WNTK Local News

Lebanon’s Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center has loosened restrictions on visitors, reports WCAX.

Visitors will now be allowed in the birthing wing, the Children’s Hospital at Dartmouth, in-patient surgery, and end-of-life care. Visitors had not been allowed in the facility for the past year of the COVID-19 pandemic, however, hospital officials state that new data allows for them to re-open the doors. DHMC Official Carol Majewski states, “Certainly we are still encouraging competent, able adults who can come in for an appointment without somebody, we still suggest you do that. However, we know that for cognitive, or physical reasons, or just emotional or psych-social support, people need to have somebody.” 

A majority of adults will be restricted to one visitor at a time, while sick children will be allowed both of their parents.

All visitors will be required to wear masks and use DHMC’s front entrance. 

The newest member of the Newport School Board, Bert Spaulding Sr., has filed a lawsuit against fellow board member, Rhonda Callum-King, reports the Union Leader.

According to the report, Spaulding’s lawsuit alleges that Callum-King lied about having an email in response to his 91-A (Right-to-Know) request. He claims that he requested copies of all emails sent by board members concerning him back in November 2020. On November 16th, he sent an email to every member of the board seeking all emails, or other communications, regarding himself and voting.

Callum-King stated, on November 17th, that she did not have anything regarding Spaulding’s request. However, Spaulding forwarded an email to the district’s Superintendent Brendan Minnihan and Board Chair Linda Wadenstein, where Callum-King expressed concern regarding his refusal to wear a face mask in the school building for meetings. The email also called Bert Spualding Jr., Spaulding’s son, “creepy.” Spaulding Jr. was convicted in 2000 for sexually assaulting underage girls.

The attorney representing the board and Callum-King, Demetrio Aspiras, is calling for the lawsuit to be dismissed. Aspiras claims that the 91-A, “does not allow for email requests made to public bodies, as Spaulding did in making his requests to the individual board members via email.” Aspiras also states that Callum-King does not count as a public body under the law, as an individual.

The lawsuit was filed in Sullivan County Superior Court. 

A Lempster man has been charged with several counts of Possession of Child Sexual Abuse Images following the execution of a search warrant on Friday, reports the New Hampshire State Police.

According to the report, members of the NH Internet Crimes Against Children, with support from the Lempster Fire and Newport Police Departments, executed a search warrant on a home at 23 Unity Springs Road in Lempster. A CyberTip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children helped launch the investigation. The tip stated that there had been an illegal use of computers, as well as the alleged possession and/or distribution of sexual abuse images of prepubescent children, within the home.

Following the search, 19-year-old Christopher Ferland was arrested and charged with 10 counts of Possession of Child Sexual Abuse Images, a Class A Felony. Further charges are pending the completion of forensic analysis. While the investigation is ongoing, it is believed that Ferland had limited unsupervised, in-person exposure to children.

He is expected to appear in Sullivan County Superior Court on Monday, March 15th to be arraigned. He is currently being held at the Sullivan County House of Corrections.

Anyone with useful information regarding the investigation are encouraged to contact Detective Sergeant Michael McLaughlin at 603-419-0130/Michael.McLaughlin@dos.nh.gov or Detective William Neilsen at 603-931-0854/William.Neilsen@dos.nh.gov. 

A Cornish, New Hampshire police officer was injured on Saturday while attempting to apprehend three juveniles suspected of committing multiple thefts.

According to a post on the Cornish Police Department’s Facebook page, the department received a report of three suspicious individuals outside a home on Townhouse Road at approximately 2:40 AM on Saturday, March 13th. With assistance from the NH State Police and Claremont Police Department, authorities were able to locate the three males, all aged between 14 and 16 years old.

Reportedly, when attempting to apprehend the juveniles, two of which possessed knives, one began to fight an officer. The officer was injured in the altercation and required medical treatment.

Further investigation has led officers to believe that the three juveniles have been involved in multiple motor vehicle thefts in the Cornish, Plainfield, and Windsor areas. Police are asking anyone in the area of Route 12A or Townhouse Road to report missing items from their vehicles, and to check external cameras for suspicious activity.

To report such activity, contact the Cornish PD at 603-543-0535 or via email at Doug.Hackett@CornishNH.net. 

Two Sunapee roadways are set to close through the weekend due to muddy conditions.

Scott A. Hazelton, CPESC, Sunapee’s Highway Director, announced the closures of the town’s Sargent and Stage Coach Roads on Thursday.

Sargent Road (also known as Sugar House Hill) was closed today, while Stage Coach Road will be closed on Friday morning. According to Hazelton, these closures will last “at least through the weekend” and points towards the “saturated” conditions on both roadways.

He asks citizens to seek an alternate route, unless they reside on the listed roads. 

The state of New Hampshire will be launching a new COVID-19 vaccine appointment system on Wednesday, March 17th, reports WCAX.

Prior to next Wednesday, instructional videos will be made available to teach the public how to use the Vaccine & Immunization Network Interface (VINI).The videos are said to cover; screening and registration, scheduling, receiving the vaccine, and a verification message.

NH had originally signed up to use the CDC’s system, the Vaccine Administration Management System, which will now be replaced by VINI. According to the report, thousands of NH citizens were unable to schedule their booster shots when using the prior system.

The new system comes as NH moves into Phase 2A of COVID-19 vaccination. 

An early Tuesday morning fight in Vermont has led to the arrest of a Rockingham man.

According to a press release from the VT State Police-Westminster Barracks, troopers responded to a report of a family fight on Rocky Road in Rockingham at approximately 3:40 AM on Tuesday, March 9th. An initial investigation yielded that Patrick Spaulding, 56, had assaulted another member of the household.

He was subsequently arrested and issued conditions of release to appear in VT Superior Court, Windham Criminal Division on Wednesday to answer to the charges of; 1st Degree Aggravated Domestic Assault (two counts), Domestic Assault, and Violations of Conditions of Release.

Spaulding was transported to the Southern State Correctional Facility and held on $10,000 bail. 

In a tight vote on Tuesday, the residents of Lebanon have voted to defund the school district’s school resource officer (SRO).

According to WCAX, the non-binding warrant article passed by just five votes, 1011 yes to 1006 no. Kathy Beckett, an individual who gathered signatures to get the warrant on the ballot, says that too often students of color, and individuals with disabilities, are negatively impacted by a police officer in the hallways. She states, “I think it is important to look at how we actually interact with the community and who can best serve the needs of the community.”

Lebanon Deputy Police Chief Phil Roberts disagrees, commenting, “The benefits that it has brought the community, the students, the staff, as well as the PD here far outweigh any negatives that we are hearing.”

Some individuals who agree with the termination of the SRO position say that building relationships between counselors and students would be a better use of the district’s money.

An email from the district’s outgoing school board chair stated that the board will consider the community’s vote, but that a next step has yet to be determined. The district’s SRO has been on the job since 2006. 

Dartmouth College has begun loosening some COVID-19 precautions on-campus following a decrease in cases, reports WCAX.

On Monday, the school reopened the Baker-Berry Library, the alumni gym, the fitness center, and several other buildings for students and campus employees. Students will still be asked to avoid visiting with other students or gathering in hallways, stated officials. At this time, common spaces and kitchens in the residence halls will remain closed, and the “grab and go” dining policy is still in effect.

Reportedly, the lack of violations of the new guidelines was another key factor into the decision.  

For the first time, Vermont health officials have detected one of the more infectious variants of the COVID-19 virus, reports NBC 5.

The variant, named the B.1.1.7 variant, was originally discovered in the United Kingdom. In February, VT health officials announced a “likely presence” of the variant in the state after discovering mutations in wastewater. On Monday, it was announced that the variant had been discovered in a Chittenden County resident.

According to VT Health Commissioner Mark Levine, these findings were not a surprise. “This and other variants have been circulating throughout the U.S. for some time, so we expected to find evidence here. In fact, we are the last New England state where it has been detected,” he stated.

At this time, vaccine manufacturers have reported that their vaccines should provide some protection against the mutations. Moderna has submitted a variant-specific vaccine candidate for a clinical study.