PROVINCETOWN
Dozens rescued from breakwater at high tide
Forty-four people were rescued Sunday from a Provincetown breakwater after high tides blocked their path back to the mainland, officials said. The rescue began around 2 p.m. with a 911 call about two boys and a girl who had fallen into the approximately 40-degree water, according to Provincetown Harbormaster Rex McKinsey. He said a man and a teen had jumped in the water to try to save the children. When rescue boats arrived, first responders found another about 35 people stranded on the stone breakwater. Parts of the breakwater are lower than the rest of the barrier, and they flood at high tide, he said. Police said five people were treated by EMS crews at the scene.
PROVIDENCE
Lawmakers suggest changes for tourism
A legislative committee studying Rhode Island’s tourism promotion efforts is recommending that the state consider changing its tourism management and oversight. In a report issued Friday, the panel advised the state to ‘‘reevaluate’’ the formula used for the distribution of Rhode Island’s Hotel and Lodging Tax to fund tourism marketing and branding. It asked the state to consider a ‘‘new distribution formula’’ to reflect a ‘‘21st century tourism investment model.’’ The panel, set to expire this year, proposed continuing to work through the end of 2018. The state Commerce Corporation in February approved spending $4.3 million on this year’s tourism and business attraction efforts after a 2016 tourism campaign brought international embarrassment over
its ‘‘Cooler and Warmer’’ slogan and a promotional video that featured a scene from
Iceland. (AP)
JAFFREY, N.H.
Two hikers rescued on Mount Monadnock
New Hampshire Fish and Game Department officials say two hikers injured in separate accidents have been rescued on Mount Monadnock. Conservation Officers provided medical care to 26-year-old Robert Ayars, of Nashua, Saturday afternoon after he was struck in the head by a tree sapling as he tried to clear downed trees while on the Marlborough Trail. He was later able to walk down and was taken to the hospital by a friend. Around the same time on the opposite side of the mountain, 58-year-old Terri Lynn Waters, of Douglas, Mass., fell on a steep section of White Arrow Trail and suffered a lower leg injury that required her to be carried down the mountain. She was taken to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. (AP)
ELLSWORTH, MAINE
State may expand time for sea urchin harvest
Maine’s plan to slightly expand its sea urchin harvesting season will be the subject of a pair of public hearings. Fishermen harvest sea urchins in Maine for their roe, which is used as food, primarily in Asia. The state Department of Marine Resources is proposing 15 urchin fishing days along the southern Maine coast and 38 days on the northern coast, which is the same as last year. However, the Whiting and Dennys Bay areas would have a 15-day season, which is six days longer than last year. Fishing regulators are holding public hearings on the proposal at 6 p.m. on Tuesday and Wednesday. The Tuesday hearing is in Augusta, and the Wednesday hearing is in Ellsworth. The state is also accepting written comments until June 12. (AP)
CONCORD, N.H.
N.H. utility going out of business
The boilers behind Concord Steam will go cold next week, marking the first time in New Hampshire history that a public heating utility will go out of business. Concord Steam will shut down at midnight May 31, nearly 80 years after it was founded. The company’s customer base has been dwindling in recent years due to rate increases and a state investigation into safety code violations at its wood-burning plant, and its sale to Liberty Utilities was announced in July. The Concord plant heats about 25 state office buildings, including the Statehouse. The Concord Monitor reported that pipes around the Statehouse will be the last to stay active as it will take a few years to switch over to newer pipes and a newer boiler for the historic buildings. (AP)
HARTFORD, CONN.
Immigrant students push for public college assistance
Immigrant students without legal status in the United States are making a last-ditch pitch for legislation that would make them eligible for institutional financial assistance at state-run colleges and universities in Connecticut. A coalition of higher education institutions, labor groups, faith leaders and community organizations is scheduled to appear with students Wednesday at a state Capitol news conference to urge the General Assembly to pass the bill before this year’s legislative session adjourns on June 7. This marks the fourth year that advocates have pushed for the bill. Camila Bortolletto, campaign manager for the group Connecticut Students for a Dream, says ‘‘it’s resoundingly clear’’ the state supports the proposal. She says students ‘‘can wait no longer.’’ Two version of the bill are awaiting action in the House of Representatives and Senate. (AP)
