Roger Wood

Portsmouth Naval Shipyard workers learned today they will no longer be furloughed.

The Sarah Long Bridge between Portsmouth and Kittery, Maine sustained significant damage from a ship accident.  On Monday afternoon, a tanker ship drifted into the bridge. 

New Hampshire Governor Maggie Hassan and State Transportation Commissioner Chris Clement spent Tuesday morning surveying the damage.  The tanker Harbour Feature is now docked at the state pier, where the Governor updated her survey of the bridge damage assessment.

The U.S. Coast Guard will investigate why a tanker ship drifted into the Sarah Long Bridge between New Hampshire and Maine Monday afternoon.

As of Monday evening, the bridge remained closed to vehicle traffic.

The vessel, loaded with tallow, an export from the Port of New Hampshire, broke free from its mooring at the New Hampshire State Pier. Ports and Harbors Director Geno Marconi says that The Harbour Feature, a tanker, was secured at the pier, and had just undergone a refueling.

Portsmouth Navy Yard workers and their supporters are rallying to oppose furloughs they face because of federal budget cuts.

The Portsmouth Naval Shipyard may be forced to close down completely one day a week, under federal budget sequestration.

New Hampshire fishermen say the federal government’s most recent fishery management policy continues to push them out of business.

A $900,000 river dredging project is underway in Newington.

The Army Corps of Engineers is the contractor for the federal project, which is intended to make the Piscataqua River more navigable in one area. When completed next month, some 15 thousand cubic yards of sand and gravel will be taken from the Simplex Reach, upriver from the I-95 bridge. Tugboat Captain Chris Holt says that the project will improve navigation for vessels in that area.

Right now, he says, the three shoals created by river currents can create a hazard.

A section of seawall in Rye has collapsed, closing another section of Route 1A on the
Seacoast. 

The New England Fishery Management Council has approved drastic new cuts in cod fishing.

There is finally some visible evidence of progress in the rebuilding of the Memorial Bridge between New Hampshire and Maine.

Anti-nuclear groups from New Hampshire--and around the country--will be in court Thursday in Boston. They will argue for inclusion into the Seabrook Nuclear Plant re-licensing process.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission rejected the groups' call for intervenor status in the plant's relicensing application. That ruling superseded that of the NRC's own Atomic Safety and Licensing Board decision to allow the groups to hold a public hearing on nuclear energy alternatives like wind energy.

Top municipal officials of three Seacoast region communities are continuing their fight against tough new environmental regulations for their wastewater treatment plants.

A public meeting in Dover raised questions about how the non profit Local Government Center improperly collected and retained insurance funds it maintained for state and local employees and retirees. 

Kittery, Maine residents are relieved that there has been an apparent resolution to the U.S.S. Miami fire and smaller blaze nearby at the Portsmouth Navy Yard. 

Every summer, the non-profit Piscataqua Maritime Commission seeks tall ships and other historic vessels to attract residents and tourists.