This is an excerpt from The Monitor Weekly episode that will accompany our series, coming soon: 'Christa's Legacy: Concord's pioneer woman, the world's teacher.'

To read a transcript of Bob Hohler's 1986 column memorializing Christa McAuliffe, and to stay up-to-date on 'Christa's Legacy,' visit https://www.concordmonitor.com/christas-legacy/

This except was produced by Rebeca Pereira and includes music from contra-sigma through www.freesound.org.

At the Monitor, whenever we have questions about the mechanics of virtually any process, we turn to the Granite Geek, David Brooks, our science and technology writer. It turns out Dave has been writing about the logistics of Christmas, dispelling skeptics’ doubts about Saint Nick’s existence, for a while.

Between 1970 and 2015, the number of malls in North America grew over twice as fast as the population. As anchor stores began shuttering locations and customers turned to malls less and less, these behemoth shopping centers also had no option but to close.

In Concord, one location exemplifies this decline more than others: the Steeplegate Mall on Loudon Road.

Fifteen years ago, the Steeplegate Mall was the largest taxpayer in the city. Its assessed value approached $72 million — today, it is assessed at a fraction of that, only $12.6 million.

What happened?

City reporter Catherine McLaughlin and investigative reporter Sruthi Gopalakrishnan join us on this episode of the Monitor weekly to discuss.

The theme music in this episode was produced by Lizzy McCormack with additional music from Lo-Fi Beat by YellowTree on FreeSound.org.mp3

Engage with us! To submit a My Turn, send an email to letters@cmonitor.com with the submission in the body of the email. To submit a Letter to the Editor or to read more about the Monitor’s Opinion guidelines, visit concordmonitor.com/opinion.

Find us on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok at @ConcordMonitor.

The Monitor Weekly is a Concord Monitor project produced and edited by Rebeca Pereira and Alexander Rapp.

On the first day of school this fall, students across New Hampshire experienced a revolutionary change to their education: the dawn of the bell-to-bell cell phone ban.

Students predicted the ban would either be met with widespread noncompliance or not enforced by teachers and administrators at all. Education reporter Jeremy Margolis joins the podcast this week to discuss how the phone ban has fared and the Monitor's new student reader advisory board.

Read Jeremy's reporting at https://www.concordmonitor.com/2025/11/24/new-hampshire-school-phone-ban-update/?preview_id=350647&preview_nonce=0745ffb7e5&preview=true&_thumbnail_id=337140.

The theme music in this episode was produced by Lizzy McCormack with additional music from Lo-Fi Beat by YellowTree on FreeSound.org.mp3

Engage with us! To submit a My Turn, send an email to letters@cmonitor.com with the submission in the body of the email. To submit a Letter to the Editor or to read more about the Monitor’s Opinion guidelines, visit concordmonitor.com/opinion.

Find us on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok at @ConcordMonitor.

The Monitor Weekly is a Concord Monitor project produced and edited by Rebeca Pereira and Alexander Rapp.

City reporter Catherine McLaughlin and State House reporter Charlotte Matherly spearheaded the bulk of the Monitor's election coverage, bringing readers inside polling locations ahead of and on Election Day.

By and large, incumbents swept this municipal election, with Mayor Byron Champlin, school board member Cara Meeker and Councilors Fred Keach and Kris Schultz defeating challengers and maintaining their seats. But some newcomers, including first-time candidate Fisto Ndayishimiye, performed impressively, signaling residents' receptiveness to change.

The theme music in this episode was produced by Lizzy McCormack with additional music from Lo-Fi Beat by YellowTree on FreeSound.org.mp3

Engage with us! To submit a My Turn, send an email to letters@cmonitor.com with the submission in the body of the email. To submit a Letter to the Editor or to read more about the Monitor’s Opinion guidelines, visit concordmonitor.com/opinion.

Find us on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok at @ConcordMonitor.

The Monitor Weekly is a Concord Monitor project produced and edited by Rebeca Pereira and Alexander Rapp.

With cold cases, where leads have been exhausted and evidence remains scant, hope rests in investigators who return to the unexplained crime and continue to pursue it, even if public interest has waned.

Recently, two new investigators joined New Hampshire's Cold Case Unit, reviving hope for the families and friends of the victims of unexplained crimes.

Community editor Rachel Wachman joins us to explain how the unit goes about its investigative work and to discuss the story of Betty Place, a mother from Warner who disappeared in 1978. This episode includes one mention of sexual violence.

The theme music in this episode was produced by Lizzy McCormack with additional music from Lo-Fi Beat by YellowTree on FreeSound.org.mp3

Engage with us! To submit a My Turn, send an email to letters@cmonitor.com with the submission in the body of the email. To submit a Letter to the Editor or to read more about the Monitor’s Opinion guidelines, visit concordmonitor.com/opinion.

Find us on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok at @ConcordMonitor.

The Monitor Weekly is a Concord Monitor project produced and edited by Rebeca Pereira and Alexander Rapp.

Investigative reporter Sruthi Gopalakrishnan joins the podcast to discuss two recent stories that took place in local cemeteries: one a cemetery clean-up ahead of Veterans Day, the other an account of families who've had their mourning rushed along by law enforcement at a Bow cemetery.

Also, hosts Alex and Rebeca give a high-level overview of the Monitor's reporting staff and coverage areas.

The theme music in this episode was produced by Lizzy McCormack with additional music from Lo-Fi Beat by YellowTree on FreeSound.org.mp3

Engage with us! To submit a My Turn, send an email to letters@cmonitor.com with the submission in the body of the email. To submit a Letter to the Editor or to read more about the Monitor’s Opinion guidelines, visit concordmonitor.com/opinion.

Find us on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok at @ConcordMonitor.

The Monitor Weekly is a Concord Monitor project produced and edited by Rebeca Pereira and Alexander Rapp.

City reporter Catherine McLaughlin joins us this week to discuss Concord's upcoming municipal election.

The Monitor has aggregated a comprehensive guide to your November ballot with our Concord Votes project. There, you'll find profiles on every candidate running for public office and all our most recent coverage of the biggest issues on voters' minds. Look for the Concord Votes banner on our homepage or click here for more information.

The theme music in this episode was produced by Lizzy McCormack with additional music from Lo-Fi Beat by YellowTree on FreeSound.org.mp3

Engage with us! To submit a My Turn, send an email to letters@cmonitor.com with the submission in the body of the email. To submit a Letter to the Editor or to read more about the Monitor's Opinion guidelines, visit concordmonitor.com/opinion.

Find us on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok at @ConcordMonitor.

The Monitor Weekly is a Concord Monitor project, produced and edited by Rebeca Pereira and Alexander Rapp.