1/02/05 - EXETER - He’s been called the mayor of Exeter, an honorary title earned through his presence at town events.

12/31/04 - EPPING - Associates at the Wal-Mart Super Center in Epping had a special guest at their morning meeting on Wednesday this week - Capt. Lance Rosa-Miranda of the U.S. Air Force 4th Expeditionary Special Operations Squadron.

12/31/04 - STRATHAM - Rumors of his threatened professional demise are greatly exaggerated, said state Rep. Rogers Johnson, a Stratham Republican representing District 13.

12/31/04 - EXETER - The New Outlook Teen Center has received a $50,000 grant from Exeter Hospital in acknowledgment and support of the center’s contributions to the health and well-being of local teenagers.

12/31/04 - The phone rang and I answered it. "Umm, oh, hello," said the man on the other end. The tentativeness of the voice instantly told me that this was someone who was not expecting a human being to answer the phone. He was expecting a recorded message. Sometimes it’s easier to confront an issue by putting a bit of distance between it and you.

12/31/04 - EXETER - Residents, take note. In the wake of last week’s snowfall, in which the town had 18 pieces of equipment working for more than 24 hours to keep streets, lots and sidewalks clear, planning and preparations are being made for the next snowfall.

12/31/04 - EXETER - Two Unitil crews have been working to upgrade their lines along Portsmouth Avenue to accommodate the new Stop & Shop, which is scheduled for construction next March.

12/31/04 - NEWMARKET - The New Hampshire Department of Transportation will hold a public hearing next week on a proposal to paint the underside of the steel beam bridge spanning the Lamprey River on Route 108.

12/31/04 - PORTSMOUTH — Two days after running for their lives from one of the most destructive tsunamis to ever strike Thailand, the McClure family, of Portsmouth, has decided to continue its around-the-world trip.

12/31/04 - CONCORD - Adults adopted as children can find out the names of their biological parents beginning Jan. 1.

12/31/04 - CONCORD - States should not look to Washington for big increases in federal spending on domestic programs, U.S. Sen. Judd Gregg said Thursday.

12/31/04 - EXETER - A state Professional Conduct Committee has recommended that the Supreme Court disbar Hampton attorney and Stratham resident Arthur Randlett for misusing more than $188,000 of client funds over a seven-year period.

12/31/04 - FREMONT - After trying to sell his soul on eBay and going for seven days around Christmas without heat, Brad Shattuck and his family are finally feeling warm again.

12/31/04 - HAMPTON BEACH - Polar bears are hibernating this year as the men and women who traditionally jump into the icy waters of the Atlantic on New Year’s Day are taking a rest.

12/31/04 - EXETER - Douglas and Stella Scamman gave the party of their lives Aug. 5, 2004, at their Bittersweet Farm in Stratham. They hosted President George W. Bush and 5,000 of the party faithful at an old-fashioned picnic.

12/31/04 - EXETER - After amassing what he said was three years’ worth of anecdotal evidence of internal problems at Exeter High School - problems he claims school administrators ignored - former employee Jeff Hillier last month went public with his concerns.

12/31/04 - EXETER - It was the best of crimes, it was the worst of crimes. For the Exeter area, it was both, as 2004 saw a string of robberies at banks and barber shops, fitness centers and fish shops.

12/31/04 - STRATHAM - W. Douglas Scamman has come full circle. Scamman, 63, was elected Dec. 1 to his third term as Speaker of the New Hampshire House of Representatives. He previously served as Speaker for two terms, 1986 to 1990.

12/31/04 - STRATHAM - To level or not to level? In exchanges that were sometimes heated, sometimes divisive, parents in the Cooperative School District and the Cooperative School Board wrestled with this question in 2004.

12/31/04 - STRATHAM - The Golf Club of New England, begun with high hopes and millionaires’ backing, filed for bankruptcy in February, 2004, and was acquired by former Gov. Craig Benson, its principal investor.

12/31/04 - STRATHAM - The Seacoast expanded its options for students this year, with one charter school established in Stratham and another, approved this year, scheduled to open in January in Exeter.

12/31/04 - EXETER - Concerns about flooding and management of the town’s dams along the Exeter River surged in 2004, saturating Board of Selectmen’s meetings for a time - along with local news coverage.

12/31/04 - The year 2004 will be remembered by conservationists as the time area residents gave the gift of land to themselves and their descendants for generations to come.

12/31/04 - STRATHAM - While acknowledging that former Chairman Martin Wool made money for the fair, the Stratham Fair Association nonetheless voted him out of office at its Aug. 17 meeting, saying that it was time for a change in leadership.

12/31/04 - This past year has not been the easiest. What appears to be an escalating war in Iraq is claiming the lives and souls of more of our local soldiers and their families; the economy, while seemingly making a comeback, remains shaky; and fewer of us than ever before have access to the level of health care this country has become the envy of the world for.

12/31/04 - The following people passed away recently. . .

12/31/04 - Area police made the following arrests and conducted the following business recently...

12/31/04 - EXETER - The last seconds of Wednesday night’s Lebanon/Exeter High School consolation game at the Exeter High School Ice Hockey Tournament looked and sounded like a blender in front of the Raider goal. When the gnash of sticks and whir of bodies stopped, Lebanon had itself a 3-2 victory and third place at the 27th annual tournament, which was held at The Rinks at Exeter.

12/31/04 - MANCHESTER - The Exeter High School boys basketball team finished off its appearance at the Queen City Invitational basketball tournament with a 58-55 victory over Souhegan on Tuesday.

12/31/04 - Ann Roy, 62, cannot remember the last time she felt rested. Her sleep problems started when she was 18.

12/31/04 - The warm red-colored walls in the entrance way of Talpey’s Tavern are welcoming and soothing and a glance to the right continues the cozy feel into an even more welcoming lounge and bar. There, a huge old stone fireplace is the focal point around which cushy couches and small tables offer a convivial spot for food and drink.

12/31/04 - BOSTON - Those wrongfully convicted of a crime in Massachusetts can now sue the state for up to $500,000 under one of 19 bills signed into law Thursday by Lt. Gov. Kerry Healey.

12/31/04 - BOSTON - Louise Outing's luck ran out Thursday when a judge denied the 94-year-old woman's request to force the state Lottery Commission to pay her entire $5.6 million winnings up front.

12/31/04 - BANDA ACEH, Indonesia - Pilots dropped food to Indonesian villagers stranded among bloating corpses Thursday, while police in a devastated provincial capital stripped looters of their clothing and forced them to sit on the street as a warning to others. The death toll topped 117,000, and officials warned that 5 million people lack clean water, shelter, food, sanitation and medicine.

12/31/04 - BAGHDAD, Iraq - Three militant groups warned Iraqis against voting in Jan. 30 elections, saying Thursday that people participating in the "dirty farce" risked attack. All 700 employees of the electoral commission in Mosul reportedly resigned after being threatened.

12/29/04 - KENMORE, Ohio -- A northeast Ohio family hoping to see choirs perform holiday music on Christmas morning instead saw adult programming on the local public access television station.

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