NH News Briefs 10-14-2025

Crews responded to the scene of a small fire at the Old Salt Restaurant on Lafayette Road in Hampton yesterday morning. According to fire officials the fire broke out in the attic of the restaurant and was quickly put out by the restaurant’s sprinkler system. The restaurant aims to reopen as soon as possible.

New data is showing the number of deadly crashes on New Hampshire’s roads is still on the rise.  Following tragedies in Ashland,  Manchester, Sanbornton and Francestown over the past week, more than 100 people have already lost their lives this year.  That’s a roughly seven-percent increase from this same time a year ago.  Police say many of these accidents have been tied to drunk driving.  To improve safety, there will be additional patrols aimed at cracking down on illegal activity.

There’s another school district in the state that’ll have to work to close a multi-million dollar budget shortfall.  The Concord School District has identified a five-million dollar gap that was triggered by factors like growing special education costs, reduced state adequacy payments and a health insurance risk pool.  This crisis could lead to residents paying higher taxes to help the district generate more revenue.  A meeting on that proposal is set for October 22nd at six p-m.

A contract to remove the General Sullivan Bridge is now in the hands of the Executive Council.  That now-dormant span was built back in 1934 and crosses Little Bay between Newington and Dover.   It’s being recommended that a Maine firm be hired to remove the bridge so parts of it can be salvaged and placed on display.  The cost of this project is expected to be more than 28-million dollars.  The Executive Council is likely going to take up the matter tomorrow.

Granite State drivers are paying less of their hard-earned money to fill up their vehicles these days.  Triple A says the average cost for a gallon of regular fuel right now is two-97.  That’s down two cents in the past week and is also 12 cents lower than what prices were at this time one month ago.  Currently the national average for gas is sitting at three-07 per gallon.