WOODSVILLE—The Haverhill Zoning Board of Adjustment will hold a public hearing next month on a proposed cell tower that has drawn criticism from neighbors.
The hearing will be on Jan. 4 at 6 p.m. at the Clifford building in Woodsville.

BRADFORD—Prolific painter, illustrator and author Bert Dodson died on Oct. 19 at the age of 83. Dodson, who had been in declining health, made connections with countless residents in the area.
For 40 years, Dodson created much of his work in a third floor studio in the Bradford Academy. He lived in West Fairlee near the Bradford line. He had maintained long friendships over many years with many people in the area and elsewhere. He valued his ties to people and kept in touch with old friends from his high school and college years in Arizona in addition to the friendships he formed during his naval career.

NEWBURY—Newbury’s denial of the Covered Bridge Treatment Center site plan application violates federal civil rights laws, according to the Vermont Department of Children and Families and the Vermont Permanency Initiative.
The Newbury Development Review Board issued its decision rejecting the Covered Bridge site plan application on Nov. 12. In its decision, the DRB stated that DCF and VPI argued that the proposal was exempt from conditional use review because it was a “residential care home” or “group home” serving persons with disabilities.

ORFORD—They were old, rusty and difficult to read, but two historical markers in Orford are looking like new thanks to some motivated residents and the expertise of a metal artisan.
Ann Green and Orford Town Administrator Esther Dobbins-Marsh spearheaded the restoration.
“The town is very fortunate to have historic iron signs,” Green said.

WOODSVILLE—Six years of precinct audits are in the books.
At a public presentation last week, Woodsville residents touted the audits as exonerating the precinct from whispered accusations of fraud and ushering in a new era of responsible fiscal management.
Still, the audits detailed extensive lapses over the last six years, which may have ramifications for Woodsville taxpayers as the precinct rights past wrongs and also considers how to fund its highway and fire departments with virtually no guaranteed future support from town coffers. In the 59-page audit of 2020, there were 9.5 pages reporting on the district’s “significant deficiencies and material weaknesses.”