Drowning bear rescue caught on iPhone

KENAI, Alaska (AP) — Three Alaska men are being credited with saving a brown bear from drowning.

The Peninsula Clarion reports that Dustin Klepacki was floating the Kenai River with his father and their friend last weekend when they came upon the bear cub drowning in a whirlpool.

They tried to bump the bear out of the whirlpool, but the water caught their boat and they turned in circles as the bear became more frantic.

Finally, the current brought the boat up against the bear, and Dustin's father, Mike Polocz, was able to nudge the bear to slower-moving water. The bear swam to shore.

Another friend, Charlie Mettille, filmed the rescue on his iPhone which has been posted to YouTube, complete with the bear's cries. I have put it down below so you don't have to go searching for it.

AG issues comsumer alert for New Hampshire property owners

Press release


Attorney General Michael A. Delaney issued the following consumer alert to all New Hampshire property owners:

Consumers should be aware of mailings being sent to property owners throughout the state from companies using the names:


SECURED DOCUMENT SERVICES, and
DEED RETRIEVAL SERVICES

The mailings appear to be official government notices recommending, "that all United States [or New Hampshire] homeowners obtain a copy of their current grant deed" and further indicate that, for a fee of $86.00 or $87.00, these companies will provide the property owner with a copy of their Grant Deed and a Property Profile.

The Attorney General advises that these companies are providing a service of questionable value and the information advertised in these solicitations can be obtained from any of the State's Registers of Deeds for significantly less money. With deeds so easily and inexpensively attainable, the existence of these companies depends greatly on the public's unfamiliarity with the county registers of deeds offices.

Attorney General Delaney stated, “The real lesson for an educated consumer is to know what you are paying for, which in the case of these deed retrieval companies is virtually nothing more than a homeowner can acquire for far less cost. Don't be fooled by a company whose name sounds 'official' or by an 'official' looking notice designed to confuse and mislead you. If you would like a copy of your deed, you can obtain it yourself for nominal cost and time, or contact your county's Register of Deeds, who would be glad to assist you.”

Under New Hampshire's Consumer Protection Act, N.H. RSA 358-A, it is unlawful for any person to use any unfair or deceptive act or practice in the conduct of any trade or commerce within this state. Anyone who feels they have been the victim of any unfair or deceptive act should call the Attorney General's Consumer Protection Bureau hotline at (603) 271-3641 or 1-888-468-4454. For more information on consumer fraud you can also visit the Bureau's website at www.doj.nh.gov/consumer.

Make a Wish Rafters Forced to Abandon Ship

Jason Perry and Jason Tremblay were determined to stay in their raft to help the NH Make-A-Wish-Foundation raise $36,000, but they had to abandon ship on Wednesday night after their raft sprung a leak.

Donna Parker, the Make-A-Wish-Foundation's director of development, said the campaign that began on Tuesday morning raised $28,000 before Perry and Tremblay were forced to come ashore at 8 p.m. for their safety.

She said the threat of thunderstorms and torrential downpours may have also kept some people from coming down to Chandler's Loft where the campaign was waiting to accept their donations. But Parker said the non-profit group is still optimistic that some pledges will turn into more donations and they will reach their goal.

"We're hopeful," she said Thursday afternoon. "We'd love to see that $36,000 so we have not closed the event."

She said people can still make donations via the Make-A-Wish Foundation of New Hampshire's web site.

Parker said Tuesday the group hopes to grant five wishes with the money raised for children who are suffering from life threatening illnesses. She said wishes range from going to Walt Disney World to digging for dinosaur fossils in their backyards to even building a castle in one child's backyard, which Parker said said the 1,000 wish granted.

Parker said their goal for 2012 is to grant 100 wishes and there are 60 children who have applied for the program and are on a waiting list.

The Make-A-Wish Foundation of New Hampshire is celebrating its 25th anniversary and the foundation, to mark the major milestone, surpassed its 1,000th wish in January.

Pats Peak to Celebrate 50 Years with New Ski Trail and More Upgrades

The new arrival area at Pats Peak nears completion (photo: Pats Peak) 

Henniker, NH - New Hampshire’s Pats Peak ski area in Henniker will commemorate its 50th consecutive ski and snowboard season under the same local family ownership this winter with a new ski trail, a new arrival area, expanded snowmaking, a bag jump and more.

“We are excited to enter into our 50th consecutive ski and snowboard season. We are fortunate that ownership is committed to improving the operation on a yearly basis, even after a less than stellar season, due to lack of natural snowfall,” says Kris Blomback, General Manager of Pats Peak. “We pride ourselves on providing excellent snow conditions. This season we will continue to fine tune one of the most powerful snowmaking systems in New England by adding additional snow guns to our already impressive arsenal. For the past few plus seasons we have been the first to open 100 percent of our trails and slopes. This investment will help us to honor that commitment to bring our skiers and riders the best conditions.”


The arrival area at Pats Peak has received a major makeover this summer. The new post and beam pavilion is compliments of the craftsmanship by Bensonwood Timber Frames of Walpole, N.H. This new entryway between the lodges is complete with a warming area, brick walkway, stone walls and granite steps. It is finished off with a copper roof and a clock tower.


“We are obsessed with offering the best guest experience,” asserts Blomback. “One of our major improvements this season is for both the winter and summer banquet season. Our arrival area has been re-designed to include a beautiful timber structure, warming area and clock tower. We feel that this will ‘set the stage’ for a welcoming entrance.”


For freeriders, Pats Peak will add a new Air Bag to its F5 terrain park. The Air Bag is an inflatable cushion similar to those used in the world of professional stunts. By placing the Air Bag behind a jump it is designed to offer a safe opportunity to practice all kind of freestyle jumps providing a soft, cushy landing. It is used for training and entertainment for both professional and amateur skiers and riders. Electrical blowers are placed in the sides of the bag to keep it afloat while it is being used.


A new ski run off the summit was added on the “backside” of the mountain this summer. This trail will feed into the middle part of the Breeze trail for a second novice run off the top of the mountain. The new trail, the name of which will be determined via a Facebook contest, is the first step in a long term expansion project that includes several trails and a lift off the mountain’s backside, pending environmental permit approval.


Snowmaking efforts at Pats Peak get another boost this year with the addition of six new fan guns from Snow Machines Inc and HKD Turbo that require 20 to 25 percent less compressed air than other technologies, while putting out more snow in marginal temperature conditions.


“We will be able to open more terrain faster and sustain it longer through stretches with marginal temperatures,” says Blomback. “Also, using this type of snowmaking technology provides us with substantial savings in energy costs,” who adds that some of the ski area’s snowmaking pipe has been upgraded as well.


New this year, Pats Peak has earned the distinction of becoming the first Burton Women’s Learn to Ride Center in New Hampshire. Burton’s specialized women’s rental equipment and snowboard lessons will be offered for women every day, but female snowboarders are guaranteed a 100% Women’s Only lesson, at 11:30 a.m. every Saturday. Pats Peak is already a Burton Learn To Ride Center (LTR) for Adults and Kids with LTR Boards designed to accelerate learning by utilizing beginner-specific equipment.


This season 100 pairs of Dalbello adult ski boots, 100 Elan 140cm skis, 200 Elan junior skis and 125 Burton snowboards, bindings and snowboard boots have been added to the Pats Peak rental fleet, and the ski area’s mountain operations team has slapped a new coat of paint on the exterior of the resort’s base lodges. New carpet has been laid in the Valley Lodge and main entrance area, and a new backup generator has been installed to service the base area.

Seal deaths along New England coast linked to new bird flu strain

PORTSMOUTH, N.H. & WASHINGTON — A new kind of bird flu has been causing deadly pneumonia in baby seals off the northeastern US coast and could pose a risk to humans, according to US research released Tuesday.

The new strain has been named avian H3N8, and is blamed for the deaths of 162 seals along the US coastlines last year, said the study in mBio, a journal of the American Society for Microbiology.

Most of the dead seals were younger than six months of age.

While there have been no known human cases to date, scientists at Columbia University in New York urged caution, given the history of bird flu and its ability to evolve into forms that can infect people, like H5N1.

"Our findings reinforce the importance of wildlife surveillance in predicting and preventing pandemics," said W. Ian Lipkin, professor of epidemiology at the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health.

"HIV/AIDS, SARS, West Nile, Nipah and influenza are all examples of emerging infectious diseases that originated in animals," Lipkin added.

"Any outbreak of disease in domestic animals or wildlife, while an immediate threat to wildlife conservation, must also be considered potentially hazardous to humans."
Scientists sequenced the full genome of the new strain and found it originated from a bird flu virus that had been circulating in North American waterfowl since 2002.

Over time, the virus gained the ability to infect mammals by latching on to receptors in their respiratory tracts.

Wildlife experts first grew alarmed in September 2011 when an increasing number of seals from the coasts of Maine to Massachusetts began developing pneumonia and skin lesions.

A total of 162 dead or dying seals were recovered over the next three months, the researchers said.

Early research on the mutations in the strain "suggest enhanced virulence and transmission in mammals," though further study is needed, the authors said.

The bird flu that most people know about, H5N1, remains relatively rare but has killed about half of the people it has infected since the first outbreak in Hong Kong in 1997.

The World Health Organization has tallied 606 human cases of bird flu since 2003 and 357 deaths, according to a June report.

The so-called swine flu, or H1N1, broke out in Mexico in 2009. The H1N1 virus spread into a global pandemic that claimed the lives of 17,000 people.