Author: NH Business Review Staff

Wintry weather blows into region

Area police, fire and utility crews were kept busy Tuesday as freezing rain sent motorists spinning and dropped tree branches as well as several whole trees onto power lines. In Hollis, a school bus carrying about 45 middle- and high-school…

Creator of holiday favorite appears in Nashua

NASHUA - When Ellen Cutcliffe’s daughters were young, they were fascinated by “The Polar Express.” Now, Cutcliffe wants to introduce her 2-year-old granddaughter, Sophie, to the book that excited her children year after year. Cutcliffe is among the hundreds of…

Panel gives nudge to rail plan

NASHUA - The plan for a local commuter rail station cleared a hurdle Tuesday night when an aldermanic committee approved a resolution to pay the city’s estimated $14 million costs for the project using a special tax district. It was…

Nominee: No to Nashua judgeship

CONCORD - John Coughlin has formally withdrawn himself from consideration for the Nashua District Court judge post, Executive Councilor David Wheeler of Milford said Tuesday. The Executive Council will cancel a hearing on Coughlin’s nomination, which had been set for…

Mission needs aid for annual party

NASHUA- A letter from the North Pole to the residents of Greater Nashua is urging support for the Tolles Street Mission’s annual Christmas party. “Dear community,” the letter begins in a shaky old hand. “As you know, I’ll be loading…

Man suspected of robbing Wal-Mart

BEDFORD - Police were looking for a man who robbed a local Wal-Mart store Tuesday night. The robbery happened at about 9 p.m. at the Wal-Mart at 17 Colby Court, Bedford police officials said in a prepared statement. According to…

Presentation of Mary Academy to aid homeless families

HUDSON - Presentation of Mary of Academy is moving forward with plans to lease a building on its property to house homeless families. The building will be leased to the Greater Nashua Interfaith Hospitality Network to use for displaced families.…

City kids will either face ban or roll on

NASHUA - That skateboard under the Christmas tree could wind up contributing to lawbreaking. A proposal being pushed by Ward 6 Alderman Robert Dion would outlaw skateboarding or inline skating on any street in the city. The idea has created…

Broad Street roundabout plan scrapped

NASHUA - The Division of Public Works is pulling back its proposal for additional roundabouts and a so-called urban boulevard on Broad Street, and wants its consultant to take a second look at the area. Public Works Director Richard Seymour…

Land purchase allows town to preserve muster grounds

LITCHFIELD - The site of the town’s muster grounds will now be permanently preserved. The town’s Conservation Commission bought the land last month. It is sandwiched between the Merrimack River and the Charles Bancroft Highway. The muster grounds may be…

Report: 2 bus runs would save money

MERRIMACK - Two runs and a sixth degree of separation. The School Board on Monday received a committee report that showed it is economically feasible to go back from three to two school bus runs. Better still, the report also…

Judicial pick may decline nomination

CONCORD - Gov. Craig Benson’s third choice for the Nashua District Court judge job may decline the nomination, the governor’s spokeswoman said Monday. Benson nominated John Coughlin for the Nashua court last week, after the Executive Council unanimously confirmed him…

Board rejects library contract

NASHUA - Aldermen took about 30 minutes to kill a proposed two-year contract for Nashua Public Library workers. The dismissal of the contract left library trustees Chairman Arthur Barrett “blindsided,” he said. Barrett said the contract was available for review…

Open space gets board approval

HOLLIS - Selectmen voted Monday night to recommend spending more than $4 million to preserve 260 acres of open space. The board voted 4-1 in favor of recommending the $3.25 million purchase of the 180-acre Woodmont Orchard parcel, located on…

Report: 2 bus runs would save money

MERRIMACK - Two runs and a sixth degree of separation. The School Board on Monday received a committee report that showed it is economically feasible to go back from three to two school bus runs. Better still, the report also…

Chimney fire ruins garage

A rotted stovepipe led to a chimney fire that badly damaged an unattached garage Sunday morning, according to the Brookline Fire Department. No one was injured, and the house at 8 Mason Road was not damaged. The fire, started by…

Civilians to soldiers

CONCORD - They arrived steadily from 2 p.m., some appearing apprehensive, others wearing expressions that reflected the apparent sadness in their hearts. Soon, this parade of Granite Staters, representing family members and friends of soldiers in the New Hampshire Army…

Changes to zoning set for hearing

NEW IPSWICH - The Planning Board is making another attempt to modify the town’s zoning regulations after being rejected by voters 11 out of 12 times last year. The newly proposed changes to the town’s zoning ordinances and subdivision regulations…

Annual greening raises money for club

MASON - Every year for the past 15 years, Arthur Ashe has been making a wreath or two at the annual Greening of Mason. This year he was watching his two daughters, Hannah and Emily, give it a try. For…

Downtown gallery a step closer to reality

NASHUA - The long road to realizing their dream of a vibrant, successful arts enclave in the downtown area reaches another milestone this week for those connected with the Nashua Area Artists Association and the local contractor who’s strongly backing…

Scamman hopes to tackle school funding

CONCORD - Most of the majority Republican Party was with the other guy, but Douglas Scamman Jr. is back as speaker of the House of Representatives. Scamman, 62, insists the GOP will unite to work on an issue-based agenda in…

Go ahead and ask

What if Google, the Internet’s favorite answer-bot, was made of flesh and blood? With “Answers Here and Now,” it almost is. The new online service, launched here last month, lets local library patrons use their Web browsers to pick the…

South working on reaccreditation

NASHUA - Nancy Hilliard didn’t know how exhausting the process of evaluating a school could be. Then she served on the visiting committee for the reaccreditation of Bow High School. “I was blown away by what this committee had to…

Oval aglow as Milford holds tree-lighting

MILFORD - Five, four, three, two, one . . . Christmas! A crowd of well over 100 revelers gathered on the Oval on Saturday evening to sing in the season and see someone switch on the Christmas tree lights. The…

Sounds of Solace

n a small suite inside the Community Hospice House in Merrimack, Linda Chadbourne sits in a straight-back chair, cradling a cherry-and-redwood mountain dulcimer and gazing into Eleanor Wentworth’s eyes. Wentworth, a patient, sits in a wheelchair in her stocking feet,…

Scamman hopes to tackle school funding

CONCORD - Most of the majority Republican Party was with the other guy, but Douglas Scamman Jr. is back as speaker of the House of Representatives. Scamman, 62, insists the GOP will unite to work on an issue-based agenda in…

Area libraries join online reference desk

What if Google, the Internet’s favorite answer-bot, was made of flesh and blood? With “Answers Here and Now,” it almost is. The new online service, launched here last month, lets local library patrons use their Web browsers to pick the…

Program brings music into the lives of the critically ill

In a small suite inside the Community Hospice House in Merrimack, Linda Chadbourne sits in a straight-back chair, cradling a cherry-and-redwood mountain dulcimer and gazing into Eleanor Wentworth’s eyes. Wentworth, a patient, sits in a wheelchair in her stocking feet,…

Bar owner: ‘This is not over’

HUDSON - In a petition asking the state to revoke the Zone Entertainment Complex’s liquor license, the town claims the bar is a public nuisance and threat to public safety. However, the bar’s owner says allegations the town has used…

Town to monitor treatment of water

MERRIMACK - Selectmen on Thursday agreed to spend $30,000 in sewer user fees for an engineer to represent the town as Anheuser-Busch prepares to build a facility to treat a wastewater byproduct of its brewing operations. Although the facility itself…

Yard waste collection ended

NASHUA - The Solid Waste Department’s curbside collection of soft yard waste has ended for the season. The department will not pick up any more yard waste set out with trash. Residents may bring any remaining yard waste directly to…

Nashua receives funds for park

NASHUA - As Salmon Brook flows through downtown, it passes an eyesore of weeds and abandoned industrial building foundations. But the Nashua Rotary Club and city officials, with the financial support of the federal government, have plans to brighten a…

Van reaches out to Nashua readers

NASHUA - Alice Levesque looked at the titles of the best sellers sitting on her dining room table. For an avid reader, who finishes a book a week, the delivery from Karen Egle-Gaber was a welcome gift. “I am getting…

Family homeless following Thursday blaze

TYNGSBOROUGH, Mass. - A police officer was injured and a family of four left homeless following a fire that may have had an electrical source. Tyngsborough police Officer Shuan Woods was treated and later released from Lowell General Hospital, where…

Shuttle bus to service Milford Christmas event

MILFORD - Amid the traditional holiday fare, this Saturday’s old-fashioned Christmas on the Oval will feature something unusual for Milford’s downtown - a shuttle bus. “We’ll see how it goes, and if it’s something that’s popular we might try it…

Hudson Fire Department going digital

HUDSON - Using a mixture of grants, the Fire Department is slowly moving into the modern, digital age. The department has already purchased several digital radios for its fire engines and other vehicles. The department also anticipates receiving portable digital…

Concerns resurface in preserve debate

MERRIMACK - A 2½-hour roundtable discussion about the Horse Hill Nature Preserve on Thursday ended with the Board of Selectmen hung up over the same issue that split the previous board last year: who should ultimately have management control over…

Last day to register for conference

BEDFORD-Today is the last day to register for a collaborative small-business conference on planning, growing, and financing a New Hampshire business. The New Hampshire Business Review and CEI Community Ventures Inc., a venture capital firm, are co-hosting “The Agenda for…

K of C ‘Breakfast with St. Nick’ set

MERRIMACK - The Knights of Columbus, Council 10896, is holding its 10th annual “Breakfast with St. Nick” on Saturday from 8-11 a.m., at St. John Neumann Church hall. Tickets are $5, children under 2 are free, with a family maximum…

Holiday fair slated at New Searles

NASHUA-A holiday fair will be held at New Searles Elementary School, 39 Shady Lane (off Exit 4) on Saturday from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Featured will be crafters, raffles, a holiday bake sale, and kids activities including make a craft, face…

Ham, bean supper at church planned

NASHUA-Main Street United Methodist Church, 154 Main St., will hold a ham and bean supper Saturday from 4:30-7 p.m. The menu includes sliced ham, two kinds of baked beans, cole slaw, potato salad, bread, beverage and selection of pies, all…

Church to hold Advent workshop

NASHUA - Arlington Street United Methodist Church will hold an Advent workshop and mini-fair on Saturday from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. This event will be held in lieu of the Holly Town Fair. The Advent Workshop and Mini-fair will feature interactive…

Youth Council among recipients of statewide grant

New Futures, a statewide advocacy agency working to reduce underage alcohol problems and increase access to treatment, has awarded close to $1 million in grants, including one to the Youth Council in Nashua. In all, eight organizations will receive money…

Selectmen have more work to do on budget

MERRIMACK - As it now stands, the town’s budget for next year is $26.01 million, up $1.24 million, or about 5 percent over current spending. However, the bottom line is still in flux with the Board of Selectmen scheduled to…

Cash, sweets stolen from stand

HUDSON - Vandals hit the Pop Warner concession stand at Hudson Memorial Middle School, making off with a sweet stash. Police were contacted at 11:30 a.m. Monday about the vandalism, in which a wall was torn off a metal trailer-like…

World Series trophy comes to Manchester

MANCHESTER - Kenneth Gagne was born in August 1918 - just before the Red Sox won their second-to-last World Series. He died this year on the morning of Oct. 28 - the day after the Sox earned their first championship…

Committee preps for superintendent search

HOLLIS -With candidate interviews set to begin in less than two weeks, the Hollis/Brookline superintendent search committee met Tuesday to iron out a list of interview questions for the wannabe future leaders of School Administrative Unit 41. Current Superintendent Ken…

Historical society gets new director

William Veillette was supposed to begin his new job today. But sure enough, the Amherst man found himself at his new home, the Museum of New Hampshire History, on Tuesday, a day ahead of schedule. “I couldn’t resist, so I’m…