Category: News

Quality of Life 26/04/02

I’ve been meaning to clean out my freezer, anyway

As reported on the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food Safety and Inspection website (fsis.usda.gov), Ajinomoto Foods, a frozen food company that supplies many grocery stores, including Trader Joe’s, has expanded a recall of frozen rice and frozen chicken products. “The establishment is recalling approximately 33,617,045 additional pounds of various ready-to-eat (RTE) and NRTE chicken and pork fried rice, ramen, and shu mai dumpling products, for a combined total of 36,987,575 pounds subject to recall” the USDA statement read.

QOL score: -1

Comment: Approximately 9 million pounds of the recalled food was Trader Joe’s Vegetable Fried Rice. According to the USDA website, “The problem was discovered when the establishment notified FSIS that it received multiple consumer complaints involving glass found in product.”

Easter shortages

As reported by New Hampshire Public Radio in a March 23 online article, cold weather and a delayed harvest have contributed to a local carrot shortage. NHPR reported that “a mid-January freeze and exceptionally hot weather this month in California, from where the majority of the national carrot supply originates, appears to have delayed harvests in the southern San Joaquin Valley,” leading to shortages in area supermarkets. Additionally, according to a March 29 online article by WMUR, rising chocolate and candy prices have driven up the cost of this year’s Easter candy. “Along with chocolate, candy prices are up nearly 12% over the past year,” the article reported.

QOL score: -2

Comment: You could grow your own. Carrots, that is, not candy. Late spring is the time to harvest your early-spring-planted carrots.

Indoor bugs

As reported on March 26 New Hampshire Public Radio at nhpr.org, the large numbers of ladybugs that have been appearing in your house are, according to horticulturist Emma Erler, “not dangerous and they don’t hurt the structure or lay eggs, but they are annoying.” Erler said in the article that “[y]ou can vacuum them up with abandon as the species is invasive and in no danger of disappearing from the landscape.”The native New Hampshire ladybugs tend to hibernate outside and it’s the Asian ladybugs we’re seeing indoors, the article said.

QOL score: -1

Comment: One ladybug? Awww. More? Ewww.

QOL score last week: 51

Net change: -4

QOL this week: 47

What’s affecting your Quality of Life here in New Hampshire?

Let us know at news@hippopress.com.

News & Notes 26/04/09

Bird news

The pair of peregrine falcons nesting at the Brady Sullivan Tower in Manchester welcomed an egg on March 25, according to the daily log for the Peregrine Cam, which you can access via nhaudubon.org/education/birds-and-birding/peregrine-cam. The cam offers livestreaming video of three angles on the nest via NH Audubon and the support of Peregrine Networks and Brady Sullivan Properties, according to the website. Last year the nest produced five eggs, of which three hatched.

Bird events

The NH Audubon’s Massabesic Center, 26 Audubon Way in Auburn, will celebrate the return of nesting birds with two programs on Saturday, April 11. “NestWatch Volunteer Training: Eastern Bluebird and Tree Swallow Monitoring” will run from 9 to 11:30 a.m. and “Build-A-Birdhouse” will run from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., according to the NH Audubon’s newsletter. Register for either at nhaudubon.org.

Health care forum

The New Hampshire Insurance Department will hold the 2026 Commissioner’s Health Care Policy Forum on Wednesday, April 29, from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. “This first-of-its-kind event is designed to bring together policymakers, stakeholders, and interested members of the public for a proactive discussion on one of the most pressing issues facing New Hampshire residents and employers: the rising cost of health care among Granite Staters. The forum is the first event hosted by the Department specifically focused on examining ways to help bend the cost curve and promote greater transparency around the drivers of health care spending. The program will feature the rollout of New Hampshire’s Total Health Care Expenditure findings, including the New Hampshire Health Care Dollar, 2023 and 2024 total statewide health care spending, and insights from the NHID Health Care Data Chartbook,” according to a press release. The forum will take place at the New Hampshire Fire Academy Auditorium, 98 Smokey Bear Blvd. in Concord. Register at bit.ly/3NyeIzY.

Baby shower

The United Way of Greater Nashua is collecting items for its Community Baby Shower, which is slated for April 22, according to a press release. Donate to the registry or drop off baby items to 20 Broad St. in Nashua, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., through Sunday, April 12. Items include baby clothes, car seats, diapers, board books and more; see unitedwaynashua.org/event/community-baby-shower.

Manchester Artists

The Manchester Artists Association will hold its April meeting on Monday, April 6, at 7 p.m. in the Community Room at the Michael L. Briggs Public Safety Building, 405 Valley St. in Manchester, featuring speaker watercolor artist Leah Keuhne, according to a press release. See manchesterartists.com.

“Emergence,” a spring juried members exhibition, will open Thursday, April 2, and run through Saturday, June 27, at the Center for the Arts Members Gallery, 428 Main St. in New London, with an opening reception slated for Saturday, April 4, from 3 to 5 p.m. “‘Emergence’ highlights artwork inspired by themes of transformation, renewal, and the shifting energy that arrives as spring moves toward summer. The exhibition reflects both the natural transition from cold to warmth and the creative momentum that grows within a supportive arts community,” according to a press release. The gallery is open Thursday through Saturday, 1 to 5 p.m. See cfanh.org.

Dave Anderson of the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests wraps up the Cottrell-Baldwin Environmental Lecture Series with a talk called “New Hampshire Forests — Past, Present and Future: 125 Years Protecting NH Landscapes and Landmarks Mammal Tracking in New Hampshire” on Tuesday, April 7, from 7 to 8:30 a.m. at Fox Forest’s Henry I. Baldwin Environmental Center, 309 Center Road in Hillsborough. See forestsociety.org/events to RSVP.

Salem Animal Rescue League will hold a fundraising music bingo event on Friday, April 10, at 7 p.m., doors open at 6 p.m., at the Windham Country Club, 1 Country Club Road in Windham. Tickets cost $60 and include dinner; see sarlnh.org.

The Queen City will be featured in its own board game with Monopoly: Manchester Edition, slated for release in late November, according to a press release.

This Week 26/03/26

Thursday, March 26

Retired Navy pilot Lynn “Skip” Carter will speak about his military flying career and other exploits, including his recent work as an author of historical fiction, in an “Exploring Aviation” presentation tonight at 7 p.m. at the Aviation Museum of New Hampshire (27 Navigator Road, Londonderry, 669-4820, aviationmuseumofnh.org). Tickets are $10 per person.

Friday, March 27

Iconic New England band Entrain will perform live at the Tupelo Music Hall (10 A St., Derry, 437-5100, tupelomusichall.com) tonight at 8 p.m. See the website for tickets.

Friday, March 27

Acclaimed pianist Teresa Walters will perform “Listz’s Canticle of the Sun” and more at Dana Center (Saint Anselm College, 100 Saint Anselm Drive, Manchester) on tonight at 7:30 p.m., according to tickets.anselm.edu.

Saturday, March 28

The Capital City Craft Festival returns to Everett Arena (15 Loudon Road, Concord) today from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and tomorrow, Sunday, March 29, until 4 p.m. There will be more than 125 juried artisans offering handmade arts, crafts and specialty foods. See castleberryfairs.com/capital-city-craft-festival for tickets.

Saturday, March 28

The Queen City Black Market returns to Manchester today from 1:15 to 8:15 p.m. at the Masonic Temple (1505 Elm St., Manchester). It will feature vendors, attractions, performers, food/drink and more. Visit lustshroometc.square.site.

Saturday, March 28

To Share Brewing (720 Union St., Manchester, 836-6947, tosharebrewing.com) will host a Thrift Shop Prom and Ruth Release Party tonight from 5 to 8 p.m. with music by DJ Shamblez, drag performances with Glamme Chowdah, tarot readings with Arkit Tarot, ear lobe piercings by The Terracotta Room, and vintage finds from Fishtoes Vintage. A portion of prom proceeds will benefit the Pink Boots Society NH Chapter.

Saturday, March 28

There will be a Chamber Concert featuring Symphony NH musicians tonight at 7:30 p.m. at the Keefe Center For The Arts (117 Elm St., Nashua, 820-2666). Tickets are available through the SymphonyNH website.

Sunday, March 29

Manchester emo power punk band Time Eater plays an afternoon show to celebrate the release of a new EP, Depression Haver, on a bill with Quickdraw and Fun City Fan Club. Catch them today at 2 p.m. at Candia Road Brewing Co., 840 Candia Road, Manchester, linktr.ee/timeeatermusic.

Wednesday, April 1

Gibson’s Bookstore presents an evening with humorist and writer Jenny Lawson in conversation with Rebecca Lavoie at the Chubb Theatre (Chubb Theatre at CCA, 44 S. Main St., Concord, 225-1111, ccanh.com) tonight beginning at 7 p.m. Tickets start at $39 through the Capitol Center website. (Admission includes a copy of Lawson’s new book, How to Be Okay When Nothing is Okay.)

Save the Date! Saturday, April 4
Concord’s Giant Indoor Yard Sale will take place Saturday, April 4, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Everett Arena (15 Loudon Road, Concord). Expect thousands of items from more than 100 sellers. Adult admission is $5. Children 12 and under get in free. Visit facebook.com/CapitalEventsNH.

Featured photo: Retired Navy pilot Lynn “Skip” Carter. Courtesy photo.

Quality of Life 26/03/26

Turtle road

In a March 19 press release the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department announced that the Department’s Nongame and Endangered Wildlife Program was recently awarded a nationally competitive grant to build structures in four locations to help prevent turtles and other vulnerable wildlife from being killed in traffic. “The project will have multiple benefits including reducing wildlife mortality and improving habitat connectivity, safety ….”

QOL score: +1

Comment: The announcement pointed out that turtle populations are especially vulnerable to traffic. “Turtles have a life history that includes low annual nesting success and hatchling survival, late age of initial reproduction (14-20 years), and lengthy adult survivorship (they can live for 70 years or more),” the announcement read.

Slightly more potholes

A March 18 online article by the Concord Monitor reported that more than 1,300 potholes have been repaired in Concord’s streets. While this seems like a huge number, the article reported, it is about the same as in previous years. “According to the Concord city database, from Jan. 1 to March 16, city crews filled 1,309 potholes,” the article read. “Over the same period last year, they filled 1,262 of them. This year’s tally is 3% higher than in 2025.”

QOL score: -1

Comment: In a March 18 online article, New Hampshire Public Radio quoted Gary Stanley, who owns and operates the pothole repair business Mr. Pothole: “‘All these potholes, believe it or not, they start with one small, tiny crack,’ he said. ‘Such is life, is it not?’”

Home heating expensive this year

A March 20 online article by WMUR reported that New Hampshire homeowners pay some of the highest prices in the country for home heating oil. “The New Hampshire Department of Energy says the state ranks second in the nation for heating oil use per capita, with 42% of homes relying on it as their primary heat source,” the article read. WMUR quoted Patrick De Haan of GasBuddy, a popular mobile app that helps drivers locate the lowest gas prices using crowdsourced data: “$5.50 a gallon is certainly possible in the next couple of weeks.”

QOL score: -1

Comment: As of Monday, March 23, the price of a gallon of home heating oil in the Concord-Manchester-Nashua area ranged from $4.89 to $5.49. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, the average price for heating oil in New Hampshire in February was $3.91.

QOL score last week: 52

Net change: -1

QOL this week: 51

What’s affecting your Quality of Life here in New Hampshire?

Let us know at news@hippopress.com.

News & Notes 26/03/26

Scam warning

The Manchester Police Department sent out a March 18 press release about a “Fraudulent ‘Notice of Hearing’ Scam.” “The scam appears in the form of a very realistic-looking ‘Notice of Hearing,’ which falsely claims the recipient committed a traffic violation and owes a fine. The document also indicates a scheduled hearing date and offers an option to resolve the matter by paying the fine. These notices are not legitimate. The fraudulent documents include a QR code directing recipients to submit payment. Residents should not scan the QR code or send any money in response to these notices,” the release said. The documents include a misspelling of Hillsborough and an incorrect court seal, the release said. “Anyone who receives one of these notices should disregard it. If you believe you may have been a victim of this scam, please contact police at 603-668-8711,” the release said.

Taco Tour

Taco Tour Manchester has a 2026 date — the annual celebration of tacos will take place Thursday, May 28, from 4 to 8 p.m. in downtown Manchester. More than 100 restaurants will be selling tacos for $3 each, according to tacotourmanchester.com, where you can find updates on the event.

GenXpo

The band The Bald Eagles will be playing at the second annual GenXpo — described as “An expo in Nashua, N.H., for Generation X, Baby Boomers and beyond!” — on Saturday, March 28, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Nashua Senior Activity Center, 70 Temple St. in Nashua, according to the event’s Facebook page. The event is free to attend and will feature vendors related to “health and wellness, financial planning, home improvement and more to explore. There will also be short educational presentations,” the post said.

Rotating exhibit

The Art Gallery at Rivier University in Nashua is currently presenting “Pairings,” a rotating exhibition featuring two artworks of varying media presented side by side with a new pairing each week, according to a press release. The exhibition will run through May 1, the release said. “Drawing primarily from the University’s permanent collection, the exhibition welcomes visitors with two striking works displayed at the center of the gallery. … A digital slideshow complements each weekly pairing, offering expanded context including artist biographies, insights into the creative process, and information on the techniques used to bring them to life,” the release said. The gallery is open to the public Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. in Memorial Hall on the Rivier University campus, 435 S. Main St. in Nashua. See rivier.edu/artgallery.

The New Hampshire Boat Museum will host a workshop “Ready to Launch: A Woman’s Boating Class” at the Goodhue Boat Co. in Wolfeboro on Wednesday, May 20, from 5:30 to 7 p.m., designed for both novice and experienced boaters, according to a press release. Registration costs $35; see nhbm.org.

The Southern New Hampshire Skating Club will present its annual Ice Revue, themed “City Life,” at JFK Coliseum in Manchester on Saturday, March 28, at 1 and 7 p.m. Tickets cost $10 for adults, $6 for seniors and children, and are available at snhsc.com and at the door, according to a press release.

Learn how to make Pysanky, Ukrainian Easter eggs, on Saturday, March 28, from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. and Sunday, March 29, from 2 to 4 p.m. at the New Hampshire School of Languages and Arts, 3J Taggart Drive in Nashua. Register by emailing mariabronfine@gmail.com.

Baseball is back

The Big Story – Red Sox Season Opens: It gets started Thursday, March 26, at the home of baseball’s first organized team, the Cincinnati Reds. An interesting season lies ahead, in part because of a change in team style to something Red Sox Nation is not accustomed to. We’ll see if GM Craig Breslow’s emphasis on improving the pitching and infield defense at the expense of adding the power most (including me) felt they needed will succeed. Or if passing on free agent slugger Pete Alonso (who’ll be in the AL East with Baltimore) and jettisoning Rafael Devers last year was just the result of owner John Henry being cheap.

The other reason for excitement is being led into 2026 by a parade of blossoming young talent like Garrett Crochet and guys who came up big in the WBC: Roman Anthony, Wilyer Abreu, Jarren Duran and Brayan Bello. Should be fun.

Sports 101: Of the 33 who have 3,000 career hits, only four from the 20th century and beyond never had a 200-hit season. Name them.

News Item – March Madness Marches On: The opening weekend provided the usual thrills.

• BestIndividualGame:UConn’s Tarris Reed going for 31 points and 27 rebounds in a R1 win over Furman.

• Biggest Upset: 15-seed High Point taking out 2-seed Wisconsin. Iowa taking out defending champion Florida on a last-second shot by Alvaro Folgueiras wasn’t farbehind.

• MIA Award –Rick Pitino: Back in the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2015.

News Item – Proposed Trade for Eagle A.J. Brown: No way the Pats should give up what Denver did (first, third and fourth) to get Jaylen Waddle from Miami for Brown. They have bigger immediate needs at OL and edge rusher and need to use the 2026 draft (or trades of them) to get them. If a trade for the speedy Brown can be done after June 1 for a 2027 second and 2028 third, done.

News Item – Red Sox Stories to Watch

Roman Anthony: Will he live up to what runaway imaginations have him becoming?

The Outfield Jumble: They’ve got five guys to play the outfield and DH. Can Alex Cora find enough at-bats for everyone or is a trade coming?

Aroldis Chapman: At 38 can he possibly be as good as last year (32 saves, 1.17 ERA and 67 k’s in 43 innings)?

Most Intriguing Prospect to Follow – Justin Gonzalez: Is the 6’6”, 272-pound 19-year-old mountain of a man more Aaron Judge or Wily Mo Peña? What’s most appealing are his New Age stats (that are actually useful) like his percentages on strikeouts and hard contact to at-bats. He starts his Year 2 in AA. Keep an eye on him.

News Item – Predictions for Red Sox

70 – combined homers from Anthony and Abreu.

180 – K’s from 15-game-winner Sonny Gray to make it a record five teams he’s done that for.

275 – league-leading K’s Crochet whiffs on his way to winning the AL Cy Young Award.

Sports 101 Answer: The four with 3,000 career hits and no 200-hit seasons are Dave Winfield, Eddie Murray, Rickey Henderson and Yaz.

Final Thought – Red Sox Season Prediction – 92-70: I might be talking myself into it, but they’re gonna be better than last year’s 89-win team. If you’re going to Vegas to bet, you should know I missed my Red Sox predictions in each of the last two years by one win because of the outcome of each season’s final game. Email Dave Long at dlong@hippopress.com.

Email Dave Long at dlong@hippopress.com.

Stay in the loop!

Get FREE weekly briefs on local food, music,

arts, and more across southern New Hampshire!