New Hampshire
Satanic Temple monument joins nativity scene in N.H. to 'avoid litigation,' city says
Alongside a nativity scene in Concord, New Hampshire, stands a new black goat-headed figure with horns holding a bouquet of lilacs, the state’s flower, and an apple.
The figure, Baphomet, is from The Satanic Temple’s New Hampshire and Vermont congregation. It was unveiled Saturday as part of Concord’s City Plaza holiday display during the month of December after The Satanic Temple received a permit for the monument.
The Satanic Temple, which opened its first official headquarters in Salem in 2016, and its members don’t view Satan as an evil figure, but as one who dared question authority. It is different from the Church of Satan. The group advocates for the separation of church and state and is known for attempting to get its one-ton goat-headed idol statue put next to the 10 Commandments monument on public grounds.
In Concord, a Bill of Rights scene installed by the Freedom from Religion Foundation is also near the nativity scene.
The Satanic Temple has been making requests to install its monuments at holiday displays “as part a show of unity and religious pluralism,” the city said in a Facebook post. “Throughout the country, the Satanic Temple has both threatened and brought lawsuits under the First Amendment when excluded.”
In order to “avoid litigation,” the city decided to allow the display, the Facebook post stated. Otherwise, the city would have to ban all holiday displays.
“After reviewing its legal options, the City ultimately decided to continue the policy of allowing unattended displays at City Plaza during this holiday season and to allow the statue,” the city said. “It is anticipated that City Council will review next year whether permits for unattended holiday displays should be allowed at City Plaza.”
The apple in Baphomet‘s hand represents “a quest for knowledge, defiance in the face of arbitrary authority, and our commitment to self-determination,” according to Orpheus Gaur, director of the Satanic Representation Campaign. The seven tenets are also included on a plaque. They include acting with compassion, not distorting scientific facts to fit one’s beliefs and acknowledging that people are fallible.
During the unveiling, which was livestreamed on Facebook, The Satanic Temple Minister Vivian Kelly reminded people how important empathy and compassion are and reiterating some of the seven tenets.
“Just because we’re not large in number, doesn’t mean our beliefs are less important than any of the other religions represented here,” Kelly said.
New Hampshire
6th Highest Powerball Jackpot, $1.25 Billion, Expected On Wednesday Night, New Hampshire Lottery Says
CONCORD, NH — The Powerball jackpot for Wednesday night is expected to be the sixth largest in history, according to the New Hampshire Lottery.
The jackpot is expected to be $1.25 billion. The one-time cash payout should be around $572 million before taxes. No one has won the jackpot since Sept. 6, when winners who purchased tickets in Missouri and Texas split a $1.78 billion jackpot.
Top 10 Jackpots
- $2.04 Billion, Nov. 7, 2022
- $1.787 Billion, Sept. 6, 2025
- $1.765 Billion, Oct. 11, 2023
- $1.586 Billion, Jan. 13, 2016
- $1.326 Billion, April 6, 2024
- $1.25 Billion, Dec. 17, 2025 (anticipated)
- $1.08 Billion, July 19, 2023
- $842.4 Million, Jan. 1, 2024
- $768.4 Million, March 27, 2019
- $758.7 Million, Aug. 23, 2017
The odds of winning the jackpot are 292.2 million to 1. The odds of winning the $1 million prize — matching five numbers without the Powerball are 1 in 11.7 million.
Charlie McIntyre, the executive director of the New Hampshire Lottery, said last week, $2.4 million worth of tickets were sold in the state.
“We’ve gone a number of drawings without a winner, giving this Powerball jackpot plenty of time to rise to the sixth largest of all time,” said “There’s still time to make your holiday season brighter with a chance at this $1.25 billion prize — all you need is $2 to play.”
Revenue from the sales, he said, helps the commission “continue our daily mission to deliver the maximum amount of revenue to public schools in New Hampshire.”
Since 1964, more than $3 billion has been contributed to schools in the Granite State.
New Hampshire
N.H. wildlife officials caution against feeding deer in winter – The Boston Globe
Deer have evolved to survive the stark winter months, with adaptations like a warm winter coat and stores of body fat they can use for extra energy. The animals also reduce their activity and food intake to conserve energy and migrate to a forested shelter called a deer yard, which can provide some protection from the elements.
“Although people may feel badly for deer and want to help, the Fish and Game Department would like to remind the public to never feed deer as it may actually harm them,” said Becky Fuda, the deer project leader at New Hampshire Fish and Game.
In 2015, 12 deer were found dead around a feeding site in South Hampton, after they were given food they could not digest, according to Fish and Game.
Microorganisms in the deer’s stomach help them to digest food. The natural diet of deer gradually changes with the seasons, and the microorganisms also change over the course of a few weeks to help them digest different foods.
But a sudden shift from a high-fiber woody diet to a high-carbohydrate diet offered by humans can disrupt the deer’s stomach chemistry, making deer less able to digest food, and releasing toxins.
And Fuda said feeding can have other negative consequences for deer, like increased risk of getting hit by a car and increased risk of disease transmission.
“Fish and Game strongly discourages the practice,” she said.
There are about 100,000 white-tailed deer in New Hampshire, according to an estimate from Fish and Game.
This story appeared in Globe NH | Morning Report, a free newsletter focused on New Hampshire, including great coverage from the Boston Globe and links to interesting articles elsewhere. To receive it via email Monday through Friday, sign up here.
Amanda Gokee can be reached at amanda.gokee@globe.com. Follow her @amanda_gokee.
New Hampshire
Nashua, NH man arrested in $150K jewelry burglary case
NASHUA, N.H. — An investigation into a September burglary involving the theft of $150,000 in jewelry from a store led to an arrest on Tuesday.
The Nashua Police identified the suspect as Nathan Ladue, 34, of Nashua, who was taken into custody on a felony warrant for receiving stolen property.
The case began on Sept. 28 when officers were called to a burglary report at Euddy Jewelry, located at 108 E. Hollis St. Police said that surveillance footage showed a white male driving a vehicle in the area that was registered to Ladue.
Detectives from the department’s Criminal Investigation Division obtained search warrants for Ladue’s vehicle and residence, which allegedly uncovered multiple pieces of stolen jewelry along with illegal drugs.
Ladue was subsequently arrested on a felony warrant on Tuesday.
He is charged with two counts of receiving stolen property, a Class A felony; two counts of possession of a controlled drug, a Class B felony; and receiving stolen property, a Class A misdemeanor.
Ladue was held without bail pending his arraignment at 9th Circuit Nashua District Court on Wednesday. The outcome of the hearing was not immediately available.
Police are asking anyone with information about the case to call the Nashua Police Department Crime Line at 603-589-1665.
Follow Aaron Curtis on X @aselahcurtis, or on Bluesky @aaronscurtis.bsky.social.
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