News
Vermont officials estimate 160K people drove to the state for Monday’s eclipse
By SHAUN ROBINSON
Vermont officials estimate that some 160,000 people traveled by car into the state ahead of Monday’s total solar eclipse, based on preliminary data collected by the state Agency of Transportation.Those people came in some 60,000 vehicles, state...
Former head of White Mountain trail nonprofit accused of financial fraud
By TODD BOOKMAN
The criminal trial of a former nonprofit executive director accused of stealing from the organization she oversaw is set for this summer.Federal authorities allege that Melanie Luce, who led the Campton-based White Mountains Trail Collective,...
With weeks to go, could lawmakers radically reimagine Vermont’s education finance system?
By ETHAN WEINSTEIN
The Vermont House’s tax-writing committee rolled out a preliminary proposal this week that would radically reimagine education finance in the state. The plan, written into the annual bill that helps set tax rates statewide, would provide school...
Windsor jam company’s expansion plans bear fruit
By PATRICK ADRIAN
WINDSOR — A growing fruit preserves manufacturer in Artisans Park is close to financing a $2.7 million expansion of their building to enable the company to keep pace with increasing customer demand.Blake Hill Preserves, which makes specialty jams,...
DES against landfill moratorium bill
By SRUTHI GOPALAKRISHNAN
As testimony on bills targeting landfill safety in New Hampshire continues in both chambers of the legislature, the state Department of Environmental Services maintains its stance against proposed legislation advocating for a four-year moratorium of...
Haverhill-area schools have new superintendent
HAVERHILL — SAU 23 has chosen a new superintendent, who will start July 1. Dolores Fox will replace outgoing Superintendent Laurie Melanson, who is retiring in June, according to a news release from the district, which includes the Upper Valley towns...
Royalton closes bridge after inspection
ROYALTON — The Royalton Hill Bridge, also known as the Foxstand Bridge, closed following an inspection on Tuesday, which identified a safety concern. The bridge, which spans the White River between Royalton Hill Road and Route 14 near Exit 3 on...
Eclipse traffic packs Upper Valley roadways, keeps businesses hopping
By JOHN LIPPMAN
HARTLAND — As with many things in life, watching Monday’s solar eclipse was as much about the journey as it was the end result.Given that thousands of people spent hours on congested Vermont highways in their cars crawling to and back from their...
Board waives site review for Valley Regional employee housing
By PATRICK O’GRADY
CLAREMONT — Valley Regional Hospital’s proposal to renovate a four-story building on the hospital campus as housing for visiting nurses and other workers took a step forward this week when the Planning Board granted the hospital a waiver of site plan...
Upper Valley towns seek voice in Wilder Dam’s future
By FRANCES MIZE
WILDER — With the Wilder Dam’s 40-year federal license expiring, Hartford residents and officials are hoping to take advantage of a “once in a lifetime” chance to have a voice in the dam’s future, said Town Manager John Haverstock.The Federal Energy...
Roving patrols, culture shock, and scorpions: NH soldiers arrive in Texas
By ANNMARIE TIMMINS
The 15 New Hampshire National Guard soldiers who arrived in Texas on Thursday to assist with border control were warned about safety risks. Many were not what you’d expect: vipers, ticks, filth flies, mosquitoes carrying the dengue virus, and...
6 months later, still no suspect in Honoree Fleming shooting
By TIFFANY TAN
Why would someone kill a retired academic in broad daylight on a popular walking trail in the town of Castleton, Vt.? Six months after Honoree Fleming was shot in the head along the D&H Rail Trail on Oct. 5, police are still trying to answer that...
First lawsuit alleging abuse at a NH youth center is going to trial; there are 1,000 more to come
By HOLLY RAMER
CONCORD — It started with three words: “They raped me.”David Meehan’s disclosure to his wife seven years ago set into motion an unprecedented criminal investigation into New Hampshire’s state-run youth detention center, which was built in the 1850s as...
Suspect arrested in arson at Sen. Bernie Sanders’ Burlington office
By LISA RATHKE
The man charged with setting a fire outside the Vermont office of U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders had been staying at an area hotel for nearly two months and was spotted outside Sanders’ office the day before and the day of the fire, according to court...
Dick Mazza, dean of the Vermont Senate, resigns
By ETHAN WEINSTEIN andPAUL HEINTZ
Vermont’s longest-serving state senator resigned Monday.Sen. Dick Mazza, a Democrat from Colchester, had represented the Grand Isle Senate district for close to four decades, making him the second-longest serving senator in Vermont history. He was...
Addison County’s top prosecutor has moved to get her law license back
By ALAN J. KEAYS
A week after the Vermont Supreme Court ruled to suspend her law license, Addison County State’s Attorney Eva Vekos has asked the court to lift the suspension, saying she has now complied with a state investigation that followed her arrest earlier this...
Former Claremont officer threatened violence, recently released records say
By JOHN LIPPMAN
CLAREMONT — A state legislator who boasts of being “tough on crime” when he was a Claremont cop in the early 2000s openly talked about killing the city’s police chief and raping his wife, and staging a mass shooting at the police station, according to...
Upper Valley weekend fires damage grandstand, apartment and barn
By PATRICK ADRIAN
WEST LEBANON — Firefighters in the Upper Valley had a busy weekend, in which three separate structure fires — in Claremont, Hanover and Canaan — occurred on Sunday afternoon.At noon, the Claremont Fire Department responded to Barnes Park on North...
Vershire residents split votes on heating system proposals for town buildings
By LUKAS DUNFORD
VERSHIRE — Energy concerns were top of mind for Town Meeting voters on Sunday.In floor voting, the approximately 40 people gathered supported putting $20,000 of surplus money into a new propane boiler for the Town Center building, but rejected a...
Delays expected at intersection of North and Main streets in Claremont
CLAREMONT — Motorists should expect delays at the intersection of North and Main streets as a long-planned reconstruction project begins on Tuesday.From Tuesday to Friday, North Street will be closed between Elm and Main streets from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30...
