It's Wednesday, March 20

Follow our news updates and breaking news on Twitter at: @lowellsunnews, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/lowellsun, on our mobile app, or on our website www.lowellsun.com. We welcome your suggestions, comments and contributions to staff members via their email addresses below or to Editor Jim Campanini (@suneditor) or jcampanini@lowellsun.com.

Here's a sampling of what Sun staffers, and other news providers, are working on for lowellsun.com and Thursday's edition of the newspaper.

* Newly elected NH state Rep. Charlene Takesian of Pelham is taking heat from some constituents for voting "yes" on Nashua Rep. David Campbell's bill to incrementally increase state gas tax by 15 cents a gallon over the next four years to fix the state's roads and worst bridges. In an interview with Reporter John Collins, jcollins@lowellsun.com, Takesian defends her vote.

* Sal's Pizza is beginning a rebranding effort with its Chelmsford Street store, in Chelmsford, with a new menu, new decor and a new logo. It also has a frozen yogurt place, YoBite, in the same space, which it also plans to replicate in other stores. Reporter Grant Welker, gwelker@lowellsun.com, interviewed Sal himself this week.

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* In the courts, Reporter Lisa Redmond, lredmond@lowellsun.com, is covering the arraignment of David Marston, who's been charged with stealing $80,000 worth of jewelry from the Kmart store in Billerica.

* As the UMass Lowell hockey team heads into the semi-finals of Hockey East Friday night against Providence, there's a lot of attention on the team's coach, Norm Bazin, for good reason. Read the column by sportswriter Chaz Scoggins, cscoggins@lowellsun.com to learn more about the second-year coach.

* The New England Board of Higher Education is out with a report stating Massachusetts public higher education costs, tuition and fees, are outpaced income growth over pastfive years. Reporter Allison Thomasseau will have a report on the findings.

* Rooftop solar panels would be added to each of the Chelmsford's schools and street lights would be retrofitted with efficient LED bulbs as part of a $18.1 million energy efficiency and conservation project that would also include less visible aspects such as better insulation and new vents. Reporter Grant Welker, gwelker@lowellsun.com, is on the conservation beat.