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News from Newburyport, Amesbury, Newbury, Rowley, Georgetown, Groveland, Merrimac, West Newbury, Seabrook, Salisbury
11 Mar 2010 at 3:59am
SALISBURY — A local company says it has been informed by the state it is paying unemployment benefits to a woman fired and subsequently arrested for embezzling nearly a half-million dollars from the business.
11 Mar 2010 at 3:58am
SALEM — Robin Abrahams' first chance to get out of prison will be when he turns 91 years old.
Abrahams, 46, originally of Temple Street, Newburyport, with a last known address in Seabrook, was sentenced yesterday morning to 45 to 60 years in state prison. A jury found him guilty Tuesday of rape of a child with force and burglary with assault on an occupant.
11 Mar 2010 at 3:57am
AMESBURY — Ahead of his vote on whether to approve a $1.5 million build-out for a new senior center, Councilor Derek Kimball said he challenged himself to access the Ordway building in a wheelchair.
11 Mar 2010 at 3:56am
PLUM ISLAND — A group of environmental activists will be setting fires sometime over the next few weeks.
It's not a protest; instead, they'll be putting the torch to one of the most invasive plants in the salt marshes, trying to root it out before it gets a bigger toehold.
11 Mar 2010 at 3:55am
NEWBURYPORT — Mayor Donna Holaday said she plans to organize another community-wide forum in the future after Saturday's event drew 200 people to the high school to meet with department heads and elected officials.
11 Mar 2010 at 3:54am
NEWBURYPORT — Freshmen Sarah and Henry Jacqz, 14, took top honors at last weekend's Newburyport High School science fair for their experiment on the prolific properties of yeast.
After showing folks how yeast, a eukaryotic micro-organism in the fungi family, can be manipulated with diammonium phosphate (DAP) to produce ethanol for fuel, the brother/sister duo will take their project on the road this weekend to compete with the brightest minds in the state at the regional fair held in Somerville.
11 Mar 2010 at 3:53am
AMESBURY — This year's recipients of the superintendent's and principal's awards are not only at the top of their class, they've got sports, clubs, after-school activities, jobs and community service under their belts.
11 Mar 2010 at 3:52am
NEWBURY — The town has a balanced budget for the next fiscal year — but just barely.
Town Administrator Chuck Kostro told selectmen this week that a $70,000 reduction in the assessment from Whittier Regional Vocational-Technical High School had offset revenue reductions enough to give the town a balance of $500. On a budget of $17 million, that's not a lot.
11 Mar 2010 at 3:51am
SEABROOK — An article passed by Hampton voters Tuesday may have a financial impact on all the school districts in SAU 21.
With a 17-vote margin, Hampton voters cast the 60 percent margin, or super majority, needed to remove the school district from SAU 21. The vote of 1,724 in favor of pulling out of the SAU and 1,120 against brought success on the town's third attempt to pull of the administrative unit that oversees Hampton's school district and five others, including Seabrook, South Hampton, Hampton Falls, North Hampton and Winnacunnet Cooperative High School districts.
11 Mar 2010 at 3:50am
PLUM ISLAND — Newbury selectmen are taking up a collection to pay part of the salaries of the beach lifeguards.
Selectmen voted Tuesday night to include an appeal for contributions from town residents in the next real estate tax bill, which is due to be mailed on April 1.
11 Mar 2010 at 3:49am
SALISBURY — Complaints by town officials that National Grid's response to Salisbury's problems during the height of the recent storm brought electric company officials to town quickly to iron out problems.
11 Mar 2010 at 3:48am
WEST NEWBURY — Andrew C. Turbide, 2 Upland Lane, pulled nomination papers for a three-year seat on the Pentucket Regional School Committee this week. Currently, he is the only person seeking the office. Wendy Willis, who was appointed to fill the remainder of a term on the Pentucket board last summer, has decided against running.
11 Mar 2010 at 3:47am
GROVELAND — The Bagnall Building Committee will present its proposed renovation plans for the elementary school at a PTA general meeting today. It's a chance for Bagnall parents and staff to preview the plans in advance of a public hearing next month.
11 Mar 2010 at 3:46am
ESSEX — Top brass from four local police departments will be performing at an "American Idol"-like competition tomorrow night.
The musical men in blue, Chiefs Peter G. Silva of Essex, Ken Walsh of Wenham and William Mulligan of Tyngsborough and Sgt. Dwight McDonald of Groveland, will not be competing, but their performance will open the Hometown Idol contest, sponsored by the Hamilton Wenham Rotary Club.
11 Mar 2010 at 3:45am
GROVELAND
The following items were recorded in the log of the Groveland police:
Jesse Hileman, 43, 17 Stormbridge Road, Groveland, was issued a summons Monday at 9 a.m. on a charge of malicious destruction of property under $250. Officer James Morton issued the summons on Main Street.
11 Mar 2010 at 3:44am
NEWBURYPORT: The following case was recorded at Newburyport District Court on Monday, March 8, with Judge Peter Doyle presiding over the jury-waived trial:
Shayla A. Blydell, 19, 27 Bowdoin Drive, Haverhill: driving while under the influence of alcohol, continued without finding and probation for one year conditioned upon completion of an Alcohol Safety Awareness Program, 210-day loss of license, $50 Victim/Witness Fund assessment, $250 Operating Under Intoxication fee, $50 Operating Under Intoxication Victim Fund assessment, $250 Head Injury Fund assessment (Amesbury).
11 Mar 2010 at 12:15am
NEWBURYPORT — On the strength of hits such as "Sorry Suzanne" and "He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother," Terry Sylvester and The Hollies will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on Monday.
10 Mar 2010 at 3:59am
SALEM — Robin Abrahams faces up to life in prison after a jury unanimously convicted him yesterday of rape of a child with force and burglary with assault of an occupant in Salem Superior Court.
10 Mar 2010 at 3:58am
SALISBURY — Urged by beach property owners, town officials are contacting the state agency that owns Salisbury Beach to try to arrange repairs for the damage done to its seashore by the Feb. 25 nor'easter and windstorm.
10 Mar 2010 at 3:57am
NEWBURYPORT — The business of banking is quickly becoming an online experience, forcing local banks to either evolve or be left behind.
In the past year, local banks have redirected significant resources to their online products, realizing it will be the only way to compete with bigger, national banks. Local bank leaders say they won't survive without it.
10 Mar 2010 at 3:56am
AMESBURY — Amesbury's per capita spending is higher than what communities of similar size spend on average to deliver services to constituents, but bringing it in line with the average would mean 18 percent cuts to services.
10 Mar 2010 at 3:55am
NEWBURYPORT — The city's compost facility will be open Saturday to take brush and branches from the recent storm.
The facility will be open to the residents of Newburyport from 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Proof of residency will be required. A compost sticker will not be required.
10 Mar 2010 at 3:54am
NEWBURYPORT — Newburyport Adult & Community Education's winter session is under way with openings still available in several classes:
March and the Lyceum Program: The Vision of Dante Alighieri, The memoir of Isabel Allende, The Sum of Our Days, and From the Garden of Eden to the Galapagos, a discussion of Darwin's theory of evolution. All this began the first week of March.
10 Mar 2010 at 3:53am
AMESBURY — Annual kindergarten registration and screening will be conducted on April 14, 15 and 16 at district schools.
Parents of children who will turn 5 on or before Sept. 1 are encouraged to register at their local district school, either Amesbury Elementary School or Cashman Elementary School. Children who will turn 5 between Sept. 2 and Sept. 30 may qualify for early placement in kindergarten.
10 Mar 2010 at 3:52am
NEWBURYPORT: The following jury-waived case was recorded on Wednesday, March 3, in Newburyport District Court. Judge Allen Swan presided over the case:
Eric A. Jewett, 41, 6 Mountain Ave., PO Box 342, Merrimac; leaving the scene of property damage, found guilty, sentenced to three months in the house of correction, 30 days to be served (given credit for 15 days served), balance suspended for one year, one year's probation, restitution to be determined, ordered to pay $50 to the Victim/Witness Fund (Amesbury).
10 Mar 2010 at 3:51am
CONCORD, N.H. — At today's Governor and Council meeting, Gov. John Lynch will nominate Seabrook resident Capt. Robert Quinn to serve as colonel, or chief, of the New Hampshire State Police.
Department of Safety Commissioner John Barthelmes nominated Quinn for the appointment, which must be confirmed by the Executive Council.
10 Mar 2010 at 3:50am
MERRIMAC — Selectmen met Monday with Brian George of Northside Carting, which collects the trash and recycling in town, to discuss how it collects recycling and talk with the company on its performance under contract.
10 Mar 2010 at 3:49am
Merrimac Board of Selectmen
Monday, March 8, 2010
APPROVED
A warrant for up to $5,500 to have Net Technologies and Real to move the servers to the basement of the Town Hall, install an Internet connection and connect the servers for the public access channel by Friday.
10 Mar 2010 at 3:48am
SEABROOK — The results were unofficial at the polls last night as workers awaited the tallying of write-in ballots, but it appears voters returned Selectman Brendan Kelly to the board for a second term and elected Jessica Brown as the newest member of Seabrook's five-member School Board.
10 Mar 2010 at 3:47am
Rowley Board of Selectmen
March 8, 2010
Dick Cummings was absent from this meeting.
APPROVED
The budget numbers from the police, fire and highway departments were approved for fiscal year 2011 and will go on the town warrant to be approved by residents at the Town Meeting in May. In addition, several capital expenditure items, such as new gear for the firefighters and new low-band radios for the Highway Department, were discussed and will be included as items on the Special Town Meeting warrant. The overall town budget was discussed as well, and Chairman Dave Petersen noted that because of steady and conservative spending thus far, the town is in relatively good shape with the budget.
10 Mar 2010 at 3:46am
Georgetown Board of Selectmen
Monday, March 8, 2010
DISCUSSED, NO ACTION TAKEN
The heroic efforts of the Fire and Police departments after the storm two weeks ago that knocked out power in the area for more than 24 hours.
10 Mar 2010 at 3:45am
BYFIELD — More than 40 works by about 20 local artists will be on display, starting Friday, at the Newbury Town Library on Lunt Street.
The opening reception for the exhibit called "Local Artists, Local Scenes" will take place on Friday from 5:30 to 7:30 at the library. The artists will be in attendance, and their artwork will be on display and for sale. The reception is open to the public.
10 Mar 2010 at 12:15am
BOSTON — Fresh off a 28-point effort last evening in what she described as the "biggest game of her life," Pentucket senior basketball player Erin McNamara strolled into the media conference room with a T-shirt that read, "Unfinished business."
10 Mar 2010 at 12:15am
NEWBURYPORT — In September 2007, Frank DeZenzo applied for an honor flight — a program available to World War II veterans who wish to visit the nation's capital and see the World War II memorial.
9 Mar 2010 at 3:59am
NEWBURYPORT — Local clammers will be watching the wind this summer.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has issued a warning that the poisonous algae known as red tide could cause significant problems in New England shellfish beds, starting this spring.
9 Mar 2010 at 3:58am
SALEM — There is a one in 1.85 quintillion chance the DNA collected from the bedsheet of the victim could be a Caucasian man other than defendant Robin Abrahams, according to forensic experts who testified in his rape trial yesterday.
9 Mar 2010 at 3:57am
BEVERLY — A trucker who tried to start his stalled 131âÑ2-ton dump truck in October by throwing it into neutral and pushing it from behind — only to send it crashing head-on into a police officer sitting in a pickup truck — will spend 18 months on unsupervised probation, a judge ordered yesterday.
9 Mar 2010 at 3:56am
AMESBURY — One of the town's oldest structures will soon be lost to the wrecking ball after an area developer responsible for demolishing the Lower Mill-yard building recently decided he won't be able to move the 18th century dwelling to another location.
9 Mar 2010 at 3:55am
A state commission named Swampscott Town Administrator Andrew Maylor the new chairman of the Essex Regional Retirement Board yesterday, replacing the embattled Timothy Bassett.
But the fate of the board's chairmanship is far from clear. The Essex Regional Retirement Board is suing the state, arguing it doesn't have the authority to replace its chairman.
9 Mar 2010 at 3:54am
SALISBURY — What started as a stop to have dinner and a drink at a local restaurant cost a carpenter his livelihood this weekend after a brazen robbery in the restaurant's parking lot.
Jef Tormey, a 15-year veteran carpenter from West Newton, was in the area to help his brother do some work on his Newburyport home and dropped into La Chiquita Restaurant on Lafayette Road late Saturday afternoon.