A former New Hampshire firefighter has been convicted of arson after setting two fires in abandoned buildings in 2022 and 2023, the New Hampshire State Fire Marshall announced.

Nathan G. Nichols, 19, of Weare, was found guilty on Oct. 23 of felony criminal mischief and misdemeanor arson. Weare will be sentenced at a later date but was ordered to pay restitution to the property owners in both cases.

“Arson is not a victimless crime,” New Hampshire State Fire Marshal Toomey said in a statement. “I appreciate the work of the numerous investigators and prosecutors who assisted in bringing this case to a conclusion.”

The charges are related to multiple outside fire investigations in 2022 and 2023 in Warner and Bradford, New Hampshire. Two of those incidents involved the abandoned structures. 

Officials arrested Weare on Dec. 27, 2023, following a joint investigation by the New Hampshire State Fire Marshal’s Office, the Bradford Police Department, and the Bradford Fire Department. 

Nichols previously worked as a firefighter in Bradford, according to Toomey’s office. 

It must be heartening for UConn fans to know that even when head coach Dan Hurley says the team played “below brand,” the Huskies can still win a game by almost 40 points.

The 92-53 final score doesn’t show it, but UConn had to scrap and claw its way to providing distance early from visiting New Hampshire on Saturday night in Hartford. It’s the second year in a row that the Wildcats were able to frustrate the Huskies, and for the second year in a row, UConn should come out better for it.

With the Huskies’ shooting taking that patented XL Center dip, they struggled to score in the first half. Credit to New Hampshire as well; the Wildcats’ on-ball defense was excellent, and they kept much better athletes in front of them.

UConn held serve defensively, showing the unity needed on the court to provide near flawless help. 1-on-1, Hurley was less pleased.

“That was clearly a below-standard performance for us in a number of ways, in particular on-ball defense,” Hurley told reporters after the game. “Offensively, I thought we were just scatterbrained, especially in the first half. It was typical of an early season performance.”

While the Huskies did enough to go to the locker room up 11, perhaps the team’s biggest flaw was also on display. Samson Johnson and Tarris Reed Jr. were responsible for the first four UConn fouls of the game, putting Hurley in a bind before the 10-minute mark. Jaylin Stewart, the de facto five in their absence, picked up the next two.

But the Huskies weathered it. More importantly, both UConn bigs were smarter and better in the second half. Johnson committed another late in the first, but didn’t foul again until 8:55 remaining in the game, ending the contest with four fouls, two points and one rebound. He now has nine fouls this season in 27 minutes played.

“I think he’s such a great guy and he wants to do well so badly that he’s pressing and he’s fighting for every inch and he’s playing with a level of desperation that’s admirable,” Hurley said. “But in playing with that level of desperation, he’s mauling people.”

Johnson’s subpar performance meant there was more pressure on Reed, and he posted an 11-and-8 stat line typical of his career so far.

The Huskies clung to a 10-point lead with 16:17 remaining in the game before UConn embarked on a 9-2 run, punctuated by a three from Jayden Ross.

Ross, who was a seldom-used freshman last year and had Hurley hyping him up in the preseason like he could be a lottery pick, delivered in his sophomore debut. After missing the season opener against Sacred Heart, Ross turned it on in the final 15 minutes, showing fans why Hurley said after the first game that he could have started.

“You saw the flurry,” Hurley said. “He’s a guy that I think is gonna be get a lot better.”

Ross shot 6-10 from the field (2-5 3PT) to finish with 14 points. He was also a team-best +34.

Also of note: Alex Karaban turned in his second straight All-American caliber performance. This time, it was 17 points, five rebounds, four assists, and four blocks. Filed under the “small sample size” category, it means Karaban is averaging 5.5 blocks per game, third-best in college basketball this season.

“Alex is playing the way a Big East Player of the Year is supposed to be playing,” Hurley added. “From a statistical standpoint, efficiency standpoint, but he’s also really leading. He’s been super vocal and doing everything we want him to do right now.”

Liam McNeeley turned in his second-straight double-double as well, posting 11 points and 10 rebounds in the second game of his career. He became the first Husky since Jeff Adrien in 2006 to open the season with consecutive double-doubles.

By the end of the game, the team-wide numbers didn’t look so bad either. They shot better than 50% from the field (32-63) and while 32% from three isn’t great, they were 7-15 in the second half.

The Huskies return to the court on Wednesday when they host Le Moyne, Division I’s best team that’s based in Syracuse, New York. Game time is set for 7:00 p.m. and it will air on FS1.

CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — New Hampshire’s requirement that judges retire at age 70 will remain in place after voters rejected allowing them to serve until they are 75.

Voters were asked Tuesday whether they favored amending the age limit set by the state constitution in 1792. According to totals reported by the secretary of state, about 65% agreed, just shy of the two-thirds majority necessary for passage.

Some New Hampshire lawmakers who voted in favor of putting the question on the ballot argued that the current limit of 70 years was adopted at a time when life expectancy was far shorter and that experience is an asset. Opponents said it was important to bring fresh ideas to the judiciary.

Mandatory retirement ages for judges vary widely across the country. Maine has no upper age limit, while in Massachusetts, it is 70, and in Vermont, it’s 90.

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