People without health insurance will have a new healthcare option next month. Catholic Medical Center and Dartmouth-Hitchcock will launch a neighborhood clinic on Manchester's West Side. Four healthcare workers will provide free or reduced-cost primary care to low-income people or those without insurance. The West Side Neighborhood Health Center will open January fifth in a building adjacent to CMC.

A new report ranks New Hampshire one of the healthiest states in America. We're third, right behind Vermont and Hawaii. The report was done by the United Health Foundation, the American Public Health Association and the Partnership for Prevention.

A Bedford woman was hospitalized after crashing her car on Campbell Road yesterday afternoon. There is no word on the condition of Margaret Kimball-Davis, who hit a large tree head-on. Bedford police say the road was closed for more than 90 minutes.

A Dracut man was arrested for second offense DWI, driving as an habitual offender, and conduct after an accident after a three-vehicle crash on Central Street in Hudson. Mark Merrick allegedly fled the scene after allegedly causing the pileup near Kimball Hill Road. Merrick was arrested by Pelham police and is being held on $15,000 cash bail. There were no serious injuries.

Two state senators from Manchester were among five legislators honored by the Business and Industry Association. Betsi DeVries and Lou D'Allesandro were recognized for "their leadership and dedication to issues concerning the business community." Also honored were Senator Peter Bragdon and state Representatives David Hess and Pam Price.

Construction continues on a new interchange at Exit 3 on I-93, even though the Town of Windham denied a blasting permit. By law, the state is exempt from local blasting regulations. Windham selectmen denied the blast permit because residents of the Ledge Road neighborhood have complained about previous blasting projects that have clouded water and complicated their lives. About 45,000 truckloads of earth and rock will be removed for Exit 3 project.

The state is mobilizing to help 300 people who will lose their jobs at the Dover AT&T call center in February. AT&T says the State Department chose not to renew a contract for the call center to handle passport application information. Governor Lynch and Congressmen Hodes and Shea-Porter have written to Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice asking her to reconsider.

The slumping economy will mean no raises for town workers in Atkinson next year. For the first time in 21 years, selectmen voted against cost-of-living raises, citing the sagging economy. Of the 121 town employees who won't get raises, 113 are part time and a dozen work full-time.

All four of Tweeter's New Hampshire stores suddenly closed Tuesday, even though the company previously announced it would go out of business. Customers in Manchester, Nashua, Salem and Portsmouth were left to figure out how to get merchandise they have already paid for. If that wasn't bad enough, a computer hacker took over Tweeter's web site for a while. A picture of President Bush appeared with a reference to Tweeter's CEO and the message, "don't trust either of them."

The defense presented its first witnesses in the sentencing phase of Michael Addison's capital murder trial in hopes of convincing the jury of giving Addison life in prison instead of the death penalty. Addison was convicted last month of killing Manchester Police Officer Michael Briggs.

News from the Statehouse... The top two legislative leaders were re-elected. The Senate again chose Concord Democrat Sylvia Larsen as its president and the House re-elected Portsmouth Democrat Terie Norelli as speaker. Secretary of State Bill Gardner was re-elected to another two-year term.

Mont Vernon has a new police chief. State Trooper Kyle Aspinwall will replace former chief Rick Brougham, who resigned in August. Aspinwall has worked both for State Police and Highway Patrol. Before that he was an officer in Amherst for 10 years.

The Navy's only research submarine is coming to the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard where it will be inactivated after nearly 40 years in service. The NR-1, a 150-foot nuclear-powered exploration sub, was launched in 1969. The vessel searched for artifacts and wrecks and mapped ocean floors. Following the space shuttle Challenger explosion in 1986, the sub helped recover parts of it.

Manchester's traditional Christmas Parade will kickoff on Elm Street Saturday afternoon at four o'clock. Red Sox legend Rico Petrocelli will be the grand marshall. A more sober gathering will take place Sunday at 12:30 in Arms Park. There will be a memorial service to mark the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor 67 years ago. Five Queen City men died in the attack.