Category: News

Quality of Life 25/07/31

A big firefly summer

If it seems like there are more fireflies this summer than usual, you are right, according the New Hampshire Public Radio “Something Wild” feature posted on July 24. A wet spring created “perfect breeding conditions for fireflies” according to the feature on nhpr.org. “The larvae get bigger faster, more survive to adulthood, and adult fireflies emerge earlier,” the article said.

QOL score: +1

Comment: “New Hampshire is home to at least 15 species of fireflies, also called lightning bugs,” NHPR reported.

Pets in summer

According to a recently released study by pet insurance company Trupanion, our pets are suffering from summer heat at least as much as we are. In a July 16 online article Trupanion said, “More than 13,000 pets have been affected [nationwide] by dehydration or heatstroke since 2020. Heatstroke claims have increased by 45 percent since 2020, and dehydration claims spike by as much as 364 percent during the summer.” Trupanion reported that it has received more than 12,000 dehydration claims during that period, and that those claims rose by 20 percent between 2023 and 2024. There have been 183 claims from New Hampshire since 2020, they said, and claims in New Hampshire rise by an average of 104 percent during the summer.

QOL score: -1

Comment: “Fresh water, shade, avoiding the hottest parts of the day and never leaving pets in cars are some simple steps that can save lives,” the article said.

Shark summer?

As reported by WMUR in a July 16 Chronicle story, researchers have spent this summer studying the appearance of great white sharks in New Hampshire waters. In 2024 there were confirmed sightings of the apex predators at Wallis Sands, Foss, Cable, Sawyers, and North Hampton beaches, as well as two sightings in the Isles of Sholes. Chronicle quoted Dr. Nathan Furey, a marine biologist at the University of New Hampshire, who said the sharks are drawn in part by migrating populations of seals.

QOL score: +1

Comment: See the report at wmur.com. And for more fun New Hampshire shark facts see seagrant.unh.edu/shark-safety-facts-new-hampshire.

QOL score last week: 65

Net change: +1

QOL this week: 66

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

Let us know at news@hippopress.com.

The week that was

The Big Story – Sox Second-Half Start: In going 4-5 in their tough opening nine-game stretch with the NL’s three division leaders it wasn’t great, but it could have been worse, as they lost the first two games of each series vs. Chicago and Philly as well as losing the opener vs. L.A. before rallying to win the four they did.

Garrett Crochet did what aces are supposed to do by winning twice after Boston losses as he moved to 12-4 with a 2.23 ERA on the year. Which left them 57-50, 6.5 back of AL East-leading Toronto and the second best among Wild Card contenders.

Sports 101: Name the only pitcher to hit a home run in his first major-league at-bat.

News Item – 4 Thoughts from First 4 Days of Patriot Training Camp: (1) Returning OC Josh McDaniels’ early emphasisis for having Drake Maye getting rid of the ball quicker than a year ago. (2) With him already on thin ice, disappointing 2024 second-round pick Ja’Lynn Polk made the hole deeper by missing all four days. (3) The pass rush led by Keion White and Milton Williams got off to a good start in the early drills. (4) Seeing Caedan Wallace now playing guard after being drafted to play left tackle is another reminder of what a bust the 2024 draft has been.

News Item – Clayton Kershaw vs. Whitey Ford: Kershaw is locked in a tight battle with the great Yankee lefty for having the highest win-loss percentage in baseball history among those with 200 or more wins. After going 236-106 in 16 seasons, Ford is the retired career leader. So the Sox’ 4-2 win over Kershaw Saturday had historic consequences as it cut KC’s lead over Ford down from .692 to .690.

News Item – Player of the Week: The A’s Nick Kurtz had arguably the greatest single hitting game in MLB history on Friday. When he went six for six with eight RBI in a 15-3 win over Houston. It included a single, a double and becoming the first rookie in history to hit four homers in a game.

Alumni News – Matthew Judon: The former Patriots linebacker is still out on the street looking for work. This after acting like a 10-year-old in camp last year to get a big bump in pay. The Pats said no and traded him to Atlanta for the third-round pick who became guard Jared Wilson.

But after a 5.5-sack, 41-tackle season he’s found out the Patriots aren’t the only team that doesn’t think he was worth his asking price.

The Numbers:

41 – homers for Seattle’s Cal Raleigh to bring him within one of Javy Lopez’s mark for most homers hit as a catcher in one season.

44 – strikeouts by Red Sox hitters when they lost two of three to Dave Dombrowski’s Phillies.

163 – homers by Kyle Schwarber in three-plus years since the Sox let him walk over the same $20 million per they gave the next winter to Masataka Yoshida — who has 25 Boston homers since.

… Of the Week Awards

Thumbs Up – Alex Cora: For again bucking trends in managing his pitching staff. This time by bringing Aroldis Chapman in to face Schwarber in the seventh inning with the tying run on second. Chapman induced a pop to second to end the threat.

Anti-Rafael Devers Award –– “I’ll do anything to help the team”: That’s what the Sox’ best outfielder, Ceddanne Rafaela, said when asked about playing second base lately to help fill the black hole there and relieve their DH/OF bottleneck as well.

Future Lost Court Case of the Week: Donald Trump was back to telling sports how it can operate again last week. This time by signing an executive order to limit how much college athletes can make by putting a cap on NIL money. The problem is the NCAA settled the O’Bannon lawsuit (that opened the door for NIL) because they knew they’d lose in court on anti-trust issues. Which will happen again because the E.O. also illegally restricts individual earning rights.

A Little History – DiMaggio’s 56-Game History: The most amazing thing about Joe D’s famed 56-game hitting streak lies in illustrating how different the 1941 game was compared to 2025, when 100k seasons by players are commonplace. While DiMaggio hit .408 (91-223) with 56 runs scored, 55 RBI and 15 homers, he struck out only five times over those 56 games and not once during the final 32.

Sports 101 Answer: While more famous for throwing his knuckle ball, Hoyt Wilhelm is also the only pitcher to hit a home run in his first MLB at bat as a NY Giant in 1952.

Final Word – A Little Extra History: If you don’t know, in the game after the streak ended, he immediately went on a 15-game streak. And in 1933 he hit in 61 straight playing with the San Francisco Seals of the Pacific Coast League.

Email Dave Long at dlong@hippopress.com.

News & Notes 25/07/31

West Nile virus

Mosquitoes collected in Manchester on July 14 have tested positive for West Nile virus, the first batch to do so in Manchester this season, according to a July 24 press release from the city’s Health Department. “From this point in the season, until there is a mosquito-killing frost, the risk of infection by mosquito-borne viruses may increase. We recommend using an EPA evaluated, effective mosquito repellent, avoid being outdoors at dawn and dusk, and remove standing water from around the home, where mosquitoes reproduce, to limit the risks of catching these infections,” said Anna Thomas, MPH, Manchester’s Public Health Director, in the press release. Symptoms can appear within a week after being bitten by a mosquito and include “fever, muscle aches, headaches, and fatigue. Many people may not develop any symptoms, or only develop very mild symptoms. A very small percentage of individuals infected with WNV can go on to develop more serious central nervous system disease, including meningitis or encephalitis,” the release said.

Curds recall

The New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services announced a voluntary recall by Huckins Farm of Huckins Farms Cheese Curds with a sell by date of Aug. 9, 2025, according to a press release from July 23. “Huckins Farm is voluntarily recalling the cheese curds out of an abundance of caution because they were improperly pasteurized,” the release said. The affected curds were sold in half-pound packages at the farm’s store in New Hampton and at 11 other New Hampshire locations including Osborne’s Farm and Garden Center and the Concord Food Co-op, both in Concord; Osborne’s Farm and Garden Center in Hooksett and Dumon Farms in Loudon. See the full list at dhhs.nh.gov. People who purchased these cheese curds should throw them away, the release said.

Elliot & Dartmouth

Elliot Health System and Dartmouth Health announced a collaboration in maternal and child health services starting July 1, according to a press release. “This clinical collaboration with Dartmouth Hitchcock Clinics Bedford/Manchester offers patients in southern New Hampshire the expertise of Dartmouth Health’s obstetricians and midwives to deliver babies and provide the full scope of inpatient reproductive health services, expanding on the outstanding services offered by Elliot Hospital,” the press release said. “The Elliot delivers more than 2,200 babies each year and Dartmouth Hitchcock Clinics Bedford/Manchester in southern New Hampshire averages 800 deliveries each year,” the release said.

The 99th annual Hospital Days celebration to celebrate New London Hospital will run Thursday, July 31, through Saturday, Aug. 2, on the New London Town Green. Events include a family event on Elkins Beach on Friday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.; a parade on Saturday at 10 a.m.; a vendor fair on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.; kids’ activities on the Green on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.; a midway all three days and more. See newlondonhospital.org.

Easterseals NH was slated to hold a ceremonial ribbon cutting for the new Gammon Academy school building on Zachary Road in Manchester on Wednesday, July 30. The new “state of the art school” continues the Easterseals NH offerings of “residential and educational services for students with significant developmental, behavioral, or intellectual disabilities” on the site, according to a press release.

The Live Free and Dance Festival 2025 will take place Sunday, Aug. 3, at the Dana Center at Saint Anselm College in Manchester starting at noon. The festival, presented by the Aaron Tolson Institute of Dance, will feature classes in dance styles including lyrical, jazz, contemporary, hip-hop and tap, according to tickets.anselm.edu. The faculty will include Ellye Setnik-King, Danielle Gautier, Emily Spencer, Emmy McLaughlin and Aaron Tolson; a single class costs $30, a four-class package costs $120, with a free tap class at the end of the day for students who pick the four-class package, according to the website, where you can register for the festival.

This Week 25/07/24

Thursday, July 24

Organized by the Merrimack Valley Military Vehicle Collectors Club, the Weare Rally will begin today and run through Saturday, July 26, at Center Woods School (14 Center Road, Weare). The rally features military vehicle displays, scenic rides, demonstrations, food and more. The cost is $5 per family. See mvmvc.org.

Friday, July 25

The Live Free or Die Tattoo Expo begins today and runs through Sunday, July 27, at the DoubleTree by Hilton Manchester Downtown (700 Elm St., Manchester). The event features tattoo artists, vendors and more. Show hours are from 5 p.m. to midnight on Friday, from 11 a.m. to midnight on Saturday, and from noon to 8 p.m. on Sunday. Tickets cost in advance $20 for a weekend pass ($25 at the door), according to livefreeordietattoo.com. Some of the highlights from the weekend include a pin-up pageant on Saturday at 9 p.m.; performances by the Monsters of Schlock, described as the “world’s most extreme two man circus sideshow comedy magic extravaganza”; daily tattoo contests ( in categories such as sleeve, half-sleeve, floral, portrait, horror and more); aerialist performances; suspension performances; an air brush tattoo contest and more, according to the website.

Friday, July 25

Take a musical journey through time with Scott Bradlee’s Postmodern Jukebox tonight at 8 p.m. at the Tupelo Music Hall, 10 A St. in Derry, tupelomusichall.com. Tickets start at $65.

Saturday, July 26

Beth Krommes, a Caldecott Medal winning illustrator for 2009’s The House in the Night, will be at Balin Books (375 Amherst St. in Nashua; balinbooks.com) to discuss Where the Deer Slip Through, a new picturebook by Katey Howes that Krommes has illustrated, today at 11 a.m.

Saturday, July 26

Make it a Shakespeare double feature today! Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, directed by Katie Sibley, will be presented in Greeley Park in Nashua by the Nashua Theatre Guild (nashuatheatreguild.org) at 2 p.m. today and Sunday, July 27. This production is free.

And catch Romeo & Juliet a in its final night tonight at 7:30 p.m. at the Shakespeare on the Green production at Saint Anselm College in Manchester from Theatre Kapow and Ballet Misha. Other shows this weekend are Thursday, July 24, and Friday, July 25, at 7:30 p.m. For tickets to this production, see tickets.anselm.edu.

Sunday, July 27

Gibson’s Bookstore (45 S Main St, Concord, 224-0562, gibsonsbookstore.com) will host an Audiobook Walk today at 10 a.m. Participants will walk a one-mile loop around downtown Concord, each listening to their own book (walkers can choose to do an additional loop or two, if they’d like) and will end back at Gibson’s Bookstore. After the walk, walkers are encouraged to hang out in the cafe while the store prepares to open, the website said. This event is free.

Save the Date! Friday, July 25-26
The Live Free or Die Tattoo Expo will take place Friday, July 25, through Sunday, July 27, at the DoubleTree by Hilton Manchester Downtown (700 Elm St., Manchester). The event features tattoo artists, contests, vendors, live music, food and performances. Show hours are from 5 p.m. to midnight on Friday, from 11 a.m. to midnight on Saturday, and from noon to 8 p.m. on Sunday. Tickets cost in advance $20 for a weekend pass ($25 at the door), according to livefreeordietattoo.com.

Featured photo: Tattoo Expo.

Quality of Life 25/07/24

Your next picnic just got more expensive

According to a July 15 press release from the U.S. Senate Joint Economic Committee (jec.senate.gov) the prices of ground beef and ice cream have risen to record levels. Quoting a report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (bls.gov), ground beef is 11 percent more expensive than it was in May, and ice cream has increased by five percent. “This is the first time that beef has been above $6.00 since CPI [Consumer Price Index] data collection began,” the press release read.

QOL score: -2, one for the burger and one for the ice cream

Comment: This comes on top of a JEC report from July 3 that the price of domestic beer has gone up 13% since April.

The future of grapes in New Hampshire

As reported in a July 20 online article by WMUR, a team of scientists at the University of New Hampshire worked for the past seven years to develop new grape varieties to grow in New Hampshire’s climate. There are currently more than 100 acres in New Hampshire planted with seedless table grapes. In a July 15 online story, UNH Today (unh.edu/unhtoday) reported, “There are several seedless table grape varieties that are well adapted to our region…. These varieties bring delicious and unique flavors to consumers, and they expand the options for local producers.”

QOL score: +1

Comment: “Officials said varieties such as Mars and Lakemont show the most promise for supporting a local grape-growing industry,” the WMUR story reported.

Data breach

As reported in a July 20 online article by WMUR, more than 2,000 New Hampshire residents have been impacted by a recent data breach. The breach, the story read, happened “at Covenant Health, the parent company of St. Joseph Hospital, according to a recent letter sent to the New Hampshire Attorney General’s Office. In letters sent to those potentially impacted, officials said an unauthorized party gained access to Covenant Health’s IT environment on May 18.” According to Covenant Health, some of the accessed information may have included medical, health insurance and Social Security information.

QOL score: -1

Comment: “In response, Covenant Health is offering complimentary memberships and fraud monitoring systems to affected individuals and is enhancing its IT security measures,” WMUR reported.

QOL score last week: 67

Net change: -2

QOL this week: 65

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

Let us know at news@hippopress.com.

Pats are back

The Big Story – Pats Open Training Camp: With the opening of camp on Tuesday football is back. And after the 2024 catastrophe, there is optimism the Pats’ sinking fortunes since you-know-who left the building may be about to end. It even has some talking playoffs, which seems a bit far-fetched. But with Drake Maye entering Year 2 and a host of new free agent signings led by new/old coach Mike Vrabel being brought home to right the ship, most are expecting a big jump from the 4-15 disaster of 2024. Time will tell.

Sports 101: Name the three pitchers to win a Cy Young, MVP and World Series all in the same year.

News Item – Things to Look For in Pats Camp:

Will Campbell – The top draft pick needs to make the most under-rated job in football the position of stability it hasn’t been since the end of the Brady era.

Receivers – Unless they can make a big jump in production, good-bye 2025 playoffs. And how long before Stefon Diggs goes off the reservation?

Play Calling – How do OC Josh McDaniels and Maye mesh? Will McDaniels force his system on Maye, or adapt it to what Maye does best?

Corners – How good can Christian Gonzalez and Carlton Davis be together? It’s the key to the D because the better they are the longer it takes receivers to get open, which gives the pass rush more time to harass the QB.

Mike Vrabel – After being killed by the passive coaching ofJerod Mayo last year it needs to be my-way-or-the-highway tough from Day 1.

News Item – Alumni News: Anyone else see that ex-Red Sox hurler Drew Pomeranz is still in the majors? I thought he retired years ago. But there he was on Sunday pitching in the eighth for the Cubs as he gave up a pinch-hit three-run homer from Alex Bregman to cement Boston’s 6-1 win. How he’s remained in the majors is another story as he’s 5-21 since leaving Boston in 2018 after going 17-9 for them in 2017.

The Numbers:

0 – wins against eight losses for the once great but now fading Justin Verlander in his first season in SF, when the ERA is 4.99.

3 – legs of winning a career major down for Scottie Scheffler as he breezed home by four shots Sunday to win the Open Championship (British Open) at 17 under par.

… Of the Week Awards

Thumbs Up – Alex Cora’s Analytics Adjustment: If you don’t think the lunacy of analytics has radically altered thinking in baseball, consider that the only .300 hitter in the Sox line-up during Sunday’s 6-1 win in Chicago was .311-hitting Romy Gonzalez, who hit ninth in the order. And it actually made sense. Because if you’re going to move your top hitters to first and second in the order, you should have people hitting in front of them who can get on base instead of a team’s worst hitters who usually hit eighth and ninth. First time I’ve seen someone using common sense to counteract analytics dictates.

Har-Dee-Har-Har Quote of the Week – Tyler Smith: Goes to the Cowboys Pro Bowl guard for saying upon arrival at camp, “Super Bowl champion. That’s always the expectation.”

Well, for those of us who’ve been watching since Barry Switzer won the 1995 SB with Jimmy Johnson’s players, we know Dallas hasn’t been a real contender since the owner drove Johnson out of town because he wanted more credit for the three title teams JJ built from scratch.

Random Thoughts

When did stealing signs become a major baseball crime? Because it once was an art that was looked up to.

After the Pats gave him away for nothing, keep an eye on what Joe Milton does when Dak Prescott goes down with the annual injury.

Sports 101 Answer: The pitchers who won the Cy Young, MVP and World Series in the same year are Sandy Koufax (1963), Denny McLain (1968) and Willie Hernandez (1984).

Final Thought – Thumbs Down – Name Hijacking: I hate the name Commanders. But I hate far more a wannabe king threatening to withhold U.S. taxpayer dollars to blackmail the Washington Football Club into bringing back a name he prefers as Donald Trump did last week. Hopefully the NFL has more guts to stand up to U.S. employee number 47 than baseball Coward-In-Chief Rob Manfred had when he caved to similar demands from the convicted felon to remove baseball’s objection to having Pete Rose on the Hall of Fame ballot even though he bet on baseball and lied about it for 15 years until he needed the truth to sell a book.

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!