New Hampshire
Notable New Hampshire Deaths: Longtime Waterville Valley Town Administrator
InDepthNH.org scans the websites of New Hampshire funeral homes each week and selects at random some of our friends, relatives and neighbors to feature in this column. The people listed here passed away during the previous weeks and have some public or charitable connection to their community. InDepthNH.org is now offering obituaries through the Legacy.com service. We view this as part of our public service mission. Click here or on the Obituaries tab at the top of our home page to learn more. And if you know of someone from New Hampshire who should be featured in this column, please send your suggestions to NancyWestNews@gmail.com.
Phyllis M. (Ghidoni) Baker, 94, of Goshen, died Sept. 2, 2025. She served as Goshen town clerk and tax collector from 1961 to 1998, running the office out of her home for many years. She was a notary public and justice of the peace, conducting weddings at her house. Her husband served on the fire department for 50 years, and she answered emergency calls at their home, then would call firefighters by telephone to respond to the station. (Newton-Bartlett Funeral Home)
Walter Alexander Buchan, 83, of Exeter, died Sept. 3, 2025. He was a dentist in Nashua for more than five decades, in private practice. He earned a fellowship with the Academy of General Dentistry. (Remick & Gendron Funeral Home-Crematory)
Richard A. Cardner, 83, of Londonderry, died Sept. 4, 2025. He taught for the U.S. Department of Defense in Germany before becoming a guidance counselor at Salem High School in 1973. He was a driver’s education instructor and taught critical thinking courses through the New Hampshire higher education system. He was a founder of the Londonderry Dollar for Scholars chapter. (Carrier Family Funeral Home)
Mark Decoteau, 64, of Thornton, died Sept. 6, 2025. He was the longtime town manager of Waterville Valley. He graduated from West Point in 1983 and served as a U.S. Army officer. His oldest son Marc P. Decoteau was a U.S. Army soldier who was killed in military action in Afghanistan in 2010. Mark served in Lubec, Maine, as well as Farmington and Rochester, before he became town manager of Waterville Valley in 2001, staying for 24 years. (Mayhew Funeral Home)
Dana A. Hamel, 94, of Tuftonboro and North Palm Beach, Fla., died Sept. 4, 2025. He and his family have been benefactors of the University of New Hampshire, where the Hamel Center for Undergraduate Research, the Hamel Student Recreation Center, and the Hamel Honors and Scholars College were named for him and his family. He has also funded several scholarships. He was an officer in the U.S. Army’s Quartermaster Corps, then worked for Dow Chemical and Valtek Plastics Company before starting his own company with a friend in 1964. The Penn Corporation was a consumer products company in Princeton, N.J., where he served as chairman until the company’s sale in 1987. (Lord Funeral Home)
Dr. Wassfy Michael Hanna, 92, of Rye, died Sept. 2, 2025. After completing his medical training in Egypt, he moved to the United States in the early 1960s and for 57 years dedicated his work to Seacoast Mental Health Center in Portsmouth. He was medical director and also maintained a private practice in Portsmouth as a psychiatrist. (Remick & Gendron Funeral Home)
Newton Henry Kershaw Jr., 79, of Londonderry, died Sept. 5, 2025. He was an attorney who began his legal career at Devine, Millimet & Branch, P.A. in Manchester, where he specialized in ERISA law. In 1978, he founded The Legal Clinics in New Hampshire, which he ran for a decade before returning to Devine Millimet. He was president of the Brain Injury Association of New Hampshire, president of the board of the Moore Center, and was a board member of the Krempels Foundation. (Lambert Funeral Home & Crematory)
Paul W. Kiah, 85, of Melvin Village, died Aug. 29, 2025. In 1960, he was a page for John F. Kennedy at the Democratic National Convention in Los Angeles. He attended U.S. Army Aviation flight school in Fort Rucker, Ala., and joined the 82nd Airborne Aviation Battalion. He worked for the Gillette Company in Boston as a sales administrator and was promoted to an information system analyst in th.e president’s office. He and his family moved to Meredith in 1972 and purchased The Mug restaurant with two of his brothers-in-law. He became a Realtor with Nash Realty for 27 years. He was a member of the Meredith Kiwanis, Lions, VFW, and a director of the Meredith Chamber of Commerce. (Mayhew Funeral Home)
Richard W. Long, 78, of Laconia, died Sept. 7, 2025. He served in the U.S. Army National Guard from 1969 to 1974. He was executive vice president and teasurer at Laconia Savings Bank, where he was employed for 36 years. He was a Belknap County Commissioner and served on the Victory Lane Committee at N.H. International Speedway. He was a member of the Belknap County Sportsman Club, Lions Club, Belmont Rotary, Morning Star Lodge, Ammonoosuc Valley Fish & Game Club and the Bektash Shriners. (Wilkinson-Beane-Simoneau-Paquette Funeral Home & Cremation Services)
James Lester Loomis, 75, of Dover, died Sept. 6, 2025. He was co-founder in 1989 of Portsmouth-based Bottomline Technologies, which grew into a global leader in electronic payment systems. As vice president and CFO, he helped guide the company to become publicly traded on the NASDAQ Exchange. He served on the board of directors from 2000 to 2016. He served on the board of the Nashua Boys and Girls Club and supported United Way initiatives through Nashua Corporation. In 2011, he and his wife Anne received the UNH Foundation’s Hubbard Family Award for Service to Philanthropy in recognition of their dedication. He was an avid supporter and volunteer for Northeast Passage. (Tasker Funeral Service)
Stanley G. Maksalla, 79, of Hooksett, died Sept. 5, 2025. He was a Certified Public Accountant licensed in New Hampshire and Maryland and had more than 45 years of experience in the public and private sectors. He owned a local accounting firm in New Hampshire acquired by McCafferty and Company of Nashua. He was a region controller for a publicly held company for nine years, as well as a manager and owner of several other businesses, including Anton’s Restaurant in Manchester, which he owned with his late wife Mary Anne. He was a chairman of the Manchester Chamber of Commerce and a founding incorporator of the Nashua Police Athletic League. (Legacy.com)
Marie Hassett Mellin, 78, of Nashua, died Sept. 6, 2025. She taught at Nashua High School where she was instrumental in establishing the Advanced Placement History program. She was named New Hampshire Social Studies Teacher of the Year award in 2005. She retired in 2005. (Rochette Funeral Home & Cremation Services)
Captain Edward Charles Webster, U.S. Navy (Retired), 88, of Berlin, died Sept 9, 2025. He was supervisor of shipbuilding at Bath Iron Works in Maine, where he oversaw the construction and commissioning of key U.S. Navy frigates, including USS Klakring (FFG-42), Samuel B. Roberts (FFG-58) USS Robert G. Bradley (FFG-49). He was commanding officer of the U.S. Naval Base in Subic Bay in the Philippines. He worked after retiring from the Navy as a manager for VSE Corporation for 31 years. (Bryant Funeral Home & Crematory)
WORDS OF WISDOM: “Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns.” – George Eliot, pen name of novelist Mary Ann Evans, Nov. 22, 1819, to Dec. 22, 1880
New Hampshire
Pakistan hosts diplomatic discussions on ending war
Foreign ministers from Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Egypt will meet in Islamabad today in an attempt to come up with a plan to de-escalate the Iran war.
The meeting comes as several thousand more U.S. troops arrived in the region and after another group got involved in the expanding conflict: Yemen’s Houthis.
The Iran-backed Houthis launched missiles towards Israel, and there’s concern their involvement could threaten another vital global shipping lane in the Red Sea.
Here are more updates on day 30 of the Iran war.
Diplomacy Push in Pakistan
The four foreign ministers from regional powers will meet in Islamabad today and Monday for a push towards diplomacy to end the war.
In a statement ahead of the meeting, the Egyptian government said: “Discussions are expected to focus on recent developments related to regional military escalation and ongoing diplomatic efforts to contain tensions and promote de-escalation.”
“The talks come amid heightened concerns about regional stability, with participating countries seeking to coordinate their stances and support political solutions to emerging crises,” it added.
Whether whatever consensus the countries known as “the quad” come up with will be accepted by the US, Israel, and Iran is another question.
Pakistan has emerged as a possible peace-broker in the conflict, passing messages between the U.S. and Tehran. Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said Saturday that “dialogue, diplomacy, and such confidence-building measures are the only way forward.”
Dar also welcomed the fact Iran has agreed to allow 20 Pakistan-flagged ships – or two a day – through the Strait of Hormuz.
Houthis enter war
Iranian-backed Houthi militants in Yemen launched the first missile they have fired since the war began toward Israel on Saturday. Israel’s military successfully intercepted it but the Houthis’ attack opens another front in a war that has now moved into its second month.
Up until Saturday’s missile launch the Houthis had stayed out of this war. But a Houthi spokesman said attacks will continue until “the aggression on all resistance fronts stops.”
Pakistan Ministry of Foreign Affairs / AP
/
AP
The Yemen-based rebels were active during Israel’s war in Gaza, firing on cargo ships in the Red Sea and disrupting global commercial traffic.
With Iran essentially blockading the Strait of Hormuz, driving up global oil prices, there are concerns that if the Houthis start attacking ships in the Red Sea again global shipping will be even more disrupted.
Iran also hit multiple sites around Tel Aviv and Jerusalem Saturday and Israel’s military says Iran is increasingly using cluster bombs.
Designed to detonate at high altitude the munition disperses dozens of smaller bombs that are more challenging for Israel’s multi-layered air defense system to intercept and can cause damage over a wider area.
Dozens of countries have signed onto a cluster munitions treaty banning the weapons – except Iran, Israel and the U.S.
Iran threatens U.S. universities in region
Iranian authorities and residents say more airstrikes hit them overnight. Social media videos from across Iran showed strikes hitting all over the country.
Israel’s military said it had completed what it called a wide-scale wave of strikes targeting weapons production and storage sites.
Iran claims U.S.-Israeli strikes hit a Tehran university over the weekend and Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps threatened American university campuses in the Middle East in retaliation.
“We advise all employees, professors, and students of American universities in the region and residents of their surrounding areas” to stay a kilometer away from campuses, the statement, carried by Iranian media, said.
Several US universities have campuses in the Gulf, including New York University in the United Arab Emirates and Texas A&M University, among others, in Qatar.
Meanwhile, Iran continues to fire drones and missiles at Gulf countries, with Kuwait saying it was intercepting missile and drone attacks early Sunday. Saudi Arabia said it intercepted and destroyed ten drones.
Iran also claimed it had attacked two major aluminium sites in Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Emirates Global Aluminium confirmed an Iranian attack wounded several and caused significant damage to its plant.
U.S. Troops injured, more arrive
At least 15 U.S. service members were wounded Friday in an Iranian strike on a Saudi air base that hosts American troops, according to the Associated Press, including at least five in serious condition. The missile and drone strikes targeted Saudi Arabia’s Prince Sultan air base, located outside the capital Riyadh.
Iran has targeted U.S. service members at bases throughout the region since the war began a month ago, in retaliation for the U.S. attacks and seeking to drive troops out of the region. Overall, the Pentagon has put the U.S. casualty toll at 13 killed and more than 300 injured.
On Saturday, troops from the Japan-based 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, made up of around 3,500 sailors and Marines, arrived in the Middle East, according to U.S. Central Command.
The U.S. military will not say where and how they might be deployed. Thousands more soldiers from the U.S. military’s 82nd Airborne Division are also expected to be deployed.
Journalists killed in Lebanon
Three Lebanese journalists covering the Israeli invasion of the country’s south were killed in an Israeli airstrike in Jezzine.
One of them worked for a TV channel affiliated with Hezbollah and Israel accuses him of being a militant rather than a journalist – but has not provided evidence. The journalist Israel says it targeted was Ali Shaeb, a veteran TV correspondent and household name in Lebanon. After killing him, Israel’s military issued a statement accusing him of exposing the locations of Israeli troops.
The other two journalists killed were siblings, TV correspondent Fatima Ftouni and her cameraman brother, Mohammed Ftouni. Afterward their father appeared on TV, saying he was proud of his children.
All three had been covering Israel’s invasion of southern Lebanon.
Lebanese officials called the attack a flagrant violation of international law, and said they’re complaining to the UN Security Council. Hundreds of fellow journalists marched at a protest vigil in Lebanon’s capital.
The three journalists were among at least 47 people killed Saturday in Israeli attacks, according to Lebanese health officials.
Nine of those killed were paramedics, which the head of the World Health Organization called “a tragedy,” noting health workers are protected under international law.
Israel has intensified its attacks across Lebanon, mostly in the South, where Israeli ground troops are moving northward to try to oust Hezbollah militants.
Another Israeli soldier was also killed in Lebanon, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressing his condolences on X over the weekend.
Developments in Syria, Iraq
The war is spreading to more parts of the Middle East. On Sunday, Syria said it had intercepted a drone strike from Iraq targeting a U.S. military base. Pro-Iran Iraqi groups have claimed responsibility for some attacks on US interests.
Separately, the Syrian and UAE governments condemned an attack targeting the residence of the Kurdish region’s president Nechirvan Barzani.
French President Emmanuel Macron also condemned the attack saying: “The sovereignty of Iraq, and of Kurdistan within it, is essential to regional stability. Everything must be done to prevent Iraq from being drawn into the ongoing escalation.”
On Sunday, the Israeli army said it had launched its “first” attack into Lebanon from Syria.
Jane Arraf in Amman, Emily Feng in Van, Turkey, Lauren Frayer in Jezzine, Lebanon, Carrie Khan in Tel Aviv, and Kate Bartlett in Johannesburg contributed to this report.
Copyright 2026 NPR
New Hampshire
Abandoned Camper Fire On South Main Street Knocked Down By Concord Fire And Rescue Teams
CONCORD, NH — The Concord Fire Department is investigating the cause of a camper fire on South Main Street late Friday night.
Around 11:30 p.m., fire and rescue teams were sent to South Main Street, not far from Langdon Avenue, for a report of a camper on fire. Dispatch said it was unknown if anyone was inside or if the camper was abandoned.
“We have a couple of calls on it,” a dispatcher said. “It’s fully involved.”
A few minutes later, the fire was confirmed, and firefighters worked to extinguish it. The battalion commander confirmed no one was inside, and it appeared to be abandoned. Dispatch said, if they recalled correctly, the camper had been there for “quite a while.”
News 603 posted videos from the scene on Facebook here:
And here:
The bulk of the fire was knocked down after about 20 minutes, with firefighters overhauling and dealing with “the hot spots.”
Not long after the overhaul update, firefighters were sent to a business on South Main Street, near the camper fire, in response to a report of an alarm activation.
After investigating, there did not appear to be an activation at the business, a commander said. Later, dispatch said the alarm appeared to restore itself automatically. Firefighters cleared the scene of the business alarm just after midnight on Saturday.
New Hampshire
New Hampshire may see rare Atlas V rocket launch. Here’s when to look
A 20-story tall, 1.3 million-pound Atlas V rocket will blast off from Florida this weekend, and Granite Staters waking up very early might able to see it if the clouds in the sky don’t cover it.
Teams with United Launch Alliance are prepping for the Atlas V rocket launch, the fifth Amazon Leo constellation mission. Liftoff is planned at 3:53 a.m. ET Sunday, March 29, 2026, from Cape Canaveral, Florida.
Pending weather conditions and cloud cover, the Atlas V-Amazon Leo predawn launch could be visible from Florida to New England, according to ULA. That is, if their city falls on the ULA Atlas V rocket launch visibility map (see below), and if they’re awake at the time of liftoff.
The Atlas V rocket will be equipped with five solid rocket boosters to launch the next batch of Amazon Leo broadband satellites (previously referred to as Project Kuiper) into low-Earth orbit, giving a great show to those watching.
However, weather could disrupt viewing, as the New Hampshire area on the visibility map is set for isolated snow showers before 10 p.m. on Saturday night as well as partly cloudy skies, the National Weather Service said.
Here’s what to know about ULA Atlas V rocket launch visibility from New Hampshire.
When will ULA Atlas V launch?
The United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket will launch from Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida in the early morning hours on Sunday, March 29. The 29-minute launch window will begin at 3:53 a.m.
The visibility map provided by ULA shows about when and where your best chances are to see the rocket as it streaks northeasterly into space.
Will New Hampshire be able to see the ULA Atlas V launch
New Hampshire, specifically just outside Concord, New Hampshire, falls in the semi-outer periphery of the visibility area for the ULA Atlas V rocket launch, according to ULA’s visibility map.
Estimated visibility will occur at launch +330 seconds, or about five minutes and 30 seconds, following the launch in Florida. However, viewing chances depend on weather conditions, and Concord, New Hampshire is currently set for isolated snow showers before 10 p.m. and then partly cloudy skies on Saturday night into Sunday morning, according to the National Weather Service. This might block visibility, as clear skies are essential for best views.
What is ULA Atlas V?
United Launch Alliance’s Atlas V rocket is a spacecraft with five solid rocket boosters that will send a batch of Amazon Leo broadband satellites into outer space, to low-Earth orbit.
How can you follow along live?
FLORIDA TODAY will offer live coverage via a live webcast with live tweets and updates for the rocket launch.
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