Nashua’s students ready for a fresh start next Tuesday

While it certainly is not the most exciting news for Nashua’s children, the start of the school year is just around the corner.

And there are some fresh faces in the city’s school district, including incoming Superintendent Connie Brown, who called the outpouring of community supporting overwhelming and unmatched.

That amazing energy was on display Thursday evening at the Nashua Public Library as parents and students mingled with administrators for the annual Nashua Goes Back to School night, an opportunity for children to receive school supplies and other valuable advice.

Businesses, along with the chamber, raise money to purchase school supplies, while the local Lions Club conducts eye screenings and the city’s Public Health and Community Services provides free immunizations to all students with parental consent.

The fact that this event, hosted by the city, library and chamber, has grown annually for the past decade shows the generous spirit within Nashua and the passion for education in this community.

Not so pumped about the recent pumpkin craze

Pumpkin has become a harbinger of all things fall: crisp air, crunching leaves, cozy sweaters. So it’s no surprise that food producers have pounced on the trend, akin to trimming the mall with Christmas decorations in October.

Dunkin’ Donuts ushered in the fall season Tuesday, rolling out its pumpkin spice latte in select New York-area locations. The flavor will be released to the rest of the nation on Monday, when temperatures are expected to graze 90 degrees in Nashua.

Not to be outdone, McDonald’s plans to begin offering its own pumpkin spice latte next week, closely followed by Starbucks on Sept. 8. Kellogg’s is launching its new pumpkin spice-flavored Cheerios, and pumpkin beers are already on the shelves at local grocery stores.

However, the pumpkin craze has taken its toll on that industry, with brewers worried about a pumpkin shortage. For another consecutive year, growers are blaming rainy weather for a late start to the planting season and a reduced number of gourds.

So, the question remains: How soon is too soon for pumpkin? Can’t we just savor summer a little longer? After all, we all know what comes after autumn’s bliss.

Welcoming the latest of the ‘Killer Bs’ to the Red Sox

Oftentimes, the Boston Red Sox come up as a point of discussion in our review of the week in news, but what can we say? We’re from New England.

Heading into Friday, the Sox have been riding a 10-4 record following a sweep of the Arizona Diamondbacks and just before a drawn-out road trip thanks in part to their up-and-coming stars: outfielders Mookie Betts and Jackie Bradley Jr., and Silver Slugging shortstop Xander Bogaerts.

Bogaerts looks like he is ready to step into a leadership role on this team after David Ortiz retires at the end of the season. Bradley is prime to win a Gold Glove this year for his unrivaled defensive work, and Betts’ name has even been floated as a possible MVP candidate.

Now fans can add the latest "Killer B" to that list.

Andrew Benintendi, just three weeks into his career in the majors, has been hitting .324 in his first 21 games. And during Monday’s game against the Tampa Bay Rays, he nearly went head-over-heels to make an impossible snatch over the outfield wall that, when retold years from now, could turn the youth stud into a regional folk hero.

But the 22-year-old Benintendi just tossed us for a loop after Wednesday night’s extra-inning loss when he stumbled over himself trying to avoid a tag at second base. Reports from manager John Farrell indicate Benintendi twisted his knee and was placed on the disabled list.

We join the rest of Red Sox Nation in wishing him a speedy recovery as the team fights for a playoff berth. The team will need him and the rest of the young Sox to make that final September push.

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