City Council's Finance Organization & Personnel Committee has sent a unique financing plan for expansion of the county courthouse to full council with a thumbs-up recommendation. Under the plan, a consortium of city, county and private resources would fund the expansion, which will place all of the local judiciary under one expanded courthouse roof. The city eventually would be repaid by either the sale of the courthouse to the state or county, or its long-term leasing to the state judiciary. The city's part in this: a $1.6 million loan to the Monadnock Economic Development Corporation, as the front for the private end of the arrangement.
BOARD CANDIDATES ... NOT
Would-be Keene School Board members continue not beating a path to the school offices to file for the March elections. The filing period began Wednesday morning, and at 8:30 this morning, not a candidate to be seen for either the three opening board seats or the two-year term as School District Clerk. While it's rather unlikely that it has anything to do with the lack of business, it may bear repeating that the school offices no longer are at 34 West Street, having moved into their new digs adjacent to the new Middle School several months ago.
SCHOOL CUTS
The Winchester School Board is objecting to the town's school budget committee over the latter's budget recommendation for the coming year. In a letter to Committee chair Brian Moser obtained by the Keene Sentinel, Superintendent Kenneth Dassau says the reduction of the school board's proposed budget by some 20 percent leaves the administration too little money to function properly. The committee cut the board's proposed $11.5 million budget to just under $9.2 million. The committee proposes cutting out the district's business office altogether, and cutting more than a dozen teaching positions.
KINGSBURY DEAL
There is good news and bad news about Kingsbury Corporation. The good news is that the winning bid for the one-time Keene industrial giant came from a New York-based company which wants to maintain its presence in Keene. The bad news is that it would not be at even its current skeleton workforce level ... and the Laurel Street factory is not part of the deal. Optimization Technology Incorporated was high bidder for the non-real estate assets of Kingsbury. And company officials say they want to open a small local office for 15 to 20 engineers. A bankruptcy judge in Manchester has the final say on the sale; he'll hear from all parties, including some who object to the terms, at a hearing Monday.
SUPER BOWL ON
The dispute between DirecTV and owners of the NBC affiliate in Boston is settled, so now thousands of customers in Massachusetts and New Hampshire can rest easy. They will be able to see the Patriots go up against the Giants in next weekend's Super Bowl. A contract dispute between the two ended viewing of WHDH by DirectTV customers, and when it looked like it would spill into Super Bowl Sunday, members of New Hampshire's and Massachusetts' congressional delegations got involved.
CELINA INVESTIGATION
A grand jury is hearing testimony related to the disappearance and death of an eleven-year-old girl from West Stewartstown. It's now been six months since the body of Celina Cass was pulled from the Connecticut River a week after she vanished from her home. While the investigation has continued, no suspects are named and no arrests so far. Prosecutors will only say the investigation is as active today as it was six months ago. The mother of Celina's stepfather confirmed she was called to testify last week, and says the focus of the questions seemed to be on her son.
TRACK REVERSAL
A Superior Court judge has overturned a jury verdict against New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Last fall, the jury ordered the track to pay nearly $1 million in damages to the Motor Racing Network for terminating a broadcasting agreement without three years' notice. The track was bought in 2008 by Speedway Motorsports, which replaced the Motor Racing Network with its own radio network. In the original case, the judge had ruled before it even went to trial the agreement between the two was not an enforceable contract.
BASE CLOSURES
The Secretary of Defense wants additional base closures under the Base Realignment and Closure process, and that's not going over well with senators from New Hampshire and Maine. Senators Jeanne Shaheen, Kelly Ayotte, Olympia Snowe, and Susan Collins joined forces to blast the idea. They say another round of BRAC closures does not make sense for national finances or defense. They also maintain there's no doubt the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard remains an irreplaceable component of the country's security.
HIGHWAY FATAL
A driver from Vermont is dead after a crash late yesterday afternoon on Interstate 95 in Hampden. Douglas Dapice and his wife, Lynne, were headed to Brewer to visit family and were just a few miles away when he apparently fell asleep behind the wheel. He woke up when the car went over a rumble strip and overcorrected. The car skidded into the median, hit a large rock and then went airborne, slamming into a tree. Dapice died at the scene from his injuries while his wife, who was not seriously hurt, was taken to a hospital for treatment.
SYRUP THREATENED
The lack of snow has already hurt the winter sports industry in Vermont this season, but now it's also threatening businesses creating maple syrup. The snow provides insulation for tree roots and without it, hard frosts could make it difficult to get the sugar sap this spring. In other words, the season could be pushed a lot later. The kickoff to the sugaring season usually is in the beginning of March, but maple syrup producers say there's still time for a change in the snow cover.
DROPOUT AGE
Two lawmakers are talking about raising the legal age for dropping out of school in Vermont from 16 to 18. The bill would increase the age gradually, starting next year, going up six months each year. One state senator acknowledges Vermont has one of the best graduation rates in the country but that there's high unemployment and the kids dropping out are not getting jobs.
TAX DAY-OFF
Vermont Governor Peter Shumlin says a state Senate proposal for a sales tax holiday on the anniversary of Tropical Storm Irene's devastation in the state sounds good ... but how will the lost revenue be made up? The proposal is estimated to cost Vermont $1.5 million in tax revenues for just that one day. It also includes tax credits for home weatherization, and breaks for the purchases of mobile homes. Shumlin has never been a staunch proponent of sales taxes, especially given him home proximity to sales tax-free New Hampshire. He says he looks forward to learning more about the Senate leaders' proposal - including how it will be paid for.
HYBRID OR TAX
There are downsides to the increasing popularity of hybrid gas-electric vehicles and the budding all-electric industry: less gasoline used, less gasoline sold, and less state gasoline tax revenues collected. Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick is among state officials who have picked up on the pending problem. Patrick says he no longer sees the gasoline tax as a long-term solution to his state's transportation woes. During his monthly Boston radio program, Patrick said the growing movement toward fuel-efficient hybrid vehicles and electric cars will make the gasoline tax a less viable revenue source in the future.
