New Hampshire Public Radio: North County
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For Northern Pass Crossing Conservation Land Would Mean...
In 2003 state and federal officials, a private land owner and conservation groups created a conservation easement to protect about 146,000 acres in
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The Little Newspaper That Could
While most newspapers are downsizing, outsourcing, assimilating or outright folding, there’s a newspaper in the North Country that’s flourishing. Two weeks
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Four-Alarm Brush-Woods Fire In Littleton
Spring is a time that worries fire fighters because the forest and brush are not yet green enough to resist a flame. That was a problem Wednesday afternoon
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Northern Pass Foes Worry A Huge Conservation Tract Is...
For more than a year landowners and a conservation group have been trying to keep Northern Pass from finding a route through Northern Coos County. But
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Ceremony Marks 10 Years Without The Old Man Of The...
It was ten years ago Friday, that the state lost the Old Man of the Mountain. A celebration at Profile Park marked the anniversary. A lone bagpiper
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Northern Pass Says It Is Still Seeking Consensus
During a quarterly conference call Thursday officials at Northeast Utilities, the parent company of the Northern Pass project, said while they have a new
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Northern Pass Insists It Has New Route But Again...
Northeast Utilities, the parent company of the Northern Pass project, did not announce a new route during a conference call with analysts Thursday morning.
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Department of Energy Responds (More Or Less) To Shaheen...
Last month Northern Pass opponents complained that U.S. Department of Energy contractors working on the Northern Pass project were trespassing on their
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Sometimes A Long And Scary Wait: Getting A Trooper In...
The scared woman sitting at “Response to Sexual and Domestic Violence,” a women’s shelter in Coos County, hasn’t heard Gov. Hassan talk about the need for
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A New Battle: Review Of Historical Impact On Northern...
On a spring day Nigel Manley, the manager of The Rocks Estate in Bethlehem, stands on a little knoll and admires the view. “The Presidential Range. Today
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More Details On Balsams Renovation And A Step Forward
When the $30 million renovation of the Balsams Grand Resort is complete it will look a lot like the old grand hotel but will feature much-needed modern
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Hassan Goes Way North And Promises Economic Development...
If the Senate bill that proposes a single casino in the state becomes law it “would dedicate millions of dollars per year directly to North Country
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DOE Collecting Info Without A Complete Northern Pass...
Some North Country landowners are surprised that Department of Energy contractors are gathering environmental information on the Northern Pass project even
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Shaheen, Ayotte Query Feds On Northern Pass Trespassing...
After some North Country residents complained that U.S. Department of Energy contractors working on the Northern Pass project are trespassing on their
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North Country Town Meetings: Everything From Fighting...
Voters headed to town meetings Tuesday in the North Country will find some unusual issues including creating a community ski slope, challenging the rights
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Air-Quality Officials Investigate Balsams Renovation Fire
The Department of Environmental Services is investigating whether any air-protection measures were violated when several buildings at the Balsams were
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Gambling Bill Has Consolation Prize For North Country -...
A bill authorizing a casino with 500 slot machines and 150 table games faces its first vote in the senate ways and means committee Tuesday morning. The
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Beat The Clock: Balsams Renovation Financing Glitch
The owners of the closed Balsams Grand Resort in Dixville Notch are playing beat the clock to get an important part of the financing they need to renovate
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North Country Getting Off Easy - So Far
By Saturday morning it appeared the North Country had been spared the worst of the storm. Only four inches of snow was reported in Lancaster and about
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Volunteer Rescue Groups Oppose Charging All Hikers For...
House lawmakers will hear a billThursday that would make NH the first state to make people pay fees any time they are rescued by Fish and game. Backers of
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Wind Farm Owner And Coos County Wrangle Over Payments
Just as other wind farms are being considered around the state, Coos County officials are fighting with the operator of the 33 turbines located in their
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On A Frigid Peak Biologists Research The Marten's...
Almost 35 years ago the American Marten was one of the first animals to be put on the state’s threatened species list, but now the slinky member of the
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PUC Says It Will Investigate Public Service Of New...
The state’s Public Utilities Commission is planning to investigate whether PSNH is charging consumers too much for electricity. In an order issued Friday
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Three Injured In Mount Washington Avalanche
Three climbers caught in an avalanche Thursday got a rapid, tumblingride down Mount Washington’s Huntington Ravine. But apparently they were not seriously
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Colebrook Opens Streets To Welcome ATV Tourists
The town of Colebrook in the North Country has taken a new step to try and attract ATV-riding tourists.It’s opening up some of its streets to the all-terrain vehicles.NHPR’s Chris Jensen reports.Colebrook’s select board has approved opening up 21 streets in the town to ATV riders, says Jules Kennett, one of the three selectmen.“We finally came up with what we believe is the safest, most accessible way to get the ATVers into the center of town.”The speed limit would be 10 miles per hour.The...
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An Active Shooter: Preparing For The Worst And Hoping...
Following the shootings at Columbine in 1999 the New Hampshire State police developed a free course to help local police departments face such a deadly challenge.Now, after the killing of 20 children and six adults in a Newtown, Ct. school, some police departments are showing more interest.NHPR’s Chris Jensen attended one course over the weekend in Bristol.Here’s the sound nobody wants to hear for real in a school.Sound of teens screaming and running….This was during a training drill. But if...
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Lincoln State Rep Proposes Two Gambling Casinos
Several bills that would expand gambling in New Hampshire are likely to be introduced this session. One North Country lawmaker plans to file a bill to allow two casinos in the state.NHPR’s Chris Jensen reports.As the legislative session begins, Governor-elect Maggie Hassan has repeatedly said that she’s open to expanded gambling in the state.And she thinks New Hampshire would benefit most from a single high-end casino near the Massachusetts border.But Republican representative Edmond Gionet...
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Bill Would Increase Allowable Gifts to Legislators
Among the bills to be considered by the legislature in 2013 is one that would significantly increase the value of a gift that could be accepted by legislators, who are paid only $100 a year.NHPR’s Chris Jensen reports.Last year Edmond Gionet, a Republican rep from Lincoln, asked the legislative ethics committee whether it was okay for him to accept free ski passes to Cannon Mountain.Gionet volunteers on Cannon Mountain’s advisory board and he saw the tickets as a nice thank-you.But tickets...
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Northern Pass Misses One Self-Imposed Deadline, But...
For much of the year officials at Northeast Utilities have been saying they would have the new route for Northern Pass submitted to the US Department of Energy by the end of the year.But the New Year is here and while nothing has been posted with the DOE Northern Pass says it has a new route.NHPR’s Chris Jensen reports.In a conference call with analysts early in October Northeast Utilities official Lee Olivier said the company was “still on track” to file a new route with the Department of...
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Canadian Hikers Rescued from Mount Lafayette
Two Canadian men who were lost in the White Mountains overnight were rescued Monday afternoon after an extensive search by Fish and Game and a National Guard Black Hawk helicopter.NHPR’s Chris Jensen reports.The two Canadian men had planned to climb Mt. Lafayette, a 4,000-footer in the Franconia Notch.But they lost their way late Sunday afternoon due to fog, high winds and blowing snow, says Dany Daigle of Quebec, one of the hikers.“We found a big rock and sleep under it. We tried to make a...
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North Country Towns Work On A Community Forest
Audio FileAudio of newscast.Edit | RemoveA group of North Country residents is much closer to creating a community forest alongside the White Mountain National Forest.Now they’re beginning to think about what kind of playground it should be.NHPR’s Chris Jensen reports.For years people in the western part of the White Mountains –have admired an 840-acre tract of privately owned land.It is located in Easton, which abuts the better-known towns of Sugar Hill and Franconia.From its ridgeline...
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Image Upgrade: Bill Would Change Name of Blood Pond
Among the hundreds of bills proposed for the 2013 Legislature one seeks to change the somewhat unappealing name of a pond in the North Country.NHPR’s Chris Jensen reports.Blood Pond.It sits just off Route 3 in Lancaster and it sounds more like the perfect location for a horror movie, than a vacation.That’s the concern of the Mountain Lake Campground located nearby.Its owners want the name changed to Mountain Lake Pond.Rep. Leon Rideout is one of the sponsors.“The request came in from a...
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Looking For An Economic Boost, Colebrook Ponders Opening...
Next month the town of Colebrook in the North Country is expected to take a big step in a plan designed to make the region more friendly to ATV-riding tourists, increasing the profits for local businesses.At its January 9th meeting the Colebrook select board is expected to approve a plan that allows people to drive all-terrain vehicles on some of the town’s streets.The idea is to make it more convenient for ATVers riding a newly expanded network of trails to stay and shop in...
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State Police: Roads "Manageable" In The North Country -...
The storm made snowmobilers and skiers happy, but caused a few problems for motorists in the North Country.NHPR’s Chris Jensen reports.Overall the roads in the North Country remain manageable, says Sgt. Todd Cohen with the state police Troop F, which covers the North Country.“The majority of the accidents have been on the I-93 corridor between Lincoln and Ashland.”But, he says, by early afternoon no serious injuries had been reported.Sgt. Cohen reminds people to adjust their driving...
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Bill Proposes Mandatory Fines For All Hiker Rescues
Hikers could be charged for their rescues even if they didn’t do anything wrong under a bill being filed by the NH House’s top republican.Currently much of the money for rescue operations carried out by New Hampshire Fish and Game comes from fees such as licenses for hunting, fishing and snowmobiles.Only those guilty of the most reckless behavior risk having to pay for their rescues.But rescues cost about $300,000 a year, says Major Kevin Jordan, of Fish and Game.And with Fish and Game...
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North Country: Let's Put On A Radio Station
Anew community radio station is up and running in Littleton.NHPR’s Chris Jensen tuned in.Announcer – Red Hot Chili Peppers….It would be an understatement to call the studio of North Country Community Radio modest.There’s a single microphone and a hand-me-down control board with dozens of levers and switches.There’s a flowered couch, a row of vinyl records.Some eight-track tapes.A well-thumbed copy of “The Radio Amateur’s Handbook.”And behind it all is this guy, Nate Alberts.“I love music,...
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Ayotte: North Country Should Have "The Voice" In...
Senator Kelly Ayotte says he North Country should have a major voice in what happens with the Northern Pass hydro-electric project.Ayotte spoke about the project while in Pittsburg in the North Country on Friday for a town meeting.NHPR’s Chris Jensen was there.Pretty much the first issue raised with Sen. Kelly Ayotte was the Northern Pass project which – if approved – would probably cross the border near here.“It seems to me you all should have the voice in this.”Ayotte said it is necessary...
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Ayotte: We Have Divided Government And Lots Of Challenges
Sen. Kelly Ayotte says she's optimistic that a deal can be reached to avoid the so-called fiscal cliff at the end of the year.Ayotte held a town meeting in Pittsburg Friday and the major topic was the economy.NHPR’s Chris Jensen was there.Talking to about 150 people in the tiny Northern town, Kelly Ayotte said the Democrats and the Republicans got the country into the debt crisis together.“It is going to take two parties to get us out of it. We have divided government in Washington and we've...
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Capturing The Mountain Voices of the North Country
For almost two decades two North Country authors have been capturing the stories of some of the most remarkable people in The White Mountains.Now, those stories have been compiled in a new book, Mountain Voices, published by the Appalachian Mountain Club.NHPR’s Chris Jensen reports.Nearly 20 years ago, Rebecca Oreskes, of Milan and Doug Mayer, of Randolph, were out cross-country skiing in the White Mountains.Gliding through the woods they love, they started talking about people who had spent...
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Hassan Picks "North Country Priorities" Team
Saying the North Country communities “possess unique strengths and face unique challenges” Governor-elect Maggie Hassan has appointed a North Country Priorities team.“I am really just trying to get input as we move forward with the transition and our administration and make sure I am hearing the concerns of people and businesses in the North Country” she said in an interview.Eight of the nine members are former or current legislators. The ninth is an official at the First Colebrook Bank.But...
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Berlin Biomass Plant To Open Late Next Year - $25...
By the end of 2013 the new biomass plant in Berlin should be operating and putting about $25 million a year into the forest economy, says Scott Tranchemontagne, a spokesman for the facility’s owners, Cate Street Capital of Portsmouth.Wednesday morning a key part of the facility arrived, a 132-ton steam turbine carried on a transporter that is 175-feet long and has 74 wheels.Powered by 750,000 tons of woodchips each year, the Burgess BioPower plant is expected to provide 75 megawatts of power...
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Commission: Putting Utility Lines Along State...
A group of lawmakers and state agency representatives known as the 361 commission say it’s feasible to put utility lines along state rights-of-way, including some interstates.Still unclear, however, is whether burying the lines would be possible or more expensive.The findings are part of a final report put out by the commission Friday.Earlier this year, the state Legislature, in response to concerns over the proposed Northern Pass project, created the 361 commission to study utilities and...
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Cannon Opens Friday: Ski Economy Fires Up
The state-owned Cannon Mountain ski resort opens Friday for its 75th season, another step in the annual reawakening of the state’s ski economy.On average skiers spend about $300 million a year in New Hampshire, according to Plymouth State University.The snow-making machines have been going all out at Cannon Mountain for several weeks, says marketing director Greg Keeler.“On Friday for opening day we’re planning on having three trails, that’s roughly two routes, down and two lifts open as...
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Northern Pass Leases Coos Land Linked To Yale
The Northern Pass Transmission project has taken a big step forward in its search for a route through the North Country – with some help from Yale University.NHPR’s Chris Jensen reports.Northern Pass has signed a deal allowing it to put transmission lines along 20 miles through eastern Coos County.In a statement Public Service of New Hampshire president Gary Long described the arrangement as “a huge step for the project.”However, the statement did not say if Northern Pass has all the land it...
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Exec's Statements On Northern Pass Challenged
Last week at a conference in Arizona a top official at Northeast Utilities provided an update on the Northern Pass Transmission project.But some of his statements are being refuted.NHPR’s Chris Jensen reports.The industry conference was for electric utility companies, analysts and those interested in the business.In one session Thomas J. May, the president and CEO of Northeast Utilities spoke about his company’s Northern Pass project.“This project has the support of every environmental group...
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Suit Balsams' Owners Said Blocked Financing Is Dismissed
A judge in Merrimack Superior Court has dismisseda suit that the owners of the Balsams Grand Resort in Dixville Notch said was holding up its re-opening.NHPR’s Chris Jensen reports.The suit was filed by Andy Martin, a self-described public-interest advocate and corruption fighter.Martin claimed the sale was “committed fraudulently.”Among those sued were the new owners, Danny Dagesse and Dan Hebert, the town of Colebrook and the New Hampshire attorney general.Judge Richard McNamara dismissed...
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Real Estate Appraiser Who Angered Northern Pass Settles
A complaint by Northern Pass against James Walker, a real estate appraiser from the North Country, has been settled.NHPR’s Chris Jensen reports.James Walker, of Franconia, has agreed to pay a fine to settle a complaint Northern Pass filed with the state’s Real Estate Appraiser Board.Northern Pass complained after Walker told a Dalton couple that the project’s electrical towers would reduce the value of their 135 acres by 63 percent.Northern Pass challenged Walker’s methods, saying the...
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Man Dies In Mudslide In Sandy's Aftermath
One person in New Hampshire has died as the result of the remnants of Hurricane Sandy sweeping the state. A construction worker was killed in a mudslide Tuesday morning in Lincoln, says police chief Theodore Smith.The worker was from the Lincoln-Woodstock area but his identity is being withheld for now.Police chief Smith says the man was standing on a water-soaked embankment near a foundation hole that was flooded when the accident happened.“The ground liquefied and he was carried down the...
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Worrying About Hurricane Sandy, White Mountain National...
With the possibility of a severe storm hitting the state early next week officials of the White Mountain National Forest are issuing a warning to hikers.NHPR’s Chris Jensen reports.It’s not clear yet whether Hurricane Sandy will hit New Hampshire early next week.But officials at the White Mountain National Forest, aren’t taking any chances, says spokeswoman Tiffany Benna.Starting Sunday and going through Wednesday people are being urged to stay out of the more remote areas known as the...
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More Groups Demand DOE Remove Consultants They Claim...
Nine organizations have joined the Conservation Law Foundation in asking that the U.S. Department of Energy fire the firms selected to conduct an environmental impact statement on the Northern Pass project because of a conflict-of-interest.NHPR’s Chris Jensen reports.Earlier this month the Conservation Law Foundation released emails it forced the Department of Energy to hand over under the Freedom of Information Act.They appeared to show a Northern Pass lawyer recommended the three firms the...
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Bagging The Season's First Moose
This week marks both the beginning and end of moose hunting season. The prospect of bagging the New Hampshire icon draws thousands of hunters from around the country, but a limited number of permits mean only a small percentage ever get a moose in their sights.Hunter Larry Graham spent the last month searching for the perfect place near Dummer Pond to be for the opening day of moose hunting season.“I’d been scouting that area and there was a moose trail where they’d been coming out and we...
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Northern Pass: Claims Progress On Route
Despite opposition, the Northern Pass project is doing well, according to company officials.During a conference call with industry analysts, officials from Northeast Utilities insisted they are happy with the progress they are making.“I am pleased to say that we have about 99 percent of that 140-mile right-of-way right now either acquired or we have under agreement. The last essentially one percent we are working through the final details.”That’s Lee Olivier, an official with Northeast...
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Group Hopes To Raise $1 Million To Repair Forest Damage...
The White Mountain National Forest is getting some help with repairing damage done by Tropical Storm Irene.NHPR’s Chris Jensen reports.The White Mountain National Forest got some good news from the non-profit National Forest Foundation Wednesday.That’s according to Tom Wagner,the White Mountain National Forestsupervisor.“They hope to raise a $1 million of private funds that would be matched by a $1 million of Forest Service funds.”Wagner says the money will help local groups and workers from...
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Edgar Allan Poe: In October Coming To A Library Near You
One hundred and sixty-three years after his death, New Hampshire is aiming its literary spotlight on Edgar Allan Poe.Throughout October libraries around the state are encouraging people to get acquainted – or perhaps reacquainted – with one of the masters of horror.NHPR’s Chris Jensen reports.Edgar Allan Poe didn’t have a chainsaw or horror-movie special effects.But the guy had a wicked imagination.When it came to scaring millions of readers he did just fine with stories like:The Raven.The...
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Back-to-Basics Flying Over The North Country
To some powered-parachutes are the purest way of flying, short of being hatched.And a group of power-parachute pilots gathered recently in the North Country for some of that back-to-basics flying.NHPR’s Chris Jensen reports.People have probably wanted to fly forever.Sound of military jet zooming by…And for many flying faster and faster has always been part of that goal.Not so the Granite State Sky Riders whose members fly powered parachutes and para-gliders. Their motto is “Slow and...
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Kayaker Who Died Was Official With National Whitewater...
The kayaker who died Wednesday in the North Country was an official with a national whitewater association.The kayaker who died Wednesday in the Franconia Notch State Park was the Northeast Stewardship director for the American Whitewater organization.Lincoln police chief Theodore Smith identified him as Alan Panebaker, 29, of Montpelier, Vermont.Panebaker was an experienced whitewater kayaker whose workresponsibilities ranged from “state and federal policy affecting rivers” to “community...
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Vermont Man Dies in Kayaking Accident
A kayaking accident has taken a life in the North Country. NHPR's Chris Jensen reports.A Vermont kayaker in his mid-20’s died Wednesday in an accident in the Franconia State Park, says Lincoln Police Chief Theodore Smith.Smith said the man was kayaking with two companions on the West Branch of the Pemigewasset River.The trio – described by Smith as experienced kayakers – were in a steep and narrow gorge near the Pine Sentinel Bridge.Smith said people walking nearby saw one kayak hit a...
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Coos Commissioner Judd Loses Recount
During last week’s primary Coos County Commissioner Bing Judd lost his bid for re-election by five votes.Today (Monday) there was a recount in Concord.NHPR’s Chris Jensen has the results.Bing Judd, who has been a Coos County Commissioner since 1997, has lost that position.In a recount today in Concord Judd lost by seven votes.599 to 592.Originally Judd lost by five votes, prompting him to ask for the recount.Judd is from Pittsburg – where he lost to Samson.Samson from Stewartstown.Both are...
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By Tiny Margin Coos Commissioner Judd Loses Seat - Maybe
Bing Judd, who has been a Coos County Commissioner since 1997, has lost his seat by five votes.Judd had 592 votes compared to 597 for challenger Rick Samson, deputy secretary of state David Scanlon told NHPR Thursday afternoon.Late Thursday Judd said he will be driving to Concord Friday to file a request for a recount."Five votes in 1,200, there could be a mistake," he said. "It could go either way."That recount is expected to occur Monday.Judd had not faced a challenge for more than a...
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Miss Voting? Never, Says 93-Year-Old
As voting in today's primary gets underway NHPR's Chris Jensen visits a polling place in Coos County.Sound of voters being registered..While state officials are predicting a somewhat light turnout for the primary there are folks who say there is no such thing as an unimportant election.One of those is 93-year-old Fay Allin who slowly but steadily made her way through town hall in Lancaster Tuesday morning, slipped into the voting booth and emerged a few minutes later.“I think it is important...
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An Unusual Challenge In The North Country
An unusual and important race in the North County will be decided on Tuesday.It’s the political future of Bing Judd, a longtime Coos County Commissioner and one of the best-known figures in the region.NHPR’s Chris Jensen reports.For the first time in more than a decade Coos County Commissioner Burnham “Bing” Judd is being challenged for the commissioner’s spot he’s held since being appointed by a court in 1997.Judd is 79 years-old and lives in the northernmost part of the county in...
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No Flashlight. No Boyfriend. Help!
There was an odd rescue in the Franconia Notch after a man apparently left his girlfriend behind.NHPR’s Chris Jensen reports.It was dark Monday when hikers on the bike path heard a woman in the woods screaming for help, saying she didn’t have a flashlight.Franconia police sergeant Mark Taylor and Allan Clark, who heads up the Pemi Search and Rescue responded.Clark headed in on a trail.But before he reached her the woman saw Taylor’s flashlight and reached him.The Canadian woman did not have...
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Northern Pass And The Governor's Race: Who Stands Where
Among the many issues facing gubernatorial candidates this year is the Northern Pass project.During the last race for governor two years ago, the Northern Pass project made only a brief appearance.In October of 2010, Governor Lynch took a break from campaigning to announce the Northern Pass project at a press conference in Franklin.Lynch speaking…Two years later the project has become controversial.Sounds of protest for No Northern PassAt one of about a dozen Northern Pass protests statewide...
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Artful Monsters Stopping Traffic In Bethlehem
Traffic through the North Country on Labor Day was slowed a bit in one town by huge metal monsters.NHPR’s Chris Jensen reports.The movie monsters and Leonardo Da Vinci’s horse stopped a lot of traffic on Route 302 in Bethlehem over the holiday.The statues are in front of a shop where Gerry Ramback plans to sell arts and crafts from the region – as well as Asia.They were created by welding, mixing and matching thousands of auto and motorcycle parts.The statues – all fangs, claws glaring eyes...
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Labor Days: A Rucksack, Hiking Boots And 40 Hours A Week...
The U.S. Forest Service is honoring a Thornton man as its national volunteer of the year.NHPR’s Chris Jensen joined him on the job.Giff Kriebel of Thornton spends so much time volunteering with crews in the White Mountain National Forest that sometimes forest service employees think he’s getting paid, too.Like earlier this year when there was a huge search near Rumney for a missing man.“So, I got this phone call while we were doing a search for that man in Rumney that said ‘Oh, Tom Wagner...
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A Holiday Weekend Includes Protests Against Northern Pass
In between the picnics and end-of-summer festivities a series of protests against theNorthern Pass hydro-electric project were held throughout the state during the holiday.NHPR’s Chris Jensen reports…Easton was the site of one of a dozen or so protests from Manchester to Colebrook on Saturday.Just under 100 people gathered on Gingerbread Lane along an existing right-of-way where the Northern Pass towers would cut through the tiny North Country town before heading south to cross the White...
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A Postcard As New Hampshire's Newest Town Turns Fifty
Fifty years ago this summer New Hampshire got its newest town, but only after a fight to secede from a neighboring town.NHPR’s Chris Jensen sends this postcard from Sugar Hill in the North Country.The town of Sugar Hill is perhaps best known for elegant homes and views, the home of the first organized ski school in the United States and its fight to keep its post office open.Originally the hill settlement was part of Lisbon, which was clustered about eight miles away along the banks of the...
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Access To Natural Gas: A New Draw For The North Country?
There’s a new effort underway to attract businesses to the North Country with the prospect of cheaper energy.NHPR’s Chris Jensen has the story.An economic development group has a new way to encourage businesses to come to Coos.It is taking advantage of a natural gas pipeline from Canada that crosses the county, says Jon Freeman, the president of the Northern Community Investment Corporation.“Typically the natural gas will cost about one quarter of the price of oil.”Freeman’s group has now...
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Almost A Year Later Still Coping With Irene's Damage
It was a year ago at the end of this month that Tropical Storm Irene hit New Hampshire and when it comes to the White Mountain National Forest there are still plenty of unwelcome reminders.NHPRs Chris Jensen reports.Sound of ground-to-helicopter communicationsThats Erin Lane and shes making arrangements for a helicopter to make a sweeping turn and then hover over a clearing about two miles up the Zealand Trail in a part of Bethlehem that is within the White Mountain National Forest.Lane...
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A Story Of Love, Death And A Boost To Music In The North...
This story began 70 years ago with an Austrian musician fleeing the Nazis.A Polish woman fleeing the Russian soldiers towards the close of World War II.And their love affair.Now it has ended with a surprise, $1 million donation to bring more music to the North Country.For decades Fritz Kramer was a professional piano player in Europe.Part of a popular group called the Comedy Harmonists.One of their songs plays hereBut in 1939 Kramer, an Austrian Jew, decided he didnt like the tune the...
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Farewell To 35 mm Film Means Hello To Trouble For Small...
Film studios are planning to replace 35 mm films with digital projectors that could cost $50,000 or more.Thats expected to improve visual quality and reduce costs for the film studios. But owners of small, community cinemas and drive-ins are worried.Sound of walking up stepsKen Begg goes up the stairs to the projection booth at The Colonial Theatre in Bethlehem.And he begins threading 35 mm film through the loops of a projector that that is at least six decades old.Hes getting ready for a...
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North Country Fiddlers Head To Kennedy Center
Four North Country fiddlers will represent New Hampshire on Wednesday at the Kennedy Center and Library of Congress, carrying on the tradition of French-Canadian fiddle music.NHPRs Chris Jensen reports.Patrick Ross was three when he played his first song on a fiddle.It was called The Rocking Chair Jig.Tick tock sound over and over Okay, it was simply rocking the back of the bow against the back of the fiddle.And that was it. And the crowd would go nuts because I was three years-old, four...
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Northern Pass Says It Is Getting Closer To Final Route
Officials for the Northern Pass hydro-electric project say they plan to have their new route through Northern New Hampshire finished this fall.NHPRs Chris Jensen reports.Northern Pass is making progress buying land for its new route through northern Coos and still hopes to file that plan with the U.S. Department of Energy by the end of the year, says Leon Olivier, an official with Northeast Utilities, which is behind the Northern Pass project.But it is not a done deal, Olivier saidin a...
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A Picture of Coos That Took Two Years To Develop
A new, two-year study of Coos County finds that the community is strong on cooperation, but struggles with the best strategy to create jobs.NHPRs Chris Jensen has more on the study done by the Carsey InstituteIn 2009 UNH sociologist Michele Dillon began composing a picture of Coos County.It would be a mosaic based in large part on about four dozen interviews with community leaders.Now Dillon and UNHs Carsey Institute have unveiled that picture in the form of a 46-page study.It is very much...
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Balsams Renovation Delay Amid Financing Glitch
The new owners of the Balsams are still looking for financing and the renovation of the resort is months behind.NHPRs Chris Jensen reports.Earlier this year the Balsams owners were seeking historic tax credits as one of several ways to attract investors.The credits are available for the renovation of certified historic properties like the Balsams.But owners Dan Dagesse and Dan Hebert are dropping that idea, says Balsams spokesman Scott Tranchemontagne.The reason is a plan to tear down some...
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Celina Cass Investigator: A Bad Feeling Was Tinged With...
A year ago Thursday Celina Cass was reported missing from her home in West Stewartstown. About a week later her body was found in the Connecticut River.NHPRs Chris Jensen reports.A year ago Thursday afternoon senior assistant attorney general Jane Young was driving up to West Stewartstown.The state police had been investigating a report that 11-year-old Celina Cass was missing.Turning control over to someone like Young - specializing in homicide investigations - was an ominous sign.But...
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Gorham Mill Puts White Mountains On A Map
For the first time since 2009 a guide to the White Mountains is being printed on paper produced in the North Country.NHPRs Chris Jensen reports.About 300,000 copies of the new White Mountains Map and Guide were printed by the paper mill in Gorham, says Jayne OConnor, the president of White Mountains Attractions.It just seemed like a natural, to use something from New Hampshire when you can.The Gorham facility is the last paper mill standing in the North Country.It was reopened last year by...
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Jackie Cilley: Five Days In The North Country
There are three Democratic hopefuls in the gubernatorial primary this September. One is Jackie Cilley, an outspoken Berlin native. Shes not shy about not taking the pledge. She says ideologues in the legislature are embarrassing and undermining the state. And she says in crucial ways the government is failing its citizens and businesses. NHPRs Chris Jensen spent a day with her on a marathon, five-day tour of the North Country as jumped in and outof her Toyota Camry Hybrid.In the Canadian...
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Coos Hospitals Form Cost-Cutting Alliance
Faced with tighter budgets three hospitals in the North Country are forming an alliance to do something about it.NHPRs Chris Jensen reports.With cuts in funding - and facing an increasing demand for services - three hospitals in Coos County have agreed to work together to see how they can save money.Without such cooperation theres trouble ahead, says Scott Howe, the CEO of the Weeks Medical Center in Lancaster.Because of the economic area that we serve there are a lot of people without...
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A Musical Postcard from the North Country's Grand...
Almost all of the grand hotels that once brought the North Country fame, fortune and tourists are gone.But now some of the music that was composed specifically for each hotel has been played and recorded, possibly for the first time in 100 years.NHPRs Chris Jensen sends this audio postcard.Rick Russack runs a web site on White Mountain history.Not long ago he was going through some material.Stereo views, photographs, postcards and prints, graphic things.Then, something caught his...
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A Meeting To Help Fill 255 Jobs At Berlin's Federal...
The new federal prison in Berlin still has plenty of jobs to fill and theres a chance next Tuesday to learn more about them.NHPRs Chris Jensen reports.With 255 jobs at the new federal prison still available a job fair is planned next Tuesday in Berlin.Officials from the Bureau of Prisons will be answering questions, says Diana Nelson, with New Hampshire Employment Security.Weve had a lot of questions come up about what were the hours be, when will my days off be, is it shift work. These...
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Federal Prison In Berlin Hiring, Expecting First...
After several delays the new federal prison in Berlin is getting closer to opening and hiring is underway.NHPRs Chris Jensen has an update.The first prisoners about 50 minimum security inmates - could arrive at the federal correctional institute in Berlin as early as the end of August, says Judith Nichols, the prisons spokeswoman.But that could be pushed back because there is still plenty of hiring to do.We are looking to fill 341 positions. We currently have 86 staff that have been...
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Tom Wagner: Deciding Whether Northern Pass May Cross The...
The decisions on whether the controversial Northern Pass hydro-electric project goes ahead will be made by state and federal agencies. But a single person will make a crucial decision.
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Biology Professor Says He's Positive He Spotted A...
A biology professor from Rhode Island got a big, furry surprise recently when driving in the North Country.It is called a mountain lion.NHPRs Chris Jensen reports.Jim Chace is a biology professor at a university in Rhode Island.He was driving south on Route 3 from Lancaster towards Whitefield just south of the White Mountains Regional High School.It was daylight.There werent any cars ahead of him.Then, it happened.
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North Country Groups Coalesce to Tackle Health Problems
For three years Coos County has been at the bottom of a list of the healthiest counties in the state.But now groups from the North Country have decided to do something about it.NHPRs Chris Jensen reports.Each spring for the last three years health care workers in theNorth Country have taken it on the nose.
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Exploring Whether A Doc's Prescription Can Increase...
Faced with a serious problem with overweight children two unusual partners are literally trying a new prescription in the North Country and they dont see any reason it couldnt work statewide.NHPRs Chris Jensen reports.South of children playing.Thats a sound healthcare professionals would like to hear more often: Kids outdoors running and jumping and generally goofing around.Just like the good old days before the sedentary seduction of video games and television.
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Northern Pass Competitors: Project Needs Renewable...
A group of power providersthatwould compete withtheNorthern Pass says the project cant make money without some kind of renewable energy,government subsidy, an assertion Northern Pass disputes.NHPRs Chris Jensen reports.A group of New England power generators is worried Northern Pass will try to get federal or state subsidies by persuading government officials to declare its electricity is renewable.Such hydro-electric power is not currently eligible for subsidies.
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Gorham Paper Hires First New Workers In More Than A...
For the first time in more than a decade a paper plant in Gorham once thought to be dead - is hiring workers.NHPRs Chris Jensen reports.Just over a year ago a New York investment firm, Patriarch Partners, bought the closed Gorham paper mill and promised a new future.The Gorham facility was the last paper plant standing in the North Country and many doubted Patriarchs CEO, Lynn Tilton, could make a go of it where others had failed.
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Bankrupt Berlin Steel Firm May Be Born Again
A North Country businessman plans to resuscitate a steel fabricating company in Berlin that closed earlier this year putting about 100 people out of work.NHPRs Chris Jensen reports.Whitefield businessman David Presby is buying the building and land once owned by Isaacson Structural Steel in Berlin.He expects to close the deal early this week.Presby says he plans to diversify and make more than the structural steel used in new buildings.
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Livermore: A Postcard From A Ghost Town
Beginning around 1876 the town of Livermore was a hectic, noisy logging town in Northern Grafton County not far from Bartlett.NHPRs Chris Jensen went in search of the towns history and sends this postcard.It is a tale of a hard daily life, a flood, smallpox and becoming ghost town.Sound of walkingMy name is Peter Crane, I live in Bartlett, New Hampshire, were here on the Sawyer Road on the way to into what was once the village of Livermore, New Hampshire.
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North Country Gets Its Own Fire-Fighting Training Center
Gov. Lynch has signed a bill to establish a fire training site in Bethlehem.It will allow a long-sought $550,000 training facility.NHPRs Chris Jensen reports.Sound of fire departments being dispatched for fire in BethlehemFor decades North Country fire fighters rushing to fires such this one last month first had to go toConcord for training and practice.And for years fire chiefs have dreamed of having a training facility above the notches, says Jack Anderson, the fire chief in Bethlehem.
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Linking ATV Riding Areas And Hoping To Boost The North...
Harry Brown shuts off his ATV on the side of a cross-country ski trail notched in the woods above the Balsams Grand Resort.Were going to head north out of the Balsams property, he says.Brown is among those working on a new network of ATV trails through the North Country.Currently ATV enthusiasts have permission to ride in a half dozen places including Jericho Mountain State Park in Berlin and on private land.But ATV enthusiasts say touring the same trails again and again can be boring.
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Black Hawk Rescues Heat Victim From 4,000 Footer
Warm weather over the weekend and climbing a 4,000 footer in the North Country was a bad combination for aPenacook man.NHPRs Chris Jensen reports.Early Sunday afternoon hiking companions of a 51-year-old man used a cell phone to call for help.Lt. James Kneeland of Fish and Game said the problem was apparently heat related.Dehydration, heat stroke. Something along those lines to the point where he was losing, in and out of consciousness.
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Latex Manufacturing To Resume in North Country
In some good news for the North Country an old family business is coming back to life.NHPRs Chris Jensen reports.Starting in 1931 Neil Tillotson made his fortune manufacturing natural latex products including balloons and later gloves.That allowed him to purchase the Balsams Grand Resort.Tillotson died in 2001 and a latex plant located near the resort closed in 2010.But Tillotsons son, Rick, purchased the equipment and recently bought a 103,000 square foot building in Colebrook.
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State Needs More Time To Study Private Prison Proposals
It is going to take a little longer than expected for the state of New Hampshire to decide whether it can save money by having its prisons run by a private firm.NHPRs Chris Jensen reports.By July the states department of administrative services had hoped to finish its report evaluating proposals from four companies interested in running a private prison.But Linda Hodgdon, the commissioner for administrative services, says there is so much information the department is looking for a...
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Three Hikers - And A Big Dog - Rescued By Fish and Game
New Hampshire Fish and Game officials say they had to rescue three hikers and a dog over the weekend. The hikers ran into trouble on Little Haystack Mountain in Grafton County. NHPRs Chris Jensen has more.(Jensen) A 29-year-old Manchester man used his cell phone late Saturday to call for help after it got dark before he could finish hiking down from Little Haystack Mountain.And he lacked a flashlight.
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The Balsams Auction: The End of An Era
The walls and the hallways are largely empty today in one of New Hampshires oldest and grandest hotels. As part of the plan to rebuild and renovate the Balsams Grand Resort in Dixville Notch, the hotels new owners auctioned off many items this past Saturday. The goal was to sell everything but photos and items of historical significance.
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Lancaster: First Private Prison Site?
A North Country town could be the site of a privately run prison, should state officials decide to outsource its prison operations.NHPRs Chris Jensen reports.
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The Balsams: A Grand House Cleaning By Auction
The new owners of the Balsams Grand Resort in Dixville Notch are planning a huge renovation.But before that can happen there is a lot of stuff they need to get rid of from a ski lift to pots and pans and that means an auction.
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North Country Firm Fined $192,000 Over Pollution Concern
A North Country firm has been fined $192,000 over concerns about the potential for oil polluting the Androscoggin River.
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A North Country Tourism Program Looks For Funds
Tourism is seen as one of the economic underpinnings of the North Country.But a highly touted program designed to boost tourism is running low on funds while facing a tricky question: After spending about $1 million was it successful?NHPRs Chris Jensen reports.In 2008 - with the paper industry pretty much dead - some in the North Country gloomily wondered about its economic prospects.
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Bakers Without Borders: A North Country Immigration Story
Amid the immigrants who have come to New Hampshire are two French citizens a doctor and a nurse - who saw America as a place for a radically new life focused not on patients but on making baguettes and Madeleines in the North Country.
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Two Dead In Shooting In Dalton
State and local police are on the scene of a shooting in Dalton which two people died but officials say there is no danger to the public.NHPRs Chris Jensen reports.Audio of fire being dispatched.Police and rescue units rushed to a house on Whitefield Road in Dalton just after 1 p.m.They found two men dead and a third man seriously wounded.The wounded man was airlifted to Dartmouth Hitchcock.The identities of the men were not released.For NHPR News this is Chris Jensen
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Balsams Renovation Plan Moves Ahead
The new owners of the closed Balsams resort in Dixville Notch are moving ahead with plans to renovate the North Country resort.NHPRs Chris Jensen reports.Improvements at the Balsams resort will include a new conference center, spa, pool house and suites near the Hampshire House.Thats according to the web site of Summit Engineering of Portsmouth which says the firm has been chosen to handle the structural engineering.
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Intervale Firm Accused of Water Pollution In The North...
An Intervale firm is in trouble with the Environmental Protection Agency over allegations of water pollution in the North Country.NHPRs Chris Jensen reports.CSG Holdings also known as Columbia Sand & Gravel - is accused of allowing polluted water to get into the Connecticut River.The nature of the discharge from the site contained large amounts of suspended solids basically. Sand. Silt.Thats David Deegan, an EPA spokesman.
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Northern Pass May Face Right of Way Legal Battle
Much of the battle over the Northern Pass hydro-electric project has focused on cutting a new route through the forests of the North Country.NorthernPassintends to use 140 miles of existing right of way for much of the remainder of the project.That may not be as easy as it sounds.It takes maybe five minutes including crossing a large brook on a narrow board for Kris Pastoriza to reachthe right-of-way that cuts through her wooded land in Easton.
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Health Study Ranks Coos Last in New Hampshire
A new nationwide study released today/Tuesday ranks Coos County as the least healthy county in the state. NHPRs Chris Jensen reports.
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Live WW II Grenade Found And Detonated In North Country
A live World War II era hand grenade was found at the Moore Reservoir in Littleton Sunday. NHPRs Chris Jensen reports.The grenade was found by two men using a metal detector in an area that would normally have been under water.They were very surprised. They were hoping to find, I think, a little bit more valuable item.Thats Littleton police officer James Gardiner.
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For Coos: A Surprising Mix of Births, Deaths and...
Theres a public perception that Coos Countys economic challenges mean a significant population loss over the last decade. But a new study shows thats not quite right. NHPRs Chris Jensen reports.Heres a surprise for Coos County, courtesy of The Carsey Institute at the University of New Hampshire.It has just finisheda demographic study of the Northern Forest.
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Celina Cass Stepfather Questioned Before Grand Jury
A Coos County Grand jury met today/Monday in Lancaster as the investigation into the death of 11-year-old Celina Cass continues.As NHPRs Chris Jensen reports, the dead girls stepfather was questioned.Wendell Noyes is the stepfather of Celina Cass, whose body was found last August in the Connecticut River not far from her home in Stewartstown.Noyes is thought to have been one of the last people to see the girl before she disappeared from her home.
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