The New Hampshire Maple Sugar Producers Association holds its annual statewide open house a month from now, when visitors can check out sugar houses here and around new Hampshire. But the way this Winter has gone, some of those sugar houses may be closed for the season. The abnormally mild Winter has prompted tree tappings across much of southern New Hampshire and Vermont. And the trees are producing, thanks to exactly the sort of weather we're experiencing right now ... below-freezing nights, and above-normal daytime highs. A worker at Stuart & John's Sugarhouse in Westmoreland tells the Sentinel they started boiling down sap a week ago.
Political analyst Larry Sabato says there are some key reasons for Rick Santorum's recent surge in the polls. Sabato thinks the Republican base likes the former Pennsylvania senator's blunt way of speaking about social issues. Sabato also says Santorum's recent primary and caucus wins in Colorado, Missouri and Minnesota are helping his GOP presidential bid. He has led every poll in Michigan ahead of that state's primary next week, but a new Public Policy Polling survey shows his lead over Mitt Romney is shrinking. Sabato says a Santorum win in next week's Michigan primary could be disastrous for Mitt Romney's presidential bid and also the Republican Party.
BAE Systems in Nashua now has a big contract with Northrop Grumman to provide systems to upgrade all B2 bombers. BAE Systems will be the primary partner of Northrop Grumman in producing a modernized Electronic Support Measure system. This also helps expand the B2's service life extension another 46 years. The contract work will be done in both Nashua and Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Citizens of Tamworth fighting to keep the small South Tamworth Post Office open mailed their petition of support to regional postal officials. The tiny office is slated to be closed as a budget cutting measure, but hundreds of area residents aren't giving up. People from surrounding towns and even seasonal residents signed the petition, as they also rely on the post office from time to time. Included with the petition are letters of support from state lawmakers and U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen. More letters of support are expected, all of which must be postmarked by Thursday in order to become part of the official record.
When the stars come out to party in Hollywood this weekend for the Oscars, a touch of the Granite State will be in some of the gift bags. Jennifer Berube of Lempster makes hand-beaded coffee scoopers, among other things, and those scoopers will be in the bags handed out in the Oscar Gift Lounge by GBK Productions in Hollywood. They're simple and elegant, with spoons and vintage silverware decorated with beads and thin copper wire. Berube makes them all at her kitchen table, and says her now-booming business started when she lost her job as a secretary four years ago, and had to hand-craft Christmas gifts.
A legislative committee has delivered a gut punch to people fortunate enough to own homes with scenic views, but unfortunate enough to be effectively taxed for the views. The House Municipal and County Government Committee forwarded a bill which would have barred the inclusion of a scenic view in tax appraisal as "inexpedient to legislate"... which is fancy language meaning the measure is dead for at least this year.
The new chair of the Vermont Republican State Committee is warning against what he says is the reckless agenda of Democratic Gov. Peter Shumlin. Jack Lindley was unanimously elected party chair on Saturday during a meeting in Montpelier. Lindley says it could be a great year for Vermont Republicans, but it will take energy and a lot of hard work. He says Republicans need to push back against what he says is Democratic single-party rule in Montpelier. Lindley has served as the state's GOP chair before, and has the state's Republican National Committeeman.
Vermont Attorney General William Sorrell says the judicial ruling in Vermont Yankee's favor, which he appealed late last week, would have a chilling effect on the legislative process if it is upheld. Federal Judge J. Garvin Murtha ruled last month that lawmakers acted on safety concerns when they enacted legislation forbidding the issuance of a Certificate of Public Good for Yankee's continued operation beyond next month. States are not allowed to make decisions about nuclear power based on perceived safety bases.. Sorrell says Murtha's reliance on discussions among lawmakers, experts, anti-nuclear advocates and the people, quote, "has the potential to chill legislative debates in the future," unquote.
A third-year boarding student at St. Johnsbury Academy is in critical condition at Fletcher Allen Health Care. The school says Chen Lin, who is from Beijing, China, was at the Middlebury Snow Bowl and was free-skiing after part of the giant slalom competition. Lin is a member of the Academy's Alpine ski team. While the school is not releasing details, a news release says recovery is expected to take a long time, and students are starting fundraising efforts in support of the Lin family.
A boy is recovering after being hurt on the new high speed thrill ride at Jay Peak. La Chute starts with a 60-foot free fall before the rider begins going up an enclosed tube. The ride relies on the person's own weight, and the child did not make it up and became stuck in the bottom. The ride attendant did not notice that, and sent down a man on the ride who collided with the boy. The child was treated for minor injuries at North Country Hospital and released. Jay Peak says the boy meets the weight requirement and this was the first accident since the ride opened in mid-December with 50-thousand riders since then.
It's not time yet for a sigh of relief, but experts are saying chances are less likely this spring for Lake Champlain flooding like last year's. That's because snow totals are far below average, with one National Weather Service meteorologist saying the threat for any Lake Champlain flooding at this time is very low. It's also helped by less snow in the mountains, with temperatures well above normal meaning more rain than snow. The amount of ice is also below normal, but it's still mid-February, so there's always the chance of arctic air resulting in ice jams and river flooding.
