Portsmouth Herald
Dover’s Evan Hennessey wins James Beard Award
CHICAGO — Renowned Dover, New Hampshire chef Evan Hennessey has been named winner of the 2026 James Beard Award in the category of Best Chef Northeast. “If your dreams don’t scare you, they’re not big enough.” Hennessey said on stage as he accepted...
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Portsmouth Pride 2026 is a protest and a celebration
PORTSMOUTH — Serving approximately 500 LGBTQ+ youth across the state, the nonprofit New Hampshire Outright has increased its programming by 25% over the past year. Portsmouth Pride, the organization’s largest annual event, is set for Saturday, June...
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Fire strikes 1700s home
PORTSMOUTH — A second-alarm fire in a circa-1750 South End home June 17 sent one city firefighter to the hospital and forced the closure of several surrounding streets. The Portsmouth Fire Department was called by neighbors at 4:52 a.m. reporting the...
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‘Yes Chef ’ success
Lee Frank is returning to the kitchen he led as executive chef 12 years ago – this time with Mazon, a new fine dining restaurant of his own. ● Frank, a two-time James Beard Northeast finalist, had just learned he needed to close his restaurant Otis in...
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Oceanfront creations
The Hampton Beach Master Sand Sculpting Classic kicks off this week with 10 of the best sand sculptors in the world competing for bragging rights and $25,000 in prizes. ● Sculptors have three days — eight hours each day — Thursday, June 18, through...
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Rye can shut out barn swallows
RYE — A county judge has ruled the Goss Farm barn can be closed off from nesting barn swallows, siding with the town and its Conservation Commission. The Rye Conservation Commission voted in February to seal off the barn to the swallows, blocking them...
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Valedictorian urges 2026 grads to live with ‘meraki’
YORK, Maine — Valedictorian Tessa Spaulding urged her fellow graduates in York High School’s Class of 2026 to take something important with them as they venture into the world that awaits them: Meraki. That’s a Greek word that means “doing something...
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BID FAREWELL TO MALL AT FOX RUN
NEWINGTON — The razing of the shuttered Newington Park Shopping Center has commenced, clearing the way for Torrington Properties to begin building the new Seacoast Landing in spring 2027. The old Savers thrift store building is the first structure to...
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Driscoll’s Pub brings Irish comfort food to Newmarket
NEWMARKET — Tim and Samantha Driscoll saw an opening for an Irish pub in downtown Newmarket — a town where they’ve already spent years working in the restaurant scene. That chance came when Mia Bar and Lounge closed at 156 Main St. earlier this year....
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From TikTok to Hampton Beach
HAMPTON — For Joon Park, better known as JP Sandman to his one million-plus social media followers, competing in the Master Sand Sculpting Classic might be akin to a wide-eyed vocalist hopping up on stage at the Casino Ballroom to harmonize with Mike...
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‘IT’S BEEN SUCH A JOURNEY’
HAMPTON FALLS — Aubry Bracco has been on a whirlwind ride since being voted the winner of “Survivor’s” 50th season and the winner of a $2 million payout, the highest in show history. “Survivor 50: In the Hands of the Fans” marked the fourth season of...
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Class of 2026 urged to enjoy every moment
PORTSMOUTH — Ferris Bueller-esque advice was repeatedly given to Portsmouth High School’s Class of 2026 at the June 5 commencement: Slow down and aim to savor every moment. Class valedictorian Daniel Sabalakov, salutatorian Claire Audet and departing...
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MAN CHARGED IN COLD CASE KILLING
KITTERY, Maine — A Portsmouth, New Hampshire man has been arrested and charged with the murder of Maxine Bitomski, a 73-year-old woman found dead in her Colonial Road residence in January 1993. Daniel Jolly, 59, was arrested June 4 on the murder...
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Building community one smile at a time
RYE – Portsmouth High School senior Ryan Swartz said it’s nice to see your vision come to life, and it makes it even more special when the vision is to make people smile. Swartz, along with fellow Portsmouth senior Cote Bellaud, came up with the idea...
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Dudley Street Pizza coming to Kittery
KITTERY, Maine — Long before her days opening and operating cafés left and right, Deb McCluskey got her start in her family’s Winterport, Maine, pizzeria. Dudley Street Pizza at 68 Wallingford Square in Kittery — the latest business opening in the...
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Best Seacoast bars to watch the World Cup
The obsession of this summer is World Cup soccer. It’s the first FIFA World Cup to be hosted by three nations, including the United States, with 16 cities hosting games. It’s also the first World Cup tournament to include 48 teams, an expansion from...
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$200 MILLION PLAN UNVEILED FOR MCINTYRE
PORTSMOUTH — Developer Anthony DiLorenzo has filed his initial plan for the proposed redevelopment of the iconic former Thomas J. McIntyre federal building property, which is located in the heart of downtown near the city’s popular waterfront. “The...
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Seacoast Landing TIF district OK’d
NEWINGTON — The town’s first tax increment financing district was approved by voters in a special meeting May 30, paving the way for Torrington Properties’ Seacoast Landing redevelopment project to move forward. The TIF district, which will fund $9...
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Graduates celebrate, urged to pursue ‘unique paths’
DOVER — The 62nd commencement at St. Thomas Aquinas High School on May 29 saw 85 students celebrate their accomplishments, with most headed to college, some to the military and some entering apprentice programs. Almost 200 family members packed the...
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HOUSING CONSTRUCTION BOOM MOVING FAST
PORTSMOUTH — The city is in the midst of a housing boom, with hundreds of units under construction, soon to be completed or recently completed. Despite the torrid pace of housing construction in Portsmouth, the demand for both luxury condos and...
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‘Quite an interesting guy’
HAMPTON — When Army veteran Kyle Saltonstall stepped to the podium at Hampton’s American Legion Post 35 Memorial Day ceremonies on May 25, the crowd met a speaker whose path to service has been anything but ordinary. Saltonstall, 44, spent years with...
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Woman killed by son was beloved volunteer
DOVER — Eileen Shevelin, the 78-year-old woman found dead in her home, is the victim in a murder-suicide, killed by her son, according to autopsy results released May 27 by the New Hampshire attorney general. Thomas Wallace, 57, killed his mother in...
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Global honeybees art project coming to Portsmouth Middle School
PORTSMOUTH — The city has reached a contract with a New York artist to create a Good of the Hive mural and art project in the courtyard of the Portsmouth Middle School. Former city councilor Chris Dwyer, who now chairs the city’s Public Art Review...
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$2M homes to be built beside late Ruth Griffin’s farmhouse
PORTSMOUTH — A pair of luxury single-family homes will be built beside the locally famous Ruth Griffin residence and former Half-Acre Farm, though the late politician and public servant’s home won’t be touched in the construction. Chinburg Properties...
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Mural honors former slave’s legacy of freedom
PORTSMOUTH — Celebrating the 230th anniversary of her escape from slavery, Ona Judge Staines became a permanent icon of the city’s landscape with a mural dedicated in her honor and to her determination to be free. On Saturday, May 23, the Black...
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Portsmouth honors sailors eternally ‘on patrol’
PORTSMOUTH — On the Friday before Memorial Day, the city annually conducts a ceremony to honor sailors lost at sea, within sight of Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, the oldest continually operating shipyard in the nation. On May 22, the public gathered in...
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FIERCE FIGHTING AT COUNTRY’S FOUNDING
ROCHESTER — One American flag among the estimated 550 being placed at Rochester Common for Memorial Day weekend honors the sole Revolutionary War hero in the annual Field of Honor display. Each flag represents one of the country’s fallen from wars and...
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‘A steadfast champion of our core principles’
Barney Frank, a longtime Massachusetts lawmaker who was the first U.S. congressman to voluntarily come out as gay, died May 19 after being in hospice care in Maine. He was 86. Frank, from Newton, represented the Fourth Congressional District of...
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Hampton Beach heat hits 90s
HAMPTON — A scorching 94-degree day packed Hampton Beach on Tuesday, May 19 — and by late afternoon, police were breaking up fights and declaring an unlawful assembly after a sudden downpour. Portsmouth topped out at 94.1 degrees and Rochester hit 93,...
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Hampton Beach Memorial Day weekend 2026
HAMPTON — The beach is ramping up for the unofficial start to summer as the restaurants and shops on Ocean Boulevard prepare for Memorial Day weekend. Live music will be playing across venues big and small for the weekend of May 22 to 24, with...
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Googie’s Sandwich Shoppe to close after 25 years
PORTSMOUTH — A quarter-century after its founding, Googie’s Sandwich Shoppe will permanently close at May’s end. Rich Wentworth, owner of the 148 State St. business, will retain the rights to the name and didn’t rule out reviving the joint elsewhere...
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Summer preview
YORK, Maine — New restaurants, a rooftop bar, capybaras and more are coming to York for the 2026 summer season, as well as popular road races and the annual York Days celebration. The hippie-themed Vibe has taken over the former Rick’s Restaurant...
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New Hampshire campus carry bill amended
The New Hampshire Senate on May 14 passed a bill that would allow faculty — but not students — to carry weapons on the state’s college campuses. The original bill, HB 1793, would have barred public colleges and universities in New Hampshire from...
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WHAT’S NEW THIS SUMMER
Hampton Beach is already buzzing with early season activity as businesses reopen like Bernie’s Beach Bar and free entertainment returns to the Seashell Stage for Memorial Day weekend. “We are really excited, and we have a lot of great stuff happening...
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York may roll back Harbor parking meters
YORK, Maine — The town’s Selectboard will consider rolling back some of the newly added metered parking spaces in York Harbor after hearing concerns about the impact on local staff and residents. A public hearing is scheduled for May 18 on potential...
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La Mulita Coffee plans expansion project in Rye
RYE — La Mulita Coffee’s owners aspire to expand their shop and roasting business while also building multifamily housing units, condominiums and retail space on their property adjacent to the traffic circle at Foyes Corner. Two new mixed-use...
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A UNIQUE STAY
PORTSMOUTH — The Grand Heritage Suites in developer Mark McNabb’s new Treadwell Mansion Boutique Hotel are a combination of high-end features and Portsmouth history. Liam Annis, the business operations manager for the hotel in the heart of the city’s...
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Cheese Louise pays MIT living wage
PORTSMOUTH — The minds behind Cheese Louise are urging fellow Seacoast restaurant owners to pay their workers a living wage at a rate recommended by Massachusetts Institute of Technology. All part- and full-time employees at Cheese Louise’s downtown...
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Portsmouth rail trail use surges
PORTSMOUTH — The number of people using the city’s section of the New Hampshire Seacoast Greenway — which is more commonly known as the rail trail — can reach as many as 1,200 on weekends. David Allen, who is president of the nonprofit New Hampshire...
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What city’s budget means for tax, water and sewer bills
PORTSMOUTH — The city’s fiscal year 2027 budget has been proposed by City Manager Karen Conard at $157,971,390, she said during a City Hall press conference May 7. The proposed city budget represents a net increase of $7,676,450 or 5.11% over the...
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THE EDGE
DURHAM — University of New Hampshire officials expect the state economy will be bolstered with the development of The Edge, a massive mixed-use, research and residential community planned for the western portion of the school’s campus. In November,...
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‘Not sent off alone’
YORK — As the sun broke through after days of chilly April rain, about 30 people gathered at the First Parish Cemetery in York to honor a man none of them had known. James, 80, had no friends and family to attend his funeral. His wife, Dorothy, is...
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What’s the Vibe?
YORK, Maine — Pancake tacos and the Jerry Garcia sandwich have landed in York Village as the hippie-themed Vibe restaurant prepares to open its doors. Tie-dye décor and jam-band memorabilia fill the former Rick’s Restaurant space at 242 York St.,...
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Rye to hold special meeting on barn swallows
RYE — Advocates of the migratory swallows blocked from entering the Goss Farm barn have petitioned for a new ordinance to protect bird colonies in town. Nesting barn swallows that journey to Rye each year are barred from accessing the historic barn,...
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‘Life is short’
HAMPTON — Whether at the beach on Ocean Boulevard or in the Route 1 space attached to Lamie’s Inn, the Higgins family always found passion and meaning in running the Old Salt. “I don’t think in 40 years there’s been a day that I didn’t want to go to...
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Trails in jeopardy
RYE — Conservation Commission members will soon decide which public trails to close in town in the interest of protecting wildlife and natural resources. Rachel Stevens, a local ecologist formerly employed by New Hampshire Fish and Game, was...
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Costco at former Fox Run site?
NEWINGTON — Costco Wholesale Club is seeking to open its second New Hampshire location at Seacoast Landing, the first prospective tenant revealed for the commercial development proposed to replace the Mall at Fox Run. Torrington Properties, owner of...
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Verdict is in
BRENTWOOD — A mistrial was declared on defendant Andrew Lucas’ two negligent homicide counts tied to the August 2023 death of Rochester resident Zachary Colbroth in downtown Portsmouth. Lucas was convicted on several assault charges, including two...
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Jury deadlocked in Andrew Lucas garage death trial
BRENTWOOD — Jurors are deadlocked in Andrew Lucas’ negligent homicide trial tied to the August 2023 death of Zachary Colbroth in Portsmouth, failing to reach a verdict after two-plus days of deliberations. Rockingham County Superior Court Judge Lisa...
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IMPROVING ENTERTAINMENT
PORTSMOUTH — The City Council passed a motion to “collaborate with Prescott Park Arts Festival” officials to initiate park improvements, “including a covered stage and ancillary structures.” The motion, made by City Councilors Kate Cook and John Tabor...
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Kittery man in top 100; Seacoast runners’ times
BOSTON — Samuel Bradbury forgets how many times he has run the Boston Marathon, but he will always remember his finish at the 2026 race Monday, April 20. In a field with more than an expected 30,000 runners, Bradbury, who moved to Kittery, Maine last...
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Seacoast Eat Local opens 4 farmers markets
PORTSMOUTH — The City Council has approved a license agreement with Seacoast Eat Local, ushering in another season for the city’s popular farmers market. “We are excited once again to work with Seacoast Eat Local … this is the 30th season of the...
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Lucas denies he knew about fatal fall from parking garage
BRENTWOOD — Defendant Andrew Lucas testified he was unaware of Zachary Colbroth’s whereabouts immediately after assaulting the Rochester man outside the Portsmouth Gas Light Co. in August 2023. Lucas, a 26-year-old Rochester resident, took the stand...
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LEVELING UP
DOVER — As Wentworth-Douglass Hospital marks its 120th anniversary in August 2026, President and COO Darin Roark says millions in recent investments are bringing Mass General Brigham-level care to the Seacoast. Since joining Mass General Brigham nine...
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‘I was just trying to defend myself ’
BRENTWOOD — Negligent homicide defendant Andrew Lucas testified his assault of Zachary Colbroth came moments after Colbroth hurled a racial slur at him and attempted to “bull rush” him outside the Portsmouth Gas Light Co. Lucas, 26, of Rochester, took...
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Ex-city clerk Barnaby felt forced to retire
PORTSMOUTH — Kelli Barnaby, Portsmouth’s former longtime city clerk, said she was told she was no longer “a good fit after 38 years working for the city.” “I was told that by the HR director per Karen” (Conard, Portsmouth’s city manager),” Barnaby...
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Republicans express concerns over campus carry bill
CONCORD — Republicans in the New Hampshire Senate Judiciary Committee expressed concerns about a bill to allow guns on college campuses and suggested changes to soften it at a hearing April 14. HB 1793, sponsored by state Rep. Sam Farrington,...
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Hadd
happen at any time. Hospital rooms replaced playgrounds. Everything felt hard and unfair. Instead of dreaming about playing in the NBA, I started dreaming about something simpler, just one week seizure-free,” Hadd wrote in a prepared statement. Hadd...
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Banfield Road traffic source of concerns
PORTSMOUTH — City staff expressed concerns to Saint Patrick Academy officials about traffic congestion near the school, which they say typically occurs when parents arrive in the afternoon to pick up their kids. St. Patrick is an independent Catholic...
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Portsmouth restaurateur plans new bistro at former District site
PORTSMOUTH — Julian Armstrong is no stranger to Congress Street, having grown up working at Bull Moose’s old downtown shop and the Friendly Toast, and now as owner of The Wilder gastropub nearby. The restaurateur is adding to his downtown Portsmouth...
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ONE OF THE BOYS
DURHAM — The Oyster River Middle School boys lacrosse team is scheduled to open its season April 9 against Rundlett Middle School of Concord. The team will be without Rynn Haley, a 12-year-old seventh-grade girl who has been playing boys lacrosse with...
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Lenny’s Lobster Shack to open in Seabrook
SEABROOK — Lenny’s Lobster Shack — a tribute to 103-year-old World War II veteran Lenny Atkinson — is eyeing an early-July opening on Route 286, just in time to mark America’s 250th birthday with a hometown hero in attendance. Bradford Atkinson said...
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‘It’s such an intense, powerful letter’
PORTSMOUTH — A 1962 letter from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to a Portsmouth minister and civil rights activist received an appraisal of tens of thousands of dollars on “Antiques Roadshow.” The late Rev. John Papandrew received King’s letter that...
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SURVEYING THE SCENE
PORTSMOUTH — Defendant Andrew Lucas returned to the High-Hanover parking garage April 7 as jurors in his negligent homicide trial surveyed the scene of Rochester resident Zachary Colbroth’s August 2023 fatal three-story fall. Rockingham County...
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TRIAL BEGINS
BRENTWOOD — Prosecutors in the negligent homicide trial of Andrew Lucas urged jurors on April 6 to consider the defendant had “opportunity after opportunity” to back away after allegedly assaulting a Rochester man moments before his August 2023 death...
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HISTORIC BARN VS. TWO NEW HOMES
PORTSMOUTH — A group of neighbors are asking a city board to reconsider its decision to grant several variances needed to redevelop a 238 Austin St. property, which includes a plan to demolish a historic barn. The neighbors filed a request for a...
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Hampton’s Old Salt at Lamie’s Inn to be sold
HAMPTON — A sale of the Old Salt at Lamie’s Inn will soon be finalized, transferring control of a Hampton institution to a hospitality group that owns and operates hotels in Maine, Massachusetts and New Hampshire. The centuries-old property that sits...
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THE BEST OF THE BRUNCH
Brunch elevates your everyday breakfast and dresses it in its Sunday best. Instead of sipping a smoothie behind the steering wheel during your harried commute, brunch can stretch for hours and actually cover two meals in a relaxing atmosphere that can...
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