Category: News

This Week 26/03/12

Thursday, March 12

The Currier Museum of Art (150 Ash St., Manchester, 669-6144, currier.org) will host Bloom: A Floral Palette today through Sunday, March 15. This exhibition is a collaboration between the Currier and the New Hampshire Federation of Garden Clubs. Garden Club members will create custom arrangements inspired by art at the Currier. Visit currier.org/bloom2026 to purchase tickets for the exhibit. See our story in the March 5 issue of the Hippo in the digital library at hippopress.com. The story is on page 12.

Friday, March 13

Tonight’s Comedy Night at the Tupelo features comedians Mike Koutrobis (pictured), Chris D., and Greg Boggis at the Tupelo Music Hall (10 A St., Derry, 437-5100, beginning at 8 p.m. For tickets, visit tupelomusichall.com.

Friday, March 13

Kimball Jenkins, 266 N. Main St. in Concord, will host a public reception for “Mosaic: A Collective Vision,” a show “celebrating the teaching and studio artists of Kimball Jenkins” tonight from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. The exhibition is on display through March 28, according to kimballjenkins.com.

Friday, March 13

Comedian Jim Gaffigan will take the stage at the SNHU Arena (555 Elm St., Manchester, 644-5000, snhuarena.com) tonight at 7 p.m. See the website for tickets.

Friday, March 13

Johnny Cash tribute act Church of Cash will perform at the BNH Stage (16 S. Main St., Concord, 225-1111, ccanh.com) tonight at 7:30 p.m. Tickets start at $38 through the Capitol Center website

Saturday, March 14

The Mosaic Art Collective, 66 Hanover St., Suite 201, in Manchester, will hold an opening reception today from 5 to 7 p.m. for “Women Wize” described as a “partnership exhibition between Mosaic Art Collective and Equality Health Center” that “celebrates Women’s History Month by inviting artists to share works that illuminate the stories, strength, and impact of women,” according to mosaicartcollective.com. The show runs through Monday, March 30.

Sunday, March 15

Firefighters, police officers and first responders from across New Hampshire will take the ice for the Battle of the Badges hockey tournament to benefit the kids and families of Dartmouth Health Children’s. The action will take place at the SNHU Arena (555 Elm St., Manchester) at 1 p.m. See snhuarena.com for tickets.

Sunday, March 15

The Majestic Theatre (880 Page St., Manchester, 669-7469) presents The Rockin’ Daddios, today at 2 p.m., performing songs of the 1950s and ’60s. See majestictheatre.net for tickets.

Sunday, March 15

’90s alt-rock band Everclear will perform at the Nashua Center for the Arts (201 Main St., Nashua, 800-657-8774, nashuacenterforthearts.com) tonight at 7 p.m. Tickets start at $57 through the Nashua Center’s website.

Save the Date! Saturday, March 28
This year’s Queen City Black Market will have an entire day’s lineup of performers and attractions. Listen to live music, see some weird performances, hear a few jokes and maybe even see a ghost before you leave. Queen City Black Market is on Saturday, March 28, at the Manchester Masonic Temple (1505 Elm St., Manchester) from 1 to 8 p.m. See @lustshroom on Instagram for details.

Featured photo: Comedian Mike Koutrobis.

Big week ahead for C’s & P’s

The Big Story – Jayson Tatum: It wasn’t exactly Larry Bird coming back out into the Garden after being knocked out cold in a ’90s playoff game vs. Indiana. But there was a definite glad-to-have-you-back vibe from the crowd as Tatum returned after 10 arduous months of rehab on his Achilles. Next best after that was him going for 15 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists in an easy 120-100 win over Dallas as he spent 27 minutes knocking off some obvious rust. Which thankfully shut down the handwringers before they could get started saying the return of the Celtics’ best player could somehow be a bad thing.

Setbacks are the next concern. But assuming there aren’t any beyond routine stuff, the Celtics have 20 games to fine-tune before the playoffs begin. Their chances of winning title 19 took a big leap forward last weekend.

Sports 101: How many of the 12 NBA players to play at least 20 seasons can you name?

News Item – Red Sox Spring Training Update: The Sox start the week with an uninspiring 7-8 pre-season record. The good: Jarren Duran started hot as a pistol by hitting .583 in Week 1 with three homers, six RBI and 18 total bases. The bad: Bad but not alarming was that Garrett Crochet and Rudy Suarez had identical 5.79 ERAs in their first two starts. The ugly: The overall team ERA in the first 15 games was 6.56.

News Item – Pats Cut Stefon Diggs: The somewhat surprising move frees up $16 million in cap space and eliminates a guy known for his diva-ness, who caused off-the-field issues. But he also caught 85 passes for 1,013 yards so they now have a big hole at possession receiver.

News Item – 2026 NFL Year Begins Today: With the arrival of the new business year the Patriots are now on the clock for fine-tuning their 2026 team. Here’s a snapshot for what lies ahead.

• Needs – (1) Dynamic edge rusher. (2) Dramatic improvement of the offensive line. (3) A game-breaking take-the-top-off-the-D receiver. (4) After the release of Diggs, a reliable go-to for the first-down receiver.

• Cap Room – $59 million.

• NFL Draft – April 23-25.

• Draft picks – Pick 31 in Round 1 and 11 overall.

• Discussed Big-Name Need-Filling Players – Trades – WR AJ Brown. Free Agents – DE Trey Hendrickson, WR Mike Evans and lesser-knowns like Indy’s Alec Pierce (21.3 ypg) and NYG’s Wan’Dale Robinson (93 receptions for 1,014 yards).

News Item – WBC: Biggest highlight so far was (of course) Shohei Ohtani hitting two homers in his first game. And locally that would be Sox utility infielder Nick Eaton leading off his first game for Great Britain with a home run.

The Numbers:

29 – losing margin at home for the Celtics vs. Charlotte.

100.4 – miles per hour Sox rookie Payton Tolle threw during a three-inning, seven-strikeout stint vs. the Yankees last week.

… Of the Week Awards

Thumbs Up – The Celtics: For outperforming expectations in the wake of losing Tatum for the first 60 games and four key players for financial reasons.

First Time Ever Happened – Trae Young: I’ve never heard of a guy being ejected from a game before he even played one second for his new team, which is what happened to Young in the first game he was to play for Washington after being traded there while injured a while back. After finally getting healthy he ran on the court during a scuffle with Detroit and was ejected before getting into his first action for the Wizards.

Sports 101 Answer: The 20-year NBA vets are Kareem Abdul Jabbar, Robert Parish, Vince Carter, Udonis Haslem, Kevin Willis, Kevin Garnett, LeBron James, Dirk Nowitzki, Kobe Bryant, Jamal Crawford, Chris Paul and newest in the club Kyle Lowery.

Final Thought – What Should Pats Do?

Key Strategy – If they are to capitalize on Drake Maye’s uncanny bomb’s-away accuracy they need guys who can open deep like Pierce and an OL who can give them time to get open.

What They Should Do: Given what N’Keal Harry (12), Ja’Lynn Polk (12) and Kyle Williams (11) delivered in catches as rookies after being drafted in the first, second and third rounds respectively, the Pats brass instead should get their receivers in free agency or trades for guys they know, not hope, can play in the NFL. Giving up a second-round pick for Philly’s speedy AJ Brown makes sense, though 25-year-old free agents Pierce and Robinson offer better financial terms and long-term on-field success prospects while saving draft capital for other fillable needs. Patriot Nation is now hoping Eliot Wolf can pull off another A+ retooling like a year ago when he hit on Will Campbell (solid till getting hurt), TreVeyon Henderson and kicker Andres Borregales, who were among eight rookie contributors, along with several free agent hits like Diggs and Milt Williams. They’re on the clock.

Email Dave Long at dlong@hippopress.com.

Quality of Life 26/03/12

It’s pothole season

In a March 7 online article, WMUR cited Brian Desfosses, the director of public works for Bedford, explaining how potholes happen: “warm temperatures melt snow, leading to water seeping into cracks in the pavement. When the temperatures get colder, that water freezes and expands, weakening the roadway,” the article said. “As the freeze-thaw cycle continues, it could create more potholes this season,” the article said. “The best advice to avoid damage to a vehicle is to slow down and watch the road.”

QOL score: -1

Comment: Consumer Reports says, “Don’t assume a small-looking pothole doesn’t pose a threat: Deep potholes can fill up with water, concealing their true depth.” Search online for “consumer reports pothole survival guide.”

But it’s also (nearly) baseball season!

In a March 3 press release the New Hampshire Fisher Cats announced a new addition to this year’s home games at Delta Dental Stadium. The “Hot Dog Happy Hour” will include “discounted food and beverage deals, live music and acts by local artists [which] will generate a new pregame buzz to the ballpark. Pregame festivities will take place at the plaza near the main entrance of Delta Dental Stadium, next to the Samuel Adams Brewhouse.” Gates open 90 minutes before the first pitch, with Hot Dog Happy Hour scheduled for the first hour of that time.

QOL score: +1

Comment: The Fisher Cats will open their season at 6:30 p.m. Friday, April 3, with a home game against the Binghamton Rumble Ponies. There will be a post-game fireworks display.

More proof that social media is the worst

As reported by Boston 25 news in a March 8 online article, “Residents of a Manchester, N.H., three-family woke up early Saturday morning to a loud kick on the front door in a prank made popular by the social media trend, the ‘Door Kick Challenge.’” Home security video showed a person “sneaking up to the door of the Derry Street building, peering through the window and violently kicking the door before running away,” the Boston 25 report read.

QOL score: -1

Comment: The website Police1.com describes the “door kick challenge”: “Participants — typically teenagers — kick or aggressively bang on random residential doors, often at night, then run away. Though reminiscent of the traditional ‘ding-dong ditch’ prank, this challenge has escalated to significant property damage and real safety concerns.”

QOL score: 54

Net change: -1

QOL this week: 53

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

Let us know at news@hippopress.com.

News & Notes 26/03/12

O’Neil in Epping

O’Neil Cinemas in Epping will close after the Sunday, March 15, screenings, according to a statement from the company at epping.oneilcinemas.com. “Changing industry conditions, rising operating costs, and the significant investment required to modernize the theater made it impossible for us to continue operating the Epping location at the level of experience our guests deserve,” the statement said in part. Passes and gift cards to O’Neil Cinemas can continue to be redeemed at the Epping cinema through March 15. and at the O’Neil Cinemas in Londonderry and Littleton, Mass., the statement said. Through March 15, screening tickets for the Epping O’Neil Cinemas will cost $5 (3D and DBox surcharges apply), according to a post on the Epping location’s Facebook post.

Text scam

The New Hampshire Department of Safety’s Division of Motor Vehicles has learned of a new text message scam “in which recipients are asked to submit immediate payment to resolve an unpaid traffic fine. The text messages are fake and should be deleted immediately,” according to a March 7 DMV press release. The texts claim to be “‘automatic alert’ informing recipients they have ‘unresolved traffic violations.’ The scam further threatens prompt enforcement actions … if immediate payment is not made. The scam also provides a link for payment, which includes ‘dmv-nh’ in the URL, an effort to appear to be an official State of New Hampshire website,” the release said. The NH DMV does not send text messages regarding payments and the only texts that will come from the DMV are appointment reminders, the release said. Call 603-227-4000 to talk to the DMV Customer Service line with questions about DMV communication, the press release said.

Give blood, get A1C test

The Red Cross will provide free A1C testing for successful blood, platelet and plasma donations in March, according to a Feb. 25 press release from American Red Cross Northern New England Region. Donors through March 31 can also receive a $15 Amazon gift card, the release said. “New Red Cross data reveals 1 in 5 blood donors have elevated A1C levels — a sign that prediabetes and diabetes are prevalent among adults in generally good health. … Among donors with elevated A1C levels, 80% had readings indicating prediabetes — a condition that can often be reversed through lifestyle changes such as a balanced diet and regular exercise,” the release said. “The A1C test does not require fasting and provides an average blood sugar level over the past three months,” the release said.See RedCrossBlood.org/March for upcoming blood drives and to make a donation appointment.

New Hampshire-based cartoonist, musician and educator Marek Bennett will present his new book, The Civil War Diary of Freeman Colby, Vol. 4: Summer 1864!, the fourth graphic novel of his series about real-life New Hampshire schoolteacher turned Union Army soldier Freeman Colby, at Gibson’s Bookstore, 45 S. Main St. in Concord, on Thursday, March 12, at 6:30 p.m., according to gibsonsbookstore.com. See marekbennett.com for more on Bennett’s work.

603 Brewery, 42 Main St. in Londonderry, will hold its Fire on Main event Saturday, March 14, from 3 to 9 p.m. featuring food trucks, a DJ, bonfires and more, according to 603brewery.com. See Hippo’s story about the event (originally slated for February before it was postponed due to weather) in the Feb. 5 issue of the Hippo at hippopress.com.

Four-time NBA Champion, nine-time All Star, Robert Parish, who played with the Boston Celtics from 1980 to 1994, will be at Balin Books, 375 Amherst St. in Nashua, on Thursday, March 19, from 7 to 9 p.m. with his new book The Chief, according to balinbooks.com.

This Week 26/03/05

Friday, March 6

The Windham Actors Guild (windhamactorsguild.com) will perform Ken Ludwig’s Moriarty: A New Sherlock Holmes Adventure tonight, Saturday, March 7, and Sunday, March 8, at the stage at Windham’s Golden Brook School (112 Lowell Road, Windham). Described as “fast-paced, clever and occasionally ridiculous,” the play is a sequel to Ludwig’s Baskerville, according to a press release. “Packed with disguises, danger, and Ludwig’s signature wit, this fast-paced mystery reunites Holmes, Watson, and a colorful cast of characters as they pursue the world’s most notorious criminal mastermind,” according to the website, where you can purchase tickets.

Friday, March 6

Described as “hybrid of Canadian Highland Scots and French Canadian musical idioms,” Glengarry Bhoys will perform tonight, 8 p.m., the Tupelo Music Hall (10 A St., Derry, 437-5100), according to tupelomusichall.com, where you can purchase tickets.

Friday, March 6

Jewel Music Venue (61 Canal St., Manchester, 819-9336, facebook.com/jewlnh) will present Detroit bass legend DÊTRE with special guest Tsimba and a stacked lineup of local support. Show starts at 8 p.m.; see the Facebook page for a link to tickets.

Friday, March 6

Bedford Off Broadway kicks off a two-weekend production of Neil Simon’s Lost in Yonkers, running tonight through Sunday, March 15, at the Bedford Town Hall, 70 Bedford Center Road in Bedford. The play runs Fridays and Saturdays at 7 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m., according to the company’s Facebook page, where you can find info on tickets. See bedfordoffbroadway.com.

Friday, March 6

Also hitting the stage for two weekends is Arsenic & Old Lace presented by the Milford Area Players. This dark comedy farce will run through Sunday, March 15, at the Amato Center for the Performing Arts, 56 Mont Vernon St. in Milford, according to the Players Facebook page. The production will run Fridays at 7:30 p.m and Sundays at 2 p.m., according to the post, which contains a link to purchase tickets.

Saturday, March 7

Spend an evening with Symphony NH (6 Church St., Nashua, 595-9156, symphonynh.org) for a production of Bernstein’s Legacy tonight at 7:30 p.m. at the Keefe Center For The Arts (117 Elm St., Nashua, 820-2666) with Music Director finalist Adam Kerry Boyles, according to symphonynh.org, where you can purchase tickets

Saturday, March 7

The Concord Community Music School (23 Wall St., Concord, 228-1196, ccmusicschool.org) will host the 23nd Annual David Surette Mandolin Festival today and tomorrow, Sunday, March 8. To register for the workshops or buy tickets for the Saturday evening concert at Concord Community Music School, visit the Music School’s website.

Save the Date! Sunday, March 15
On Sunday, March 15, firefighters, police officers and first responders from across New Hampshire will battle it out in one competition on and off the ice at this year’s Battle of the Badges hockey tournament for the kids and families of Dartmouth Health Children’s. The action will take place at the SNHU Arena (555 Elm St., Manchester, 644-5000, snhuarena.com) beginning at 1 p.m. The proceeds are used to help kids in pediatric intensive care and with management of chronic illnesses, as well as for patient and family support services, according to Dartmouth Health. See snhuarena.com for tickets.

Featured photo: Moriarty: A New Sherlock Holmes Adventure.

Bill Lee in town Wednesday

The Big Story – The Spaceman Landing At Boys & Girls Club: There have been many adjectives — feisty, clever, inventive, one of a kind and (always) entertaining — used to describe Red Sox lefty Bill Lee. On Wednesday, March 11, he comes to the Manchester Boys & Girls Club on Union Street to give his unique views on everything from pitching in Boston against the Evil Empire to even global warming. It will be fun.

Sports 101: Name the four winningest lefties in Red Sox history.

News Item – Celtics Update: Helped by starting with low expectations after Jayson Tatum’s injury and three bigs departing for financial reasons they’ve been overlooked all year. But somehow they’re 40-20 and far better than I thought they’d be. The latest examples were a win by 37 points over the “no, we’re not tanking” Brooklyn Nets when they shot 66.7% from the field and got a whopping 77 points from the bench, and an easy 114-98 one over the Embiid-less 76ers.

News Item – Celtics Thoughts:

• Outside of Jaylen Brown’s career year, the biggest reason for their success is they’re allowing a league-low 107.4 points per game.

• I liked Neemias Queta even in his rawest form a year ago. But never saw Sunday’s 27-point, 17-rebound in just 22 minutes explosion he went for vs. Philly.

• Derrick White: The Celtics guard’s 1.5 blocks per game ranks ninth in the NBA, putting him ahead of 7-footers like former 2023 Defensive Player of the Year Jaren Jackson, Myles Turner, and teammate Queta as well as several others.

• Love rookie Hugo Gonzalez’s defensive toughness and hustle while compiling a team-best +17 over opposition per 100 possessions (per Boston Globe). But with him shooting only 31% on shots beyond 4 feet he still has a need to grow offensively.

• I’ve often been very critical of Joe Mazzulla, but he deserves much credit for having them play as well as they have so far.

News Item – Alumni News:

• Al Horford left for Golden State because they supposedly had a much better chance to compete for a title than the dismantled Celtics. Except now the C’s have the East’s second best record, while if everyone below them weren’t tanking for draft position GS would have a tough time holding on to their play-in slot after losing Jimmy Butler for the year.

• Luke Kornetis averaging 7.2 points and 6.6 rebounds per in 22.1 minutes of PT while helping the Spurs to have the NBA’s second best record.

A Little History – Bill Lee: He won 110 games in 10 MLB seasons and had three seasons with ERAs of under 3.00. His 1975 season was his peak, as a key cog for Boston’s World Series team when he was 17-9 with a 3.90 ERA. But to those of us rooting for that team in the Bronx, he was a Yankee-killer, the leading evidence being 12-5 vs. the New Yawkas. He also was in that major 1976 brawl after a play at the plate, where he tore a ligament in his left shoulder while fortifying his beloved status in Red Sox Nation.

The Numbers:

27 – million dollar one-year deal given to ex-Sox lefty Chris Sale by Atlanta.

33.4 – NBA-leading ppg by Luka Doncic. Imagine how good he’d be if he ever got in Larry Bird-like shape.

43.5 – second-highest vertical leap ever recorded by a linebacker at the NFL Draft Combine, by Ohio State’s Sonny Styles. For context, the greatest basketball leaper I’ve seen was David Thompson, whose VL was 44 inches.

… Of the Week Awards

Thumbs Down – U.S. Men’s Hockey Team: They went from the ultimate high of winning gold dramatically to sad me-first behavior by accepting a White House invite after the President treated the women’s team like second-class citizens during their invite. They should’ve had the back of their same-sport Olympic teammates. Sad behavior, fellas. Booooooooo!!!!

What A Stupid I Yam Award – Me: Thanks to reader Chuck Furciniti for pointing out there have been three lefties in Sox history who’ve won at least 17 games three straight years. Not two as I said last week. The third is Mel Parnell, who won 25, 18 and 18 from 1949 to 1951.

Sports 101 Answer: The four winningest Red Sox lefty pitchers are Parnell (125), Jon Lester (110), Lefty Grove (105) and Lee (94).

Final Thought – Jayson Tatum: The rumors are flying that his return is imminent. A good thing, but they should not force/rush his return unless the Achilles is 100% healthy. But the notion his return could upset the surprising way the team has played in his absence is ridiculous. Would they have said that if Bird was coming back? No. Instead, with him on a likely minutes restriction, I’d bring him off the bench. Which would give them a potent three-man scoring trio — Tatum, Payton Pritchard and Nikola Vucevic — for a big edge playing against bench players.

Email Dave Long at dlong@hippopress.com.

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