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Ossipee Fire on Route 16 UPDATED

Shortly after noon on Thursday scanner calls indicated a serious fire at an apartment building off Route 16 in Ossipee, New Hampshire. New Hampshire’s State Department of Safety has confirmed that a fire had trapped multiple people in the upper floors of a four story apartment building. State Fire Marshall Paul Parisi says three occupants jumped from windows on the third and fourth stories and two children were dropped from those upper level windows as well. Firefighters extracted at least one victim using a ground ladder. Ossipee’s Police Department closed down Rt. 16 near the fire and began redirecting traffic sometime around 1:45pm. Authorities say there was a total of 8 victims transferred to hospitals for a mixture of traumatic injuries from jumping as well as smoke inhalation. Most of the victims were transferred to Huggins Hospital in Wolfeboro for treatment. They ranged from a 2-year old girl to a 53-year-old man. Three victims had to be further transferred to Dartmouth Hitchcock, two by DHART helicopter and one by ambulance. Among them, a 1 month old girl who was reported to be in critical condition as well as two female teenagers in serious but non-life threatening conditions. WMUR-TV reports a woman named Doran Garland was driving along Route 16 when she saw the fire and pulled over to help. According to WMUR and social media posts, she and others were using a blanket to catch victims as they jumped from the building.

Approximately half of the 49 occupants of the apartments were home at the time of the fire. The origins of the fire are still under investigation. Authorities report Red Cross is helping families displaced by the fire. Parisi says the town of Ossipee has also been instrumental in providing aid for the victims. Lakes Region Humane Society say they can help find temporary housing situations for the cats and dogs of those affected. New Hampshire’s Department of Safety is reminding residents once again to make sure their smoke alarms are working.

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MWV Skating Brings Home The Gold

The Mt. Washington Valley Skating Club participated in two skating competitions last month and say they took home the gold as well as other medals. The Snowflake Skate was held in Falmouth, Maine and a number of members of the club received various awards for their Basic Level team, Freeskate level team, individual competitions, and individual freeskate competitions. The club says they also participated in the Skate Your Heart Out competition in Hallowell, Maine where members of the club again placed in the top tiers of the various categories. The Mt. Washington Valley Skating Club is a part of the US Figure Skating Association that teaches all ages and abilities in skating at the Ham Arena in Conway.

The Snowflake Skate

Gold Medal, Basic Level Team Event – Amelia Barboza, Candice Pickering, and Holly Pierce

Gold Medal, Freeskate Level Team Event – Georgia Knowles, Jordan Goldblatt, Julia Silvia, Olivia and Patrick Sandahl

Gold Medal, Basic 2 with music – Candice Pickering

Silver Medal, Basic 2 with music – Amelia Barboza

Bronze Medal, Basic 3 with music – Holly Pierce

Fourth Place, Pre-Freeskate with music – Georgia Knowles

Fourth Place, Freeskate 1 with music – Patrick Sandahl

Silver Medal, Freeskate 2 with music – Olivia Sandahl

Bronze Medal, Freeskate 2 with music – Julia Silvia

Fourth Place, Freeskate 2 with music – Jordan Goldblatt

Gold Medal, Adult Pre-Bronze Pattern Solo Dance – Jeni Wilder

Gold Medal, Basic 6 with music – Sativa Hoeflich

 

Skate Your Heart Out

Gold, Basic Level Team – Amelia Barboza, Candice Pickering, and Holly Pierce

Fourth, Freeskate Level Team – Georgia Knowles, Che Che Stoddard, and Patrick Sandahl

Fourth, Freeskate Level Team – Jordan Goldblatt, Julia Silvia, and Olivia Sandahl

Gold, Basic 2 with music – Candice Pickering

Silver, Basic 2 with music – Amelia Barboza

Bronze, Basic 3 with music – Holly Pierce

Gold, Basic 6 Compulsory – Sativa Hoeflich

Gold, Basic 6 Showcase – Sativa Hoeflich

Silver, Basic 6 with music – Sativa Hoeflich

Bronze, Pre-Freeskate with music – Georgia Knowles

Silver, Freeskate 1 with music – Patrick Sandahl

Silver, Freeskate 2 with music – Julia Silvia

Bronze, Freeskate 2 with music – Olivia Sandahl

Bronze, Freeskate 2 with music – Che Che Stoddard

Fourth, Freeskate 2 with music – Jordan Goldblatt

Gold, Adult Bronze Showcast – Jeni Wilder

Gold, Adult Pre-Bronze Solo Dance Pattern – Jeni Wilder

Gold, Adult Bronze Compulsory – Jeni Wilder

Gold, Pre-Pre Moves – Nina Stoddard

Gold, Adult 4 with music – Nina Stoddard

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Jackson’s Community Bridge

The Jackson Public Library has announced something they’re calling, “The Jackson Bridge.” The idea? To build a bridge between neighbors to help each other. The program allows people to sign up to be a part of an electronic mailing list. Once a member, people will receive emailed requests for help from throughout the community. The goal is to create a community forum for people to request favors such as asking a neighbor to grab a grocery item you need to pick up but can’t. Organizers say the list does have guidelines to prevent abuse. Listeners can find more information at the Jackson Public Library’s website.

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Super Tuesday Election Tomorrow

In a move that has perplexed many, Pete Buttigieg dropped out of the Democratic Primaries the weekend just before Super Tuesday and Amy Klobuchar dropped out just one day before. Both candidates are attempting to pool their votes behind former Vice President Joe Biden in a bid to beat the progressive candidates. Though it may seem confusing for Buttigieg, the move is likely related to his strategy which had planned to utilize momentum in the first states to build a wave of support as the primaries progressed. That momentum died with the late entry of Michael Bloomberg. Amy Klobuchar’s campaign has been about even with Elizabeth Warren’s delegate count but polling indicated that she was unlikely to make significant gains this coming Tuesday. Still, some voters are wondering if cabinet positions were promised in exchange for the change of heart. The delegate count currently has Bernie with a slight lead against Biden, but that could change Tuesday with recent events. Super Tuesday features voting in over a dozen states including Maine. The Republican ballot in Maine will feature only Donald Trump and the choice to write-in someone different. Maine has closed primaries meaning only members of the particular parties can vote inside their respective primary.

Regardless of party, all of Maine’s eligible voters will be able to vote on the referendum tomorrow. Question 1 reads, “Do you want to reject the new law that removes religious and philosophical exemptions to requiring immunization against certain communicable diseases for students to attend schools and colleges and for employees of nursery schools and health care facilities?” A ‘yes’ vote would protect the ability of people under current Maine law to refuse vaccines. A ‘no’ vote would allow a law that will force the requirement of vaccines.

Listeners can click here to find where they can go to vote.

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First Case of COVID-19 in NH Confirmed

New Hampshire officials say a hospital system employee who recently traveled to Italy is the first person in the state to test positive for the new coronavirus. State epidemiologist Dr. Benjamin Chan said Monday the patient is experiencing mild symptoms and remains at home in Grafton County while health officials investigate. More than 80,000 cases of COVID-19, the illness caused by the virus, have occurred worldwide since the virus emerged in China in late 2019. About 3,000 people have died. The illness is characterized by fever and coughing and, in serious cases, shortness of breath or pneumonia. The first reported death in the U.S. from the virus was confirmed Saturday in Seattle. (Associated Press)

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Scammers Pretend to be NHDOT

New Hampshire’s Attorney General Gordon MacDonald is cautioning residents about a new email scam falsely presenting itself as the state’s Department of Transportation. The scam email uses the state’s Department of Transportation logo and says it’s seeking payment for a speeding infraction with the threat of a criminal investigation. MacDonald says the New Hampshire Department of Transportation will never send an email asking for payment and that recipients of this email should not contact the emailer or provide information. He says that while the EZ Pass system does communicate through email, it won’t do so for criminal violations.