By Matt Hersh

 January

• A man with a fake bomb robbed Shaws Supermarket at the Rockingham Mall Plaza on Route 28.  The man approached the counter with a package he claimed was a bomb and demanded cash.  The teller gave him an undisclosed amount of money and the man fled, leaving the package behind.  New Hampshire State Police investigated and discovered the package was not a bomb.
• State Rep. John J. Manning, who turned himself in 2005 on a warrant of two counts of supplying alcohol to a minor, was summoned back to court after Salem Police found evidence to support that he allowed his own daughter to drink at the Horseshoe Cafe at Rockingham Park, which he managed.  His daughter, Christina, was 20 at the time.  The 2005 charges resulted from a car crash involving an underage driver who claimed Manning supplied her with alcohol.
• Public Works Director Rodney Bartlett resigned from his position in Salem to occupy a similar one in Peterborough.  Bartlett said he would remain with Salem through February and would act as an on-call advisor until Town Meeting in March.
 • Robert Pariseau, an administrator at Salem High School, and an overseer of the Salem Vocational Center, retired after 38 years of teaching. Pariseau emphasized providing students with a well-rounded education through the use of block scheduling and vocational programs and was lauded by school staff and students as a valuable teacher.
• Pvt. Ronald Litchkofski, a soldier who had resided in Salem for several years, was found dead in his residence at Fort Polk, La.  The cause of death was unknown and was being investigated by the Army’s Criminal Investigation Division. There were no signs of forcible entry into his home. Litchkofski was remembered by Salem family members as a good person who cared about other people.
• A woman gave birth at the Ruby Tuesday restaurant at the Mall at Rockingham Park with help from a customer, waitresses and mall security guards.  The situation arose when a customer heard calls for help coming from the bathroom. The customer found a 19-year-old pregnant woman who had apparently gone into labor though she said she didn’t think she was pregnant. After calling 911 and receiving instructions from a dispatcher, the customer, waitresses, and security guards safely delivered the baby.
• Two of three women who were accused of stealing more than $10,000 worth of underwear from Victoria’s Secret and The Gap at the Mall at Rockingham Park appeared in Exeter District Court.  Diamantina Realejo, 24, of 24 Sanborn St., Lawrence Mass., and Virgen Fernandez, 19, of 545 Haverhill St., Lawrence, Mass., were arrested after witnesses identified them from photos.  When questioned, Fernandez led police to a home in Lawrence where the stolen merchandise was being kept. A third woman, Maribel Lopez, 21, of 4 Florence St., Lawrence, Mass., was also identified but remained at large.

February

• A 6-year-old boy was killed when he fell out of a truck he was riding in and was run over by its wheels.  The boy had been riding in the truck when he fell out while trying to close its door.  Jeffrey Snipes of Derry, who had been driving the vehicle, got out of his truck to help the boy. Snipes accidentally left the car in reverse, causing it to run over the boy.
• The race for several Salem political seats began with a surprise when selectman Stephanie Micklon and budget committee member Stephen Campbell both decided against running for re-election. Micklon said she didn’t run because she would be moving from Salem soon, while Campbell, a longtime member of the committee, said he wanted to give someone else the opportunity to fill his position.
• At the Feb. 9 deliberative session of the Salem School District Meeting, the school board successfully restored $570,756 to their 2006-07 operating budget for three new teachers to ease overcrowding in science programs.
• Kasmir Ulaky, co-owner of Canobie Lake Park, died at the age of 83. He was the last surviving member of a partnership that purchased and modernized the park in the late 1950s. Ulaky considered several parks throughout the Northeast but chose Salem which was, at the time, a very small town.  Ulakay was described as a gentle, down-to-earth man who loved his community by those who knew him.
• At the town’s first deliberative session, selectmen successfully restored $227,936 to their operating budget. Though the restoration allowed selectmen to pursue a new fire department vehicle, a new patrol officer, a police deputy chief, and a code enforcement officer position, budget committee members were upset that it pushed the tax rate up $1.53 per $1,000 of assessed valuation.
• Developers began working on a 160-foot bridge on Veterans Parkway in the Braemoor Woods. The bridge was part of a housing development being constructed in the woods. The project was made possible by using a Partnership for Advanced Technology in Housing (PATH) award, which is given to developers who aim to minimize environmental impacts. Lewis said the bridge would resemble London Bridge upon its completion.
• Due to other town financial increases, Salem decided against contributing membership dues to the Rockingham Planning Commission, a regional planning agency that has provided services to the town’s planning department since the mid-’90s.  Following selectmen’s decision to remove the $15,000 in dues from their operating budget, a citizen petition to restore the amount was submitted and added to the agenda at the town’s second deliberative session.

March

• Police officers were covered with white paint when they responded to a domestic dispute between a local painter and his girlfriend. Ralph Lavin, 36, of 27 Haigh Ave. retreated into his basement where he hurled cans of paint and a filing cabinet at police before giving himself up.
• Controversial information surrounding two candidates running for office in Salem surfaced just weeks before election.  A master’s degree cited by newly elected selectman Arthur Barnes was found to be earned through an online diploma mill. Barnes defended his degree from Belforduniversity.net, which he said was granted based upon “life experience.” Also, selectman and budget committee candidate Richard Gregory was being sued for more than $70,000 in Rockingham County Superior Court over materials Gregory’s business, D.G. Electric Co. allegedly never paid for.
• Residents approved a $4 million bond article to improve arterial roads in North Salem by a total of 2,244 votes, only eight more than the needed two-thirds majority. Voters also approved the 2006 town operating budget of $29,742,957.
• A Salem District Court judge found state Rep. John J. Manning guilty on one of two charges of allowing underage drinking at a restaurant he manages for Rockingham Park. Manning was found guilty of allowing 20-year-old Sheryl Brown to drink at the restaurant.  Another charge that Manning allowed his then 20-year-old daughter to drink was dropped due to lack of evidence.  He was fined $600.
• The death of Salem High School teacher and coach Robert J. Rhodes, 55, shocked the community after he suffered a brain aneurysm on March 18.  Rhodes, a social studies teacher who coached boys basketball, cross country and tennis, was fondly remembered as an inspiring person who pushed his students to work hard and pursue their own goals.  Rhodes taught at the school for 32 years.
• Alan J. Phair, a Salem resident and a Grand Knight in the Knights of Columbus, was given the John P. Ganley Award for his volunteer work throughout the community. Close to 400 people, including Gov. John Lynch, showed up at the Boys & Girls Club to honor Phair, who performs countless hours of community service despite being stricken with a neuromuscular illness that prevents him from controlling the blinking of his eyes.  
• Hopes for a new police station were shot down after voters killed a warrant article to fund $65,000 for its plans at the town’s second deliberative session. Though some selectmen and budget committee members had advocated for the new building, voters saw fit to single it out as the only item to deny at the second deliberative session.  All citizen petitions were passed, bringing the town side of the tax rate to $8 per $1,000 of assessed property value.
• The lineup for the town’s board of selectmen changed when Elizabeth “Beth” Roth and Arthur Barnes were elected.  Michael Lyons, who had just finished his first year as a selectman, was named chairman of the board.  
• Fire Lt. Dennis Covey announced his retirement from the Salem Fire Department after 21 years of service.  Though rumors suggested Covey was retiring to avoid disciplinary action after an altercation with another firefighter, Salem Fire Chief Kevin Breen said Covey had not been suspended or warned.  Covey’s work as a firefighter included acting as fire inspector and being one of the first in the department to be trained as a paramedic.
• Salem resident and brain cancer survivor Dan Frietas announced his intention to climb Mt. McKinley, North America’s highest mountain, in an attempt to raise money for the Jimmy Fund.  Frietas’ goal was to raise a dollar for every foot the mountain rises above sea-level, a total of 20,320 feet.  Frietas, who had previously climbed the mountain three times in the past, said he was inspired to raise the money after seeing children facing cancer at the Dana-Faber Institute.

April

• The Salem Fire Department, along with other local fire departments, experienced several brush fires after a period of dry conditions and gusty winds.  Salem Fire Deputy Chief Paul Parisi said many of the fires were the result of children playing with matches.  One of the fires, started by two boys on Stoneybrook Lane, destroyed a shed and damaged two neighboring homes.
• A string of convenience store burglaries had Salem police actively investigating. A total of three stores were hit during a three day spree starting on April 1.  On April 1 at 4:16 a.m., police responded to an alarm at Racing Oil Mart, 52 Lowell Road, where they found some had entered the store and tried to break open the ATM machine. Nine minutes later, they responded to Dusty’s Citgo at 36 Pelham Road where the front glass door had been shattered and $200 had been stolen. On April 4, police responded to another unsuccessful ATM break-in at Salem Convenience on Main Street.
• The Salem Police Department promoted two of its administrative officers. Capt. Robert Larsen was promoted to the deputy chief position after 29 years in the department while Lt. Mark Pearson was promoted to captain.  
• Scoutmaster Pat Hargreaves stepped down from his position after 20 years of service.  During the time he occupied the position, more than 450 young men looked up to Hargreaves for support and guidance.  Other Scout officials estimated Hargreaves dedicated more than 1,500 hours to his troop. A gathering to honor Hargreaves was held on April 8.
• After 42 years of involvement with the Salem School District, teacher Sandra Broadhurst announced her intent to retire at the end of the school year. A surprise party for Broadhurst was held at the Village Square Restaurant, where she was greeted by dozens of her former students, some of which were in their 40’s. Broadhurst started her teaching career at Haigh School in 1964 but spent most of it at Soule School teaching grades 2 through 6.
• As changes were made in the nature of New Hampshire’s energy market, Salem residents, along with others in the state were given the option of choosing their own energy supplier.  Prior to the changes, Salem residents received their energy from National Grid.  The deregulation of energy suppliers allowed residents to compare prices from five different companies throughout the state.
• Salem police took part in a “simunitions” training on April 13,  where officers acted out potential situations they might face in the line of duty. Making use of special bullets made with detergent-based dye, officers were able to assess how they would perform in high stress environments like a hostage situation.
• As the school board and selectmen began to consider capital improvement projects for 2007, kindergarten was high on their list of priorities. Officials said they wanted to remove Salem from a list of 12 New Hampshire towns that do not offer pubic kindergarten. The town’s kindergarten committee had planned to bring the issue to the 2008 ballot, but the school board approved asking voters to approve an extensive high school renovation project instead. Superintendent Michael Delahanty said both boards would look at timelines for bringing kindergarten to Salem.
• The Salem Planning Board got its first look at a lingerie barbershop looking to move into town at 142 Main St., behind Brooks Pharmacy. Paradise Cuts, (a name that would later be changed to Lather and Lace) would feature lingerie-clad hairstylists, according to its planner, Peter Carlino. Planning board members did not deem the business to be sexually oriented but questioned whether or not it would be an appropriate part of Salem’s downtown area which is in close proximity to several schools.  Despite some concerns from residents, board members voted 6-1 to continue the application.
May

• Lance Cpl. Robert Moscillo, 21, a Marine from Salem, died in Iraq after his vehicle was hit by an improvised explosive device during combat operations near Fallujah. Moscillo was a machine gunner in a unit charged with detecting land mines. He was described by family members as a likable, fun-loving person who was protective of those he knew.
• Charles A. Seifert II, 60, a retired Salem High School English teacher, died on May 3 after a long career with the school district. School officials said Seifert was passionate about teaching.  He was also an active member of the community and a supporter of the YMCA.
• Salem and other communities throughout the state experienced the worst floods in recent history after being slammed with several days of heavy rain.  The flooding closed down local businesses, schools, and town offices as firefighters and police evacuated many residents from their homes. Rainfall reached record numbers according to gauges at Hampshire Station.  The flooding also taxed Salem’s resources in all areas from the number of traffic cones and barrels needed to public works employees working overtime.
The town officially ended the state of emergency that came along with the town’s flooding. Though the emergency was over, local businesses and residents still struggled to repair their properties and return their lives back to normal.

June

• The Salem Fire Department successfully rescued a construction worker from a trench that collapsed as he was working on it. The trench, which was being dug to put in a waterline at a home, collapsed on the worker, trapping him in a hole.  Firefighters responded quickly, rescuing the man in about 20 minutes.
• Selectmen were hit with a $3.9 million estimate for damage repairs associated with May’s floods. Though Town Manager Henry LaBranche said the estimate was likely higher than costs would be, he said selectmen needed to start looking at payment strategies. Some options discussed by officials included grants from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and asking the state Department of Revenue to authorize an emergency over expenditure.
• Three Salem High School students shared the honor of being named valedictorian. Marianne Bauer, James Chin and Kaitlyn M. LeFebvre all achieved the same grade-point average to receive the title.
• Members of the school board and the kindergarten committee announced that plans to bring kindergarten to Salem will not appear on the 2007 ballot. Superintendent Michael Delahanty said the kindergarten project was delayed because more planning had to be done. The elimination of the kindergarten program from the district’s capital improvements plan gave rise to renewed hope that Salem would see a new police station in 2007.
• Lancaster School said goodbye to its principal, Edith Soley who retired after a 36-year career. Dubbed “Queen for the Day” by her students on June 15, Soley dressed up in a crown and a feather boa as she was honored. A Kwanzan cherry tree in the school’s butterfly garden was dedicated to Soley as a retirement gift.
• Salem volunteers of all ages raised $148,000 for the American Cancer Society during the Relay For Life event held at Salem High School on June 24.  More than 70 teams and 500 participants walked around the school’s track in the town’s second year holding the event.  Approximately 70 cancer survivors also attended the event, providing inspiration to those in attendance.
July

• Just weeks after he had been sent off to Iraq, Army Spc. Joseph Bohne, 22, was seriously injured when his vehicle was struck by a roadside bomb.  Bohne’s injuries were serious but not life-threatening, according to Salem police Capt. Mark Pearson.  Bohne called home to his parents immediately, telling them he would be returning to the United States after surgery.
• Rockingham Park celebrated its 100-year anniversary with an extravagant party to which every Salem resident was invited.  On July 4, the park also hosted Independence Day fireworks, drawing hundreds of residents.
• The ongoing search for a new head of Salem’s Public Works Department continued to yield few results after a third round of candidate interviews produced only one suitable applicant who turned down the job. Town officials said the search would likely resume in October.
• At their July 17 meeting, Salem selectmen officially announced their decision to build the future police station on the present site while authorizing money for studies to start site plans.  Public safety impact fees totalling $20,000 were authorized for the project.
• Salem resident Laura Gabriel and Logan, her adopted son from Lebanon, were safely reunited with Gabriel’s husband, Scott, in an emotional event at Boston’s Logan Airport. As the Gabriels began the international adoption process in April, a conflict between Israel and Hezbollah erupted, bringing it to a stop.  Laura Gabriel chose to stay in Lebanon with Logan until they could safely return home on July 21.
• A 14-year-old Salem boy who went missing for 11 days with a 19-year-old woman was found in North Carolina. Jennifer Newcomb, 19, who was employed as a teacher’s aid, was charged with interfering with custody in New Hampshire after leaving the state with the boy, who was assigned to a court-appointed group home in Newport.

 August

• The Federal Emergency Management Agency awarded $780,059.09 to Salem residents to help repair damages incurred during May’s floods.  The grants were the largest part of more than $8.2 million given to 4,218 New Hampshire applicants.
• Salem officials began to consider buying out 23 homes on Haigh Avenue through the use of FEMA grants. The consideration came after homeowners submitted a petition to the town requesting assistance to find money to fund the buyout.  Haigh Avenue, which is located near the Spicket River, was one of the hardest-hit streets in Salem during May’s record-setting floods.
• Salem’s K-9 officer, Mike Robbins, retired from the Salem Police Department to take another job after 21 years of service with the town.  Robbins’ dog, Kilo, who was the town’s K-9 dog, retired as well.  Robbins moved on to a bomb-detection job at Manchester-Boston Regional Airport.
• A 79-year-old Massachusetts man drove his car off the road and into the release valve of an underground propane tank at the Salem Market Place on Route 28.  Salem fire, police, and public workers, struggled for nearly 54 hours to clean up the area in order to avoid a potential explosion.
• The town’s properties went through a revaluation process that, in many instances, doubled property values and had residents concerned about tax increases they would potentially face in December.
• Hundreds of runners took part in a road race at Salem High School to memorialize teacher Robert Rhodes, who died unexpectedly in March. The race was planned and organized in part by Rhodes’ daughter, Kathleen.  Proceeds from entree fees and money raised from T-shirt sales was were contributed to a scholarship fund created in Rhodes’ name.
• Well-known Salem resident George Gelt died at the age of 89.  Gelt was the owner and operator of Gelt’s Marketplace on Route 28.  He was remembered by residents as a kind businessman who was always willing to lend a hand.
• Officials began to consider the idea of establishing Salem as a city.  Former state representative Ron “Tony” Giordano made the push to establish a charter commission which would have to be approved by voters in 2007.  The charter commission would then discuss and research the opportunity and impact of changing Salem to a city.

September

• A routine traffic stop turned into one of Salem’s biggest drug busts in several years after police discovered more than $1 million worth of cocaine while searching a car. Juan Castillo, 41, off Lynn, Mass., was arrested after police found approximately 7 kilograms of the drug in the trunk of his car.
• Salem’s 2007 town budget negotiations began after Town Manager Henry LaBranche presented selectmen with a $31.7 million budget, a 5.34 percent increase from 2006.  LaBranche cited high energy costs, and health insurance increases as factors for the jump.  Later in the month, selectmen cut more than $500,000 from LaBranche’s proposal, including new police cruisers and new computers for municipal offices.
• Salem police arrested a Maine couple accused of kidnapping their own pregnant daughter to attempt to force her to have an abortion. Nicholas Kampf, 54, and Lola Kampf, 53, were arrested at a South Broadway strip mall after police discovered their daughter, Katelyn Kampf, 19, hiding in the back of the Staples store. The state later dropped the charges and the Kampfs were prosecuted in Maine.
• After construction delays for Windham’s new high school, officials from Salem and Windham decided to allow Windham students to continue attending Salem High School through the 2008-09 school year. The two towns decided to let the current enrollment agreement lapse and create a new one-year agreement. During the additional year, Windham students would pay tuition to attend Salem High School.
• A group of residents appeared before selectmen to tell them of their intentions to restore the Salem Depot station.  Dianne Paquette, a lifelong Salem resident, began to research potential grants and improvement opportunities for the building which sits on the corner of Main Street and Route 28.
October

• Membership fees collected at the Ingram Senior Center to be donated to the Council on Aging were placed into the town’s general fund after a legal complication. The center collected more than $9,000 to donate but lawyers said they could not do so until voters appropriated the funds in the upcoming year.
• Salem resident Cpl. Nicholas Arvanitis, 22, of the Army’s 3rd Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division was killed by small arms gunfire while on a mission near Bayji, a city in Northern Iraq. Arvanitis was a prominent member of Salem High School’s championship wrestling team as well as an accomplished guitarist in the jazz band. Hundreds of residents, town officials, and family members attended Arvanitis’ funeral on Oct. 17.
• A new van transportation system named the Cooperative Alliance for Regional Transportation was unveiled in Salem and surrounding towns.  Geared mainly toward senior citizens and residents with disabilities, CART started providing transportation between Salem and eight other towns in the area.
• The Salem Fire Department received a mass-casualty trailer, a first for the state. The 20-foot long trailer houses a variety of medical supplies and is designed to accommodate a casualty situation with multiple victims like a bus accident, explosion, or fire.  As the first town in the state to have such a trailer, Salem would be responsible for responding to mass-casualty events until other towns acquire the trailers.
• The hit-and-run death case of 13-year-old Michelle Iannacchino was reopened after 20 years of inactivity.  Iannacchino was a Salem resident who was killed while crossing Route 28 in Windham on Jan. 18, 1986.  Salem and Windham police, along with Iannacchino’s family, reopened the case in hopes that new information would surface and the driver would be brought to justice.
• After the passing of a new piece of legislation, security cameras began to make a reappearance on Salem school buses. Salem had made use of such cameras in the past but was forced to remove them when officials learned that the audio portions of the tapes were illegal.  School officials said they were happy to place the cameras back on buses as a security precaution.

November

• The town of Salem and the Salem School District were hit with huge environmental cleanup costs for the Beede Waste Oil Superfund Site in Plaistow. Though town officials had anticipated paying for the cleanup, they were surprised when the EPA combined the town and school district, making Salem a midlevel polluter. As a midlevel polluter, Salem’s rate per gallon of oil contributed to the site increased from about $6.50 to $10.37.  Some money had been set aside for the anticipated costs, but officials said they would likely have to ask voters for about $75,000 in 2007.
• The restoration of the Salem Depot train station took a step forward after selectmen approved $15,000 to study ways to use the facility. Community Development Director William Scott said some of the money would likely be used to assess potential health hazards in the building such as asbestos.
• Salem resident Jack Webb, 54, was sentenced to spend seven to 18 years in prison for his involvement in the death of a young woman. Webb’s blood alcohol level was almost three times the legal limit when his pickup truck crossed the center line on Route 111 in Windham on Oct. 30, 2005.  Webb’s vehicle struck 19-year-old Katelyn Contraros’ car head-on. Contraros died from severe injuries the following day.
• Salem resident Michael Malynowski and his 100-pound yellow Labrador retriever were named as winners in a Milk-Bone Dog Biscuit contest that will have them appearing on the product’s box in 2007.  Malynowski and Toby beat out hundreds of other applicants from across the country due to their unique bond.
• The Salem Budget Committee approved a $31.8 million 2007 town budget – a 4.2 percent increase from 2006 – in a deliberation processes, officials called “historic” for its speed and air of cooperation. Due to decreasing gas costs and lower estimates for the town’s solid waste contract, selectmen were able to restore a police cruiser and a public works truck to the budget.
• After considering possible warrant articles, Salem selectmen said the chances of a level-funded budget or something close to it was good.  If the town’s budget is level funded, it would be the same as last year’s.
• School officials began to consider cutting back graduation festivities at Woodbury School due to their escalating extravagance and changing nature of education.  School officials met to discuss whether or not graduating from eighth grade is still the achievement it was once considered. A decision was made to get a group of parents together to discuss how to reduce the ceremonies.
• Salem resident John Holland, 27, pleaded guilty to severely beating his 3-month-old daughter in 2005. Just as his first-degree assault trial was about to begin on Nov. 27, Holland changed his plea.  Holland’s case had been pending for more than a year after his daughter, Jada, was found to have several broken bones and bleeding on the brain.
December

• A 20-year-old Salem man who ran away from home after a verbal dispute with his parents was found unconscious nearly 15 hours later.  A massive police search for Nigel Bridges ensued after he left his home and headed into a heavily wooded area on Pelham Road at around 1:15 a.m.
• Fire officials announced that the department had moved on in a process to acquire a SAFER grant which would allow them to hire four new line firefighters.  The department failed to acquire such a grant earlier in the year, but this time, Fire Chief Kevin Breen said he wants the town to fund the new positions regardless of the grant outcome.
•  Some officials and residents were in an uproar after the 2007 school district budget came in at 8.5 percent higher than 2006- even after cuts made by the budget committee. School officials cited increased special education and retirement costs as a reason for the increase. Budget committee member Kathy Cote said she doubts voters will approve the budget in March.
• Hopes for a town-wide rail trail designed for bike and foot transportation and recreation were renewed as the issue was brought forward to the planning board by a business owner who wants to develop a parking lot on part of the proposed trail.  Selectmen were asked to make a policy decision while proponents of the trail project prepared to do an engineering study.
• Ending a yearlong search, the town promoted Rick Russell to head of the Public Works.  Dave Wholley was also promoted to operations manager of the department.