HAVERHILL—New Hampshire officials have denied a request to erect an official state highway marker at the roadside where Maura Murray was last seen in February 2004.
The decision came just one week after the “blue ribbon” memorial tree at that location was cut down.
It has been over 17 years since Maura, then a 21-year-old nursing student at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, disappeared on the evening of Feb. 9, 2004. For over 16 years the Murray family has placed a blue ribbon around the trunk of a tree near the location where she was last seen after her car crashed on Route 112.
Since then, the unsolved mystery of her disappearance has developed a worldwide following.

WARREN—Of the 28 articles listed on Warren’s town meeting warrant, it is number 25, changing the name of the Baker River to Asquamchumauke River, which is unusual.
The Baker has long held the name Asquamchumauke although it may not be a well-known fact. Asquamchumauke is an Abenaki word which means salmon spawning place.
In a telephone interview with the Journal Opinion, selectman Charlie Chandler revealed he was inspired by seeing the name in connection with the local Asquamchumauke Valley Snowmobile Club

BRADFORD—Work will continue on a pricey hole in the ground in downtown Bradford.
The Bradford Selectboard has authorized another round of repairs for a section of Main Street sidewalk.
At a meeting on Feb. 25, the board voted unanimously to spend as much as $100,000 for the second phase of repair work around the so-called vault located in front of the former Aubuchon store.

NORTH HAVERHILL—With cooperative weather, last week’s COVID-19 vaccine clinic went smoothly as 450 Grafton County residents received their first shots via a drive-through clinic at the Horse Meadow Senior Center.
In early February Dick Guy, director of Woodsville Ambulance contacted Maureen Platt-Russell, newly hired director of the HMSC to see if she could get at least 150 names of people interested in getting the vaccine.
“We put out feelers with our participants to gauge interest and were overwhelmed with calls,” she said.
Within two to three hours, there were enough names collected to make the clinic a reality.

Some area New Hampshire towns will hold their town meetings in the next few weeks, while others have delayed proceedings for a couple of months.
Bath
Town meeting has been delayed until Saturday, June 5 at 1 p.m. Bath votes on its officers from the floor.
The selectboard members have finalized a meeting warrant and will ask voters to approve a $1.3 million operating budget, a $103,000 backhoe for the highway department, and a $73,000 Dodge Road Bridge replacement. Most—$98,0000—of the highway equipment’s purchase price will be borrowed, but the bridge replacement would be paid entirely through capital reserve funds as proposed.
Benton
Benton will delay its annual town meeting until June 8. Benton has not signed its warning as of yet, according to selectboard chair William Darcy.
The annual school district meeting is usually held in conjunction with town meeting.