You can't go wrong with a page full of baby pictures, or at least that's what Insider Cassie Pappathan said when we were planning upcoming issues. We all agreed, and put out the call for baby photos in December. Fourteen babies later, we have the most adorable spread we've ever seen. We wish we could take credit for the awesomeness of these photos, but we owe it all to these chubby-cheeked munchkins and their adoring…

The Children's Place and Parent Education Center, a family resource center located in Concord, received a grant from the Bishop's Charitable Assistance Fund to provide families in need with free respite childcare. The Bishop's Charitable Assistance Fund makes grants to tax-exempt organizations without regard to religious affiliation for projects that help people meet their basic needs. The fund is operated by volunteer laymen and women who serve as directors and who make recommendations to the bishop of Manchester for grants to any organization whose mission is consistent with the teachings of…

You can skate now So get out there! Each week, we bring you the finest in city news from The Honorable Thomas Aspell, city manager. This week is, like every week, no exception. Aspell brings us the urgent news that skating season has officially started at White Park. We think we can speak for all of us when we say, emphatically, woo hoo. Aspell continues: "The ice thickness has been tested and has been determined to be safe for skating (at least 6 inches thick)." But this isn't a free pass: "As conditions change daily, skaters are advised to check the sign at the main entrance of the park, prior…

Chris Sink, keyboardist of the band Moon Minion, was kind enough to invite me to check out his band last Saturday, Jan. 3, at the Capitol Center for the Arts’ Spotlight Café. Also that night, two other bands with Concord roots rocked out – AMPM and What Tomorrow Held. I was really looking forward to attending the show, but since I’m so popular, I remembered I already had plans for that particular night. Since…

Concord just got more fashionable! Mela Stewart recently created her own line of clothing, MELADESIGNZ. The designs above were shown off at her launch party in late November. Ordering currently is being done by e-mailing Mela at mela.stewart@comcast.net or by calling 731-3108. The new spring line is under production and the website will be ready soon.

The New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services has received 11,000 new children's books to be given to families with preschool children enrolled in the Women, Infants and Children Nutrition Program. First Book, a nonprofit organization, donated the books. First Book's mission is to give children from low-income families the opportunity to read and own their new books. First Book has provided more than 55 million new books to children in thousands of communities nationwide; this was the first donation received by DHHS. C&S Wholesale Grocers in Keene shipped the books for free.…