,

Christina Fay Faces Jury Trial For Appeal

The Humane Society of the United States works with the Wolfeboro Police Dept. to rescue approximately 70 Great Danes from a suspected puppy mill on Friday, June 16, 2017, in Wolfeboro, N.H. (Meredith Lee/The HSUS)

 

OSSIPEE, N.H. (AP) – A woman who had dozens of filthy and sick Great Danes living in her New Hampshire mansion is facing a jury trial.

Last year, a community court judge found 59-year-old Christina Fay guilty of multiple animal cruelty charges. He didn’t sentence her to jail, but said she must pay nearly $800,000 for the care they received after authorities seized them.

Fay said she took care of the dogs and appealed to a county superior court for a jury trial, which began Tuesday.

Prosecutors dropped some of the old charges and filed new ones last week against Fay with references to specific dogs, saying they suffered various infections and were confined with little ventilation or water.

,

Mass. Woman Injured In Berlin Snowmobile Accident

 

BERLIN, NH – A Massachusetts woman suffered serious injuries after she crashed her rental snowmobile on Corridor 19 in Berlin Friday.

According to New Hampshire Fish and Game Officials at around 10:00 AM 49-year-old Rhonda Ward of Rowley went off the side of the trail and crashed into a tree.

Rescue personnel responded from Berlin Fire Department, Berlin EMS and Gorham EMS. Tracked Rescue UTV’s from both Berlin Fire and Gorham were utilized to access the accident scene which was approximately 1.5 miles north of the junction of Smitty’s Trail.

Ward was extracted from the scene by rescue personnel and driven out on the Berlin Rescue UTV to an awaiting ambulance.

She was transported to Androscoggin Valley Hospital in Berlin where she is being treated for what is described as serious, but non-life threatening injuries.

Conservation Officers advise riders in the North Country to be cautious and drive slowly due extremely icy and treacherous conditions.

,

Fire At Conway Village Home

A house fire broke out on Main Street in the Conway Village Tuesday afternoon. ~ Photo Courtesy of Lynn Parkhurst on Facebook.

 

CONWAY, NH – There was a house fire in Conway this afternoon. At around 1pm a call went out for a reported house fire located near 44 Main Street in Conway way across from Stan’s Automotive and behind Gayle Baker’s Valley Travel.

According to scanner reports one person and a dog had to be rescued from the home and were then transported to the hospital and a veterinarian.

Authorities closed route 16 in the Conway village for over an hour as crews battled the 2 alarm blaze.

No information as to a possible cause of the blaze or the injured party by news time.

,

2 Injured In Wakefield Car Accident Saturday

 

WAKEFIELD, NH – There was a serious crash in Wakefield this weekend. According to Wakefield Police 26-year-old Ryan Elliott-Debow of Wakefield was headed south on Route 16 at around Saturday morning.

Authorities said that at around 6:40 Elliott-Debow crossed the centerline near the Miss Wakefield Diner and into the path of a pickup being driven by 45-year-old Danny Babbidge of Chicopee Mass. The vehicles collided head on injuring both drivers.

The Wakefield Police Department, Wakefield Fire Department, New Hampshire State Police Troop E, and Carroll County Sheriff’s Office responded, along with an ambulance from the Milton Fire Department.

Elliott-Debow was flown to Portsmouth Regional Hospital by lifelight, and Babbidge was taken to Frisbie Hospital by ambulance.

Police said that the accident remains under investigation and that the cause is unknown at this time.

 

,

Gov. Sununu Signed Executive Order Streamlining Veteran Services

New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu signs executive Order streamlining veteran services ~ Courtesy Photo

 

Concord, NH – Today (Thursday) Governor Chris Sununu signed an executive order to initiate creation of one coordinated State operation for the provision of veterans services. The Governor was joined at the signing immediately after his State of the State address by guests David Meaney of the American Legion, Ray Goulet of the NH Chapter of Vietnam Veterans of America, Paul Lloyd of the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), and Ernest Sulloway of Disabled American Veterans.

“We must recognize a fundamental truth, that once a person signs those enlistment papers, they are a soldier for life,” said Governor Sununu.  “This executive order will bring coordinated veterans services under one roof in New Hampshire, which will bring resources together to streamline services for one simple goal: better outcomes for our veterans.”

The changes contemplated by the executive order will be a team effort involving Adjutant General Dave Mikolaities, the Veterans Council, the Office of Veterans Services (“OVS”), the Department of Health Human Services’ Bureau of Community Based Military Programs, and other Executive Branch officials and personnel.

The executive order directs the Adjutant General to develop and execute memorandums of understanding with both the Office of Veterans Services and the Bureau of Community Based Military Programs to provide for the streamlining and coordination of all veterans services provided by the State.  The memorandums of understanding will be executed within 60 days and fully implemented within 120 days.

Adjutant General Dave Mikolaities and OVS Director Bill Gaudreau also weighed in on the new executive order.

“New Hampshire’s veterans and their families will benefit immensely from having a single operation and point of contact for the services and benefits they have earned,” said Adjutant General Mikolaities. “I am grateful to Governor Sununu for his leadership and efforts on this issue, and the Adjutant General’s Department looks forward to working with the Office of Veterans Services and the Bureau of Community Based Military Programs to turn the Governor’s vision into a reality.”

“The Office of Veterans Services is excited to join the Adjutant General’s Department and the Bureau of Community Based Military Programs in this exciting and important initiative,” said OVS Director Bill Gaudreau. “The services provided by OVS will be greatly enhanced by this new coordinated effort.”

,

Cynthia’s Challenge Chooses 2018 Beneficiary

MADISON, NH – Cynthia’s Challenge has announced the next beneficiary of the 24-Hour Ski-A-Thon to be held at King Pine Ski Area in East Madison, New Hampshire March 16-17, 2018.

All funds raised with this year’s event will benefit Freedom, New Hampshire’s Jacques Villeneuve, a nine-year-old boy who was born missing the main wiring between the left and right hemispheres of his brain, Agenesis of the Corpus Callosum.

He has also been diagnosed with Diplegic Spastic Cerebral Palsy an intellectual disability which pose both physical and mental challenges. Jacques’ parents have to physically lift him into their vehicle every time they plan on going anywhere and then have enough room for storage for his walking assistance devices.

This year’s goal is to raise $65,000 to purchase Jacques’ family a wheelchair accessible van. 
 
Jacques is a naturally happy and motivated nine year old who loves spending time outdoors and speaking with everyone he meets. Jacques cannot walk long distances without taking many of rest breaks and is in need of a handicap van to become more independent.
A wheelchair accessible van would be of incredible assistance to the Villeneuve family to get Jacques and his seven year old sister, Melanie, to their daily activities and appointments.
 
Now in its fifth year, Cynthia’s Challenge 24-Hour Ski-A-Thon has raised over $181,000 to benefit children and their families. Starting in 2014, Cynthia Verrill was the first benefactor and resulted in her name being used to name the event. $35,000 raised for Cynthia was used to provide a seizure detecting service dog.

The second year, the event raised over $35,000 for Samantha Gillard who was in need of a wheel chair accessible van and the third year raised $61,000 for Kevin Dall to purchase a wheel chair accessible van and the fourth year raised over $50,000 for Faith Holt with more than 250 skiers and snowboarders participating to purchase a wheel chair accessible van. 
 
Cynthia’s Challenge was created in an effort to ease the financial burden upon children and their families associated with specialty medical needs.

King Pine Ski Area supports Cynthia’s Challenge with the support of local business and the surrounding community. Cynthia’s Challenge would not be possible without the generosity of major sponsors Atlas Fireworks, Bank of NH, Bolt Depot, Flatbread Company of North Conway, Granite State Adaptive, King Pine Ski Area, Mad Cow Screen Printing, Outdoor Escapes New Hampshire, Pepsi Co., Ride Away – MobilityWorks, Story Land, Thrivent Financial, Vertical Challenge and Yankee Smokehouse. 
 
For those that would like to contribute to this year’s Cynthia’s Challenge, online donations are welcome at https://www.cynthiaschallenge.org/. 

Story contributed by:
Alexandra Moore
Marketing Coordinator