BY DERRICK PERKINSWhen even Santa Claus is donating his time to keep an annual holiday parade afloat, it’s a sign of a tough economy. In better times, Selectman Patrick Hargreaves and a team of volunteers have fundraising for Salem’s Nov. 29 parade wrapped by the end of October, but this year the big day is fast approaching and the ...

BY DERRICK PERKINS Nine high school students from two communities were taken into police custody on alcohol-related charges for allegedly drinking before a school dance on Sept. 26. Police said school administrators contacted the authorities after questioning the students who displayed “obvious signs of impairment” as they ...

BY DARRELL HALENA row of small decorated bags placed along a section of Salem High School’s running track carried messages of love from Tom Murphy’s family. “To the world he was just one man,” read the words on one bag. “To us, he was the world.” On another bag: “We miss you, papa. You will always be in ...

BY DARRELL HALEN Ann, a single mother of two children, is struggling to make ends meet. She uses her sister’s cell phone because phone service to her home has been turned off. In the past, her electricity has been shut off. “I’m trying to work, get a better life for my kids,” said Ann who lives in Salem. ...

BY DONNA KISH If you asked Salem resident Anthony Bellomo what he wanted most for his eighth birthday, you might be pleasantly surprised. Instead of gifts, Anthony, a second-grader at North Salem School, asked his friends to bring food donations to his birthday party. He and his friends then headed down to the Rockingham ...

BY MATT SCHOOLEY Some members of the American armed forces won’t need to dress up in costumes to earn their Halloween candy this year. James Dickerson and Adam Wolff, dentists at Pediatric Dentistry of Salem, are organizing an event to help protect the teeth of area youth while also helping soldiers in Iraq. On Monday, Nov. 3, ...

BY DARRELL HALEN When young students recently hopped to music at Littleville Learning Center, they were doing more than getting some good exercise. They were raising money for the American Cancer Society. On Wednesday, May 7, and Thursday, May 8, preschool, prekindergarten and kindergarten students took turns hopping for a total ...

BY DARRELL HALEN As Tim Morris recovers in a Salem rehabilitation hospital from the serious injuries he suffered in a car accident this summer, friends of the Windham man are rallying to help him pay his medical expenses. A benefit has been planned to raise money for Morris, who did not have health insurance when his Jeep Grand Cherokee hit a ...

BY MATT HERSH The theme of the day was cancer, but the mood and atmosphere were nothing but positive at Salem’s third annual Relay for Life. More than 1,500 people gathered at the Salem High School track where they walked laps for 18 hours, shared stories about overcoming cancer and raised more than $225,000 to fight the disease. The ...