12/31/04 - NORTH HAMPTON - Historic Centennial Hall will ring in the new year with a new tenant that will fill the Victorian-era building with music and bring dreams of a vibrant local arts and cultural center one step closer to coming true.

12/31/04 - NORTH HAMPTON - There are many ways to help with the restoration of Centennial Hall, from funding an elevator to installing a walkway to choosing a paint color.

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 - HAMPTON - The American Legion’s Post 35 in Hampton held its Holiday Raffle drawing on Dec. 20. The winning tickets were pulled by Post 35’s oldest and youngest veterans.

12/31/04 - HAMPTON - The town of Hampton is cashing in on a great bond rating, saving more than $300,000 last week when it went out to bond for $6 million of the $12 million sewer infrastructure project.

12/31/04 - HAMPTON FALLS - Mother and daughter, Alice and Abby Tonry of the Tonry Tree Farm in Hampton Falls, have been recognized as this year’s recipients of the John Hoar award by the Rockingham County Woodland Owners Association (RCWOA) at the association’s annual dinner.

12/31/04 - SEABROOK - The Board of Selectmen is reviewing the town’s long-standing tradition of plowing snow from private driveways.

12/31/04 - SEABROOK - The Historical Society of Seabrook is interested in preserving an old house on Collins Street that has remained largely untouched since the Civil War.

12/31/04 - NORTH HAMPTON - The Board of Selectmen voted not to endorse a warrant article that would have ceded power to set default budgets to the Budget Committee.

12/31/04 - NORTH HAMPTON - The town voted to hire four new firefighters at last year’s Town Meeting, but they are not merely numbers on a budget. They are individuals devoted to aiding the residents of North Hampton.

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 - PORTSMOUTH - Ocean National Bank recently donated $1,000 to Rockingham Community Action to help keep Rockingham County families warm this winter.

12/31/04 - The year 2004 comes to an end tonight and, as is customary, we take a look back at 10 significant events or news stories that took place in our communities in the past 12 months.

12/31/04 - Here are some of the people who made headlines during 2004: Rick Griffin, Brain Warburton Hair dresser Rick Griffin clipped three-term incumbent Brian Warburton in an upset to gain a seat on the Hampton Board of Selectmen in March.

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.

12/31/04 - 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 - Ann Roy, 62, cannot remember the last time she felt rested. Her sleep problems started when she was 18. "You just learn to cope with it," said Roy, of Carmichael, Calif. "It’s a little bit like having a cold all the time."

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.

DURHAM - The fourth quarter of the Oyster River Holiday Classic’s championship contest turned into a game of keep away, and the Winnacunnet High School boys basketball team couldn’t keep Portsmouth High School away from the free-throw line.