Franklin

School districts hoping for a boost in state aid are back to the drawing board after Governor Sununu's budget veto Friday. 

Democrats said the proposed $140 million increase would be paid for, in part, by rolling back business tax cuts. And many districts said new money would allow them to make building improvements and rehire staff.

This spring, Franklin schools laid off 10 staff because of a tight budget. Superintendent Daniel DeGallo hoped to rehire them if the state sent more aid.

Some residents and business owners in Franklin say they're fed up with a homeless encampment in the area.

Franklin Police are aware of a group of what ranges between roughly a dozen people or more camping on a hill and in surrounding woods near Trestle View Park.

Cathy Hubble runs a restaurant in Franklin and says she's recently decided to close earlier because of safety concerns.

After a vote to break the tax cap, and then a reversal of that decision, the Franklin City Council Wednesday night finalized a school budget for the next year. But it still falls short of what the school board requested.

Franklin's nearly 30-year old tax cap won't be in place next year. The city council overrode the mayor’s veto to break the tax cap with a 6 to 3 vote Thursday night.

After years of budget shortfalls and layoffs, Franklin’s school district has some breathing room, at least for one year. That's how long this proposed tax cap break would last.

The school district would get $708,623, and could rehire most of the 14 staff members laid off this year.

Representatives from several federal agencies converged in New Hampshire Tuesday to provide information on how municipalities can make use of government resources.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Environmental Protection Agency and other organizations filled Franklin's City Hall for the event, organized in part by HUD Regional Administrator David Tille.

Governor Sununu's pick to lead the state labor department went before the Executive Council for a confirmation hearing Wednesday.

The city of Franklin has dropped its youth curfew following pressure from the New Hampshire ACLU. 

In a statement, Mayor Ken Merrifield and the Franklin city council cited the cost of defending the ordinance in court in making their decision.

Officials in Franklin have voted to reinstate the city's curfew for children under the age of 16.

The curfew had been in effect for two decades but was recently suspended. Under the curfew, reinstated by vote of the city council, children would need to be out of public areas after 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and after 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday evenings. Parents of children caught violating the curfew could face fines.

Three school districts in New Hampshire are sharing a federal grant worth nearly $10 million to improve access to mental health services in schools.

The grant to the Berlin public schools, the Franklin school district and the district covering Colebrook, Stewartstown and Pittsburg will serve about 4,000 people for five years. About 700 adults will be trained each year with the goal of making schools safer and reducing bullying, suspensions, substance abuse and behavioral problems.