Valley News from West Lebanon, New Hampshire • 2

Page A2 Valley News Thursday January 19 2006 Local Regional JOHN PICREGG Father of Missing Woman Sues for Records Caucus Kerfuffle moving every I can find ca budge I can get a finally' Murray interference with an enforcement In his follow-up argument Assistant Atty Gen Daniel Mullen described and contentions as argument of form over are still pursuing leads using techniques to try toleam the whereabouts of Maura Mullen said After the hearing Senior Assistant Atty Gen Jeffery A Strclzin chief of his homicide unit said that as recently as two weeks ago state police following up a lead had searched an area for clues Strclzin did not specify the whereabouts except that it was not near where Maura car was found never know where going to end up as time goes Strclzin said have been thousands and thou-is put a lot of act dormant I would call (the case) active and During the hearing Ervin requested that the Attorney General's Office allow Murray had disappeared setting off searches and investigations that theMur-ray family soon was criticizing as quate Beginning his own search for clues Frederick Murray of Weymouth Mass filed requests for radio dispatches log files and other records under the New Hampshire Right to Know law and the federal Freedom of Information Act And at every turn the various agencies among them the Hanover Police Department in October of 2005 denied his requests citing the ongoing investigation by state police and the Attorney Office Yesterday lawyer argued that in turning down requests several agencies in particular the Attorney Office and the state police incorrectly interpreted exemptions and case law related to the right-to-know and freedom-of-informa-tion statutes including exemptions aimed at protecting privacy state itself has never characterized this as a criminal investigation but as a missing-persons said attorney Timothy Ervin of Chelmsford Mass speculating that there could be Tm stone that I Maybe break Frederick By Pavh Cormveau Valley News Staff Writer North Haverhill In a courtroom less than five miles as the crow flies from where 21-year-old Maura Murray disappeared almost two years ago her father yesterday asked a Grafton County Superior Court judge for help in his search for her After hearing opening arguments in Frederick lawsuit against the New Hampshire State Police and other agencies Judge Timothy Vaughan took under advisement the demand that the agencies release to him all records collected in the case Among those named in Murray's suit are the state Attorney Office Gov John Lynch and the Hanover Police Department Maura Murray a nursing student at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst was driving along Route 112 in Swiftwater area on Feb 9 2004 when her black 19 Saturn veered into a snowbank A nearby resident driving by stopped to offer help which she refused On returning home a few moments later he alerted police to the accident By the time police arrived seven to 10 minutes later Vaughan to view the documents in pri- vate and the ones that could help Frederick search from those that might compromise an investigation should key witnesses or a suspect learn of them Mullen said he would be glad to let Vaughan sift through the records but warned that such a search could take is while have 2500 pages of documents and it's Mullen said After the hearing Murray said that he needs some of those records in his effort to re-create to get a timeline of what Partly with the help of a dozen private detectives who recently joined forces with a Massachusetts-based missing-per- sons foundation Murray said that members of his family have gotten from people talked to on their own and have relayed that information to police like to get these records to see if any of this is being followed up Murray said Tm moving every stone I can find that I can budge Maybe I can get a break finally can use David Corriveau can be reached at dcorriveanQvnewsxom or (603) 727-3m Residents Object ToNewRentals Planned For Woodstock By Brendan Cooney Valley News Staff Writer Rain Shadow Woodstock A new plan for an affordable housing project inWst Woodstock drew plaudits from selectmen last night but abutters voiced stem opposition no way that ibis many people can agree on said Selectboard Chairman Matt Maxham addressing a room of about 30 at Town Hall looking at a community-wide The project would put 36 units on an 8-acre tract formerly owned by the Rock Church aertss Route 4 from Woodstock Union High School Twenty-six of the units would be owner-occupied and 10 would be rented The plan calls for a mix of eight or nine types of houses including and the latter with four garage bays beneath interested in pontes peaked roofing some architectural said Nancy Owens who presented the plan to die selectboard on behalf of Housing Vermont a Burlington-based nonprofit want them to be think the site plan is vastly Maxham said comparing it with the plan toe group presented last falL Neighbor agreed the plan looked better but they continued to appose it because of the number of units and the fact tint some will be rented will be maintenance with renters said Tod Minottiwto lives across the street fiom the proposed development agree with the density of said Michael Hirachbuhl a tile installer who lives next to the site think way too many people for the Hiischbuhl also said in an interview that he like the rentals are more vested in their community and property if they own "he sakL American dream is people want to own a Hiischbuhl said ah appraiser told him die valuecf his home woukl drop $60000 if the development goes through He said LI sell his house if the project is budL He added he will sell his house if the project is builL He added Look for a slugfert this year as Windsor County state Sen Matt Dunne challengs Republican Gov Brian Dubie Vermont Republicans are already questioning the Hartland smaH-business credentials after he was elected co-chairman of the newly formed Small Business Caucus last week Some Republicans maintain Democrats' die vote to give Dunne die caucus chairmanship and burnish his political resume 1 A second Democrat Rep Denise Barnard of Richmond was voted the House co- -chairwoman of the caucus formed with bipartisan support was disappointed by the (Democratic) leadership in having to be somewhat RIMARY heavy-handed in taking both OURCE ofthecoiair said state Sen Wendy Wilton the Rutland Republican who helped create the caucus but last to Dunne in the caucus vote Was a packed house" Vermont Republican Party chairman Jim Barnett promptly aloted reporters to ratings on votes in 2003-04 by two probusiness groups The Vermont Planter of Commerce gave Dunne a 44 percent score on nine votes and the National Federation of Independent Business gave him a 0 percent rating on for votes Dunne noted that he helped shepherd through only comprehensive economic development package" that made its way into law last biennium it included grants for rural broadband projects a seed capital fund for small business and steps to spur redevelopment of polluted sites stand by my reoord working on issues of importance to small businesses said Dunne He also pointed out that the votes in the NFIB ranking in which every Democratic senator scored a zero because of their votes in support of a higher minimum wyge and a sales tax increase as part of Act would have also given poor marks to Republican Gov Jim Douglas think worth noting that under their criteria the Republican governor would not have fared veil either and I hear many people saying he's against small said Dunne think that should tell you something about Jim Barnett and his Tom But Barnett also showed his own flair for the stiletto sound bite "With Matt Dunne at the helm they should change the name to Business Extermination die Republican Party boss said Peace may be restored this morning when the caucus meets Asked for comment an election Shawn Banfield the director of the NFlKs Vermont chapter said guess Tm not going to point the finger at any single legislator I would say the NFIB was thrilled to see the formation of the Small Business Caucus thrilled that it's a bipartisan Land Protection Orford resident Tom Thomson was in Goncord last week testifying for a bill that could help huge landowneis who keep their property open to the public protect themselves from lawsuits Thomson said he and his wife want to transfer 2 400 acres they own in New Hampshire including part of Mount Cube to a limited liability corporation would give us limited liability protectidn keeping in mind that we keep our lands open to the general But because the couple would have to pay property transfer taxes as both buyer and seller at a rate of $15 per $1000 of valuation Thomson said the fees would total more than $30000 With die backing of Upper Valley Sens Carl Johnson R-Meredith and Peter Burling D-Comish Thonwon is pushing for legislation that would exempt such in-family LLCs from the transfer tax He argues that open land like his adds immeasurably to state coffers by promoting snowmobi I ing hunting and tourism in general tourists drive by they are not looking at some subdivision" said Thomson a son of the late Gov Mel Thomson The Nil is currently before the Senate Finance Committee Book on Burtons Concord resident Joan Day has written an enjoyable memoir of growing upon a farm in Bath NH What makes Thinking of Yesterday Today all the more noteworthy is that Day 62 is the younger sister of Executive Councilor Ray Burton the North Country power who still lives in the family farmhouse Day writes of homemade sleds Monopoly games in which her older brother played banker and invariably owned Boardwalk and how she and her three siblings loved scampering through summers barefoot just seemed to take too long in getting to the farm Ws would plead to go Day writes The book which is full of family photographs is for sale at the Woodsville Bookstore or through Day for $1995 John Gnggg can be readied at jgreggvnewspm Wet weather draws mist from the Dartmouth campus yesterday Vauey News Hauck Nonprofit Builders PackTools for Gulf Coast By Brendan Cooney absolutely believe in the concept but not the density It fits in the city not in the Owens responded to point that people want to own not renL is a strong need for both owner and rental housing in die she said arc lots of people who have wages where they simply afford to own a But that sway Mark Stanglin who owns the Carriage House of Woodstock Bed and Breakfast near the site say with the told Owens and other Housing Vermont officials would with every ounce of my body disagree with thaL hearing us You care" Maxham tokl him: think been a ton of respect for the community at After the meeting Jim Pierce a former selectman and a backer of the project cornered Stanglin in a town office and confronted him on the renters issue he said in an interview the hell is wrong with a renter? (Abutters) arc biased It makes me angry This is not Pierce isafounder of Woodstock Community Trust the nonprofit that bough the property for $500 000 from the church in October The trust will deed the land to Housing Vermont in April 2007 he explained After his confrontation with Stanglin Pierce said Tm very emotional tonight worked too long and hard to let this thing Stanglin said in an interview that he objects to the nunter of units Dave Roy a contractor whose property abuts the site told the planners at the meeting have not guaranteed this would be for Woodstock people The neighbors are suffering going to completely change the soope of that But Woodstock already has many renters according to Kath- leenKanz a regional planner who conducted a 2003 survey on housing needs percentage of rental housing units is higheriin centers of economic and civic Kanz said According to the 2000 U5 Census Kanz pointed out 70 percent of the residents of the Town of Woodstock own and 30 percent renL In the Village of Woodstock which lies in the center of the town 52 percent own and 48 percent rent Brendan Cooney can be reached at bcoaneyOvnewicom or (603)727-3229 we most The church gave all its Christmas donations $1800 to Cover said Traver thought this would be an area where Cover could contribute its know-how and he said Traver and other director Simon Dennis of White River Junction will leave Feb 2 to be followed three days later by the rest of the crew All return Fteb 12 They intend to work on two houses that were flooded during Katrina The furniture has been removed and the carpets ripped out of the damaged homes which have been inspected and certified to be mold-free Traver said that was underwater is basically he said be doing framing and flooring and insulation The former residents are now living either in government-donated trailers or are staying with family Traver said lot of us felt like we wanted to do something" Brendan Cboney can be reached at bcooneyQvnewsxom or (603) 727-3229 is when we can have impact' TlmTraver Home Repair Valley News Staff Writer Hartford At a time when Hurricane Katrina seems tohave left the national radar screen' workers from a local nonprofit will visit the Gulf Coast next month to help renovate storm-damaged houses is when we feel we can have the most said Tim Traver one of two directors of White River Junction-based Cover Home Repair Twelve from the group four staff and eight volunteers will spend a week in New Iberia La a town about 100 miles west of New Orleans The group has raised $5500 for building supplies and travel expenses and it will cut costs by boarding with a local nonprofit called the Southern Mutual Help Association and cooking its own meals Traver who lives in Taftsville Vt said the idea for the trip came to him in the fall after a visi( to New Iberia by members of the North Universalist Chapel Society a Unitarian church in Woodstock 'Now feel the Cover.