seacoast

A trial has been rescheduled for a New Hampshire woman accused of giving a drug to a 19-year-old woman hours before the teen drove into some cyclists, killing two.

Foster's Daily Democrat reports the trial is scheduled for Oct. 6 for 49-year-old Cindy Sheppard of Hampton, with a final pretrial hearing on Sept. 25.

Sheppard was indicted in January on charges of dispensing a controlled drug and possession of fentanyl, cocaine and methadone.

AT&T has decided to withdraw an application to install a 130-foot cell tower in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, after residents voiced their opposition.

The Portsmouth Herald reports staff attorney Brian Grossman said AT&T is re-evaluating its network priorities, including the best way to improve wireless coverage within Portsmouth.

The company said, though, that customer demand is growing. It says 70 percent of its customers have smartphones and the amount of data handled by the national networks doubled between 2011 and 2012.

New Hampshire Sen. Jeanne Shaheen is meeting with fishermen to discuss the impact of a plan to distribute $32.8 million in federal fishery disaster funds across New England.

New Hampshire is getting more than $2 million in disaster relief with more than $900,000 going to direct assistance for New Hampshire fishermen, and more than $1.1 million being used at the state's discretion.

City officials in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, say one of their oldest trees has died.

The American elm tree on Peirce Island was over 100 years old.

The Portsmouth Herald reports members of the Peirce Island Committee noticed the elm didn't sprout buds in the spring. The tree has no leaves.

Peter Loughlin, chairman of the city's Trees and Public Greenery Committee, said Dutch elm disease has killed American elms up and down the East Coast. He said the tree was the last surviving elm in the city.

Today's the big day at the 14th Annual Master Sand Sculpting Competition at New Hampshire's Hampton Beach.   Sculptures by some of the continent's best sand artists will be on display and be professionally judged for $15,000 in prizes that will be announced at 8 p.m. Saturday.  Sculpture fans also get to vote from 1 to 4 p.m. for the People's Choice Award.   A sand sculpting lesson will be offered from 1 to 3 p.m. to those who sign up at the Chamber of Commerce office near the sculptures.    Fireworks cap off the day at 9:30.

  Some things never change in New Hampshire – including our position as a battleground state. In 1788, eight colonies had ratified the constitution – but nine were needed to establish the United States of America.

Stephanie Seacord, with Strawbery Banke Museum, says New Hampshire was split. "There were two factions in NH," she says.  One, wanted to stay independent, the other hoped to join the union. The latter was largely based in Portsmouth and led by then-Governor John Langdon.

New Hampshire State Police have safely arrested an armed man sought in an area of southern New Hampshire near the Massachusetts border after an earlier confrontation with police at his home.

Maj. David Parenteau said Tuesday night that officers found 44-year-old Anthony Reardon back in his South Hampton home about five hours after they had condoned off the nearby area with a large police presence.

Parenteau said the first officers who came to his home Tuesday afternoon found Reardon with weapons he refused to surrender.

The city of Portsmouth, New Hampshire, is a step closer to acquiring ownership of a building that's been under federal control.

New Hampshire Sen. Jeanne Shaheen says she's received a commitment from the U.S. General Services Administration to leave the McIntyre Federal Building and to work with the city to transfer ownership.

The city has long wanted ownership of the building in downtown Portsmouth.

  After six months of deliberation, the Newington planning board has approved a controversial proposal to bring up to 12 railcars of propane through the Seacoast each night. 

The company, called SEA-3, wants to transport domestic propane from oil wells in Pennsylvania and elsewhere to the Seacoast, for export by ship.

But neighborhood groups in Portsmouth, Stratham and Greenland have opposed the rail expansion, voicing concerns about moving explosive materials over aging railroad tracks.

The Seacoast Science Center in Rye is now handling marine mammal rescue duties in coastal New Hampshire. The center has joined the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's marine mammal stranding network. The partnership began Jan. 1, but the busy season is likely to start this spring as seal pup season begins.  Humans are more likely to encounter seals and seal pups on the beach at this time of year.  The center reminds residents that most seals they encounter on beaches are not in danger.  The center manages a 24-hour hotline for calls about animals that do appear in peril.

  The University System of New Hampshire voted Friday to put $54 million toward building renovations and acquisitions at UNH’s Durham Campus. 

$37 million will be spent renovating Hamilton Smith Hall, which houses UNH’s English Department, ESOL, Journalism and writing programs. The building has not been renovated in more than 30 years, and does not meet all disability and safety standards. 

Joe Plaia -- a former Marine MP and public defender and current chief hearings officer for the New Hampshire Liquor Commission --  will run again for the position of Rockingham County Attorney.  Plaia is the first Democrat in this majority-Republican county to seek the seat of suspended  Attorney, Jim Reams. 

Plaia  says the Rockingham County Attorney's Office needs to be modernized. "There's a lot we can do to save taxpayer dollars," Plaia says, "there's a lot we can do to reduce recidivism." 

  For 36 years the Newington company Sea-3 has imported propane from Algeria and other countries. Ships come into port, off-load the fuel, and Sea-3 stores it and sells it locally. 

Then two years ago, hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, in places like North Dakota led to a boom in production, and American propane actually became cheaper than foreign propane. And with that, says Sea-3s’ vice-president Paul Bogan, the company’s business model was no longer profitable.

“Essentially,” he says, “we’ve been out of business for the last couple of years.”

  The Massachusetts-based company Terrafugia will test a flying car at the Pease Airport in Portsmouth over the next two weeks.  

The vehicle caters to recreational pilots who live near an airport and don’t want to rent a hangar. the "Transition" vehicle being tested at Pease looks like a small plane with wings that fold.  When folded, it fits into a one-car garage.  The vehicle is legal for driving on public roads, and is expected to cost $280,000. 

Watch Terrafugia's promotional video:

A Bedford, N.H., man charged with possessing 49 stolen lobster traps, including some owned by a fisherman who died last summer, has pleaded guilty to several crimes and more than 100 violations.

The New Hampshire Fish and Game Department says Kyle Basoukas pleaded guilty Monday to receiving stolen property and disturbing lobster gear, as well as 133 violations regarding his own equipment. He was given a suspended sentence of 90 days, fined more than $11,000 and had his lobster license revoked for five years.