WMWV – 93.5

FRYEBURG, ME – Fryeburg voters choose their next selectmen, school board members, and water district trustees in addition to several articles today.

The polls at the American Legion Hall on Bradley Street are open from 8 a.m till 8pm today.

With Janice Crawfords seat up for grabs David Brown and Tom Kingsbury are vying for the seat. Mary Di Nucci, Nicole Goggin, and Allison Leach are each looking to fill two open seats on the MSAD 72 School Board.

Whether or not to allow the cultivation, testing and the manufacturing of marijuana products in the town is up for a vote in Article 3.

According to the draft of the ordinance “The purpose of this Ordinance is to regulate adult use marijuana cultivation, pro ducts manufacturing, and testing facilities to protect the public’s health, safety, and welfare, while fostering a dynamic business climate.”

The ordinance states that in order to manufacture or cultivate marijuana the manufacturer must obtain an adult use marijuana license from the town.

The ordinance does not apply to private cultivation, and marijuana social clubs and retail stores are prohibited in the town.

The full ordinance draft can be found here.

Across the street in the Fryeburg Academy Gym the water district elections will be taking place from 8 a.m till 8pm. Residents will be choosing between Jessica Knowles Lane and David Kennedy West, who are running for two open seats on the water trustees’ board. William Harriman is running as a write in candidate.

On Thursday the Annual Town Meeting will be held at the Leura Hill Eastman Performing Arts Center at 6 p.m. where residents will decide on another 44 articles.

For a full look at the articles up for a vote this week log onto Fryeburgmaine.org.

In addition to the local elections Maine residents will be casting ballots in the first in the nation ranked choice voting primary as voters sort through a crowded gubernatorial field that includes 11 Republican and Democratic candidates.

Those looking for more information about how ranked choice voting works can click here.

ROCHESTER, NH – Authorities have released the name and results of an autopsy on a woman who was shot and killed in Rochester Yesterday. Attorney General Gordon MacDonald’s office said that the State medical examiner determined that 24-year-old Billy Jo Ahearn, of Rochester, died from a single gunshot wound and her death was ruled a homicide.

Rochester police said they were originally called to South Main Street at about midnight Wednesday for a reported shooting involving two groups of people. When officers arrived they found three adults, including Ahearn, who was suffering from a gunshot wound.

Ahearn was transported to a local hospital, where she later died.

Investigators would not say how many people were believed to be involved in the shooting.

Last night divers from New Hampshire Fish and Game assisted Rochester police and searched the Cocheco River behind the district courthouse.

Rochester police also searched a home on Lafayette St., and while investigators wouldn’t confirm whether the search was related to the shooting, residents told WMUR-TV it was.

A GMC Yukon was allegedly stolen and crashed by a Juvenile from the Campton Becket Family Service Residential Facility after a home invasion in Campton.~ Courtesy Photo

 
CAMPTON, NH – A suspect lead police on a chase after breaking into a home in Campton. According to Campton Police Chief Christopher Warm at around 2:20 am Monday officers responded to a reported home invasion on Owl Street.

The homeowner said that a lone juvenile male was found in her kitchen. The individual was later identified as a runaway from the nearby Becket Family Service residential facility. The juvenile was chased from the home by the residents who then called the Police.

While authorities searched for the suspect he entered the garage of the neighboring home where he acquired keys and attempted to leave the area in the neighbors GMC Yukon.

A GMC Yukon was allegedly stolen and crashed by a Juvenile from the Campton Becket Family Service Residential Facility after a home invasion in Campton. ~ Courtesy Photo

 
The responding officer saw the suspect in the vehicle and attempted to stop it. The suspect refused to stop when the officer signaled him to do so and both Campton PD and State Police pursued the vehicle until the SUV lost control in the New Hampton/Meredith area on I-93.

The suspect only sustained minor scrapes and bruises from the accident and was taken into custody at the scene.

A witness reported that a firearm, allegedly taken from the garage where the keys were allegedly taken from, was found on the ground at the scene of the vehicle theft after the incident.

The juvenile is incarcerated at Sununu Youth Detention Center and is to be arraigned in Juvenile Court. The suspect is charged with five counts of delinquency alleging burglary, theft, trespass, and disobeying an officer have been filed against the suspect, with more charges possible as Police continue to investigate the incident.

According to their website the Becker Family Services is “an alliance of nonprofit with the goal of helping struggling adolescents find a “zest for life” and succeed in the “business of life.”

Their Children’s residential treatment services (like the one in Campton) are offered with a goal “to provide education and treatment that enables our students to successfully return home or to alternative community living arrangements, including foster care or kin.”

Rescue crews repel down to two men from Rhode Island who found themselves stranded on a steep ledge in Huntington Ravine Sunday (6-3-18) ~ Photo courtesy of NH Fish and Game.

 
SARGENTS PURCHASE, NH – Two hikers were rescued after getting lost on Mt. Washington this weekend.

Conservation Officers with New Hampshire Fish and Game said that on Sunday at around 1pm they received a call that 27-year-old Daniel Rueda, of Warwick, Rhode Island, and 21-year-old Christopher Petteruto, of Coventry, Rhode Island, were stranded in steep terrain at an unknown location in the area of Huntington Ravine. The hikers were able to give a description of the area but could not provide specific information, as they had not been there before.

Conservation Officers enlisted the help of the Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC), who responded from around the mountain to search for the hikers. Over the next two hours, distant voice contact was made but an exact location could not be pinpointed.

With the afternoon turning to evening, additional search and rescue teams were formed, consisting of volunteers from Androscoggin Valley Search and Rescue (AVSAR), Mountain Rescue Service (MRS) and the US Forest Service.

Additional information eventually surfaced, helping crews to focus their attention on the northeast side of the ravine in an area known as Henderson’s Buttress.

The red circled area is where the two Rhode Island men where located after getting lost off of the Huntington Ravine Sunday (6-3-18) ~ Photo courtesy of NH Fish and Game.

 
By 6:00 PM, crews were still working to reach the stranded individuals.  Temperatures had gone from the 50’s to the high 30’s, and the hikers began to report through 911 (via cell phone) that they were becoming very cold and physically deteriorating.  The hikers had insufficient gear to stay warm, which applied additional pressures to the volunteers to make it to them before the situation

At 7:27 PM, rescue crews successfully reached the hikers at a location approximately 1000 feet off of the Huntington Ravine Trail. The hikers were located in an area of ledge, making it difficult to move either up or down.

Rescue crews provided the  lost hikers with warm clothing,food, and drink after locating them on a steep ledge in Huntington Ravine Sunday (6-3-18) ~ Photo courtesy of NH Fish and Game.

 
The hikers were subsequently assessed and provided with warm clothing, water and food.  Once warm, the two were able to hike and climb with the rescue team back out to the Huntington Ravine Trail and eventually up Mount Washington to the Alpine Garden.

Rescuers crews lead the lost hikers up Huntington Ravine Sunday (6-3-18) ~ Photo courtesy of NH Fish and Game.

 
The hikers were then lead to the Mount Washington Auto Road where they arrived safely shortly after 9:00 PM.

Following the evacuation, the hikers were checked by members of Gorham Ambulance before leaving in their own vehicle.

Fish and Game Officials said advise outdoor enthusiasts to always be prepared for the unexpected, even on really nice days. Conservation Officer Matthew Holmes said “This day started out great for the hikers in question and then ended in a six hour sit with temperatures that nearly hit the freezing mark. The forecast for the coming week on Mount Washington includes a “wintery mix” that will likely take the mountain from spring right back into winter.”