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After 18 months of federal and state review, Northeast Utilities has completed a $5-billion purchase of Boston-based NStar. The deal makes PSNH’s parent company the largest utility in New England.

During a conference call, CEO Tom May said the acquisition would help his company pursue the Northern Pass project.

"The new NU will, because of the financial strength of the combined companies, actually have credit rating upgrades, which should make it a lot easier to finance this project," said May.

The State may be getting close to ending a school building aid moratorium.

Both the House and Senate have approved measures to restructure how aid is distributed. That’s good news for both schools districts and taxpayers.

“We need a change that will be both affordable for the State, as well as provide the necessary assistance to communities to keep their schools in good condition,” says Ed Murdough with the Department of Education.

Both bills call for the State to rank projects. Unsafe, overcrowded schools would get priority.

"Mad Men" certainly portrays the familiar notion of resistance to women in positions of power in the workplace, something that still rings true in many companies today. But a recent paper published on the “Social Science Research Network” explores a surprising twist in the glass ceiling story, that men in so-called “traditional” marriages with stay-at-home wives are more likely to prefer a mostly-male work environment.

Many climate scientists argue we’ve passed the point of being able to slow down Co2 emissions that contribute to greenhouse gasses. A few advocates for mammoth scale geo-engineering to alter the earth’s climate.

Our series, Shifting the Balance, is focused on exploring the positive impact environmental and policy changes can make on the fight against obesity. For those of us who struggle to carve out an a few hours a week for the gym, healthy living can seem out of reach– but for kids, it’s often less about finding time to play than finding a place to play.

The new owners of the closed Balsams resort in Dixville Notch are moving ahead with plans to renovate the North Country resort.

NHPR’s Chris Jensen reports.

Improvements at the Balsams resort will include a new conference center, spa, pool house and suites near the Hampshire House.

That’s according to the web site of Summit Engineering of Portsmouth which says the firm has been chosen to handle the structural engineering.

Since 1896, the Manchester Historic Association has been collecting and sharing documents, pictures and other items from the city’s past. The association also encourages preservation. On April 17th, it will present its 20thannual Preservation Awards, honoring those who have worked to restore historic buildings and traditions in Manchester. Aurore Eaton is the Executive Director. She tells  NHPR's Rick Ganley about the awards and the role of the Manchester Historic Association.

An Intervale firm is in trouble with the Environmental Protection Agency over allegations of water pollution in the North Country.

 NHPR’s Chris Jensen reports.

CSG Holdings – also known as Columbia Sand & Gravel - is accused of allowing polluted water to get into the Connecticut River.

“The nature of the discharge from the site contained large amounts of suspended solids basically.  Sand.  Silt.”

That’s David Deegan, an EPA spokesman.

A recent study in the medical journal Health Affairs found that more than ten percent of doctors admit to not telling patients the complete truth about their medical conditions, with one in five also confessing to not disclosing medical errors. Danielle Ofri is Associate Professer at NYU. She’s also attending physician at New York's Bellevue Hospital, and a regular contributor to The New York Times' Health section.

Painter Jon McNaughton doesn’t do subtle. in his latest painting, a barely recognizable President Obama peers from the canvas with narrowed eyes, clutching a burning copy of the Constitution. It’s not something you’d find at the Whitney Biennial…but it is all over Fox News and YouTube.

Michael Hastings wrote about the art market’s reaction to the controversial painter for Buzzfeed.

From the competitive scribbling of after-dinner Pictionary, to the endurance-test that is a family game of Monopoly, board games often reveal a great deal about the players around the table...

Think about the workplace perks that keep you a contented employee. Maybe there's free coffee in the kitchen, or, perhaps, your pooch is allowed to wander among the cubicles. 

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The North Country Health Consortium in Littleton has scheduled a June summit to tackle some of the health problems in Coos County noted in a recent study.

The University of Wisconsin’s Population Health Institute study released last week evaluated the health of individual counties nationwide.

The study has been done for the last three years. Each time Coos was ranked last in the state.