Author: NH Business Review Staff

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

WILTON - The floor of the rotunda in the public library is an elaborate mosaic comprising thousands of half-inch squares of marble. Since 1908, patrons have walked across it, and in places the floor is a little worn. Using a…

WILTON - There have been a lot of changes in town in the past 50 years, but many things have remained the same. In 1956, resident Fred Wilkinson was a student at Boston University’s School of Education, working on his…

BROOKLINE - Selectmen said they have a tough nut to crack before ringing in the New Year. Board members spent the bulk of their Monday night meeting considering how best to deal with the increasing cost of health care for…

The contract of Pennichuck President and CEO Donald Correll can be seen as part of the company’s quarterly report on the Web site of the Securities and Exchange Commission. To see the contract, go to the Web site, www.sec.gov, and…

NASHUA - The contract for the head of Pennichuck Corp. includes a $500,000 bonus that appears much more likely to be paid if the utility is sold to anybody other than the city of Nashua, according to documents filed by…

CONCORD - Gov. Craig Benson said he’s “very concerned’’ at the possibility the state’s bond rating could be lowered when Wall Street agencies make a decision about an $80 million, long-term note in the coming weeks. During an interview, Benson…

NASHUA - As the sun rose Monday morning, a group of teenagers stood on the roof of the north campus of Nashua High School ready to deliver a message. With a heave from those above the brick façade of the…

LYNDEBOROUGH - AT&T Wireless wants to place a 100-foot communications tower near the town barn off Locust Lane, and selectmen would like to have it there to provide some needed income for the town. Two obstacles stand in the way,…

NASHUA - One of the final pieces of the puzzle to build a complex with a new Senior Activity Center and affordable elderly housing has fallen into place. Southern New Hampshire Services has received $4,041,000 to open 43 units of…

NASHUA - Anyone considering skipping the flu shot this year because the vaccine doesn’t match a strain of the flu that has surfaced in some parts of the country should think again. “It’s not exactly the same strain, but the…

NASHUA - Those who embraced the Tibetan Buddhist monks during their stay in the city must now practice the Buddhist concept of nonattachment and say goodbye to their new friends. Throngs of people crowded into the foyer of the Nashua…

MERRIMACK - After years of debate by residents, seemingly countless hours of discussion by town officials and several contentious town meeting votes, the pieces of the trash disposal puzzle are falling into place. A $1.5 million transfer station being built…

MERRIMACK - It was an early test of the town’s new ethics ordinance, which was designed in part to keep public officials from getting involved in areas where there might be a conflict of interest. Selectmen’s Chairman Dick Hinch is…

NASHUA - The Planning Board has given conditional approval to a proposal to build a convenience store at 523 Broad St. next to the new Majestic Heights subdivision, but that approval may be short-lived. Final approval of the plan hinges…

NASHUA - A community-based Medical Reserve Corps is looking for a few good volunteers among doctors, pharmacists, lab techs and medical professionals of all stripes to serve. The 2-year-old national MRC makes its arrival in the state after three communities,…

Holiday Stroll should end with a bang The Winter Holiday Stroll will have a fireworks display for the first time. The city’s yearlong sesquicentennial celebration will come to a close at the event Saturday with fireworks shot over the Nashua…

MERRIMACK - So, you opened your property tax bill from the town last month, and your jaw dropped. Town officials refer to it as “sticker shock.” To angry homeowners, that phrase doesn’t quite do justice to the increase in tax…

NASHUA - The city’s offer to purchase Pennichuck Corp. will receive “fair and full consideration,” the head of the company said Friday. The company’s legal and financial advisers will review the city’s $121 million purchase offer, said Pennichuck President and…

MONT VERNON - It wasn’t the tallest structure in town, but for Mont Vernon kids over the last 15 years or so, the tower at the school playground may have been the most exciting. Reached through a raised tube made…

MERRIMACK - More cuts have been made to the proposed 2004-05 budget: The library trustees have trimmed an additional $49,961. That brings the proposed municipal budget, excluding warrant articles, to $24,563,977. That represents a reduction of 7.06 percent from the…

NASHUA - The Planning Board approved MacMulkin Chevrolet’s proposal to build a 22,497-square-foot, two-story addition to its dealership at 3 Marmon Drive, but at least a dozen people who live nearby aren’t happy about the decision. In approving the project…

NASHUA - With an old building to fix up, two dozen turkeys to cook by Sunday, and a mission to establish, the Rev. David Blacksmith has a lot on his mind. Add one more thing to the list: The state…

HOLLIS - Voters got a sweet deal on a good chunk of land at Thursday night’s Special Town Meeting, supporters say. For about $2.4 million, the town succeeded in protecting 137 acres from falling into the hands of interested developers.…

KIRKUK, Iraq (AP) - A suicide truck bomb exploded at the office of a U.S.-allied Kurdish political party in this northern oil center Thursday, killing four bystanders and wounding about 30 - including children. It was the second car-bombing in…

NASHUA - The city is willing to exceed the $106 million offer that a Philadelphia company made last year to acquire Pennichuck Corp. City officials announced Thursday that they have an offer on the table of $121 million, which matches…

AMHERST – Selectman Marilyn Peterman wants to sell her home in historic Amherst Village and move into a smaller house to be built at the back of her property on Amherst Street. After a public hearing at Tuesday’s Zoning Board…

LYNDEBOROUGH – A committee charged with determining the course of the school district over the next 20 years is preparing a survey to determine what the townspeople want to do. Members hope to get an answer at the district meeting…

PORTSMOUTH (AP) – Transportation commissioner Carol Murray has described a gloomy picture of the state’s plans for road work because of a shortage of money. “We are seriously broke to the point where all projects had to move out in…

Dear friends and neighbors, The Hollis history, “Where the Past Has Been Preserved,” tells us, at town meetings during the 1800s, ballots were cast annually for first selectman, second selectman, third selectman, moderator, clerk, treasurer – sounds familiar so far,…

MERRIMACK – The Board of Selectmen has voted in closed session to freeze salaries of all nonunion employees as part of a slate of initiatives to hold down taxes next year. The freeze will impact more than 50 employees, mainly…

CHESTER (AP) – Two teenagers were killed Wednesday afternoon in a head-on crash with a dump truck at the intersection of Route 102 and Fremont Road, police said. The victims were identified as Alan Kauffman, 19, and Matthew Lampassi, 17,…

HOLLIS – Residents will decide at tonight’s Special Town Meeting whether the town should purchase three parcels in order to have a say in their development. The purchases would equal about 142 acres and cost the town about $2.9 million…

NASHUA – Auxiliary Bishop Francis Christian will run St. Joseph Church until the Diocese of Manchester can find a permanent pastor. Christian will serve as the parish’s temporary administrator for an indefinite period, diocesan spokesman Pat McGee said Wednesday. Christian…

Japanese scientists say they have identified a new species of whale – a remarkable discovery if confirmed. The animal is a type of baleen, the family of whales that strain tiny plankton and other food from seawater, the researchers say.…

t will be hard to miss a group of Nashua dancers as they march along the New York City parade route for next week’s Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. The 21 girls between the ages of 14 and 16 from the…

NASHUA – A former Bishop Guertin High School student who claimed he was sexually abused by Brother Roger Argencourt while attending the school in the 1970s has settled a lawsuit against the school. The settlement is the first out of…

NASHUA – Alderman Brian McCarthy appears to be on the way to becoming the next president of the Board of Aldermen, after current president David Rootovich decided to abandon his bid to retain the position. The presidency will be decided…

BOSTON – In the nation’s most far-reaching decision of its kind, Massachusetts’ highest court declared Tuesday that the state constitution guarantees gay couples the right to marry – a ruling celebrated with a popping of champagne corks and the planning…

NASHUA – Twelve preschool-age children escaped serious injuries when a Toyota Camry slammed broadside into their school bus, knocking it over, at the intersection of Pine and West Hollis streets Tuesday morning. A monitor on the bus, Flora Molan, 58,…

MERRIMACK – The School Board has approved a plan to work with selectmen and representatives of other town boards and organizations in an effort to hold down costs in future budgets. The plan will now be presented to the selectmen…

Come and find out about the fastest growing sport in town – lacrosse. There is play at all levels from beginner to experienced, for boys and girls ages 6-14 as of Dec. 31. This year there will be new coed,…

HOLLIS – As a result of concerns brought forward at Tuesday night’s public hearing, the Planning Board will require a wildlife study for further consideration of R&MD Development LLC’s application for a seven-lot subdivision. The property, formerly part of Woodmont…

MILFORD – An ordinance that restricts the height, size and lighting of new signs in town has gone into effect, but its future in its current shape appears uncertain after a public hearing Tuesday night. The proposed changes to Milford’s…

HUDSON – Southeastern Container employee Woody LaPointe liked what U.S. Sen. John Edwards had to say about education. The presidential candidate discussed his goals for education Tuesday, including funding federal mandates such as the No Child Left Behind Act, supporting…

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. – In a verdict that could cost him his life, a stone-faced John Allen Muhammad was convicted Monday of using a high-powered rifle, a beat-up car and a teenage sidekick to murder people at random and terrorize…