PIERMONT—In 1771, the few people living in Piermont gathered to form a church.
Back then, there was no pastoral leadership or church buildings. In those years, Sunday meetings were held in the houses of the early settlers. But as the town of Piermont grew and evolved through the years, so did the church, which remains today.
This weekend, the Piermont Congregational Church will celebrate 250 years. On Aug. 21, from 1 to 4 p.m., there will be a free barbecue and live music featuring Patrick Ross and The Fiddler’s Crew. All from the surrounding community are invited.

NEWBURY—The Vermont Department of Families and Children and private contractors Becket Family of Services have submitted proposals to state and local governments for the privately run Covered Bridge juvenile detention facility in Newbury.
The Act 250 application to the state government, was submitted on July 23, and a site visit followed by a hearing in Bradford on that application will occur on Aug, 25. Becket also submitted a proposal to the town of Newbury, and Becket attorney Jon Anderson expects there to be a town hearing on that application at some point in September.

BRADFORD—The Bradford man shot and killed by Hartford Police last week had been living at Veterans Inc. on North Main Street for the last 10 months.
Police say Joseph John Howard, 35, was shot after he punched and strangled a Hartford Police Department officer outside a Paula Street home on the afternoon of Aug. 5. HPD Cpl. Eric Clifford responded to the address after the homeowner called 911 to report that Howard, who he did not know, was making a disturbance in his driveway.

WOODSVILLE—Students will not be required to wear masks inside Haverhill schools when classes start later this month.
On Monday night, the Haverhill Cooperative School Board voted 3-1 to reject a motion to require students to wear masks until a vaccination is available for children ages 2-11. The vote followed discussion among board members and half a dozen members of the public, most of whom said they were opposed to a mask requirement.
The vote has no bearing on a federal mandate that students and adults must wear masks while aboard a school bus. SAU-23 Superintendent Laurie Melanson said that schools around the country have no choice when it comes to public transportation. But once off the bus, students attending a Haverhill school will no longer have to wear a face covering.
Board members noted that students and staff will have the option to wear masks inside school buildings.

HAVERHILL—At the Aug. 2 meeting, the Haverhill Selectboard voted 4 to 1 in favor of allocating funds for improvement projects planned by the precincts of Woodsville, Mountain Lakes, and Haverhill Corner.
The plan was accepted with the understanding that any funding meet the criteria of the Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds, which is a under the umbrella of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021.
Mountain Lakes Precinct Commissioner Bob Long presented the case on behalf of all the precincts.
The lively and heated discussion, which dominated the meeting, was on whether relief funds should be allocated to the districts in Haverhill or to use them for town-wide benefit.