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	Foster's Picks Top 20 Stories of 2007 Foster's Daily Democrat December 30, 2007 http://www.fosters.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071230/GJNEWS_01/386698463 Financial discrepancies, freak natural disasters, controversy and milestones. Residents in the region saw a little bit of everything in their news stories of 2007. Ongoing issues like the tax cap in Dover and a troubling financial audit in Newmarket held people's attention throughout the year, while the spring floods and Rochester hostage situation saw residents holding their collective breath while the events unfolded. Here are the top 20 news stories as selected by Foster's Daily Democrat: Hostage Crisis The eyes of the nation were focused on Rochester on the afternoon of Nov. 30 when 46-year-old Leeland Eisenberg walked into Sen. Hillary Clinton's campaign office on North Main Street with a bomblike device strapped to his body and took six hostages, including, briefly, a mother and her infant child. The infant and mother were let go almost immediately after Eisenberg entered the building and were able to report the situation to police. What followed was a more than five-hour standoff that brought life in the downtown to a frightening halt. Law enforcement agencies from around the state, including the newly formed Strafford County Regional Tactical Team, descended along the downtown area, as did numerous media outlets from across the country. Throughout the afternoon hostages were released and one managed to escape. All of them were unharmed. Finally at about 6:15 p.m., Eisenberg emerged from the building with his hands up, walking to the middle of the street where police were waiting for him. The bomblike device taped around his chest turned out to be road flares. A few hours after the hostage situation ended, Clinton made an emergency trip to Portsmouth to meet with the campaign workers held hostage and thank law enforcement officials for their handling of the situation. Eisenberg was charged with four counts of kidnapping, one count of criminal threatening and one count of falsely reporting an explosive device. He is being held $500,000 cash bail at the Strafford County jail awaiting possible indictment and could face federal charges. In the day's following the event Foster's had exclusive interviews the hostages, Eisenberg's family and Eisenberg himself. Eisenberg told Foster's he wanted to "sacrifice" himself to bring awareness to the "plight" of mental health in America. In court proceedings it was learned Eisenberg has an extensive criminal history in New Hampshire, Massachusetts and Florida, which included two rape convictions and charges of assault with a dangerous weapon, thefts, burglary and larceny. Eisenberg also sued the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston in 2002 alleging a priest had molested him in the early 1980s. Presidential Candidates Descend Upon the Granite State It was a year of intense campaigning through the Granite State for presidential hopefuls. All candidates took to the state with different campaign strategies and relentless efforts to make as many public appearances as possible. There were hyped appearances such as Barack Obama addressing a large crowd with guests Oprah Winfrey at the Verizon Wireless Arena in Manchester, a combination concert and political appearance by Grammy award-winning musician Bonnie Raitt and Democratic candidate John Edwards in Portsmouth and of course there was old-fashioned grassroots campaigning such as small household gatherings with Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton or Republican candidate Mike Huckabee running a 5K race through the streets of Durham with The University of New Hampshire chapter of the Tau Kappa Epsilon Fraternity on a crisp fall day. One way or another, there was almost always a candidate in the state. Although the candidates knew the importance of New Hampshire to their campaigns, one question that lingered throughout the year was when would the New Hampshire Primary be held. A few states moved up their primaries and caucuses, causing New Hampshire to eventually set an early primary date of Jan. 8, 2008, its earliest-ever presidential primary. Most polls throughout the year showed Clinton, Obama and Edwards as the top Democratic candidates, while John McCain, Mitt Romney and Rudy Giuliani were the top Republican candidates. Council Says Yes to Waterfront Council Says Yes to Waterfront By the narrowest of margins, the City Council voted to move forward with waterfront development on July 13, reaffirming a 2005 vote. The 5-4 vote sent a packed City Council chambers into a frenzy of applause, but getting to that point was a long road. For decades, the city sought to develop about 30 acres of city owned property, but the general public and the council remained divided on the type development and the scope of the project. Throughout the process the public had a chance to weigh in, including several public hearings to help refine the design process. The council remained divided on whether it wanted to give up control of the project, allowing the city manager to sign over the property's deed. Some councilors were concerned with the project's term sheet, which one councilor described as "incomplete and legally binding." Some residents expressed concern about the council giving up control of the project, although most were in favor of it. On the night the decision was made, Councilor Jason Hindle, who had been against the project turned out to be the swing vote in favor. Hindle along with councilors Doug DeDe, Dean Trefethen, Dennis Ciotti and Mayor Scott Myers. Councilors Catherine Cheney, Bob Keays, David Scott and Harvey Turner voted against it. Scott would later send a complaint to the state Attorney General's Office alleging Hindle was pressured into changing his vote but the complaint was later dismissed because of insignificant evidence. With the council's the approval the project is moving forward under the watch of the waterfront committee, Dover Housing Authority, and city manager. Hilltop School Controversy A space crunch and several code violations at the Hilltop School sparked a yearlong debate about whether a new elementary school should be built to replace the old school. Residents were largely divided on the issue. A residents' group, the Friends of Hilltop, formed with a mission to save the school. In August, Fire Marshall Bill Degnan inspected the school and said it posed an "imminent danger" to students on its upper floors. Because of this, school was delayed for over two weeks until three portable classrooms were brought to the school yard. In October, the School Board selected and OK'd the purchase of land on which to build a new school, with a core capacity of 425 students. The decision came after an emotional discussion where some residents fought for the survival of the school, asking the board to keep the school and renovate it. Some board members also expressed concerns over a building with more than 300 students. In December, the City Council voted 6-3 to purchase a 22-acre site on Stackpole Road for $1,295,000 with additional costs for initial land studies bringing the total cost to about $1.4 million. However, there was more controversy as the sales agreement included a covenant that prohibits the land being used for any other purpose until after a school is built, or for 25 years afterward. Police Chief Dean Crombie and other residents expressed concern over the stipulation because it implied a demand on a piece of land that was being purchased with tax dollars. Residents and city officials continue to express mixed opinions about the purchase and the yearlong debate also a sparked a petition started by five residents to establish a charter committee, the first step in an effort to change the city form of government to that of a town. Economic Issues Hit Home It was a tough year for the economy, leaving many residents tightening their belts. As with much of the nation, the region of the state saw a significant increase in foreclosures, especially Strafford County. Through Nov. 1, 2006 there were 167 foreclosures. At the same time in 2005 and 2006 there were a total of 33 and 92, respectively. Of the 167 foreclosures in the county this year, 72 of them come from Rochester. Rockingham County also saw a significant increase in foreclosures. Experts attribute the increase to subprime mortgages and people considered high-credit risks with adjustable-rate mortgages. The cost of home heating oil also skyrocketed, resulting in more people seeking fuel assistance. Local consumers also felt purse strings tugged at the gas pumps. Regular gasoline hovered near or slightly above $3 a gallon through most of the last half of the year, far higher than the $2.28 average in December 2006. The high gas prices also affected the cost of groceries, since 95 percent of food products are shipped by tractor-trailer, and food prices reflect those shipping costs. High-energy costs also fueled the increase in grocery prices. For some, the worst news was the rising cost of beer due to a worldwide shortage of hops and barley malt. When Foster's asked residents about the increase of beer and fuel, a majority said they were more worried about the rise in fuel but would continue to buy beer. A Tax Cap for Dover Late spring and early summer rumblings about a tax cap charter amendment became reality when a petition with about 1,200 signatures in favor of getting the initiative on the ballot was turned in to the City Clerk's office for review in July. Ward 3 Councilor David Scott pushed for the initiative. The move was a surprise to many city councilors, including Mayor Scott Myers who said he didn't "see a tax cap as something Dover needs" and said it was "an attempt by David Scott and followers to try to achieve an object (slow down or stop all city spending) that he has not been able to achieve by building consensus on the council." The petition was certified in August and the City Council approved the amendment for November the ballot after a Sept. 5 public hearing. Two separate public education forums about the tax cap were held in October, one by Councilor David Scott at the McConnell Center and one by Mayor Scott Myers at the Dover High School Auditorium. On Nov. 6. residents voted in favor of the tax cap 3,225-2,820, a margin of 405 votes. The tax cap will take effect for the next year's fiscal budget and will require the use of a formula to set the allowable increase in annual city budgets. The cap's language allows for an override of the cap with a two-thirds City Council vote, one more vote than is now required to pass the budget. Dover Financial Findings A special independent audit of the city's financial books found that former Police Chief William Fenniman cashed in more than $324,000 worth of accrued leave time payments over the six years leading up to is retirement. In December 2006, the city said Fenniman's payout cost the city $167, 247. Macdonald Page & Company LLC, a firm based in South Portland, Maine, was hired to complete a special audit of leave payments for unused sick and vacation time over the years. Fenniman's payout was one the firm specifically targeted among the 13 city employees who received payments over $40,000. Together the 13 former and current employees earned almost $1.2 million in leave payments, which, combined, showed a variance of $10,199. Five employees had pay discrepancies showing they may have been paid more than the accountant's recalculated figures. Three had discrepancies showing they may have been paid less. The remaining employees had no discrepancies. Fenniman's actual payout was $324,031. The city spent $10,000 on the independent audit in response to pressure from residents. Troubled Waters at Willand Pond A combination of aggressive development, two floods and a steady loss of natural drainage outlets created an ecological nightmare at Willand Pond. In July the pond was closed to the public by state environmental officials after the hot summer weather and high water led to blue-green algae blooms along the shoreline. The algae was a harmful cyanobacteria which contains toxins that can damage the liver or central nervous system. The pond's closure meant residents had to forgo swimming and the high waters also covered the pond's nature trails. A state Department of Environmental Services memo sent to city officials in Somersworth and Dover outlined possible causes for problems at the pond. This list included "human-induced causes" such as "removal of thousands of trees in the watershed that balance the hydrologic budget naturally, tremendous construction of impervious surfaces, fill of wetlands and blocking the flow of the outlet. In November, the DES deemed the pond safe and reopened it. In December, Dover and Somersworth were awarded a grant by the DES to help with lengthy process of easing drainage at the pond. The grant was awarded from a pool of $300,000 in available funds for various projects around the state. Once awarded, the funds would be used to construct an outlet channel for the pond, which would extend from the pond to the Salmon Falls watershed area behind Home Depot and Target. Newmarket Financial Audit In November 2006, a citizen petition requested an audit of the Newmarket financial books and in May 2007 some of those finding came to light. An internal controls assessment conducted by Municipal Resources Inc. found Former Town Administrator Al Dixon was reimbursed just under $20,000 in 2006 from the town coffers for a range of expenses, many of which were purchased using his own credit card, including chocolates, supplies for an Eagle Scout project, Christmas party expenses and flowers. It was also found Dixon spent $9,752 attending conferences and training seminars in Houston, Philadelphia, Boston and San Antonio, with many of those expenses were paid for my Dixon's personal credit card and later reimbursed by the town. In December, a forensic audit conducted by Graham & Graham outlined a host of problems with town finances during fiscal year 2006. The report was critical of Dixon, former Finance Director Melodie Hodgdon and Paul Mercier, C.P.A., the town's former auditor. Among the allegations in the audit were a six-week personal body makeover paid for by town funds, the shredding of documents, altered earned time records, "stealth transactions" by town officials and $3 million in unaccounted "various assets." Some of the personal purchases paid for by the town included $4,000 worth of shrubbery delivered to Dixon's home, the purchase of beer for an unidentified picnic, a $2,445 Dell laptop computer still in the possession of Hodgdon. The audit also noted significant spending on food by Dixon while attending conferences. At subsequent town meetings residents expressed outrage about the financial discrepancies. The audit has been sent to the attorney general's office to determine if criminal wrongdoing has taken place. As of this date, no public information has come from the AG's office. April Floods An April Nor'easter dropped about 5 inches of rain in 24 hours and pushed wind gusts of up to 50 miles per hour, resulting in the region's second major flooding event in two years. The storm caused widespread damage to the area and resulted in tragedy. Four-year-old Sapphyre Perro and her grandmother Donna Dube, 50, drowned after rushing floodwaters swept them away as they tried to cause cross Chick Road in East Lebanon, Maine on April 17. A third individual, George Eliason, 40, tried to rescue the two but was caught in the current of the Little River. He was rescued and treated for hypothermia. Impassable roads not only hampered rescue effort in Lebanon but also caused chaos elsewhere. In Farmington, damage to several roads including the Hornetown Road Bridge isolated the downtown area, prompting a response from the National Guard. Roads were also damaged in several other communities in the Tri-City and Seacoast regions. About 200 National Guardsmen were deployed to the area to help with evacuations due to the damaged roads in rising floodwaters. Intense Blaze Destroys Abandoned Factory A raging inferno lit the early morning sky and destroyed an empty factory owned by the Boston Felt Company on Front Street in East Rochester. It took firefighting crews from several nearby departments more than an hour to control the four-alarm blaze during the early morning hours of April 25. By the time the fire was out, the former shoe factory was reduced to rubble. Fortunately, firefighters were able to contain the blaze to the abandoned factory and prevent it from spreading to other nearby mill buildings and homes. Fire Marshal Richard Giguere ultimately deemed the fire suspicious, noting the building was vacant and there wasn't enough electricity to start a blaze of such magnitude. Less than a month later two 18-year-old men, Joshua Nichols and Daniel Debutts, were arrested for allegedly starting the blaze. In court proceedings it was learned the two were on scene the day of the fire watching firefighters. The pair allegedly started the fire with debris and gasoline because they were "bored." Smoking Ban Goes into Effect A statewide smoking ban at bars and restaurants took effect Sept. 17. Gov. John Lynch signed the bill into law in June, citing a need to protect non-smokers from the health-risks of second hand smoke. New Hampshire was the last New England state to adopt such a law and joined 21 other states in which smoking is not allowed in some public places. The ban forced smokers outside their favorite establishments; those who ignore the law face a $100 fine for the first offense and a $200 fine for multiple offenses. Local business owners accepted the change with mixed reviews. New Hampshire already bans smoking in public buildings, offices and work places, except in smoking areas that are effectively segregated from nonsmoking areas. Smoking is banned in schools, child care agencies, hospitals, grocery stores, elevators, buses, tramways and gondolas. Saying Goodbye to a Music Icon Tommy Makem, legendary Irish musician and one of Dover's most beloved residents, died Aug. 1 at the age of 74 after a yearlong battle with lung cancer. Known internationally as the "Godfather of Irish Music," Makem was considered a wise and generous man by his family and friends. Internationally, Makem was best known for his work with The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem. The group released dozens of albums and performed all over the world. Although renowned internationally, Makem did not forget Dover, where he lived since the late 1950s and would often perform at local events. As many as 1,500 people — including friends and family, admirers of Makem's work, and local and state dignitaries, such as Gov. John Lynch, former Gov. Jeanne Shaheen and Dover Mayor Scott Myers — came to pay their respects at his two-hour service at St. Mary Church, where Makem was a communicant. Crowds gathered along the sidewalks before the funeral as the city of Dover Fire and Rescue Department's Engine 3 led a processional down Central Avenue and Chestnut Street, its lights flashing and sirens silenced, carrying with it Makem's casket. The casket was draped with Irish and American flags and was brought into the church while the fire department's color guard and the police department's mounted patrol stood at attention. Flags adorned with Celtic crosses fluttered above the doorways. In December, the U.S. House of Representatives remembered Makem when they unanimously passed Resolution 768, honoring his life. Children's Museum Works Toward Dover Move Introducing a new name, The Children's Museum of New Hampshire kicked off an aggressive public fundraising campaign in July to help raise $3.3 million to renovate and adapt the former Butterfield Gym for its move from Portsmouth to Dover. The goal of fundraising is to raise $1.3 million. The campaign kicked off at a ceremony on July 31 in front of the former gym where the museum announced it's name change from the Children Museum of Portsmouth to the Children's Museum of New Hampshire and unveiled a new logo. As of late December, the museum has received three donations of $50,000, a donation of $100,000 and a donation of $250,000. The donations will be used for a new classroom, snack area and the "Cochecosystem" exhibit, which tells the story of New Hampshire's mills and river ecosystem. The museum signed a 60-year lease with Dover in 2005. The opening of the new museum is set for July 2008 and triples the floor space the museum has in Portsmouth. Fire Devastates Local Business Fire ripped through two buildings at Middleton Building Supply on the morning of Sept. 27, demolishing one building and severely damaging another. The blaze broke out just before 2 a.m. and destroyed the building known as "the shavings house" at the lumberyard at 5 Kings Highway. Firefighters said the fire originated in the shaving house, the part of the mill where sawdust is bagged. The building adjacent to "the shavings house", a concrete facility used to store wood shavings, caught fire shortly afterward. Firefighters believe the fire traveled through the sawdust chute into the second building. It took about 80 firefighters from several nearby communities almost two hours to bring the four-alarm blaze under control. No one was injured. The fire caused at least a half-million dollars in damage and temporarily put about 25 workers out of work. Microburst in Rochester It looked like it was going to be typical midsummer afternoon storm but the violent, fast-moving storm that roared across Rochester on July 15 was anything but typical. The storm left behind a path of destruction across the city, including dozens of downed trees, blocked streets, and poles struck by lightning. "Our little neighborhood is like a war zone," a Dartmouth Lane resident told Foster's. The highest wind gust recorded at Skyhaven Airport was 57 miles per hour. The gusts were strong enough to blow plywood and a large aluminum roof from a lumberyard to a backyard on Lowell Street. Neighborhoods off Rochester Hill Road were hit the hardest as downed trees made several roads impassible and multiple homes were damaged. A meteorologist from the National Weather Service said the storm damage was a result of a microburst but some residents were skeptical and asked how a microburst could uproot large trees. Fire Chief Norm Sanborn said it appeared the microburst traveled from the Gonic end of Route 125, to Old Dover Road, Lowell Street and up to Rochester Hill Road. Toll Hike At 12:01 a.m., on Oct. 22, it became a little more expensive to drive on New Hampshire highways as tolls increased across the state. Tolls in Rochester, Dover and Hampton tolls saw 25-cent increases, boosting the fee to 75 cents. The Hampton tolls saw an increase of 50 cents, bringing the cost to $1.50. The tolls on the Everett Turnpike in Bedford and on Interstate 93 in Hooksett also went up to 75 cents. The increases were the result of a vote by the Executive Council to fund a quarter-billion dollars of turnpike improvement projects. Facing declining revenues and rising construction costs, Department of Transportation said the first hikes in 18 years were necessary to widen the Spaulding Turnpike in Rochester, replace more than a dozen red-list bridges and continue design work on widening the Little Bay bridges spanning Dover and Newington. The toll hikes did not affect the 30 percent E-ZPass discount. Dodds Indicted on Criminal Charges; Case Unfolds A year after being involved in a car accident on the Spaulding Turnpike, former congressional candidate Gary Dodds, 43, of 300 Sagamore Road, in Rye, was indicted on a felony charge of falsifying physical evidence and two misdemeanors charges of conduct after an accident and causing false public alarms stemming from the April 5, 2006 accident. The felony charge alleges he altered his feet to corroborate his version of events. Dodds, a Democrat, was seeking the U.S. Congress District 1 seat held by Jeb Bradley at the time of the crash. At the accident scene, rescuers found Dodds' vehicle unoccupied and he was nowhere to be found. Twenty-seven hours later, Dodds was found on the other side of the Bellamy River, lying on his back and covered with leaves. Prosecutors say he was elsewhere during the 27 hours, contrary to Dodds' story that he spent all night in the woods awaiting rescue. In November, the state filed a motion to introduce evidence that Dodds had taken out two mortgages on property without the approval of his wife, Cynthia, to fund his campaign and that his campaign had received letters from the Federal Election Commission indicating they were contemplating instigating an audit into discrepancies in campaign finance reports. "It would be argued that Mr. Dodds fabricated the story he told police and falsified his physical appearance in an attempt to gain publicity to help propel his campaign for the United States Congress," the motion reads. "The state would argue that Mr. Dodds believed the publicity garnered from this accident would increase the visibility of his campaign, allowing him to pay back the mortgages, avoid further FEC investigation, and right a campaign that was lagging." Dodd's trial is tentatively scheduled for Jan. 28, 2008. Liberty Mutual Expands In September, Liberty Mutual opened its $70 million, 350,000-square foot expansion and moved 550 employees to its Dover operations. The employees were transferred from locations in Portsmouth and Exeter. The new building boasts a large cafeteria and conference center and three floors of cubicles and conference rooms. At the ceremony, Dover Mayor Scott Myers said the expansion represented another chapter in the "long-standing and growing relationship" between Liberty Mutual and the community. Community contributions to project included road improvements on Sixth Street and the Spaulding Turnpike. The company shared the costs of the road project with the city. Liberty Mutual also has two other facilities in Dover, both located nearby. These buildings employ an additional 1,250 people. The Massachusetts-based company employs more people in New Hampshire than anywhere else in the world, including its Boston headquarters. Foster's Makes Historic Change to an A.M. Paper. Monday, Nov. 26, 2007, was a historic day for the 135-year-old family owned newspaper as Foster's Daily Democrat launched its first morning newspaper. Accompanying the switch to a morning paper was a redesign of the paper and its website. The morning newspaper was launched with much fanfare and even saw magician B.J. Hickman of Dover successfully predict the headlines for the inaugural morning edition. Foster's was one of the last newspapers in the region to make the switch to the a.m. paper. The decision to switch to a morning edition was made two months prior in an effort to reach more readers and have the paper available for them longer.
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