MadDonald: Brings charges in fentynl overdose

Another drug dealer will be prosecuted for the overdose death of a user they sold to.  New Hampshire Attorney General Gordon MacDonald and Somersworth Police Chief David Kretschmar announced the arrest of thirty eight year old Kelly Flanagan, also known as Kelly Silva, for selling David Gross the fentanyl that caused his death last October.  Flanagan was arrested after an investigation conducted by Sommersworth Policee Department, in conjunction with the Drug Enforcement Administration, determined culpability for the sale.  In a statement issued last week, MacDonald said Flanagan was extradited from Massachusetts and arrested by the Somersworth Police Department.  He will be arraigned in Strafford County Superior Court this afternoon.  The charge carries a maximum sentence of life in prison with the possibility of parole.

Board of Selectmen: Votes tonight on what, exactly?

The Amherst Board of Selectmen will meet tonight, starting at six thirty, in Town Hall.  On the agenda is what appears to be the final vote to approve extending the Veterans’ Tax Credit to all veterans.  There is also a separate item addressing an unspecified change to Veteran Tax Credit.  In addition, unspecified changes to the Elderly Tax Exemption are up for approval.  The selectmen will also take unspecified action on the Gravel Tax Levy.  You will note we’ve used the terms “appears” and “unspecified.”  That’s because Amherst doesn’t post any of the supporting documentation with its agendas online, so nobody really knows what they’re up to.  We’ve linked to what they allow the plebes to know from this newscast at Girard at Large dot com.

Public hearing on building fee hikes tonight

Officials in Amherst might want to take their cues from their counterparts in the town of Auburn, where the Board of Selectmen has published over sixty pages of backup material with its agenda for tonight’s meeting.  On that agenda is a public hearing to solicit input on changes proposed to the Building Permit Fee Schedule and the Building Permit Refund Policy.  From the information included on the agenda, it looks like there are big increases in the permit fees on the way and it also looks like there won’t be full refunds for any permits that are withdrawn.  The meeting starts at seven and will be held at Town Hall.  We’ve linked to that agenda, too.  Feel free to compare it to what your town or school district publishes and see if, like in Amherst, you have to have a chat with your elected officials.  After all, how do you know what they’re planning if they don’t tell you in advance?

News from our own backyard continues after this.

Replenished

The Manchester Water Works Board of Water Commissioners voted to officially suspend the voluntary water restrictions previously requested of its customers last October.  The voluntary restrictions were asked for as extreme drought conditions continued through much of the past year.  Thanks to winter precipitation, Lake Massabesic and Tower Hill Pond, which supply the city’s water, are at full capacity, precluding the need to continue with the voluntary restrictions.  

In a release received on Friday, the Water Works said will continue to work with the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services to monitor any potential drought as the high consumption summer months come and go.  Of course, officials urged water users to always use water judiciously regardless of whether or not there’s a drought. 

Wins excellence award

The Manchester Water Works runs the state’s largest water supply system, serving one hundred sixty thousand residents in Manchester and surrounding towns.   It was recently recognized as “Utility of the Year” by the New England Water Works Association and is just the eleventh utility in the nation to receive the prestigious “Excellence in Water Treatment” award.   If you have questions on how you can conserve water, or just about anything else  that has to do with water, you’re invited to visit Manchester NH Dot gov slash water.

It’s open!

The Town of Merrimack Parks & Recreation Department and the Friends of the Merrimack Dog Park cordially invite you to join them on Saturday, May 6th at 11:00 am to officially celebrate the opening of the new Dog Park at Wasserman Park with a ribbon cutting ceremony.  The Park held a soft opening in December and saw significant usage over the course of the winter.  (Hope no puppies played in the yellow or brown snow…)

Anyway, with the warmer weather here, they wanted to invite the community out for an official grand opening ceremony.  May 6th was chosen to coincide with PetSafe’s National Dog Park Day, which is held on the first Saturday in May each year.  Rain date for the ribbon cutting is May 13th.  Mark your calendars!  Or, should we say “bark” your calendars?  In announcing the event, organizers thanked all those who helped make the dog park happen, which includes the members of this Large and Loyal Listening Audience who cast their votes to help the Friends of the Merrimack Dog Park win the twenty five thousand dollar grant that made it all possible.  We, of course, thank our audience, too!

That’s NEWS from our own backyard, Girard at Large hour ___ is next!

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