🌱 Patch AM: Will Portsmouth’s Sherburne School become housing, artist space, or both?

Hey there, Portsmouth! Let's get started with what's happening in and around town. Read on and stay in the loop. ☕️️

In today's newsletter:

• Will Portsmouth’s Sherburne School become housing, artist space, or both?
• What led to the Portsmouth martial arts instructor’s negotiated guilty plea?
• Could Pease’s breakup reshape Portsmouth jobs, taxes, and future housing?

📸 Have a great pic of holiday decorations from around Portsmouth? Post it to Portsmouth photos of the day! ☃️ 🟢-🟠-🟣-🔴-🟡-🔵 ☃️

Today's riddle: The doctor told me to drink carrot juice after a hot bath. - Did it help? 🤔 (Answer below!)

From our Partner
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Weather forecast:

• Wednesday: Partly sunny and breezy, with a high of 42 and low of 27 degrees.
• Thursday: Times of clouds and sun, temps: high: 42, low: 39.
• Friday: Very windy; rain, with a high of 52 and low of 22 degrees.

📰 News we're reading

1. Portsmouth housing project at Sherburne site faces challenges (seacoastonline.com) — Portsmouth officials and the Portsmouth Housing Authority are advancing a two-phase plan to turn the former Sherburne School site into 127 below-market workforce housing units, though financing and design questions remain. Phase 1’s 90-unit building could break ground in summer 2026, while Phase 2 may be redesigned to better preserve the historic school and possibly add artist live/work space, depending on funding and city priorities.
   

2. Portsmouth martial arts instructor pleading guilty to simple assault (seacoastonline.com) — A Portsmouth martial arts instructor plans to plead guilty to simple assault and unlawfully performing chiropractic work after a police investigation into conduct at his Roberts Avenue business. Several more serious charges are being dropped under a negotiated plea that includes brief jail time, restrictions on teaching in public schools, and a required evaluation, following his prior work with Portsmouth students.
   

3. Darken the Pease authority, says state efficiency group (nhbr.com) — State officials are weighing whether to dismantle the Pease Development Authority, which manages the Portsmouth International Airport at Pease and the tradeport that straddles Portsmouth and Newington. Local leaders warn that shifting control to state agencies could affect jobs, tax flows to Portsmouth, environmental oversight of the Superfund site, and even future housing options near the tradeport.
   

4. Here Are 29 Closed New Hampshire Restaurants That Still Hurt Today (wokq.com) — Many longtime New Hampshire residents still miss beloved closed restaurants, including Portsmouth’s iconic Yoken’s Seafood on Route 1, remembered for its neon “Thar She Blows” sign and busy dining room. Though the restaurant shut down decades ago, the restored sign still stands where it once welcomed hungry locals and visitors.
   

5. New Boston Man Accused Of Driving 123 MPH In Manchester, Crashing Into SUV In Bedford: State Police Roundup (patch.com) — Recent state police activity includes several serious driving and DUI cases tied to Portsmouth, including an upcoming arraignment in Portsmouth District Court. Troop A logs also show multiple Portsmouth-related arrests for speeding, license violations, and impaired driving that may interest local residents concerned about road safety.
   

📸 Around Portsmouth

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🗓 Upcoming Events in Portsmouth

Add your event to our calendar and newsletter!

★ Featured events ★

Thursday December 18

• Beginning Mosaics
  Port City Makerspace, 68 Morning St, Portsmouth
  1:00 pm

Want to see your event featured? Click here!

Other local events

Thursday December 18

• Nichinan Nights Happy Hour
  Greater Portsmouth Chamber of Commerce , 15 Middle St. , Portsmouth
• Tracy K. Smith with "Fear Less" - Literary in the Lounge
  The Music Hall Lounge , 131 Congress Street , Portsmouth
  7:00 am
• 35th Annual GINGERBREAD House Contest and Exhibition
  Portsmouth Historical Society , 10 Middle Street , Portsmouth
  10:00 am
• FOOD & BEVERAGE: Happy Hour at Toscana
  Greater Portsmouth Chamber of Commerce , 3 Pleasant Street , Portsmouth
  4:00 pm
• Thursday Dollar Rib Night!
  LEGENDS , 80 Hanover St. , Portsmouth
  4:00 pm
• Local Love - Every Third Thursday
  Greater Portsmouth Chamber of Commerce Portsmouth, NH.
  5:00 pm
• Business After Hours Presented by Bank of New Hampshire Hosted by the New England Sports Hub
  New England Sports HUB , 6 WIlland Drive , Somersworth
  5:00 pm

📣 Portsmouth Shout Outs!

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🗓 Events Nearby

Wednesday December 17

• Wee Ones Wednesdays
  The Children's Museum of New Hampshire , 6 Washington Street , Dover
  9:15 am
• 35th Annual GINGERBREAD House Contest and Exhibition
  Portsmouth Historical Society , 10 Middle Street , Portsmouth
  10:00 am
• Easy Crafts & Treats at Rye Public Library
  Rye Public Library , 581 Washington Rd , Rye
  10:30 am
• FOOD & BEVERAGE: Happy Hour at Toscana
  Greater Portsmouth Chamber of Commerce , 3 Pleasant Street , Portsmouth
  4:00 pm

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:

• Dogtopia of North Hampton — (475) 338-3501
  Dogtopia – Dog Daycare, Boarding, Spa & Wellness
• Total Basement Finishing, a Blackdog Affiliate — (603) 458-7962
  Basement Remodeling Experts in NH, MA and ME
• 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

• McNally small engine here.
  I have time and room to get snowblowers and generators going or any motors you may have. I can also pick up drop off. You can drop it off at 1521… (Nextdoor Elwyn Road)
• A Dog was Lost on 2025-12-14, more info at https://petfbi.org/api/view/761120/ffbc6983
  Lost or found a pet? Report it to Pet FBI at https://petfbi.org (Nextdoor Islington Creek)

• The Home Depot, Inc. posted a job opening for Customer Service/Sales in Portsmouth. Apply here.
• High Liner Foods Inc posted a job opening for Packaging Machine Operator I in Portsmouth. Apply here. You can search for other jobs near Portsmouth here.

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 can never finish drinking the hot bath!
Got a good riddle for PatchAM? Send it to us!

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