Category: News

Pats have NFL’s best record

The Big Story – Football Takes Center Stage: With baseball finally over, football now has the attention of sports fans through mid-February. And with the Pats, Colts and Broncos sitting atop their divisions while sharing the league’s best record at 8-2, it has been a most surprising first half of the year.

Next comes the very definition of a trap game for New England on Nov. 13, when they face the (2-7) Jets, whose second win came a few days after giving up on 2025 by trading their two best players.

Sports 101: Who holds the rookie records for most rushing yards in a season by a Patriot runner and for the NFL overall as well?

News Item – Patriots Down Tampa Bay 28-23: Another close win, which needed a Stefon Diggs on-side kick recovery to put it away. But they didn’t let it slip away either as they moved to 8-2. And who would have thunk that?

Key Stat – Rushing Yards: 147 yards on 14 carries and two loud TD’s for rookie TreVeyon Henderson.

Improvement – Kyle Williams: The rookie wideout got the radio yackers and boo-birds off his back for at least one week after his 72-yard catch-and-run score to tie the game at 7-7.

Back slide – Drake Maye Decision Making: He made the usual number of big plays, but again put it up for grabs in the end zone for a fourth-quarter pick when a FG would have iced the game.

Game Ball – Henderson: His 69-yard TD run in the final minutes was the longest by a rookie in Patriots team history since his 55-yarder made it 21-10 in the third quarter.

News Item – Gambling Story Grows: This week it’s MLB, as suspended Cleveland hurlers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz were charged with allegedly rigging pitch counts for payoffs from gamblers.Yes, by all means, Rob Manfred, perfect time to make Pete Rose eligible for the Hall of Fame.

News Item – The Player of the Week – Jonathan Taylor: The Colts back went for 244 rushing yards and three TD’s in their 31-26 OT win over Atlanta. The TD’s included an 83-yard run and the walkoff game winner to give him 15 on the season, while another made him the Colts’ all-time rushing TD leader with 65.

The Numbers:

34 – second most in the NFL sacks surrendered by the Patriots o-line in 10 games.

546 – total yards by the Detroit offense (226 rushing, 320 passing) in a 44-22 thumping of the Commanders.

900 – career goals scored by Alex Ovechkin to become the first in the NHL’s 900 goals club.

… Of the Week Awards

Thumbs Down – Patriots Brass: For doing nothing at the trade deadline to address their biggest needs — edge rusher and running back depth.

Stat – NY Jets Being The Jets: According to Dan Graziano of ESPN.com, after trading DB Sauce Gardner to Indy, their cap hit for him in 2026 will be $11 million while for the team he’ll play for it’ll be just $9 million.

Good News – Trevor Story: After arguably being the team’s MVP (.263, 28 homers, 96 RBI) Story has opted in on his contract option to play for the Sox in 2026.

Sports 101 Answer: With 1,808 yards Eric Dickerson is the all-time NFL rookie rushing yards leader, and the Patriot rookie leader is Curtis Martin with 1,487 in 1995.

Final Thought – Hot Stove League Opens: All the important roster building and free agency calendar dates are in play now. So the Sox are on the clock to put the 2026 team together. The four biggest stories:

John Henry: He got a little fan respect back in 2025 by spending $500 million on new players after being public enemy No. 1 for five years of indifference. Will it continue?

Rafael Devers Trade: I’ve been saying since his trade in June that it is not concluded until we see if the owner will re-invest the money ($255 million) saved by the trade. If not, feel free to boo at every turn.

Power: They need a major power hitter to hit fourth. Mets FA Pete Alonso would be perfect for Fenway.

No. 2 Starter: They need a Pedro-Schilling-like one-two punch. The price tag for young players and a new contract make getting available Tigers ace Tarik Skubal highly unlikely, but he’d be perfect.

Third or Second Baseman: With the not worth $40 million Alex Bregman gone and Story staying, Marcelo Mayer will play one spot, so they need the other filled with someone new or maybe Kristian Campbell if he’s ready. Get to work.

Email Dave Long at dlong@hippopress.com.

News & Notes 25/11/13

Theater open

O’Neil Cinemas, 16 Orchard View Lane in Londonderry, opened to the movie-going public on Nov. 11, according to a press release. The new theater is in the location previously operated by O’Neil Cinemas and includes the Backstage Bistro & Lounge as well as 12 D-Box motion seats in one screening room and two Grand DLX Auditorium screening rooms, according to londonderry.oneilcinemas.com, where you can purchase tickets to movies.

New tradition

Nashua’s Great American Downtown will hold a Main Street Unwrapped event on Saturday, Nov. 15, from 10 a.m. to noon, according to a press release. “Our downtown businesses will be working all week to decorate their windows — and on Saturday morning, we reveal the magic together. Join Santa, Olaf from Frozen and Great American Downtown as we stroll Main Street, remove the wrapping, and celebrate the start of the season. Many retailers will be offering seasonal specials and holiday treats,” according to the release, which described the event as a “brand new downtown tradition.” See downtownnashua.org.

NH Navigator

The Foundation for Healthy Communities sent a press release to remind residents during the Affordable Care Act open enrollment period, which runs through Jan. 15, that NH Navigator, “an initiative of the Foundation for Healthy Communities,” can offer free health insurance navigation services for state residents seeking a health care plan via the Federal Marketplace, Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program. For assistance call 1-877-211-NAVI or visit newhampshirenavigator.com. “Navigators can help consumers identify the plan that best aligns with their health needs and the price point that best fits their budget,” the release said.

Deer season

Firearms deer hunting season opened Nov. 12, and runs through Sunday, Dec. 7, in New Hampshire, according to nhfishgame.com, where you can find information on licenses, hunting rules and registering a harvest. “In Wildlife Management Unit (WMU) A, the northernmost in New Hampshire, the season closes on November 30,” the website said.

Correction

An item about the Queen City Improv comedy show on page 24 of the Oct. 30 issue of the Hippo incorrectly stated the admission price for the group’s Nov. 3 event at Stark Brewing Co. in Manchester. Admission costs $10 at the door (it is not free, as was incorrectly reported). Queen City Improv will return to Stark Brewing Co., 500 Commercial St. in Manchester, on Monday, Dec. 1, at 7 p.m., when admission costs $10 at the door. See queencityimprov.com.

A New England contra dance with caller Tod Whittemore and music by Quindaro Plus will take place at the City-Wide Community Center, 17 Canterbury Road in Concord, on Saturday, Nov. 15, from 7 to 10 p.m. with beginners, singles and families welcome; see concordnhcontra.wordpress.com.

The Humane Society for Greater Nashua held a groundbreaking ceremony on Nov. 5 for a 10,000-square-foot addition to its facility at 24 Ferry Road in Nashua. “The expansion will include a state-of-the-art Humane Care Center, new and improved dog kennels, and additional training and multi-purpose rooms,” according to a Nov. 4 press release. See hsfn.org.

This Week 25/11/06

Friday, Nov. 7

Tonight’s First Friday event from 4 to 8 p.m. in downtown Concord wraps up the season with the theme Concord Art Walk. A map of all locations and stops for a trolley that will run between Art Walk locations will be provided prior to the event. Visit firstfridayconcord.com, where you can find the events planned at the art walk and business locations. Food trucks slated to appear include Deadproof Pizza Co. and Teenie Wienes, the website said. The music lineup includes The Wandering Souls Band slated to play in Bicentennial Square from 6 to 8 p.m. The League of New Hampshire Craftsmen’s Headquarters’ Exhibition Gallery, 49 S. Main St., will hold a reception from 5 to 7 p.m. for its new exhibition “Mentors + Apprentices: Work from the 2025 Craft Apprentice Program.” Kimball Jenkins, 266 N. Main St., will celebrate the closing night of its exhibit “The Art & Craft of Photography: An Exploration of Analog Photography by Contemporary Artists” and offer workshops (see kimballjenkins.com to sign up in advance for the evening’s workshops).

Friday, Nov. 7

The Nashua Center for the Arts (201 Main St., Nashua, 800-657-8774, nashuacenterforthearts.com) presents Scott Bradlee’s Postmodern Jukebox tonight at 8 p.m. as part of its Magic, Moonlight and Mistletoe Tour. Tickets start at $54.

Saturday, Nov. 8

New York’s Metropolitan Opera will perform La Boheme today at 1 p.m., shown live in high definition at the BNH Stage (16 S Main St., Concord, 225-1111, ccanh.com). General admission tickets are $32.

Saturday, Nov. 8

There will be a primitive skills workshop today from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Graylag Nature Preserve (320 Clough Road, Pittsfield, graylag.org). Learn about fire building, creating shelters from natural found materials or tarps, and rope making. Bring a lunch to enjoy after the workshop around the fire you helped build. This is a free event. Registration is required; register at graylag.org/programs/primitive-skills.

Saturday, Nov. 8

Hard rock band A Day to Remember will perform at the SNHU Arena (555 Elm St., Manchester, 644-5000, snhuarena.com) as part of its Yellowcard Tour tonight at 6 p.m. Tickets start at $54.

Saturday, Nov. 8

New England comedian Bob Marley will perform two shows at the Chubb Theatre (Chubb Theatre at CCA, 44 S. Main St., Concord, 225-1111, ccanh.com) today at 5:30 and 8 p.m. Tickets are $48.50.

Sunday, Nov. 9

The Manchester City Marathon takes place today starting at 8:50 a.m. at Veterans Park in downtown Manchester. There will also be a half-marathon and a 5K run. Visit millenniumrunning.com/marathon.

Save the Date! Thursday, Nov. 13

The Nashua Center for the Arts (201 Main St., Nashua, 800-657-8774, nashuacenterforthearts.com) will host 360 Allstars Thursday, Nov. 13, at 7:30 p.m. Featuring BMX, basketball, breakdancing, acrobatics, drumming and more, this is a physical performance exploring all forms of rotation. Boasting a stellar cast of world champion and world record holding artists and athletes, 360 Allstars is a spectacular fusion of the extraordinary artistry that emerges from street culture. Tickets start at $20 through the Nashua Center’s website.

Featured Photo: Concord Art Walk. Courtesy photo.

Quality of Life 25/11/06

You didn’t miss jury duty and nobody is going to arrest you

As reported by WMUR in an Oct. 25 online article, there is a new phone scam telling area residents that they have missed jury duty and are about to be arrested. The article described the experience of a recent victim of this hoax: “The caller even had him Google the sheriff’s number, and then they called him from that number in an effort to prove it was legitimate. The next steps were for [him] to get a $3,500 bail bond until the situation could be figured out, but that’s when the red flags went off because they wanted him to get the bail bond from Walgreens.”

QOL score: -1

Comment: The WMUR article went on to reassure readers that New Hampshire’s court system will never ask you to send them money. “My office or any law enforcement office would never call anyone and say that you need to make a payment to clear up a warrant. That is so fraudulent,” the article quoted Merrimack County Sheriff David Croft.

Unsettling cancer trend

In a Nov. 3 online article New Hampshire Public Radio reported that the rate of kidney cancer is higher in Merrimack than in other New Hampshire communities. “According to an investigation led by state officials and researchers from Dartmouth, more research is needed to determine the cause,” the article read. “Looking at 27 years of cancer data, researchers determined the rate of kidney cancer in Merrimack is 38% greater than it is in the rest of New Hampshire. The study also found a slight increase in the rate of kidney cancer in Manchester compared to the rest of the state.”

QOL score: -2

Comment: According to the NHPR article, “The investigation began after Merrimack residents expressed concerns about their exposure to PFAS — a group of man-made chemicals that contaminated that community’s water.” Visit geiselmed.dartmouth.edu/nhscr/mkc to read the report.

Trick or trash

The Manchester Economic Development Office reported in the Oct. 29 edition of its online newsletter, the MEDO Minute, that volunteers from the SEE Science Center (200 Bedford St., Manchester, 669-0400, see-sciencecenter.org) blitzed Manchester’s parks during the last weekend of October. “The SEE Science Center led the charge on last weekend’s Trick-or-Trash in Manchester,” the announcement read. “Some 80 volunteers took to local City parks, contributing over 140 hours of time, cleaning up seven parks, and clearing away 66 bags of trash.” The next organized Park2Park event is scheduled for Earth Day, next April 24.

QOL score: +1

Comment: An Oct. 28 announcement on the SEE Science Center’s Facebook page (facebook.com/SEEScienceCenter) includes photos of interesting objects the volunteers found during the trash pick-up. These include $501 in Monopoly money, a shopping cart, a portable bluetooth speaker, a stairway spindle, house keys and what appears to be a very large chocolate cookie.

QOL score last week : 69

Net change: -2

QOL this week: 67

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

Let us know at news@hippopress.com.

NH Fisher Cats star in WS

The Big Story – A Great World Series: It was two outs away from being the Manchester, N.H., World Series — manager John Schneider, pitching coach Pete Walker and eight players, led by Vlad Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette, all spent time at Delta Dental Stadium with the Fisher Cats before ascending to Toronto. But thanks to Toronto’s answer to Bucky Dent, Miguel Rojas, tying it at 4-4 with a one-out ninth-inning homer followed by the winning run being scored in the 11th, L.A. became the first repeat series winner since the 2000 Yankees. And they actually played baseball as we once knew it with suicide squeezes, solid fielding, advancing runners to manufacture runs over relying on just homer balls, and they had the epic 18-inning Game 4. A great World Series that featured baseball as it ought to be.

Sports 101: Name the five winningest pitchers in World Series history.

News Item – Patriots Now 7-2: They say sometimes it’s better to be lucky than to be good. Which the Pats were in Sunday’s 24-23 win over Atlanta, where the margin of error was a missed extra point.

What’s To Like – Pop Douglas: The upward trend of the second-year receiver continued with four catches for 100 yards, and his TD came on a career-best 58-yard catch and run.

Key Stat: It’s now nine games in a row where the D has not allowed a runner to reach 50 yards, this time holding NFL per-game rushing leader Bijan Robinson to 46 yards.

Backslide: 1. The secondary gave up three TD catches to the same guy, Drake London. 2. In his worst game since Week 1, Drake Maye’s two TO’s led to the 10 Falcon points that let them back in the game. 3. The O-line gave up six more sacks.

Game Ball – Atlanta kicker Parker Romo: The kicker cut by the Pats in training camp missed the fourth-quarter extra point that gave the Patriots a lucky one-point win.

News Item – Epic WS Game 3: It went 18 innings in six hours and 39 minutes and was won on a walk-off homer by last year’s Series hero, Freddie Freeman.

The Numbers:

12 – strikeouts by rookie Trey Yesavage, who set a WS record of 23 swings and misses in Toronto’s 6-1 Game 6 win over L.A.

59 – million dollars owed in buyouts to football coach Brian Kelly ($53 million) and AD Scott Woodward at LSU athletics because their team is 5-3.

68 – yard FG by Jacksonville’s Cam Little to set the NFL’s all-time record for longest FG ever in their 30-29 win over Las Vegas.

… Of the Week Awards

Thumbs Up – Mookie Betts: Oh, great, another reason to mourn the Red Sox losing the greatest RF in team history, as he was named the 2025 winner of the Roberto Clemente Humanitarian Award for helping communities in so many ways the list is too long to print here.

Thumbs Down – LSU Athletics: A 5-3 football program from the same state as U.S. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson comes from, wasting $59 million in unnecessary payouts, on the same day the Speaker (and his colleagues) let food stamp payments stop helping feed needy families around that state and the country. Seems like we’ve lost perspective, don’t you think?

Hard To Believe Stat – Josh Allen: Recording the 79th rushing TD of his eight-year career to push a quarterback ahead of the great Earl Campbell for 25th place on the all-time TD rushing list during Buffalo’s win over KC.

Sports 101 Answer: 10 wins, Whitey Ford; seven wins, Red Ruffing, Allie Reynolds, Bob Gibson; six wins, Lefty Gomez, Waite Hoyte and Chief Bender. All Yankees except Gibson (Cardinals) and Bender (A’s).

Final Thought – Shohei Ohtani: It’s rare that I watch a game just to see one baseball player these days. But I did it for Ohtani in the WS. And he did not disappoint. In the epic 18-inning Game 3 marathon alone he reached base nine times via two homers, two doubles and five walks as he scored three times and knocked in three more, which tied the record for most extra-base hits in a WS game set in 1906 by some guy I never heard of and I’ve heard of everyone.

He also became the first to have three multi-homer games in the same post-season. Plus he pitched in the playoffs, where he was 2-1 with a 4.43 ERA, including a 10-K, six-inning effort in the NLCS.

It inspired ESPN’S Buster Olney to call him the greatest player ever. I say pump the brakes on that. He’s never going to catch any of the Babe’s major stats, including pitching, where at 39 to 94 he’s 55 wins behind the Babe. But that doesn’t mean he’s not the most exciting player to watch since at least Junior Griffey. Which is good enough for me.

Email Dave Long at dlong@hippopress.com.

Nashua pop-up pantries help take up SNAP slack

Sara Ceaser is the Director of Volunteer and Community Engagement for the United Way of Greater Nashua, which organizes five pop-up food pantries each week across Nashua. She said that with SNAP benefits scheduled to run out in November food insecurity in the city is likely to increase.

“We started our [food pantry] program at the beginning of the Covid pandemic to make sure that there was food available in neighborhoods,” she said, “and we saw that there was a continued need. So we stay in those locations and yes, most of the people who attend will walk there.”

“We do these pop-up pantries at different locations in the community every week. I’m hearing anecdotally from the people that are there that we’re seeing an increase already, even before SNAP benefits have run out. We are preparing to provide more food when we can, and being a little bit creative on how we can source food. Another project that we do is grocery deliveries to homebound people from food pantries. I just checked the numbers for Sept. 15 to Oct. 15. We did 52 deliveries, which was an increase of almost 20. We had 34 deliveries the previous month. So things are definitely changing.”

Part of being creative in sourcing food, Ceaser said, is working with groups such as the Regenerative Roots Association. “They are located in Nashua and they are doing what’s called Fresh Rescue,” she said. “They go to stores and they will pick up food in their refrigerated van and drop it off for us for the food pantries as well. Most grocery stores do this fresh rescue program where they have food that’s still good but they need to get it off of their shelves. Most of what we get from this program at the moment is protein, so meat and other types of things like that, and a lot of bread too.”

Another group working with the United Way is the Hillsborough County Gleaners. “They are a group that is run out of UNH Cooperative Extension,” Ceaser said. “They go to farms, and they have volunteers who pick what’s left in a farm’s field after the initial harvest. And so we benefit from that also. The harvest is kind of winding down a little bit, but we’re able to provide fresh fruits and vegetables during the growing season. We’re working on other ways to provide fresh fruits and vegetables as well; we’ll hopefully be able to purchase that using gift cards donated by stores and possibly grant funding as well. So we’re hoping to kind of ramp things up as we can.”

In the meantime, Ceaser said, the United Way’s pop-up pantries have just moved indoors for the winter.

Pop-ups
The United Way of Greater Nashua’s pop-up pantries are open from 11 a.m. to noon:
Monday: Harbor Care, 45 High St.
Tuesday: Girls Inc., 27 Burke St.
Wednesday: Arlington Street Community Center, 36 Arlington St.
Thursday: Nashua Community Music School, 2 Lock St.
Friday: Crossway Christian Church, 33 Pine St.
All locations are in Nashua.

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