Category: News

This Week 25/02/06

Thursday, Feb. 6

Gibson’s Bookstore (45 S. Main St., Concord, 224-0562, gibsonsbookstore.com) will host Jennifer Finney Boylan, bestselling author of She’s Not There and co-author of Mad Honey with Jodi Picoult, as she presents her new book, Cleavage: Men, Women, and the Space Between Us, tonight at 7 p.m. at the Grappone Conference Center in Concord. A signing line follows their discussion. Tickets cost $39 plus fees and include a pre-signed copy of Cleavage.

Thursday, Feb. 6

The Huntington at Nashua (55 Kent Lane, Nashua, 598-1440, silverstoneliving.org/the-huntington) will host a lecture by New Hampshire Humanities called “Benedict Arnold, Patriot (and Traitor)” this afternoon at 1:30 p.m. Historian George Morrison will take participants on a journey through New England, Canada and New York tracing the complex story of this infamous American.

Thursday, Feb. 6

There will be a Musical Bingo Fundraiser this evening at 6 p.m. to raise money for Karasu Tengu Academy’s (1 Chestnut St., Nashua, 689-4966, ktacademymma.com) Youth MMA team. It will take place at O’Brien’s Sports Bar (118 Main St., Nashua). Do you think you have superior music knowledge? Come down for some fun music bingo. Hosted by DJ Bern Hurley, $10 per card or three for $20. This is a family-friendly event.

Thursday, Feb. 6

There will be an Open Mic event at the Ted Herbert Music School (880 Page St., Manchester, 669-7469, tedherbert.com) tonight from 7 to 8 p.m. This event is open to all and no previous sign-ups are needed. Perform a solo act, recite a poem, meet and network with other musicians at this family-friendly event. A full backline of drums, piano and amplifier, guitar amplifier, bass amplifier and vocal microphone with PA system will be provided.

Saturday, Feb. 8

The SNHU Arena (555 Elm St., Manchester, 644-5000, snhuarena.com) will play host to intense mixed martial arts action with Combat Zone 87 tonight beginning at 6 p.m. Tickets start at $38 through ticketmaster.com.

Saturday, Feb. 8

There will be a New Hampshire Historical Society (30 Park St., Concord, 228-6688, nhhistory.org) lecture on “Murder, Mayhem, and the Criminal World in New Hampshire” today beginning at 2 p.m. Historian Milli Knudsen will take participants on a true-crime journey through history. Signed copies of her book will be available at the event. Attendance is free for Society members, $10 for nonmembers.

Sunday, Feb. 9

Every Sunday through April 13, the Barley House Restaurant and Tavern (132 N. Main St., Concord, 228-6363, thebarleyhouse.com) will host a weekly cribbage tournament, with registration at 11:30 p.m. and the first match beginning at 12:30 p.m. All skill levels are welcome.

Save the Date! Friday, Feb. 14

The Gods of Comedy will be performed by the Community Players of Concord (435 Josiah Bartlett Road, Concord, 224-4905, communityplayersofconcord.org) at Concord City Auditorium (2 Prince St., Concord, 228-2793, theaudi.org) from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 14. The capricious gods of comedy from ancient Greece follow a college professor through time to the States and become embroiled in a crazy on-campus “Classics Weekend” with mistaken identities, a lost manuscript and too much partying all around. Tickets cost $20, $18 for ages 17 and under or 65+. See communityplayersofconcord.org.

Featured photo: Courtesy photo.

Quality of Life 25/02/06

Return of the Hero Pups

As reported in a Feb. 2 online article by WMUR, the Merrimack County Department of Corrections has relaunched its Hero Pup program. “Selected inmates will work with the nonprofit,” the article read, “to train and care for puppies that will become support dogs for veterans and first responders.” The program began six years ago but was paused due to the pandemic. The first group of this round of inmates began working with the puppies earlier this week, the story said.

QOL score: +1

Comment: Commenting on the inmate training program, the Hero Pups website (heropups.com) reads, “This will help the pups on their path to service work, but it will also help the inmate participants learn new skills to give them more tools for success.”

A historic church passes into history

On Jan. 26, Manchester Ink Link reported that one of the city’s churches will shutter its doors after 140 years. The Gethsemane Evangelical Lutheran Church has voted to close in May. The article quoted a statement by Gethsemane’s Church Council: “[The Church] has existed at its location on Sagamore Street in Manchester since the 1880s, when a group of Swedish immigrant workers from the Amoskeag Mills constructed its church on land donated by the Amoskeag Company. Services were held in Swedish until the early 1950s ….”

QOL score: -1

Comments: According to the Ink Link article the church is for sale and listed at $1.2 million.

Doom spending

A recent survey by BTCpostage (btcpostage.com) had good news and bad news about spending money in times of increased stress in New Hampshire. On the one hand, New Hampshire ranks 31st in the nation in stress-spending. On the other hand, 80 percent of New Hampshire respondents reported “doom spending.” As reported by BTCpostage, “48 percent say politics drive them to doom spend (2nd highest in the U.S.), 26 percent say climate change drives them to doom spend (7th highest in the U.S.), and 37 percent say the fear of not being able to retire drives them to doom spend (9th highest in the U.S.)”

QOL score: -1

Comment: The report indicates that nationwide the largest increases in spending are in the areas of food, entertainment and clothing. Visit btcpostage.com/blog/doom-spenders.

UNH helps NASA stare really hard into deep space

New Hampshire Public Radio reported on Feb. 3 that an instrument developed at the University of New Hampshire has been installed in a spacecraft that is getting ready to launch. The device, called IMAP-Lo, will be part of a mission to study the space between solar systems. The Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe, or IMAP, mission is scheduled to launch later this year. “[UNH’s instrument] was built to collect and analyze invisible particles — neutral atoms — that make up the interstellar medium,” NHPR reported

QOL score: +1

Comment: “Measuring galactic material will help scientists understand more about the age of the universe and the evolution of the galaxy,” NHPR wrote. “It could also help reveal where, exactly, we are in the universe.”

QOL score last week: 54

Net change: 0

QOL this week: 54

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

Let us know at [email protected].

Super Sunday dead ahead

The Big Story – The Super Bowl: Can the Chiefs pull off the first three-peat in SB history in a rematch of SB 57? A great game where KC scored 17 fourth-quarter points to come back from down 27-21 to win 37-35.

Two weeks ago after KC beat Buffalo to get to the big game again Ben Volin of the Boston Globe asked, is it time for the Bills to change coaches to finally get them past KC? And my answer was, Buffalo isn’t the only one who can’t beat Patrick Mahomes. No one else has either except Tom Brady twice. So the only question that matters in this one is can the Philadelphia Eagles stop Mahomes when it matters most? We’ll know by around 9:45 on Sunday night.

Sports 101: Name the only two people to win a Super Bowl as a player, an assistant coach and a head coach.

News Item – Kelly Jumps Again: In the shocker of the week former Central QB Chip Kelly’s stay at Ohio State lasted just one year. Two weeks after winning a national title he left OSU on Sunday to return to the NFL to be Pete Carroll’s Offensive Coordinator with the Las Vegas Raiders.

News Item – Big NBA Trade: Got to give it to the Lakers for always looking to make the big deal. On Sunday it was trading their second best player, Anthony Davis, for a Top 5 NBA player, Luka Doncic. Which is what they call a blockbuster trade in my neighborhood. Have said a few times in this space: Imagine how good Luka would be if he ever got in shape. Which apparently is what got to the Dallas brass too, and motivated them to make the shocking trade.

Wouldn’t have done it if I were them on age alone, sending an age 26 star for a 32-year-old who breaks down a lot. Plus AD can’t win on his own, which was evident when he went to the playoffs only twice in seven seasons with New Orleans, while Luka can, whether in great shape or not. Plus, since Doncic got traded, L.A. gets him cheap, as now he’s not eligible for a super max contract he would have been in Dallas this summer. L.A. wins this one.

The Numbers:

4 – ex-Patriots players — Joe Thuney, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Josh Uche and Tyquan Thornton — who’ll be in Sunday’s Super Bowl.

8 – million dollars to buy a 30-second ad in Sunday’s Super Bowl broadcast.

26 – point fourth-quarter deficit the Celtic needed to overcome to beat the Joel Embiid-less 76ers on Sunday in their latest non-effort given against teams playing without their star.

… Of the Week Awards

Thumbs Up – Hubie Brown: The great analyst will retire from ESPN/ABC when he hangs up his mic at 91 after Sunday’s NBA broadcast.

Imaginary Fake News Donald Trump Crybaby of the Week – Chiefs Owner Clark Hunt: The owner of the team that now gets every call in their favor gets it for having the stones to ask the NFL to ban Tom Brady from doing the SB on Fox because he correctly said refs in the Houston-KC playoff game made awful calls on two imaginary roughing penalties against Mahomes.

Idiotic Podcast Idea of the Week – Bill Belichick: For saying on Jim Gray’s podcast they should take the name Vince Lombardi off the Super Bowl Winners Trophy and rename it the Tom Brady Trophy. Love TB-12, but dumping Lombardi’s name is a slap in the face of league history.

Random Thoughts:

Stumbled on a YouTube clip of great plays by Ben Coates last week. It convinced me that, thanks to leaving just before the dynasty started, he’s the greatest forgotten Patriots player ever. Check the stats. He was Gronk before Gronk. Even wore 87.

The side note to the Doncic-Davis trade is can Kyrie Irving’s latest trade demand be far off?

Sports 101 Answer: The two triple SB winners are Mike Ditka (P, Dallas; AC, Dallas; HC, Bears) and Tom Flores (P, Chiefs; AC, Raiders; HC, Raiders).

A Little History – Super Bowl 1: Seems hard to believe after what it has become, but nearly 30,000 tickets went unsold for the first Super Bowl, between the Packers and the Chiefs. It was played in the still standing L.A. Memorial Coliseum, which was built in 1923 and will be in 2028 the first place to host three Olympic Games after also doing it in 1932 and 1984.Ticket prices, which are $3,800 to $8,000 for Sunday’s game, were just $12 (about $90 in today’s money) for SB1 and attendance was 61,946 in the 90,000-seat Coliseum. It was also broadcast on both CBS and NBC with a combined viewing audience of 51 million. Pretty big, but not near last year, when 123 million TV sets were tuned in to the game with 210 million total viewers!

Last Word – Prediction: KC 23, Philly 20 — Mahomes does it again.

Hope I’m wrong.

Email Dave Long at [email protected].

News & Notes 25/02/06

New CMC CEO

John Skevington was named the new CEO of Catholic Medical Center in Manchester, which as of Feb. 1 is a part of HCA Healthcare, according to an HCA release. Skevington most recently served as interim CEO of Portsmouth Regional Hospital and was previously CEO at Parkland Medical Center, both HCA Healthcare facilities, the release said. Previous CEO Alex Walker will be the executive director of the new nonprofit Catholic Health Care Foundation of Greater Manchester, according to a Jan. 29 story from the Union Leader.

Oscar 2026

The New Hampshire Film Festival, slated for Oct. 16 through Oct. 19 in Portsmouth, will serve as an Academy Award qualifying festival for films in the three short film categories, according to a festival press release. The festival is now taking submissions for the 2025 festival including those Oscar hopefuls in the live action shorts, animated shorts and documentary shots categories, the release said. See nhfilmfestival.coml.

Re-entry program

The New Hampshire departments of Corrections and Health and Human Services have launched two new programs aimed at helping adults and youth prepare for discharge from correctional facilities, according to a DHHS press release. The programs — the Community Re-Entry program and the Youth Re-Entry Program — were both launched on Jan. 1 and seek to help participants “be successful in their return to community settings and reduce recidivism related to unmet health care needs,” the release said. The adult program will “provide eligible adult individuals with severe and persistent mental illness and substance use disorders a targeted set of health care and peer services 45 days prior to release,” the release said. The youth program “provides a tailored service package to Medicaid-eligible youth up to age 21 and former foster youth up to age 26,” the release said.

Break out the flannel

Nashua will host its first ever GenXpo on Sunday, March 2, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Nashua Center for the Arts, according to a press release from the mayor’s office. This free event is geared at “Gen Xers, Baby Boomers and better” and will include “a variety of entertainment and leisure companies, businesses and service providers of all kinds, who have offerings targeted towards the needs and interests of those age 50 and better. Financial planners, travel agencies, local activities, home improvement, adult learning, health care and fitness, insurance, senior life and housing, etc.,” the release said. Vendors and sports can sign up until Feb. 14 by emailing [email protected].

The Center for the Arts will hold its monthly First Friday Gallery Stroll on Friday, Feb. 7, from 5 to 7 p.m, showcasing artwork at five locations in New London. See cfanh.org.

Ice has been declared “in” and the 46th annual Great Meredith Rotary Fishing Derby is on for Saturday, Feb. 8, and Sunday, Feb. 9, on the lake near Hesky Park in Meredith, with a $15,000 prize for the winning fish. There will be a kids’ activity tent with contests, snacks and a free ice fishing clinic. Go to icefishingnh.com for tickets, derby rules and registration.

N.H. Poetry Out Loud competition announced the schedule for its upcoming semi-finals: Tuesday, Feb. 11, at 6 p.m. at New England College in Henniker; Thursday, Feb. 13, at 6 p.m. at Plymouth State University, and Tuesday, Feb. 18, at 6 p.m. at the Rochester Opera House. Now in its 20th year, the competition features high school-age students reciting poems, according to a press release. See nharts.dncr.nh.gov/programs/poetry-out-loud.

The NH Audubon’s 38th Annual Backyard Winter Bird Survey is Saturday, Feb. 8, and Sunday, Feb. 9. Go to nhaudubon.org to learn how to help produce a snapshot of the state of birds in New Hampshire by birdwatching from your backyard. For more on the event, see the story on page 11 in the Jan. 30 issue of the paper; find the digital issue at hippopress.com.

The 2025 Special Olympics Penguin Plunge will be held Sunday, Feb. 9, at Hampton Beach. After a costume parade at 11:30 a.m., plungers will begin their run into (and then quickly out of) the Atlantic at noon, followed by a towel, a change into dry clothes and a lunch. For information on supporting the plunge or plunging yourself, see fundraising.sonh.org. A High School Plunge is held Saturday, Feb. 8, and the next big cold-water fund-raising event is the Winni Dip in Laconia on March 8.

This Week 25/01/30

Thursday, Jan. 30

Guitarist Ace Frehley, a Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee and founding member of Kiss, will perform at the Tupelo Music Hall (10 A St., Derry, 437-5100, tupelomusichall.com) tonight at 8 p.m. This tour commemorates his 10th full-length solo album, 10,000 Volts. Tickets start at $75.

Friday, Jan. 31

Bookery Manchester (844 Elm St., Manchester, 836-6600, bookerymht.com) will host a Friday Night Jam tonight from 7 to 9 p.m. Attend in person or participate online. This is a monthly hybrid open mic event featuring performances by poets, writers, musicians and performance artists. Admission and performance are free, on a first-come-first-served basis. Visit bookerymht.com/our-events.

Saturday, Feb. 1

New cosplay, convention and travel store CosMom ConShop (100 Main St., Nashua, 438-0497, cosmomconshop.com) will celebrate its grand opening today, from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. with tabletop games, video games, tarot readings, poetry readings and birthday cake. Come in costume to compete for prizes and to have your picture taken.

Saturday, Feb. 1

Chunky’s Cinema Pub (707 Huse Road, Manchester, 206-3888, chunkys.com) will host a Roper Romp “Paint” Party tonight at 7:30 p.m., celebrating the character from the 1970s Three’s Company television series. Attendees are encouraged to wear their favorite Helen Roper caftan .Reruns of the beloved sitcom will play throughout the event. Tickets are $45.

Saturday, Feb. 1

The New Hampshire Historical Society (30 Park St., Concord, 228-6688, nhhistory.org) will host a lecture today at 2 p.m.: “The Mammoth Road: New Hampshire Folk Tales as an Avenue to Local History and Culture.” Join genealogist, historian and librarian Erin Moulton to hear folk tales collected by the New Hampshire Women’s Federation in 1932 and dig into local resources in search of truths. Was it tall tale or town history? Admission is free for Society members and $10 for nonmembers. No registration is required.

Saturday, Feb. 1

The 20th New Hampshire Theatre Awards will be presented this evening at the Chubb Theatre (Chubb Theatre at CCA, 44 S. Main St., Concord, 225-1111, ccanh.com) beginning at 7 p.m. This will be a gala celebrating the finest achievements in New Hampshire’s vibrant theater scene. This prestigious event honors excellence in all major categories, from acting and directing to design and production. Tickets are $48.75, through the Capitol Center website.

Save the Date! Saturday, Feb. 8
There will be MMA action in Manchester when Combat Zone MMA returns to the the SNHU Arena (555 Elm St., 644-5000, snhuarena.com). Combat Zone MMA events feature some of the world’s most skilled and talented mixed martial artists. From jaw-dropping knockouts to intense grappling matches, every fight is a showcase of skill, strength, and determination. Tickets start at $64 through GoTickets.com.

Featured photo: Ace Frehley.

Quality of Life 25/01/30

One way to wake up on a Monday morning

According to the United States Geological Survey (usgs.gov), there was a 3.8 magnitude (wmr) earthquake at 10:22 a.m. Monday, Jan. 27, off the coast of Kittery, Maine. It was felt throughout southern Maine and eastern New Hampshire and as far away as the Canadian border.

QOL score: +1, for the novelty

Comment: According to the USGS, an earthquake of this magnitude is generally “felt quite noticeably by persons indoors, especially on upper floors of buildings. Many people do not recognize it as an earthquake. Standing motor cars may rock slightly. Vibration similar to the passing of a truck.” Visit earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/map.

Missing

As reported by WMUR in a Jan. 26 online article, a half-ton historical marker has disappeared in Henniker. A granite slab and plaque dedicated to the historic Ocean Born Mary House disappeared sometime within the past few months. WMUR quoted Sue Fitzer, a Henniker Historical Society board member. “Where is the marker and who took it and why and where is it? Because we’d really like it back,” she said. The stone slab is over 6 feet tall and weighs approximately 1,000 pounds, the story said.

QOL score: -1

Comment: WMUR reported that replacing the marker would cost approximately $2,000. There is a $500 reward for information leading to the marker’s return; ontact the Henniker Police Department.

Flu season

According to a Jan. 26 online story by WMUR, New Hampshire has one of the highest rates of respiratory illness risk in the United States. WMUR reported that “the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services says it’s recorded 11 adult deaths so far this flu season.” At this time, health officials are especially concerned with flu cases. The article quoted Dr. Lukas Kolm, Medical Staff president and director of emergency services at Wentworth-Douglass Hospital. “Even though we’ve had an uptick in Covid cases, I haven’t seen the same severity and symptoms as for the flu,” Kolm said.

QOL score: -2

Comment: “The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lists New Hampshire as one of three states with high respiratory illness risk per its latest data,” WMUR reported, “alongside New Jersey and Wisconsin. The latest numbers show Covid-19 and RSV viruses are also having their own smaller bumps at the same time as the flu.”

Tracking down yetis

The Southern New Hampshire Chamber of Commerce, in partnership with Haverhill Bank, wants you to take selfies with yetis. According to a post on the Chamber’s Facebook page, from Feb. 17 until March 9 people who take pictures of themselves with yetis at participating business throughout the area and post them online will be entered into a raffle to win prizes, including a cruise vacation for two. Cindi Woodbury, executive director of the Southern New Hampshire Chamber of Commerce, told Patch.com, “The Great Yeti Quest isn’t just about finding Yetis — it’s about discovering new ways to support local businesses.”

QOL score: +1

Comment: For a complete list of participating businesses and full contest details, visit linktr.ee/SouthernNHChamber.

QOL score: 55

Net change: -1

QOL this week: 54

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

Let us know at [email protected].

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