The sexually transmitted disease syphilis was once thought to be nearly eradicated in the United States, but 84 cases were reported in Maine in 2017, up from 48 in 2016, an increase of 75 percent. Syphilis cases have been increasing nationally, too; the highest spikes are among men who have sex with other men, but public health officials are also seeing an increase among older adults, according to the Bangor Daily News.
Paul Grenier, mayor of Berlin, a small northern New Hampshire city reeling from the closure of paper mills, says the state's Site Evaluation Committee's decision to deny a proposal for a $1.6 billion transmission line by Hydro-Quebec crushes economic development efforts in the area. "This sends a very chilling message to anyone working to bring economic development to the North Country," the mayor told The Conway Daily Sun.
The state committee rejected the application 7-0 on February 1, saying the project would have too much of a detrimental impact on land. Eversource New Hampshire, the applicant, has spent $249 million already on the project, which is supposed to bring electricity to New England; the company expressed shock and outrage last week, and did not rule out a court challenge, according to The Union Leader.
