We all remember those days back in our youth when, upon returning to school in the fall, we were told to write essays titled "What I Did On My Summer Vacation." A summary of exactly that would follow, possibly with some life lessons thrown in for good measure. For example: "This summer, I went out to Crater Lake in Oregon with my family. It was a lot of fun, and I learned never to hop over a fence with nothing but…

We may have mentioned this before, but since the Monitor building is in the middle of nowhere, our lunchtime options are rather limited. It takes us about 20 minutes to get downtown (thanks, traffic lights and ongoing construction!), so where do we go to grab a quick coffee? Personally, I like Starbucks, but that's a little far away from Monitor-land. We have a Keurig coffee maker downstairs, but you need two quarters…

Of the 16 or so years I’ve lived in Concord, about 14 of them have been spent in a house with extreme proximity to the McDonald’s on Main Street, so I am personally rather partial to that one. I must say, however, that the best I’ve ever had was that from a small town by the name of Gorham, nestled in the northern New Hampshirian White Mountains. I don’t know what it is, but…

Dear Tweens, If you could give President Obama two pieces of advice, what would they be? Abigail Painchaud I think that President Obama will be a great president. He needs to work quickly and help get the United States back on its feet. He should help with Iraq and the people who need health insurance. I have high hopes for my future. President Obama will do a very good job. Sincerely, Abigail…

January 24 At about 4:10 a.m., Officer Almedin Dzelic was sent to a State Street address for a reported assault. According to his report, dispatch told him that a man had called in and said he'd been punched in the face and that somebody had broken his phone. Officers Dzelic and Dick Scott went to the building, Dzelic wrote, and while they were in the hallway they heard loud male and female voices coming from upstairs. "As we started walking up the stairs a male subject came out of Apartment 2 and stated that he was the one that called and that he was punched in the face," Dzelic wrote. The man…

N.H. Audubon has received quite a few calls from worried bird watchers whose birds seem to have disappeared from their feeders. But have they really gone or just moved next door? Help NHA determine what's happening by taking part in the annual New Hampshire Backyard Winter Bird Survey on Saturday, Feb. 14, and Sunday, Feb. 15. Biologists need assistance from citizens all over the Granite State to get a clearer picture of what's really happening with our winter birds this year. Anyone can participate in the Backyard Winter Bird Survey by counting the birds in their own backyard on the survey weekend…