North Country

New Hampshire remains the only state that doesn’t require adults to wear seat belts and many of the people killed in the state last year in crashes were thrown from their vehicles.  

By the end of 2011 eighty-eight people had been killed in traffic accidents in the state.

About a quarter of them were either thrown completely from their vehicles or partially ejected, according to state figures.

That means they were probably not wearing seat belts.

“When people are ejected from the vehicles they are two to four times more likely to die in a crash.”

A lot of people hear about "the North Country" but for those want to know more a splendid way to begin 2012 would be with a book called “Beyond the Notches – Stories of Place in New Hampshire’s North Country.”

Fifty essays in 400 pages explore the history, the challenges and the joys of life in the North Country.

One of the editors, Kay Morgan, said the North Country was a logical and compelling subject.

State representative Herb Richardson (R-Lancaster) has endorsed Mitt Romney for president, according to a Monday news release from the Romney campaign.

Kestrel Aircraft, which has been considering locating a parts plant in Berlin, has also been negotiating with the city of Superior, Wisconsin, according to a story in the Duluth News Tribune.

“The city of Superior is in the running for an airplane manufacturing facility that could create 300 permanent jobs initially and up to 600 jobs by 2016,” the newspaper said. The story did not say whether the jobs would involve assembling the aircraft, making the parts or both.

A search Thursday for a missing man on Mount Washington Thursday turned out not to have been necessary.

According to a news release from Fish and Game the family of a 67-year-old Ohio man became worried after he failed to contact them for two days.

About 1:30 p.m. searchers began looking for David Deubner, who was on a solo, multi-day hike.

StateImpact recently took a look at how ski resorts – including many in the North Country – are doing this season and the news isn’t great.

http://stateimpact.npr.org/new-hampshire/2011/12/28/revenues-for-new-hampshires-ski-industry-on-a-downward-slope/

StateImpact is a collaboration between NHPR and NPR.

For other stories: http://stateimpact.npr.org/new-hampshire/

State officials have rejected a complaint by the Northern Pass hydro-electric project that it should have been allowed to buy land near the Balsams resort. NHPR’s Chris Jensen reports.

Earlier this month the Tillotson Corp. agreed to sell a conservation easement on about 5,800 acres and a right-of-way to the Society for The Protection of New Hampshire Forests.

The selling price was $850,000.

That prompted Northern Pass to complain to the attorney general’s charitable trust section. 

The Northern Pass hydro-electric project says it would like to buy a conservation easement at the Balsams if the Forest Society doesn’t. NHPR’s Chris Jensen

Earlier this month the controversial Northern Pass project lost in its bid to use land near the Balsams resort for its power lines.

The Tillotson Corporation rejected Northern Pass’ $2.2 million offer.

Instead it agreed to sell a conservation easement for $850,000 to The Forest Society.

That easement covers about 5,800 acres. It seems to have effectively blocked Northern Pass in that area.

Sen. John Gallus (R-Berlin) has endorsed Mitt Romney, according to a news release from the Romney campaign.

The release quoted Gallus as saying:

“In 2012 Republicans need to nominate a candidate who can defeat President Obama and reverse the damage caused by his disastrous fiscal policies. Over the past several months, Governor Romney has clearly demonstrated that he is the most qualified candidate and the strongest Republican to take on the President.”