BOSTON — The state’s new Gaming Commission, meeting for the first time, has voted to begin negotiations with two New Jersey-based private consultants to help lay the foundation for casino gambling in Massachusetts. More...

MANCHESTER — The head of the federal Department of Veterans Affairs said Tuesday a new computerized system should greatly reduce the time it takes for the agency to process disability claims. More...

AMHERST, Mass. — Howard M. Ziff, professor emeritus of journalism at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and a veteran Chicago newsman, died Tuesday, his son said. He was 81. More...

NEW YORK (AP) — A new government report finds that the six New England states have some of the lowest teen birth rates in the nation. Nearly every state in the nation saw a decline in teen births from 2007 to 2010. More...

BEIRUT (AP) — Syrian activists reported military attacks on two towns Tuesday, even as the government claimed its military forces have begun pulling out of some towns in compliance with a U.N.-brokered truce deal. More...

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — A suicide attack on a district police headquarters has killed eight Afghan policemen in the country’s south. It was the second suicide bombing Tuesday of government offices in Afghanistan. More...

Most sex offender laws are named for child murder victims like Jacob Wetterling, Jessica Lunsford or Adam Walsh. These legislative memorials may actually endanger the public. They surely endanger sex offenders. More...

In what has been an annual ritual under the federal No Child Left Behind Act, frustrated educators, worried parents and disappointed students were once again told that the great majority of New Hampshire’s schools failed to make the grade. More...

On courtroom cameras: We don’t often agree with Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, on issues, but he was spot on when he called for there to be cameras permitted in the hallowed chambers of the U.S. Supreme Court. ... More...

The New Hampshire State Police Troop E in Tamworth made the following arrests and responded to the following accidents between March 23 and March 29. Police charged Ryan M. More...

LACONIA — Yoga 4 Classrooms ™ will offer its oneday teacher workshop at Prescott Farm Environmental Education Center to classroom teachers, administrators, school counselors, physical education teachers, therapists, and others seeking to More...

LACONIA — Student artwork entered in the 2012 Annalee Thorndike Art Competition, sponsored by the Lakes Region Scholarship Foundation, will be on display through April 17 at the Belknap Mill, located at 25 Beacon Street East in Laconia. More...

Spinach and artichoke dip sounds like it should be a virtuous treat. After all, it's loaded with vegetables. Trouble is, it's usually more mayonnaise and cheese than spinach and artichoke. More...

Like the traditional French tarte tatin, this spring pastry has caramelized fruit cooked on the stove. It then is topped with a pastry, baked and flipped out of the pan. More...

It’s red, but it isn’t red hot. And that’s why it’s the sort of curry the average American is going to love. I’m talking about red curry paste, one of a literal rainbow of intensely flavorful Southeast Asian seasonings. More...