Also on today’s menu:
Improving Life By Eliminating PFAS
Getting Tough On Airlines With Canceled Flights
Bringing Back The ‘Flying Yankee’
Bristol Police Chief James McIntire will be leaving in March to take a position as deputy sheriff in Belknap County. In an interview, he spoke of what he has accomplished over the past five years and what he expects in his new job.
“I think once I came in and people got used to what my vision and what my hopes would be for my mission, they really jumped on board and everyone rowed in the same direction,” he said of arriving amidst low morale and ongoing litigation with his predecessor.
Describing Bristol as “one of the nicest places I’ve ever worked, to be honest with you,” McIntire said he could not turn down the opportunity to “bring back some of the pride and the excitement about working at the Belknap County Sheriff’s Department.”
Sheriff William Wright, who has struggled with a high turnover rate in his department, said he believes McIntire will help “get us to be able to retain people and keep that positive professional growth going. A good number one needs a good number two, and that’s exactly what I find in him.”
Improving Life By Eliminating PFAS
The company 3M, which sued the state of New Hampshire over its limits on PFAS chemicals in drinking water in 2019, has announced that it will stop making those chemicals, which have been used in a wide variety of products, from non-stick cookware to waterproof fabrics to firefighting foam. The compounds are called “forever chemicals” because they do not easily break down and have contaminated water supplies.
Federal regulators are preparing to place limits on the chemicals in drinking water and there is increasing customer interest in finding an alternative to PFAS.
In its announcement, 3M said, “PFAS continue to be essential for modern life and can be safely made and used. However, a strength of 3M has always been our focus on applying our science to improve lives and make the greatest impact for our stakeholders.” The company plans to stop manufacturing the chemicals by the end of 2025 and will “work to discontinue use of PFAS.”
Getting Tough On Airlines With Canceled Flights
Attorney-General John Formella has joined a bipartisan coalition of 34 attorneys-general seeking greater protection for airline customers whose flights have been canceled or delayed. Formella said, “Airlines should take notice, and whether it is oversold flights or operational disruptions, they should no longer be able to simply shift their problems onto their passengers.”
The attorneys-general are urging the United State Department of Transportation to develop clearer protocols to ensure timely and effective enforcement of its recommendations which include requiring airlines to advertise and sell only flights that they have adequate personnel to fly and support; imposing significant fines for cancellations and extended delays that are not weather-related or otherwise unavoidable; prohibiting airlines from forcing customers to take more expensive flights to the same destinations as canceled flights; and requiring that the airlines provide credits and vouchers for future travel in the event of a cancellation.
The move comes as families prepare for the bustling holiday travel season. Last month, the federal transportation department fined several airlines and ordered refunds to consumers who were treated unfairly during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Bringing Back The ‘Flying Yankee’
If everything works as train enthusiasts are hoping, the trainset formally known as the No. 6000 but commonly referred to as the Flying Yankee will again be traveling the rails in the Mount Washington Valley.
A newly formed nonprofit organization, the Flying Yankee Association, is taking over the restoration task after the original Flying Yankee Restoration Group became inactive. The FYA is working on an agreement with the State of New Hampshire to acquire the train and is in discussions with the Conway Scenic Railroad about providing assistance and expertise during its restoration and potential operation of the train in Conway once that is complete.
The train operated for 22 years before the company retired it on May 7, 1957, in favor of newer diesel trains. Records show that it traveled between 2,735,600 miles and 3.5 million miles, depending on the source, as it carried passengers and freight throughout the Northeast during its period of service.
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