Coyote attacks woman, child, dogs, vehicle

EXETER (AP) — A coyote attacked a pair of dogs, bit a woman and skirmished with a vehicle before being killed by a father defending his family on a walk on Monday, police said.

The Kensington Police Department believes the same coyote was responsible for attacking a vehicle on a roadway in Hampton Falls, biting a 62-year-old woman and her dogs on a porch in Kensington, and attacking a family on a walking trail in Exeter.

All three attacks were relatively close together and happened in little more than an hour, Kensington Police Chief Scott Cain said Monday.

Law enforcement officials were searching for the coyote when they got word that it had been killed. “The coyote came out of the woods and grabbed a child by the jacket. The dad when into protection mode and strangled the coyote,” Cain said.

New Hampshire Fish and Game collected the coyote and will test it for rabies. The victims were being treated for rabies as a precaution.

Hospital invests in health programs

NEW LONDON (AP) — Efforts to address New Hampshire’s health care workforce shortage are getting a multi-million dollar boost.

Dartmouth-Hitchcock Health system is investing up to $3.25 million into Colby-Sawyer College, starting with an initial $750,000. The money will fund new health science programs and help the college increase enrollment in its nursing program.

Officials say the programs were specifically developed with input from Dartmouth-Hitchcock and will train workers to fill the more than 1,000 job vacancies across the health system. The agreement requires the college to meet certain milestones in order to receive additional money.

Starting next fall, Colby-Sawyer will offer bachelor’s degree programs in five new areas —- addiction studies, health care administration, health science, medical laboratory science, and social work.

Wine week to feature music, panel discussion

CONCORD (AP) — New Hampshire is holding a week-long celebration of wine.

New Hampshire Wine Week includes the 17th annual Winter Wine Spectacular, which benefits EasterSeals New Hampshire. The event, on Thursday, attracts more than 1,500 guests who get to sample more than 1,800 wines.

A new event, “Cellar Notes: An Evening of Wine and Music,” will be held Wednesday evening at the Rex Theater in Manchester. It will feature a panel discussion and tasting.

Online: www.nhwineweek.com.

N.H. man dies when in snowmobile accident

ROCKWOOD, Maine (AP) — A 56-year-old New Hampshire man died when his snowmobile broke through the ice Sunday evening on Moosehead Lake, game wardens said.

Steven Allard, of South Hampton, New Hampshire, was unresponsive when he was pulled from the water about an hour and 15 minutes after he crashed through the ice, wardens said. Attempts to revive him were unsuccessful and he was pronounced dead at a local hospital.

Allard and his wife were returning to Rockwood Cottages on separate snowmobiles when he looped toward the mouth of Moose River where he broke through the ice. wardens said.

Using a rescue sled, Rockwood Fire and Rescue followed Allard’s snowmobile track and retrieved him several hundred yards from shore.

“Snowmobilers need to stay aware of their surroundings and understand that ice conditions can change quickly,” Maine Warden Sgt. Bill Chandler said Monday in a statement.

Ice in the area where the Moose River flows into the lake is never safe; there are marked trails on the lake so riders can avoid the area, he said.

Bus crash sends 13 to hospital in Providence

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — More than a dozen people were transported to the hospital after a bus collided with a sport utility vehicle in downtown Providence Monday.

The incident occurred just after noon on South Main Street when a Rhode Island Public Transit Authority bus struck a Jeep SUV at an intersection.

The driver of the SUV and 12 bus passengers were taken to Rhode Island Hospital for treatment, though authorities said none of the injuries were believed to be significant.

Following the crash authorities blocked off several blocks and rerouted traffic around the scene.

Firefighters rescue man, dog from icy pond

STERLING, Mass. (AP) — Firefighters in Massachusetts rescued a man and a dog from an icy pond Sunday.

Authorities said the incident began when the dog fell into the frigid waters of East Waushacum Pond, in Sterling north of Worcester.

The man got in a canoe to try to rescue the animal but fell in himself when the craft tipped over about 75 feet from shore.

A dive team was called up to assist in the rescue, but the divers weren’t needed after two firefighters in ice rescue gear went out onto the largely frozen pond to save the pair.

The man declined medical care and the dog was treated for hyperthemia. The Sterling Fire Department said both man and canine were in fine condition by Sunday afternoon.

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