catching up on local news

• After months of delays, crews have finally begun demolishing the old Parade Mall building in Portsmouth. The structure will be replaced with the Portwalk development, a multi-use project with a hotel, shops, restaurants and offices. The first Portwalk construct will be a 128-room Residence Inn by Marriott, with retail shops and dining on the street level.

• The Stone Church officially reopened on June 19, with a lineup of no fewer than nine local musicians performing at the beloved Newmarket venue. Another seven acts hit the Church the following afternoon. Shows will continue with Will Harrison, Guy Capecelatro III, Matt Frye and Jake Roche on Thursday, June 25; Todo Bien on Friday, June 26; and Tim McCoy and the Papercuts with Swamp Yankee and Mercury Hat on Saturday, June 27. Welcome back.

• Starting July 21, the Cochecho River will be protected under the N.H. Rivers Management and Protection Program. House Bill 58, signed on May 22, designates a 35-mile stretch of the river from Dover to New Durham for extra protection at the state and local level.

• New Hampshire will receive just shy of $1.8 million toward construction of a new southbound section of Little Bay Bridge. According to the office of U.S. Rep. Carol Shea-Porter, the bridge will carry four lanes of the Spaulding Turnpike from Dover to Newington. The 1,590-foot span will be located adjacent to the current bridges, though a timeframe for consruction is currently unknown.