WEST FAIRLEE—At their most recent board meeting on Nov. 14, the Rivendell School directors struggled to adopt a preliminary plan to change the configuration of the four-town district. Rising tax rates and soaring real estate values have put additional pressure on the system to make program and budget reductions in order to ease some of the tax burden.
WOODSVILLE—Haverhill is nearing the acquisition of voting machines that will help process election ballots in the future.
BRADFORD—Several athletic fields at Oxbow High School were vandalized on the night of Nov. 17 after a driver operating an older model pickup truck performed doughnuts on the publicly owned turf. According to a Bradford Police Department news release, the school fields sustained several thousands of dollars in damage.
WEST TOPSHAM—The West Topsham Community Hall Association, a nonprofit, has gifted the community building to the Town of Topsham.
BRADFORD—A rift between some selectboard members and the planning board chair was on display during last Thursday’s selectboard meeting. Bradford Planning Commission Chair Marcey Carver criticized the board for its vote on Oct. 26, revoking its earlier approval of rules of procedure for the planning commission.
BRADFORD—On a windswept October day, actor Dan Butler sat down outside Vittles House of Brews, where he admired the village as he reminisced about his life. He had ordered a small mocha with cayenne, which he relished for about 40 minutes. Butler, who gained fame from the popular show “Frasier,” has gone from Indiana to New York to Los Angeles and now has settled in Newbury, where he raises chickens with his husband, Richard. In a recent interview, he revealed more about his fascinating career.
BRADFORD—Brian Emerson, the director of the River Bend Career and Technical Center, said recently that “our students are learning by doing and they are rarely sitting still.” He attributes the hands-on approach to learning to the level of success that River Bend students achieve participating in the center’s programs. Following up on Emerson’s presentation to the school board, a reporter visited River Bend on Oct. 26 after hearing about one of the River Bend projects that had attracted local attention.
BRADFORD—The Bradford Development Review Board has approved a plan to transform a 26-acre plot of land on the Lower Plain into a recreation facility primarily featuring ballfields.
ORFORD—Scores of people participated in forums last week focused on the future shape of the Rivendell Interstate School District. The forums came after a special board meeting in October that centered on the next budget for the district, which serves Fairlee, Orford, Vershire, and West Fairlee.
EAST RYEGATE—A Woodsville man who was arrested last month for an attempted kidnapping died last week due to an apparent heart attack. Keith Teele, 55, passed away on Oct. 31 at his temporary residence in East Ryegate.