BY JENN McDOWELL After renegotiating their contract with the Salem School Board, the Salem Educational Personnel Association has withdrawn its Superior Court petition asking for a judge’s approval for a special meeting and revote on salary increases for the 2008-09 school year. “The contract was renegotiated with language ...

BY DERRICK PERKINS Selectmen held off on making a decision to petition for a special town meeting in the fall that would allow them to move toward rebuilding two bridges on the state’s red list. During the Monday, June 23, meeting, selectmen discussed a possible special vote, which would allow the board to contract with an engineering ...

BY JIM DEVINE SALEM – Although the school district budget passed March 11, the failure of a deficit spending article for ballooning special education costs has put pressure on supply purchases, school officials said. “It’s not necessarily a freeze, but it’s close to it,” Superintendent Michael ...

BY JIM DEVINE More than 260 voters turned out to decide on projects amounting to a 10.7 percent tax increase at the town’s second deliberative session Saturday, March 15. Of items narrowly defeated by residents was a 3 percent pay increase to department heads that failed by three votes. Although the increase would have only cost ...

Salem School Warrants Unofficial returns, • denotes winner Article 2: To approve the school district’s operating budget in the amount of $53,539,584 for fiscal year 2008-09. • Yes................................2,665 ...

BY JIM DEVINE SALEM – Although multimillion- dollar decisions for a new police station and high school renovations have been made, plenty of money matters are up for consideration at Salem’s second deliberative session. Nearly $5 million in capital expenditures are to be discussed at the final segment of Salem’s Town ...

BY JIM DEVINE The long-awaited plan for a new police station will have to keep waiting following insufficient support at the polls. The $7.1 million bond article proposed to build the new station on Veterans Memorial Parkway received only 54 percent of the vote when two-thirds majority required for passage, 2,652 to 2,267. The ...

BY MATT HERSHA recount of a failed $3.8 million bridge repair warrant article yielded no changes despite the hopes of some concerned Salem residents. Though the recount did not change the outcome of the original vote, Selectman Michael Lyons said he intends to present a bridge repair plan to his board in an upcoming meeting. Lyons said his plan ...

BY MATT HERSH After all three of Salem’s bond articles failed to gain the required two-thirds vote to pass earlier this month, selectmen have come up with a two-part plan to make the projects happen. At their Monday, March 26, meeting, selectmen voted 4-1 to have Town Manager Henry LaBranche draft a letter to state legislators requesting ...