CONCORD—The fate of two warrant articles approved by Haverhill town meeting voters in 2022 was before the New Hampshire Supreme Court on Jan. 18. Attorneys for the Woodsville Fire District and the New Hampshire Department of Revenue Administration appeared for oral arguments in Woodsville’s suit against the DRA.
CHELSEA—The proposed 2024 Orange County budget does not appear to be a good thing for an already beleaguered Orange County Sheriff’s Department. A meeting on the final budget for fiscal year 2024 will be held at the courthouse in Chelsea at 4:30 p.m. on Jan. 30.
BRADFORD—Fire destroyed an outbuilding at a fuel depot on the Lower Plain over the weekend. Firefighters were called to the scene at 339 Waits River Road, or Route 25, at 10 p.m. on Jan. 20. The property belongs to Thomson Fuels, and serves as a bulk fuel facility with two buildings on site.
ORFORD—Ahead of several looming deadlines to finalize a budget for town meeting in March, the Orford Selectboard voted last week to partially reinstate Orford Fire Chief Terry Straight. The board suspended Straight in December after months of acrimony between. After meeting on Jan. 10 with Straight and his attorney Marc Beaudoin, the board administratively reinstated the chief to facilitate budget preparation and other administrative tasks.
Winds howled. Trees fell. Wires snapped. Roads were blocked. A winter storm on Jan. 13 — the third in a week — delivered a little bit of snow and a lot of headaches. The gale-force wind gusts set this one apart from its 2024 predecessors.
ST. JOHNSBURY—Six Vermont State Troopers assigned to the St. Johnsbury barracks have been placed on paid administrative leave while they are investigated for conduct during an ongoing incident while on-duty last month. State Trooper David Garces was initially placed on paid leave Dec. 27 concerning a police case that spread into New Hampshire and back into Vermont just before Christmas.
BRADFORD—A state mandate for property reappraisals and the appointment of an assistant health officer were two of several agenda items addressed by the selectboard at the Jan. 11 meeting. Listers Doug Miller and Bob Wing requested board authorization to get bids for the state-mandated reappraisal. There are 157 towns on the state’s list to undergo reappraisal.
WOODSVILLE—The Haverhill Selectboard fielded a proposal on Jan. 2 to open all town-maintained roads to ATV access. The proposal excludes state highways, such as Route 10 or Route 116. Board members said they are open to the proposal and plan to hold a public hearing in the future.
BRADFORD—The Orange East Supervisory Union Board voted to approve a $10.8 million budget for the 2024-2025 school year which begins on July 1.
WOODSVILLE—The Haverhill Selectboard voted on Jan. 2 to purchase two devices manufactured by VotingWorks.
The board formally voted to make the purchase after hearing a recommendation from Haverhill Town Clerk Christina Hebert.