Wednesday, July 28, 2010

New Hampshire's Jaws

When you hear the music get out of the water!

"Jellyfish stings as many as 150 at N.H. beach" by L. Finch, Globe Correspondent | July 22, 2010

A large dead jellyfish wreaked havoc on a New Hampshire beach yesterday, stinging as many as 150 people, most of them children, and sending five to the hospital, fire officials said.

Panic ensued at Wallis Sands State Park in Rye, where emergency officials were called at about 1:30 p.m. and told that anywhere from 125 to 150 people had been stung, Lieutenant Charles Gallant of the Rye Fire Department said.

The jellyfish had broken apart earlier in the day when park officials tried to remove its carcass, and the floating pieces stung those in the water, Gallant said....

Oh, so the state f***ed up the retrieval.

--more--"

Maybe you would be better off swimming a lake:

"Drowning victim, 43, recovered from lake

Crews have recovered the body of a man who drowned while swimming in Lake Winnisquam. The man was identified as Stephen Wassmus, 43, of Charlestown, R.I. WMUR-TV reported that Marine Patrol crews found the body at 10:19 a.m. yesterday. Authorities say Wassmus swam from the Belmont Town Beach with his 13-year-old son about 12:30 p.m. Friday. The two made it to shore at Bartlett Beach in Laconia. As his son rested, Wassmus tried to swim back to Belmont Beach to go get their car. The son reported about 3:30 p.m. that his father was missing (AP)."

"Man drowns while swimming in lake

A 29-year-old Salem, Mass., man drowned Saturday as he and two friends were swimming near Pine Knoll Campground in Albany, N.H., authorities said. Shawn Bluefort called out for help when he began tiring in about 14 feet of water in Lake Iona, officials said. His friends were unable to help him. The group was about 100 feet away from the shore, apparently trying to swim across the lake, officials said. Bluefort’s body was recovered about 7:30 p.m. by divers from the New Hampshire Fish & Game Department, according to a report from the New Hampshire Marine Patrol Bureau."

"Boy, 12, hospitalized after tubing accident

New Hampshire officials are investigating a tubing accident that has hospitalized a 12-year-old boy with serious head injuries. The state Marine Patrol Bureau said two boys were on a tube yesterday afternoon being towed behind a boat on Kanasatka Lake. When approaching shore, the boat operator — identified only as a 46-year-old from Peabody, Mass. — attempted to tow the tube between a raft and a moored boat, but instead the tube hit the boat. The 12-year-old was taken to Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon. The other boy, 11, was treated and released. Officials did not release names (AP)."

Maybe not.

How about skydiving?

"Native son dies in parachute accident

The US Navy says a Navy SEAL who died in a parachuting accident in Virginia on Friday was a New Hampshire native. Tyler Stimson, 30, was from Wakefield and graduated from the University of New Hampshire in 2002. He was a member of a Navy SEAL team based in Norfolk, Va., and was living in Virginia Beach. A local news account said he was parachuting from a 259-foot tower. The Navy says Stimson served multiple tours in Iraq and Afghanistan and received several combat awards and decorations (AP)."

And he is killed making a jump here!


Better stay on the ground
:

"N.J. man falls to death on N.H. hike" by Kathy McCormack, Associated Press | July 20, 2010

CONCORD, N.H. — Christopher Baillie, spent last winter skydiving in Arizona and traveling around the West Coast. He was learning to become a pilot and recently beat cancer.

The 24-year-old Baillie, from Forked River, N.J., who loved the outdoors, died in a fall on Mount Washington Sunday.

He was hiking along the challenging Tuckerman Ravine trail with four friends when he went off the trail to the top of a waterfall. He slipped on some rocks and was washed over, falling about 100 to 200 feet to his death, authorities said.

“He climbed out to get a better look, and I think he got too close to the edge and the water swept his feet out from under him,’’ said Captain Kevin Jordan of the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department....

Baillie also attended rallies and raised funds for Invisible Children, which helps rescue African children forced into the military....

Related: Soccer Match Monday: Somalia's Kid Soldiers

Are Africa's Kids All Right?

Not with the U.S. around.

--more--"

Time to pitch camp
:

"Woman critically injured in camper fire

Officials are investigating a fire at a campground in the White Mountains that critically injured a woman in her camper. Dan Sdankus, owner of Pine Knoll Campground in Albany, said he called 911 about 10 p.m. Friday after learning the camper was on fire. Witnesses reported hearing an explosion before the blaze. Sdankus said fire and rescue crews from Conway pulled the woman from the burning trailer. He identified the woman as Charlotte Reynolds, but he didn’t know her hometown or age. She was taken to a North Conway hospital and transferred to Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, where a spokeswoman said she was in critical condition yesterday (AP)."

"Center to study child-to-adult chronic care

A New Hampshire organization will spend the next three years overseeing a project aimed at smoothing the transition for children with disabilities or chronic illnesses as they move from pediatric to adult health care. The Center for Medical Home Improvement has been awarded a grant to oversee groups of physicians who will test new methods to improve the hand-off between pediatric and adult primary care. Dr. Carl Cooley, the center’s director, says adolescents tend to drift into adult health care without enough planning (AP)."

"Inmates end hunger strike over heat

Officials say inmates at the state prison in Concord have ended a hunger strike to protest what they called stifling heat inside the facility. Jeff Lyons, Department of Corrections spokesman, said the last four inmates who were refusing to eat ended their strike with their Friday night meal. The inmates told prison staff they wouldn’t eat until fans were put in their rooms or nearby hallways. Lyons said the inmates had fans, but lost the privilege amid safety concerns (AP)."

And once the fans were installed?

"Utility to cut power to allow repairs

Public Service of New Hampshire is shutting off power early today to 1,200 customers in Litchfield and Merrimack. The utility said the emergency outage of about a half hour is needed to make repairs at a substation in Merrimack. The heat is suspected of causing the equipment to malfunction. The power will be shut off at 6 a.m (AP)."

So what else is there to do in New Hampshire?


I know!

HINSDALE!


"Bill banning live dog racing is on the table

Governor John Lynch has until Thursday to act on bill to ban live dog racing in New Hampshire. The state’s two remaining dog tracks currently do not conduct live greyhound racing and instead provide simulcasts of races held elsewhere. The bill would eliminate the tracks’ option of resuming live racing. Supporters argued the tracks are not racing dogs now and the state will save money by no longer regulating the activity (AP)."

Everyone is shutting them down. It's a dying industry.


And while you were inside watching the races:

"Suspect in handbag thefts, chase charged

A 36-year-old Massachusetts woman is due in court today to answer charges that she stole purses from customers at stores in Salem, N.H., and led police on a vehicle chase with her 12-year-old daughter in the car. Police say Maria Molina of Lawrence stole from customers in at least three stores, grabbing the purses from shopping carts when the owners were not paying attention. On Saturday police spotted a car driven by Molilna, who they say matched the description of the thief. Police said Molina refused to stop and hit a car and a telephone pole while fleeing, WMUR-TV reported (AP)."

How am I going to get home?