Of the 43 United States presidents, New Hampshire only claims one as its own: Franklin Pierce was president from 1854 to 1857. The Hippo talked with Peter Wallner, who?s just written the second volume of a biography called Franklin Pierce: Martyr for the Union. Wallner was a private school headmaster in Pennsylvania before he moved to New Hampshire to begin research. He published his first book, Franklin Pierce: New Hampshire?s Favorite Son, in 2004. Wallner is now library director at the New Hampshire Historical Society in Concord.

New Thalian Players are back for a third summer at Veterans Park in Manchester, this time producing two musicals instead of one.

The community theater group presents the revival version of You?re a Good Man, Charlie Brown, based on the Charles M. Schulz ?Peanuts? comic strip, Friday, July 13, and Saturday, July 14. The 1950s revue show The Taffetas runs Friday, July 20, and Saturday, July 21.

Local chefs do up the ante when it comes to grilling at home (you won?t find an Oscar Mayer wiener unless it is for the children?s table), but across the board they all keep it simple.

George Bezanson, owner of Bridge Caf? in Manchester, favors teriyaki marinated yellow fin tuna and halved lobster on the grill. He serves it with a pureed, grilled pineapple and tomato sauce over cous cous.

With the July Fourth holiday upon us, the All-Star break right around the corner and Paris out of the slammer, it?s time to go the mailbag for a column that won?t infringe too much on my expected down over the holiday weekend:

On June 26, the Internet went silent.

At least, a slew of Internet radio stations turned off their streaming music for the day. They did so in protest of a recent decision by the Copyright Royalty Board that increased the fees they have to pay to record labels. The decision, handed down on March 2, goes into effect on July 15, and the silence was intended to preview what online music fans could be listening to after that day.

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