Local and regional news

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Dry River Hiker Injury

A New York hiker suffered a head injury while hiking in the Dry River Wilderness this past Saturday. New Hampshire Fish and Game say 58-year-old Denise Blank was hiking the Dry River Trail when she slipped down an embankment and injured her head around 10:30am. Lacking cell reception, a member of her group hiked three and a half miles to make a call for help. Conservation Officers, Bartlett Fire Department, SOLO Wilderness Medicine, Lakes Region Search and Rescue, the Appalachian Mountain Club, Androscoggin Valley Search and Rescue and the US Forest Service all responded to the call. Denise was placed in a litter and carried back to the trailhead shortly before 7:00 in the evening. She was taken to Memorial Hospital by the Bartlett Jackson Ambulance. Authorities say Denise and her group were well prepared for the conditions.

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Independence Day Celebrations

Conway, NH The parade starts at Hillside Avenue at 1:30pm on July 4th and goes to the Kennett Middle School.

Fryeburg, Maine The fireworks are on July 2nd at 9pm at the Field of Dreams. Fryeburg’s parade will be held on July 4th starting at the American Legion Post off Bradley Street at 10am.

Bridgton, Maine The fireworks are on Wednesday, July 3rd, at the Stevens Brook Elementary School. They start at dusk.

Naples, Maine The parade will start next to the fire station at Roosevelt Trail at 2pm on July 4th. The fireworks will be at dusk on July 4th at Long Lake.

Ossipee, NH The Community Fair and Parade will be at the OCC Building (5 Dore Street) in Center Ossipee on Thursday, July 4th at 10am-3pm.

Waterville Valley, NH The parade will start at Waterville Valley Town Square at 11am on July 4th. The fireworks will be at Corcoran Pond from 9:30 until 10pm that evening.

Tamworth, NH The parade starts at Depot Road on July 4th at 11am. The fireworks start at 9:15pm at the Brett School.

Bartlett, NH The parade will start at Precinct Park and travel along Route 302 on July 4th at 11am.

Gorham, NH The kiddie parade will start at Ed Fenn School on July 4th at 11am. The parade will start at Dublin Street and travel along Route 16 to Railroad Street afterwards at 2pm. The fireworks will start at 10pm.

Meredith, NH The fireworks start at 9:30pm.

Moultonborough, NH The parade will start at Blake Road and go to the Lion’s Club (old Route 109) on July 4th at 11am.

Wolfeboro, NH The parade starts north of Sewall Road and travels along Main Street towards Brewster Academy at 10am on July 4th. The fireworks will be over Wolfeboro Bay at 9:30pm.

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Valley Resident Speaks on Suicide at Regional VA Event

Former Army Captain and valley resident Ray Gilmore spoke on veteran suicide at VA New England’s recent conference to share resources. He previously sat down and had a conversation with Mt. Washington Radio News Director Tony Zore. He told Magic 104, “My best friend and roommate committed suicide. You know- Sapper qualified, ranger qualified, combat adviser- just like me. Five kids- six kids! He was an over achiever. Thanksgiving weekend, midnight, find out through Facebook that Doug offed himself. It was a shock. He was not the guy, it never is but when 20 to 22 soldiers a day are committing suicide there’s no such thing as ‘not that guy,’ that guy is everywhere. It can be anybody.” Keita Franklin, Executive Director Suicide Prevention, VHA Office of Mental Health noted at the conference that both male and female veterans have a higher rate of suicide than those who didn’t serve. The Department of Veterans Affairs says their top priority is to eliminate suicide among veterans. Department officials say, “If you are a Veteran, service member, National Guard or Reserve member there is support no matter what you are experiencing.  If you are a loved one, family or a friend there is help and guidance for you.  Call the Veterans Crisis Line for free confidential support at 800-273-8255 Press 1; or find support online.

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Latest Involving Randolph Accident: ICE Officials Get Involved

The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency is taking steps to ensure a Ukrainian-born truck driver whose collision with motorcyclists in New Hampshire left seven dead remains in custody even if his criminal case were dismissed. Volodymyr Zhukovskyy is being held without bail. He pleaded not guilty Tuesday to negligent homicide in Friday’s crash. The ICE detainer means even if the case were to be dismissed, Zhukovskyy would be turned over to the organization. (Associated Press)

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Senator Shaheen Touts Funds to Fight Opioids

US Senator from New Hampshire Jeanne Shaheen is touting an increase in Federal funds to New Hampshire her office says she helped secure. New Hampshire and other hard-hit states by the opioid epidemic have received an increase in Federal funding to help combat the trend. Last year New Hampshire received $22.9 million from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration to help treat those afflicted with opioid addiction. That’s a significant boost from the $3.1 million New Hampshire had received in 2017. Shaheen’s office touted the increase in funding to the State saying, “We cannot grow numb to this tragedy and need to keep finding ways to save lives and deliver treatment before it’s too late.” Last month the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner of New Hampshire put out the official state tally for drug deaths in 2018. Opioids were responsible for the vast majority of deaths with roughly 420 deaths due to opioids compared to the annual total of roughly 470 deaths. That total represents a very minor drop but it’s the first drop since the start of the spike in deaths by opioids that began in 2013.

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Randolph Accident: Truck Driver Arrested

The driver of the pick-up truck involved in a deadly motor vehicle accident has now been identified, arrested, and charged. The driver, identified as 23-year-old Volodymyr Zhukovskyy was arrested at his home in Springfield, Massachusetts at 8:00 this morning. Massachusetts State Police arrested Zhukovskyy on a Fugitive from Justice charge after an arrest warrant was issued for seven counts of negligent homicide. Associated Press reports that Zhukovskyy had two prior drunk driving incidents, one last month in Connecticut and one in Massachusetts in 2013.

Authorities originally received notification of the accident off Route 2 in Randolph, New Hampshire at around 6:29 this past Saturday evening. The accident involved seven motorcyclists associated with a New England motorcycle club called the, ‘Marine JarHeads.’ They have been identified as Michael Ferazzi, 62; Albert Mazza, 59; Daniel Pereira, 58; Joanne and Edward Corr, both 58 years old; Desma Oakes, 42; and Aaron Perry, 45. New Hampshire Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Jennie Duval determined all seven died due to blunt force trauma.

 

 

 

A previously planned Blessing of the Bikes ceremony on Sunday became a solemn moment of mourning and reflection in the immediate aftermath of the crash that has shocked the New England region and country at large. The Associated Press reports roughly 400 people paid tribute to the bikers at the event. Governor Chris Sununu announced later on Sunday that flags would be flown at half-staff on Monday. He announced the statewide gesture yesterday saying, “Words cannot express the grief we all share in the loss of these seven individuals. The State will ensure that the families affected will have the necessary resources to provide closure to this tragic event.”

 

 

 

The investigation into the incident remains ongoing.

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One Percent for the Valley

A new non-profit is looking to harness the power of the free market for the environment. One Percent for the Valley is a non-profit organization by valley-local Jasmine Schmidt. It’s modeled after an international organization. Schmidt says, “Right now we’ve drafted out a loose budget for what we’re going to do with our funds after we raise them and it’s going to entirely depend on how businesses want to join our organization.” The idea is for various businesses to sign up for 1% of their proceeds going to the non-profit that will then use those funds to develop more environmentally friendly alternative methods of conducting their business. She also says, “If it weren’t for the beauty of our natural environment, we wouldn’t have an economy at all. I think businesses should be the ones making those steps because they’re the ones with the most skin the game when it comes to the environment. They’re the ones that are profiting off of it and that doesn’t have to be a bad thing. I think businesses and the environment can coexist in a positive way.” Bryce Harrison, co-Founder of Cheese Louise and member of One Percent for the Valley, says that one discussed idea would be to install a water-bottle filling station at Schouler Park in Conway in order to encourage more people to reuse water bottles and reduce plastic waste.