Author: NH Business Review Staff

Club forced to stop nude dancing

TYNGSBOROUGH, Mass. - The town has stripped Matthew’s of its big drawing card, ordering the club to cease and desist from offering any adult entertainment as of noon Wednesday, The Lowell Sun reports. Matthew’s manager and co-owner Donato DiRocco could…

Water charter draws concern

NASHUA - Some of the leading advocates of local ownership of Pennichuck Corp. are criticizing the draft charter for a regional water district. Former state Sen. Barbara Pressly said the document approved last month by a study committee does not…

Talking Times

These are the three options presented to students, teachers and parents on surveys distributed by the School Times Committee. Timetable No. 1 (Current) Five elementary schools: &tab;&tab;First pickup at 8:25 a.m., buses arrive at &tab;&tab;&tab;&tab;&tab;&tab;8:55 a.m., school hours are 9:08…

Education split

NASHUA - Melissa Theriault and her son Adam put on warm, red fleece jackets for a walk around their South Main Street neighborhood. Adam wore a facemask that protected him from the cold December night. Theriault carried a clipboard in…

County attorney called up

Hillsborough County Attorney John Coughlin expects to step down as the county’s top law enforcement officer once his unit in the New Hampshire Army National Guard is mobilized for a mission to Iraq. “I am going to resign. I am…

Pond part of plan to fix water problem

NASHUA - The golf course at the Nashua Country Club in the city’s south end would play a central role in a storm water management and control plan being developed by the Division of Public Works, officials said at a…

Asbestos, sprinklers needed for school

MERRIMACK - Removing asbestos tiles and installing a sprinkler system top the list of renovations needed to convert Mastricola Middle School to an upper elementary school. The proposal for building the new middle school, scheduled to open next year, originally…

School space needs options discussed

HOLLIS­ - Members of the Hollis/Brookline Cooperative School District’s Long-range and Immediate Needs Evaluation Committee said Hollis and Brookline residents still have time to share input on solving the middle school space crunch. With the Hollis/Brookline Middle School only two…

Convicted couple seeks information for new trial

Lawyers for a Litchfield couple convicted under federal forced-labor statutes are seeking access to previously unreleased information that they claim would establish the need for a new trial. Kate O’Dell and Timothy Bradley were both found guilty of 18 counts…

Committee studies schools’ needs

NEW IPSWICH - The high school gym floor needs to be replaced and the estimated cost is about $150,000. Another $25,000 is needed to upgrade the bleachers to life safety codes. The roof at Appleton School will have to be…

Benson: 2001 law on replacing judges may be flawed

CONCORD - Gov. Craig Benson said the executive branch should pick the chief justice of the New Hampshire Supreme Court and the 2001 law that took away that authority could legally be flawed. Benson said he supports a proposed bill…

Two injured in Pepperell crash

PEPPERELL, Mass. - A mother and her young son escaped serious injury after their car left the road and struck a tree near the New Hampshire border in Hollis Monday night. The one-car accident took place on Hollis Street (Route…

Shedding light

NASHUA - Bundled up against Monday night’s bone-chilling wind, a group of about 40 people lighted candles at Nashua City Hall and began a slow stroll up Main Street. Although a beautiful sight, the group was not celebrating the holiday…

Board OKs repairs

HUDSON - After being left to the elements for many years, a historic barn and other buildings at the former Benson’s Wild Animal Farm will receive some attention. Last week, the Board of Selectmen awarded three contracts for work to…

Division moves to stay healthy

NASHUA - The sign over Stefan Russakow’s door says: Lead, follow, or get out of the way. The mission of this former Army captain, who once aided refugees in Southeast Asia, is to quicken the pace of the Division of…

School parcel eyed for station

MILFORD - If a new police station is built in town, a committee that has been studying the issue since spring said it should be built in place of the largely unused Garden Street School - probably. The committee’s final…

Rep. Bass backs $4m

NASHUA - Projects at Daniel Webster College, St. Joseph Hospital and the Senior Activity Center are in line to receive more than $4 million in federal funds. U.S. Rep. Charlie Bass is advocating for the projects, which have won early…

Ortiz flashes signature smile

NASHUA - Cailyn Costa likes all the Boston Red Sox players, but her favorite is David Ortiz. That could be because the 28-year-old designated hitter has a reputation as an upbeat, sincere team player, or because he led the team…

N.H. soldier in picture with Bush

MANCHESTER (AP) - President Bush’s secret visit to Baghdad on Thanksgiving was an exciting time for American troops and for one household in Manchester. David Legro was watching the news when he saw a soldier pass by. “Hey, I think…

Judging a book by its cover helpful for president

When President Bush recently described himself as “a friendly guy,” he made a point that many of his critics concede: They disagree with his policies but like him personally. Now that his job-approval ratings are hovering around the 50 percent…

Anti-virus utility a great deal

Getting something for nothing is a good thing, except when you get exactly what you paid for. But AVG Anti-Virus, a free utility, doesn’t come with the usual gotchas. Installing it requires downloading and running a six-megabyte installer, then registering…

Government falls behind in Internet maintenance

It’s not enough to build a Web site. If you want people to use it, you have to make it helpful and easy to find. So says the General Accounting Office, a federal agency that recently examined traffic at the…

Gateway makes digital move

Gateway Inc. has expanded its reach into the electronic home with some solidly built digital cameras that offer budding photographers another option beyond the tried-and-true Canons, Sonys and Nikons. Gateway’s premium model is the DC-T50 ($399), a 5.25-megapixel workhorse with…

Vote set for Wednesday on teachers contract

WILTON - The board of the Wilton-Lyndeborough Cooperative School District and the school’s teachers have agreed on a new three-year contract, but the district’s Budget Committee says the percentage increases are too high given the economic climate. A special district…

Kids commandeer airwaves in Merrimack

MERRIMACK - “Hi, I’m Jeremy King with ‘Merrimack Matters!’ ” Jeremy, 12, stood with a microphone poised to interview Janet Angus, the library director. Meanwhile, Jennifer Bull, 11, worked the camera, staring intently into the viewfinder. This was the main…

Get well soon

Comcast Cable officials notified City Hall it would be raising cable bills early in 2004. The average price increase will be about $2.71 a month, said a letter from Elizabeth Graham, the cable company’s director of government and community relations,…

Time to find a tree

IIn the time it took Steve Fetter to get his baby daughter out of her car seat, his two young sons had already found _The One. Walking among the 14 rows of Christmas trees at Brookdale Fruit Farm in Hollis…

MEDIAN SALE PRICES

This chart shows the median sale prices for houses and condominiums in 11 areas of Nashua between April 1, 2002, and March 31. The areas were defined by the Nashua Regional Planning Commission, which analyzed data for home sales. Southwest&tab;&tab;&tab;$385,000…

Housing_costs_plague_city

NASHUA - Working families are increasingly facing home prices that are beyond their reach, according to a newly _issued report by the Mayor’s Task Force on Housing. “This housing problem is not just a problem for the low-income (residents). This…

False alarms rise in Hudson

HUDSON - After two years of decreases, the Police Department is starting to see a rise in the number of false alarms. The police and fire departments have suggested raising the fines for false alarms and other changes to the…

How much water?

MONT VERNON - The drive to raise enough money to buy 78 acres of forest along Purgatory Brook has reached two-thirds of its $90,000 goal, but the deadline is now only three months away. Joanne Draghetti, who has been leading…

Housing cluster crosses hurdle

NASHUA - The Zoning Board of Adjustment has approved a local development firm’s request for a special exception to build a 40-lot single-family cluster housing project on 12.5 acres owned by the 1590 Broadcasting Corp. at 502 W. Hollis St.…

Vandals damage building

LYNDEBOROUGH - Sometime during Saturday night, vandals broke into the clubhouse at Pinnacle Mountain Fish and Game Club off Cemetery Road. Damage is estimated at about $10,000, including broken windows, doors, furniture and appliances, a television and a microwave oven.…

Residents vent at town meeting with Bass

WILTON - There is no way to control Congress, lawmakers are totally out of touch and need to get the deficit under control, reduce spending and control taxes. Those were some of the comments made to U.S. Rep. Charles Bass,…

Six N.H. schools to get laptops in computer program

The six schools that will get about 700 new laptop computers for 7th-grade classes and teachers early next year were announced earlier this moth by Gov. Craig Benson. The leased computers, wireless networks and technical support will be going to…

PC Connection vows to revive fed contract

Saying there was no indication of intentional wrongdoing, Merrimack-based PC Connection predicts it will win back a $56 million federal contract canceled over possible sales by a subsidiary that may have resulted in “underpayment of fees” or sales of “unqualified…

Baseball team’s primary goal is pleasing fans, sponsors

Someday, new parents may feel the need to consult a lawyer when choosing a name for the baby. For now, consultations with counsel are advisable when naming a baseball team. Legal as well as public relations considerations are involved in…

Postal Service urges residents to shovel

Snow and ice will soon cover the ground as the winter months quickly approach. Wintry conditions are a serious concern for the men and women of the U.S. Postal Service who deliver mail. A Postal Service official said numerous letter…

Town boards try _to work together

MERRIMACK - The Board of Selectmen on Tuesday agreed to meet with members of the School Board as a first step toward forming an Affordability Master Plan Committee. The meeting will take place after Jan. 1. School Board Chairman Ken…

City office building granted variances

NASHUA - A former rooming house at 381 Main St. that was the focus of numerous complaints by neighbors about drug dealing, littering and trespassing by its residents would be converted into office space under a plan approved by the…

Another public works staffer leaves

NASHUA - Another senior staff person is leaving the Division of Public Works, the third departure in a month’s time. The string of departures is prompting some questions about whether there is trouble in the division causing the top managers…

Selectmen shoot down library position

HUDSON - In hopes of attracting more candidates, the library wants to turn a part-time adult services position into a full-time one. Right now, the position is about 30 hours a week and does not include any benefits. The lack…

No holiday for plumbers

When it comes to shoveling food into hungry mouths at Thanksgiving, sometimes the mouth at the bottom of the sink eats the most. Except in that case, the indigestion is felt by everyone in the house. “Everything goes down the…

Water utility’s superintendent resigns

MERRIMACK - Brian Wilson served his final day Wednesday as superintendent of the Merrimack Village District. Wilson’s resignation was accepted by the MVD commissioners in a nonpublic session Oct. 20, according to meeting minutes. “Brian Wilson noted that he feels…

Preparing for duty

ilitary duty rarely yields to celebrations such as Thanksgiving, or even marriage. Sgt. Matthew Bernard realized this when he extended his Army Reserve commitment: The call could come at any time. But never did he imagine he would have roughly…

Gas mains in the way of Lowell Road widening

HUDSON - Delays in moving gas mains could affect the schedule for the Lowell Road widening project. The Board of Selectmen unanimously approved Tuesday sending a letter to KeySpan asking the company to move up work on relocating its gas…

Girl released after dog bite

NASHUA - A 5-year-old girl mauled by a pit bull terrier was expected to be released from a Boston hospital on Tuesday, the same day the dog was killed. On Sunday morning, Kaspar Boghossian was watching television with his daughter…

Streeter seeks hike in aid for education

CONCORD - Nashua Mayor Bernie Streeter said Tuesday that he would take a tougher tone trying to get more state education aid for his city in 2004 - and he endorsed a state tax increase to get it. “Last year…

Architect picked for

LITCHFIELD - Plans for a new elementary school received a boost this weekend when the School Board picked an architect for the proposal. The board on Saturday approved hiring Harriman Associates, which is based in Portland, Maine. The firm also…