Administrative Services Commissioner Charlie Arlinghaus, who has been overseeing the sale of the former Laconia State School property, has given Legacy at Laconia a final deadline of April 15 to complete the $21.5 million purchase of the 220-acre site. The closing date for the sale has been extended four times.
T.P. Caldwell
The Need Is There
BRISTOL — Residents attending a public hearing concerning a proposed $200,000 expenditure to place a modular classroom at Danbury Elementary School largely supported the idea, but posed questions for the Newfound Area School Board to consider before finalizing the deal.
Tragedy Strikes
The US Coast Guard has suspended its search-and-rescue efforts for the six workers still missing after a cargo ship that had lost power rammed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore MD, causing it to collapse. A mayday signal from the ship allowed officials to shut down most of the traffic on the four-lane bridge before the 95,000-gross-ton vessel plowed into a bridge piling, causing multiple sections of the span to bow and snap in a harrowing scene captured on video. Eight construction workers who were repairing potholes fell into the 48-degree waters of the Patapsco River. Divers were able to rescue two of the workers.
One Killed, Four Injured In Crash
Hannah Chaignot, 18, of Meredith, died, and the driver, Nicholas Bray, 19, of Bristol, along with three others, were rushed to Concord and Laconia hospitals after a two-vehicle collision in the area of 147 Daniel Webster Highway in Meredith. Three of the crash victims were then taken by helicopter to trauma centers in Boston.
https://tpcaldwell.substack.com/p/one-killed-four-injured-in-crash
Spring, Then Winter
I failed to note spring’s arrival on March 19, but our crocuses did not forget, pushing up through the ground to greet the sun. That’s all right: They soon were covered in snow, so talking about spring’s arrival now does not seem so tardy.
Man Arrested In Fatal Crash
Police have arrested Dylan Morse, 21, of Winchester in the March 28 fatal crash in Hinsdale that took the life of Richard Miner, 24, of Greenfield MA, who was a passenger in Morse’s 2003 Volkswagen Jetta. Morse is facing charges of manslaughter, negligent homicide, and driving or operating after suspension resulting in death or serious personal injury.
https://tpcaldwell.substack.com/p/man-arrested-in-fatal-crash
Beyond Scrutiny
The Department of Education has blocked efforts to audit the Children’s Scholarship Fund, the New York-based nonprofit organization that handles New Hampshire’s Education Freedom Accounts, because — although the state has a contract with the agency — CSF records are confidential.
Leave It To Texas
Until now, the federal government has been in charge of enforcing United States immigrations laws, but the US Supreme Court has declined to further delay a new Texas law that allows the state to enforce its tough new immigration law giving police the authority to arrest and prosecute anyone suspected of illegally crossing the Mexican border into the United States. Illegal border crossings already are federal crimes, but the immigration system usually treats them as violations. Texas’ law allows punishments ranging from misdemeanors to felonies, with the potential of imprisonment or fines as high as $2,000. Penalties for those who illegally re-enter Texas after having been deported could range as high as 20 years in prison.
Victory For The Voting Machine
BRISTOL — Voters at Bristol’s March 16 Town Meeting soundly defeated a petitioned warrant article that would have required the town to go back to counting ballots by hand. In a bit of irony, the 34-113 vote was administered on paper yes-no ballots that were hand-counted.
https://tcaldwell.substack.com/p/victory-for-the-voting-machine
Missing Woman’s Body Found
Search and rescue personnel on March 16 found the body of Ashley Turcotte, 32, of Barnstead, on New Road, less than a mile from where she had last been seen. Turcotte had been reported missing in January.