Author: NH Business Review Staff

Man indicted in girlfriend’s death

LACONIA - A grand jury has issued an indictment for second-degree murder against a local man accused of beating his girlfriend to death. Robert Blair, 47, is accused of killing Donna Bucker, 53, in May. Police say the pair were…

Two young escapees caught

MANCHESTER - Police caught two youths who tried to escape from the Youth Development Center by swimming across the Merrimack River on Friday. The two boys escaped as they were led from a vocational classroom to the main education center…

Bridge between schools may be solution

People have many ideas on how to improve the busing situation between the city’s two high schools, but there may be few immediate solutions besides tweaking the existing system. The one option that most people mention is the one that’s…

Benson’s Committee having 2nd cleanup

HUDSON - Clearing walking paths and trails at Benson’s will move forward this weekend in what’s fast becoming a biannual event. The Benson’s Committee today is holding its second cleanup day this year. So far, members have cleared out overgrowth…

Hudson firefighters are back in the pack

HUDSON - After a seven-year hiatus, the men and women in the Hudson Fire Departments have new cards. The department’s trading cards are complete and available. The cards feature pictures and small biographies of all the department’s members, including administrators…

Rock-Off 2004 launches Teen Council

MILFORD - Dozens of teenagers from throughout the region hanging around the center of Milford: It must be the Oval and it must be trouble, right? Nope. It’s the PAC at the BGCSV, and it’s actually a blast. “Yeah, I’m…

Wheelchair ride provider agrees to fines

NASHUA - The owners of Care Ride Wheelchair Transportation have agreed to pay more than $40,000 in fines to the state for overcharging the Medicaid program for driving people to and from Medicaid-covered services, the attorney general’s office announced Friday.…

Asbestos removal work wrapped up

LYNDEBOROUGH - The Central School is now free of asbestos. All of the old tiles and mastic were removed during the summer, along with the carpeting that has covered them for many years. The removal work was done by Air…

Benson reveals new way to compare drug costs

CONCORD - Gov. Craig Benson announced a first-in-the-nation effort Thursday that allows consumers to compare the price of prescription drugs at New Hampshire pharmacies and state-endorsed locations in Canada. The new prescription drug price device on the state’s Web site…

2-family homes to see jump in taxes

NASHUA - City administrators are predicting that the owners of two family units in the city will see the biggest increase in taxes as a result of the first update of assessments in four years. Some 84 percent of those…

Riverstone admits revenue inflation in SEC filings

Riverstone Networks, one of the troubled spin-offs of the former Cabletron Systems, admitted in recent filings to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission that former officials were engaging in revenue-inflating practices similar to those that have led to criminal indictments…

Conference to offer insights, advice on business growth

New Hampshire Business Review and CEI Community Ventures Inc. are joining together to present “The Agenda for Growth,” a first-of-its-kind collaborative conference on planning, growing and financing your New Hampshire business. To be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.…

New logo, new focus for annual Seacoast Business Expo

Seven chambers of commerce in southern Maine and New Hampshire have been hosting an annual business-to-business expo for 16 years. This year, chamber organizers agreed that it was time for a new look and a new focus for the event.…

Low-key Seabrook machine company is a ‘monster garage’

For nearly 30 years, Rowe Machine Company in Seabrook has turned out parts for aircraft, race cars and motorcycles. Now owners Marc and Nancy Rowe have turned their small fabrication business into a “monster garage.” Rowe Machine Company was chosen…

A family farm’s egg-ceptional business

Eggs, once shunned by the health-conscious public, are making a comeback. High in protein and vitamins, low in saturated fat and only 70 calories apiece, their benefits outweigh most cholesterol concerns. But Jesse Laflamme, his father Gerry and cousin Pete…

GUEST OPINION: Manufacturing partnership deserves our support

New Hampshire’s Manufacturing Extension Partnership has demonstrated value in job creation and profitability for manufacturers, yet remains in danger of failing because of insufficient funding. The program is part of the national MEP network, which operates in all of the…

The primary trouble with primary elections

Another September primary election has faded into history, accompanied by another thoroughly predictable prediction by Secretary of State Bill Gardner of a low voter turnout. Mr. Gardner is a thoughtful, articulate man, but we think legendary Hollywood film producer Sam…

GUEST OPINION: Why would they want to stifle competition?

There is a movement mostly among Democrats to continue to stifle competition in the health insurance market. This started here in the state about 10 years ago when then-Senator Shaheen pushed through a bill which effectively (and predictably) drove all…

Look out below: Nashua OKs indoor skydiving business

Ever want to try skydiving without going outdoors or jumping from a plane? It’s likely you’ll have your chance fairly soon after a vote by the Nashua Zoning Board of Adjustment, which has unanimously approved three variances that will allow…

Making history

The Inn at Spruce Wood, a senior living community offering in Durham, is planning to bring Seacoast history to life with a series of presentations by noted authors. The series, “Seacoast History Comes Alive,” is designed to give audiences a…

A year to remember

The 2005 edition of the Living Legacy calendar will be a celebration of New Hampshire’s diverse and historically significant cultural and performing arts centers. The calendar, published by Citizens Bank New Hampshire and the state Department of Cultural Resources, will…

Making a red hot Red Hot

Fenway Franks. Chicago-style. Schultz Hot Dogs. Now you can add Shields Provisions Natural Casing Frankfurters to that pantheon of hot dogdom. Seacoast locals loved the Schultz hot dog until a fire in 1990 destroyed the factory. The line was sold…

What they’re drinking at the state’s top bars

Early autumn is a time of transition. A jacket to the office, shorts on the tee in the afternoon. But what’s in your glass at the 19th hole? Dropping the “summer brews” for amber ale? Switching from a light Pinot…

They said it…

“It does show that people take elections seriously, and they want to win. In a warped way, that’s a positive thing, I suppose.” - University of New Hampshire pollster Andy Smith finds the glass half full when it comes to…

Life of the parties

Perhaps it was inevitable that Manchester Mayor Bob “Breakaway” Baines would fly the Queen City coop in the last week of July to attend the Democratic convention in Boston. After all, Baines is both an elected official and a Democrat,…

Radio round-up: Manchester stations in wave of changes

Change is in the air and on the airwaves at Clear Channel radio station WGIR in Manchester and its affiliate stations in New Hampshire. The local news/talk network recently dropped morning drive-time host Mike Ball and replaced him with former…

Sacre bleu!

We mean no offense to France, Canada or to Americans of French descent, but an anonymous “White House official” used the term as an epithet about John Kerry when the Massachusetts senator appeared irresolute about invading Iraq. So we are…

A shmear of tofu

Forget about Governor Benson’s by now notorious decision to leave the Republican convention in New York City a day before President Bush’s acceptance speech - he was reported as being “bored,” at least when it came to some of the…

Time is on our side

Remember when President Bush wanted to keep America out of the business of nation building? Apparently his wife has forgotten, or at least wants to. In New Hampshire earlier this month to stump for her husband, First Lady Laura Bush…

Taking a stand

Sure, Craig Benson announced his neutrality in the GOP N.H. Senate primaries, but that didn’t mean the guv’s aide-de-camp Keith Herman had to abide by his pronouncement. Herman was busy spreading the word shortly before the District 11 primary -…

It's been making the rounds

The Concord Monitor sure talks tough on its editorial pages - taking strong pro-income tax and anti-war stances. But apparently the paper gets cold feet when it comes to endorsing candidates, opting for Jeanne Shaheen over Mark Fernald in the…

Who, what, when, where, why

Democratic gubernatorial hopeful Paul McEachern was standing outside the Chateau restaurant in Manchester, greeting arrivals to the AFL-CIO Labor Day breakfast, when he offered the following observation about the state of the press in New Hampshire: “We really don’t have…

Employers sought for Whittemore career fair

Employers are being sought to participate in the University of New Hampshire Whittemore School of Business and Economics’ graduate business and technology career fair, to be held Oct. 1 at the university, The fair, to be held from 10 a.m.…

Looking at the law with Kelly Ayotte

Kelly Ayotte, 36, is both a native and current resident of Nashua. A graduate of Nashua High School and Penn State University, she earned her law degree at Villanova and has been practicing law in New Hampshire since 1993. She…

Ingram named Portsmouth chamber chief

Dick Ingram, executive director of Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Greater Seacoast since 2001, has been named the new president of the Greater Portsmouth Chamber of Commerce. Ingram, who will begin his new job on Sept. 24, has an…

The week that was

SkillSoft PLC (SKIL) reported profit of $1.4 million, or 1 cent a share, for the quarter ended July 31. The company lost $53.2 million the same time last year, though $44 million of that was due to a legal settlement.…

Benefits administration in the era of same-sex marriage

The advent of state-recognized same-sex marriage in Massachusetts earlier this year creates a number of perplexing questions for employers in neighboring states that may employ Massachusetts residents. You can reduce this uncertainty by considering this matter in a three-step manner:…

Free trade deal letter stirs constitutional debate

The pen may be mightier than the sword, but Gov. Craig Benson’s pen doesn’t overrule the New Hampshire Constitution. That, in essence, is the message of a letter signed by a half-dozen New Hampshire legislators and delivered to the attorney…

Greenland mall case goes to top court

The battle between proponents of a proposed 357,000-square-foot shopping center in Greenland and those opposing it are readying their cases before the state Supreme Court. The court has scheduled a Sept. 23 hearing on the case that was brought by…

Coming to terms with the term sheet in selling your business

You’ve done everything right to build a successful business and, in addition to making money, find that you have made your company an attractive acquisition target. Initially, when someone wants to buy your business, the first contact from the acquirer…

State-sponsored summits push economic development

The New Hampshire Division of Economic Development works closely with the governor’s office to create new opportunities for New Hampshire businesses. In many cases this involves bringing people together to share best practices, common experiences and new ideas. In order…

Flexible codes sought for older buildings

More flexible building codes are needed to make the renovation of old buildings profitable, according to Chris Williams, vice president for economic development and government relations with the Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce. In Manchester, he said, “for a lot…

Shipyard prison redevelopment remains in limbo

When the U.S. Navy unveiled its “outleasing” program at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in 1999, the most ambitious plan involved turning the former naval prison into the Seavey Island Technology Center, a first-class business park for technology firms. But the death…

From the Marketplace

Prudential Verani adds Cote to staff Paul Cote has joined Prudential Verani Realty’s Londonderry office as a new agent. “Prudential Verani welcomes Paul to our Londonderry team of real estate professionals,” said Margherita Verani, president of the firm. “He brings…

One-supermarket towns pay a price with no competition

Food prices at Shaw’s Supermarkets in the North Country are considerably higher than at Shaw’s stores and other competing supermarkets farther south in New Hampshire, a survey conducted by The Courier of Littleton has found. Some Littleton area residents have…