It's hard to believe after a summer that saw fuel prices shoot through the roof, people like Ben Plante are now finding gas for less than $3 a gallon.

"I never thought it would do that," the 74-year-old Suncook man said of the steady price drop after he pulled into Cumberland Farms in Epping to fill up his Dodge minivan.

According to AAA, the average price statewide fell to $2.99 a gallon yesterday, 63 cents cheaper than a month ago. The national average, also at $2.99, is 84 cents less than a month earlier.

THE CITY'S parking control officers aren't renowned for their acts of kindness. But on Wednesday, they'll do something that should make a number of drivers very happy.

They'll let some rule-breakers off with a warning.

That's the sort of leniency that comes with one of the most dramatic reimaginings of downtown parking rules in the city's history. As anyone will tell you, the new rules are very complicated, and Brandy Stanley, the city's parking manager, said she fully expects it will take some time for drivers to get used to them.

Gov. John Lynch says New Hampshire's budget could be short $100 million by summer and he's looking at making cuts to ensure the spending plan is balanced.

Lynch released revenue numbers for September yesterday, and they were $46 million below estimates. A big chunk of the shortfall is in business taxes, reflecting the economic troubles facing the state and country.

WINDHAM, NH (September 3) – The New Hampshire chapter of Americans for Prosperity Foundation (AFPF) will hold a taxpayer training school with Laconia City Councilor Greg Knytych in Tilton, N.H., on Wednesday, September 10th. The class is only one in a series sponsored by AFPF designed to educate New Hampshire citizens on becoming effective free-market advocates in the public policy process.

CONCORD, N.H.—New Hampshire is on the verge of raising its cigarette tax 25 cents a pack.

Last spring, grocers pleaded with lawmakers not to raise the tax to help deal with a budget gap. They said they could bring in the same revenues if given a chance to market the state's lower cigarette prices to neighboring states. Sympathetic lawmakers put the tax increase on hold to see if the marketing campaign would bring in the promised money.

CONCORD, N.H. - A think tank says New Hampshire could be dealing with up to a $495 million budget hole in three years depending on the economy and steps lawmakers take to address the problem.

The New Hampshire Center for Public Policy Studies says in a report the deficit could be as little as $156 million or as much $495 million.