Concord - Updated, 4:27 p.m. Sgt. Steven Smagula of the city police department, whose errant gunshot struck Officer Joshua Levasseur in the chest during an impromptu training session before dawn on May 1, will not face criminal charges. Levasseur, who was wearing a protective vest, was not seriously injured.

> AG's office still mum on Concord officer shooting (6)
> Officer's gun wounds comrade (54)

Manchester - Updated, 3:56 p.m. Two men helped a trapped mother's newborn and toddler sons escape a two-alarm fire this morning. The blaze damaged three buildings in a closely-packed downtown residential area. Seven people were hurt or taken to hospitals for evaluation, but no serious injuries were reported.

> Location of the two-building fire
> Click here to see images from the fire from Union Leader photographer Thomas Roy.

If the same results play out next spring, both districts will be labeled in need of "restructuring," a federal designation under the No Child Left Behind law that would be uncharted water in New Hampshire.

> Preliminary AYP status of Schools In Need of Improvement (SINI) for school year 2008-09 (Excel spreadsheet)

CANDIA - A man who is accused of picking up the dog and throwing him to the ground, faces six charges, including felony criminal threatening and animal cruelty.

> Golden Ghost haunts home

MERRIMACK - Updated, 7:54 a.m. A woman suffered minor smoke inhalation last night when she tried to put out a fire that started in a bathroom of her Victoria Place condominium, according to the fire chief.

The Munzes - Ed, his wife, Christine, and two of their three children, Jennifer and Karen -- will don their mortarboards Saturday.

FRANCONIA - The freak accident happened when a huge boulder crashed from its perch and struck her.

> The location of the tragedy (Google map)

Meghan Casella, 20, was about to reach her goal of going to beauty school. She died in a single-car accident Wednesday night on Interstate 93 in Canterbury.

MANCHESTER - City educators can rest assured their jobs will be waiting for them in September, district officials declared yesterday.

Updated, 4:42 p.m. John DiStaso's influential column is now updated when political news breaks.

HOOKSETT - Despite trimming 60,000 square feet from the planned Route 3A store, the world's largest retailer says it still plans to add 200 jobs in the new Supercenter.

> Retail giant scales back in Derry (10)

ON THURSDAY, legislators decided that whoever gets elected to the General Court this fall will gladly pay next year for the school funding plan passed yesterday.

BOSTON - Boston routs Cleveland, 89-73, to take a 2-0 lead in the Eastern Conference semifinals.