Week of March 8-14, 2008

Saturday, March 8 It may be hard to imagine for skiers and riders, but there were actually more ski areas a half century ago than there are today. An exploration of those no longer operating and in some cases nearly forgotten ski areas will be the focus of a talk at the Eastern Slope Inn March 9 as part of the New England Ski Museum's 12th annual Hannes Schneider Meister Cup Weekend. All that stands between Kennett High and its first state hockey championships is just one more victory and that could come Sunday. The top-seeded Eagles advanced to the Division III title game by topping No. 4 Somersworth 4-2 in the semifinals at Everett Arena in Concord Thursday night.Monday, March 10 With spring on the horizon, there is concern that the Saco River will flood after the snowiest winter in more than 34 years. The Kennett High hockey team falls to Souhegan, 3-2, in the Division III state finals in Manchester.Tuesday, March 11 Beginning today, voters in communities across Carroll County will head to the polls to elect new town officials, decide zoning amendments and have their say in the operation of town government. A proposal to create a paid full-time fire chief's position is one of 35 articles on the Freedom town meeting warrant Tuesday at town hall. Albany voters will act on six articles at annual school district meeting starting at 7 p.m. Tuesday, followed by a 21-article warrant for annual town meeting. Madison police are seeking information on two hit-and-run accidents that took place on Feb. 27. Taxpayers will pay a higher price for a stable jail workforce, but could make up some of that by feeding fewer inmates, if trends continue.Wednesday, March 12 A North Conway Water Precinct special meeting will likely be held this spring for precinct voters to decide whether to expand water and sewer service to land owned by Bayard Kennett near the high school that could eventually include 400 housing units, ranging from single homes to an assisted-living retirement homes. Longtime Bartlett town clerk/tax collector Leslie Mallett holds off a tough challenge by Cheryl Nealley 543 to 339 to win another three-year term. A recount is scheduled in the Jackson selectman's race. Dave Mason is clinging to a six-vote lead over Richard Bennett. Voters in Albany oust longtime selectman, and former chair of the Carroll County Democrats, Dorothy Solomon. Challenger Jack Rose receives 80 votes to Solomons 48 to earn his first three-year term on the board. Josephine Howland received 16 votes and finished third. Mike Benoit wins a four-way write-in race for Madison selectman. Former three-term selectman Harry Merrow outpolls two other candidates by a wide margin Tuesday in a race to fill the seat of longtime selectman Joseph Skehan, who died in February. Freedom selectman Les Babb defeats challenger Arthur Battles 146 to 99 to earn another three-year term on the board. A contested race on Tamworth's town ballot yields tight wins for Nicole Maher-Whiteside and Dominic Bergen over Mark Vilbig and David Goodson for two seats on the planning board.Thursday, March 13 A new highway truck, road repairs and the need for additional funds to cover the cost of this winter are three of the key items on the agenda for annual Bartlett Town Meeting Thursday at the Josiah Bartlett Elementary School. Fryeburg residents at an emergency town meeting Thursday night will be asked to consider releasing more than $170,000 from surplus accounts to make up for existing or predicted budget shortfalls in several departments as well as pay for several timely purchases for the public works department. A recount confirms Dave Mason as the winner of the Jackson selectman's race over Richard Bennett. The Conway School Board votes 6-0-1 to enter into an agreement for Mount Washington Valley Arts Association to lease the former SAU 9 offices on Pine Street in North Conway. A drive in the state legislature to expand the death penalty could be facing a slow demise in the Senate and maybe even political execution without a show of support, state Sen. Joe Kenney, the bill's sponsor, says. A key lawmaker is warning peers not to cut off Ossipee Village from a water supply tainted by illegal hook-ups. In an arrangement dating back to the 1800s, the Carroll County government supplies water to Ossipee Village surrounding the old county courthouse. Now, with the overtaxed system poised to soak up potentially hundreds of thousands of dollars in badly needed upgrades, some lawmakers say taxpayers from Wakefield to Jackson shouldn't have to bail out a few local property owners.Friday, March 14 Petitions to turn two ancient roads wrested from the town in bitter private lawsuits back into public domain could turn Madison town meeting into a firing zone. Results of a recent study suggest commercial water extraction from Wards Brook Aquifer in Fryeburg has had no discernible effects on Wards Brook or Lovewell Pond. The Mount Washington Resort has unveiled a $1.1 billion, 11-year project to build a high-end residential village with 938 units on 500 acres in scenic Crawford Notch.