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White Mountain National Forest Celebrates 100 Years With Museum Exhibit

 

PLYMOUTH, NH – The White Mountain National Forest is turning 100 this year and is celebrating by looking back on defining moments.

On Wednesday the Museum of the White Mountains is opening “The People’s Forest: A Centennial Celebration of the White Mountain National Forest.” a special exhibit showcasing the many milestones of the forest through it’s 100 year history.

Cynthia Robinson Director of the Museum of the White Mountains said that the exhibit took about a year to put together and features somethings that have never been seen before including a collection of glass lantern slides from the 1900’s.

Robinson added “We worked with a lot of partners over the past year and a half to develop it (the exhibit). It talks about different non-profit organizations that are in the forest, maintaining trails, doing research, and it also has engaged a lot of Plymouth State University Students.

“The centennial year is a reminder to look back on where we’ve come while we prepare for the next 100 years with our partners and volunteers,” said Forest Supervisor Clare Mendelsohn. “We still have work to do to ensure this land is protected for future generations, and now, more than ever, we need you to join us.”

Today the Forest is nearly 800,000 acres and attracts several million visitors who hike, camp, climb and ski on their public land each year. The White Mountain National Forest has become a major part of the economic engine of New Hampshire contributing to the nearly 9 billion dollar statewide outdoor recreation industry that supports almost 80,000 jobs.

Located in Plymouth New Hampshire by Plymouth State University the Museum of the White Mountain National Forest’s mission is “to obtain, maintain, and provide access to resources and activities that educate and engage its audience with the region’s artistic, historical, geographic, and cultural treasures. Its purpose is to enrich the life and scholarship of the Plymouth State University community, researchers, and the broader public.

The exhibit opening reception is Wednesday May 16th from 5pm – 7pm. The exhibit will then remain at the museum till September 12th.

For more information about the exhibit go to plymouth.edu/museum-of-the-white-mountains/exhibitions/the-peoples-forest

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Gov. Sununu Requests Disaster Declaration For March Snow Storm

 

CONCORD, NH (AP) – New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu is requesting that President Donald Trump issue a major disaster declaration and provide funds for a severe snowstorm that hit the state in March.

Sununu’s request on Friday includes a designation of public assistance for Carroll, Rockingham and Strafford counties, and a statewide designation of the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program.

The storm hit the state on March 13. Sununu said the storm strained state and local resources. It resulted in hundreds of school closures and traffic accidents.

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Convicted Animal Abuser Christina Fay To Serve Jail Time

 

OSSIPEE, NH – Christina Fay is going to be spending some time in jail after being convicted of Animal cruelty.

60-year-old Fay was sentenced to 12 months in jail, nine months will be suspended, meaning she’ll only spend three months in prison.

She was also ordered to pay restitution for the boarding and care of the dogs, however the amount has yet to be determined because Officials aren’t certain of when the animals will be released.

Fay was originally found guilty of multiple animal cruelty charges and ordered to pay nearly $800,000 for their care last year.

She appealed the courts ruling and was later convicted on 17 misdemeanor counts of animal cruelty by a jury.

During the trial, prosecutors showed images of the dogs living in squalid conditions, with animal waste coating the floors.   

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Christina Fay Scheduled To Be Sentenced Friday

OSSIPEE, N.H. (AP) — A woman found guilty of housing dozens of filthy and sick Great Danes in her New Hampshire mansion is scheduled to be sentenced on animal cruelty charges.

Court documents say prosecutors will ask a judge on Friday to impose a one-year jail sentence for 60-year-old Christina Fay and ban her from owning any animal for the rest of her life. They also ask to find homes for 75 Great Danes and have Fay pay $1.7 million, the cost of caring for the dogs since they were seized from her Wolfeboro mansion last June.

Fay pleaded not guilty and said she took care of the dogs.

During the trial, prosecutors showed images of the dogs living in squalid conditions, with animal waste coating the floors.

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Study Names Maine #1 State To Be A Nurse In, NH #8

New Hampshire is one of the top 10 best states to be a nurse according to a new study.

In celebration of National Nurses Week the personal-finance website WalletHub released its report on 2018’s Best & Worst States for Nurses. New Hampshire came is as Number 8 and Maine was ranked as number 1.

WalletHub compared the relative attractiveness of the 50 states and the District of Columbia across 21 key metrics including monthly average starting salary, health-care facilities per capita, and projected share of elderly population in 2030. Each metric was graded on a 100-point scale, with a score of 100 representing the most favorable conditions for nurses.

Maine tied for the most job opportunities and had the 2nd highest percentage of population over 65 by 2030.

The Nursing Market in New Hampshire (1=Best; 25=Avg.)

  • 27th – Nurses per Capita
  • 17th – Projected Share of Elderly Population by 2030
  • 8th – Nursing-Job Openings per Capita
  • 12th – Projected Competition by 2024
  • 2nd – Avg. Number of Work Hours

The Full study can be found at https://wallethub.com/edu/best-states-for-nurses/4041/

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New Hampshire Electrical Coop Employees Go On Strike

 

CONCORD,NH – New Hampshire Electric Coop Employees went on strike today. According to the NHEC 83 employees represented by The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local Union 1837 went on strike after negotiations failed.

The contract between the union and the NHEC expired on April 30th and despite meeting 18 times over the past several months workers and the company could not come to an agreement on a new contract.

The company has offered union members the same pension and 401k benefits that are currently offered to non-union employees, but the union rejected that offer last week because the company wanted to reserve the right to change the benefit in the future if it became necessary to change it for non-union employees.

NHEC said in a press release that they have a contingency plan that will provide for adequate coverage of power outages. The Coop said “Certified line crews have been engaged and will be accompanied on any outage calls by non-union NHEC employees who are familiar with the service territory.”

NHEC’s Control Center will still be staffed 24 hours a day and members should still report outages to the NHEC Outage line at 1-800-343-6432, or online at www.nhec.com.

The company said “The company remains committed to working with the union and has requested the involvement of a federal mediator to restart the contract talks. At this time there are no new negotiating sessions scheduled. ”