Circle Furniture, a retailer with eight locations in Massachusetts and New Hampshire, appears to have abruptly closed all of its stores days before Christmas, according to a message posted on the company’s website. A notice on the Circle Furniture website said, “All Circle Furniture Locations are CLOSED Till Further Notice.” The apparent closures affect stores in Boston’s Seaport neighborhood, Acton,

Two hikers from Massachusetts were rescued from Mount Lafayette in New Hampshire’s White Mountains early Saturday, Dec. 13, after they lost the trail while descending in winter conditions and one developed what officials described as “severe” hypothermia, according to a New Hampshire Fish and Game news release. The rescue underscores the hazards of late-day hiking in the White Mountains during