Saturday & Sunday, January 15-16 • 10:00am-3:00pm Ossipee Fire Dept, RT 16 W. Ossipee, NH $15.00 per person per day • 7& under free
Saturday, January 15, 2011
saturday
Selectmen insisting annual pay hikes no longer a sacred cow in Meredith
MEREDITH — With one hand the selectmen are awarding municipal employees a pay raise, but with the other are signaling not to expect annual increases as a matter of routine. In preparing its 2011 budget, the board has appropriated $72,500 for what
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Farah asking for 9 1/2 year prison sentence By Kathy MccorMacK
tors out of at least $33 million. He’s scheduled to be sentenced Wednesday. “Mr. Farah regrets that his fraudulent conduct has deprived so many people of money that they entrusted to him,” a sentencing memorandum filed Thursday by his lawyer said. Farah pleaded guilty in October to wire fraud and mail fraud. Prosecutors had proposed a 15 1/2- to 19 1/2-year sentence for him at the time. They later said they might
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CONCORD (AP) — The head of a failed New Hampshire mortgage firm who pleaded guilty to federal fraud charges in exchange for a reduced prison sentence has asked for 9 1/2 years, followed by two years of supervised release. Scott Farah, 47, former president of Financial Resources Mortgage, admitted last year to swindling more than 250 inves-
propose a lesser sentence because Farah had been cooperative. Each charges carries a maximum sentence of 20 years. Farah acted as a broker, connecting lenders with borrowers on mortgages for commercial and residential building projects. He promised the lenders high rates of return on their money, up to 18 percent. He has admitted pooling investor funds to pay off other loans, investors and personal see FaraH page 8
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Jamie Beliveau of Laconia, a graduate of Laconia High School who is currently studying education at the New Hampshire Technical Institute, won the Sports Car Club of America’s New England Rallycross 2010 Championship and this weekend is traveling to the Stafford Springs Raceway in Connecticut to compete in a national championship. Beliveau’s success is impressive not only because of his age – he is the youngest driver to win a SCCA rallycross championship – but also because he competes with his daily driver, a 1995 Subaru Impreza with a fraction of the horsepower much of his competitors enjoy. Above, he demonstrates expert car control as he exits a cul-de-sac on a secluded local road. (Laconia Daily Sun photo/Adam Drapcho)
Laconia officials pledge to craft municipal and school budgets that call for zero increase in amount of property tax to be raised By Michael Kitch THE LACONIA DAILY SUN
LACONIA — Meeting together yesterday, the budget committee of the School Board and the finance committee of the City Council agreed to prepare budgets for fiscal year 2011-2012, beginning on July 1, that will not increase the
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amount that has to be raised by property taxes. “This year is going to be about making choices,” said Councilor Henry Lipman (Ward 3), who chairs the finance committee. “No increase in the tax rate. That’s where we’re headed.” Bob Dassatti, chairman of the School Board, assured the
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councilors that “there is no us against them. We see our role as advocates for every child in the city of Laconia,” he said frankly. “But, we understand the pressures you’re under.” In keeping with past practice, the School Board will begin its budget process with “Super Saturday” at the middle school
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on January 22, beginning at 8 a.m. when Superintendent Bob Champlin presents the administration’s budget request, which Dassatti described as “a wish list.” “The city also has a wish list,” replied Councilor Bob Hamel (Ward 5), who agreed that the see LaCONIa page 10