Massachusetts
Nibi the beaver ordered released into wild; Massachusetts rescue group
CHELMSFORD – A wildlife rescue group and its supporters are protesting a decision by authorities to release “Nibi” the beaver back into the wild, potentially as soon as Tuesday.
For the past two years, Nibi has been at Newhouse Wildlife Rescue in Chelmsford. The organization found the orphaned beaver and took her in when she was very young.
Since then, she’s been a hit on social media.
“So many people have fallen in love with Nibi,” Jane Newhouse tells WBZ-TV.
MassWildlife says it’s time for Nibi the beaver to be released
But now MassWildlife says it’s time to Nibi to return to nature, saying in a statement that “wild animals like this one belong in the wild.”
“The role of licensed wildlife rehabilitators is to care for sick and injured wildlife so that animals can be released back into the wild as soon as possible,” MassWildlife said. “Newhouse Wildlife Rescue was informed in June that the beaver is healthy and must be returned to the wild, in accordance with their permit and state regulations.”
Newhouse worries that the decision will cost the beaver her life. She said Nibi wanted nothing to do with other orphaned beavers brought to the facility, and could not be conditioned to survive in the wild.
“We tried to make Nibi releasable,” Newhouse said. “The goal for any wildlife rehabilitator is to acclimate these animals to the wild.”
MassWildlife says this is an appropriate time to release a beaver into the wild, but Newhouse wants to at least wait until spring. She fears Nibi won’t be able to make a den and dam and store food for the winter.
“Heartbroken over all of it”
A request to make Nibi an educational beaver and let her stay at the rescue was denied, Newhouse said.
“I’m heartbroken over all of it, to be honest with you,” Newhouse said.
MassWildlife says the beaver will be released in a suitable habitat away from people.
Massachusetts
11-year-old girl from Rochester, Massachusetts dies in Utah avalanche while on vacation
An 11-year-old girl from Rochester, Massachusetts has died in an avalanche while on vacation with her family in Brighton, Utah.
The avalanche began just after 12 p.m. on Thursday near Brighton Ski Resort, according to police. The 11-year-old girl, identified as Madelyn Eitas, was the only victim caught in the snow.
The Unified Police Department said that rescuers arrived and quickly began looking for Madelyn, alongside 20 nearby citizens and her family.
“It was just scary and crazy,” said Harrison Garner, one of the many people searching for Madelyn. “I was just super sad. Just thinking what if it was my family member, what I would be doing. And just thinking super sad for that family.”
But it was Madelyn’s brother, Cameron Eitas, who “heroically used an application to locate her,” according to police.
“Numerous agencies responded and worked together in an urgent and coordinated effort to care for the victim in attempts to provide life-saving measures,” a press release from police said.
Madelyn was unable to be airlifted out of the area due to risks from the avalanche. She was rushed to a nearby hospital in an ambulance in critical condition, where she later died.
“Our thoughts are with the victim’s family during this incredibly difficult time. The communities here in Utah, as well as the family’s home community in Massachusetts, now have the important responsibility of rallying around the family to provide support, compassion, and comfort in the times ahead,” Unified Police said in a statement.
“It’s a very solemn and depressing thing to have to notify people of and it’s very difficult to think of the idea behind a family being together and having something so tragic happen,” Unified Police Department’s Quin Wilkins said to CBS affiliates KSL-TV and KUTV.
Madelyn attended Rochester Memorial School, according to Superintendent Michael Nelson.
Nelson said that the school will be offering counseling for staff members and students.
“This is devastating news for our school community. We offer our sincere condolences to the student’s family, friends, classmates, and teachers during this unimaginable time. Our focus at this time is on supporting those who are grieving and we ask that the family’s privacy be respected.”
Massachusetts
3 Massachusetts museums ranked among the country’s best by USA Today
USA Today recently released its rankings of the best museums around the country, and several from Massachusetts and New England made the list.
The categories voted on by readers include best science museum, best history museum, best free museum and more. Massachusetts museums appeared on the lists for best open-air museum and best small town museum.
Plimoth Patuxet Museums
Plimoth Patuxet Museums in Plymouth, Massachusetts was named the best open-air museum in the country.
Previously known as Plimoth Plantation, the museum replicates the first colonial settlement in New England and spotlights the Wampanoag people.
“Visitors can immerse themselves in living history while interacting with interpreters who portray Pilgrims at the 17th-century English Village,” USA Today writes.
The museum opens for the season on March 14. Tickets for Plimoth Patuxet are $35 for adults and $20 for children.
Old Sturbridge Village
Old Sturbridge Village in central Massachusetts is third on the open-air museum ranking. One of the oldest and largest living history museums in the country, it documents New England living between 1790 and 1840.
“This picturesque and expansive outdoor museum offers an engaging view of early American rural life,” the newspaper says.
Tickets are $27 for adults and $12 for kids when bought online.
Concord Museum
As America celebrates its 250th anniversary this year, there’s no better place to learn about the history of the Revolutionary War than the Concord Museum in Concord, Massachusetts, which is No. 2 on the newspaper’s list of the best small town museums.
The museum says it boasts “one of the largest and most significant collections of objects related to April 19, 1775, the day before the American Revolution began,” including the original lantern used by Paul Revere during his famous Midnight Ride.
Concord Museum tickets are $16 for adults and $8 for kids.
New England is also home to some of the best maritime museums in the country, USA Today said, with Connecticut’s Mystic Seaport Museum ranked No. 3 and the Maine Maritime Museum in Bath taking the top spot.
Massachusetts
Martha’s Vineyard residents left without propane to heat their homes for days
Residents on Martha’s Vineyard say propane delivery delays left some without heat for days during a stretch of frigid winter weather, prompting complaints to the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office.
Kerry Quinlan Potter said she was without gas for nearly five days.
“Four full days and most of the first day, so almost five days,” she said.
Potter said she struggled to reach AmeriGas while her home temperatures dropped during one of the coldest periods of the season.
Linda and Louis Pashman, who pay for automatic refill service, said their deliveries were also delayed and that it took days to reach the company.
“Getting no response or a response that they never follow through,” Linda Pashman said. “It was really distressing — it took over our lives.”
In a statement, AmeriGas said unsafe road conditions prevented delivery trucks from operating for several days.
“For several days, our delivery trucks were not able to be on the roads due to unsafe conditions,” the company said. “In addition, our delivery trucks are significantly larger and heavier than standard vehicles, requiring clear, safe access to complete deliveries.”
Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell’s office said it has received 21 consumer complaints against AmeriGas since October of last year.
Residents say they worry about vulnerable neighbors who may not be able to advocate for themselves.
“I’m really lucky, able-bodied,” Potter said. “We’ll get to the bottom of things, but there are other people who are not that relentless, and it can be challenging to navigate.”
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