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Senator Shaheen Touts Funds to Fight Opioids

US Senator from New Hampshire Jeanne Shaheen is touting an increase in Federal funds to New Hampshire her office says she helped secure. New Hampshire and other hard-hit states by the opioid epidemic have received an increase in Federal funding to help combat the trend. Last year New Hampshire received $22.9 million from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration to help treat those afflicted with opioid addiction. That’s a significant boost from the $3.1 million New Hampshire had received in 2017. Shaheen’s office touted the increase in funding to the State saying, “We cannot grow numb to this tragedy and need to keep finding ways to save lives and deliver treatment before it’s too late.” Last month the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner of New Hampshire put out the official state tally for drug deaths in 2018. Opioids were responsible for the vast majority of deaths with roughly 420 deaths due to opioids compared to the annual total of roughly 470 deaths. That total represents a very minor drop but it’s the first drop since the start of the spike in deaths by opioids that began in 2013.

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Randolph Accident: Truck Driver Arrested

The driver of the pick-up truck involved in a deadly motor vehicle accident has now been identified, arrested, and charged. The driver, identified as 23-year-old Volodymyr Zhukovskyy was arrested at his home in Springfield, Massachusetts at 8:00 this morning. Massachusetts State Police arrested Zhukovskyy on a Fugitive from Justice charge after an arrest warrant was issued for seven counts of negligent homicide. Associated Press reports that Zhukovskyy had two prior drunk driving incidents, one last month in Connecticut and one in Massachusetts in 2013.

Authorities originally received notification of the accident off Route 2 in Randolph, New Hampshire at around 6:29 this past Saturday evening. The accident involved seven motorcyclists associated with a New England motorcycle club called the, ‘Marine JarHeads.’ They have been identified as Michael Ferazzi, 62; Albert Mazza, 59; Daniel Pereira, 58; Joanne and Edward Corr, both 58 years old; Desma Oakes, 42; and Aaron Perry, 45. New Hampshire Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Jennie Duval determined all seven died due to blunt force trauma.

A previously planned Blessing of the Bikes ceremony on Sunday became a solemn moment of mourning and reflection in the immediate aftermath of the crash that has shocked the New England region and country at large. The Associated Press reports roughly 400 people paid tribute to the bikers at the event. Governor Chris Sununu announced later on Sunday that flags would be flown at half-staff on Monday. He announced the statewide gesture yesterday saying, “Words cannot express the grief we all share in the loss of these seven individuals. The State will ensure that the families affected will have the necessary resources to provide closure to this tragic event.”

 

 

 

The investigation into the incident remains ongoing.

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One Percent for the Valley

A new non-profit is looking to harness the power of the free market for the environment. One Percent for the Valley is a non-profit organization by valley-local Jasmine Schmidt. It’s modeled after an international organization. Schmidt says, “Right now we’ve drafted out a loose budget for what we’re going to do with our funds after we raise them and it’s going to entirely depend on how businesses want to join our organization.” The idea is for various businesses to sign up for 1% of their proceeds going to the non-profit that will then use those funds to develop more environmentally friendly alternative methods of conducting their business. She also says, “If it weren’t for the beauty of our natural environment, we wouldn’t have an economy at all. I think businesses should be the ones making those steps because they’re the ones with the most skin the game when it comes to the environment. They’re the ones that are profiting off of it and that doesn’t have to be a bad thing. I think businesses and the environment can coexist in a positive way.” Bryce Harrison, co-Founder of Cheese Louise and member of One Percent for the Valley, says that one discussed idea would be to install a water-bottle filling station at Schouler Park in Conway in order to encourage more people to reuse water bottles and reduce plastic waste.

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Silver Lake Meth Bust

The Carroll County Sheriff’s Office says they helped shut down a meth lab in Silver Lake this past Wednesday. Carroll County Sheriff Domenic Richardi says the Sheriff’s Department and Madison Police Department acted on an investigation being conducted by the US Department of Justice’s Clandestine Laboratory Team and Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force. They say sales of precursor pseudoephedrine (PSE) in Rochester, Farmington, and Ossipee areas led to Silver Lake-resident Daniel Helm’s residency. Helm had prior history of manufacturing drugs. Using a warrant, authorities found evidence of production of methamphetamine at 121 George Chick Drive. Evidence is currently being processed by State and Regional officials. Richardi says the investigation is currently ongoing.

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“The Longest Day” Showing at Conway Public Library

Eugene Long is teaming up with the Conway Public Library to host a showing of “The Longest Day,” a docu-movie about the June 6th invasion of Normandy in 1944. The movie will start at 5:00pm on Thursday, the 75th Anniversary of the Battle. Tony Zore recently sat down with Eugene Long to hear Dr. Long’s personal connection to the event through his father, who commanded an artillery unit that came ashore that day. Here is the full interview:

Click Here if audio fails.

Gene’s Father came ashore on ‘Utah beach,’ around noon after the beaches had been secured by the Fourth Division.

 

His company was comprised of four 155mm howitzers like the ones depicted below.

 

This is the abbreviated interview that aired on WMWV.

Click Here if audio fails.

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Saturday Accidents in Fryeburg

Fryeburg Police, Fire, and Rescue responded to two motor vehicle crashes this weekend. A 54-year-old Fryeburg resident had been driving his pickup truck eastbound on Rt. 302 when his vehicle crossed into the oncoming lane and struck a utility pole, bringing down wires and closing the road for several hours. Fryeburg Police Chief Joshua Potvin says the vehicle’s driver said he had fallen asleep at the wheel.

 

Driver inattention led to the other accident in Fryeburg this past Saturday. Fryeburg Police say a 74-year-old Chatham, NH, resident was driving southbound on Fish Street around 12:30 when his vehicle crossed into the oncoming lane and struck an excavator bucket which had been placed in a ditch of the construction zone. Fryeburg Police, Fire and Rescue all responded to the crash and provided medical treatment to the man and his 76-year-old wife before releasing them without transporting them to the hospital. Fryeburg Police Chief Joshua Potvin said both occupants as well as other motorists were extremely fortunate they were not seriously injured and he commended the Fryeburg Fire Department on quickly extricating the passengers from the vehicle.

 

(All photographs courtesy of the Fryeburg Police Department.)