Solar Panels, ‘Worst Case I’ve Ever Seen’, New High School Principal

This was a dramatic week of news, with several important happenings throughout Waterford and a horrifying case of canine neglect.

We'll start with that case, whose body is completely covered in mange. To many, his skin looks so red from the mange it looks like he was burnt. Luckily, a Waterford woman who is part of a rescue group has now taken the dog and is getting it treated for its many ailments.

On Wednesday, there were two big news stories. The first was the hiring of Waterford High School’s . Hauser is a high school principal in Durham and also spent a year hiking the Appalachian Trail.

The other big news that night was the Board of Finance finalizing its $82 million budget proposal for the 2013-14 fiscal year, a 3.86 percent increase over this year’s $78.79 million total. Tensions were high at the meeting, with one Board of Finance member calling out two others for an alleged conflict of interest.

On Friday, it was all about solar panels and LED lights, and how the Waterford School District is planning to save $800,000 by using them. And on Wednesday, it was good news for Mark Steiner, as an appeal regarding Seaside Sanitarium was dismissed, which may pave the way for the property to finally be developed.

We wrote two business profiles this week, both about Waterford born-and-bred entrepreneurs who have Waterford businesses. The first was about James “Jimmy” Nicholas, his company at 86 Boston Post Road and his best-selling book; the second about Kevin Reardon and his family-owned business, Reardon Agency Insurance.

In other news, Clark Lane Middle School has a police officer now, two neighbors were worried about lights at Lisa Dedrick Field and we had some important updates about the Waterford Transfer Station. Oh, and we almost forgot about the Crystal Mall and other retailers saying they are not worth as much as the town thinks they are…