Nashua

A rail transit group formed by the Nashua Mayor’s office says a public-private partnership could bring passenger rail to the state by 2023.

The Nashua Rail Transit Committee says without a sea change in Concord or the arrival of another offer, Nashua's best chance for light rail lies with the Boston Surface Railroad Company (BSRC).

In a report to the Mayor and Board of Aldermen, the committee says BSRC's route would stretch from New Hampshire to Providence, R.I., with stops in Lowell and Worcester, to connect commuters to Boston.

Even if countries cut greenhouse gas emissions immediately, New Hampshire will get warmer and wetter within the next three decades, and towns need to plan accordingly.

That was the topic of Nashua's first Resilient Nashua Summit, which the city hosted Tuesday as part of a year-long initative to gather input on its plan for dealing with natural disasters exacerbated by climate change. 

The New England office of the EPA has awarded grants to Keene State College and the Nashua Regional Planning Commission for projects that aim to reduce kids' exposure to toxins.

Keene State College will use the $25,000 for a project that trains citizen scientists to monitor and reduce air pollution from wood smoke, which exacerbates childhood asthma.

On Sunday, Brazilians will head to the polls to elect their next president. For the first time, Brazilians in New Hampshire will be able to cast their ballot in state, at Nashua’s Elm Street Middle School.

In previous elections, many New Hampshire Brazilians would to head to Boston or Brighton to vote.

Cosme Neles is the president of Nashua's Latino Community Council, and he asked the Brazilian consulate in Boston to add Nashua to their list of polling places.

The Nashua Soup Kitchen and Shelter says it's made the first step toward expanding its homeless shelter capacity.

The organization has entered into a long-term agreement with St. Patrick's Church in Nashua to rent out the former Sacred Heart elementary school.

Michael Reinke is executive director of the Soup Kitchen and Shelter. He says the current residential facility they've used since the 80s is showing its wear.

Nashua police say a Hudson woman was arrested Friday for allegedly placing a molotov cocktail under a car.

Karen Dowling, 31, was charged with a Class B felony after officers responded to a residence Sept. 12 and located the bottle bomb device under the vehicle, police said.

Dowling is scheduled to be arraigned Oct. 25 in Hillsborough County Superior Court South in Nashua.

Nashua residents and officials are debating an EPA proposal to clean up the Mohawk Tannery, a 30-acre toxic waste site along the Nashua River.

The former leather tannery has been the focus of local environmental and health concerns since it closed in the 1980s.

A Nashua real estate developer is working with the EPA on plans to clean up and develop a toxic waste site in the city. 

At a meeting with EPA officials and Nashua residents on Wednesday, Bernie Plante of Blaylock LLC unveiled a proposal to develop 40 acres along the Nashua River. 

The New Hampshire Attorney General's office concluded a Nashua police officer shooting of Justin Contreras earlier this year was a legally justified use of deadly force.

Officers responding to a call that Contreras was despondent on June 26 encountered him holding a handgun inside the foyer. Officer James Ciulla fired three shots, hitting Contreras twice.

The investigation by the AG and State Police found that Contreras' firearm was unloaded. No other shots were fired. No one else was injured.

Thirty years after a same-sex couple from New Hampshire were tied up and stabbed to death in their apartment, the last of two defendants was sentenced to 12 to 40 years in prison on Wednesday for the slayings.

With photos of the women on display in the courtroom and relatives looking on, Anthony Barnaby, a member of the Mi'kmaq tribe in Canada, accepted what is called an Alford plea in the deaths of  Charlene Ranstrom, 48, and Brenda Warner, 32.

The Environmental Protection Agency wants public input on its recommendation for cleaning up a toxic waste site in Nashua.

The Mohawk Tannery is a proposed Superfund site in a residential area along the Nashua River. It produced tanned leather from the 1920s to the 1980s, leaving acidic sludge, dioxanes and arsenic in the ground.

The city of Nashua is moving forward in its plan to reduce its carbon footprint.  

The Solarize+ campaign covers Nashua and Hudson, and runs through the end of August.

The city is working with two New Hampshire companies to offer residents and businesses discounts on clean energy upgrades – like solar installations, battery storage and energy efficiency audits.

Madeline Mineau of the city’s energy committee says the more sign-ups they get, the bigger the discounts will be.

The City of Nashua announced today a new program to bring more solar power to the city.

Nashua Mayor Jim Donchess outlined the campaign at the Nashua Soup Kitchen and Shelter which switched on its own 131-panel solar array earlier this year.

It’s called the “Solarize + Campaign,” and the plan is to allow residents and local businesses to pool resources in order to get better deals on solar energy construction and efficiency improvements.

The Nashua Board of aldermen voted Tuesday to approve a new $15.5 million performing arts center. All but one of the aldermen voted for the complex, which is set to go in at the Alec’s shoe store building on Main Street.

Late last year the Board voted against the project, with some citing cost as a factor.

Drug overdose deaths dropped last year in Manchester. Emergency personnel say more access to the opiate overdose reversal drug Narcan is a contributing factor.

In an emotional plea Thursday, a 43-year-old man, who’s been in jail for a murder he committed when he was 17,  asks for a second chance.

A group of healthcare workers from New Hampshire are heading to Puerto Rico this weekend to help out a local hospital that was severely damaged in the recent hurricanes.

A 43-year-old man serving a life sentence for a murder he committed at 17 may now get a chance to be released. 

The Nashua Board of Aldermen Tuesday night approved funding for a citywide recovery coach for those battling drug addiction. But it wasn’t without a lengthy debate.

A 43-year-old Nashua man who’s been facing life in prison since he was a teenager is being re-sentenced this week.

Nashua may soon get a dedicated recovery coach assigned to help with residents battling addiction. This position is part of the city's Safe Stations program.