Lebanon Police Investigating Death of Man Found on Bridge Street

Lebanon — Authorities are investigating the death of a man who was found on an embankment next to the Connecticut River on Bridge Street on Wednesday, according to a Lebanon police news release.

A passerby reported the unresponsive man at about 8 a.m., according to the release. Officials who responded determined he was deceased.

The man has not been identified.

Several police cars in the area were visible to people traveling on the bridge from White River Junction into West Lebanon on Wednesday morning. Police said the state medical examiner was among the authorities on scene, and an autopsy will be completed “in the coming days” to determine a cause of death.

“Additional information will be released when available and appropriate,” police said.

Chief: Condominium Fire Displaces Several Hartford Residents

Hartford — Residents of a set of condominiums on Lily Pond Road off Sykes Mountain Avenue were displaced by a fire on Tuesday evening, according to a news release from the Hartford Fire Department.

No injuries were reported, and the fire damage was contained to one of the four units on the site, according to the release.

Hartford Fire Chief Scott Cooney said in the release that a call placed shortly before 7:30 p.m. brought out firefighters, who found fire venting from the second-floor windows of one of the units.

“The initial hose line quickly suppressed the fire, allowing crews to work inside the building to ensure everyone had safely evacuated and further protect the occupant’s property,” Cooney said.

Hartford property tax records show that the four condos at the address were built in 1985, and were appraised at between $71,000 and $97,000 each.

The residents of three of the units were expected to be able to return to their homes on Wednesday, but the unit that housed the fire “will not be inhabitable until significant repairs have been made,” according to Cooney.

The Red Cross met with the affected residents and “ensured everyone has a safe place to sleep and has food, clothing and other essentials,” according to a public statement from the Red Cross, which identified one displaced person as an adult male. “Over the next several days, Red Cross client casework volunteers will stay in contact with the family and provide referrals, as they begin their road to recovery.”

N.H. Lawmakers Ask Congress for Money To Battle Drug Crisis

Concord — New Hampshire’s top Democratic lawmakers are calling on Congress to provide more money for states to fight heroin and opioid abuse.

U.S. Rep. Annie Kuster and Sen. Jeanne Shaheen urging leadership this week to tack money for prevention and treatment programs onto a bill funding the National Institutes of Health that will come up in the lame duck session.

Congress passed the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act earlier this year but didn’t include enough money to implement the programs.

Democratic Gov. Maggie Hassan, an incoming U.S. senator, also penned a letter earlier this week asking congressional leaders to make the funding a priority. She calls the drug crisis the “most pressing public health and safety challenge” facing New Hampshire.

Drug deaths are on pace to top 500 in New Hampshire this year.

— Staff and wire reports