http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/news Daily news from The Telegraph of Nashua en-us pkincade@nashuatelegraph.com onlineeditor@nh.com http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/news/963026-196/local-superintendents-worry-about-impact-of-proposed.html A proposed constitutional amendment giving the Legislature the final say on education funding has some local school officials concerned about it leading to a drop in state support. “In my view, if this were adopted, over time it would lead to considerably less funding from the state for Nashua, resulting in either reductions in education, higher local property taxes or both at the same time,” Nashua School District Superintendent Mark Conrad said. “I think history really documents that.” Conrad was referring to the wording of a proposed amendment to the constitution agreed upon by state legislative leaders and Gov. John Lynch on Thursday. The House of Representatives and Senate are scheduled to vote on the measure next week, and both need a 60 percent majority to pass the amendment. If approved, it would be on the ballot in November. The amendment would give the Legislature “full power and authority to make reasonable standards for elementary and secondary public education.” Supporters say the proposed measure would target more aid to less wealthy districts across the state and ensure that New Hampshire would continue its commitment to the public school system. Fri, 01 Jun 2012 23:01:16 EST http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/news/963025-196/special-day-for-new-hampshire-athletes.html The Merrimack Tigers enter the opening ceremonies Friday morning at the New Hampshire Special Olympics at the University of New Hampshire in Durham. The 43rd edition of the Special Olympics New Hampshire Summer Games kicked off at 3 p.m. Thursday at the tennis courts at the University of New Hampshire in Durham. More than 950 athletes from across the state have gathered at the university to participate in three days of competition. This year, the games include six categories: aquatics, athletics, bocce, equestrian, power-lifting and tennis. In addition to the athletic competition, a number of events were scheduled for Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Activities this year include free health screenings to participating competitors through the Healthy Athletes program, a victory celebration dance, fireworks and various ceremonies. Fri, 01 Jun 2012 23:01:09 EST http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/news/963023-196/nashua-latino-students-talk-about-challenges-of.html NASHUA – When Maria Antonio moved to Nashua from the Dominican Republic with her family just over two years ago, she had no idea she soon would be graduating and heading off to college with a full scholarship. But the Nashua High School South senior, who still is learning English, is doing just that: graduating this month and heading off to nursing school at Colby-Sawyer College. She wants to be a doctor. None of this would have been possible, Antonio said, without the help of her high school guidance counselor and staff at Nashua South. Unfortunately, she added, many local Latino students are not brought up in households that value education, and many grow up believing college isn’t for them. For evidence of the challenge of changing that attitude, one only had to look at the low turnout at a college information session geared toward Latino students and parents on Thursday. One parent and about nine students attended. Antonio hopes schools can find a way to get more Latino students and parents to embrace the idea of higher education. “Parents have to know what their children are doing,” she said. Fri, 01 Jun 2012 23:00:56 EST http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/news/962920-196/telegraphs-motor-mania-rescheduled.html With 2 inches of rain predicted to fall in the Nashua area Saturday and Sunday, The Telegraph’s Motor Mania has been rescheduled for Saturday, Aug. 4. Motor Mania is called “the hottest car show of the summer.” The fifth annual event will showcase classic cars and motorcycles belonging to car enthusiasts from across New England. It will take place at The Telegraph’s Hudson office. Check back at www.nashuatelegraph.com/motormania for updated information on expanded features for the Aug. Fri, 01 Jun 2012 22:59:31 EST http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/news/962856-196/merrimack-police-charge-man-with-slew-of.html MERRIMACK – A Merrimack man is being held without bail after a 12-hour manhunt Friday after his mother allegedly was assaulted and her male acquaintance was stabbed. Cory Daley, 29, of 21 Shore Drive, is facing several charges stemming from the incident that occurred early Friday morning, including attempted murder, first-degree assault, second-degree assault, simple assault and breach of bail conditions. Officers responded to a domestic disturbance call at 12:36 a.m. to the residence in the Baboosic Lake area. Officers attended to the reported victims, identified as Daley’s 46-year-old mother, whose name wasn’t released by police, and her 32-year-old acquaintance, Andrew Stamm. Police charged Daley with simple assault after they alleged that he head-butted his mother. Fri, 01 Jun 2012 22:59:26 EST http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/news/963007-196/heart-of-a-champ.html Professional boxer Micky Ward, of Lowell, Mass., signed copies of his book, “A Warrior’s Heart,” at Nashua’s Barnes & Noble on Friday. Ward won multiple awards throughout his boxing career and was recently portrayed by Mark Wahlberg in the 2010 movie “The Fighter.” Fri, 01 Jun 2012 22:00:13 EST http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/news/963006-196/merrimacks-home--health-hospice-care-receives.html MERRIMACK – A $40,000 grant from the local affiliate of the Susan G. Komen for the Cure foundation to Home Health & Hospice Care will help provide access to care for economically disadvantaged breast cancer patients. The grant from the Vermont-New Hampshire affiliate will support an effort to care for breast cancer patients who are uninsured or underinsured. The grant, announced Friday, will be used for treatment in in-home care and those visiting the Community Hospice House. Home Health & Hospice Care is a nonprofit that runs a variety of programs at locations in Merrimack, Nashua and Hudson, along with its home care services. “We are deeply grateful for this very generous grant,” Barbara LaFrance, director of hospice for HHHC, said in a press release. “At whatever place the patient is in her breast cancer journey, our agency will be there to help. Fri, 01 Jun 2012 22:00:07 EST http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/news/963005-196/story.html HOLLIS – Checking the criminal backgrounds of visitors, buying new ID cards for staff and students, and installing cameras are among the ways administrators are looking to beef up security at Hollis Brookline High School. “The security of our students and staff is the number one priority,” Principal Cynthia Matte said. “We do need to add some security measures; it’s just good practice. When this school was built, security wasn’t thought of as a requirement, and we’re just trying to correct that.” Five years after the school district had a security audit performed on the high school, a committee of school staff members and local safety personnel have created a three-phase plan to improve the school’s security. The plan has been in the works for some time by school officials such as Matte, assistant principals, guidance counselors and the school resource officer, as well as Police Chief Jay Sartell and Fire Chief Rick Towne. The plan was presented to the school board in May, and if approved later this summer, will be implemented over the next three years to make changes based on the recommendations of the 2007 audit. One security measure Matte wants to take is using software that would allow main office staff to scan the driver’s licenses of visitors and screen for registered sex offenders, domestic violence offenders and other potential threats. If a threat is identified, the software, called Raptor V-soft, would instantly alert designated officials, such as administrators and law enforcement, via email, telephone and text message. Fri, 01 Jun 2012 22:00:00 EST http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/news/962910-196/protesters-gather-again-friday-at-entrance-to.html Protesters were back on Industrial Drive in Merrimack on Friday morning, bringing to light what they say was a broken promise to local tradesmen and laborers. The protesters represent trade unions for carpenters, electricians, pipe fitters and others. They say the developer of the Merrimack Premium Outlets promised jobs to local workers, then turned around and hired workers from other states. The developer, Premium Outlets/Simon, of New Jersey, said the bidding process for work was open and that it worked with unions from the beginning. The outlets, with more than 100 stores, are scheduled to open June 14. Police responded to the protests Friday morning on a complaint that demonstrators were blocking traffic. Police asked the protesters to move from standing on a traffic island at the entrance of site and directed them to a position east of the entrance. On Thursday, protesters arrived at 5 a.m. and left the area by 11 a.m. – PATRICK MEIGHAN Fri, 01 Jun 2012 21:59:52 EST http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/news/962902-196/story.html HUDSON – A 43-year-old Massachusetts man was in fair condition Friday after being rushed to the hospital following a motorcycle crash Thursday evening. Police were called around 5:30 Thursday after the motorcycle and pickup truck collided at the intersection of Library and School streets. Kory Currier, 16, of Hudson, was driving a 2000 Ford Ranger east on School Street and turning into the intersection when he collided with a 2000 Yamaha motorcycle heading north on Library Street being driven by Steven Stuart, of Ashby, police said. Currier wasn’t injured. Stuart was brought to Southern New Hampshire Medical Center in Nashua with serious injuries, police said. Stuart was listed in fair condition Friday morning, said Andrea Alley, a hospital spokeswoman. The crash happened in front of the Leonard A. Smith Central Station and was heard by two firefighters nearby. They and other firefighters alerted police and rushed to Stuart’s aid, Hudson Fire Capt. Fri, 01 Jun 2012 21:59:47 EST http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/news/962884-196/pair-charged-with-theft-from-nashua-building.html Two men were charged with an “inside job” theft from a Nashua building supply store, police said. Paul St. Pierre, 35, of 592 South Main St., Nashua, was charged with theft by unauthorized taking, consolidation, a Class A felony. Anthony DeMarco, 23, of 18 Cricket Hill Drive, Amherst, was charged with theft by unauthorized taking, a Class B felony. At 11:45 p.m. Thursday, Nashua uniform officers responded to The Home Depot at 288 Daniel Webster Highway for a reported internal theft of merchandise. Patrol officers conducted an investigation, which was furthered by members of the Criminal Investigation Division. St. Pierre is charged with taking in excess of $1,500 worth of merchandise from The Home Depot while he worked there from September through May, police said. DeMarco is charged with acting in concert with St. Fri, 01 Jun 2012 21:59:40 EST http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/news/962876-196/nashua-police-chase-down-domestic-violence-suspect.html Nashua police chased down a suspect in a domestic assault Wednesday evening. Joel Ayala, 30, of 11 Cross St., was arrested after a brief foot pursuit near the intersection of Bridge and Amory streets, police said. Ayala faces charges related to domestic violence, plus resisting arrest, police said. Shortly after 6 p.m., a woman known to Ayala reported to Nashua police that Ayala caused a laceration to her left thigh with a knife two months earlier, police said. Members of the Nashua Police Department’s Domestic Violence Unit furthered the investigation. As a result, Ayala was charged with domestic violence – second-degree assault, a Class B felony; four counts of domestic violence – simple assault, Class A misdemeanors; and resisting arrest, a Class A misdemeanor. A Class B felony is punishable by up to seven years in prison, plus fines. Each class A misdemeanor is punishable by up to one year in jail, plus fines. Ayala’s bail was set at $15,000 cash-only pending his arraignment Friday at Nashua district court. – PATRICK MEIGHAN Fri, 01 Jun 2012 21:59:34 EST http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/news/961570-196/recalling-love-hope-red-rover.html TYNGSBOROUGH, Mass. – At 30 members, the 2012 graduating class of the Academy of Notre Dame is among the smaller in the Catholic school’s 158-year history. But from the honors bestowed and awards presented at Sunday’s sun-baked commencement, the class could also rank among its most productive. Colby College-bound Lucy A. Devlin, the 2012 valedictorian, described as a “stellar” student with a keen memory whose “list of books she’s read would astound anyone” for its length, earned two of the seven excellence awards. Fri, 01 Jun 2012 15:56:21 EST http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/news/962939-196/back-by-popular-demand-politifact-new-hampshire.html New Hampshire politicians, get ready to face the Truth-O-Meter. The Telegraph is again partnering with PolitiFact, the Pulitzer Prize-winning project of the Tampa Bay Times, to examine the truthfulness of what politicians are telling you. This is the second time The Telegraph has joined forces with PolitiFact, but this time is different. Previously, The Telegraph worked with The Valley News and New Hampshire Public Radio to fact-check presidential candidates as they strolled through the Granite State before the GOP primary. This time, The Telegraph will be the primary news organization checking the statements made by prominent New Hampshire politicians and national figures who come to the state. That means there will be fewer Truth-O-Meter rulings on former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman and more on NH Speaker of the House William O’Brien. Going forward, Rick Santorum will take a back seat to Jeanne Shaheen. Already we’ve checked statements by O’Brien (False), Charlie Bass (Mostly False), the New Hampshire Republican Party (Mostly False), and Joe Biden (coming Sunday) and Kelly Ayotte (coming Monday). New Hampshire is the 11th state in the PolitiFact Network. Fri, 01 Jun 2012 14:56:00 EST http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/news/962819-196/motorcyclist-seriously-hurt-in-hudson-crash.html HUDSON – A collision involving a motorcycle, a pickup truck and a car sent the motorcyclist to a Nashua hospital with serious injuries and shut down the intersection of School and Library streets Thursday evening. Hudson Fire Capt. Dave Morin said the motorcycle operator, who hasn’t yet been identified, was taken to Southern New Hampshire Medical Center. Morin said the crash, which occurred at 5:35 p.m. in front of the Leonard A. Fri, 01 Jun 2012 09:38:00 EST http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/news/962853-196/merrimack-eyes-traffic-and-special-event-plan.html MERRIMACK – A public hearing was held Thursday evening for a proposed traffic and special event management ordinance. There was no public comment and the Merrimack Town Council voted to put the resolution on the agenda at a meeting next week. The newly drafted ordinance was written up by the town’s attorney after the council discovered there wasn’t anything formally in place to grant police the power to significantly alter traffic patterns during special events and high-traffic situations. Council Chairman Thomas Mahon said this new resolution is in direct response to opening weekend for the Merrimack Premium Outlets, off Exit 10 of the F.E. Everett Turnpike, and the coinciding Rock’n Ribfest. The ordinance defines a special event as “any planned occurrence which, in the opinion of the chief of police and town manager, causes or may cause an adverse effect upon public safety and welfare.” A plan would be created to deal with each special event and would be voted on by the council. Fri, 01 Jun 2012 08:00:43 EST http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/news/962851-196/when-madeline-was-young-the-pick-for.html NASHUA – The announcement of Jane Hamilton’s “When Madeline Was Young” as the 2012 Nashua Reads: One City, One Book title Friday also marks a milestone for the program. This is the 10th year the Nashua Public Library has sponsored the program. Carol Eyman, the outreach and community services coordinator for the library, is among those on the Nashua Reads Committee, which chose this year’s book. They are a part of the Friends of the Nashua Public Library and pick each year’s book as a group. The committee often narrows their choices down to about four books. In the end, Hamilton’s novel won. “What I like is when people tell me that, ‘it’s not a book I would ever pick up but I read it because it was part of the One City, One Book program, and I enjoyed it,’” Eyman said. Fri, 01 Jun 2012 08:00:35 EST http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/news/962774-196/shaheen-critical-of-executive-councils-decision-to.html The state Executive Council’s vote against a commuter rail study will set back efforts to get federal funds for public transportation, Sen. Jeanne Shaheen told The Telegraph’s editorial board Thursday. Shaheen met with the editorial board for an informal talk on a range of topics, from health care reform and legislative gridlock to foreign relations. The council’s decision against a $3.2 million federal grant to study the possibility of linking Boston’s commuter rail line to Nashua and Concord has been much maligned by Nashua city officials. Shaheen said the decision not to go forward with the study will impair the state’s ability to get money from the federal government. “Officials don’t want to award money that is going to be sent back,” she said. Calling herself a proponent of thoughtfully planned mass transportation, she said last year she took a train from London to Brussels and remembers it being clean and fast. “If Europe can do this, we should be able to do this in America,” she said, and recalled the debates here 20 years ago about the Amtrak Downeaster passenger train service between Boston and Portland, Maine, which turned out to be a success. In response to a question about the current mood in Congress, Shaheen said there is still obstructionism but also some progress in bipartisan legislation, including Senate passage of the transportation bill, “a big issue for New Hampshire,” and extension of payroll tax cuts and the Jobs Act. Most of her colleagues have found a way to cooperate so that work gets done, Shaheen said,“but there are extremists who don’t want anything to happen,” and there are more extremists in the House of Representatives. New talk in Congress about not raising the debt ceiling – the limit Congress places on the amount the federal government can borrow – is “very irresponsible,” Shaheen said. The former New Hampshire governor said she understands how important it is to maintain a state or nation’s fiscal rating. Until the fight over the debt ceiling, there was worldwide trust that the U.S. would pay its debts, she said, and failure to raise the ceiling puts that trust in jeopardy and “shows a total lack of understanding” of its impact. When the talk came around to campaign finance reform, Shaheen called the U.S. Fri, 01 Jun 2012 05:23:27 EST http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/news/962705-196/more-than-60-police-officers-join-special.html Close to 70 Nashua police officers stepped off a packed Nashua Transit bus in front of First Church at Library Hill bright and early Thursday morning. The patrol officers, detectives and supervisors were wearing shorts and red T-shirts and were ready to run. At the front of the pack, holding the Torch of Hope, were Special Olympians Scott McCullough, of Nashua, and Jennifer Lisee, of Merrimack. The 68 officers, including Chief John Seusing, jogged with the Special Olympians from the top of Main Street to the Merrimack line, where the torch was handed off to a contingent of police officers from that town. The torch is headed to Concord and then to the University of New Hampshire in Durham for the 43rd edition of the Special Olympics, being held this weekend. The torch run is just one local connection to the games. McCullough and Lisee are members of the Nashua Special Olympics team. Fri, 01 Jun 2012 05:23:20 EST http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/news/962816-196/bass-lamontagne-to-join-amherst-republican-breakfast.html AMHERST – Two Republican candidates will be coming to breakfast Saturday in Amherst. U.S. Rep. Charles Bass, a Peterborough Republican. and GOP gubernatorial hopeful Ovide Lamontagne are set to join the Amherst Republican Committee for its monthly breakfast meeting at Joey’s Cafe. Bass, who returned to Congress in 2010 after serving six terms from 1994-2006, will once again face off against Democratic challenger Ann McClane Kuster in the fall elections. Lamontagne, a Manchester attorney, is running against Kevin Smith, former director of the conservative Cornerstone Research group, in the Republican primary election. Fri, 01 Jun 2012 00:03:09 EST http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/news/962773-196/elm-street-teachers-memory-etched-in-stone.html Julie Spicer will always be remembered. Just ask the students at Elm Street Middle School. Thursday morning, students got their hands dirty while working in the school’s interior courtyard where they were building a brick patio in Spicer’s memory. Students formed an assembly line to pass the bricks being laid on the ground. Spicer was a sixth-grade language arts and math teacher at the middle school. She died in late March after a four-month battle with cancer. CJ Lavoie, 12, was one of her students. “She was our math teacher,” Lavoie said. Fri, 01 Jun 2012 00:00:18 EST http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/news/962772-196/nashua-woman-charged-after-alleged-stabbing.html NASHUA – A local woman was arraigned Thursday on one count of first degree assault, a Class A felony, in connection with an alleged stabbing. Police said Frances Sanders, 53, of 23 Temple St., Apt. 304, was arrested around 9:30 a.m. Wednesday after officers responded to a city apartment building for a report of a person injured and bleeding. An initial investigation revealed Sanders stabbed an adult male with a knife during an argument in one of the apartments, police said. They said Sanders and the victim are known to each other, but didn’t state whether they are related. Officers arrested Sanders, who was at the scene when they arrived. Fri, 01 Jun 2012 00:00:09 EST http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/news/962770-196/chelmsford-man-charged-with-selling-stolen-jewelry.html NASHUA – Police arrested a Chelmsford, Mass. man Wednesday, charging him with a felony count of receiving stolen property in connection with an investigation that goes back to September 2011. Evan Costello, 20, of 8 Fleetwood Drive in Chelmsford, was arrested on a warrant after he turned himself in around 3:30 p.m., police said. In September, Chelmsford police contacted local detectives, notifying them that Costello was reportedly selling multiple pieces of stolen jewelry in Nashua. The items, Chelmsford authorities said, had earlier been stolen from a residence in their town. The Class A felony carries a penalty of up to 15 years in prison, exclusive of fines, police said. Costello was released on $2,500 personal recognizance bail pending a future district court arraignment in Nashua. – DEAN SHALHOUP Fri, 01 Jun 2012 00:00:03 EST http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/news/962750-196/protesters-merrimack-outlets-developer-broke-promise-hired.html MERRIMACK – Construction workers are used to getting to job sites before dawn. On Thursday morning, about 50 carpenters, electricians, pipefitters, plumbers and other tradesmen showed up on Industrial Drive at the entrance to Merrimack Premium Outlets. They didn’t come to work, but to protest not working. The mall developer, Premium Outlets/Simon, of New Jersey, promised them jobs and then turned around and hired out-of-state workers, the protestors claimed. Simon promised local building trades that construction would be done by local workers, said John Jackson, a carpenter with Local 118, based in Manchester. “They’ve broken that promise,” Jackson said. “They came to us when the project was going through the planning and zoning phase.” “We did a lot of work” promoting the outlets during the contentious 2005 vote that went before Merrimack residents, said Liz Skidmore, also of Local 118. Simon promised local tradesmen that they’d get the work if they helped with the approval process, Skidmore said. Instead, jobs went to workers from Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Texas, George, Arkansas and a host of other states, protesters said. In response, Simon management released a statement through the Boston-based public information firm Kortenhaus Communications. “We have cooperated with the unions from the beginning of the project,” Simon said in the statement. “The project was always planned as a publicly bid open shop.” “Unions have had the opportunity to bid on all work,” Simon said. “The process resulted in about 50 percent of the labor being union. Thu, 31 May 2012 23:59:56 EST http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/news/962735-196/nashua-police-charge-sex-offender-with-failing.html Nashua police arrested a convicted sex offender on Wednesday and charged him with failing to keep up with his check-in requirements. John Gora, 36, of 74 Chestnut St., Nashua, was arrested around 1:30 p.m. and charged with duty to report and duty to inform, both of which are felonies, police said. Gora is a tier two sex offender, which requires him to register with police twice a year, plus any time he changes his address, police said. Gora failed to keep police apprised of either of those things, according to an investigation by Youth Services Division detectives, police said. Gora was convicted of a felonious sexual assault of a child older than 13 on April 29, 1998, in Hillsborough County Superior Court, according to the state’s sex offender registry. Since then, he has been convicted on a slew of other criminal charges, including theft, simple assault, resisting arrest and a bail jumping. He was also convicted of duty to report in 2009 and duty to inform in 2004, according to the registry. Gora was held on $1,500 cash or surety bail and was scheduled to be arraigned at Nashua district court on Thursday, police said. The Class A felony duty to report charge is punishable by up to 15 years in prison, plus fines. The Class B felony duty to inform is punishable by up to seven years in prison, plus fines, police said. – JOSEPH G. Thu, 31 May 2012 23:59:48 EST http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/news/962734-196/nashua-police-charge-teen-girls-with-felony.html Nashua police charged three teenage girls with felony theft allegedly committed earlier this month. Police were contacted around 7:30 p.m. May 3 when a theft of electronics and jewelry, as well as other items, was reported by a Hills Ferry Road resident, police said. Youth Services Division detectives investigated and on Wednesday, they charged three juvenile girls with felonies, police said. Two of the girls were charged with delinquent child criminal liability for conduct of another. A third girl was charged with delinquent child theft by unauthorized taking or transfer, all of which are Class A felonies, police said. One of the girls is 14 and the others are 16. The property they’re accused of stealing is worth more than $2,000, police said. All three teens were released to a parent or other responsible adult and will appear at Nashua district court at a later date, police said. The girls could be held at the Sununu Youth Development Center until they turn 18, police said. – JOSEPH G. Thu, 31 May 2012 23:59:42 EST http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/news/962771-196/bass-lamontagne-to-join-amherst-republican-breakfast.html AMHERST – Two Republican candidates will be coming to breakfast Saturday in Amherst. U.S. Rep. Charles Bass, a Peterborough Republican. and gubernatorial hopeful Ovide Lamontagne are set to join the Amherst Republican Committee for its monthly breakfast meeting at Joe’s Cafe. Bass, who returned to Congress in 2010 after serving six terms from 1994-2006, will once again face off against Democratic challenger Ann McClane Kuster in the fall elections. Lamontagne, a Manchester attorney, is running against Kevin Smith, former director of the conservative Cornerstone Research group, in the Republican primary election. Thu, 31 May 2012 17:09:00 EST http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/news/962281-196/nca-grads-told-to-remain-faithful-servants.html NASHUA – Now that the students of Nashua Christian Academy’s class of 2012 have fully embraced the school’s motto of “Passion for God, compassion for people,” they have been charged with continuing that lesson as they move forward in their lives. The graduating class of 16 students gathered for the ceremony Saturday morning at Greeley Park in Nashua. Friends, family and staff members made up the audience, sitting in front of the outdoor stage. Headmaster Christine Urban addressed the soon-to-be graduates first, telling them that Saturday marked the end of phase one of their lives. Thu, 31 May 2012 16:02:57 EST http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/news/962714-196/lawmakers-lynch-announce-deal-on-education-funding.html CONCORD – House and Senate negotiators and Gov. John Lynch announced Thursday they reached a historic agreement on an education aid amendment to the state Constitution. This deal followed six days of private discussions among Republican legislative leaders and Lynch, a Democrat who is not seeking re-election this fall. Past lawmakers and governors have failed to reach this point despite more than 80 proposed amendments coming up before the Legislature since the second landmark Supreme Court decision on education funding 14 years ago. “The time has arrived,” said House Speaker William O’Brien, R-Mont Vernon. Lynch said the amendment language affirmed his principles that include targeting more aid to needy communities and ensuring the state continues its commitment to public schools. “This amendment meets the goals I have articulated and will allow us to put in place the best possible education funding formula for our schools and our children,” Lynch said in a statement after House and Senate negotiators confirmed the deal at a press conference. There’s still a ways to go before this proposal is enshrined in the Constitution. The House of Representatives and state Senate next week each must support it by at least a 60 percent majority. The bigger hurdle is clearly in the the House where a minimum of 237 legislators have to vote yes. Last March, the House endorsed its own amendment for the first time ever with only 12 votes to spare. O’Brien said he’s confident an amendment will make it to the voters. If it does, the proposal would go onto the general election ballot this November and two-thirds of voters would have to embrace it. The amendment goals are to eliminate the requirement the state send all education aid out on a per pupil basis; lawmakers and Lynch say this would permit the state to target more money to the neediest school districts. Authors also wanted this amendment to promote alternatives to public school and assert the state’s authority over the issue. The proposal would put the burden on anyone suing the state over education aid to prove in court that an aid law it was unconstitutional. In past lawsuits, the burden has been greater on the state to have to defend its aid laws in court. “It is going to allow us to be rational to have we target funds for education,” said Senate Majority Leader Jeb Bradley, R-Wolfeboro. Critics said the amendment would return the state to its pre-1998 days, when the local property tax was the overwhelming source of money for public education. Since the court ruling, state aid to schools has more than tripled. “It puts millions at risk that go out to school districts,” said Dean Michener, the longtime lobbyist for the New Hampshire School Boards Association. Lowering the legal standard in court would mean public education is no longer a “fundamental right” in the Constitution, said Mark Joyce of the New Hampshire School Administrators Association. “The children of this state will have a basic constitutional right taken away from them,” Joyce said. Rep. Lynne Ober, R-Hudson, chaired the House-Senate panel that worked out this compromise and denied it would lead to deep cuts in state aid to schools. “That just isn’t true,” Ober said. For the past four years, education aid has remained the same as Legislatures under Democratic and Republican control kept a collar in place to prevent what would have been cuts in grants to many communities. Rep. Gary Richardson, D-Hopkinton, said if voters endorse the amendment there’s every reason for future lawmakers to cut state education aid when economic times are tough. “You can put all this nice language on it and it doesn’t change a thing,” Richardson said. Thu, 31 May 2012 12:06:00 EST http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/news/962631-196/area-police-officers-kick-off-local-leg.html NASHUA – The local leg of the journey of the Torch of Hope begins early Thursday morning in Nashua, as area law enforcement officials will help the Special Olympics icon make its way to the Statehouse prior to an afternoon opening competition. Special Olympians Scott McCullough, of Nashua, and Jennifer Lisee, of Merrimack, will run the torch with more than 50 police officers, including Police Chief John Seusing. They will leave First Church, 1 Concord St., at 7:30 a.m., carrying the torch north on Route 3 to the Merrimack line, where it will be handed off to a host of Merrimack police officers. McCullough and Lisee are members of the Nashua Special Olympics team. McCollough is also a board member of Special Olympics-New Hampshire. Thu, 31 May 2012 08:19:00 EST http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/news/962632-196/school-board-supports-288k-for-wireless.html NASHUA – A proposal to spend roughly $288,000 of a $900,000 budget surplus to install wireless Internet access in the city’s three middle schools will go on to the Board of Aldermen for consideration after the Board of Education voted unanimously Wednesday night to support the expenditure. The school board also approved another $118,000 in surplus funds to buy two portable classrooms for Elm Street Middle School. Earlier this year, the district used restoration funds to purchase two other portables. Members discussed the wireless expenditure for close to an hour Wednesday, including hearing a brief presentation by district technology director Rick Farrenkopf, outlining the work that could be done if the funds are approved. End-of-year surplus funds are typically used to reduce residents’ tax rates. Superintendent Mark Conrad said applying part of the surplus to improving schools’ technological infrastructure would be an important step forward for the district. The district’s surplus was generated in large part by savings in heating costs over the unusually mild winter. Board Chairman Tom Vaughan agreed with Conrad, saying implementing a full-scale project now rather than “dealing with a piece here and a piece there” is a “good way to get ahead of the curve.” Conrad also said adding wireless access to the middle schools would better prepare the district for the switch to the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium statewide tests in two years and give the schools better infrastructure for their portable computing carts. Thu, 31 May 2012 07:50:00 EST http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/news/962619-196/proposed-city-budget-raises-lots-of-questions.html NASHUA – One day after the public – or the four members of the public who chose to do so – asked questions about the proposed city budget for fiscal 2013, the aldermen’s Budget Review Committee had at it. Aldermen asked more questions, and at times more detailed questions, but seemed uninterested in making any adjustments to the spending plan Wednesday. The proposed budget totals $230.6 million, or about 1.5 percent over current spending. Mayor Donnalee Lozeau estimates a property tax increase of “under 3 percent” would be needed to fund city spending for the fiscal year, which begins July 1 and ends June 30, 2013. The budget must be approved by the full Board of Aldermen before it is accepted. In discussing the budget, and city spending in general, Alderman-at-Large David Deane asked for the “burn rate” – expenditures to date for all city departments. Deane also asked Lozeau for a status report on all unfinished city projects. Deane asked where the $3.5 million in city surplus is coming from. Lozeau said that it’s coming from the operating budgets of all city departments. Alderman-at-Large Mark Cookson asked how much is from the Division of Public Workers due to the mild winter. Thu, 31 May 2012 07:49:00 EST http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/news/962638-196/nashua-south-offers-free-secondhand-dresses-to.html NASHUA – For her senior prom at Nashua High School South, Kristina Gibbs picked out a yellow dress, one with frills on the ends and a sparkling pin of circular stones in the middle. “It changes color in the light,” she said. Gibbs, 17, wouldn’t have been able to go to the prom without the dress. She picked it out from a selection of more than 60 dresses at South’s prom closet, a collection of donated, second-hand dresses – freshly pressed and cleaned by Anton’s Cleaners in Nashua – for girls who can’t afford one. Gibbs didn’t have the money to buy one herself, especially after she had her first child, a boy, two months ago. She has missed the past 21⁄2 months of school, but she’s excited to get dressed up and reconnect with friends at the prom. “Now that I’m a mom, I don’t feel like a teenager anymore,” she said. “It makes it (the prom) more special.” Gibbs and several of her friends are meeting at Greeley Park for preprom pictures in their dresses. Thu, 31 May 2012 00:01:29 EST http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/news/962621-196/car-fire-at-city-parking-garage-investigated.html NASHUA – The city fire marshal’s office is investigating the cause of a Wednesday evening fire that damaged a 2006 Dodge car parked at the High Street parking garage. Mike O’Brien, deputy chief of Nashua Fire Rescue, said the passenger compartment of the vehicle was ablaze when crews arrived. They were able to contain the fire within minutes, and after extinguishing it, called in the fire marshal to investigate, he said. O’Brien said officials were in the process of notifying the owner of the vehicle, which was parked on the first level. No injuries were reported. – DEAN SHALHOUP Thu, 31 May 2012 00:00:26 EST http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/news/962611-196/woman-arrested-after-homeowner-finds-her-and.html MONT VERNON – Police arrested a Concord woman Wednesday, roughly three weeks after a Wilton Road homeowner discovered her and her dog inside his home, police said. Sarah Hodge, 51, was arrested in Concord and charged with one count of criminal trespassing in connection with the incident. Police said she is due in Milford district court June 6. Police said officers had spoken with Hodge outside Fishbones General Store on May 10, after receiving reports of a woman walking her dog and hitchhiking on Wilton Road. At the time, police said, Hodge identified herself and said she was awaiting a ride home. Several days later, police said, a resident of Wilton Road told police he discovered a woman matching Hodge’s description, and who had a dog with her, inside their home. The resident had a brief conversation with the woman, police said, after which she left with the dog. Based on the information, police on May 22 issued a warrant for Hodge, which led to Wednesday’s arrest. Police ask anyone who may have encountered Hodge, or who has more information on the incident, to contact the police department at 673-5610. – DEAN SHALHOUP Thu, 31 May 2012 00:00:14 EST http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/news/962610-196/hudson-company-moving-to-kentucky-200-people.html HUDSON – Approximately 200 people are losing their jobs, as one of the fastest-growing large companies in New Hampshire has decided it can grow better in Kentucky. “We need more space. … We just couldn’t find anything that was big enough, that was move-in ready, that had the quality of space we needed, in southern New Hampshire,” said Michael DuGally, CEO of NorAm International Partners, which refurbishes and resells a variety of electronic and other goods. The company’s new facility in Kentucky has more than 100,000 square feet with 26 loading docks. Even if such a facility was available here, he said, it “costs 50 percent less in Kentucky.” Workers at the company’s two Hudson sites received notices earlier this month about the move. The company offered an extra day of pay for every six months of employment for warehouse workers, two days of pay for trainers and three days of pay for supervisors. Thu, 31 May 2012 00:00:08 EST http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/news/962609-196/putney-ready-to-tackle-development-transparency-as.html BROOKLINE – Tad Putney isn’t sure where he’ll sit Monday when he starts his first day as town administrator. Putney, the former Board of Selectmen’s chairman, was announced as Brookline’s first full-time town administrator May 21, a position approved by voters at Town Meeting. Where his office will be in the already jam-packed Town Hall has become a running joke among town officials since he was hired, Putney said Wednesday. “I will tackle that first and then move on to bigger things,” he said, laughing. Among those bigger things: improving the town’s transparency and economic development. Putney was selected as the town administrator from about 30 applicants. His responsibilities as administrator will include overseeing the day-to-day operation of Town Hall offices and working to develop town budgets each year. As a selectman, Putney took part in the debate over whether to hire a town administrator. While he was supportive of the idea as a selectman, Putney said he did not decide to apply for the position until April when the job was advertised. “As I look around Brookline, I see a lot of opportunity,” he said. Thu, 31 May 2012 00:00:00 EST http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/news/962601-196/nashua-drug-sweep-nets-eight.html NASHUA – Police arrested eight Nashua residents on drug dealing charges after a citywide sweep earlier this month. All eight accused drug dealers were dealing small or “street-level” amounts of the drugs, according to Nashua Police Sgt. Kevin Rourke. Five of the eight are facing distribution charges for the second time, Rourke said, and could face stiffer penalties. The arrests were made May 22-23 by Nashua police officers after separate investigations by the department’s Narcotics Intelligence Division detectives. The investigations lasted several months and involved drug buys by either undercover detectives or cooperating informants, Rourke said. All of the accused dealers were acting on their own, Rourke said, and more arrests are expected soon. Those arrested as part of the sweep were: Christopher Hughes, 22, of 21 Franklin St., Apt. 3. Wed, 30 May 2012 23:59:52 EST http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/news/962587-196/bronstein-residents-discuss-rights-demolition-process-with.html NASHUA – For months Bronstein residents have learned about potential demolition and relocation plans for their community through rumors, a local nonprofit group, and the Nashua Housing Authority, which owns the downtown public housing complex. But it was two attorneys who explained residents’ rights Wednesday if the razing is approved that woke up April Soucey. “He brought up some things that I didn’t even think about,” said Soucey, one of 12 Bronstein residents who sat in on the discussion at St. Aloysius of Gonzaga Parish. Granite State Organizing Project, a local nonprofit group that helps New Hampshire residents deal with housing issues, invited New Hampshire Legal Assistance Managing Attorney Elliott Berry and Paralegal Candace Gebhart to their third meeting held with residents since news of the possible demolition first broke in February. Wednesday’s discussion, however, was closed to the press to allow the legal counsel to meet their potential clients for the first time in private, GSOP Executive Director Sarah Jane Knoy said. The meeting was the first the GSOP has called since they sat down with Mayor Donnalee Lozeau and the Nashua Housing Authority on May 21. That meeting was also behind closed doors and residents were not invited. Bringing the New Hampshire Legal Assistance into the equation was another way to make the potential demolition and disposition process a little less mysterious for residents, Berry said. “I think it’s important to hear it from someone who doesn’t have a dog in the fight,” Berry said, following the 90-minute meeting. “We want to be able to provide services for the residents regardless of how they want it to play out. Wed, 30 May 2012 23:59:43 EST http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/news/962558-196/cleaning-woman-charged-with-merrimack-jewelry-theft.html Merrimack police have charged a woman hired to clean a home with stealing jewelry. Police were called May 18 about a reported theft. The victim said a pair of earrings were taken, police said. Detectives investigated and charged Kathleen Ball, 53, of 11 Fairway Drive, Derry, with theft by unauthorized taking, police said. Ball was released on $1,000 personal recognizance bail. She is scheduled to appear at Merrimack district court July 10, police said. – JOSEPH G. Wed, 30 May 2012 23:59:31 EST http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/news/960492-196/politifact-sorry-charlie-tax-claim-off-the.html The statement: “The expiration of the Bush-era tax cuts ... would be the biggest tax increase in the history of the country, about $4.6 trillion over 10 years.” – U.S. Rep. Charles Bass, R-N.H., in an April 3 interview with The Telegraph. -------- U.S. Wed, 30 May 2012 19:40:18 EST http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/news/962584-196/bill-making-causing-the-death-of-fetus.html CONCORD – The New Hampshire House gave final approval to legislation making it a crime to cause the death of a fetus that’s at least eight weeks old. House members approved Senate changes made to their fetal homicide bill (HB 217). This means the bill now is on its way to the desk of Gov. John Lynch who has not publicly commented on it. The vote Wednesday was 210-108, just barely the two-thirds majority needed to overcome a veto from the governor if there is one. Rep. Kathleen Souza, R-Manchester, said the measure does not guarantee someone will be charged with murder in all cases when violence or “negligence” causes a woman to lose her fetus. “This bill mirrors our regular homicide statutes and due process is available at every juncture,” Souza said. Rep. Steve Shurtleff, D-Concord, said the measure goes too far and could subject someone to murder charges if loss of the fetus occurred from a simple traffic accident where the driver of the car was not at fault. “To me that is far too draconian to be a law that we would want in New Hampshire,” Shurtleff said. – KEVIN LANDRIGAN Wed, 30 May 2012 14:46:00 EST http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/news/962583-196/bettencourt-apologizes-for-inexusable-lapse-in-judgement.html CONCORD – In his letter of resignation House Majority Leader D.J. Bettencourt, R-Salem, apologized to the House, his law school and his family for what he called an “inexcusable lapse in judgement and integrity.” Bettencourt resigned Sunday, effective immediately, following his confession that he had falsified records about a law school internship he had taken under fellow Rep. Brandon Giuda, R-Chichester. “I want to say I am sorry for my inexcusable lapse in judgement and integrity,” Bettencourt wrote. House Speaker William O’Brien and Giuda have said Bettencourt self-reported the controversy to the law school. Law school officials confirmed Bettencourt did not graduate with his class. In his resignation, Bettencourt admitted he had failed his obligations as a citizen and was not ready to be a lawyer. “That profession comes with high expectations that my actions demonstrate I am not able to meet. I can only hope that one day I will be worthy of it,” Bettencourt said. House Clerk Karen Wadsworth read Bettencourt’s letter of resignation into the record and there was no immediate comment on in the House after that. – KEVIN LANDRIGAN Wed, 30 May 2012 14:09:16 EST http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/news/962482-196/four-residents-including-a-usual-suspect-speak.html NASHUA – Another roughly 3 percent tax hike, another auditorium where city staff outnumber the public, another debate between Robert Sullivan and the mayor, another adjournment in under 45 minutes. One can be forgiven if the annual public hearing on the city budget felt like a case of deja vu. The hearing, held Tuesday at Nashua High School North, carried elements similar to those of recent years past. Sullivan, of 12 Stoneybrook Road, said as much during general comments. Addressing Mayor Donnalee Lozeau, Sullivan asked, “Can you tell me what you mean by a stable tax rate?” A stable tax rate means holding tax increases in line with cost of living increases in the region, about 1 to 3 percent, Lozeau said. The tax increases needed to fund “the budget as presented should be under 3 percent,” she said. Sullivan, a frequent flyer at city budget hearings and during the comment period of Board of Aldermen meetings, tried to pin Lozeau to a more specific number. Lozeau didn’t bite, noting that the projected tax increase is an estimate, though one for which the city is usually on target. The tax rate is set in the fall by the state Department of Revenue Administration, after it examines city revenues and expenditures. The city’s budget proposed for fiscal 2013, which begins July 1, totals $230.6 million, roughly a 1.5 percent increase over current spending. However, it’s not the budget bottom line that residents care about, Sullivan said. “People are concerned about, ‘what’s going to happen to my property tax bill?’ ” he said, Taxes rose 2.8 percent in fiscal 2011 and another 2.9 percent in fiscal 2012, Sullivan noted. If the current budget necessitates, say, a 2.7 percent tax increase, that would approach a 10 percent increase over the past three years, he said. Sullivan then asked Lozeau and Alderman-at-Large Brian McCarthy, the board president who presided over the hearing, what increase in the quantity or quality of services taxpayers received for their money. Lozeau responded that the city held the line on taxes despite losing significant revenue. Wed, 30 May 2012 11:13:00 EST http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/news/962368-196/bear-a-surprise-memorial-day-weekend-visitor.html NASHUA – Deanne and Doug Fortnam got home Sunday from a weekend trip to find an unexpected Memorial Day visitor. The Nashua couple returned to their Cambridge Road home about 7 p.m. Sunday to find a bear roaming in its fenced-in backyard. The black bear, which appears to have scaled the fence, roamed around the yard for about half an hour, sniffing at bird feeders before it left, according to Deanne Fortnam. “It was quite a surprise,” she wrote in an email to The Telegraph. “We’ve been on garden tours for the last several years, but this is the most unusual visitor I’ve ever had in the gardens.” Nashua police couldn’t be reached for comment Monday, but on Sunday evening, officers told the Fortnams they had received several reports of the bear in the south Nashua neighborhood. They suggested the Fortnams take down the bird feeders and remain in their home until the bear left the premises. “He was there about half an hour, just wandering around,” Deanne Fortnam said Monday. “Nobody was hurt, and thankfully there was no real damage. Wed, 30 May 2012 07:53:00 EST http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/news/962446-196/story.html HUDSON – School Board members knew Steven Beals, the new principal of Alvirne High School, resigned from a previous job amid a testing scandal in 2005, Vice Chairwoman Laura Bisson said Tuesday. “I can’t comment on that because it’s a personnel issue. … We were aware of it and we knew about it,” she said Tuesday afternoon, directing further comment to the district’s Human Resources Department and Lee Lavoie, chairman of the School Board. “I was aware in 2005, when the situation occurred. In our interview process, we choose to focus on his performance record,” Superintendent-elect Bryan Lane said about Beals on Tuesday afternoon. “I’m thrilled to be able to work with him.” Beals, currently the principal at Laconia High School, served as principal of Sanborn Regional High School, in Kingston, when he was placed on administrative leave in July 2005, according to the Portsmouth Herald. Wed, 30 May 2012 07:32:47 EST http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/news/962456-196/retirement-system-seeking-270k-from-former-hudson.html State retirement officers are seeking nearly $270,000 in overpayments from a former Hudson administrator who drew one of the state’s largest pension packages during his time in town. Former Assistant Town Administrator Mark Pearson, who left Hudson this winter, owes the state retirement system $267,778 in pension benefits collected between Jan. 4, 2009, and July 2, 2011, according to documents released this week by the New Hampshire Retirement System. Pearson, who took the position in 2008 after retiring from the Salem Police Department, collected $102,000 in pension funds in 2010 on top of his $91,600 salary from the town. The retirement benefits ranked him 17th on the state pensioners list. According to the retirement system, he worked full-time hours at the time and, therefore, was not eligible for the pension. Last year, Brookline Police Chief William Quigley, a former state trooper who was hired in 2010 as a full-time chief, was also asked to return $19,026 to the retirement system. Wed, 30 May 2012 07:29:53 EST http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/news/962377-196/merrimack-man-killed-in-kingston-boating-accident.html KINGSTON – A Merrimack man died late Saturday night and three local boaters were injured in a boat accident on Country Pond in Kingston. Eric Eskeland, 54, of Merrimack, was pronounced dead at the scene after his 17-foot powerboat collided with a 20-foot boat about a quarter-mile offshore just before midnight. The driver of the other boat, Lawrence Buswell, 51, of Kingston, was uninjured. But, Eskeland was pronounced dead at the scene, and five passengers, including three from the Nashua area, were injured in the crash. Chad Descoteaux, 33, of Hudson, who suffered multiple lacerations, was released from Lawrence General Hospital in Mass. Debra Eskeland, 55, of Merrimack, was transported to Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital in Boston with a head injury, and Michael Sawyer, 32, of Nashua, was transported to Beth Israel with a head injury and multiple lacerations. Their conditions were not immediately available Monday night. Two other passengers – Scott and Loretta Garrett, both of Bradford, Mass. – suffered various injuries, as well. The cause of the accident remains under investigation, according to N.H. Wed, 30 May 2012 07:29:47 EST http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/news/962494-196/merrimack-sophomore-takes-passion-for-shoes-to.html MERRIMACK – While many Americans take their shoes for granted, one local high school student has learned that the wardrobe staple is a highly sought-after commodity in the Third World, a problem she hopes to combat through education and activism. Fifteen-year-old Hannah Vaccaro is a sophomore at Merrimack High School and has organized a 5K race at her school track this Saturday called Race2Lace, which will collect shoes for the people of Haiti. There are many things that led her to launch the service project, one being that Hannah is not an average teenager. She decided to defy the stereotypes of people her age after reading the book “Do Hard Things” by Alex and Brett Harris. “A lot of the main detail in it is about how my generation is kind of stereotyped as lazy and can’t really do anything to help people. People don’t really have high expectations for my generation,” she said. Tue, 29 May 2012 23:02:05 EST http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/news/962492-196/merrimack-eyeing-ordinance-in-anticipation-of-outlets.html MERRIMACK – The Merrimack Town Council will hold a public hearing Thursday on the newly drafted traffic ordinance that police could use during special events, more specifically for the busy weekend with the Merrimack Premium Outlets’ grand opening and Rock’n Ribfest in two weeks. Council Chairman Thomas Mahon said he and the rest of the council directed the town attorney to write up an ordinance to be able to temporarily control traffic during large events. Mahon said it was not a directive for the Merrimack Police Department to invoke the ordinance in everyday affairs, but to use it during specific circumstances. Mahon said the draft, if passed, could “limit traffic on a road and in some instances, to close a road.” He said the latter is a last resort and that a question arose about traffic on Camp Sargent Road during the dual event weekend. Tue, 29 May 2012 23:01:51 EST