🌱 Patch AM: City Of Portsmouth: Fire Department Offers Holiday Fire Safety Reminders

Hello Portsmouth! Here's our latest buzz. Let's get into it. ☀️

In today's newsletter:

• Portsmouth fire officials share key tips for safer holiday celebrations
• What would ending the Pease Development Authority mean for Portsmouth’s future?
• Why is Portsmouth named in this high‑stakes wrongful death lawsuit?

Also on today's calendar: Holiday Market and 6 more events.

Today's riddle: My brother swallowed a box of firecrackers. - Is he all right now? 🤔 (Answer below!)

Weather forecast:

• Thursday: Times of clouds and sun, with a high of 42 and low of 37 degrees.
• Friday: Very windy; rain, temps: high: 55, low: 24.
• Saturday: Windy and much colder, with a high of 34 and low of 33 degrees.

📰 News we're reading

• City Of Portsmouth: Fire Department Offers Holiday Fire Safety Reminders (patch.com) — Portsmouth residents are being urged by Fire Chief William McQuillen and the city’s Fire Department to take extra care with Christmas trees and home heating during the holidays. The department highlights Portsmouth’s history of serious holiday-season fires and offers practical tips, from choosing a fresh tree to keeping it watered, away from heat sources, and promptly disposed of when dry.
   

• Pease Development Authority isn't needed, Ayotte's COGE says (seacoastonline.com) — State efficiency commissioners want to dissolve the Pease Development Authority, which currently oversees the tradeport straddling Portsmouth and Newington, the Portsmouth International Airport, and key coastal ports. Local and former PDA leaders warn this could weaken Portsmouth’s voice, complicate federal agreements, and reshape how Pease land is used, including future housing and economic development tied to thousands of Seacoast jobs.
   

• Mother of Kensington man killed by police files wrongful death suit (seacoastonline.com) — A Kensington mother is suing several Seacoast towns, including Portsmouth, claiming police used excessive, militarized tactics that led to her son’s fatal shooting during a 2024 mental health crisis. The suit says a Portsmouth police drone and other specialized gear escalated the standoff, while the state attorney general previously ruled officers’ use of deadly force was legally justified.
   

📸 Around Portsmouth

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🗓 Upcoming Events in Portsmouth

Add your event to our calendar and newsletter!

★ Featured events ★

Sunday December 21

• Holiday Market
  Dough Craft Pizza, 2454 Lafayette Rd, Portsmouth
  11:00 am

Want to see your event featured? Click here!

Other local events

Thursday December 18

• AIR-eoke Nite
  WSCA Radio , 909 Islington St #1 , Portsmouth
  8:00 pm

Friday December 19

• 35th Annual GINGERBREAD House Contest and Exhibition
  Portsmouth Historical Society , 10 Middle Street , Portsmouth
  10:00 am
• BEER WEEK: Fat Kid Culinary Food Specials at Loaded Question Brewing
  Loaded Question Brewing
  1:00 pm
• FOOD & BEVERAGE: Happy Hour at Toscana
  Greater Portsmouth Chamber of Commerce , 3 Pleasant Street , Portsmouth
  4:00 pm
• FAMILY Seacoast Science Center - Nature@Nite
  Seacoast Science Center , 570 Ocean Boulevard , Rye
  4:00 pm
• Candlelight Stroll
  Strawbery Banke Museum , 14 Hancock Street , Portsmouth
  4:30 pm
• A Night of Carolers at The Library Restaurant
  Greater Portsmouth Chamber of Commerce , 401 State St , Portsmouth
  6:00 pm
• Hiroya Tsukamoto
  Button Factory Stage , 909 Islington St , Portsmouth
  7:00 pm

📣 Portsmouth Shout Outs!

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🗓 Events Nearby

Thursday December 18

• Tracy K. Smith with "Fear Less" - Literary in the Lounge
  The Music Hall Lounge , 131 Congress Street , Portsmouth
  7:00 am
• Knitting Club
  Rye Public Library , 581 Washington Rd , Rye
  10:00 am
• Big Fish Little Fish
  Seacoast Science Center , 570 Ocean Blvd , Rye
  10:00 am
• 35th Annual GINGERBREAD House Contest and Exhibition
  Portsmouth Historical Society , 10 Middle Street , Portsmouth
  10:00 am

Have we missed something on our calendar? Add an event yourself! As always, before attending confirm event details to ensure accuracy.

Thank you 👏👏👏 to the local businesses for making Portsmouth PatchAM possible:

• Total Basement Finishing, a Blackdog Affiliate — (603) 458-7962
  Basement Remodeling Experts in NH, MA and ME
• Dogtopia of North Hampton — (475) 338-3501
  Dogtopia – Dog Daycare, Boarding, Spa & Wellness
• RSP Studio Custom Framing — (603) 978-6702
  RSP Studio Custom Framing – for all your framing needs.

Click here to show your appreciation! 💚

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💬 Chatter

What your neighbors are talking about on social media

• Needham Bank Charitable Foundation Awards $120,000 In Grants To Support 6 Nonprofits In NH And MA —CMJ Read on Patch

• Beware of calls from United Screening.
  They are targeting Medicare recipients. We’ve had two calls in two days from Michael. They are phishing for personal information. (Nextdoor Peverly Hill)
• Hit rewind and join us in the 80s for a a brand-new retro holiday classic.
  Travel through the past, present, and future alongside the Greediest Geezer as he discovers that Christmas Electricity! A hilarious and heartwarming… (Nextdoor Christian Shore)

• High Liner Foods Inc posted a job opening for Packaging Machine Operator I in Portsmouth. Apply here.
• Portland Glass Company posted a job opening for Glass Shop Manager in Portsmouth. Apply here. You can search for other jobs near Portsmouth here.

🗞 Nearby News

New Castle

• Three From Women's Volleyball Earn CSC Academic All-District (unionathletics.com)

Rye

• Rye Harbor shacks get new deals for 2026 as lawsuit is dismissed (seacoastonline.com)
• Ice House in Rye sold to Wentworth by the Sea Country Club for $1.5M (seacoastonline.com)
• The 10 Most Popular New Entryways and Mudrooms of 2025 (houzz.com)

Newington

Ok Portsmouth! So now you're in the loop about what's happening today. Thanks for reading, and see you in your inbox next time! Oh -- and if you like what you're reading, invite a friend to Patch AM!

-- The Patch AM Team

P.S. The answer to today's riddle: I don’t know. I haven’t heard the last report.
Got a good riddle for PatchAM? Send it to us!

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