PORTLAND, Maine — Motorists traveling the full length of the Maine Turnpike will pay 40 percent more, with cash increases of 50 cents to a dollar at three toll plazas, under a plan approved Thursday by the turnpike's board.
The plan, effective Nov. 1, increases cash tolls by $1 at the York toll plaza and by 50 cents at toll plazas in West Gardiner and New Gloucester. Also, there are 50-cent increases for northbound traffic entering in Wells and southbound traffic entering in Gray. Maine E-ZPass rates will increase 1 cent per mile.
Under the new rates, the cost of traveling the entire turnpike from York to Augusta will increase from $5 to $7.
The president of the Maine Motor Transport Association said he was confident that the toll increase was necessary.
The rate increase will bring in an additional $21.1 million in annual revenue, helping to cover the turnpike's operating budget, maintenance and long-term debt service.
Director Peter Mills said that even with the increase, the Maine Turnpike remains among the bottom 20 percent among U.S. toll roads for cost. And it seems inexpensive compared to $12 to get under the Hudson River in New York and a proposed $14 toll for a new Tappan Zee Bridge outside New York.
"You're still getting a bargain for driving 109 miles in Maine," he said.
Critics pointed to inequities of Maine's toll system, where motorists can pay vastly different rates per mile depending on where they get on and off the highway.
Turnpike officials say E-ZPass electronic payments are more equitable because they're billed per mile up, allowing for potential savings over flat rates paid at toll plazas.
The board on Thursday directed the turnpike to take steps to make it easier for Maine motorists to participate in the electronic tolling system, which is in use in 14 states.
Already, the turnpike has reduced the cost of the transponder device from $25 to $10. And the turnpike is considering selling transponders at AAA branches and allowing online activation instead of the current system of mailing in E-ZPass applications to the turnpike headquarters, Mills said.
Mills predicted that within 10 to 20 years the Maine Turnpike will exclusively use electronic tolling. At present, 62 percent of Maine Turnpike revenues come from E-ZPass users; of that total 38 percent comes from Maine motorists and 24 percent comes from out-of-staters, he said.
The last toll increase was in February 2009. When the new toll rates go into effect, the cash cost for drivers will be $3 in York, $2.25 in New Gloucester and $1.75 in West Gardiner. Tolls will increase to $1.50 for northbound traffic entering in Wells and southbound traffic entering in Gray.
CONCORD, N.H. -- The New Hampshire Fish and Game Department has set final season dates and bag limits for the 2012-2013 waterfowl hunting season. After considering comments from sportsmen at the August public meeting, New Hampshire’s proposed waterfowl season is much like last year’s, with a 60-day duck season with a 6-bird daily limit, and a 60-day Canada goose season with a 2-bird daily limit.
Fish and Game will continue split seasons for both ducks and Canada geese in the inland and coastal zones to allow early and late hunting opportunities. This year, there will also be a straight season in the new Northern Zone, where marshes and ponds tend to freeze over earlier than in areas south of the White Mountains. A map of the state's waterfowl zones can be viewed at http://www.huntnh.com/Hunting/Hunt_species/hunt_waterfowl.htm.
Following are the seasons for each zone:
* The Inland Zone waterfowl season will open on October 2 and run through November 4; then reopen November 21 through December 16, 2012.
* The Coastal Zone waterfowl season will open on October 3 and run through October 14; then reopen November 21 through January 7, 2013.
* The Northern Zone waterfowl season will open on October 2 and run straight through November 30, 2012.
To hunt waterfowl in New Hampshire, you must have a New Hampshire hunting license, a New Hampshire Migratory Waterfowl License and a federal duck stamp. You also are required by federal law to register for the National Migratory Bird Harvest Information Program (HIP). Separate HIP permits are needed in each state you hunt. Licensed hunters should call 1-800-207-6183, or go to http://www.huntnh.com and click on "Buy a License Online"; you can receive a permit number at this site (there is no charge). Write the permit number on your hunting license. Each year, a random selection of hunters is asked to complete a voluntary harvest survey.
Hunters are asked to report all banded birds using the toll-free phone number, 1-800-327-BAND or go to http://www.reportband.gov.
Rescuers have come to the aid of a New Jersey family stranded on a trail in New Hampshire’s White Mountains.
Jed and Miriam Einhorn and their son, Chaim, of Lakewood, N.J., set out from a trailhead from Mount Lafayette to hike a nine-mile loop. They called for 911 for assistance about 9 p.m. Tuesday. The couple are in their 50s; Chaim Einhorn is 31.
The family had a small light with them, but it was not sufficient for them to navigate the wooded trail.
New Hampshire Fish and Game conservation officers reached the Einhorns about 11:15 p.m. and escorted them down the mountain.
Lt. James Kneeland said the family was familiar with the trail, but did not allow enough time to complete their planned hike.
Each spring nearly 2,000 people hoist unbelievably heavy packs and strain down a misty trail, intent on accomplishing the most difficult task of their lives: going the length of Eastern America’s Appalachian Mountains. This is a unit of the National Park Service—a footpath linking a tree-covered mountaintop in Georgia and a rock-capped summit in central Maine. The Appalachian Trail (AT) may have been the world’s first long-distance, organized recreational avenue to wilderness. Today there are many long-distance trails—but none equal the AT.
When first proposed in 1921 by regional planner Benton MacKaye, the idea for a Appalachian trail was labeled “an experiment in regional planning.” Actually, it was a lofty philosophical experiment, intended to dilute the hold that industrialism had on modern life. The AT would preserve the East’s wilderness while offering the laboring masses an uplifting escape from the manufacturing economy. The idea caught on dramatically. People recognized that the future of the logging-denuded and eroded Appalachians were at stake. And trail enthusiasts liked the idea of the path itself. continued:http://ow.ly/cYxId
Update: August 14, 2012 - The name of the hiker has been released. The victim was Gary Muise of Sharon, Massachusetts.
CONCORD, N.H. – A 57-year-old Massachusetts man hiking on New Hampshire's Mount Washington with his two teen-age daughters died after experiencing a medical emergency on the trail today (Monday, August 13). His name is being withheld until Tuesday morning pending family notifications.
The victim was hiking on the Tuckerman Ravine Trail this morning with his two daughters, age 15 and 18, when he collapsed approximately 2.5 miles from the Appalachian Mountain Club's Pinkham Notch Visitors Center. One of the girls ran back down the trail to the visitor's center for assistance, while the other daughter stayed with him. Other hikers stopped to help, and AMC staff soon arrived on the scene, but they were unable to resuscitate him. He was transported down the mountain to the visitors center at 2 p.m. by New Hampshire Fish and Game Department Conservation Officers, AMC staff and Mountain Rescue Service volunteers.
No further information is available at this time. The victim's name will be posted on Tuesday when more information becomes available.
While out driving with my wife today on one of our "out and about drives to nowhere in particular" my wife spotted a male Bald Eagle flying upstream in the opposite direction we were traveling.
I backed up and conveniently pulled into a turnout on the edge of the road that had been made into a scenic lookout area by one of the neighbors.
He landed in a dead tree directly across the river from us and proceeded to groom himself on a limb. This continued for about 15 minutes until he decided to move on further upstream.
Later on our way home this afternoon, I stopped for another sighting across the river which turned out to be a negative find only to look over my shoulder in front of the car to see a Red tail Hawk on the power lines just above the car.
MOULTONBOROUGH, N.H. — A father and daughter are safe after getting lost in heavy rain and fog on New Hampshire's Mount Shaw.
Fifty-six-year-old Michael Arcidy of Bedford and his 23-year-old daughter, Chiara, called for help Saturday night after straying off the trail. Fish and Game conservation officers located the hikers using GPS coordinates and used an all-terrain vehicle to reach and rescue them.
Officials say the father and daughter did have appropriate clothing and most of the recommended hiking gear, but they did not have a map that could have helped them get back on the trail.
MARION, N.C. - A man who went missing in July near Stinson Lake in Rumney has been found by authorities in his home state of North Carolina.
Hugh Armstrong, 72, was located at about 1 a.m. walking along the road in Marion, North Carolina, about 240 miles west of his hometown in Clayton, N.C. Armstrong was confused and wasn’t sure where he was going, but overall, he was in good physical health, said police.
Armstrong’s son-in-law, Craig Black, says a deputy found information on Armstrong in a missing person database and identified him. Black said he was shocked when he got the news. It appear Armstrong made his way to North Carolina by walking and hitchhiking, said authorities. Armstrong’s family has been contacted, and they’re making arrangements to bring him home.
Happy Ending!
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UPDATE: 7/30/2012
RUMNEY — The largest search effort in the state this year for a missing person has concluded after five days with no sign of a North Carolina man. Hugh Armstrong, 72, visiting with 11 members of his family for a week's vacation near Stinson Lake, went out for an early morning walk Wednesday and has not been seen since.
Armstrong, who grew up on a farm and spent a career in business, is not known to have any physical or mental health problems and is considered a strong walker. But he is not familiar with the locale or its rugged terrain.
He was wearing sneakers, eyeglasses, a white baseball hat, shorts and a T-shirt when he left the family's rental unit at Hawthorne Village. He had no cell phone, food or water with him.Family members said he went out with a plan to walk the 5.2 miles around the mountain lake and return home by 9 a.m.
Hugh Armstrong
By 12:30 p.m. that day, after driving the dirt roads surrounding the lake and not locating him, searchers were called.By Saturday, more than 90 volunteers responded to the call and joined line search teams, said Fish and Game Lt. Jim Kneeland, who is in charge of the search.Others brought food to a American Red Cross relief station set up at the White Mountain Ranch on the northern shore of the lake, while others who lived in the area took to the woods behind their homes to search for some sign of the man.
Kneeland said the volunteer efforts were complemented by the largest professional effort by far this year, more than 20 conservation officers, the State Police Special Emergency Response Team with dogs and a helicopter, the Army National Guard helicopters and organized volunteers, including New England K-9 Search and Rescue, Pemi Valley Search and Rescue and local fire departments.
Bill Taffe, who heads up Emergency Medical Services for the town of Rumney, was manning the ambulance after several days of line searching.He said he has never seen such a large and lengthy search for a missing person in the town.“It's anybody's guess” where Armstrong is, he said. “There's lots and lots of theories.”But Kneeland said by now, he would have expected Armstrong to “pop out” of the woods somewhere if he was able, though he conceded “these are big woods.”The effort began with hasty teams and bloodhounds then proceeded to grid searches near the Hawthorne Village and spread out along the edge of the road down toward the lake and up above the lake.
As each day went on, the teams went further afield with teams focusing on river drainage above and below the lake, surrounded by steep hills.On Sunday the focus was Mead Pond, above Stinson Lake, with five line search teams out in the woods.Saturday the focus was in the area of Stinson Mountain, a two-mile hike from the trailhead, while others searched toward Ellsworth on and off a number of roads.“This is our last big day,” said Kneeland Sunday, noting there would be no requests for volunteers on Monday.He said he would give helicopter crews, who have been hampered by low cloud cover, a few places to look in the next few days.The weather has been primarily in the 70s and 60s, with some heavy rain showers.
Asked if he thinks Armstrong is out there, Kneeland looked up above the lake and said, “I think I do.”He said that the family has been briefed daily of what is going on and what the plan for the coming day is. They were informed Saturday night that the search was concluding Sunday.
“They took it well. They really do appreciate the locals that have jumped in to line search and helped in any way they could,” Kneeland said.He said when there is spare time, conservation officers will continue to search the area for Armstrong.He still remained hopeful.“It might be what it takes is a good samaritan out in the woods” to find Armstrong.Those who believe they may have seen Armstrong are asked to call 846-3333.
CONCORD, N.H. – N.H. Fish and Game Department Law Enforcement staff are asking for the public’s assistance in locating a lost person, Hugh Armstrong, age 72, of Clayton, North Carolina. Armstrong was last seen leaving for a walk from Hawthorne Village in Rumney, N.H., at about 6:30 a.m. on Wednesday, July 25, 2012, and was supposed to have returned by 9:00 a.m. Armstrong was reportedly planning to walk around Stinson Lake via Cross Road and Doe Town Road. It is unknown how long he has been in Rumney, or whether he is familiar with the area. Armstrong is 5 feet, 4 inches tall and weighs 175 pounds. He has brown-gray hair, gray eyes, and wears glasses. He is thought to be wearing a white Red Sox hat, a red or blue t-shirt, and shorts.
Anyone who has seen Armstrong is asked to call State Police Troop F at (603) 846-3333.
UPDATE:
Fish and Game Conservation Officers, New Hampshire State Police, Rumney Fire Dept., and other search and rescue organizations are participating in the search for Armstrong.
State Police Lt. Todd Landry said Hugh Armstrong of Clayton, N.C., is here with his family visiting Stinson Lake on vacation and went out for "a short walk," abut 6:30 a.m. Landry said Armstrong had no health issues and was planning to walk from Hawthorne Village along the edge of the lake.
Twelve hours later, Landry said the search for Armstrong continues and includes the New England K-9 Search and Rescue on the ground, the NH State Police helicopter in the air, state Fish and Game officials, and local fire and police.
He said that at night helicopters in the air would be able to use infrared radar - which picks up the heat of a person's body - but only once it became dark.
Update 7/27/2012:About 60 searchers are looking for Armstrong, including New Hampshire Fish and Game conservation officers, state police, local fire department personnel and two canine search teams. The American Red Cross is on hand providing food and comfort to the searchers.
