Category: News

This Week 24/10/17

Thursday, Oct. 17

As part of the Nashua Community Lecture Series, Jane Pauley will appear at the Nashua Center for the Arts (201 Main St, Nashua, (800) 657-8774, nashuacenterforthearts.com) this evening at 7:30 p.m. In addition to her current role as host of CBS Sunday Morning, she is known as an advocate for mental health awareness, using her personal story to encourage and motivate others. Pauley will be introduced by Nashua Mayor Jim Donchess. General admission tickets are $66, $29 for students, seniors and those requiring ADA seating.

Saturday, Oct. 19

“Life’s a Drag,” billed as a fun and hilarious 21+ drag show, will take place tonight at Chunky’s Cinema Pub (707 Huse Road, Manchester, 206-3888, chunkys.com) at 9 p.m. Tickets are $25.

Saturday, Oct. 19

The ninth annual Great New England Fall Craft and Artisan Show will be held today from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m, and tomorrow from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Hampshire Dome (34 Emerson Road, Milford, 673-8123, hampshiredome.com). There will be 150 indoor/outdoor booths, food trucks, door prizes and live music. See gnecraftartisanshows.com.

Saturday, Oct. 19

Manchester City Library (405 Pine St., Manchester, 624-6550, manchesterlibrary.org) will hold its Fall Book Sale today from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Hardcover books can be purchased for $2 each, with most other materials available for $1 and a full grocery bag’s worth of materials available for $10. Proceeds from the book sale will go to the library’s museum pass program.

Saturday, Oct. 19

Saint Mathew’s Episcopal Church (5 N. Mast St., Goffstown, 497-2003, stmattsepiscopal.org)will hold its Annual Fall Yard Sale today from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. on the grounds of St. Matt’s Church across from Sully’s in Goffstown Village.

Sunday, Oct. 20

New England-based baroque ensemble Brandenburg and Beyond will perform in concert today at 3 p.m. at Saint Peter’s Episcopal Church (3 Peabody Row, Londonderry, 437-8333, stpeterslondonderry.org). The concert will include classic baroque works by Vivaldi and Telemann, among others, as well as new music written in this century. This event is free and open to the public.

Wednesday, Oct. 23

Great Cities of Europe with Marlin Darrah, a Walker Lecture Fund Travelogue, will be presented at the Concord City Auditorium (2 Prince St., Concord, 228-2793, theaudi.org), beginning at 7:30 p.m. Join Marlin Darrah as he recounts journeys through Northern Europe visiting fjords, fish markets, art museums, cathedrals, canals, bridges, palaces and parks from Norway to France. Darrah will be at the City Auditorium for questions and conversation. This event is free and open to the public.

Save the Date! Saturday, Oct. 24
Sinclair Lewis’ It Can’t Happen Here will be presented in an
enhanced staged reading by the Community Players of Concord on Oct.
24 and Oct. 25 at 7 p.m. at the West Street Ward House (41 West St,
Concord, 225-8690). Admission is free and donations to support the
Community Players will be gratefully accepted. Seating is limited.
Doors open at 6:30 p.m.

Featured photo: Jane Pauley.

Quality of Life 24/10/17

‘Ugh, winter’ or ‘Yay, ski season!’ — you decide

It doesn’t feel like it yet below the tree line, but winter weather has started. The top of Mount Washington has gotten its first significant snowfall of the season. In an Oct. 11 online article, New Hampshire Public Radio (NHPR.org) reported that as of Friday afternoon Oct. 11, the Mount Washington Observatory (mountwashington.org) reported “approximately 2.5 inches … capped with a layer of ice.” NHPR quoted the Observatory’s Alexandra Branton, who said that the top of the mountain “typically records 19 inches of snow each October.”

QOL score: -1 for the snow that’s not yet enough to ski on

Comment: NHPR reports that temperatures at the top of Mount Washington were “in the 20s last week, with … single-digit wind chills.”

State of student loan payments

The personal-finance website WalletHub (wallethub.com) reported on Oct. 10 that New Hampshire rates highest among U.S. states in terms of student loan payments. “The median monthly payment on student loans ranges from $142 to $229, depending on the state,” WalletHub reported. New Hampshire had an average monthly student loan payment per user of $229. As reported by the study, “Around 42.2 million Americans owe a collective $1.61 trillion in student loans. That comes out to an average of over $38,000 of debt for each borrower.” Given a fixed interest rate of 6.53%, it would require a monthly payment of $284 for an average American student to pay off everything within 20 years.

QOL score: -1

Comment: Arkansas and Mississippi tied for the lowest student loan payments in this study, with $149 per month.

Northern Lights in Northern New England

For the second time this year, observers in New Hampshire have been able to see the Aurora Borealis, or Northern Lights. In a rare display, viewers throughout the country were able to see the bright colors in the sky. “Last night’s event was the strongest since May,” reported the Boston Globe (bostonglobe.com) in an Oct. 11 online article, “with the lights coming out as far south as Texas, Florida and California.”

QOL score: +1

Comments: Ooo, pretty.

The death of a celebrity loon

The The Loon Preservation Committee (183 Lees Mill Road, Moultonborough, 476-5666, loon.org) announced on Tuesday, Oct. 8, that one of the loons familiar to viewers of its popular Loon Cam (loon.org/looncam) had been found dead. After performing a necropsy, The Loon Preservation Committee found that the female from Loon Cam 2 had probably died from a severe fungal respiratory infection. “Aspergillus fungus is extremely common in the environment,” the LPC reported in its October newsletter, “and normally does not pose a threat to a healthy loon. However, if a loon’s immune system is compromised in some way — if the bird is battling another illness, recovering from an injury, or otherwise experiencing stress — it becomes more susceptible to Aspergillus infection.”

QOL score: -1

Comment: “We are sad to lose her, but excited at the prospect of her offspring being productive members of our loon population for years to come,” the LPC wrote.

QOL score last week: 81

Net change: -2

QOL this week: 79

Tell us what’s affecting your Quality of Life at [email protected].

Maye day hits home

The Big Story – Drake Maye’s Debut: With two picks and a strip sack fumble, Maye’s first start wasn’t perfect. But it’s hard not to be encouraged by what the rookie showed in the 41-21 loss to Houston.

His 243 passing yards (20-33) was the first time the Patriots had over 200 all year, and the previously non-existent outside passing game appeared as the wideouts caught a season-high 10 balls. That can’t be a coincidence. And finally Maye’s three TD passes are more than Jacoby Brissett had in all five of his starts combined. So while you don’t want to go overboard since they still lost by 20 points, the debut left Patriot Nation dying to see more.

Sports 101: Washington’s Jayden Daniels’ spectacular start has him in the early MVP conversation. So who was the last NFL rookie to be MVP?

News Item – Drake Maye Observations: (1) His perfectly thrown 40-yard TD pass to Kayshon Boutte right before halftime was a thing of beauty. (2) He showed an ability to escape the rush while running out of trouble for three first downs and again on his outside-the-pocket 30-yard hook-up to Hunter Henry. (3) Liked his rhythm with Demario Douglas leading DD to six catches for 92 yards and a TD.

News Item – Baseball Playoffs a Winner: The baseball playoffs are delivering in a big way, with titanic signature moments, like Francisco Lindor’s epic series-winning grand slam vs. Philly; the injury-riddled Dodgers surviving from down 1-2; out-of-nowhere upstarts in Detroit and KC showing quite well, and rivalries ignited between LA and SD and reignited between ’70s rivals KC and NY.

News Item – Sickening Trend: I personally hate it. But with both the Dodgers and Cleveland closing out their playoff series while using openers to start their games and eight pitchers each in their deciding games, get ready to see that strategy employed more going forward.

The Numbers:

2:36 – average time of games in the major leagues this year, which according to Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe is the lowest average since 1979. Thank you, pitch clock.

7 – receptions by JuJu Smith-Schuster for 130 yards on MNF makes you wonder why that didn’t happen in NE.

26 – times Patriot QBs have targeted second-round pick Ja’Lynn Polk when per the CBS broadcast he’s only caught 10.

… Of the Week Awards

Thumbs Up – Jeff Ulbrich: The interim Jets coach gets thumbs up for demoting Aaron Rodgers binky/OC Nathaniel Hackett from his play calling three days after the rumor mill had Rodgers placing a knife in Ulbrich’s ex-boss Robert Saleh’s back right before he got fired. That lets Rodgers knows who’s boss. About time somebody stood up to Rodgers. Bravo.

Deja Vu All Over Again Award: Given that it hasn’t happened in 64 years it’s been a long time between the Deja and the Vu. But for the first time since 1960 Army and Navy are both ranked in college football’s Top 25 teams this week.

Blow Your Top Award: Hurricane Milton did more than anything even the best D-Ray teams were able to do, which was to blow the roof clean off the Tropicana Dome as it roared through Tampa last week.

Random Thoughts: In baseball a starting pitcher can’t be credited with a win unless he goes five full innings. So how does it make sense that Detroit hurler Brant Hurter entered Wednesday’s 3-0 win over Cleveland in the second inning and didn’t last to the end of the fifth inning during a 3.1-inning stint, yet somehow he gets a win he wouldn’t have if he were the starter?

Sports 101 Answer: The great Jim Brown went straight from Syracuse to be NFL’s last rookie named MVP in 1957.

A Little History – Jim Brown: He was MVP as a rookie after winning the first of his eight rushing crowns (in nine seasons) by running for 962 yards and nine TDs in the then 12-game regular season. He won it again in 1958 when the numbers ballooned to 1,527 and 17 in just those 12 games again.

Final Thought – Luis Tiant: There is nothing I hate more than voters suddenly deciding a guy should go into a Hall of Fame just after they die. They did it with Dennis Johnson in basketball and Ron Santo in baseball. And mark my words they’re going to do it with Sox great Luis Tiant, who passed last week. He should have gotten in long ago given that his stats line up to Catfish Hunter, Jim Bunning and Don Drysdale to go along with his great season of 1968 and being one of the best big game pitchers of his era. And thanks to the wild gyrations in his wind-up and variety of arm angles of his delivery he was arguably the most entertaining mound artist of his time. So RIP to the great El Tiante and boos to voters who never gave him a chance to enjoy the honor he earned.

Email Dave Long at [email protected].

News & Notes 24/10/17

The ick season

The New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services is encouraging Granite Staters to talk to their health care providers about immunizations to protect themselves from serious illnesses related to flu, Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) and Covid-19, especially high-risk populations “including older adults, infants and young children, pregnant mothers and individuals with weakened immune systems,” according to an Oct. 9 press release. “The best way for people to protect themselves against the flu and other respiratory illnesses this season is to get recommended immunizations,” said State Epidemiologist Dr. Benjamin Chan. “Staying home when you are sick and washing your hands frequently are also important measures….” New Hampshire residents can get a sense of the respiratory virus levels in specific communities at wisdom.dhhs.nh.gov; click on “Wastewater Surveillance” under the “Infectious Disease and Immunization” category. To find locations to get vaccinations in your area, go to vaccines.gov.

Give blood, get a treat

To restock blood products after recent hurricanes the Red Cross is urging people to give blood, according to a press release from American Red Cross of New England. Go to redcross.org/nne to find donation times and locations near you. Through Oct. 31, donors will receive an emailed $10 Amazon gift card for donating and be entered to win one of three $5,000 gift cards, according to the website.

Help for helpers

Easterseals NH has received a state grant to train “direct support professionals working for organizations across New Hampshire,” according to an Easterseals press release. “Easterseals NH will be offering courses that provide direct support providers a pathway to advancement and certification through the National Alliance for Direct Support Professionals (NADSP),” the release said. “Professionals who earn NADSP certification are acknowledged for their exemplary work in supporting individuals with intellectual disabilities or acquired brain injuries.” Online and in-person courses will be available and the courses will begin in November. See eastersealsnh.org/training-center-of-excellence.

Loons & lakes

The Loon Preservation Committee has two talks on the October calendar. On Thursday, Oct. 17, at 7 p.m. Iain MacLeod, executive director of the Squam Lakes Natural Science Center, will talk about “what has been learned by attaching satellite trackers to several ospreys migrating from New Hampshire to South America. Iain has been studying ospreys for decades, including monitoring the growing breeding osprey population in New Hampshire’s Lakes Region since 1997,” according to a Committee newsletter. The event takes place at the Loon Center, 183 Lees Mill Road in Moultonborough. On Thursday, Oct. 24, at 4:30 p.m. the Loon Center will host a session with Bree Rossiter from the Lake Winnipesaukee Association about the basics of cyanobacteria (the talk will also be posted online afterward), the newsletter said. See loon.org.

Eats for a cause

The Northeast Organic Farming Association of New Hampshire will hold its sixth annual “Share the Bounty Weekend” on Saturday, Oct. 19, and Sunday, Oct. 20, when shoppers and diners at participating locations will help raise money for the Farm Share Program, according to a NOFA-NH release. Participating eateries include Revival Kitchen & Bar and The Works Bakery Cafe in Concord; The Works locations in Durham, Keene and Portsmouth; Witching Hour Provisions in Hopkinton; Kearsarge Food Hub & Sweet Beet Market in Bradford, and Black Trumpet Bistro in Portsmouth, the release said. “The Farm Share Program connects community members with limited incomes to low-cost Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) shares, also known as farm shares, from local, NOFA-NH member farms,” according to the release. See nhofanh.org for more.

Sports news

NHTI — Concord’s Community College has appointed Annie Mattarazzo as the college’s new athletics director, according to an NHTI press release. “Mattarazzo comes to NHTI from Bishop Brady High School, where she served as its athletic director, media and communications coordinator, and math and leadership teacher,” the release said. In the release, NHTI President Patrick Tompkins said, “Annie is extraordinarily well known, respected, and loved in the Concord community and athletics more generally. Just as Paul Hogan essentially created NHTI’s athletics program over the last two decades, Annie will shape our women’s and men’s sports for the next chapter.”

Mattarazzo is a Concord resident, a graduate of Manchester’s Trinity High School and an alumnus of Plymouth State University (for undergrad) and Southern New Hampshire University, where she earned an M.S. in Sports Management, the release said. NHTI has 13 women’s and men’s sports, the release said. Mattarazzo will start her job at NHTI on Nov. 1, the release said.

Put your carved pumpkin on one of the four pumpkin towers in downtown Laconia during the upcoming NH Pumpkin Festival. Register your pumpkin participation at nhpumpkinfestival.com, according to a festival email. Pumpkin Drop-Off is Tuesday, Oct. 22, through Friday, Oct. 25. See nhpumpkinfestival.com.

Temple Adath Yeshurun Brotherhood will hold its annual candidates forum on Sunday, Oct. 27, at 9 a.m. at the temple, 152 Prospect St. in Manchester. Doors open at 8:45 a.m. and the forum will be moderated by George Bruno, former U.S. ambassador to Belize. Candidates slated to attend include gubernatorial candidates Joyce Craig and Kelly Ayotte; congressional candidates for House District 1 Chris Pappas and Russell Prescott and for House District 2 Maggie Goodlander and Lily Tang Williams, the release said.

The Bedford Historical Society will hold a Harvest Gala to support the Stevens-Buswell Community Center, a project that is rehabbing the town’s original two-room school house for use as a community center, on Friday, Oct. 18, at 6 p.m. at the Manchester Country Club in Bedford. Enjoy music, dancing and food. Tickets cost $100. See bedfordhistoricalnh.org.

University of New Hampshire in Durham announced the addition of Aaron Gray as assistant coach for women’s lacrosse, joining UNH first-year head coach Taylor Bastien. Gray comes to UNH from UMass Lowell, where he was an assistant coach for the 2023 and 2024 seasons, according to a press release. See unhwildcats.com for updates on the lacrosse season.

Sunday, Oct. 20, is the final Sunday of the season for the Nashua Farmers Market, which takes place on Sundays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 6 Hartshorn Ave. in Nashua. See downtownnashua.org.

This Week 24/10/10

Thursday, Oct. 10

Read2Me3 (167 S. River Road, Bedford, 494-3849) will host an informational meeting for parents about cursive writing skills tonight from 7 to 8 p.m. There will be a discussion about the advantages of learning cursive handwriting and why the state of New Hampshire has mandated its teaching. Join the discussion and share your thoughts. Read2Me3 is developing plans for a six-week instructional workshop and welcomes feedback.

Saturday, Oct. 12

The Derry October Jam Fest will be held today on the grounds of Fody’s Tavern (187 1/2 Rockingham Road, Derry, 404-6946, fodystavern.com) from noon to 10 p.m. For children this free event will feature a bounce house, a 35-foot slide, an obstacle course, horse rides, crafts and a karaoke contest. For adults there is a stein-hoisting contest, craft beer and wine tastings, and more. There will be food, drink, crafts, vendors and more for the whole family.

Saturday, Oct. 12

Today, tomorrow and Monday, there will be a Fairy and Hobbit House Festival at Bedrock Gardens (19 High Road, Lee, 659-2993, bedrockgardens.org). Come in costume, get a personalized fairy or hobbit name, pick out some natural building supplies to build a fairy house along the entrance trail, fill a sachet with herbal fairy dust, have your face painted, taste honey, and meet the grande dame of the festival, Bedrock’s very own Fairy Godmother. Advance registration on Bedrock Garden’s website is required.

Sunday, Oct. 13

New Hampshire Fashion Week (nhfashionweek.com) will start today at The Venues at the Factory (252 Willow St., Manchester, 691-2662, thevenuesatthefactory.com) tonight from 6 to 10 p.m. with a runway fashion show, preceded by a cocktail hour at 6 p.m. Tickets start at $65 and are available through the Fashion Week website. Proceeds will go to support Positive Street Art (48 Bridge St., Nashua, 589-9003, positivestreetart.org).

Sunday, Oct. 13

Texas guitar, vocalist and songwriter Willie J. Laws and his band will perform at the Andres Institute of Art (106 Route 13, Brookline, 673-7441, andresinstitute.org) from 6 to 8 p.m. . Tickets cost $25.

Monday, Oct. 14

Author of more than 100 books, including the No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series, Alexander McCall Smith will appear at the Chubb Theatre (Chubb Theatre at CCA, 44 S. Main St., Concord, 225-1111, ccanh.com) tonight at 7 p.m. as part of the Capitol Center for the Arts Authors on Main series. Tickets start at $62.75.

Wednesday, Oct. 16

Legendary reggae group The Wailers will perform at the Dana Center (Saint Anselm College, 100 Saint Anselm Drive, Manchester, tickets.anselm.edu) tonight at 7:30 p.m. Tickets start at $40.

Save the Date! Saturday, Oct. 19
Koo Koo is a dance party for the senses, with high-energy music, infectious positivity and an interactive live show. See it Saturday, Oct. 19, at 1 p.m. at the Nashua Center for the Arts (201 Main St., Nashua, 800-657-8774, nashuacenterforthearts.com). Tickets cost $29. A limited number of VIP tickets are available.

Featured photo: Oktoberfests.

Quality of Life 24/10/10

Like clockwork, pumpkins appear

Each year on Oct. 1 two pumpkins appear on the spires of the tower of Rounds Hall at Plymouth State University. As reported by WMUR in an Oct. 1 online story, the pumpkins have appeared again. “How the pumpkins get there remains a mystery dating back to the 1970s,” said the story, “making it one of the campus’s best-kept secrets.” In a story from Oct. 31, 2020, New Hampshire Public Radio investigated the mystery and found clues to a mysterious “Great Pumpkin Society” but was not able to track down its members or any information about it.

QOL score: 0, because who knows what those pumpkins are planning?

Comment: A call to three departments at Plymouth State revealed that not only doesn’t anyone know how the pumpkins get to the top of the spires, but nobody is really certain how tall the spires even are.

A New Hampshire Nobel winner

A scientist from New Hampshire has been awarded a Nobel Prize in Medicine. On Monday, Oct. 7, the Nobel Committee in Stockholm, Sweden, announced that Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun had been awarded the Prize for their microRNA discovery and gene regulation studies. As reported in an Oct. 7 online article by WMUR, “Ambros, a New Hampshire native who was a professor at Dartmouth Medical School from 1992-2007, performed the research that led to his prize at Harvard University. … ”

QOL score: +1

Comment: This year’s laureates will receive their awards at ceremonies in Stockholm on Dec. 10, the anniversary of Alfred Nobel’s death.

Using moose for that wet look

In a press release on Thursday, Oct. 3, the Bedford Police Department reported that the Bedford Police and Fire Departments responded Thursday morning to a report of a moose in a swimming pool. “First responders arrived to find an adult moose in a swimming pool under a pool cover, and removed the cover to help enable the moose to get out of the pool,” reported Chief of Police Daniel Douidi. “The moose then walked out of the pool on its own and left the area. No further action was taken.”

QOL score: +1

Comment: Video of the moose rescue can be found under the title IMG_9251 at Vimeo.com.

USA Today likes Manchester Airport

In an Oct. 2 press release, Manchester-Boston Regional Airport (flymanchester.com) reported that USA Today has named it one of the Top Ten small airports in the country. “MHT secured eighth place,” the press release read, “with this being the third time MHT has been awarded a place in the top 10.”

QOL score: +1

Comment: Myrtle Beach International Airport took the No. 1 spot in the USA Today survey.

QOL score: 78

Net change: +3

QOL this week: 81

Tell us what’s affecting your Quality of Life at [email protected].

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