Local and regional news
On Thursday, December 3rd, 2020, human remains were discovered in a forested, mountainous area in the Town of Ossipee, NH. Members of the New Hampshire State Police Major Crime Unit are investigating the circumstances surrounding the remains. Foul play is not suspected at this time. The State Police is being assisted by the New Hampshire Department of Fish and Game, the Ossipee Police Department and the Tamworth Police Department. Anyone with information regarding the investigation is encouraged to call Trooper Catherine Shackford of the Major Crime Unit at (603) 628-8477 (MCU-TIPS).
As the North Conway Library nears the completion of their $3.9 million expansion and renovation project a soft reopening is planned for Tuesday, December 8th from 10am to 2pm and Library Director Andrea Masters joined Gino on the Magic Morning Show today to tell us all about it. Listen below and get all the info!
The library will resume in-person operations with reduced hours and a limited number of visitors allowed at one time with a maximum of 30 minutes per visit.
Hours will be Tuesdays 10am-2pm, Thursdays 10am-2pm, and Fridays 12pm-4pm. Days and hours are subject to change. A detailed reopening plan can be found online under services.
Curbside service will continue throughout the winter. The pick-up location has moved to the rear of the building next to the main entrance door. Appointments for elderly and medically vulnerable patrons will be offered by request.
The library is equipped with a state-of-the-art ventilation equipment and air can be completely filtered and “renewed” every 12 minutes throughout the building. HEPA-filters are in place and will be changed regularly.
Strict protocol is in place for the safety of staff and patrons that includes mandatory face masks for patrons age 2+, social distancing, acrylic screens at circulation desk, surfaces cleaned every two hours, and a 72-hour quarantine of returned library materials.
The North Conway Public Library is a privately funded, non-profit 501(c)(3) organization and receives no regular funds from the Town, the State, or the federal government.
The library’s capital campaign is ongoing, with $400k left to raise for the funding of the interior Infrastructure, furniture, technology, equipment, and books. Donations are accepted online or by mailing to PO Box 409, North Conway, NH 03860. For more information, visit NorthConwayLibrary.com.
Gorham, NH – December 3, 2020- The White Mountain National Forest is pleased to welcome new Androscoggin District Ranger, Josh Sjostrom. Josh comes to the Androscoggin Ranger District from the Mother Lode Field Office of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in central California, where he has served as the Assistant Field Manager.
Prior to his service with the BLM Josh worked for the Forest Service for almost 15 years, beginning his federal career on the Androscoggin Ranger District of the White Mountain National Forest as a Forestry Technician. “I’m very pleased to welcome Josh back to the White Mountain National Forest,” said White Mountain National Forest Supervisor Derek Ibarguen. “His diverse background and leadership will be a great benefit on the District and the White Mountain NF.”
Josh grew up in Gorham, NH and holds a political science degree with a minor in business administration from the University of Maine. He is an avid skier and hiker – and Red Sox fan – and looks forward to coming home to the Mt. Washington Valley. “I am excited for the opportunity to work with the talented staff of the White Mountain National Forest,” said Sjostrom. “I’m also looking forward to developing and strengthening the many valuable Forest Service partnerships here in the North Country.”
His Forest Service career also includes time as a Wildland Firefighter Apprentice and Hotshot on the Klamath National Forest in Region 5, and as a Natural Resource Specialist on the Eldorado National Forest where he spent almost 9 years.
On December 1st at approximately 2:30pm, the Sheriff’s Office responded to a report of a 13 year old Naples boy who was reported missing by his parents. The boy was last seen at his home at approximately 12:30pm.
The situation was complicated by the fact that the boy suffers from an intellectual development disorder, along with other serious medical conditions. The boy’s parents and law enforcement had tremendous concern for his safety and a Code RED alert was activated by the Cumberland County Regional Communications Center.
Code RED is an emergency alert system used to notify our citizens of emergencies in the area such as severe weather alerts, evacuation notices, missing persons and many other dangerous situations. An alert can be sent through land and cell phone calls, text messages, and email, and is capable of delivering up to 60,000 notifications per hour. A Code RED alert was sent to a targeted 10-mile radius of the boy’s home notifying residents and businesses to be on the lookout and to report any sightings or contacts with him.
While a Code RED was being sent, multiple K-9 teams were utilized in search efforts, along with members of the Maine Warden Service. Deputies eventually found the boy walking along Harrison Rd in Naples at approximately 6:00pm. He was uninjured and subsequently returned home to his parents.
Although Code RED did not play a part in locating the missing boy, it can be a tremendous resource to public safety agencies and extremely beneficial to our citizens. To sign up for the Code RED Emergency Alert system, go to www.cumberlandcounty.org and click on the link for Code Red.
Concord, NH – The New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), Division for Children, Youth and Families (DCYF) announces partnerships with two social service agencies to provide community-based voluntary services (CBVS) for at-risk children and families. Waypoint, located in Manchester, and the Family Resources Center of Northern New Hampshire, located in Gorham, will provide critical support services across the state to promote safe, stable and nurturing families and communities.
Voluntary services are prevention tools to help families struggling with health and safety concerns that do not meet a finding of abuse or neglect today but could meet that standard without intervention by supportive community organizations. The new partnerships with Waypoint and the Family Resource Center will ensure that community-based voluntary services are available to families that have had initial contact with DCYF in order to strengthen the family setting and prevent future cases of abuse and neglect. These services will also increase DCYF’s statewide service array and advance efforts to provide New Hampshire families with the right services at the right time and in the right place.
“Ensuring that New Hampshire’s DCYF provides quality care and services to children and families across the Granite State has been a top priority of my administration,” said Governor Chris Sununu. “The announcement of these two partnerships, which will serve to provide voluntary services, is yet another step forward in ensuring we continue to meet that commitment and in ensuring support services are readily accessible to New Hampshire families directly within their communities.”
“We are thrilled to be working with two organizations with a demonstrated track record of helping children and families and with whom we have such a rich history,” said DCYF Director Joseph E. Ribsam. “Voluntary services help strengthen and preserve families, keep children safe at home, and foster environments in which they will thrive. As we continue to make our way through the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond, these community-based services will be a lifeline to our families as they regain their strength and resilience.”
“We are very excited by this opportunity,” says Borja Alvarez de Toledo, president and CEO of Waypoint. “Prevention services of this caliber will reduce reliance on state systems, and are transformative in the way they protect children and families.”
“We have been supporting families for more than 22 years through our five locations in the North Country,” said Patti Stolte, Executive Director of the Family Resource Center of Northern New Hampshire. “We’ve provided an array of services offered in our state from those seeking information on parenting to those needing interventions or even working towards family reunification. The new program under FRC known as Building Families Foundation is revolutionary in recognizing that families can experience a crisis, but with some intensive, short term care, can move quickly out of an at-risk situation with their family intact and achieve long-term success.”
In April 2020, DCYF issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) to expand the system of CBVS with a focus on strengthening the protective factors of families, including nurturing parenting skills and capabilities, addressing concrete needs, and supporting healthy family functioning. Feedback from a Request for Information issued by DHHS in October of 2019 informed the RFP, which includes features such as family engagement, flexibility of services, performance improvement, and adequate funding for service delivery.
To read the RFP, please visit https://www.dhhs.nh.gov/business/rfp/rfp-2021-dcyf-03-commu.htm.
December 1, 2020 (North Conway, NH) – Settlers Green has partnered with the Kiwanis Club of Mount Washington Valley for a special campaign on #GivingTuesday. Today, December 1st, purchase a Settlers Green gift card in any amount, and Settlers Green will match it with a donation to the Kiwanis Club.
#GivingTuesday is a global generosity movement that was created in 2012 as a simple idea: a day that encourages people to do good. Over the past seven years, it has grown into a global movement that inspires hundreds of millions of people to give, collaborate, and celebrate generosity on the first Tuesday after Thanksgiving.
“Kiwanis Club has always played a key part in supporting us with volunteers for the big bag giveaway during Bring A Friend each year, but since we eliminated the giveaway this year, we thought this would be a great way to support them and the community,” said Settlers Green Marketing Director Laura Lemieux. “We hope this will be the start of an annual tradition and plan to partner with different, local nonprofits and charities each year.”
The Settlers Green gift card can be purchased online at settlersgreen.com. All online gift card orders are mailed. You can also purchase a gift card at Customer Service from 9am-4pm today. Gift cards work at all retailers, services and restaurants at Settlers Green as well as select retailers and restaurants at Settlers Crossing. This is a one-day event and Settlers Green will match up to $2500 in gift cards sales as donation to the Kiwanis Club.
Settlers Green OVP
MWV Chamber of Commerce
