MOTHER NATURE DID A TRICK ON NEW HAMPSHIRE: A home in Warren, NH was destroyed Monday afternoon when most of it was swept into the Baker River by floodwaters; widespread damage, power outages elsewhere

WARREN, N.H. —

A home in Warren, NH was destroyed Monday afternoon when most of it was swept into the Baker River by floodwaters.

Tom Babbit shot a video of the home being carried down the Baker River and crashing into a bridge.


“Unbelievable. It was pretty wild to watch a whole house float down the river and just get crunched into little pieces and they’re floating down the river,” Babbit said.


The owner of the home, Lisa Slade, of Hudson, said it had been in her family for decades.


“It’s devastating,” Slade said. “I know it’s only a summer home to people, but that’s our home. Like, we’ve been going there our entire lives, and to have that gone is just awful.”

Despite repairs made over the summer to build up the riverbank, it wasn't enough to save the house in the wake of this storm.

A piece of the home is still hanging on to the embankment.


“The house was halfway sitting out over the water, still had one pier, and I watched a tree come in and take the pier out, and the house just slowly started tipping,” Babbit said.




Deb Irving Wetherbee

"It's very unfortunate because, I mean, I know for myself I wouldn't want me or any of my relatives losing their house, especially to the river like that," Jonathan Cyr said.

Part of the home still remains on the riverbank. Downstream, pieces of foundation rushed down the river.

The destroyed home was not the only property in the area affected by the storm.

“It’s washed out banks, it’s diverted to different sections of the roads and people’s lands,” Cyr said.

“We were just there this weekend, and, you know – thank God that this storm happened this morning, because if we were there yesterday, if that happened, we wouldn’t be here talking about this right now,” she said. 
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Several towns postpone trick-or-treating due to storm damage



  Updated: 9:59 AM EDT Oct 31, 2017



Show Transcript
ANDOVER, Mass. —

Schools will be closed Tuesday and trick-or-treating will be postponed for children in Andover, due to damage from the storm early Monday morning, officials said.

Chelmsford, Dracut, Lowell, and Tewksbury also announced plans to postpone trick-or-treating until Friday. Methuen will have Halloween on Thursday and Tyngsborough will delay the event until Sunday.

 
Boxford and Salisbury also announced trick-or-treating was cancelled due to the conditions left by the storm.

According to National Grid, the power outages in those communities are extensive:
Andover: 58.4 percent
North Andover: 89 percent
Boxford: 99.3 percent
Chelmsford 36 percent
Dracut: 75 percent
Lowell: 28 percent
Metheun: 38 percent
Salisbury: 99.7 percent
Tewksbury: 36 percent
Tyngsborough: 52 percent

"Trees still coming down with wires," Andover police tweeted. "Don't walk through the mess of wires and branches, even if your power is out."



Damage was widespread across the Merrimack Valley from the heavy rain and strong winds overnight.

Merrimack, New Hampshire said trick-or-treating will be held on Wednesday. Pelham, New Hampshire said trick-or-treating was postponed until Saturday.


A spokesman said Andover will also be making resources available for residents.

8 school kids suffer minor injuries after a huge piece of a tree crushed their small Logan Bus Co., Inc school bus in Queens, NYC

Nearly a dozen people, most of them children, were fortunate to escape with only minor injuries when a huge piece of a tree crushed their small school bus in Queens Monday, according to officials and video from the scene.

All of the victims -- eight kids, three adults -- were expected to be OK following the accident at Woodhaven Boulevard and 66th Road shortly before 8 a.m. The nature of their injuries wasn't immediately clear, but officials said all were minor. After conflicting initial reports, authorities confirmed they were all transported to Elmhurst Hospital as a precaution.

Footage from the scene shows the right side of the bus -- and the windshield -- completely crushed, with the door appearing to be barely attached. It appeared the children had to be escorted off the bus through the emergency exit in the back, though most seemed to be exiting with smiles on their faces. A huge tree limb -- or section of a tree -- was spotted on the sidewalk.

Authorities have not confirmed the accident was related to the weather, but it came as a severe storm with gusty winds that had punished the tri-state for the last 24 hours slowly began to move away. Around the time of the accident, wind gusts of 40 mph were recorded at LaGuardia Airport.

The storm has dumped a widespread 2 to 3 inches of rain on the tri-state since Sunday. Central Park saw more than 3 inches of rain, as did Islip and Carmel. Nearly 4.5 inches were recorded at Danbury Airport in Connecticut. Some public school systems had to delay opening or, in the case of the Westport Public Schools in Connecticut, cancel classes entirely because of safety concerns.

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Blustery wind gusts in Queens knocked over a massive tree Monday morning – sending it crashing onto the top of a school bus that was carrying eight special-needs students, police said.
The yellow bus was headed down Woodhaven Blvd. near 67th Ave. in Rego Park at about 8 a.m. when the tree hit its roof, collapsing the frame, damaging the door and shattering part of the windshield.
All that remained of the 18-foot tree was its stump.

The tree that hit a school bus in Queens.

(Adam Schrader/New York Daily News)

Miraculously, none of the children – who were all under the age of 5 – was seriously hurt. All were taken to Elmhurst Hospital for evaluation as a precaution, according to police.

DRIVE SAFELY OR DIE: At least four people died in 217 crashes, 161 spinouts and other accidents on roads left slippery by the first significant snowstorm of the season to strike Minnesota.

Apparent good Samaritan is fourth fatality linked to early Minnesota snowstorm

All told, Duluth got 10.6 inches of snow as northern part of state was hit hard.

By STAFF REPORTS
October 28, 2017



The death toll on icy roads during Minnesota’s late-week snowstorm rose to four Saturday after an apparent good Samaritan was fatally struck by a car in Plymouth.

Police in the northwest metro city said a pedestrian who was helping a driver whose car had spun out was hit by another vehicle that had spun out around 12:15 a.m. Saturday on Hwy. 169. The pedestrian, whose name has not been released, died at the scene.

The fatality occurred during a rash of crashes late Friday and early Saturday concentrated in the west and north metro, where roads glazed over after late precipitation and a dip in temperatures.

According to police scanner reports, witnesses and officers at the Plymouth crash found a body in a ditch that had not come from either of the cars involved.

About three hours earlier, Clarence A. Coker, 58, of St. Paul, was killed when his pickup truck spun out and rolled over 2½ times in a ditch along Hwy. 169 in Princeton, in central Minnesota, according to the State Patrol. Coker was wearing a seat belt and alcohol was not involved, the patrol said. 

Clarence Coker

Clarence Coker

Today I lost my son. Clarence Coker he meant the world to me. I don't know how I'm going make it. But I know God has him in his arms and he's resting in peace. Pray for me and my family. I loved him and I'll miss him.  Annie Dungey



West of Duluth, semitrailer truck driver Christopher M. Lucia, 44, of Duluth, died at 4:40 a.m. Friday when he crashed into the icy St. Louis River. The rig slid off Interstate 35 on an overpass near Scanlon, the patrol said. Hours later, authorities recovered Lucia’s body from the river.  Lucia was employed by Valley Cartage.

Here is his obituary:

Christopher M. Lucia, Sr.

Christopher "Chris" Michael Lucia, Sr., 44, of Duluth, died Friday, October 27, 2017, near Scanlon, Minnesota, as a result of a highway accident.

Chris was born June 28, 1973, in Ladysmith, Wisconsin, son of David and Linda (Goneau) Lucia.
On September 21, 2013, in Superior, Christopher Lucia and Wendy Lamoreaux were united in marriage.
Chris was an avid football fan and especially enjoyed cheering for the Green Bay Packers. He also enjoyed listening to music and attending rock concerts with Wendy. His greatest love was his family and he had a smile for everyone he met.
He was a career truck driver and was employed by Valley Cartage.


Massive waves damage Duluth Lakewalk


Later that morning, just after 9 a.m., Alvaro A. Rodriguez, 26, of Pierz, Minn., died when he lost control of his southbound car on icy Hwy. 25 in Daggett Brook Township, in Crow Wing County, and was struck by a northbound semitrailer truck, the patrol said. The truck driver, Rodney A. Lund, 60, of Fargo, was not hurt. Both were wearing seat belts.

217 crashes, 161 spinouts

From 12:01 a.m. to 8:45 p.m. ­Friday, the span of the storm, there were 217 crashes statewide, including the two fatalities, 25 with injuries, as well as 161 spinouts, according to the patrol.

A total of 10.6 inches of snow fell in Duluth, breaking the city’s record for daily snowfall on Oct. 27.

The city typically sees about 1 inch of snow in October. Friday marked the second-highest one-day snowfall total for October in city history.

Nearly 11 inches fell near Scanlon, 10.2 in Hermantown, 10 in Finland, 9 in Holyoke, 8.3 in Chisholm and 8 in Moose Lake.

Two other road fatalities reported Thursday and Friday do not appear to be linked to weather conditions.

One person died Friday in a two-vehicle crash in New Brighton. The crash happened around 4:30 p.m. at Old Hwy. 8 SW. and 3rd Street SW., according to the city’s Department of Public Safety. A person in one vehicle was killed, authorities said. The driver of the second vehicle was not hurt.

On Thursday, a pedestrian crossing a highway was killed when he was hit by a car in Arden Hills.

Just before 8 p.m., a driver reported hitting the pedestrian, a man who hasn’t yet been identified, while he was crossing Hwy. 51, south of County Road E, according to the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office. The pedestrian died at the scene. The driver is cooperating with deputies.

===================
At least four people died in accidents on roads left slippery by the first significant snowstorm of the season to strike Minnesota.

Plymouth police say a pedestrian helping a driver who spun out was hit by another vehicle that spun out around 12:15 a.m. Saturday on Highway 169. The pedestrian died at the scene. That person's name hasn't been released.


The State Patrol says a 58-year-old St. Paul man died around 9:30 p.m. Friday when his pickup spun out on Highway 169 and rolled in Princeton. His name hasn't been released.

Two others died in storm-related crashes Friday morning. They were a 44-year-old Duluth trucker who went off Interstate 35 into the St. Louis River in Scanlon, and a 26-year-old Pierz man who died in a crash on Highway 25 near Brainerd.

Verdon Taylor, 72, of Leesburg, was found guilty of conspiracy, wire fraud, use of fire to commit a federal felony, and witness tampering. insurance companies paid roughly $1 million in claims to conspirators for fires set in vehicles, mobile homes and rental properties.

A Florida man was convicted by a federal jury in Richmond on Wednesday in a 15-year insurance fraud scheme involving at least 27 fires in Richmond, Henrico County and Florida.


Verdon Taylor, 72, of Leesburg, was found guilty of conspiracy, wire fraud, use of fire to commit a federal felony, and witness tampering. Four co-defendants earlier pleaded guilty in the case.


Authorities said insurance companies paid roughly $1 million in claims to conspirators for fires set in vehicles, mobile homes and rental properties.


Vershawn Jackson, 39, and Marie Taylor, 54, both of Richmond; Eugenia Fleming, 57, of Victoria; and Sylvia Jackson, 59, of Tampa, Fla., pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and each faces up to 20 years in prison.


Verdon Taylor faces a maximum of 50 years in prison when he is sentenced on Jan. 2.


According to court records and trial evidence, the co-conspirators ran a long-running arson-for-profit scheme in which they bought cars or mobile homes at auction, or signed leases at rental properties, insured the property, and then set fire to the insured property to collect insurance money.



Their indictment this year alleged that the fraud involved 30 properties and began as early as 2000, continuing until as recently as November.


The case was investigated by the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives with assistance from the fire departments in Henrico and Richmond.

Six People Arrested for Alleged Insurance Fraud Conspiracy Involving Over 30 Fires

RICHMOND, Va. – Six people were arrested yesterday for their alleged roles in an insurance fraud conspiracy involving over 30 fires, pursuant to an indictment unsealed in federal court today.

According to the indictment, from as early as May 2000 until as recently as Nov. 30, 2016, the defendants, in various combinations, had a series of over 30 fires—including fires consuming single-family homes, trailers, mobile homes, and cars. The details of each fire vary, but the frequent pattern was for the defendants allegedly to buy a car or home at auction or in foreclosure, insure it, and then collect insurance proceeds in excess of the purchase price after it burned.

In furtherance of their scheme, the defendants allegedly made numerous misrepresentations, both in writing and in interviews—sometimes under oath—to insurance companies, firefighters, and other law enforcement officers. The per-fire insurance payout for the fires ranged from approximately $1,000 to over $300,000, with the alleged insurance payouts in connection with the scheme totaling over $900,000.

The following defendants made their initial appearance in federal court after being arrested yesterday on the charges listed below:

Name	Age	City	Charge(s)
Verdon Taylor	72	Leesburg, Fla.	Conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, use of fire to commit a federal felony, witness tampering
Vershawn Jackson	37	Sandston, Va.	Conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, use of fire to commit a federal felony
Sylvia Mitchell	58	Tampa, Fla.	Conspiracy to commit wire fraud
Marie Taylor	54	Richmond, Va.	Conspiracy to commit wire fraud
Dorel Watson	32	Tampa, Fla.	Conspiracy to commit wire fraud
Eugenia Fleming	57	Victoria, Va.	Conspiracy to commit wire fraud, use of fire to commit a federal felony, false statement

Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; and Michael B. Boxler, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ (ATF) Washington Field Division, made the announcement after defendants Jackson, Taylor, and Fleming made their initial appearances before U.S. Magistrate Judge David J. Novak. The Henrico County Fire Marshal’s Office and the City of Richmond Department of Fire and Emergency Services provided assistance in this investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney David V. Harbach, II is prosecuting the case.

A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:17-cr-29.

An indictment contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent until and unless proven guilty in court.

Jyhmecia Ger-Shae Dunn, Derroclecia Yequayla Dunn and Sheletha Yvette Henderson are accused of acting in concert to commit insurance fraud, forgery and identity theft. All three women are licensed producers in the state of Louisiana.

Derroclecia Dunn

Derroclecia Dunn

Yvette Henderson

Cleopatra Dunn

Derroclecia Dunn

Jyhmecia Dunn

3 Licensed Producers Accused of Insurance Fraud Scheme in Louisiana
October 30, 2017
 

Two women in East Baton Rouge Parish have been served cease and desist orders by the Louisiana Department of Insurance Fraud Division investigators for allegedly fraudulently altering the vital information and beneficiary designation of insurance policies, submitting fraudulent policyholder information, and obtaining life insurance policies without permission of the listed applicant.

A third cease and desist order is pending.


Jyhmecia Ger-Shae Dunn, Derroclecia Yequayla Dunn and Sheletha Yvette Henderson are accused of acting in concert to commit insurance fraud, forgery and identity theft. All three women are licensed producers in the state of Louisiana.   They list as Trimerica Insurance one of their former or current employers.

According to investigators, Henderson, Jyhmecia Dunn and Derroclecia Dunn, were involved in a scheme to issue life insurance policies on individuals without their knowledge or approval. They also allegedly conspired to change identifying details of applicants’ health, address and banking information to obtain life insurance policies.

Arrest warrants were served by Louisiana State Police, Baton Rouge Police Department and a compliance investigator with the Louisiana Department of Insurance on Jhymecia Dunn and Derroclecia Dunn on October 26, 2017. An arrest warrant is pending for Sheletha Henderson.

Source: Louisiana Department of Insurance 

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Investigators arrest 3 women accused of being involved in life insurance scheme 

October 27th 2017, 9:24 am EDT
Posted by WAFB Staff



Cleopatra Dunn (Source: East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff's Office)

Derroclecia Dunn (Source: East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff's Office)

Jyhmecia Dunn (Source: East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff's Office)
 

ZACHARY, LA (WAFB) -

Three women have been arrested and a warrant for a fourth is pending in connection with a life insurance scheme, according to investigators.

Court documents show Cleopatra Dunn, 43, of Gonzales; Derroclecia Dunn, 25, an insurance agent, of Clinton; and Jyhmecia Dunn, 23, also of Clinton; are facing multiple felonies. The documents stated an arrest warrant is pending against Sheletha Henderson, another insurance agent.

Louisiana State Police reported its insurance fraud unit was contacted in August by a detective with the Baton Rouge Police Department and a compliance investigator with the Louisiana Department of Insurance to look into a possible scheme in which insurance policies were being obtained on people without their approval or knowledge.

According to an arrest warrant, there was a case of a man who had discussed with Derroclecia Dunn about getting a life insurance policy but never completed the application process. The warrant stated the man later learned a policy was filed in his name and listed Cleopatra Dunn, Derroclecia Dunn’s mother, as the beneficiary.

Troopers stated there was a life insurance policy obtained on a man in which Henderson was the agent, while Cleopatra Dunn and Jyhmecia Dunn are listed as relatives and beneficiaries of the person named on the policy. They added the application stated the man had no medical issues. However, according to an arrest warrant, the man was not in good health at the time the policy would have been taken out and died after a lengthy illness.

The warrant stated Cleopatra Dunn and Jyhmecia Dunn made claims on the policy, but those were denied by the insurance company. The warrant added one of the man’s actual family members told investigators the job description and address were wrong on the policy. According to authorities, the family member also said Cleopatra Dunn and Jyhmecia Dunn are not related to the man.

According to jail records, Cleopatra Dunn and Jyhmecia Dunn were each booked into the East Baton Rouge Parish Prison on identity theft (3 counts), forgery (3 counts), and insurance fraud (3 counts). The jail reported they were released after posting the $18,000 bond each.

Jail records show Derroclecia Dunn is charged with identity theft (2 counts), forgery (2 counts), and insurance fraud (2 counts). According to the jail, she was released after posting a $12,000 bond.

All of the charges are felonies.

The investigation is ongoing.