FAIRLEE—Fairlee residents expressed frustration Monday that they’ve been kept in the dark by officials about cyanobacteria blooms in Lake Morey and that leaders have done too little to deal with the situation.
A half dozen residents that night criticized the Fairlee Selectboard, along with state regulators, for their seemingly slow response to the spread of toxic blue-green algae blooms on the lake, a popular swimming site and draw for tourists.
WEST FAIRLEE—Several teachers in the Rivendell Interstate School District asked board members to examine educator salaries at the meeting on Sept. 6.
Rivendell Academy digital culture leader and robotics teacher Kerry Browne said teacher salaries in the district lag behind other area districts.
RYEGATE—With the future of the Ryegate biomass plant up in the air, a state study has found that its closure would negatively impact the regional economy and electricity production.
According to the study, published in March, the plant’s closure could devastate the area’s logging industry, eliminate some $14 million of economic activity from the region and take 160,000 megawatts hours of electricity off the market.
It would also affect the tax base of the small town of Ryegate, causing a tax increase.
BATH—In the early morning hour of Aug. 30 at approximately 1:30 a.m., the Bath Fire Department was dispatched to 575 Monroe Road, the Roy family farm, for the report of a barn fire.
In an interview, Bath Fire Chief Don Bowman said once he arrived on scene, it was clear that more manpower from other departments was necessary to extinguish the fire in the barn, which was overly smoky since the barn was full of multiple round hay bales. Six fire departments in total responded to the fire, including Bath, Lisbon, Monroe, Haverhill, Wells River, and Ryegate.
WOODSVILLE—The New Hampshire Department of Justice has found no wrongdoing after conducting two additional inquiries into the ill-fated 2021 town meeting election in Haverhill.
Two earlier investigations cited local officials for electioneering. One, completed in 2021, found unlawful electioneering by Woodsville Fire District Administrator Kevin Shelton after he sent a letter before the election asking Woodsville residents to support Michael Graham’s candidacy for selectboard and to vote “No” on Article 2 of Haverhill’s town meeting warrant.
NORTH HAVERHILL–—On Sept. 13, the New Hampshire State Primary Election will be held.
While there are several statewide and federal contests for both Democrats and Republicans, one local primary features two North Haverhill men—Glenn Libby and Matthew Bjelobrk—seeking the Republican nomination for the District 2 seat on the Grafton County Commission.
Incumbent Linda Lauer, D-Bath, is not seeking re-election to the three-member commission. The winner of the Republican primary will face Marcia McLeod, D-Franconia, in November.
NORTH HAVERHILL—Nine months after her death, Brooke Goodrich’s alleged killer has been indicted.
Lance Goodrich of Lyme has been accused of killing his 25-year-old cousin, who was found dead at her Route 10 home in Orford on Nov. 20, 2021. He allegedly shot her in the head. He was arrested later that day in Newport, New Hampshire.
BRADFORD—Bradford will have an opportunity on Sept. 13 to decide whether retail cannabis sales will be permitted in town. That is the only question for voters to decide that day by Australian ballot: “Shall the town authorize cannabis retailers in town?”
According to the Vermont League of Cities and Towns, relatively few municipalities in the state have settled the question for now although legal retail cannabis sales can begin on Oct. 1.
HAVERHILL—The New Hampshire Department of Revenue Administration has rejected a request by Woodsville Precinct to reconsider its decision to invalidate two articles approved by voters at town meeting in Haverhill in March.
On March 16, voters narrowly approved two petitioned articles—27 and 28—that provided funding for Woodsville Precinct. The former provided $298,630 for the precinct highway department and the latter provided $146,974 for the precinct’s fire department.
Local students are seeing new faces as they head back to school for the 2022-2023 school year. At least seven schools have new principals in place this year.
In Haverhill, new Woodsville High School Principal Hayden Coon, a Wells River resident, was more than ready to welcome students back on Monday. Coon comes to WHS after spending the last four years as the Barre City Elementary School principal.