Unity Approves Budget; School Suit Settlement Pending

Unity — Voters on Saturday approved a $3.7 million school budget and the formation of an advisory budget committee with at least seven members that will include residents and School Board and town government representatives.

The committee’s charge will be to review and advise the board on issues related to the budget.

The approved budget represents a spending decrease of $96,000 in the operating portion . Combined with an increase in state aid and use of the prior year’s fund balance of $57,000, the overall school tax rate is projected to decrease about $2 per $1,000 of assessed valuation.

It was also announced at the 30-minute meeting in the elementary school that a settlement had been reached in the lawsuit against Scott Vaughn, who was the original architect and construction manager of the new elementary school, which opened in the fall of 2014. The agreement has not been finalized so the details have not been made public.

Moose Hunt Lottery Accepting Applications

Concord— New Hampshire is accepting applications for this year’s moose hunt lottery.

Applications for the lottery cost $15 for residents and $25 for non-residents and are available online at huntnh.com or from any Fish and Game Department license agent. The deadline is May 26.New Hampshire proposes to issue 51 permits this year, the lowest number since the state started its current lottery system in 1988.

Permits have declined in recent years, partly because of the impact of parasites, both winter tick and brainworm, on moose. Last year, 71 lottery permits were issued at the June lottery.

This year’s hunt runs from Oct. 17 to 29.

New Hampshire Plans Accessible Trail Near Old Man Site

Franconia Notch, n.h. — New Hampshire is planning a new, universally accessible trail near the plaza dedicated to its famous fallen icon, the Old Man of the Mountain. The Old Man of the Mountain Profile Plaza was dedicated in 2011, eight years after the 40-foot-tall granite formation resembling a man’s face fell 1,200 feet to the ground. The New Hampshire Division of Parks and Recreation wants to build a trail between the viewing place and the Profile Lake boat launch along the Franconia Notch Parkway, with a boardwalk in areas where there is not enough space between the road and the lake. The project would be funded by the Old Man of the Mountain Legacy Fund. The parks division is presenting its plans April 6 at the Franconia Notch State Park headquarters.

— Staff and wire reports

Vermont House to vote on marijuana bill

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MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) — House lawmakers in Vermont are expected to vote on a measure to legalize the use and possession of small amounts of marijuana for adults.

It was uncertain if the measure would pass out of the House Judiciary Committee last week, but the bill passed 8-3 during an unscheduled vote last Wednesday. The full House will take a vote on the measure Monday.

The bill would make it legal for adults to possess up to one ounce of pot and two plants under the measure but does not create a regulatory system for selling and taxing pot.