Author: NH Business Review Staff

School Board spat blows over

MONT VERNON - A controversy between School Board members over the chairman’s responsibilities has apparently subsided. Board member William O’Brien had sought a legal opinion as to whether Peter King could be removed as chair. O’Brien had criticized King for…

Bass urging House hearing on gift cards

In response to three states suing the Simon Property Group, U.S. Rep. Charles Bass wants the federal government to take a closer look at gift cards. The New Hampshire attorney general’s office sued the owner of the Pheasant Lane Mall…

Spartans plan open house

NASHUA - The Spartans Drum and Bugle Corps is forming a noncompetitive drum and bugle corps for junior high and middle school students. The group, which will be known as the Spartan Cadets, is seeking students who are interested in…

Caution urged for all who use preserve in hunting season

AMHERST - Janice Kelleigh doesn’t hike through Joe English Reservation during hunting season without wearing orange. When she used to walk her old beagles through the conservation land near Route 101, she tied bright scarves and bells to their collars.…

Tax rate reduced, tax bills coming

GREENVILLE- According to Tax Collector Kathleen Valliere, “People are going to be ecstatic when they open their tax bills.” That emotion will be caused by a tax rate that has dropped about $39 per $1,000 valuation, a drop caused by…

New bridge in place, not yet done

LYNDEBOROUGH - The new pre-cast concrete bridge bypassing the two stone arches on Old Temple Road West is in place but not yet complete. Work has begun on the intersection of Old Temple Road and Route 31 and the steep…

Chief, twins fired up as angel campaign starts

NASHUA - When a stranger introduced himself and asked her name, Cassie McTigue was suddenly the epitome of shyness, blushing before turning and hiding behind her mom, Kristen, during their visit to the Lake Street Community Fire Station on Wednesday.…

Litchfield residents appeal logging decision

LITCHFIELD - A group of residents has appealed a decision that could result in a firewood business opening in their neighborhood. Twelve residents have appealed Code Enforcement Officer Roland Bergeron’s ruling that a business converting logs into firewood is permissible…

Hollis discusses land purchase plan

HOLLIS - The Land Protection Study Committee lobbied again on Monday night for its number one targeted land purchase, the 180-acre parcel known as Woodmont Orchard West. In a couple of weeks, with the Board of Selectmen’s blessing, the committee…

Merrimack sees decline in enrollment

MERRIMACK - The bubble is about to burst. When Marge Chiafery joined the Merrimack School District 16 years ago, school officials watched an enrollment “bubble” appear on the horizon and then move through the elementary, middle and high school levels.…

Volunteers prepare for soup kitchen fund-raiser

NASHUA - Erin Quadros had some sound advice for building a soup bowl out of clay. “Just don’t make a bowl with holes in it,” Quadros, 18, instructed her fellow potters with a laugh. “The soup will spill out.” Quadros…

60% at space needs forum back new school on new site

LYNDEBOROUGH - A new elementary school on a new site is the direction the town should take. That was the opinion of about 60 percent of those attending a public forum on school space needs Monday. Asked to list the…

73 homes for ‘empty nesters’ proposed in Milford

MILFORD - A subdivision of 73 “age-targeted” homes, designed for people without children, may be built behind the Hampshire Hills Sports and Fitness Club. The proposed subdivision would not be legally limited to adults - that is, it will not…

Tax rate rises 12 percent

WILTON - The new tax rate is $21.25 per $1,000 valuation, up from last year’s rate of $19. The $2.25 hike is an increase of nearly 12 percent. The largest increase is in the local school portion, now $13.10, up…

Utility aid program halted

The statewide Neighbor Helping Neighbor program, an emergency assistance program for people in crisis who are unable to pay their utility bills, has shut down due to lack of funds. The program, administered by Southern New Hampshire Services, assists individuals…

Developers propose retail-specific zoning plan

MERRIMACK - In September, residents fretted that nothing would guarantee that a retail center of upscale outlet stores would be built if a zoning ordinance changes a parcel of undeveloped land near their neighborhoods from light industrial to commercial. On…

Big old tree to light up holidays downtown

NASHUA - The spruce tree that 9-year-old Jimmy Gallagher has been circling with his bike for six years is gone. The Parks and Recreation Department came to his dad’s house to chop it down and haul it away. Jimmy didn’t…

Rail plan hits another obstacle

NASHUA - Restrictions on the favored site for a commuter rail station off East Spit Brook Road are the latest wrinkle in the plan to return train service to the city. Aldermen on the Planning and Economic Development Committee had…

Local businessman considering purchase of church

MILFORD - It’s only a possibility at this point, but a local businessman is hoping that a 150-year-old church can become home to one of the area’s dot-com survivors. “It’s a beautiful building. I’d love to preserve it,” said Michael…

Road reopens after seven-month repair

AMHERST - New Boston Road reopened last weekend, after being weight-limited for seven months and shut for three weeks due to a storm-damaged bridge. Road crews worked hard to finish by the weekend. Signs cautioning about the closure, not to…

Tax rate is set and higher

MASON - The new tax rate is $17.60 per $1,000 of valuation, up from last year’s rate of $16. That’s $1.60 more, or an increase of 10 percent. The largest increase is in the local schools portion, which is $8.66,…

Fire on porch guts home in Merrimack

MERRIMACK - A family is homeless, but a mother and son safe following a two-alarm fire early Monday night. Fire crews responded to the large two-story south Merrimack home at 14 Brek Drive shortly after 6:30 p.m. when the homeowner…

Chamber of Commerce’s role expanding

AMHERST - Expanding the role of the Souhegan Valley Chamber of Commerce is the main job of the group’s new team — Executive Director Lynda Derby and Administrative Assistant Judy Leeds. “We’re trying to get us more known in the…

Conflict of interest study presented

BROOKLINE - In the future, Brookline residents might be able to access things such as building permit requirements, town reports and other local documents online instead of going to Town Hall, thanks to the efforts of the Conflict of Interest…

State files suit over Simon gift cards

The state is suing the owner of the Pheasant Lane Mall, charging that the company’s gift cards violate state law for having expiration dates and decreasing in value over time. The attorney general’s office on Monday sued Simon Property Group,…

Student sues over yearbook photo

CONCORD, N.H. (AP) - All Blake Douglass wants is to pose with his shotgun for his senior yearbook photo. No way, Londonderry High School said - so the 17-year-old senior on Monday took his case to federal court. “We want…

Boy Scouts to pick up donations

AMHERST - Boy Scout Troop 22 will be picking up donations for the Scouting for Food program Saturday morning. Scouting for Food is a statewide community service project in which Scouts gather food donated in their towns and distribute it…

Holiday fair to benefit school

LYNDEBOROUGH - The Central School Playground Fund Committee will hold a holiday fair at the Central School on Saturday, Nov. 27, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. More than 15 vendors of local and national products are expected to be…

Center gets new technology for cancer treatment

NASHUA - The Nashua Regional Cancer Center has some good news for patients: a CT scanner and computer software designed to enhance the complex planning process that precedes radiation therapy. The acquisition of the machine and software are significant because…

Pumpkin chuckers are world champs

GREENFIELD - Steven Seigars and his Yankee Siege trebuchet are now world champion pumpkin chuckers. Seigars and his crew attended the world punkin chunkin championship meet in Millsboro, Del., on Nov 5-7 and finished first out of nine teams in…

25 Years

NASHUA - Maria Milton broke an almost 10-year-old record among female students of the Independent Karate School on Sunday. She also broke seven concrete slabs with her well-aimed foot, and with a yell that resounded off the walls of the…

Driver sought in hit-and-run

HOLLIS - Police are looking for the driver of a vehicle involved in a hit-and-run accident on Main Street at 7:39 a.m. Saturday. Police said the driver appeared to be coming down the steep hill near the high school when…

Souhegan wins first football title

AMHERST - For the sixth time in his high school coaching career, Mike Beliveau stood in the middle of the field watching a team celebrate a Division III championship. For the first time, though, it was Beliveau’s. The second-seeded Sabers…

Nadeau Farm may see changes

HUDSON - The town’s last commercial dairy farm could one day house residences and light industrial and commercial businesses. Etchstone Properties bought about 50 acres of the Nadeau Farm. The Nashua company has proposed subdividing part of the land into…

Duo to present overview of charter school proposal

MASON - The formation of a charter school in town has been brought up several times during the past year of discussions on Mason’s withdrawal from the Mascenic Regional School District. Resident Chris Balch, an advocate of such a program,…

300 attend celebration of Diwali in Merrimack

MERRIMACK - Shazia Mujeeb slowly inscribed the young hand of Elisha Shah, tracing the intricate geometry of a henna design. Elisha, 7, of Nashua, attentively watched Mujeeb create a temporary ink tattoo that was like India itself: beautiful, intricate and…

Kettle drive loses ground in city

NASHUA - As the chimes of the Salvation Army’s bell-ringers start to sound this year, the annual holiday fund-raising appeal by the Christian charity is facing a setback. The Salvation Army can’t set up its familiar red kettles outside Target…

Out with the cold, in with the new

The weighty and drafty wooden doors at the Nashua Public Library are being dismantled Monday, according to Carol Luers Eyman, the library’s community services coordinator. The replacements will be glass doors that are energy-efficient and easier to open. Also, the…

Moose license plates help revamp bandstand

MILFORD - The Milford bandstand may be big enough to fit a moose, although nobody can recall ever seeing one there. But you can thank a moose for an upcoming restoration of this downtown centerpiece. Using money collected from the…

District 12 Senate recount suspended

CONCORD - Secretary of State Bill Gardner suspended a state Senate recount affecting Nashua and three neighboring towns Friday night after ballot counting in Hollis came up 234 votes shy of what local officials reported on Election Day. Another discrepancy…

Parts of city to lose power for upgrades

NASHUA - The hills will go dark tonight. French Hill and Crown Hill residents will lose their power briefly as Public Service of New Hampshire works on a nearby substation, a company spokesman said. A power outage is planned for…

Blood, marrow drive helps family

NASHUA - Robert Dawe was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma six years ago. After undergoing extensive chemotherapy treatments to cure that cancer, he developed a second kind - leukemia. Now, Dawe needs a bone marrow transplant to survive, but none of…

Towns talking about today’s big game

Unless a blizzard closes the highway, there should be hundreds of drivers jamming Boston Post Road in Amherst this afternoon as the region’s most intriguing football rivalry takes center stage, but former coach Reed Panasiti won’t be one of them.He’s…

Walking tour shows off parcel Milford wants to reserve

MILFORD - In one direction from Badger Hill - the southern summit, not the northern one - you can see Pack Monadnock. In another, Mount Wachusett. In yet another, Federal Hill. What you can’t see are many houses. That isn’t…

Meeting to discuss bridge’s future

Engineers studying the refurbishment of the Cotton Transfer Bridge over the Nashua River found most of its components in fair condition, but missing several pieces of hardware. The study looked at converting the truss bridge to a pedestrian walkway over…

Junior high play on this weekend

The Nashua Catholic Regional Junior High School production of “Bugsy Malone, Jr.” is running this weekend at the school. The show, a tongue-in-cheek tribute to the 1920s gangster flick, opened Friday. The last two performances are tonight at 7:30 p.m.…

Veterans Day celebrated with Nashua parade

NASHUA - Hector Perez went to the Veterans Day parade to watch a familiar cookie march down Main Street. Perez’s granddaughter, 10-year-old Darianne, and her fellow troop members dressed up as Girl Scout cookies and paraded from Holman Stadium to…

Residents dispute leader's world role

The death of Yasser Arafat expectedly echoed across borders. Even in New Hampshire, geographical distance hardly prevented those with an interest in the Middle East from pondering the fate of Palestinian-Israeli relations after the passing of the unifying - and…

Initiative plans to save tax dollars

MERRIMACK - A year ago, the selectmen and school board agreed to form a committee to look at ways the two boards could cooperate to save taxpayers’ money. Nothing came of that, but a year later, there’s a movement afoot…

Lyndeborough Scouts seek to help with redesign

LYNDEBOROUGH - When the J.A. Tarbell Library is enlarged within the next year or two, the Common in South Village will have to be redesigned and landscaped. The two war memorials currently on the library lawn will be moved to…