WNTK Local News

The New Hampshire Department of Education released guidelines to follow for possible in-person graduation ceremonies, reports WMUR.

The guidelines set the rules that must be followed in order for high school students to still have a graduation ceremony, while practicing social distancing. This would mean; no handshakes, high-fives, hugs, mingling before, or after the event. Due to large school populations, and large number of family members, the guidelines also explain how to fix this. Officials recommend limiting crowd sizes, or performing drive-up/parade style ceremonies.

Education Commissioner Frank Edelblut states that districts will have to get creative in finding ways to celebrate their seniors. One caveat remains; if community health circumstances change, school districts will have to adopt or drop their plans altogether. 

WCAX and Vermont Health Officials have given updated statistics for the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic in the state.

As of Tuesday, VT now has 907 confirmed cases, along with 52 virus related deaths. So far, 17,518 tests have been conducted in the state. 20 people are still being monitored for symptoms, while 840 have completed the monitoring process. Chittenden County has by far the most cases in the state, totaling 425, while Essex County has the fewest with two.

VT Governor Phil Scott has extended his emergency stay-at-home order until May 15. 

New Hampshire health officials announced 50 new COVID-19 positive tests on Tuesday, reports WMUR.

The 50 new cases were reported along with six new COVID-19 related deaths in the state. This brings the state’s total cases to 2636, and 92 deaths. All six of the deaths were in people over the age of 60. Four of the 50 new cases are in people under the age of 18, and nine new hospitalizations were reported, bringing the hospitalized patient total to 295.

Several cases are still under investigation. 

Officials announced no new COVID-19 deaths in the state of New Hampshire Monday, reports WMUR.

While the state saw no new COVID-19 related deaths, there were 72 new cases announced, bringing the state’s total to 2588. Four new hospitalizations were also announced, bringing the number of hospitalized patients to 286 (about 11% of all cases).

This news comes as restrictions are being loosened around the state; golf courses, hair salons, and retailers can re-open next week as long as social distancing measures are in place, including face masks for employees at all times.

The Vermont Journal Pet of the Week is Stella.

Stella is a six-year-old calico cat, who mainly resides indoors. She weighs approximately 12 pounds. While Stella tolerates felines, she is happiest being in a one-pet household. The Springfield Humane Society is offering “Curbside Kitty Adoptions.” This means that all adoptions can be done outside, due to the inability to let outside citizens into the building.

She can be adopted by appointment only either through their Facebook page or Petfinder.com. The Springfield Humane Society can be reached at 802-885-3997 or at their website, http://www.spfldhumane.org.

Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, New Hampshire is devoting a whole unit to battling the COVID-19 pandemic, reports Sentinel Source.

The unit was previously the neurocritical care unit on the hospital’s third floor of its inpatient tower. According to DH CEO Joanne Conroy, the unit typically sees an average of 10-30 COVID-19 patients or possible patients, with patients who are not considered to require intensive care moved to the second floor of the building.

The hospital is expecting peak patients to be around 76, but does not expect this until the summer or fall of this year.

A fire in Enfield, New Hampshire Saturday morning has left a family’s home uninhabitable, reports NBC 5.

The Enfield Fire Department states that the fire started in a garage, before spreading to the attached mobile home, and three cars on the property. Firefighters saved the house, but the garage was deemed a total loss. Due to heavy smoke and heat, the home is currently uninhabitable. Currently, the cause of the fire is under investigation, although it can be reported that no humans were injured, but several cats within the home perished.

The American Red Cross will be helping the family.

A mass protest outside the Southern State Correctional Facility on Friday caused a lock down, reports WCAX.

A large group of unannounced protesters arrived outside the facility on Friday, and their chants caused a disturbance among the prisoners inside. A specialized response team had to be brought in to de-escalate the situation, which resulted in minimal damage but no injuries.

The protesters took all signs supporting officers that had been placed earlier in the week.

A Claremont, New Hampshire woman charged with negligent homicide and assault charges is seeking an early parole, reports WCAX.

In 2016, Amber King was involved in a crash that left one person dead and one injured. Superior Court Judge Brian Tucker states that she has shown remorse since the incident and that holding her in custody “serves no sentencing purpose.”

According to WCAX, the deceased victim’s mother agrees with King’s release.

Vermont Fish and Wildlife officials are urging hunters to report their turkeys via their online reporting system, reports NBC 5.

The COVID-19 pandemic and social distancing measures has led officials to transfer to the “online-only” reporting system, where hunters are legally required to report their turkeys within the first 48 hours after their hunt.

According to turkey biologist Chris Bernier, this process has been successfully implemented in other states and will hopefully keep people safe. The online information required includes; biological measurements, contact information, harvest details, license, and tag.

VT’s spring turkey season runs from May 1 through May 31.