ALBANY, NH -A hiker had to be carried out after being injured on an Albany trail. New Hampshire Fish and Game Officials said 71-year-old Kenneth Kolano from New Jersey was hiking the Boulder Loop Trail Wednesday afternoon when he fell injuring his leg.

He was with seven other hikers and they were able to call 911 for assistance.

The trail is a 2.8 mile loop and Mr. Kolano was about 1.2 miles from the trailhead when he was injured. He attempted to continue walking but his injury coupled with very icy trail conditions required rescuers to place him in a litter and carry him out to the trailhead.

Mr. Kolano reached the trailhead shortly after 6:00 PM and left with members of his group to seek medical attention.

Personnel from the US Forest Service, NH Fish and Game Conservation Officers and students currently enrolled at a SOLO EMT course participated in the rescue.

Fish and Game Officials cautioned hikers saying Trail conditions throughout the White Mountains are extremely icy after the warm weather and rain the area received last week. Recent snowfall covered the ice and made trail conditions more difficult. Microspikes and or crampons are a necessity. Also, in higher elevations or if hikers find themselves off trail snowshoes are also a must.

Advocates for HB1319 gathered at the State House Legislative Office Building on January 17 to show their support for the bill. ~ Photo Courtesy of Freedom New Hampshire’s Facebook page.

CONCORD, NH -A bill seeking to protect transgender Granite Staters from discrimination is being heard by a House Committee.

House Bill 1319 would prohibit discrimination based on gender identity for employment, access to housing, and public spaces like restaurants, shops, and government buildings throughout New Hampshire.

Advocates gathered at the State House Legislative Office Building for a news conference today to show support for the bill.

“We’ve always valued freedom and opportunity here in New Hampshire,” said the bill’s lead sponsor Representative Ed Butler (D-Hart’s Location). “HB 1319 isn’t about creating new or special protections for anyone – it’s simply about updating our state’s laws so that our transgender friends and loved ones have the same protections as everyone else. Our state is at its strongest when we’re all free to work hard, earn a decent living, and go about our lives without fear of discrimination. That’s all HB 1319 is about.”

“The Business and Industry Association is constantly seeking new ways to make New Hampshire more competitive and make it the best place in the nation to live, work, and raise a family. In our view, transgender freedom is an issue of economic competitiveness,” said David Juvet, Senior Vice President of Public Policy for the New Hampshire Business and Industry Association. “New Hampshire has a significant workforce shortage. We believe that our legislature should do all it can to position the state as being welcome to all, including those who are transgender.”

“At the New Hampshire Women’s Foundation we take women’s safety and privacy very seriously. Nothing in HB 1319 would change the fact that it is already illegal to threaten or assault a woman in a public bathroom,” said Sarah Mattson Dustin, Director of Policy at the New Hampshire Women’s Foundation. “Transgender people face disproportionate rates of discrimination, harassment, and violence in all areas of their lives. Transgender women are women, and like all women, we want them to be safe, to have equal opportunity, and to be treated fairly. That is what HB 1319 offers.”

All of the other New England states and multiple other states across the nation have similar protections in law.

New Hampshire provides protections already based on race, religion, sexual orientation and several other factors.

A similar measure passed the House Health and Human Services Committee in last year 15-2 but was then tabled by House leadership last year.

The House Judiciary Committee has scheduled a bill hearing on Jan. 31.

Story written with contributions from Barbara MacLeod
(207) 752-0484, barbmacleod@comcast.net

NEWRY, Maine (AP) — Officials say two New Hampshire teenagers sneaked onto Maine’s Sunday River resort while it was closed, went sledding on a ski trail and crashed into a tree, killing one and seriously injuring the other.

Oxford County Chief Deputy Hart Daley says three people were involved in the illicit, after-hours outing early Wednesday on an inflatable tube. Sledding is not allowed on ski trails, and the mountain was closed.

Portsmouth High School Principal Mary Lyons confirmed that a senior, David Kohlhase, died in the crash, and that another student was hospitalized. Police say the third person called for help.

A resort spokeswoman said it happened on the Tempest Trail, which is steeper than most sledding hills. Part of it is rated for expert skiers, and part is rated for intermediate skiers.