Category: News

News & Notes 25/04/17

Senate race update

Former Governor Chris Sununu told WMUR that he will not run for the U.S. Senate seat in 2026. The race will have no incumbent for the seat as Sen. Jeanne Shaheen has said she will not run for reelection. U.S. Rep. Chris Pappas, a Democrat, announced his campaign for the seat in early April. Sununu, a Republican, said the commitment to serve in the Senate was “not right for my family at this time,” according to a report by Adam Sexton on WMUR on April 8. See wmur.com.

Family meal

The Mast Road Community Market is offering a nonperishable meal kit for Pinardville families who need a meal as part of their “Meal Kit Program,” according to mrcm-nh.com/meal-kit-program. Upcoming distribution days are Thursdays, April 17, April 24 and May 1, from 5 to 6 p.m. at Jacques Flower Shop, 712 Mast Road in Manchester. No preregistration is required, participants are asked to fill out a registration form at the site, according to the website, where you can find more information about receiving or donating to a meal kit.

Center center

The Center for the Arts, a New London-based organization with arts programming in for the Lake Sunapee Region, celebrated the grand opening of its Gallery & Studio and Creative Classroom at 428 Main St. in New London, according to a press release. The Center for the Arts officially opened its new center on April 10 and the gallery currently exhibits art from more than 30 local artists on the theme of spring, the release said. See centerfortheartsnh.org.

Cats prez leaves

Rick Brenner, the New Hampshire Fisher Cats president, is leaving the organization to focus on teaching at Plymouth State University, according to a Fisher Cats press release. His final day with the Fisher Cats will be May 1, the release said. Brenner “is the Assistant Professor of Practice, as well as the Director of the Sales Institute, in the School of Business at Plymouth State University in Plymouth, New Hampshire. He began in his roles at Plymouth State in August 2024,” the release said.

TB testing

The New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services and the Manchester Health Department held additional testing clinics for people who might have been exposed to a person with tuberculosis who visited the Families in Transition Adult Shelter and 1269 Cafe in Manchester in January, according to a press release. People without a primary care provider can call 211 for information on testing and treatment, the release said. Call 271-4496 or go to the DHHS TB webpage, at dhhs.nh.gov/programs-services/disease-prevention/infectious-disease-control/tuberculosis-tb, for more information.

Concord’s Giant Indoor Yard Sale is slated for Saturday, April 19, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Everett Arena (15 Loudon Road in Concord). Admission is $5 per adult. Find the event’s page on Facebook.

The University of New Hampshire Durham will hold the Nossrat Yassini Poetry Festival on Saturday, April 19, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. The free festival features readings, workshops, a small press fair, performances, a celebration of the Nossrat Yassini Poetry Prize and the Granite State Poetry prize and more. See unhpoetry.com.

Milford Drive-In (531 Elm St., Milford, milforddrivein.com) is slated to open for the season this weekend, with shows Friday, April 18, and Saturday, April 19. The scheduled double-feature screenings are A Minecraft Movie and Paddington in Peru on Screen 1 and Sinners and One of Them Days on Screen 2.

Poet Liane St. Laurent will read her poems followed by an open mic on Saturday, April 19, at 2 p.m. at Balin Books, 375 Amherst St. in Nashua, balinbooks.com. St. Laurent did a Touchstone Talk for the Poetry Society of New Hampshire in February; listen to it at psnh.org/touchstone-talk-liane-st-laurent-interview.

New Hampshire Poet Laureate Jennifer Militello will speak at the Monadnock Writers’ Group meeting on Saturday, April 19, at 9:45 a.m. at the Peterborough Town Library, 2 Concord St. in Peterborough. The event is free and open to the public. See modnadnockwriters.org.

This Week 25/04/10

Saturday, April 12

Today is Record Store Day! You can score special releases including some that will only be sold at indie record stores. See recordstoreday.com for updates on this year’s titles. According to that website, local participating stores include Metro City Records, 691 Somerville St. in Manchester (which will be open special hours, 9 a.m .to 2 p.m.) and Pitchfork Records, 2 S. Main St. in Concord (opening at 8 a.m. on Record Store Day) as well as Music Connection in Manchester; Toadstool in Peterborough; Bull Moose in Plaistow and Portsmouth; area Newbury Comics and more. See recordstoreday.com.

Thursday, April 10

Described as a “unique blend of traditional brass instruments with a full complement of drums and percussion,” Dallas Brass performs at Stockbridge Theatre in Derry tonight at 7 p.m. Tickets cost $30. See stockbridgetheatre.showare.com.

Thursday, April 10

The Merrimack Valley/Purple Finch Flute Choir performs tonight from 7 to 8 p.m. at the Nashua Public Library (2 Court St., Nashua, 589-4600, nashualibrary.org). This concert is free and open to the public.

Friday, April 11

The teens of Ovation Theatre Company (ovationtc.com) present Monty Python’s Spamalot School Edition this evening at 7 p.m. and tomorrow, Saturday, April 12, at 1 and 7 p.m. at the Derry Opera House (29 W. Broadway in Dery). See derryoperahouse.org for tickets.

Friday, April 11

Comedy star Paula Poundstone performs at the Chubb Theatre (Chubb Theatre at CCA, 44 S. Main St., Concord, 225-1111, ccanh.com) tonight at 7:30 p.m. Tickets start at $23.

Saturday, April 12

The Stonyfield Organic Earth Day 5K steps off at 9 a.m. today. The race, held by Millennium Running, also features a kids’ fun run and is followed by an Earth Day Fair with games, vendors and more. See millenniumrunning.com/stonyfield5k.

Saturday, April 12

The Manchester True Collaborative Center (72 Concord St., Manchester, manchestertrue.org) is hosting a Bug Out Basics workshop today from noon to 2 p.m. Learn how to create a bug out bag and valuable emergency preparedness tips.

Saturday, April 12

The New Hampshire Philharmonic presents “Drawn to the Music —The Planets” featuring visuals by local students paired with Gustav Holst’s “The Planets” today at 2 p.m. and tomorrow, Sunday, April 13, at 2 p.m. at Seifert Performing Arts Center in Salem. Tickets cost $35 for adults, $30 for seniors, $10 for students. See nhphil.org.

Saturday, April 12

There’s a Punk Rock Masquerade Ball tonight at Terminus Underground (134 Haines St., Nashua, newhampshireunderground.org) starting at 8 p.m. Tickets start at $15.

Save the Date! Saturday, April 19

Concord’s Giant Indoor Yard Sale will take place Saturday, April 19, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Everett Arena (15 Loudon Road, Concord). Admission is $5 per adult, according to the event’s Eventbrite page. See facebook.com/CapitalEventsNH.

Featured photo: Yard Sale. Courtesy photo.

Quality of Life 25/04/10

Share your two cents about sidewalks

The Manchester public is invited to share ideas and feedback on the Downtown Sidewalk Improvement Project at two public sessions on Friday, April 18, at the Spotlight Room (96 Hanover St.), according to a Monday, April 7, story in the Manchester Ink Link. The Project focuses on the block bordered by Elm, Chestnut, Concord and Manchester streets, the article said, and the visioning sessions will be hosted by the Manchester Economic Development Office, the Department of Public Works, and Plan NH. The first session will be from 3 to 4:30 p.m. and the second from 6 to 7:30 p.m.

QOL score: +1

Comment: “Public outreach is a requirement of the $1.8 million federal grant that’s supporting the project,” the article said, and the funding is “explicitly designated to enhance pedestrian infrastructure….”

Two more warm destinations

Avelo Airlines (aveloair.com) announced on April 3 that it has added two new non-stop routes from Manchester-Boston Regional Airport: Wilmington (NC) International Airport (ILM) and the Grand Strand’s Myrtle Beach International Airport (MYR). Flights to Wilmington will fly out of Manchester on Thursdays and Sundays. Flights to Myrtle Beach will leave Manchester on Mondays and Fridays. The press release stated that one-way fares started at $39.

QOL score: +1

Comment: These two new routes bring Avelo’s services to North Carolina to four, according to the press release, including Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU), and Concord-Padgett Regional Airport (USA) in Charlotte.

… If they can get there

WMUR reported on April 5 that the FAA said an Avelo Airlines flight from MHT to Concord, North Carolina, was illuminated by a laser about 15 miles from the Manchester-Boston Regional Airport on Friday, April 4, around 9:40 p.m. Laser light can interfere with pilots’ vision.

QOL score: -1

Comment: “Anyone who shines a laser at an aircraft can face fines up to $11,000 per violation” and other penalties, WMUR said.

Maple sap thief on the loose

Sugarmomma’s Maple Farm in Northwood reported the theft of 1,200 gallons of maple sap from a collection tank back in March. “Between 11 and 5 today someone stole 1,200 gallons of sap on Route 43, between Lucas pond road and Route 4,” the farm posted on its Facebook page on March 11. In a Monday, April 7, story in the Union Leader, Sugarmomma’s producer Debra Locke said she reported the theft to Northwood’s police department. In the story, the police chief is quoted as saying that the case remained open and there were no other reports of sap thefts in the area. Locke said the sap would have produced 30 to 35 gallons of syrup, according to the story.

QOL score: -1

Comment: If you have any information about the missing sap, call the Northwood Police Department at 942-8284, the story said.

QOL score: 60

Net change: 0

QOL this week: 60

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

Let us know at news@hippopress.com.

Was it Houston or Florida?

The Big Story: By the time you read this we’ll know if Houston won its first ever basketball title or if it’s three times this century for Florida. UH got there overcoming a 14-point deficit with 8:17 left to stun Duke 70-67, while Florida’s 41-27 second-half blitz erased an 8-point halftime deficit to beat Auburn 79-73. On the women’s side after eight hard-to-believe years of UConn not winning, the title is finally back again after crushing South Carolina 72-59 to win their 11th title overall behind 41 from Azzi (Elmer) Fudd (24) and Paige Bueckers (17).

Sports 101: In Nikola Jokic’s latest astonishing feat, he posted the third ever 60-point game triple double (61-10-10) game in a two-OT loss to the T-Wolves. Name the other two 60-point triple-d guys.

News Item – Red Sox Week: (1) They won five straight after starting 1-3. (2) Rookie Kristian Campbell entered the week hitting .355 with four doubles, two homers, six RBI. 3) Garrett Crochet was not quite in the groove, but he did go eight while grinding out a needed 6-2 win over Baltimore. 4) The Raffy Devers hysteria after his 0-for-19 start ended when he went 10 for 19 with four doubles and a homer in the winning streak.

News Item – Celtics Update: Having won nine of 10 the C’s are heading to the playoffs on a roll.

It should be noted, though, that the teams beaten in their first ever 6-0 road trip during the streak were a combined 78 games under .500. So not exactly overwhelming competition. But it still defies logic that at 32-7 they’re better on the road than they are on the parquet at 26-13. Derrick White buried number 267 vs. Memphis to become Celtics record holder for most ever three-point shots made in one season.

A Little History – 60 Wins: If the C’s win two of their last four, they’ll be the first Celtics team with back-to-back 60-win seasons since the second Big 3 did it in 2007-08 and 2008-09. Before that it was the Bird-led group doing it three times between 1983-84 and 1985-86, as Larry’s group was in the midst of doing it six times in seven seasons. Prior to that the Havlicek-Cowens C’s did it twice (’72-’73 and ’74-’75). The Russell-era team won 60 just three times despite winning 11 titles in 13 years.

The Numbers:

69.9 – best this century team FG percentage shot by Milwaukee when they went 51 for 74 in a 133-123 win over Phoenix.

70 – consecutive games scoring over 20 by OKC’s Shai Gilgeous–Alexander to break Michael Jordan’s all-time NBA record.

895 – career goals by Alexander Ovechkin after passing Wayne Gretzky’s unsurpassable 894 to be the NHL’s all-time leading goal scorer.

… Of the Week Awards

Thumbs Up – Red Sox Owner John Henry: For finally acting like the big market owner he is by spending big on free agent Alex Bregman and by locking up Crochet and Campbell with six- and eight-year deals last week.

Thumbs Down – Bonehead Move of the Week – Jayson Tatum: For not having the discipline to keep it zipped before getting a technical foul at the worst possible time after a 15-point lead had slipped to 9 with 2:55 left to give the Kevin Durant-less Suns a free point and the ball on Friday.

Random Thoughts:

With both on hand, Friday was Where Are They Now? Night at TD Garden. The “They” are those not admitting now they were behind the push a few years back for the Celtics to trade Jaylen Brown for Bradley Beal. Brown dominated him and others by scoring 31 points to Beal’s measly one point on Friday. For the year it’s Beal 17 per to Brown’s 22.6 while also contributing much more on the boards and on D. Reminds all of what Bill Parcells famously said: “if you listen to people in the cheap seats, sooner or later you’ll wind up there with them.” Bullet dodged.

Sports 101 Answer: The other 60 triple double guys are Luka Doncic (2022) and James Harden (2018).

Final Thought – Parcells Headed to Patriots Hall of Fame: You can be magnanimous and say, thank you. Or you can be combative and say, what took so long?

Either way, thanks to Pats owner Bob Kraft for putting their personal history behind them to set in motion the induction of Bill Parcells into the Patriots Hall of Fame this summer.

Yes, there was him igniting the border war nonsense. But that was actually a good thing, as it made the Jets-Pats rivalry even better. But in resurrecting a moribund fan base after the disastrous Victor Kiam era you can make a case his four-year tenure, which concluded with a Super Bowl trip, makes him the fifth most important Patriot behind Billy Sullivan, Tom Brady, Bill Belichick and Drew Bledsoe. So well deserved, Tuna, and good job, Bob, for making it happen.

Email Dave Long at dlong@hippopress.com.

News & Notes 25/04/10

Pappas runs

Chris Pappas, four-term Democratic congressman for New Hampshire’s 1st District, will run for Senate in 2026. The seat won’t have an incumbent as Sen. Jeanne Shaheen decided not to run again. Pappas released a video on April 3 on his social media accounts and at his Senate campaign website, chrispappas.org, announcing his campaign.

Five eggs

Three more eggs joined the nest of the peregrine falcons at the Brady Sullivan tower in downtown Manchester — one each on April 1, April 5 and April 7, according to a log recording action at the nest. These new eggs joins the two laid March 22 and March 27. You can watch the couple and their progress at the Peregrine cam at nhaudubon.org/education/birds-and-birding/peregrine-cam, where the New Hampshire Audubon offers three live views of the nest with support of Peregrine Networks and Brady Sullivan Properties, the website said. The log also has a link to a document with basic information about the nest and a look back at previous seasons of peregrine falcons that have occupied it and the chicks that hatched there.

Deadline extended

The deadline has been extended for Intown Concord’s “Get Married At Market Days.” Apply by April 30 to get married on Friday, June 27, at the city’s downtown Market Days event and receive a package that includes a wedding night stay at Hotel Concord, a reception space at the Cantin Room at the BNH Stage, a live band for the first dance, an ice cream wedding cake from Social Club Creamery and crudité and fruit platters from Duprey Hospitality. See marketdaysfestival.com.

Mural fest

Arts Build Community in Manchester will hold its 10-day 2025 Community Canvas Mural Festival in the Queen City’s downtown Thursday, Aug. 7, through Sunday, Aug. 17, according to an email about the event. The Festival will feature “10+ large-scale murals, interactive art installations, youth workshops, community storytelling, and a vibrant block party finale,” the release said. “We’re not just painting walls — we’re building connection, identity, and joy,” said Arts Build Community founder James Chase in the statement. See artsbuildcommunity.com.

Clean up

The Manchester Urban Ponds Restoration Program will hold spring pond and park cleanups, according to an email from the organization. The cleanups are scheduled for Saturday, April 19, from 9 to 11 a.m. at Nutts Pond and Precourt Park; Saturday, April 26, from 9 to 11 a.m. at Black Brook and Blodget Park, and Saturday, May 3, from 9 to 11 a.m. at McQuesten Brook and Wolfe Park, the email said. Find information about joining the cleanups at manchesternh.gov/Departments/Sewer-and-Stormwater/Pond-Restoration/Cleanup-Events.

Margaritas Mexican Restaurant at 1 Bicentennial Square in Concord will celebrate its 40th anniversary in the city on Friday, April 11, from 3 p.m. to midnight, with margarita and Modelo specials and a free T-shirt for the first 100 guests, according to margs.com.

Tickets are on sale now for the New Hampshire Gay Men’s Chorus spring concert series, called “Celebrations!” The first concert will take place at Holy Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church in Newington on Saturday, May 31, at 7 p.m. with subsequent shows at the Rex Theatre in Manchester on Sunday, June 1, at 3 p.m.; Saturday, June 7, at 7 p.m. at First Baptist Church of Nashua, and Sunday, June 8, at 3 p.m. at BNH Stage in Concord. See nhgmc.com.

Manchester Historic Association’s annual meeting on Wednesday, April 16, at 5:30 p.m. at the Millyard Museum (200 Bedford St., Manchester; manchesterhistoric.org) will feature a look at the new exhibit “All Bottled Up! The History of Bottling in Manchester” with more than 100 glass bottles from Manchester that reflect the city’s liquor, soda, dairy and other bottling businesses, according to the website. Call 622-7531 or email history@manchesterhistoric.org to RSVP.

USAF Major Carl Stidsen, retired, will speak about his time commanding a Titan II missile crew in Arizona in a program called “Life in a Cold War ICBM Site: On the Nuclear Bullseye,” on Thursday, April 10, at 7 p.m. at the Aviation Museum of New Hampshire, 27 Navigator Road in Londonderry, according to a press release. Admission costs $10 per person. See aviationmusemofnh.org.

Quality of Life 25/04/03

Pay gap

According to a March 24 report by the New Hampshire Fiscal Policy Institute (nhfpi.org), women in New Hampshire still make less than their male counterparts. “Nationally, women earned 83 percent of what men earned in 2023,” the report read, “according to the most recently available data from the U.S. Census Bureau. In New Hampshire, women working full-time, year-round, earned 76 percent of what men earned. Of the 25 occupational categories described in 2023 New Hampshire Employment Security data, there were only three in which women had higher median earnings than men”

QOL score: -1

Comment: To read the report in its entirety, including its methodology, visit nhfpi.org/blog.

Visitor to the casino goes owl-in

As reported in a March 28 online article on Boston.com, the Gate City Casino in Nashua had an unexpected visitor last Tuesday, a female barred owl. According to the article, “local rescuers were unable to immediately remove the bird, so casino guests watched as the owl slept perched on a television.” The story quoted the casino’s marketing manager, Mark Martino, who “said the owl, who was named ‘Jack Pots’ by the casino’s security team, seemed slightly bothered by all the noise.” It wasn’t until the next day that a local animal rescue organization, Wings of the Dawn, was able to catch and remove “Ms. Pots.”

QOL score: +1

Comment: Maria Colby, director of Wings of the Dawn Rehabilitation Center, said the owl was ready to leave by the time she got there. “I netted it, and it took all of like 10 seconds to do,” she was quoted by Boston.com. “[She was] shaking” and seemed “shell-shocked. It was obviously a traumatic experience for the bird.” After two days of observation, the owl was released back into the wild.

Not as clean as it looks

In a March 28 story, New Hampshire Public Radio reported that “almost 900 million gallons of untreated sewage flowed into the Merrimack River last year, 30% more than the usual overflows over the past 10 years.” Surprisingly, according to the Merrimack River Watershed Council, that is an improvement over the previous year. “It was a reduction from 2023 — the year of the state’s wettest summer on record — when about 2 billion gallons of sewage ran into the river.” According to the report, about half the sewage in 2024 came from Manchester and Nashua in New Hampshire and Lowell, Lawrence and Haverhill in Massachusetts.

QOL score: -1

Comment: The culprit, according to the NHPR story, is an old design of the sewer system that allows it to overflow during rain storms.

QOL score last week: 61

Net change: -1

QOL this week: 60

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

Let us know at news@hippopress.com.

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