,

Man Injured In UTV Accident

Berlin, NH – A man was injured in a UTV crash in Berlin on Labor Day. Fish and Game Officials report that 55-year-old Scott Riendeau of Gorham crashed the vehicle about .2 miles east of Little People Pond on the Bobo Crow Trail. He was immediately assisted by other members of his riding party, who administered first aid and called 911.

Personnel from the Berlin Fire Department, Berlin EMS, Berlin Police Department and New Hampshire Fish and Game responded to the scene upon receiving word of the incident.

Reindeau was then transported to Androscoggin Valley Hospital in Berlin for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries.

,

24-Year-Old Dies At Livermore Falls

Livermore Falls ~ Picture courtesy of Wikipedia

Campton, NH – A young man died while at a popular swimming area yesterday(Monday). New Hampshire Fish and Game Officials said that at 4pm 24-year-old Saige Bradbury, from Bellingham, Massachusetts jumped off a large cliff at Livermore Falls on the Pemigewassett River in Campton but did not resurface.

A couple of good Samaritans attempted to locate Bradbury immediately after, but were unsuccessful. Bradbury’s body was found 2 hours later in the area where he entered the water and was pronounced dead at the scene.

Authorities said the water was calm with a slight current where the victim was found. Officials believe Bradbury may have slipped off the top and struck some rocks before entering the water, but the incident remains under investigation. An autopsy is scheduled for later today.

,

White Mountain National Forest Oversight has Changing of the Guard

LINCOLN – After proudly showing off the place to his bosses, including Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue and new U.S. Forest Service Chief Tony Tooke, Tom Wagner retired on Sept. 1 after 15 years as supervisor of the White Mountain National Forest.

Located mostly in New Hampshire but also stretching into Maine, the WMNF, said Tooke, “has a great reputation in the country.”

Tooke was supposed to be sworn in Friday by Perdue during a ceremony at the Pemigewasset Overlook in Lincoln, off the Kancamagus Highway, but high winds forced the event to be moved farther east on the Kanc to the Russell Colbath House.

At the historic site, Perdue welcomed Tooke, who succeeds Tom Tidwell of Boise, Idaho, who, like Wagner, is stepping down after a more than 40-year career with the Forest Service.

A native of Alabama, Tooke has worked for the Forest Service since age 18.

Most recently Tooke was associate deputy chief for the National Forest System with oversight of lands and realty; minerals and geology; ecosystem management coordination; wilderness and wild and scenic rivers; the National Partnership Office; and business administration and support services.

He is well-traveled, having been deputy forest supervisor for the National Forests in Florida as well as a district ranger at the Talladega National Forest in Alabama, the Oconee National Forest in Georgia and the DeSoto National Forest in Mississippi.

Until last Friday, Tooke had never been to the WMNF but said he immediately liked what he saw here.

While he did not have specific goals for the WMNF, which has a management plan, Tooke said his term as Forest Service head would be marked by greater responsiveness to national forest neighbor communities, adding that Town Hall-style meetings have proven to work well in other venues where he has served.

Tooke acknowledged that national forests face a number of challenges, invasive insects and fires among them; 2017 is “another tough year” in terms of forest fires, he said, and those fires, mostly out west, are putting a dent in the Forest Service’s overall budget.

In his new position, Tooke said he’d work to expand the relationships among the Forest Service, partners and volunteers.

Wagner closed the swearing-in ceremony by thanking the many partners and “the employees of the White Mountain National Forest” for making his tenure there is a success.

Story Courtesy of John Kozial, newhampshire.com

,

Anniversary of the First Motorized Ascent of Mt. Washington


Pinkham Notch, NH — August 31st marks an important anniversary for the Mt. Washington Auto Road, commemorating a landmark event that put emphasis on the word “Auto” in the road’s current-day moniker.

Completed in 1861, the historic road to the summit of Mt. Washington was originally referred to as the Mt. Washington Carriage Road. Motorized vehicles were still several decades away from invention, and hearty travellers braved the elements and rough conditions in horse-drawn wagons for the four hour trip to the summit. On August 31, 1899 history was made with the first motorized ascent of Mt. Washington.


Freelan O. Stanley, of Stanley Steamer fame, climbed the road as a publicity stunt for the Locomobile Company, which had recently bought the manufacturing rights to his new invention. Freelan and his wife, Flora drove their Locomobile from Newton, Massachusetts to the summit of Mt. Washington—a trip which took five days to get to the base of the mountain, and then two hours and 10 minutes to drive to the summit. It was a testament to the capabilities of this new mode of transportation, and a glimpse into the future of motorized vehicles.


Mrs. Stanley wrote of the event, stating, “We went on and up, up, still up, the continuous climbing being varied only by a steepness so excessive that as we looked ahead to it, we felt a sickening anxiety lest each brilliant dash should be our last . . . Our engine, panting and quivering, never failed us, but pushed us bravely over seemingly impassable heights.”


There were more steam-powered ascents during the next three years, and then in 1902, the first two gasoline-powered cars reached the summit. Automobile manufacturers quickly looked upon the road as the ultimate proving ground for their new “horseless carriages” and in 1904 the inaugural Climb to the Clouds race was held. This historic hillclimb included drivers such as Francis E. Stanley, Freelan’s twin, in his 6-horsepower Steamer, Harry Harkness in his 40-horsepower Mercedes, and other entries from burgeoning companies such as Pierce, Oldsmobile, Rambler and Daimler. None were able to match the speed of the Mercedes, with Harkness posting a winning time of 24 minutes, 37 and ⅗ seconds.
Fast-forward to July 9, 2017 where a new Climb to the Clouds record was set by Subaru driver Travis Pastrana—a blistering time of just 5 minutes, 44.72 seconds.


While technology has changed greatly since the 1800s, the excitement and allure of ascending the Northeast’s highest peak has not. Today, a journey on the Mt. Washington Auto Road is still as breathtaking as it always has been.




Written by:

Crispin Battles, Marketing Director
Mt. Washington Auto Road
Great Glen Trails Outdoor Center
,

Man Arrested For Allegedly Punching Truck Window During Road Rage Incident

34-year-old Reid Patten was arrested for criminal mischief ~ Photo Courtesy of Wolfeboro Police



Wolfeboro, NH – A Wolfeboro man was arrested after punching out a window during a road rage incident. Wolfeboro police reported that at 8:05 pm they received a call about an altercation where 34-year-old Reid Patten allegedly punched and broke the window of a man’s Toyota Tacoma at Citizen’s Bank. The suspect then left the scene.

While Officers were talking with the victim and a witness the suspect returned. He allegedly admitted to police that he had smashed the window. Authorities said that Patten stated he wanted to own up to what he did, apologized and stated a gun was pointed at him by the operator of the truck.

Police asked the victim if he had in fact pointed the gun at the suspect. The victim said that he had pulled his gun out but it remained in its holster and was never pointed at Patten according to Police.

Patten was placed under arrest for criminal mischief and reckless operation.  He was released and given a court date of October 4th.

,

Radio Contest Winner Donates Year Supply Of Dog Food To Local Animal Shelters

From left to right Joan McBurnie from Harvest Hills, Kate Bailey from Conway Humane Society, Dave DiMatteo from Lucy Hardware, Stacey Klimkosky Fisher Brown’s owner, Magic 104 Morning Show Host and Station Manager Gino Devaney.

 

Conway, NH – A local radio contest winner gave up her prize to help two local animal shelters. WVMJ Magic 104 fm teamed up with Lucy Hardware to give away a year supply of Natural Balance Dog food to one lucky winner. Out of the close to 90 photo submissions Fisher Brown’s picture was chosen as the winner.

The winning photo of Fisher Brown.



Stacey Klimkosky Fisher’s owner was delighted to win however at the time Fisher Brown was dealing with some serious health issues. Klimkosky said “He was diagnosed with lymphoma in March and my vet didn’t really know if he would have 3 days, 3 weeks or 3 months.” She added “I am able to provide good for him (Fisher Brown). Not everybody is able to do that, and I just wanted to just give back to the community.” So in light of this Klimkosky decided that she would donate her prize of a 28lb bag of Natural Balance Dog Food a month for a year to local animal shelters.

After hearing about winning Fisher Brown and his owner Stacey Klimkosky announced that they would donate their prize.



Inspired by Klimkosky’s generous donation Dave DiMatteo from Lucy Hardware wanted to help out as well. Dimatteo said that instead of giving Klimkosky a single 28lb bag of Natural Balance Dog Food a month for a year, he would split the prize giving 6 bags of food to the Conway Area Humane Society and 6 bags to Harvest Hills Animal Shelter all at once so they could use it immediately. Dimatteo also wanted to inspire others to help local shelters so he decided to give them some incentive. Dimatteo said “Anyone that adopts a dog from the shelters, if they bring in their adoption certificate, we’ll give them 20% off their first year’s worth of Natural Balance Dog Food. The other thing we’re going to do is if someone wants to donate food to the shelters we’ll give them 20% off when they purchase it, then I will run the food over to the shelter of their choice.”

Joan McBurnie from Harvest Hills Animal Shelter that their shelter is currently full and the large sum of food will really help out. Saying “Every bit of food helps. The high quality food is definitely a plus for us. That is going to last us quite a while”.

In June Magic 104, Lucy Hardware, and Natural Balance Dog Food held the Cutest Dog Photo Contest. Listeners were asked to submit a cute photo of their four legged friends in order to win a years supply of Natural Balance Dog Food. 88 Photos were submitted and then narrowed down to a top 5. The top 5 were then posted up on the Magic 104 website for listeners to vote on for a week. Fisher Brown won with 35% of the 795 votes.

To help, donate, or learn more about the Conway Area Humane Society and Harvest Hills Animal Shelter visit their respective websites at conwayshelter.org or harvesthills.org.