Northeast
New Jersey proposes bald eagle's removal from endangered species list following big rebound
New Jersey proposed Monday removing the bald eagle from its endangered species list, citing a rebound since more than four decades ago, when a single nesting pair in a remote county were the only of its kind in the state.
The turnaround stems from the work of volunteers and state professionals who nurtured hatchlings, guarded nests and educated the public, state environmental Commissioner Shawn LaTourette said in a statement. The proposed rule to delist the bald eagle as endangered includes the osprey, which was considered threatened, as well.
The proposal means the bald eagle, a national symbol of the United States, and the osprey have recovered to the point where the survival of those species is no longer in jeopardy, according to the department.
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“The de-listing of eagles and ospreys is a milestone in the history of wildlife conservation in New Jersey,” LaTourette said.
The federal government removed the bald eagle from its list of endangered species in 2007. New Jersey kept the bird on its state list because of disturbances to nests and habitat threats.
A bald eagle is photographed in flight on March 12, 2022, in Milpitas, California. (Photo by Liu Guanguan/China News Service via Getty Images)
The use of the insecticide DDT, as well as habitat destruction, played a significant role in the birds’ decline. The chemical had “lasting impacts on the food chain” because it was ingested by the fish the eagles and ospreys ate, making the shells of eggs too thin. It was banned for general use in 1972.
As of 2023, there were 267 nesting pairs of bald eagles in every county in New Jersey. That was up from a single pair in southern Cumberland County in the early 1980s, according to the department.
New Jersey began trying to reverse the decline in the early 1980s by bringing in eagles from Canada, along with artificial incubation and fostering efforts, the department said.
Osprey, sometimes called fish hawks, are typically found along shoreline. They, too, were greatly affected by DDT, with the number of osprey nests falling to about 50 five decades ago. In 2023, the state documented a record 800 occupied osprey nests.
The proposed rule is open for public comment until Aug. 2.
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NORWAY — The Select Board voted early this month to terminate its contract with the town’s auditor, citing slow response times and a lack of progress on the 2024 audit.
Norway has worked with Runyon Kersteen Ouellette, or RKO, for the past four years.
According to minutes from the April 2 meeting, the town has paid the firm more than $90,000, including a recent $40,000 payment.
“RKO has had extremely slow response times, upward of several weeks for answers to inquiries,” the minutes read.
The firm also had not provided a draft of the 2024 audit to the town.
At the meeting, Courtenay Dodds, the town’s deputy treasurer and finance officer, recommended ending RKO’s engagement for the 2025 and 2026 audits and hiring RHR Smith & Co. of Buxton.
The Office of the State Auditor reports that RHR Smith & Co. audits more than 175 municipalities in Maine.
Asked this week why the town ended its contract with RKO, Select Board Vice Chair Sarah Carter‑Hill wrote in an email, “From my understanding they were taking an incredibly long time to produce the 2024 audit, overcharging for services, and hadn’t started in 2025 so we have switched auditors to be more fiscally responsible and have timelier results.”
Police Chief Jeffery Campbell, who has also served as interim town manager, said the matter has been referred to the town attorney and declined to comment further.
RKO could not be reached for comment before publication.
State auditor records show RKO signed Norway’s 2021 audit Feb. 4, 2022; the 2022 audit March 26, 2023; and the 2023 audit June 4, 2024.
The auditor’s office, which receives completed municipal audits, also reports that RKO audits 24 municipalities in Maine. Of those, Brewer, Brunswick, Cumberland, Freeport and Long Island have filed their 2025 audits.
Twelve municipalities — Auburn, Bangor, Belgrade, Cape Elizabeth, Falmouth, Gorham, Kennebunkport, South Portland, Saco, Winthrop, Yarmouth and York — have not yet filed their 2025 audits.
Norway, Augusta, Biddeford, Durham, Matinicus Isle Plantation and Monmouth have not filed audits for 2024 or 2025.
Orono is missing audits for 2022, 2023 and 2025.
The audits are available here.
Rideshare drivers would face more rigorous background checks and riders would get more ways to verify they’re in the right car under new rules proposed by Massachusetts regulators that they say would lead the nation for passenger and driver protection.
Other requirements under the Department of Public Utility’s proposal include children under 16 needing to be accompanied by an adult in a rideshare, annual driver training for things like safe driving and helping riders with disabilities and regular checks for whether rideshare vehicles have been recalled by their manufacturer, the agency said Friday.
Get more detail on the proposal here.
“Massachusetts has the opportunity to set the standard for safety and oversight of the [Transportation Network Companies] industry with these updated regulations,” said DPU Chair Jeremy McDiarmid in a statement. “The proposed changes reflect our top line goal of promoting passenger safety and ensuring driver fairness and dignity in the background check process.”
Uber and Lyft are among the five rideshare companies, which the DPU calls Transportation Network Companies, currently authorized to work in Massachusetts; more than 104,000 drivers are currently certified in the state, according to the agency.
The DPU already conducts background checks — it says it’s conducted more than 800,000 since 2017 — and issues civil penalties to the companies if they’re not in compliance with state law.
With the publication of the enhanced regulations, the public — including drivers and other stakeholders — have until July 2 to give feedback in writing, and the DPU will hold two hearings as well. Details on how to give feedback are available here.
It’s been a little over a year since New Hampshire police departments started signing agreements with federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement to help enforce immigration law in the state.
ICE now has 15 local partnerships, which are encouraged by Gov. Kelly Ayotte, and these so-called 287g agreements have contributed to a notable uptick in arrests here. Immigration arrests have doubled in the last 15 months. Of 429 people arrested, local agencies made 51 of them.
What’s in for local police? In part, money. ICE offers at least $100,000 in stipends, and local police departments are using that money to pay for operating expenses.
We talk about this on this edition of the New Hampshire News Recap.
Also, the state’s youth detention center continues to make headlines. Authorities are investigating recent allegations of abuse against children at the Sununu Youth Services Center in Manchester. Lawmakers and advocates are also raising concerns about leadership of the center.
In other news, there’s good news for Franklin. In a bit of a comeback story, the city’s high school was just named the top high school in the state.
Guests:
- Lau Guzmán, NHPR reporter
- Annmarie Timmins, NHPR Youth and Education reporter
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