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Pratt home is past Covid outbreak

BRADFORD—The Margaret Pratt Center has won a COVID-19 battle. When the virus came to call, it was no match for the prepared. Thirteen breakthrough cases were discovered in fully vaccinated staff and residents who suffered only mild symptoms in an outbreak which began on Oct. 29. The center currently has 46 residents with a 40-member […]

DCF plans court challenge

MONTPELIER—The Vermont Department for Children and Families will appeal to the Environmental Court to overturn the Newbury Development Review Board’s decision to deny the proposed Covered Bridge juvenile detention facility. DCF Commissioner Sean Brown told legislators during a hearing on Nov. 19 of the Joint Legislative Child Protection Oversight Committee. DCF will appeal the decision […]

DRB rules against detention center

NEWBURY—The Newbury Development Review Board has rejected the site plan application for the proposed Covered Bridge juvenile detention center. In a 7-0 decision issued on Nov. 12, the board found that the development could not satisfy the town’s zoning regulations in the rural district where Stevens Place is located. Covered Bridge would be owned and […]

Budget prep now underway

BRADFORD—Selectboard members will start reviewing a proposed 2022 budget in earnest at their meeting on Nov. 23. The board, which typically meets on the second and fourth Thursday of the month, moved its next meeting to Tuesday, Nov. 23 so as not to conflict with the Thanksgiving holiday. A preliminary draft of the budget prepared […]

Court says town owes precinct

NORTH HAVERHILL—Haverhill has been ordered by a court to repay highway money it withheld from Woodsville. The ruling comes as the two entities appear headed for trial in February over a lawsuit filed in 2020. But at least for now, Woodsville has been given a major boost as it seeks to claw back money it […]

State rep holds Town Hall

WEST FAIRLEE—Rep. Sarah Copeland Hanzas, D-Bradford, led an evening Town Hall forum hosted by the selectboard at the West Fairlee Community Building on Nov. 10. She reviewed several issues relevant to West Fairlee, such as broadband expansion, roads and bridges, housing, in light of the American Relief Plan Act and infrastructure funds. “Sarah Copeland Hanzas […]

Discrepancies persist on Covid school counts

NORTH HAVERHILL—The COVID-19 case tracking dashboard run by SAU-23 shows different numbers than the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services school case dashboard. SAU-23, the school district that covers Haverhill, Bath, Benton, Piermont, and Warren, started maintaining a COVID-19 case tracking dashboard online in September when students began to test positive for the […]

Fairlee water leak plugged quickly

FAIRLEE—A massive water leak in the municipal water system was repaired last weekend. Selectboard chair Peter Berger said on Sunday that the leak was in an old section of pipeline feeding the cemetery across from the system’s pump house on Route 5 north of the village. On the afternoon of Nov. 5, sensors alerted the […]

Projects lined up for ARPA windfall

NORTH HAVERHILL—Grafton County received over $17 million in funding from the federal American Rescue Plan Act, or ARPA, and the county government plans to direct these funds to several local projects. “It’s an unprecedented opportunity, and I’m excited to see how we can help improve our services, reduce taxes, and provide county residents with some […]

Board declines mask mandate

NORTH HAVERHILL—There will be no requirement for players and fans to wear masks during basketball games at Haverhill schools this winter. On Monday night, the school board voted 4-3 not to impose a mask mandate at basketball games as several months of indoor competitive sports near. The vote does not change current masking protocols inside […]