westfield, massachusetts, but what happened over the skies near hancock, new hampshire today, according to officials, was not what the pilots had planned. wmur's kristen pope has this story live in the newsroom. reporter: that's right, the massachusetts air national guard said they were doing target intercept training and that the flares dropped by accident. this morning officials told news 9 that their fighter jets were not involvedded, but later in the day they admittedt flares weren't dangerous, but people nearby were startled. the peaceful ton of hancock was shaken for a few moments around 10:00 this morning. >> it looked like two kind of like firework things, like, you know, just like the fireworks that drop down. reporter: that's what lawn care worker josh said he saw coming from the sky. >> i had my held set on, working, and heard this really

the jet and there was two flares coming down. reporter: the flares were inadvertently released, according to the air national guard in westfield are they were stationed. this is file video of that location. official says they were doing target intercept training over the skies of new hampshire. state senate candidate jane deach was campaigning when she heard it. >> everyone came out of the voting area, we're all stand it was a dramatic event. reporter: about she says she wasn't scared because she's seen worse before. >> i have seen two fighter jets come down when i was sitting beside harrisville pond and they came down and almost skimmed the pond and then went back up. and that was far more terrifying than the flares. >> we constantly hear aircraft come over, nothing that circles around and, you know, you see something that is out of the

guess, surprising. reporter: the massachusetts air national guard typically notifies the public before flying over new hampshire. however, that did not happen today, according to a spokesperson. in the newsroom, kristen pope, wmur news 9. jennifer: it is primary day here in new hampshire. voters have been streaming to the polls for more than 11 hours now. josh: choosing their candidate in a list of races that includes four major contests, although high for a primary, still low compared to a general election turnout. let's see how busty polls have been. jennifer: our live coverage begins with suzanne roantree in ward one of new hampshire's largest city. reporter: as you just said, local primaries bring out fewer voters than the presidential primaries. and here at the webster sool in manchester the numbers are following that trend. the moderator jim townsend says

ward one by late afternoon nearly 1600 people had cast their vote. townsend says those numbers are a few points shy of the 30% voter turnout they had project forward this primary. >> traditionally early morning before work, midday if nay take a work break, and then after work would be the times you'd expect a little bit more traffic and that's pretty much been the out of the next two hours that people do come out and lengthen the lines, and that they exercise their right to vote. the polling hours are at different times, you can log onto wmur.com where you'll find links about voter resources and about the polling places around new hampshire. suzanne roantree, wmur news 9. jennifer: you might recall this, that during the presidential

traffic jams, lines that were leading to the high school, the only poll log indication. so in june the town council decided to change to three locations. council chair woman nancy harrington says by late this afternoon 500 people had cast their votes. that's out of 19,000 registered voters in merrimack. the race for governor is the most crowded contest in this primary, and the only one with candidates from both the democrat and republican parties. josh: it's an open seat in concord, four candidates fighting for the g.o.p. nomination today, two were fairly familiar names, the others have also been working hard to gain name recognition. let's begin our team coverage of this race with wmur's adam sex ton live tonight at chris sununu's campaign headquarters in portsmouth. reporter: josh, this will be one of the headlines of the night, the fate of chris sununu. some believe he represents the republicans' best chance in years to take back the corner

of the enduring political dynasties. we caught up with him in bedford, he says he's taking nothing for granted. in the last week there's been a lot of back and forth on the air waves between sneu you and gatsas. sununu says it's time for voters to sort all that out. >> we're an issue state, people want to know where you stand and what you're going to do. we try to stay questions about how the family name might help or hurt him in this primary, but told us he did speak on the phone with his father this morning, former governor john h. sununu, he told us their conversation centered mostly on the patriots, but his dad did give him one piece of advice and that was to have fun today. let's go over to amy at ted gatsas headquarters. reporter: we're at the derryfield in manchester, this

headquarters as they wait for precinct results to roll in tonight. gatsas is a seasoned campaigner and he was upbeat with he ran into him at bedford high school this afternoon. we asked him if he had any superstitions on voting day and he showed us his lucky tie. he says he was wearing this the very first time he was elected mayor back in 2009 and he is hoping it brings him luck tonight. adam sexton mentioned his name recognition being a factor in this case, gatsas hopes to fourth term. he won miss mayoral seat by 100 votes last year. he says the feedback from the voters today has been positive. >> this is all about trust, leadership and experience. and i think that i feel all three of those categories. there's no question that the voters are looking for somebody to tell him what he thinks and how he's going to get things done. re: a porterttle more on that

first victory as mayor in 2009. he sortly hopes it will bring him luck tonight. josh: frank edelblut is hoping his message is resonating with voters. jennifer: he'll be watching the election results in manchester. reporter: frank edelblut says he's the political outsider in this race ands that been at the state house long enough to noah the problems are b enough to become one of the problems. the businessman and first-term state representative met voters at the polls in bedford today. edelblut is a certified public accountant who founded his own company and prides himself on being a job creator. over the past year he's been doing a lot of grass roots campaigning, impressing many among the established republicans. he says new hampshire needs a different kind of governor. >> for the first time really now the voters have been opportunity to vote for someone who is not

there, a practical business person who will get thing done for the state. reporter: his party is her at the yard restaurant in manchester, we'll be here all night. but now let's go to kristen. reporter: we're in meredith where state for forestler spend the evening as election results come in. we caught up with her earlier today in derry where she was geeding good feedback for her run for governor. she's the only female in this race senator forester has been at the state house more than six years, she's been a member of the most important committee in the legislature. the senate finance committee, which she now chairs, forester has also been awe town administrator and is a former executive director of main street programs in meredith and plymouth. now she says she's ready for the corner office. >> certainly my time in the

public municipal affairs and capital budget, i fault for people. and we need somebody who is going to hit the ground running. reporter: whether or not she's able to do that will depend on the voters here in new hampshire. kristen carosa, wmur news 9. jennifer: senator kelly ayotte was ao out this morning, talk tok voters at blake's ice cream in manchester, after she enjoyed a ride along with a u.p.s. driver. josh: she's in this primary e expleks said she's love to have the privilege of serving the state a second term in washington. >> it's an honor to serve and to be able to fight for the people of new hampshire every day in the senate, and there's so much work that needs to be done. josh: her challenger jim rubens says he's aware he's a long shot to pull off an upset tonight. and chalks that up --

special interests prefer open boarders, they prefer lower wages, nay preferred endless josh: ayotte cast her ballot in nashua. jennifer: coming up we'll check in with the democratic candidates for governor. and we'll see out candidates for both of new hampshire's congressional districts are faring so far. josh: our live coverage will continue all night long until the stay with us on air and online with special live coverage beginning at 8:00 on me tv and wmur.com. you can see the list of me tv channels right there on your screen, and be sure to join us back here on wmur at 10:00. jennifer: national campaigns are once again setting their sights on new hampshire. josh: we're a swing state for sure. donald trump and democratic v.p. nominee tim kaine will be in new

school and cane will be in exeter. jennifer: the democratic party says it has no concerns about the health of its nominee. this comes after hillary clinton needed help getting into a van on sunday, and then the revelation that she was diagnosed with new pneumonia. today we asked her political director about the issue of health and both nominees. >> we have two candidates who are 68 and 70 years old respectively and who have provided by of actual detailed health records. true again hrk's has provided more than donald trump. but either one of them provided far less than say jim mccain, who had significant health issues. jennifer: you can watch that full interview right now at wmur.com. josh: we have much more commitment 2016 coverage ahead. up next, neither candidate in the republican second

i.d., so what does that mean for their chances tonight? jennifer: and a federal appeals court hearing article u.s over new hampshire's ballot selfie rule what the justices decided today. mike: temperatures above the norm today and summer warmth

i'm hillary clinton and i approve this message. donald trump says he alone can fix the problems we face. well i don't believe that's how you get things done in our country. it takes democrats and republicans working together. that's how we got health care for 8 million kids.

we've got to bring people together. that's how you solve problems and that's what i'll do as president. narrator: new hampshire, think a minute about kelly ayotte the politician. ayotte claims she's independent, then goes to washington and votes with the koch brothers 90% of the time. she takes millions from wall street and big drug companies, and then votes to put their agenda before everyday families. so, think about it: new hampshire can choose the special interests' senator with kelly ayotte... or a people's senator, for a change. i'm maggie hassan

jennifer: welcome back. let's get a look at the ride home around the state tonight. you're look be live at 293 in manchester. josh: peggy james joins us now with a live look at the road home on primary election day. peggy: hi, josh and jen. we have a road closure, center ossipee a serious crash, mile that section, so seek an alternate route. also a crash on 93 southbound at the hooksett tolls, this is in the right toll lane, not seeing a big backup from it yet, just be aware of that if you're waking your way southbound through the hooksett tolls. otherwise 293 is moving well in manchester from top to bottom. we have our usual stop and go on 101 west through the traffic lights from 114 out to wallace road in bedford. everett turnpike starting to

traffic getting through the work zone in wind ham up to derry. and things are doing well out to the seacoast on the seacoast itself northbound on the spaulding turnpike it's actually moving a little better than usual tonight. from the wzid traffic network, i'm peggy james. josh: back to commitment coverage now, and the second congressional district two republicans are vying to face off against incumbent annie kuster come november. while they recognition, they do both have political experience. so let's start off with live coverage of that race with heather hamel. reporter: representative jack flanagan says that he is feeling positive, and he says that he has been getting good feedback in recent days especially since the latest debate. and he says that if he wins he feels that he is the change that natural needs. representative flan abegan has been out all day long, as early as 7:00 this morning, says he's

recognition but has a long record of public service. flanagan has served in the house of representatives since 2010, most recently was the house majority leader. and the brook line resident also spent some time on the school board and town selected men, he considers himself a moderate republican with a proven track record of getting things done. >> i honestly believe that of all the candidates, in c.d. two, that i can i've got a proven record of doing it bipartisan. that's what it is. people are sick and tired of washington, so if they want change they can look right here because that's where we're going to do it. reporter: flanagan was a supporter of presidential candidate jn kasich and recently did win his endorsement. he says he's optimistic that the polls are showing him gaining ground on kuster.

here at the brookline fire department later this evening to join some supporters. heather hel, wmur news 9. josh: thank you very much. flanagan opposes jim lawrence in the second congressional district race. lawrence is hoping his experience experience as a veteran and shawl businessman is helping his chances. reporter: jim lawrence has served as state at this congressional district seat. he spent a good part of the morning at polling location as cross the state. he says overall he's gotten a lot of positive feedback. the conservative republican is an air force veteran and father of eight children. he spoke to us about his motivation for another run at congress. >> the motivation is this. washington is broken, you look at everything from our

know, first and foremost i'm a family man and i captain think about leaving washington broken and doing nothing while my eight children are inheriting the future america that is there. reporter: both him and his opponent jack flanagan, they've been trying to get more name recognition. our recent wmur poll show that most of the voters feel they don't have enoug to make an informed opinion. for now, live in nashua, nauko. jennifer: we're waiting to hear if a federal appeals court will upheld new hampshire's ban of posting photos of finished ballots online. as lawyers told the court, prohibiting people from sharing the photos violates free speech. but the secretary of state wants

$1,000 for posting a picture of a filledded out ballot. the court did not immediately rule on the aappeal. mike: still some beach weather to be had. to the beach right now at rye beach, you see a couple of lone beach chairs out there enjoying not only the sunshine but the nice warm temperatures, and the deep blue skies. humidier will start to turn around a little bit tomorrow. morning lows, startedded off quite chilly again, just one notch above where we were yesterday. still some 40's in parts of northern new hampshire. upper third in whitefield and berlin. take a look at the recovery, a nice jump in those temperatures during the late morning and afternoon. mid to upper 70's far north, upper 70's and lower 80's for

all of the temperatures running about 8 to 10 degrees above the average for the middle of september. the dew point staying nice and dry, remains low through tonight, early tomorrow morning. but as early as mid to late morning it creeps up above 60 degrees, so it will be a little more humid tomorrow, and that also leads to our one rain chance until sometime saturday night, early sunday, right after the front moves through tomorrow night the dew point drops in a big okay, so it turns much dryer and classic fall-like weather takes over for the end of the week. overnight tonight not as cold as last night, near 50 north, upper 50's, lower 60's south. still summer warmth for your wednesday. then here's the cooler air that builds in for the end of the week. but it will modify, so we're not talking about a 50 or 60-degree temperature for a high on thursday and friday, except far north. but it will warm up a little bit. notice the front back to the west, very little precipitation with it.

chance of a couple of storms developing back to the west that may work in tomorrow afternoon. there is a slight chance any time after 1:00 or 2:00 that any storm that does fire up could be strong with gusty winds. early in the day the best shans of a shower will be great north woods and mountains. then the line will begin to form. from lunch time through the early part of the evening, that's when we could see a shower clears out and the focus shifts back to the tumbling temperatures and also much dryer conditions. look at the temperatures for tomorrow, back into the lower to mid 80's. by thursday comfortably mild by day. it will be chilly by night. early friday morning there could be a touch of frost in parts of northern new hampshire, the great north woods has a shot of the first frost early on friday morning, and then you see temperatures climb a little bit

showers and a thunderstorm sunday. josh: a pair of armed robbers are on the loose right now. we'll tell what you they stole and how you can help police. jennifer: then at 5:30, pushing back against the opioid epidemic, the new effort from tv

barbara moussette: kelly came through for me and my husband,

and we needed our tax refund to catch up... ...but hackers had stolen it. we were the victims of identity theft. i was terrified - we faced losing our home. we reached out to kelly ayotte. she didn't know us at all, but she went to the irs and she fought for us. thanks to kelly, we got our refund and we kept our home. kelly ayotte: i'm kelly ayotte

jrm suspects in a pair of of queen city robberies are on the run at this hour. jennifer: the first step in mr. mike's mobil store, police say a man with a knife threatened the cashier and reached into the register and left with some cash. police say he's about five six, drove away in a dark colored s.u.v. and then the second robbery happened around 6:00 a.m., police say a man between 40 and 50 mammoth road. he pulled out a knife and ordered the clerk to hand over the money. the suspect is about five eight and thread on foot with some cash. manchester police are asking anyone with any information to call them. josh: we may have mentioned that it's primary day in new hampshire. a lot of candidates still out there vying for your vote. our coverage continues straight ahead. jennifer: and americans' incomes

buy online. ready in an hour. weren't you just...got it. staples. make more happen. they're all gone. i know i bought them. well staples has low prices. if i were you, i'd grab a couple more... for next week. back to school or back for more. staples has the lowest prices. period.

narrator: fewer new hampshire students are graduating debt free, while wall street and oil companies get billions in tax breaks. and whose side is kelly ayotte on? she voted to cut funding for pell grants and against letting students refinance their loans at lower rates. all while voting for tax breaks for the special interests like oil companies that give millions to help her campaign. kelly ayotte: working for the special interests, not on our side. senate majority pac is responsible

vandalized in nashua. tonight investigators tell us why they think it may not be an isolated incident. >> police body cams in boston, how many officers will be wearing them after a court battle. mike: summer warmth on the way back. josh: it is not ground hog day, we had some technical problems there. but we are moving on with what is certainly pma polls now less than eight weeks from november's election. there are new concerns about the security of the nation's voting system. i'm josh mcelveen. jennifer: i'm jennifer vaughn. this issue came into sharp focus on capitol hill today with -- josh: sally kidds that the latest from washington. reporter: this issue is causing enough concern that the u.s. homeland security department is

the election system as critical infrastructure. a warning to congress, the nation's election system faces credible cyber threats from foreign adversaries. >> we must prepare for the possibility that russia or other sophisticated adversaries will use their cyber skills to attack our elections. reporter: experts say the biggest concern is online voter registration data bases, like the ones recently breached in arizona and illinois. reportedly by russian >> if a hacker can destroy the data bases it coulden franchise a number of voters. >> if you don have an election process that has integrity, we don't have an election process. report but voting machines are not connected to the internet, and most state have paper ballots. >> we have various components

nuclear war. reporter: and experts say it helps that the u.s. system is decentralizedded and voting machines are kept under lock and key and subjected to rigorous approvals and testing. >> the process is in place to ensure the integrity of our system, it not become part of the political rhetoric. reporter: some experts are repping the felt develop contingency plans and conduct security audits, particularly in battlero sally kidd, wmur news 9 jennifer: new hampshire's voting right now in the primaries in the most closely watched are the races for the corner office in concord. josh: you heard from the republican candidates in last half-hour. there are also three democratic contenders, all of them relatively new to new hampshire voters. jennifer: we begin with jean mackin who is covering the colin van ostern campaign.

campaign headquarters here inside the manchester mill yard and museum. this campaign feeling pretty confident today, even labeling this a general election kickoff party, before all the votes are cast. van ostern voted in his home town, concord, with his family. the 37-year-old executive councilor and former stoney field business manager was also thanking volunteers and supporters. than 30,000 voters. >> this election is about one thing, it's about how we take the next step to keep our state moving forward, how we build a stronger economy, have good schools, low taxes, good access to health care. that's what i'm running on, and if you agree i ask for your vote as governor. reporter: one of his challengers

that. report he says he tried to get to as many polling places as possible today, but admits that by this time most voters have already made up their minds. he voted in his home town of new castle, then it was off to other locations on the seaest coast, manchester and a few other pots this afternoon and nashua, he's a former deputy secretary of state. he says his experience sets am part from >> i'm 61, i've been involved in state government for 15 years. i have over 20 years of experience in the private sector, large companies, small companies. so i try to tell people that if i get elected because of my experience i know exactly what we need to do because i've seen it up front. reporter: right now here at connolly headquarters in manchester, a few signs, a few flags, things are supported to

josh: democratic candidate steve marchand was the mayor of portsmouth at one time and says he will why that mayoral experience if he wins tonight and veferl if he's successful in the november election to win the governor's seat. marchand started the day off casting his own vote in portsmouth before heading to the university of new hampshire to speak to students. jennifer: he has he has conservative with the ability to control spending while also being what he calls the most progressive candidate in the race. >> i'm somebody that's been praised, a former auditor and data given mayor, as being really good with with money. at the same time i'm also 100% pro-choice. i'm offering a respect plan for paid family leave, legalizedded, regular expult tax marijuana. i'm 100% against northern pass. jennifer: marchand will be

in portsmouth and says he plans on pulling off a victory. the republican nomination in new hampshire's first congressional district also up for grabs in tonight's primary. tom: it's a race between an incumbent who servedded two terms and a businessman who hopes to knock him out of congress. let's begin with shelley walcott, she's with frank guinta's campaign tonight. shelley: congressman frank guinta is feeling pretty confident on this primary day. he'll be meeting with supporters later this evening here at murphy's tap room in manchesr. with the congressman as he getted voters at the hood middle school in derry. he's hoping to hold onto his seat representing the first congressional district. he's being challenged by rich ashooh. last year guinta signed an agreement with the federal election commission, that was for accepting an illegal campaign contribution from his parents during his first campaign for congress. several republican leaders said he should resign over that, but representative guinta told me voters respect his work on the

>> i got to work chairman of the bipartisan task foargs, worked across the aisle with with ann kuster with 80 members and we produced in a year the carroll legislation which is 18 bills all passed into law. that's the kind of leadership people want around our state and the country. reporter: congressman guinta said he think is a left democrats are hoping that he'll win thinking that he'll be an easy for more now on the man mo be will taking on congressman gin taxer i'm going to send it over the special interests' senator with kelly ayotte... or a people's senator, for a change. i'm maggie hassan

josh: welcome back. obviously the opioid and heroin epidemic is hitting new hampshire and the nation very hard. tonight broadcasters nationwide are watching a new -- launching a new campaign to fight it. jennifer: wmur's parent company hearst television is part of that evident. aixa diaz has more on today's announcement. reporter: jen, josh, lawmakers, broadcasters and drug experts came together on capitol hill today to announce a campaign to fight opioid abuse. >> i took pills and that's when all my priorities seemed to change. reporter: the nationwide campaign will use television and radio resources to help combat roin and prescription drug abuse, encourage treatment, and increase awareness of the growing crisis. that includes public service announcements likehisthe week. right now on the mild side. tonight not nearly as chilly as

so we'll end up around 50 degrees north and 50's and lower 60's elsewhere. the one system we're tracking between now and saturday is a cold front slicing through the great lakes, and arching back into the plains states. that moves in tomorrow. so the timeline, dry through daybreak tomorrow, then the first of the showers could start up early as seven, eight or nine in the morning. southern parts of new hampshire will stay dry through lunch time, very early afternoon and then after one or two, scattered showers and maybe ahu right up until about six or seven in the evening. following that, complete clearing will take over statewide for your thursday, and on into friday. as for highs tomorrow, much cooler north because the cloud cover moves in early in the day. so we're capped in the low 70's. but southern new hampshire between about 80 and 85, and the humidity will be fairly high as well. take a look at the next several days to come, again best shower

of those storms could be strong with gusty winds. then much more fall-like thursday into early friday when we could actually see a touch of frost in the great north woods early friday morning, then a moderation in the temperatures over the weekend. the best shot of rain on sunday. jamie: drew pommer a.n.c. pitches -- pommerance pitches tonight. they'll try to keep sox lead the blue jays by two games in the a.l. east. last night kyle hendricks came within three outs of pitching a no hitter he st. louis cardinals, went eight innings, one hit, one run. his record, 15-7. e.r.a.2.03. good luck on a strong mission to

in ultra running and is trying to set the speed report for running the appalachian trail. he's on day 39 on the tennessee-north carolina border right now, with about seven days to go. still has over 300 miles left. it's going to be close, he's trying to average about 50 miles a day on some rocky, hillary terrain, that's amazing. jennifer: can't even imagine. thanks, jamie. his creativity has already made a difference in fighting a ice bucket challenge is being honored by his new england home town. josh: and we're creeping closer to that dreaded four-letter word, plans under way now to

oil wells in new hampshire? you'd think so the way kelly ayotte voted. ninety percent with the big oil koch brothers. she voted to give big oil more than $20 billion in tax breaks. they gave kelly ayotte campaign contributions. corporate special interests are spending

like the koch brothers. kelly ayotte: paid for by big oil; voting for big oil. not working for us. dscc is responsible for

jennifer: kids in long island are getting more time on the playground. josh: tether ball, anyone? recess has now doubled from 20 to 40 minutes. educator says the extension is key to child development and will help kids come back to the classroom more eeger the learn. most kids aren't complaining either, as you might imagine. the new extension affects grades k through 5, again, this is long island.

newest residency hall, named after pete frates, he's the man who inspired the a.l.s. bucket challenge, he attended the ceremony on the campus, in is in his home town of beverly, mass, and nearly 1500 students gathered afterwards to then break the record for the largest ice bucket challenge that has been held to date. josh: pretty good stuff. we're going to leave you now with live pictures of the polling until 8:00 tonight, there is

tom: now at 6:00 it primary okay in new hampshire. no long lines, no ballot shortages, but still steady turnout to decide who will be on the ballot this november. jennifer: from the race for governor to congressional and senate seats, live team coverage of how the candidates are spending these final hours

>> warm and dry today, but as the humidity rises tomorrow so do the storm chances. a look at the timeline ahead. tom: residents on alert after low flying fighter jets rattled nerves, now details about what happened. >> no one covers new hampshire like we do. now wmur news 9 at 6:00. tom: it is primary night in new hampshire. these are live pictures as residents cast their votes in manchest which candidates will be on the ballot in november. good evening, i'm tom griffith. jennifer: and i'm jennifer vaughn. the major races we're watching tonight, the race for governor, the republican race for u.s. senate, and the first and second congressional district republicans. our live team coverage begins with josh mcelveen. josh: our crews here at news 9 have bit an excellent nerve center for election night.

his estimate, predicting that 2300 voters would cast a ballot in this primary. turnout is reported to be fairly steady all day long. gardner expects the majority of the turnout to be on the republican side of things since there is only one contested primary on the democratic side, and that is in the governor's race where there is a wide open seat in the corner office in concord. a lot of people are watching this race closely. turning our an early morning for many as they voted in their home towns. they hit the campaign trail one final time making stops at polling places and popular restaurants to gather some last minute support. we do have live team coverage of their primary night headquarters as well, but we're going to begin with the governors race on the republican side of things and adam sexton who can be found at the headquarters for chris sununu. reporter: josh, this is a race and a candidate to watch.