A boat stolen from The Bluffs crashed into a house at Deer Cove early Monday morning after reportedly speeding erratically on the big lake. No one in the house was injured, and the boat driver is missing.
Years ago the titmouse was deemed a southern bird, often only experienced below the Mason Dixon line. But the tufted titmouse pair visiting my feeder occasionally reminds me this small relative of the chickadee is still expanding its range in New Hampshire.
For years, Bruce Bedford documented our area on film, largely for the Carroll County Independent. He had a keen eye for rural life, and the distinctive style of an artist that informed routine news photos and photo-features alike. Now an archive of his work is being posted online.
Green Mountain Conservation Group will hold an informal public meeting on July 17 to discuss establishing a multi-town committee for residents and businesses to work jointly on protecting the Ossipee Aquifer. The proposal to create the committee comes on the heels of Ossipee's approval of two controversial developments that critics say are a threat to the area's primary source of drinking water.
With the crack of an auctioneer's gavel, 28 years of gaming — and embarrassing — DES, state judges and the Office of the State Attorney General came to an end this month as big lake environmental violator Donald Lee forfeited his property. Unfortunately for the neighbors he hurt, the proceeds from the sale are hundreds of thousands of dollars short of the cost to clean up his mess.
The satirical barb comes on the heels of the Ossipee Zoning Board's third decision to uphold the Planning Board's approval of the controversial campground expansion, which will double capacity at the business. The case remains in court after Ossipee turns down an apparent offer to settle.
Camp director Jody Skelton and fellow "Hucksters" have been busy over the past year planning the camp's 90th anniversary celebration, which takes place Saturday and Sunday, June 17-18. More than than 300 alumni campers, including June (Chick) Lowd of Center Ossipee, who was one of its first campers in 1929, will be attending.
Effingham got its chance to publicly support Freedom's claim that the controversial campground expansion plan violates Ossipee's floodplain zoning ordinance, but the outcome was the same. Meanwhile, Ossipee's Select Board has turned down a proposed settlement of the issues with Freedom, and an Effingham Planning Board member warns that Ossipee residents could lose eligibility for federal flood insurance if the town is found to be out of compliance with its floodplain regulations.
For the past three weeks, a pair of nesting loons on a central New Hampshire lake have been the stars of the Loon Preservation Committee's webcam, which is being accessed by more than 7,000 people daily across 141 countries. The hatching is expected this weekend.
Acrobatic as well as aggressive, the versatile pine siskin will feed from tube feeders, trays, or globe feeders, thistle sacks, and occasionally on the ground for spilled seed there. They balance easily on the many diverse swaying devices we put out for winter birds we enjoy attracting. Where they appear is always a surprise. It's all about the availability of the local food supply.
Effingham, which has abutter status in the issue, was not notified of the ZBA hearing at which Freedom, which also has abutter status, was given an opportunity to present its opposition to the expansion plan. Freedom had previously been denied the opportunity by Ossipee officials to present its case, a denial that was overruled by a state court judge.
On a 5-2 vote, with two abstentions, developers of the old White's Garage/Johnson Oil property will be allowed to proceed with their controversial plans. Unless there is an appeal, the vote ends a contentious application process that featured Planning Board members insulting one another as well as members of the public.
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