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Oozing success: N.H. Mud Bowl endures – The Boston Globe

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Oozing success: N.H. Mud Bowl endures – The Boston Globe


Drew McDonald, 27, who was born and raised in Conway N.H., said the Mud Bowl has been a staple in his life. His father and uncles played, and then his brother brought him onto a team when he was 19. Now, McDonald is one of the captains of the Mud Hogs and plays every year.

This past weekend, North Conway hosted the 51st Mud Bowl in the Hog Coliseum as teams, knee-deep in the muck, compete in a touch football tournament to raise money for local organizations. The event started as an attempt to help businesses after Labor Day weekend by extending summer festivities into September, and it has snowballed into a cherished local event.

Cheerleaders for the Muddas Football Club rinsed off after their halftime performance during the 2025 Mud Bowl at Hog Coliseum in North Conway,.Erin Clark/Globe Staff
Members of the North Conway Hogs perform a Miller Lite–themed dance for judges during the Tournament of Mud Parade at the 51st annual Mud Bowl in North Conway. The parade is a staple of the weekend, featuring costumes, floats and performances by the mud football teams.Erin Clark/Globe Staff

”You see 12 teams there and you might be battling in the mud during the game, little stuff might happen, getting a little chippy,“ McDonald said. ”But after the game, everyone’s family.”

He was able to play alongside his dad and brother a few years ago, which is one of his favorite memories from any Mud Bowl, he said.

Richard DeAngelis, 85, played in the first Mud Bowl and is one of the founding members. He returns every year as one of the grand marshals and put on a skit to raise money for the North Conway Community Center, Vaughan Learning Center, and Carroll County Retired Senior Volunteer Program, and other charities in the White Mountains region.

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“The first time we collected [money] it was like $35. I was almost embarrassed to bringing it over to the youth center,” DeAngelis said. “And to think as of last year, [in] 50 years we raised over $1 million. Its pretty heartwarming.”

This year, the Mud Crocs won the championship after three days of battling other teams in the deep mud. For Chris Olds, captain of the team, what makes the Mud Bowl special is its longevity.

“All these things have come and gone and yet Mud Bowl is the one, in my personal opinion, because of that tie to giving back to the community that has always stayed there and is still present,” Olds said.

Members of the original Mount Washington Valley Hogs and Hoggettes, wearing masks and parade sashes, parade on Main Street during the Tournament of Mud Parade in North Conway. The 42nd annual parade, part of Mud Bowl weekend, honored the legendary team that helped launch the event in the 1970s.Erin Clark/Globe Staff
Players from the North Shore Mud Sharks, in yellow, take on the Carrabassett Valley Rats during a Saturday matchup at the 2025 Mud Bowl in North Conway, N.H.Erin Clark/Globe Staff
Justin Kwedor, of the North Country Mud Crocs, (left), Haendley Lamour of the Carrabassett Valley Rats and Bobby Graustein of the Mud Things.Erin Clark/Globe Staff
Ashley Gordon, left, and Brooke Kujawski, members of the Hogettes cheer squad, cool off in a tub during the 2025 Mud Bowl at Hog Coliseum in North Conway.Erin Clark/Globe Staff
A New Hampshire Mudcats defender, left, closes in on a Jim Wilson of the Mud Heroes during the 51st annual Mud Bowl.Erin Clark/Globe Staff
Jack Mueller of the North Conway Hogs rests in the mud after a play during the 51st annual Mud Bowl. The hometown team is a perennial crowd favorite at the charity football tournament.Erin Clark/Globe Staff
Mud Heroes player Ben Matthews, right, embraces an opponent after a game during the 51st annual Mud Bowl in North Conway. Matthews was inducted into the Mud Bowl Hall of Fame this year.Erin Clark/Globe Staff
Craig Adam of the New Hampshire Mudcats rinses off in a water tub after a game at the 2025 Mud Bowl.Erin Clark/Globe Staff
The North Country Mud Crocs celebrate with their trophy after winning the 2025 Mud Bowl championship in North Conway.Erin Clark/Globe Staff
New Hampshire Mudcats teammates, from left, Craig Adam, Mike Kamysz and Shane Boss rinse off after a game at the 2025 Mud Bowl.Erin Clark/Globe Staff

Katarina Schmeiszer can be reached at katarina.schmeiszer@globe.com. Follow her on X at @katschmeiszer.





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New Hampshire

N.H. lawmakers to vote on increasing tolls, civil rights, and k-12 education – The Boston Globe

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N.H. lawmakers to vote on increasing tolls, civil rights, and k-12 education – The Boston Globe


One proposal (Senate Bill 627) would generate more than $53 million per year in estimated revenue for turnpike projects by essentially doubling what certain cars pay on the state’s toll roads.

The cash fare for Hampton’s main toll booth on Interstate 95, for example, would jump from $2 to $4 for cars and pickup trucks. The toll wouldn’t increase at all for motorists who use New Hampshire’s E-ZPass transponders.

“Surrounding states already have the same in-state discount structure in place,” Democratic Representative Martin Jack of Nashua wrote on behalf of a House committee that unanimously recommended the bill.

A potential hitch: Governor Kelly Ayotte. She’s expressed opposition to the whole toll-hiking idea, and proven she’s not afraid to use her veto pen.

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Modifying civil rights standard

Another proposal (Senate Bill 464) would add a few words to the state’s Civil Rights Act. Instead of addressing conduct that is merely “motivated by” a legally protected characteristic, the proposed revision would address conduct that is “substantially motivated by hostility towards the victim’s” protected characteristic (such as their race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, sexual orientation, sex, gender identity, or disability).

The prime sponsor, Republican Senator Daryl Abbas, an attorney, testified the change was small and aligned with the law’s intent. But the attorney who oversees the Civil Rights Unit at the New Hampshire Department of Justice, Sean Locke, testified in opposition, saying the proposal could reduce protections, especially since the meaning of “substantially” is somewhat vague.

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The House is also weighing a proposed amendment that would add a few more words than Abbas’s version, potentially narrowing the Civil Rights Act’s applicability a bit further.

Open enrollment for K-12 schools

A third proposal up for a vote on Thursday (Senate Bill 101) would make every K-12 public school in New Hampshire an “open enrollment” school. That way, students could freely choose to transfer to a district other than the one where they live.

The proposed policy is controversial, partly because of how schools are funded. Districts rely mostly on local property taxes to cover their costs, as the state government chips in relatively little, and property tax rates vary widely from one community to the next. That generates concern about who will foot the bill when a student transfers.

In light of those concerns, Republicans are offering a compromise amendment to SB 101 that would require the state to provide more money per pupil that a district receives via open enrollment, as the New Hampshire Bulletin reported. Democrats are offering their own amendment to establish a study commission on this topic, rather than adopt the proposed policy now.

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Lawmakers have until May 14 to take action on the bills that came from the other chamber, though they have until June 4 to iron out any discrepancies.

Amanda Gokee of the Globe staff contributed to this report.


This story appears in Globe NH | Morning Report, a free email newsletter focused on New Hampshire, including great coverage from the Boston Globe and links to interesting articles elsewhere. Sign up here.


Steven Porter can be reached at steven.porter@globe.com. Follow him @reporterporter.





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Boston MedFlight expands into NH

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Boston MedFlight expands into NH


Boston MedFlight often touches down at the scene of some of the worst tragedies in New England – where minutes can mean life or death for a victim. The critical care transport operation is now expanding with a new base in New Hampshire.

The organization is hosting an open house at the new Manchester location on Thursday.

Boston MedFlight flies a critical care transport paramedic and nurse on every flight. Jaik Hanley-McCarthy says their helicopters and ground vehicles are equipped to handle just about any emergency medical procedure.

“Anything that can be done in the ICU,” explained Hanley-McCarthy. “We have a mobile lab so we can draw blood and run labs in real time.”

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Boston MedFlight now has five bases across the region.

“Having a base in Manchester just expands this Boston-level care even further north to the more remote areas of the state,” said Hanley-McCarthy.

Boston MedFlight operates as a network of bases and some of the locations are staffed 24 hours.

Chief Executive Officer Maura Hughes says the nonprofit operation survives on public and private donations.

“We provide about $7 million in free care every year to patients,” said Hughes. “Not every hospital can be everything to every patient. We’re really the glue that keeps the health care system together.”

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Heather Young says her daughter, Teighan, is still alive because she was flown for a critical assessment and procedure after falling off a truck and hitting her head.

“She should not be driving and walking and talking and all the things she’s doing as quickly as she is,” said Young.

Teighan just turned 18 and plans to go to college to study the medical field.

“I want to be a nurse and help other people,” she said.

It’s stories like this that keep the men and women who work Boston MedFlight focused on their mission.

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“I think we just go call by call and try to do the best we can,” said Hanley-McCarthy. “I think when we stop and truly think about it, I think that weight is pretty heavy.”

Boston MedFlight also has a yearly reunion where patients and the team get together here in Bedford to meet and check in on their progress. It really shows you how connected they are to the people they help.



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Hiker who set out in warm spring weather found dead after snowstorm in New Hampshire mountains

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Hiker who set out in warm spring weather found dead after snowstorm in New Hampshire mountains


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A Massachusetts hiker who set out in warm spring weather was found dead deep in New Hampshire’s White Mountains after a snowstorm dumped several inches of snow in the area, authorities said.

Kent Wood, 61, of West Roxbury, was discovered Tuesday evening on a remote section of the Kinsman Pond Trail in Franconia Notch, about 5.5 miles from his vehicle, according to New Hampshire Fish and Game.

Wood had driven to Franconia Notch on April 17 for a weekend camping and hiking trip, and set out on a hike the next morning in warm, clear weather, officials said. Family and friends last heard from him Saturday afternoon.

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When he failed to return or make contact for two days, officials said relatives reported him missing Tuesday morning, prompting a large-scale search.

HIKER IDENTIFIED, POPULAR TRAIL CLOSED AFTER DEADLY FALL A UTAH’S ZION NATIONAL PARK

An aerial view of Franconia Notch State Park in New Hampshire, where a hiker was found dead on Tuesday. (Joseph Sohm/Universal Images Group, File)

Rescuers quickly learned Wood had packed for mild conditions, not the three to five inches of snow that fell in the area between Sunday and Monday.

Fog hovers over a narrow road through Franconia Notch in the White Mountain National Forest in New Hampshire on Dec. 27, 2021. (Andrew Lichtenstein/Corbis)

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Search teams from Fish and Game, PEMI Valley Search and Rescue, and the Army National Guard launched a coordinated effort, focusing on the Lonesome Lake and Kinsman Pond areas.

FAMILY’S SPRING BREAK HIKE TURNS INTO LIFE-OR-DEATH RESCUE AFTER PARENT FALLS 70 FEET OFF UTAH CLIFF

Conservation officers located Wood’s body around 7:41 p.m. Tuesday. Crews carried him out overnight, reaching the trailhead shortly after 1 a.m. Wednesday.

Franconia Notch and the Appalachian Trail are seen in New Hampshire on Sept. 21. (Carol M. Highsmith/Buyenlarge/Getty Images)

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Since Friday, six hikers from Massachusetts have been rescued in the White Mountains, Fish and Game said.

Officials are reminding hikers that winter conditions still grip the mountains, with snow, freezing temperatures and rapidly changing weather.



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