PLYMOUTH
Norovirus outbreak closes Plymouth school
Plymouth’s Rising Tide Charter Public School was expected to reopen this week after a norovirus outbreak last week affected about 20 percent of students and staff members, forcing the school to close Friday, officials said. The town’s public health department began investigating the virus Thursday, after 134 of 709 school members reported feeling ill that day, Public Health Director Nate Horwitz-Willis said. It’s the “largest drop in attendance [the school] has ever seen’’ and the “only time they’ve seen any outbreak sort of situation,’’ he said. The school includes about 650 students in grades 5 through 12. The department later concluded the school should cancel classes Friday so it could “clean and disinfect the facility and the school bus transportation,’’ said a statement released by the public health department.
FOXBOROUGH
Fan’s wheelchair stolen during Patriots’ win
A fan of the New England Patriots had her wheelchair stolen from Gillette Stadium while she watched the team’s playoff win over the Tennessee Titans. Season ticket-holder Cindy Morais, of Providence, has cerebral palsy. Her friend, Samantha Medeiros, writes in a Facebook post that she joined Morais at Saturday’s game, and she left her wheelchair the same place she always does, under the stairs of Section 304. But Medeiros says when they returned to get the wheelchair after the game, it wasn’t there. She says they asked for help from security, but they were not able to find it. Medeiros wants help finding the chair, which is labeled with Morais’s name. She says Morais’s brother bought her a new wheelchair so she could attend Sunday’s AFC Championship game. (AP)
PORTSMOUTH, N.H.
Parties closing in on settlement in Pease suit
The Pease Development Authority and Conservation Law Foundation are closing in on a settlement in a lawsuit over polluted stormwater runoff. The Portsmouth Herald reports that a pre-trial conference was put on hold after a motion filed in federal court reported that both sides are now working a new draft of a document that ‘‘would memorialize settlement terms.’’ The Conservation Law Foundation filed a $100 million lawsuit alleging Pease International Tradeport and its Board of Directors violated the federal Clean Water Act by allowing stormwater runoff to pollute area waterways. Both parties have asked the court for a stay of the case to finalize an agreement, the terms of which are not disclosed. (AP)
CONCORD, N.H.
N.H. holding 2nd free fishing day on Jan. 20
New Hampshire is going to hold its second winter free fishing day this weekend. People will be able to fish without a license on Saturday but all other regulations must be followed. The Legislature authorized the winter free fishing day to provide an opportunity for those interested in trying ice-fishing. The first one was last year. People participating in a fishing tournament must still hold a license, even on free fishing day. (AP)
HARTFORD
Swollen rivers, ice jams lead to flooding
Flooding is reported on several swollen Connecticut rivers, causing problems around the state. In Kent, officials said ice jams on the Housatonic River prompted the private boarding school the Kent School to send more than 500 students home on Monday. The National Weather Service says the Connecticut River is also flooding, and communities including Hartford, Glastonbury, and Portland are either experiencing flooding or being told to expect it. The weather service says there’s also flooding on the Shepaug River in Roxbury due to ice jams. (AP)
