Week of October 18-24

Saturday, October 18 The moose hunt begins, with nine Mount Washington Valley residents among the 485 permit holders. Buzz and Dixie Coleman team up with Deron Quint Hockey and Ham Arena to offer overnight accommodations for hockey campers at their Camp Atahi on Lake Iona in Albany. Mount Washington Observatory offers White Mountain geology workshop. The number of black bears taken by hunters is breaking records in northern New Hampshire 622 bears at last count. American Cancer Society holds its annual Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk in North Conway. Bartlett School Board continues to struggle with the phone system upgrade for Josiah Bartlett Elementary School, rejecting two bids for the $18,000 project. Monday, October 20 Conway selectmen are ready to set the tax rate. The rate will likely be lower than last year, but many property values are higher which will result in higher tax bills for many property owners. An investigation into a Fryeburg employee placed on paid administrative leave on Sept. 12 following a non-public selectmen's meeting is nearing its conclusion. Officials won't confirm who it is but the police chief is still not at work. Madison's new police chief is rebuilding the department. John Pickering is ready to hire a part-time secretary and is now seeking a patrolman. Ten of North Conway Water Precinct's 14 full-time employees will decide Monday whether or not to join the Service Employees International Union, Local 1984. Bartlett junior high class of 2003 donates $2,000 to outdoor classroom project Ossipee selectmen agree to upgrade County Farm Road. Ptl. Tom McCormack is Conway Police Department's new DARE officer at Conway Elementary School. Tuesday, October 21 North Conway Water Precinct employees vote 9-1 to join Service Employees International Union, Local 1984. Despite threats from the state, Pine River Campground in Ossipee has not been shut down yet. N.H. Attorney General's Office still has taken no action and is releasing no information six months after allegations of voter misconduct were reported in North Conway Water Precinct election. Wednesday, October 22 Bob Bernhardt is Valley Vision's new president; Dot Seybold is vice president, Judi Goss secretary. Through testimony of an expert witness, the defense attorneys for Bruce A. Blomquist tell jurors their clients stabbing of a Conway couple last summer was a manifestation of his damaged brain. Deadline for Voice of the Valley vocal competition approaches; first round is Nov. 1. Thursday, October 23 Friends, family gather in tribute to Sut Marshall, Abbott's Premium Ice Cream owner, and Conway Chamber's Business Citizen of the Year. North Conway Water precinct voters will finally get their questions answered about the legal investigation and the analysis of precinct business practices at a meeting on Thursday, Nov. 6 at 6:30 p.m. The location is to be determined. Gary Chandler, superintendent of North Conway Water Precinct, remains on administrative leave, but commissioners decline to say whether he's still being paid. The state's chief forensic examiner testifies that Bruce A. Blomquist, 46, does not suffer "from a major mental illness." Blomquist is pleading insanity to attempted murder charges for stabbing a Conway couple in their bed. Friday, October 24 Congressman Dennis Kucinich of Ohio rouses a crowd of 300 in Conway Village. The Democratic presidential hopeful is the only candidate for universal health care. Conway selectmen choke on $241,000 proposed hike from the town's two ambulance services. After negotiations, $158,000 difference remains. Jurors begin deliberations and will decide if Bruce Blomquist's stabbing of a Conway couple was the result of 'perfect storm' of alcohol and abuse. Ribbon-cutting ceremony set for new Carroll County jail. Bob Snow, the former Bartlett police chief facing criminal charges of embezzlement and extortion since November 2001, is scheduled for a final hearing before his trial. Brian Quirk is no longer state prosecutor, Elizabeth Dunn will make state's case. Congressman Jeb Bradley and state and local officials touring Kearsarge Metallurgical Superfund site on Hobbs Street in Conway Village. Groundwater treatment continues, removal of contaminated soil still under way.