Author: NH Business Review Staff

Group probes city statements on Pennichuck stock

NASHUA - The National Association of Securities Dealers is investigating whether public statements made by city officials violated federal and state securities laws, according to Pennichuck Corp. Pennichuck has received a letter from the private regulatory organization, saying it is…

Elderly woman dies in apartment fire

NASHUA - An elderly woman was killed early Monday in a fire started when she apparently dumped a lit cigarette into a paper trash bag, fire investigators said. The fire gutted her ground-floor unit at Canterbury Apartments, but caused little…

Suspicious chemicals investigated

HUDSON - A suspicious chemical haze at a local metal plating company sent two firefighters to the hospital Monday night and forced the activation of three area hazardous materials teams. Hudson fire crews responded to JMD Industries Inc. at 1…

Nashua Pride owe city, ambulance company for last season

NASHUA - The Nashua Pride missed the deadline to settle an overdue rent bill with City Hall. The professional baseball team owes some $155,000 in rent for the use of Holman Stadium, as well as $11,341 to the Nashua Police…

Time to celebrate the Wright stuff

Nashua High School teacher David Price is clear about one thing: Wild horses, probably even wild airplanes, couldn’t keep him away from Wednesday’s re-enactment of Orville Wright’s historic flight on the sand dunes of North Carolina. “What these two brothers…

Decision on high school boundaries shelved until 2004

NASHUA - People waiting to hear about the finalized boundaries between the city’s north and south high schools will have to wait a little longer. A plan before the board of education Monday night that would send about 150 students…

Steam responsible for HAZMAT worries

HUDSON - A buildup of steam at a metal plating company sparked concerns about hazardous materials Monday night and sent two firefighters to the hospital. The firefighters, whose names the fire department is not releasing, were taken to Southern New…

Area gets another wintry blast

Don’t expect any respite from the snow that started descending on the area late Sunday afternoon. Today should be a nasty day for driving, predicted meteorologist Paul Dlrensife of AccuWeather. An estimated 12 to 18 inches are expected to fall…

Residents weigh district split options

MASON - A small group of residents appears to be intent on withdrawing from Mascenic Regional School District, renovating the current elementary school, building a new middle school and paying tuition for high school students to attend North Middlesex Regional…

Pennichuck to Nashua: No deal

NASHUA - Pennichuck Corp. announced today that it has rejected the city’s $121 million offer to purchase the company and all its subsidiaries. In unanimously rejecting the city’s proposal, the company’s board of directors concluded that the offer: - Is…

WHAT THE CANDIDATES SAY

BRAUN: National health insurance providing single-payer universal health care, financed through the income tax. CLARK: Tax credits to subsidize insurance for children and young adults in families earning up to $90,000 for a family of four or individuals making up…

Merrimack marks a garbage landmark

MERRIMACK - The first will be last - unless she chooses to be first. Maryanne Bonislawski of 33 Valley View Drive won the raffle drawing for the coveted distinction of throwing the last bag of trash into the town landfill…

Nashua to open second roundabout

NASHUA - An unsuspecting driver early this week will inaugurate what designers hope becomes the signature gateway to the southern end of downtown. The city’s second single-lane roundabout will be quietly opened for the more than 15,000 drivers who travel…

Zoning board member will not return

The reappointment of Zoning Board of Adjustment member Judy Nesset came to a screeching halt last week. Nesset, a veteran board member, was scheduled to appear Monday before the Personnel/Administrative Affairs Committee. But Alderman-at-Large Jim Tollner said Nesset did not…

Milford lifts water boil precaution

MILFORD - As of 11:30 Saturday morning, residents were no longer asked to boil their tap water before using it, according to a news release issued by Town Administrator Katie Chambers. The boil order was issued as a precaution Friday…

Diocese releases financial report

The Diocese of Manchester lost $7.8 million in assets during the last fiscal year as it paid millions in clergy sexual abuse settlements and saw parishioner donations drop 5 percent. With the release Saturday of the diocese’s first independent fiscal…

Convenience store given final approval

NASHUA - The Planning Board has given final approval to a local development firm’s proposal to convert an old barn at 523 Broad St. into a convenience store. The board endorsed Mile High Real Estate’s plan unanimously Thursday night, after…

Lawmakers push to close highway tolls

MERRIMACK - The town might finally have the leverage it has long sought to get rid of the tolls motorists pay at three turnpike exits in town, two state lawmakers who represent the town said Thursday. That leverage: to withhold…

Eat some cake, and watch some fireworks, too

MONT VERNON - It’s been a year of homespun fun in rural Mont Vernon. Five years in the planning, the town’s celebration of its 200th birthday hit all the right down-home notes over the course of 2003. There was a…

Big Friendships

Crystal Carter and Maureen Harriman have been pals for years. The two met when Crystal was just a kid. Harriman’s own children had already grown and moved away. Despite being separated by more than 30 years, they hit it off…

Prison population, sentencing laws costing state more

About 2,497 people in New Hampshire woke up in prison this morning, and it’s safe to say most of them would rather be somewhere else instead. State officials would like to find alternatives, too, because it’s expensive to keep so…

Water everywhere, not a drop to drink

MILFORD - A broken water line that leaked roughly 1 million gallons shut Milford schools Friday out of concern that sprinkler systems wouldn’t work, and town officials issued a recommendation that drinking water be boiled. “It (the boil notice) is…

Democrats question Benson’s expenses

CONCORD - State taxpayers paid $36,000 in September to obtain the 2003 sports utility vehicle that a state trooper uses to drive Gov. Craig Benson, according to documents released Friday in response to a Right-to-Know Law request filed by the…

Christmas party set for Dec. 22

LYNDEBOROUGH - Selectmen will host a community/employee Christmas party at Citizens’ Hall on Dec. 22. The event will be held upstairs and all are invited to attend and enjoy a casual, social time with neighbors and friends. Attendees are encouraged…

Plan for library position falls short

HUDSON - Selectmen deadlocked Tuesday night on whether to support a revised warrant article that would convert a part-time library position into a full-time one. Selectmen Ann Seabury and Shawn Jasper voted in favor of the proposal, while Ken Massey…

Special ed costs contribute to proposed increase

WILTON - An increase of about $400,000 in special education tuition costs is the main reason for an estimated 11.6 percent rise in the proposed 2004-05 budget for the Wilton-Lyndeborough Cooperative Middle and High School. The regular operating budget proposal…

Sneezing fit causes accident

MERRIMACK - A sneezing fit is to blame for a Thursday afternoon car crash in which one woman was injured, police said. Mary Higginson, 55, of 18 Sandpiper Lane in Merrimack told police she was hit by a round of…

Call to arms

CONCORD - They instruct ballet, build houses, sell real estate and drive trucks. They collectively have 102 spouses, 228 children, 24 grandchildren and numerous relatives and friends. But 148 members of a New Hampshire Army National Guard unit will leave…

Town puts freeze on cable hike

MERRIMACK - If you subscribe to Adelphia and your bill for basic cable service goes up on Jan. 1, pay it, selectmen advised Thursday night. But pay it knowing that town officials will work to get you a rebate for…

Wright Brothers event tickets on auction block

History-of-aviation fans who are missing out on the 100th anniversary celebration of the Wright Brothers flight in North Carolina have an extra opportunity, thanks to a Daniel Webster College donor. The college is auctioning a pair of five-day tickets to…

Merrimack holiday home tour makes a new town tradition

MERRIMACK - The Mastricola Middle School parent-teacher group will begin a new holiday tradition, by presenting “Homes for the Holidays,” a tour of decorated homes in Merrimack on Sunday, Dec. 14, from noon to 4 p.m. Visitors can tour five…

Reader Advisory Network Message Board

“Last night’s debate did not change my view on whom I’m supporting. . . . I did find Howard Dean’s statement that the other candidates should not criticize Al Gore for the endorsement, and he’s willing to take the heat…

Selectmen working to trim proposed budget

HOLLIS - While people are out tackling holiday wish lists for their loved ones, the Board of Selectmen is trying to trim back its wish list for next year’s budget. After a 2½-hour presentation to the Budget Committee Tuesday night,…

Former Hudson dairy farm could be site of homes

HUDSON - The former Nadeau Farm could become the site of single-family homes and housing for elderly. The Planning Board reviewed conceptual plans Wednesday for the former dairy farm, which was sold more than a year ago. The property was…

Judge rules Disney suit should be tried in Fla.

CONCORD - A Merrimack woman’s lawsuit against Walt Disney World should be tried in Florida, a U.S. District Court judge has ruled. Megan Slattery filed suit against the company this summer on behalf of her late husband, Sean Slattery, who…

Town proves it’s got games

MILFORD - If you like to jump your opponent and get kinged, or roll doubles to complete a backgammon, or think Miss Scarlet did it with the lead pipe in the conservatory, then Milford has something for you. It’s Family…

Central School needs outlined

LYNDEBOROUGH - The Central School is out of space, essentially because the building doesn’t meet current state standards for classroom size - two of them date to 1949 - and services have expanded over the years. Those services include a…

City firefighters hopeto raise $10k for needy

NASHUA - Snow may have stopped bells from ringing last Saturday, but it hasn’t stopped some firefighters in their mission to raise money for local needy families. Nashua Fire Rescue personnel will be giving their all this weekend to get…

Residents debate water district charter

NASHUA - The different perspectives between the city’s overwhelming numbers of customers connected to the Pennichuck water system and the surrounding towns’ control of the water supply played out clearly Wednesday. City residents told the Regional Water District Charter Committee…

Group’s plan to help homeless on track

Homeless families should have more places to sleep soon, thanks to ongoing efforts of a local group that has been working several years on the issue. The Greater Nashua Interfaith Hospitality Network now has the minimum eight congregations it needs…

Falling for Christmas

Call it “The Nightmare Before the Christmas Home Tour,” a horror that would do even film director Tim Burton’s fiendish mind proud. On Monday night, a fully decorated 12-foot tree toppled in Linda Moore’s living room. The tree was to…

Hollis/Brookline school survey results to be released

HOLLIS - The raw data from a survey to generate solutions to the Hollis/Brookline Middle School space crunch - commissioned with taxpayer money - won’t be available until after the final analysis is presented. With the exception of Betty Hall,…

Few residents turn out for SAU budget session

AMHERST - The only thing missing from a public hearing on a proposed $1.4 million budget for fiscal 2005 for School Administrative Unit 39 was the public. A couple of residents were in the audience, but the multipurpose room at…

Developer discusses plans for retail complex with board

MERRIMACK - Thomas Monahan owns 170 acres near Exit 10 of the F.E. Everett Turnpike. The land is zoned for industrial use, but he wants to build a mall or some sort ofretail complex. Some residents of the nearby Spruce…

State seeks to reimport drugs

CONCORD - Gov. Craig Benson announced plans Tuesday for the state government to purchase cheaper-priced drugs from Canada and allow any adult to use a state Web site to buy their own prescriptions. “Pharmaceutical companies should charge one price for…

Presidential hopeful speaks at city school

NASHUA - Nashua High School junior Dylan Luers wanted to know what Democratic presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich thinks of the American criminal justice system. Then he asked the four-term U.S. congressman about his daily diet. Kucinich gladly answered both questions,…

School budget may cost city $10m more

NASHUA - Educating students in Nashua during the next school year could cost taxpayers nearly $10 million or more than it did this year. Next year’s school budget will have to cover the opening of two high schools for the…