Follow us on social media:
Could a Bay Stater take the championship belt at the iconic Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest?
With world record holder Joey Chestnut out this year, the door has been opened for a new champ — which could be Massachusetts resident Geoffrey Esper.
The 49-year-old Oxford man, who finished in second place at last year’s contest, is one of the favorites for the legendary competition on the Fourth of July.
“I got a chance at the belt now,” Esper told the Herald ahead of Thursday’s contest.
“It’s still not going to be easy,” he added. “There are three other guys who are all pretty close, so it should be very close.”
The annual Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July International Hot Dog Eating Championship, an American holiday tradition, will be held at the iconic Nathan’s Famous flagship restaurant at the corner of Surf and Stillwell avenues in Coney Island.
Last year, Chestnut claimed his 16th victory with 62 hot dogs and buns in the 10-minute, all-you-can-eat contest. Chestnut’s world record is 76 hot dogs and buns.
But Chestnut won’t be competing this year after he signed a deal with a rival brand. That means Esper, whose personal record is 51 hot dogs and buns, could get the top prize.
“It just depends on who has a really good day, and we’ll see what happens,” said Esper, who teaches electronics at Bay Path Regional Vocational Technical High School in Charlton.
“I’m just going to go out there and try to do my best,” he added.
The women’s competition begins at 11 a.m. on Thursday, and the men’s competition will start at 12:30 p.m. Nathan’s Famous will also make its annual donation of 100,000 Nathan’s Famous hot dogs to the Food Bank for New York City prior to the event.
“Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July International Hot Dog Eating Contest is the ultimate American holiday tradition,” said Phil McCann, VP of Marketing at Nathan’s Famous. “Each year thousands of fans join us at Nathan’s Flagship on the corner of Surf and Stillwell to witness history in the making.”
Thousands make the trip to Surf and Stillwell avenues in Coney Island each year to watch the event in person. According to Major League Eating archives, the Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July International Hot Dog Eating Championship has occurred each July 4 in Coney Island since 1916.
“The Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July Hot Dog Eating Contest has transformed America’s Independence Day into an international affair,” said Major League Eating Chair George Shea. “The greatest eaters from around the globe will once again convene in Coney Island to fight for the honor of their respective nations.”
April 13, 2026
First responders say a United States Postal Service worker is lucky to be a live after a crash in Medway Friday that left her trapped under her mail truck.
Shortly before 11:20 a.m., police say a red pickup truck driving along Main Street struck the postal truck from behind. The mail carrier inside the postal truck was leaning out to deliver mail at the time.
The crash sent the truck rolling into the mulch of a nearby front lawn.
A USPS worker was pinned under her truck following a crash in Medway/CBS Boston
BERKLEY, Mass. (WPRI) — A paramotor operator from Cranston was pronounced dead after a crash at Myricks Airport in Berkley Sunday morning, according to the Bristol County District Attorney’s Office.
Emergency crews were called to the public airfield just after 9:30 on Sunday, April 12, by a witness who reported a single-seat paramotor crash, the DA’s office said.
When police and EMS arrived at the airfield, Gary Williams, 63, of Cranston, had suffered life-threatening injuries and was taken to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead, according to the DA.
Police at the scene reported that Williams’ paramotor had a fuel leakage, and one of its propellors was broken in several places.
Massachusetts State Police and the Berkley Police Department are investigating the crash.
Paramotor is a form of paragliding in which the pilot wears a backpack motor, which allows them to take off from the ground. Paraglider and paramotor operators use grass runways like the one at Myricks Airport to launch and land by foot, the Bristol County DA explained in a press release.
Download the WPRI 12 and Pinpoint Weather 12 apps to get breaking news and weather alerts.
Watch 12 News Now on WPRI.com or with the free WPRI 12+ TV app.
Follow us on social media:
Content on this page may include affiliate links. If you click and sign up/place a wager, we may receive compensation at no cost to you.
The legislative session closed for many states recently. For Massachusetts, that meant an end to hopes for 2026 legalization of online casinos. The state’s Joint Committee on Economic Development and Emerging Technologies voted to refer a House bill for study rather than advance it any further, delaying any potential for legalization until 2027.
As introduced by Rep. David Muradian, H4431 would carve out up to three skins for each of the state’s three land-based casinos. That would create up to nine real money online casino apps operating under the oversight of the Massachusetts Gaming Commission with a tax rate of 15% on adjusted gross revenue.
The bill also would have formally prohibited online sweepstakes operators that offer content simulating casino games online, lottery and sports betting. The DraftKings Casino promo code, among others, are available in nearby New Jersey.
While the joint committee did not advance the proposal, its pledge to study it in more detail ahead of 2027 provided some optimism. As Muradian told the State House News Service, H4431 exits the 2026 session with plenty of momentum and “will hopefully serve as a springboard to future economic growth” in Massachusetts.
Lawmakers discussed Muradian’s bill last fall before they agreed to extend its reporting deadline until March.
Legal gaming expansion is already on the way for Massachusetts, which is preparing to go live with online lottery this year, powered by Aristrocrat Interactive. The iLottery service expects to offer online draw game tickets and instant-win games that resemble real money online slots.
While debating the online casino bill, Deb Goldberg, treasurer and lottery commissioner, emphasized that authorizing the launch of new online casinos would not be beneficial for the state or the lottery. In fact, she argued, legal casino apps would actually threaten the bottom line of potential revenue.
Massachusetts is surrounded by states with legal online casinos, with the likes of Connecticut, Pennsylvania and New Jersey nearby. What’s more, another New England state will soon join the crowd as Gov. Janet Mills allowed a bill to become law that legalized Maine online casinos.
Proponents of legal online casinos in Massachusetts have noted that those surrounding markets siphon potential revenue from the state while also pointing out that authorizing regulated iGaming would help curb black market operators and better protect state residents.
1 teenage girl killed, another injured in shooting at Piedmont Park, police say
Georgia House Special Runoff Election 2026 Live Results
Arkansas TV meteorologist Melinda Mayo retires after nearly four decades on air
Parents charged after toddler injured by wolf at Pennsylvania zoo
Potawatomi Casino Hotel evacuated after fire breaks out in rooftop HVAC system
Anthropic essentially bans OpenClaw from Claude by making subscribers pay extra
ABC Kite Fest Returns to Austin for Annual Celebration – Austin Today
Zelenskyy warns US-Iran war could divert critical aid from Ukraine