Week of October 8-14, 2005

Saturday, October 8 After unseasonably warm weather leading up to Columbus Day Weekend, visitors are reminded they are in New England dazzled by long-awaited, somewhat tardy fall colors, at the start of what will probably be the most vibrant foliage season in recent history. Construction of a new Weston's Bridge in Fryeburg is expected to be completed this winter. Carroll County Sheriff Scott Carr is selected as N.H. Sheriff of the Year. Islesboro, a finger-shaped 10-mile-long island in Penobscot Bay in midcoast Maine, is a fast three-mile ferry ride from Lincolnville Beach.Monday, October 10 The Carroll County Attorney's Office is bracing for a new wave of dangerous drugs to strike Carroll County from the West Coast this time, the debilitating homemade stimulant known as meth. Towns sharing $11 million in state aid for the new high school as a result of a law passed this summer will have no choice how the money is spent, according to a spokesperson with N.H. Department of Education. A year into a new policy that ties course credits to attendance at Kennett High School, administrators appear to be pleased with the results. In November, Dot Seybold's third term as Valley Vision's board of directors president will come to an end. For the first time in eight years, she has decided not to run for another term. A defunct Catholic Church would need an overhaul to help solve the community's lack of library space, town and school officials learned on Oct. 4. Ronald Hutchins, the corrections officer accused of helping an inmate beat up former Conway Daily Sun staffer Guy Priel in a jail cell nearly 15 months ago, has already spent $25,000 on his defense, according to a court motion filed by his former lawyer. Tuesday, October 11 Less than two weeks from a planning board vote that could allow Poland Spring to have a truck-filling station in their neighborhood, East Fryeburg residents may be tempted to seize on a new water-extraction moratorium to fight the bottled-water company. Conway Area Humane Society Director Roz Manwaring said the East Main Street no-kill facility takes in between 15 and 30 cats from Berlin at least once a month, more strays than come from Conway. Heavy, steady rain over the weekend causes Fryeburg Fair attendance to sink, with fewer than 10,000 people visiting the fair Saturday compared to 2004's Saturday attendance of over 40,000. Conway School Board is considering increasing the number of its members authorizing checks from two to four, which would represent a majority of the board. Social Security numbers and some personal and financial information for defendants in criminal cases in Carroll County Superior Court are now sealed, under a new policy restricting public access to financial affidavits. The White Mountain Milers 20th annual Half Marathon and Kids Fun Run is here.Wednesday, October 12 Enacting temporary bans on large-scale water extraction has become the newest populist movement in Western Maine. Towns are looking for breathing room to give themselves time to enact stricter controls on bulk water withdrawals. Mount Washington Valley sidesteps the devastation inflicted by weekend rains on the southern part of the state, where flooding claims at least three lives and prompts Gov. John Lynch to ask for a federal disaster declaration. Arrested with his wife on Oct. 3 as part of a major marijuana-growing and distribution investigation, Christopher McGarvey, 41, is released from Carroll County jail on $15,000 bond. Ossipee Selectman Harry Merrow says state authorities are investigating a report of a small construction vehicle ripping up part of a town beach at Constitution Park. The school auditor says the SAU 9 offices located on Pine Street in North Conway should move or risk the safety of records and documents kept there.Thursday, October 13 An early-morning fire claims the 50-year-old Gibson Gymnasium at Fryeburg Academy. Gibson Gymnasium, which burned to the ground, was a source of pride and poignant memories for fans and followers of Fryeburg athletics. It's Homecoming Weekend at Fryeburg Academy, with activities ranging from a parade to the annual football game. Landowners whose lots are roughly 10 acres and listed under the current-use tax exemption could soon receive an unwelcome letter from Madison Town Hall. Friday, October 14 The cause of the fire that destroyed Fryeburg Academy's Gibson Gym remains unknown. Bradley Ronald Joy, 17, a student at Fryeburg Academy, dies in a single-vehicle crash on Route 113 near the Baldwin Consolidated School. Conway selectmen unanimously approve two roundabouts for North-South Road. A Chatham woman needs a bone marrow transplant in her fight against leukemia, and a bone-marrow drive will be held at Pine Tree School in Center Conway to try to find a match. Former Conway Police Sgt. William McClellan could face a jury as his sexual assault case is sent to trial. A Claremont man is being held on $10,000 bail in a New Hampshire state prison after an alleged prisoner assault. Wildlife officials from N.H. Fish and Game are reminding motorists to take extra care because moose are on the move looking for mates. Madison, Tamworth and Freedom are discussing whether to commit a total of $172,215 to the new high school, money freed up with the passage of a bill that qualified Conway to receive $11 million in state aid that was not expected when the payment schedules for eight towns participating in the new school were set up.