. The debate comes to a head this week when the Senate votes on SB 152, which has the governor’s support.

New watershed campaigns aim to prevent lawn fertilizer from suffocating Great Bay

Last fall, the New Castle Conservation Commission adopted Lawns2Lobsters to educate residents about the importance of testing their soil before applying nitrogen-rich fertilizer and using the correct amount. “People always think more is better” when it comes to fertilizer, says Bill Stewart, “but then they end up with a burnt-out lawn.” And more polluted waterways.

The Senate Ways and Means committee voted 4-1 to approve a bill that would allow one casino gambling facility in New Hampshire with up to 5,000 video slot machines and table games.

It’s not always easy to know who's teaching, as local colleges and universities follow the trend toward more freelance faculty

In a recent piece that picked up attention in the mainstream media, the Chronicle of Higher Education noted that for this new teaching population, there is “little concrete information about key factors such as pay, benefits, and what the climate on the job is like." The Adjunct Project is one of a few places that’s trying to measure this growing labor force. It functions as a crowd-sourced job survey that gathers information about pay and working conditions across the country.

Nationwide, evangelical Christians lead in church membership. Locally, they’ve found a home in Dover. The city of just over 30,000 people is home to at least five evangelical churches: Restoration, the Awakening, Zone Church, New Frontiers, and Dover BeFree Community Church. Pastor Chris Dubois, age 32, of Awakening Church, was drawn to Dover because it is a growing city, the fourth largest in New Hampshire. Dubois sees hundreds of people waiting to be reached, and imagines one day folk will come down from Portland and up from Boston to visit Awakening.

There was not quite enough wind to officially qualify the snowstorm of February 8 and 9 as a blizzard, and not quite enough snow to top stories of the region’s infamous Blizzard of ’78, but the nor’easter still qualified as one of the top ten snowstorms on record for the Northeast.

New Hampshire Democrats released remarks following the death on Sunday, Feb. 10, of New Hampshire National Guard Chief Warrant Officer Charlie Morgan, who had been ill with breast cancer. Morgan was a nationally recognized advocate of efforts to repeal the federal Defense of Marriage Act.

People gather to enjoy art together, so why not science? That’s the thinking behind the recent appearance of the “Science Cafe” in communities across New Hampshire.

When operators on the Sarah Mildred Long bridge tried to raise the lift span over the Piscataqua River on Wednesday, Jan. 23, the routine exercise did not go as planned. It took four days in bitterly cold weather to make repairs and get the bridge in service again.

The economic forecast for 2013 is—only just—more hopeful than last year

Ross Gittell, Chancellor of the New Hampshire Community Colleges, has good and bad news for the New Hampshire economy in 2013. “It’s going to be a better economy, but it’s not going to be a strong economy,” he said at the Chamber of Commerce annual economic forecast at the Exeter Inn on Jan. 23.

Proposed gun laws, locally and nationally, are leading to a widespread conversation for the first time in generations. 

“If you all are reading the newspaper, our rights are being attacked again,” N.H. state Rep. Al Baldasaro (R-Londonderry) tells the crowd gathered in front of the capitol building in Concord. “Representative Shurtleff has filed a bill to repeal your right to protect yourself, wherever you have the right to be.  ... We need to make sure we load the State House to protect our rights. We will not give up one inch of our rights here in New Hampshire.” His rallying cry is met with hoots, cheers and applause from the crowd gathered in front of the State House at the “Gun Appreciation Day” event on Sunday, Jan. 13.

Debate continues over divesting the UNH endowment from fossil fuel companies, with two educational events planned

Since September, students at the University of New Hampshire have been calling on the administration and the UNH Foundation to divest the school’s endowment from fossil fuel corporations. In November, the group delivered a petition requesting divestment that was signed by 1,000 students to President Mark Huddleston’s office. Huddleston will meet with the group on Jan. 29, and a teach-in is planned for Jan. 24 in advance of the meeting.  Meanwhile, the university is planning its own presentation on Feb. 11, hosting a campus dialogue on “Investing for a Sustainable Future.” “We look forward to a comprehensive discussion on the university’s portfolio management,” says Tina Sawtelle, vice president and treasurer of the UNH Foundation.

With Congress seemingly unable to confront our most pressing problems, the real work of democracy is going local this year in a big way. It’s a trend that has been building for some time, as more cities and states stop waiting around for Congress and devise their own policies to counter corporate power and create more sustainable and resilient local economies.

John Rauh, New Castle resident and founder of Americans for Campaign Reform, which supports public funding for federal elections, points out that we are the only democracy in the world that relies to the extent that we do on private financing of elections, to the tune of $6 billion spent on the most recent federal campaigns ($700 million more than was spent in 2008), much of it going to more than one million presidential ads airing between June 1 and Oct. 29. “I think we saw the impact of Citizens United, where massive amounts of money was spent independently. It’s very clear from our polling that the public is very upset about the impact of money on politics,” Rauh says.

Prior to 1985, the NH Legislature reviewed 250 bills per year, but today there are over 1,100 and this number doesn’t even take local issues into account. Those calculations are courtesy of the Live Free or Die Alliance, a bi-partisan non-profit organization dedicated to encouraging citizen participation in the often-confusing political process

“There are two fundamental issues when it comes to everyday life: food and energy,” says Greg Pahl, a Vermont resident and energy journalist. And while New England states have been leading the nation on the issue of access to local food, Pahl has applied those same concepts to energy. He lays out the pros of locally generated and locally owned energy in his 2012 book, “Power from the People: How to organize, finance and launch local energy projects.”

Lisa Henderson is executive director of Workforce Housing Coalition of the Greater Seacoast, a non-profit organization that builds support of workforce housing. She sees an increasing need for rental housing on the horizon, with not enough small towns willing to step up.

Despite the upcoming budget process, New Hamsphire cultural resources commissioner Van McLeod sees a new reckoning for the arts in New Hampshire. "There’s a big difference between what state government thinks should happen, and what people think should happen in their community," McLeod says.

The rate of teenagers smoking is declining nationally, and New Hampshire still boasts one of the lowest teen smoking rates in the country. But a new report shows that tobacco sales to youth in New Hampshire increased in 2012.

A gunman’s attack on schoolchildren in Newtown, Conn., on Dec. 14, which killed 20 students ages 6 and 7, as well as six adults, is having repercussions in New Hampshire.

The N.H. House and Senate have named their new leaders, while others are already looking ahead to 2014.

For the last two years, Republicans outnumbered Democrats nearly three to one in the N.H. House of Representatives, and more than three to one in the state Senate. That’s about to change, as Democrats have ushered in a 219-179 majority in the House for the 2013-2014 legislative session. Republicans retain control of the Senate, but by a much slimmer margin of 13-11. Legislators elected (or reelected) in November took office on Dec. 5, sworn in by outgoing Gov. John Lynch. Members of the House and Senate voted on their new leadership teams that day and selected many familiar faces.

Newly elected state Sen. Martha Fuller Clark (D-Portsmouth) recently filed legislation to restore millions of dollars in state funding to the University of New Hampshire’s budget that was cut over the last two years.

The Portsmouth City Council has rejected the idea of building a new downtown parking garage at the Worth Lot—at least for now. The council voted 5-4 on Dec. 3 to discontinue further discussion about the proposed site during the council's current term.

Winters with lower snowfall cost New Hampshire an estimated $54.3 million in lost revenues and result in 658 fewer winter tourism jobs, according to a new study authored by two Ph.D. students at the University of New Hampshire.

The nation’s highest court will soon take up the same-sex marriage debate. The U.S. Supreme Court announced on Dec. 7 it would hear two constitutional challenges to state and federal laws that restrict gay marriage.

U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) does not have much sympathy for Hostess Brands. Although the company has declared bankruptcy and is liquidating all its assets, it plans to dole out roughly $1.8 million in executive bonuses. Pingree said the bonuses are a “slap in the face” to the thousands of Hostess employees across the country who are now without a job.

Once again, local state Rep. Terie Norelli (D-Portsmouth) will serve as speaker of the New Hampshire House of Representatives. The House Democratic Caucus has nominated Norelli as speaker for the 2013-2014 legislative session.

The New Hampshire Immunization Program and the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services are urging residents to get vaccinated, especially those who are at high risk of complications. The flu causes more than 25,000 deaths annually, and several cases have already been seen in the Granite State this season.

The Prescott Park Arts Festival’s campaign to rebuild its pavilion building got a major boost recently when Bauer Performance Sports donated $100,000 toward the cause. The money will help improve and expand the park facilities in Portsmouth.

Local groups raise awareness on World AIDS Day, striving to eliminate new HIV infections, AIDS-related deaths, and discrimination.

By the time Agnes Colburn was diagnosed with HIV in 2002, she had already been living with the virus for eight years. She just didn’t know it. “I was totally devastated,” said Colburn, of Rochester, who was 47 at the time of her diagnosis. “My thing was, ‘I’m going to die. I am going to die, that’s it,’” she said. “Here I am 10 years later. I’m not dead yet, so obviously I’m doing something right.”

Two thousand years old if he’s a day, the goat-like character Krampus traditionally plays “bad cop” alongside Santa’s “good cop,” hassling naughty children by leaving them coal, or taking their toys. Holiday parade-goers in Portsmouth on Saturday, Dec. 1, can look forward to meeting a “traditional old-style Krampuslauf with devil drummers and children on chains passing out sticks and coal to the crowd and, yes, a big ol’ goat legged, long horned Krampus,” says Trevor Bartlett, one of the organizers of the Portsmouth Halloween Parade, which will be co-hosting the Krampus contingent on Saturday.

Artifacts uncovered at dig sites in South Berwick—soon to celebrate its 300th birthday—illustrate what life was like three centuries ago.

The Massachusetts General Court established the town of Berwick in 1713, making it the ninth oldest town in Maine. It has since been divided into three municipalities, all of which will celebrate their 300th birthday next year. But the region’s history stretches back much further, as evidenced by artifacts uncovered at two archeological dig sites in South Berwick.

A team of assessors is seeking public comments on the Dover Police Department. The team, from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, invites members of the community to attend a public information session on Tuesday, Dec. 11 at 6 p.m., in Room 306 of the McConnell Center.

Portsmouth has joined the Maine towns of Kittery and Wells in supporting the erection of a memorial to the USS Thresher next spring.

Local and national political leaders are remembering Warren Rudman, a New Hampshire attorney and politician who served in the U.S. Senate for 12 years. Rudman died of cancer on Nov. 19 at age 82. Known as a moderate centrist, Rudman co-authored the Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Act, which placed constraints on federal spending to reduce the deficit—an issue of striking relevance today. He also played a central role in appointing New Hampshire Republican David Souter to the Supreme Court.

A new report details ALEC’s influence in New Hampshire, and alleges that some lawmakers are catering to corporate interests.

Shortly after Cynthia Chase won election to the New Hampshire House of Representatives in 2010, she found a glossy brochure in her mailbox, inviting her to join the American Legislative Exchange Council, better known as ALEC. At the time, Chase was not familiar with ALEC. But her concern about ALEC has grown over the last two years. “It became very much a concern of mine that people understand that these bills that are being presented—things like getting rid of Planned Parenthood and diverting our tax dollars to private religious schools and removing New Hampshire from (the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative) and all that sort of thing—they weren’t coming from people in New Hampshire, they were coming from ALEC,” Chase said.

Workers under age 30, as well as women and minority workers, experience higher levels of underemployment, according to a new report written by a doctoral student at the University of New Hampshire.

If Congress does not take action soon to reduce the budget deficit, Bush-era tax cuts will expire for both middle and upper class families, and mandatory across-the-board spending cuts will take effect at the beginning of next year.

The American Independence Museum in Exeter laid off its paid staff and canceled its fall programming in an attempt to contain costs during the off-season. The museum’s Board of Governors is formulating plans to reopen in the spring.

Democrats retake control of the N.H. House

Democrat Maggie Hassan soundly defeated Republican Ovide Lamontagne to become the state’s next governor, reeling in more votes than any other single candidate statewide. Shea-Porter and Kuster won their rematches with Guinta and Bass (there will no longer be any Republican U.S. House members in New England). And New Hampshire joined the nation’s other swing states in reelecting President Barack Obama.

New Hampshire isn’t the only New England state where Democrats made sweeping gains on Nov. 6. Maine’s Republican Gov. Paul LePage was not up for reelection this year, but he’ll now have to work with Democratic majorities in the state House and Senate.

Death row inmate Michael Addison, who was sentenced to death for shooting and killing a Manchester police officer in 2006, has appealed his sentence to the state’s Supreme Court. The first hearing on his appeal was scheduled for Wednesday, Nov. 14, and opponents of the death penalty planned to be there.

In the wake of the latest election results, advocates of higher education are calling on lawmakers to restore funding to the University System of New Hampshire, which saw support for in-state students cut nearly in half last year.

UPDATE: This event has been postponed.

Exeter’s We the People lecture series will host an panel discussion on the topic of privatizing New Hampshire’s prisons. The event takes place on Wednesday, Nov. 14 at 7 p.m., at Exeter Congregational Church at 21 Front St.

The city of Dover is participating in a collaborative project to help understand and prepare for the potential impacts of climate change. Dover was one of four New England communities selected to take part in the project, and the only one in New Hampshire. There will be numerous opportunities for citizens to get involved.

Officials in Dover are considering expansions of the form-based code zoning already in place in the city’s Central Business District. City planners are seeking public feedback about the proposal to expand form-based coding along five roadways. The proposed areas of expansion include portions of Central Avenue, Broadway, Portland Avenue, Sixth Street and Silver Street.

A 1,200-horsepower twin screw tugboat called the Benjamin Bailey capsized and sank to the bottom of the Piscataqua River on Oct. 24. No one was hurt.

Gov. John Lynch joined state transportation officials in Rochester on Oct. 26 to mark the completion of the Spaulding Turnpike widening project in Rochester.

everything you need to know about voting in New Hampshire on Election Day

The September primary served as a trial run for New Hampshire’s controversial new voter ID law, which overcame a veto from the governor to pass earlier this year. And, based on reports from poll workers, there was some confusion surrounding the new rules. The law goes into full effect for the general election on Tuesday, Nov. 6. What follows is a guide to everything you need—and don’t need—to cast a ballot.

a final look at the three candidates vying to become New Hampshire’s next governor

For anyone interested in politics, this is the most exciting race for governor the state has seen in the last eight years. That’s because, for the first time since 2004, Gov. John Lynch is not running, which leaves his seat up for grabs. Throughout his final term, Lynch has served as a counterweight to the Republican super majorities in the state House and Senate. He has vetoed close to 30 bills over the last two years, although several of those vetoes have been overridden. But the governor’s race this year, along with the House and Senate races across the state, could shift the balance of power in New Hampshire. With less than a week remaining until the election, it’s time to study up on the candidates.

With less than two weeks until the election, WMUR is hosting televised debates for New Hampshire’s Congressional and gubernatorial races. Candidates in the state’s First Congressional District will debate on Monday, Oct. 29. Incumbent Republican Rep. Frank Guinta, of Manchester, is running against Democratic former Rep. Carol Shea-Porter, of Rochester.

While a proposed constitutional amendment that would permanently ban an income tax in New Hampshire has provoked much debate in recent weeks, a second question on the November ballot has drawn less attention. The proposed amendment will ask voters whether the state should give the legislature authority over the administration of courts.

Residents of Somersworth who head to the polls on Nov. 6 will have a chance to vote on whether the city should enact a tax cap. Somersworth residents voted down a similar proposal in 2008. Proponents petitioned to get a tax cap before voters again in 2009, but a pending court decision prevented the question from getting on the ballot. Proponents petitioned again this year and, this time, were successful.

The Ioka Theater in Exeter is among the properties included on the New Hampshire Preservation Alliance’s 2012 Seven to Save list. The annual program identifies “endangered historic structures” across the state.

Liz Shuler, the highest ranking woman in the labor movement, aims to mobilize Seacoast voters in support of Obama and local candidates.

In the final couple of weeks before the general election on Nov. 6, both presidential campaigns are ramping up their footwork in battleground states. According to Liz Shuler, secretary-treasurer of the American Federation of Laborers and Congress of Industrial Organizations, none of those states is more important than New Hampshire. “New Hampshire is actually becoming the focus,” Shuler said. “It literally could come down to New Hampshire in the election because it is so razor close.”

Groups for and against gay marriage in Maine are stepping up their efforts in advance of a November referendum vote. The first question on the Nov. 6 ballot will ask voters if they want to legalize same-sex marriage in Maine.

Citizens for Voter Education is hosting a pair of candidates nights in Portsmouth in advance of the Nov. 6 general election. The events take place in the Council Chambers at Portsmouth City Hall on Wednesday, Oct. 24, and Thursday, Nov. 1. Portsmouth Listens will also hoste a candidates night on Monday, Oct. 29,

A new study by a UNH professor shows that, for some, political beliefs trump scientific facts.

This is a demonstrable scientific fact: Arctic sea ice is a measurable physical substance, and precise satellite records indicate it has been shrinking at a rate of roughly 13 percent per decade. And yet, there are those who think otherwise.

Outgoing Gov. John Lynch has endorsed Democratic gubernatorial candidate Maggie Hassan as his replacement. Lynch announced his endorsement during a rally at the Concord City Auditorium on Oct. 9. “Maggie Hassan is the leader we need to keep New Hampshire moving forward—creating jobs, ensuring our kids get the best education possible and keeping New Hampshire a business-friendly state with no sales or income tax,” Lynch said.

The Dover Police Department is asking people with information pertaining to the case to call Dover police at 603-742-4646. Anyone wishing to remain anonymous can call Dover Crimeline at 603-749-6000.

Those who go out to the polls on Nov. 6 will have a chance to vote on whether New Hampshire should permanently ban a state income tax. The first question on the ballot asks voters if they are in favor of amending the constitution to prohibit the general court from imposing any “assessment, rate, or tax upon income.”

A recent sweep of illegal signs in Dover yielded just six signs, a dramatic reduction from past cleanups conducted this year. Based on the results, it would appear illegal signage in the Garrison City is on the decline.

Foreclosure deed recordings in New Hampshire from January through August are 3 percent below the same period in 2011, and 12 percent below the same period in 2010, according to the latest numbers from the N.H. Housing Finance Authority. And, with national economic conditions improving, new foreclosure deeds should continue to decline.

University of New Hampshire President Mark Huddleston will deliver the annual State of the University address on Thursday, Oct. 11 at 1 p.m. The speech takes place in the Granite State Room of the Memorial Union Building in Durham.

With the general election less than a month away, New Hampshire’s gubernatorial candidates are in a virtual tie, according to the UNH Survey Center’s latest Granite State Poll. And while Democrats maintain slim leads in several other state and federal races, most are too close to predict an outcome in November.

The political dialogue in America has grown so abrasive and malicious that it can pit friends and family members against each other. When we air our self-righteous opinions on Facebook or in conversation, we may set up invisible barriers between ourselves and some of our closest acquaintances. Perhaps we share the same political ideals as our friends, but what about our in-laws, neighbors and coworkers? Author Ethan Casey is trying to get behind those barriers as he works on his next book, “Home Free: An American Road Trip.” Casey is traveling around the country and talking to people of varied backgrounds to break through the political rhetoric and collect stories from real Americans to find out where the country is headed.

The Portsmouth Herald is hosting two upcoming candidates nights for those seeking election to the Maine Legislature. Events take place at Kittery Town Hall on Wednesday, Oct. 3, and York Public Library on Friday, Oct. 12, at 7 p.m.

A temporary federal closure of local fishing grounds in coastal waters in the Gulf of Maine has been delayed until the winter. The two-month closure, originally set to take effect on Oct. 1, will instead start on Feb. 1.

U.S. Sens. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) and Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.) are among six senators who have sent a letter to Senate leaders urging them to prevent automatic budget cuts set to take effect on Jan. 1. The letter was sent to Senate majority leader Harry Reid and minority leader Mitch McConnell on Sept. 21.

A superior court judge ruled on Monday, Sept. 24, that the state must remove controversial language from voter registration forms that might otherwise have prevented out-of-state college students, military members and other temporary residents from voting.

polls give Independent Angus King the lead in Maine’s Senate race

Two polls have given Independent Angus King a sizeable lead over his two opponents for Maine’s U.S. Senate seat. The former governor is ahead of Republican Charlie Summers and Democrat Cynthia Dill, although his lead appears to be shrinking.

Though the race for president remains close in New Hampshire, a majority of voters see President Barack Obama as the better candidate for most groups of Americans, according to a recent poll from the University of New Hampshire Survey Center.

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Maggie Hassan recently picked up an endorsement from the State Employees’ Association of NH, SEIU Local 1984, which represents about 11,500 public and private-sector employees across New Hampshire.

Skyhaven Airport in Rochester has received federal funding for operational improvements through a grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation. The airport will receive $3.4 million, Sen. Jeanne Shaheen announced.

According to reports from around the state, there was some confusion about the voter ID law among both voters and election officials. Some poll workers mistakenly told voters they had to show ID in order to vote in the primary. And some communities posted signs or sent out mailers instructing voters to bring ID to the polls. The secretary of state’s office will spend the next six weeks trying to identify problem areas and educate voters about the new voter ID law. During the general election on Nov. 6, voters must either present an ID or sign a qualified voter affidavit confirming their identity.

U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders is headed to the Seacoast to stump for President Barack Obama. The independent senator from Vermont will be in Portsmouth and Rochester on Saturday, Sept. 22. Sanders, the longest serving independent member of Congress in American history, was elected to the Senate in 2006 and previously served eight terms in the House of Representatives.

Potential investors and entrepreneurs are invited to an upcoming event on the advantages of and access to local community capital. The two-hour seminar is part of a series for business owners, potential investors and members of the public on how the community capital approach can help sustain a vibrant community on the Seacoast.

For the first time since 2004, the primaries featured contested gubernatorial races in both major parties. Ovide Lamontagne won the Republican nomination with 73,482 votes, compared to 32,411 for Kevin Smith and 1,725 for Robert Tarr. A total of 111,506 Republican ballots were cast.

Obama courts supporters in Portsmouth during his ongoing bid to win New Hampshire. But even some sympathetic voters are frustrated.

The speech President Barack Obama delivered in Portsmouth on Friday, Sept. 7, was nearly identical to the one he had given 14 hours earlier at the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte. But the crowd of 6,000 supporters gathered on the grounds of Strawbery Banke Museum didn’t seem to mind. Portsmouth is friendly territory for Democrats, and most of the attendees already supported Obama. The question is whether their support will be enough put him on top in November.

The races for hundreds of state and federal offices are taking shape right now. On Tuesday, Sept. 11, political parties will select their candidates for governor, Congress, N.H. Senate, N.H. House of Representatives, Executive Council and more. The nominees will go on to compete in the general election on Tuesday, Nov. 6. With new districts for the state House and Senate, voters must find out what district they live in. These and other changes are posted at the N.H. Secretary of State web site, sos.nh.gov, or at your town clerk office. Here’s a guide to the polling hours and voting locations in every Seacoast community.  And although it will be soon, government-issued ID is not required to vote in the primary on Sept. 11.

The city of Portsmouth will hold a public meeting on Wednesday, Sept. 5, to discuss plans to replace the Sagamore Bridge on Route 1A next year. The meeting takes place at 6:30 p.m. at Portsmouth City Hall Conference Room A.

A strong majority of state residents oppose the Legislature’s decision to dramatically cut funding for the University System of New Hampshire, according to the latest Granite State Poll conducted by the UNH Survey Center.

President Barack Obama will return to the Seacoast on Friday, Sept. 7, bringing along First Lady Michelle Obama, Vice President Joe Biden and his wife Jill Biden. The entourage will make a campaign stop at Strawbery Banke Museum in Portsmouth.

Three new retail shops that have opened in downtown Durham this summer. SolSistar, The Candy Bar and Jenkins Quality Goods. The shops aim to fill a niche revealed in a  2011 study by Developmental Concepts, Inc., the University of New Hampshire, and the University of Southern Maine. The study found a $30 million retail gap in Durham—that is, the amount of retail dollars spent outside of Durham that could be spent in town.

When freshman at the University of New Hampshire moved on to campus on Friday, Aug. 24, there were plenty of heavy things to carry—tote bins full of clothes, bags of groceries, and bulky mini-fridges. But it’s the debt that many members of the class of 2016 will take on in order to complete their degrees that may prove to be the heaviest burden.

George Bald, commissioner of the state’s Department of Resources and Economic Development (DRED), announced last week that he will retire from his post on Nov. 1.

A majority of New Hampshire voters are against repealing a 2009 law that legalized same-sex marriage.