The Walpole Police Department has reported a single-vehicle accident from early Monday morning near the Connecticut River.
According to a post on the Department’s Facebook page, authorities responded to the scene of the accident following a 911 call shortly after 3 AM on Monday, March 8th. Upon arriving at the scene they discovered a commercial truck that had rolled down an embankment towards the Connecticut River off of Route 12.
The operator, whose identity has not been released, was transported from the scene to Cheshire Medical Center to be evaluated for minor injuries. The commercial vehicle sustained heavy damage in the accident, and was removed from the scene by S G Reed Truck Services, Inc.
The Walpole Police Department were assisted at the scene by the Walpole Fire Department, EMS, and New Hampshire State Police Commercial Vehicle Unit.
The Vermont State Police-Royalton Barracks are investigating a single-car motor vehicle accident that took place Friday in Hartland.
According to a press release, troopers responded to an accident on Interstate 91 in Hartland at approximately 11 PM on Friday, March 5th. The Hartland Fire Department provided assistance at the scene.
An investigation yielded that the vehicle, being operated by 34-year-old Kevin Coonce of Wilder, had been traveling southbound when it entered the median and he lost control. Coonce’s vehicle crossed into the median, struck an AOT sign post, and then rolled over onto its roof.
The vehicle, a 2019 Kia Rio, sustained front end and roof damage in the crash. No injuries were sustained in the accident.
If you witnessed the accident, please contact the VSP Royalton Barracks to provide your eye-witness account.
Officials from the Town of Hanover are pointing towards off-campus parties as the cause of Dartmouth College’s COVID-19 spike.
According to WMUR, there are currently a total of 142 infected staff and students on-campus, with 294 other individuals currently in quarantine. Classes at the school have gone remote.
Hanover Town Manager Julia Griffin states that several off-campus gatherings deemed “cruise-through parties” could be to blame for the increase in cases. Griffin said, “I think they were smart. They say they never had nine more, plus our tenants, but then that group would leave that location and another group would come in.” Griffin also believes that COVID-19 precautions were not being taken at the gatherings.
The town reportedly plans on sending a warning to students in off-campus housing.
Griffin states that the cases are currently confined to the Hanover campus, and that there is no current indication of spread throughout the community.
Vaccinations for teachers and school staff members in New Hampshire will begin next week, reports the Associated Press.
At a press conference on Thursday, Governor Chris Sununu stated that Phase 2A of NH’s COVID-19 vaccine rollout includes approximately 50,000 teachers, school employees, and childcare workers. Reportedly, the plan was always to have this group vaccinated by the end of May, but limited vaccine supply made this unlikely.
However, now that a third vaccine is available and distribution has increased, public health networks will begin administering clinics for school districts beginning on March 12th. Beginning on March 17th, teachers and other staff will become eligible to book vaccine appointments at existing public vaccination locations.
Of the push to get school staff vaccinated, Sununu stated, “They were next in line, so we’re just going right to it.”
A Vermont State Trooper is facing domestic assault charges following a two-month long investigation, reports the Vermont State Police-Westminster Barracks.
In December 2020, the VSP launched an investigation into allegations against 25-year-old Nicholas Cianci of Bradford, a detective trooper from the St. Johnsbury Barracks. The investigation began when the court issued a temporary relief-from-abuse order against Cianci, and the victim alleged that he had physically assaulted and threatened her.
On December 7th, he was put on paid relief from duty, which was switched to unpaid relief from duty on Wednesday. On Wednesday, March 3rd, Cianci was cited on suspicion of misdemeanor domestic assault and will be arraigned on March 25th at 8 AM in VT Superior Court, Chelsea Criminal Division.
At this time, the VSP are unable to comment further, and state that an affidavit of probable cause will be filed with the court and made public following his arraignment. The identity of the victim will not be released, as the VSP does not reveal the names of victims of domestic violence or sexual assault.
The Richards Free Library in Newport has chosen a new Library Director.
According to a Facebook post from March 1st, the library’s current director, Andrea Thorpe, will be retiring following over 30 years of service. Her final day at Richards is slated for Friday, March 12th.
In a post published today, March 3rd, Justine Fafara was named as the new Library Director as of Monday, March 15th. Prior to earning this position, Fafara had been serving as the library’s Assistant Director for the past seven months. Before arriving in Newport, she says that she was the Library Director in Walpole. Fafara currently serves as the Vice President of the New Hampshire Library Association’s Young Adult Library Services Section, as well as the Chair of the New Hampshire Teen Book Award Committee.
The post includes a statement from Fafara, “As of March 15th, I will be your next Library Director, and I look forward to keeping up with Andrea’s vision for the library. Newport is such a unique community with so many amazing resources. The Newport Opera House Association, the Library Arts Center, the Newport Recreation, and the library… Everyone works so hard to bring joy to this town, and it shows. I will absolutely continue that tradition.”
At Tuesday night’s Newport School District budget meeting, Superintendent Brendan Minnihan outlined the possible outcomes of next week’s vote.
Minnihan began the meeting by discussing the impacts and outcomes of the initial budgetary talks. “The initial budget came out even for expenses, seeing no expense increase,” he stated. However, the larger challenge was on the revenue side, as Newport reportedly saw a decrease in revenue stemming from a few factors. Minnihan stated that with expenses stable, and the loss of revenue, the impact on taxpayers was set to be an increase of $3.68. Due to this being a large sum, an effort was made to offset this impact.
According to Board Vice-Chair Jenna Darling, “The district decided to set aside $500,000 to return to reduce the tax rate, (and) $507,719 of the projected ESSER 2 grant will be used to offset expenses to further reduce the tax rate. The projected rate will go from $3.68 to $1.38.”
Following this discussion, Minnihan began to outline the articles being voted on next week, as well as their impact on the taxes of Newport Citizens. The articles are as follows; Article Three addresses the district’s operating budget, Article Four addresses the district’s ability to receive gifts, Article Five asks voters to purchase a 14-passenger van for transporting students and athletic teams, and Article Six is based around the Newport Support Staff Two-Year Collective Bargaining Agreement.
For taxpayers, Article Three will have the biggest direct effect on them. Based on Minnihan’s reporting, taxes will increase whether voters pass the article or not. A passing vote for Article Three will allocate a budget of $19,215,983 and a tax increase of $1.38. If voters reject Article Three, the district’s budget will be $19,581,489. This will increase taxes by $2.21. Finally, a no vote on Article Three from the town could lead to a vote by the school board or force the town to adopt last year’s operating budget. Last year’s budget was $19,812,925 and would increase taxes $2.74.
The town’s vote takes place next Tuesday, March 9th, at the Newport Middle High School Gym. Minnihan states that a drive-thru voting option will also be available for those who choose not to go inside.
A Monday evening snowmobile crash on Lake Sunapee landed a Massachusetts man in New London Hospital.
According to a press release from the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department, authorities were notified of a snowmobile accident on Lake Sunapee in Newbury at approximately 5:30 PM on March 1st.
Reportedly, the operator, 19-year-old Ian McCaffrey of Arlington, MA, was traversing the ice on his snowmobile when he struck a “pressure ridge” and was tossed from his vehicle. At the time of the accident, McCaffrey was wearing a helmet. He sustained multiple non-life threatening injuries in the crash.
He was able to find a nearby citizen on the lake who transported him to New London Hospital to be treated for his wounds.
No further information regarding the incident has been released at this time.
A plot of land in Hanover will now be used as a community forest, reports the Associated Press.
According to the report, the Trust for Public Land, Hanover Conservancy, and the Town of Hanover announced the creation and permanent protection of the “Mink Brook Community Forest.” The forest will have hiking and snowshoeing trails along with a “migration corridor” for local wildlife. The space, measuring 254-acres, will be owned by the town and be accessible to citizens who live or work within three miles of the property.
According to Hanover Town Manager Julia Griffin, the plot of land is “probably the most important purchase in the town’s effort to to protect an ’emerald necklace’ stretching from Hanover’s southern border to the Connecticut River.”
A Springfield, Vermont man was arrested Monday morning on heroin charges, reports the Vermont State Police-Westminster Barracks.
Reportedly, at approximately 1:30 AM on Monday, March 1st, troopers identified a disable motor vehicle on Interstate 91. Upon investigation, it was discovered that one of the vehicle’s occupants, 38-year-old Matthew Faircloth of Springfield, was in possession of heroin/fentanyl. He was taken into custody and transported to the Springfield Police Department to be processed.
Faircloth was then released and cited to appear in VT Superior Court, Windham Criminal Division on April 20th at 11 AM to answer to these charges.
WNTK Local News 