Category: News

Quality of Life 25/07/10

Entertainment is literally his middle name

Chuck E. Cheese has announced an expansion of its arcade offerings in many locations, including Salem (in the Mall at Rockingham Park, 99 Rockingham Park Blvd,) and Nashua (in the Pheasant Lane Mall, 310 DW Highway). In a June 30 announcement on its corporate website, the chain, best known for super-stimulating children’s birthday parties, wrote that it “is stepping into a new era with the launch of Chuck’s Arcade, [an] arcade concept from Chuck E. Cheese [that] combines classic games and the hottest new games alongside iconic animatronic characters.” The new arcades will be marketed toward nostalgic adults, the announcement said.

QOL score: +1 for skeeball aficionados

Comment: According to the announcement, in addition to the two new New Hampshire locations, there are Chuck’s Arcades at “malls across the country … with more locations on the horizon.” Visit chucksarcade.fun.

Is it a bird? Is it a plane?

According to a recent study by Social casino website McLuck,New Hampshire is the state with the second best chance to spot a UFO. A July 3 press release reported that the study “gathered the number of reported UFO sightings from the National UFO Reporting Center between 2020 and 2024 and calculated the number of sightings per 100,000 residents in each state. [It] also calculated the month and time of day that you’re most likely to spot a UFO.” According to the study, New Hampshire has 32.08 UFO sightings per million residents, and August is the best month to spot one. “The best time to spot a UFO in New Hampshire is 9 p.m., with 33 sightings during this time of day between 2020 to 2024,” the announcement read.

QOL score: +1 for helping to keep the NH Fisher Cats’ alter ego “Space Potatoes” relevant (the team thusly named will next play Friday, July 18, at 6:35 p.m.

Comment: The study found that Vermont had more sightings than New Hampshire, with 33 per million residents. “Despite having the fourth-highest overall number of reported sightings, Texas is the worst state for UFO sightings, with 7.01 per 100,000 residents each year.”

QOL score last week: 64

Net change: +2

QOL this week: 66

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

Let us know at news@hippopress.com.

First-half season that was

The Big Story – Gambling Becoming an Issue: Are the chickens coming home to roost for pro sports after buddying up to the legal betting industry? It may be just a blip, but in the last week Cleveland Guardians hurler Luis Ortiz and NBA free agent Malik Beasley came under gambling investigations. They joined umpire Pat Hoberg, fired earlier this year for sharing info with a friend who was betting on baseball, and Jontay Porter, banned for life by the NBA for betting on basketball. All happening in the same time period baseball commissioner Rob Manfred caved to the convicted felon in the White House to remove restrictions preventing the Hall of Fame from voting on Pete Rose for his gambling on baseball. And ditto for the banned since 1920 Shoeless Joe Jackson for his role in 1919’s Black Sox scandal. No charges yet for anyone, but all these cases in a year seems an awful lot.

Sports 101: Name the youngest pitcher to start an All-Star game.

News Item – MLB Update at All-Star Break:

The Blue Jays got hot at just the right time to win six straight during consecutive series sweeps of the Red Sox and Yankees to move into first place in the AL East.

Even though I still can’t get used to their being good, it’s Detroit with the best record in the AL at 55-34, just behind L.A.’s best in the majors 56-33.

Forget the record for just catchers. In hitting homers 34 and 35, Cal Raleigh not only set his own personal best but also tied Ken Griffey Jr.’s Mariners record for most homers by the All-Star break.

With each on pace to hit 50 homers again without the help of PEDs, you can make a case that Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani are the best playing-at-the-same-time duo since Willie Mays and Hank Aaron in the 1960s.

Yankees free agent Max Fried led the majors in wins with 11 against two losses. Detroit’s Tarik Skubal was just behind at 10-2 with a 2.04 ERA to Fried’s 2.27.

News Item – Jurrangelo Cijntje: You think the Ohtani hitter-pitcher story is interesting — how about this Seattle Mariners prospect? And not just for being the rare baseball player who’s from the Netherlands. The 22-year-old is a switch pitcher who held hitters to a .165 average while pitching right-handed and .360 while pitching left-handed. He’ll be strutting his stuff at the All-Star Futures game on Saturday in Atlanta.

The Numbers:

12 – players already have struck out at least 100 times with three more at 99.

… Of the Week Awards

Who’s Hot – Michael Busch: He exploded for three homers on July 4, and the fireworks extended through the whole Cubs line-up as it went for a franchise record eight homers during an 11-3 rout of St. Louis.

Who’s Not – Devers Update: It hasn’t been all roses for Rafael Devers since being traded. He hit .239 (17-85) in his first 19 games out west, which included a streak when he was 1-16 with 13 K’s last week. The power numbers were five doubles, two homers and nine RBI as the Giants went 8-11 during his 19 games with SF.

Random Thoughts:

With Pete Alonso closing in on most homers in New York Mets history it amazes me with 252 that Darryl Strawberry is still their all-time leader 35 years after leaving the team.

Sports 101 Answer: The youngest guy to be the ASG starter wasVida Blue.

A Little History – 1971 All-Star Game: The Oakland lefty was just 21 when he started the 1971 All-Star game, a four-homer game, which included a titanic blast over the roof in Tiger Stadium by A’s teammate Reggie Jackson. Despite giving up three runs in his three innings, Blue got the win when the AL rallied for four in the third, leading to a 6-4 win. It was the AL’s first ASG win in nine years and last until 1983.

Final Thought – Good, Bad and Ugly for the Red Sox at July 4:

At 9-4 with a 2.39 ERA and major league leading 151 strikeouts in 120.1 Garrett Crochet has lived up to the billing, though it would have been nicer if he could have made it to seven innings more than five times in his 19 starts.

Easily the biggest surprise was rookie catcher Carlos Narvaez, who hit .272 with seven homers and 28 RBI in 68 games.

Jarren Duran led baseball with nine triples.

Crochet, Alex Bregman and Aroldis Chapman will represent the Sox in the All-Star game.

The bullpen had a major league leading 11 blown saves to go along with its second-worst 74 errors.

Despite all the nonsense of the first half, the Red Sox were just 2.5 back from a wild card slot on the 4th.

Email Dave Long at dlong@hippopress.com.

News & Notes 25/07/10

NH-01

Two Democrats have joined the 2026 race to succeed Chris Pappas in New Hampshire’s District 1 U.S. congressional seat. Christian Urrutia of Moultonborough announced his candidacy July 1 in a press release. “In 2020, [Urrutia] was appointed by President Biden to the Senior Executive Service as Special Counsel at the Pentagon, where he served in the Office of the Secretary of Defense,” the release said. Sarah Chadzynski, whose press release describes her as a “non-profit leader,” announced her candidacy on July 8, according to a July 7 press release. “[Chadzynski] is a founding member of The American Coalition for Ukraine, and she has worked with a number of nonprofits including MedGlobal and Citizen Ambassador Corps,” the release said. With Pappas having announced his run for the U.S. Senate seat that will be vacated by Sen. Jeanne Shaheen when she retires at the end of her term, several candidates have announced their intention to run for the House seat, including Democrats Maura Sullivan, Stefany Shaheen and Carleigh Beriont and Republican Chris Bright, according to a July 1 Boston Globe story.

Cleanup

The former Concord Stables site, a half-acre property in Concord, has received a Brownfield Cleanup Grant of $678,000 from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, according to an EPA press release from July 1 which discussed a tour of state, local and national officials of the site. “The city plans to use grant funds to clean up the former stables site [which] has been vacant and unused since 1990. The cleanup will include abating hazardous building materials such as asbestos and lead paint in the structure,” the release said. The site on Warren Street was originally built in 1905 and used for city work horses, according to the EPA. Once cleaned up, the space is intended to be used to display Concord’s stagecoaches, according to a Concord Monitor story from June 27. The grant is part of $2 million in Brownfields grants awarded to New Hampshire locations, according to an EPA press release from May. Other sites receiving grants are in downtown Nashua and Milford, that release said.

Big Phish

According to The Medo Minute, a newsletter from the Manchester Economic Development Office sent on July 2, Manchester saw “some 18,000 unique visitors” for the Phish concerts at the SNHU Arena June 20 through June 22, “not including those who attended several shows or were repeat visitors, as well as residents or employees in the area, nearly $8 million was attributed to Phish fans visiting the City, restaurants, retail, hotels, and more.” “Prior to the concerts, some 54% of guests were shopping, dining or exploring Manchester, and 35% continued doing just that even after the concerts let out for the night,” the newsletter said.

New Hampshire Audubon’s Massabesic Center in Auburn will hold an Art Walk in the Garden on Saturday, July 12, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The event will showcase “the newly installed All Persons Trail” and feature local artwork for viewing as well as lunch for sale from Greenhouse Pizza Truck, “A Season in the Sun: Photographs from the Massabesic Center’s Demonstration Garden” indoor exhibit (a reception for which starts at 10:30 a.m.) and more, according to the Audubon newsletter. RSVP for this free event at nhaudubon.org/event/art-walk-in-the-garden-2025.

Kids ages 12 and under can brush and floss twice daily — and log it on a form available at nedelta.com/patients/oral-health/oral-health-challenge — to earn two free tickets to specific Oral Health Challenge games days at the NH Fisher Cats at Delta Dental Stadium in downtown Manchester. The upcoming game days are Saturday, July 26; Friday, Aug. 8, and Saturday, Aug. 30. In addition to the two free tickets, additional tickets will be available to participates for $10, according to a Northeast Delta Dental press release. See the website for rules.

An anonymous donor has pledged a $100,000 matching gift for donations made for the renovation of the Early Education Center at the Merrimack YMCA, according to a press release from the YMCA of Greater Nashua. The renovation will modernize classroom spaces, improve accessibility and safety in the facility, expand capacity and more, according to the press release. See nmymcaeec.funraise.org.

This Week 25/07/03

Thursday, July 3

The New Hampshire Fisher Cats (milb.com/new-hampshire) will wrap up a three-game series against the Portland Sea Dogs tonight, before traveling to Portland for another three-game series on Sea Dogs turf. Tonight’s game is an Independence Day celebration with free koozies and fireworks. The game starts at 6:35 p.m. at Delta Dental Stadium (1 Line Drive, Manchester, 641-2005, milb.com/new-hampshire). Find more Independence Day events on page 13.

Thursday, July 3

The Nashua Public Library (2 Court St., Nashua, 589-4600, nashualibrary.org) will host a meeting of the BYOB (Bring Your Own Book) Club tonight from 6 to 7 p.m. Share two or three of your favorite titles based on each month’s theme: “Red, White, and Blue.”

Friday, July 4

Terminus Underground (134 Haines St., Nashua, newhampshireunderground.org) and Liquid Therapy Brewery and Grill (14 Court St., Nashua, 402-9391, liquidtherapynh.com) will host a Fourth of July for Veterans celebration today from noon to 4 p.m at Liquid Therapy, with live music and a free meal for veterans.

Saturday, July 5

It might be the 41st anniversary but as we all know, 1984’s This Is Spinal Tap goes to 11. The movie begins a three-day stint in theaters via Fathom Entertainment today when you can see it at 4 p.m. at Cinemark Rockingham Park in Salem and 7 p.m. at Regal Fox Run. The movie also screens at those theaters on Sunday and Monday. See fathomentertainment.com.

Sunday, July 6

Jazz band Love Dogs will perform as part of the Friends of Stark Park Summer Concert Series today from 2 to 4 p.m. at Stark Park (550 River Road, Manchester). Bring a chair or a blanket and enjoy the music.

Tuesday, July 8

North Country Center for the Art’sIMPACT Program, a touring children’s theater troupe, performs a different fairy tale every week for six weeks, starting after Fourth of July weekend. This week the performance is Lost in Wonderland, an interpretation of Alice in Wonderland, at the BNH Stage (16 S. Main St., Concord, 225-1111, ccanh.com). The show begins at 10 a.m.; tickets are free and seating is mostly on the floor, the website said.

Wednesday, July 9

Enjoy a Paint by the Pavilion event at Tuscan Village (9 Via Toscana, Salem, 912-5467, tuscanbrands.com) this evening, a guided outdoor painting experience that is part of Tuscan’s new Summer Fun Series. Paint by the Pavilion will be offered every Wednesday through the summer. The Series also includes Movie Mondays with family-friendly films at dusk, Trivia Tuesdays (6 to 8 p.m.) and Dogs and Dancing on Thursdays .

Save the Date! Saturday, July 12
The Derry Public Library (64 E. Broadway, Derry, 432-6140, derrypl.org) will host the Derry premiere of local filmmaker Tim Smyth’s Tyrannocircus Rex, plus other short films by Smyth. Popcorn, drinks and other snacks will be served. Films are unrated and generally appropriate for all ages. This event is free and open to the public.

Featured photo: Courtesy photo.

Quality of Life 25/07/03

Don’t drink it either

On Tuesday, June 24, the City of Manchester Health Department closed the public beach at Crystal Lake to swimming due to elevated levels of E. coli bacteria identified in water samples taken the previous day. The following day, Wednesday, June 25, the beach was reopened for swimming, following new water samples showing E. coli levels within acceptable limits.

QOL score: -1 because just ew for all of it

Comment: Find out about the E. coli levels in your favorite Manchester watering hole, according to results from the most recent samples, at manchesternh.gov/Departments/Health/Services/Water-Quality.

The good news is less acid rain

As reported in a June 30 online article by New Hampshire Public Radio, a recently released report by the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services on the water quality of the state’s rivers and streams indicates the waterways have become less acidic. NHPR reported that the study, which examined data from 40 testing sites over the past 30 years, “found that pH levels — a measure of acidity that can be impacted by industrial processes — are improving at several sites. Of the 40 sites sampled for pH levels, 30 presented an improving trend compared to 10 years ago.”

QOL score: +1

Comment: The same report, however, included worrying data suggesting a rise in pollutants, particularly road salt, and an overall increase in the temperature of the water.

New bird!

In a June 24 blog post the New Hampshire Audubon Society announced a new “animal ambassador” at its McLane Center in Concord, “a juvenile Turkey Vulture with a curious personality and a fascinating backstory.” The vulture, which was found on the campus of the University of Connecticut at Storrs, apparently imprinted on humans as a young bird, making him unlikely to survive in the wild. His new duties with the Audubon Society will be to “help educate the public about vultures and their vital role in the ecosystem,” the blog post said.

QOL score: +1

Comment: The public is invited to visit him. See nhaudubon.org.

They can’t all be big and beautiful

New Hampshire’s 2025 legislative session wrapped up on Monday, June 30. A June 20 story by Seacoast Online (seacoastonline.com) looked at several bills this year’s lawmakers considered this session that didn’t receive much attention. “Both the proposal for a new state flag and state animated film were killed with little fanfare when they made it to the House floor,” Seacoast Online reported. “But a bid for a new state marsupial, sponsored by Sen. Donovan Fenton, D-Keene, made it almost all the way to Gov. Kelly Ayotte’s desk.” Other bills sought to repeal bans on brass knuckles and on pet squirrels. Daniel Webster did not get a dedicated state holiday, nor was a state commission established to study unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAPs), formerly known as UFOs, the story said.

QOL score: +1 for representative democracy

Comment: “New Hampshire lawmakers filed over 1,000 bills in the 2025 legislative session,” the Seacoast Online story read.

QOL score last week: 62

Net change: +2

QOL this week: 64

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

Let us know at news@hippopress.com.

No more holiday for C’s

The Big Story – Sayonara, Celtics Dynasty: It took several years to become an annual championship-contending team and only two days to dismantle it. It happened when Brad Stevens traded Jrue Holiday to Portland for a better scorer who is weaker in every other way except being 10 years younger. Followed up a day later by incredibly only getting back bull-in-a-china shop clunker George Niang for Kristaps Porzingis in a deal between the C’s, Nets and Hawks. Just George Niang for KP? ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!

Sports 101: Name the only pitcher to win 200 games, an MVP, a Cy Young and 3 World Series titles.

News Item – Red Sox Update: (1) The hitting went south in a six-game losing streak since the Raffy Devers trade. (2) They ended that streak by scoring one less run in a 15-1 win over Toronto than they scored during the entire losing streak. (3) Roman Anthony had his first big game then when he was 3-6 with two doubles and two runs scored. (4) At 41-44 the guessing game has begun as to whether they’ll be sellers or buyers at the trade deadline. (5)And the rumors say Jarren Duran is the most likely to go first.

News Item – NBA Year Begins: (1) The biggest trades to kick it off were Kevin Durant to upstart Houston, and the aforementioned Celtic moves. (2) No surprise to start the draft, as the pride of Newport, Maine, Cooper Flagg went first overall to Dallas. (3) Rumors have Lob it to Rob Williams headed to L.A. to fix their hole at center and be the perfect lob threat for Luka Doncic. (4) The genius move to fire their coach by the Knicks drones on with them being down to their ninth or 10th choice.

News Item – Shake Up in ESPN Booth: After its “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it” move of firing Mark Jackson and Jeff Van Gundy two years ago, rumor is a change is coming to its NBA booth again. It has Mike Breen again being the only survivor.

The Numbers:

2.5 –millions spent to buy a signed 1986-87 Michael Jordan “rookie” card in California.

101.7 – miles per hour hit on the radar by Shohei Ohtani in his third start after missing last year entirely due to arm surgery.

… Of the Week Awards

Thumbs Down – Dave Parker: Hearing that 1970s/80s Pirates star Dave Parker had passed at 74 was sad enough. But after waiting years he was less than a month from being enshrined into Cooperstown later this month to make it worse. RIP big fella.

Stat of the Week – 11 Walks: The hard to believe free passes the Red Sox issued in a nine-inning 9-5 loss to the Angels when Walker Buehler gave up five runs on just three hits and Garrett Whitlock four more on just two hits because they walked seven and three guys respectively.

Media Fools of the Week – Kendrick Perkins and Steven A. Blowhard: It was pretty rich to hear a five-point-a-game scorer, who could barely make a lay-up and got outplayed by Andrew Bynum in the 2010 Finals, say that a guy who’d already won three playoff games and sent another into OT buzzer-beating shots like Tyrese Haliburton had this spring alone was playing “scared to death.” Ditto for the Division II back-up from Queens turned bloviator, who had 15 measly points on 5 of 23 shooting in his college career at Winston-Salem (according to enemy/provocateur Jason Whitlock), saying “he was glad TH was injured because it at least gave an explanation for his poor performance” as he struggled to play with a bad calf that got worse because he played.

Clueless big-mouths who prove the way to get ahead on ESPN is to say it loudly regardless of whether it makes sense or not.

Random Thoughts:

ESPN’s Jay Bilas loves college basketball and good for him, but his work on their draft show making everyone out to be the next Michael Jordan is a journalistic embarrassment and insulting to those who know that no more than five in a regular year and 10 in a great year will ever leave their mark on the NBA.

Sports 101 Answer: The ’70s and ’80s A’s/Giants lefty Vida Blue is the only one to check 200 wins, MVP & Cy and three World Series won boxes.

Final Thought – Now What, Brad? While the Niang return for KP is insulting to Celtic Nation, Stevens did it for greater flexibility in building his roster, something severely restricted by being above the luxury tax line from a basic agreement that’s anti-dynasty in the name of league-wide parity.However, I am interested in seeing how Stevens goes about reshaping a team to still be an annual contender going forward without Jayson Tatum next year and having the pile of first-round picks Oak City has stockpiled. A tall task.

Email Dave Long at dlong@hippopress.com.

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