4 Weather and Passing Connections in my life as a Meteorologist

As a meteorologist and a medium I bring two different worlds together - Science and the afterlife. One thing that I find specifically connected to me is weather and signs from people who pass. It's NOT a coincidence. There's no such thing as a coincidence when it comes to spirits. Such has been the case of three tropical cyclones going all the way back to 2008, which is especially fitting, because my area of meteorology was tropical cyclones (before I retired). There have been four incidents and the first one happened years ago when my dad passed.

As a meteorologist, I know that the WMO, World Meteorological Organization maintains and updates the official rotating lists used to name tropical cyclones and hurricanes worldwide. In the Atlantic Ocean, there are six years' of lists that get recycled, unless a storm name is retired (causing too much damage or deaths). The name Dolly has been on the list for a long time. But it came up again this year... it was on the one of six lists.

Dolly Parton passed on August 25, 2026. I met her once and told her she taught me how to be a better person, and inspired my outlook on life. She was a mentor and guide for me on how to live my life. I learned optimism, hope, kindness, acceptance and love from her. I learned how to appreciate the simple things in life, from a sunrise to a hot cup of coffee, or a dog's cuddle. On August 27, 2026, I was not surprised about Tropical Storm Dolly formed during the week of her passing.

What's even more is that my friend Christopher in Maryland passed July 31st, and Tropical Storm Cristobal (the Spanish name for Christopher) formed just after his passing this year. Tropical Storm Cristobal was active from August 12 to August 13, 2026.The short-lived storm formed in the central subtropical North Atlantic on August 12 as the third named storm of the 2026 Atlantic hurricane season. It reached peak winds of 45 mph before dissipating quickly without threatening any land.

In 2020, my dog Dolly (named for Dolly Parton) passed in October. Because the hurricane list is a 6 year list, her tropical namesake was also on the list of storms that year. Tropical Storm Dolly in 2020 formed on June 23 and dissipated by June 24, 2020.

In 2008, my dad, Edward, passed in August. In August of that year, during the week my dad passed, Tropical Storm Edouard (the Spanish name for Edward) formed in the Gulf of Mexico.  By August 6, 2008, Tropical Storm Edouard had come ashore in Texas. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite captured this image of the storm at 2:17 p.m. local time (19:17 UTC) on August 5 as the satellite passed over the Gulf of Mexico and southwestern United States.

When it comes to spirits, there's no such thing as a coincidence. And when it connects with living people, that's even more proof. 

Local Blog: Historic Grist Mill & Grist Mill Bridge, Lebanon, Maine

 We took a short day trip to see the location of a former historic Mill and bridge that was connected to the old mill. It's the "Grist Mill and Grist Mill Bridge" in Lebanon, Maine. That's today's blog.

(Photo: The Little River Bridge in 2026. Credit: R.G.) 

(Photo: A millstone from the Grist Mill now with historic plaques. Credit: Maine.gov) 

WHAT IS THE GRIST MILL BRIDGE? - The Grist Mill Bridge is a stone and timber structure just east of the 1774 Old Grist Mill. It is composed of laid rubblestone, rising approximately thirteen feet above normal stream water levels. The bridge deck is fifty-four feet long and twenty-four feet wide.  

(View of the Little River on the west side of the bridge. Credit: R.G.) 

The Grist Mill Bridge spans the Little River and is located about 3 miles south of East Lebanon, Maine on the Little River Road.  

(Photo: What the bridge looks like today from the side of the Little River.)

REBUILT CONFIGURATIONS - The current structure dates from the early 1950s. In 1993, a major renovation project replaced a timber superstructure and restored the stone pier and abutments. This bridge was entered in the National Register of Historic Places on December 27, 1990. 

(Photo: Side of the original mill site, looking from the Bridge.)

ABOUT THE HISTORIC GRIST MILL* - Lebanon, Maine's Old Grist Mill is the oldest surviving industrial building in town. 

  Built by Joseph Hardison in 1774, the large rectangular mill sits on a massive foundation of dry laid stone five feet thick tapering to a width of two feet under the sills of the building.   

    The two-story mill is typical of 18th-century construction with a gabled roof, framed with heavy hand hewn timbers, and a double thickness of hardwood for flooring.

  Looking at historical records, a 1792 road layout description references "Joseph Hardison's Bridge" at the site.

WHO WAS JOSEPH HARDISON? - Beyond his work on the mill, Hardison was also involved in local governance, serving as a Justice of the Peace and Postmaster. Joseph Hardison passed away in 1858.

(Photo: Front of the historic mill building in 2026)

OTHER MILL USES - Like many places in rural Maine, the mill harnessed the power of a stream for manufacturing. It was originally a grist mill, but a multitude of additions throughout the years turned the structure into a multi-purpose establishment which also milled timber. During the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries the mill also informally served as the village center and public meeting place. It was the only known grist mill to survive the 1785 freshet and provided an important service while other mills were rebuilt.

WHAT IS THE MILL TODAY? Currently, it is a mixed-use establishment housing an antique store and several apartments. *

*Maine Historic Preservation Commission

Idiot of the Week: Palm Beach clerk of courts Michael Caruso jailed on child sex abuse charges

Here's another conservative Republican arrested and jailed on child sex abuse charges. Suspended Palm Beach clerk of courts Michael Caruso, 67, was ordered held without bond. The charges filed against him include kidnapping, molestation, lewd or lascivious exhibition, luring or enticing a child and child abuse. Why does the Republican party seem to have a lot of child molesters? 

Palm Beach Clerk of Court arrested on child sex abuse charges

WPBF-TV, August 19, 2026

PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. — Suspended Palm Beach County Clerk of Court Michael Caruso was denied bond during a court appearance Wednesday and is expected to be transferred to Orange County to face additional charges.

Caruso, who is represented by attorney Jason Weiss, requested to be transported to Orange County to address five charges filed there.

During Wednesday's hearing the judge said there is no deadline for Orange County authorities to pick him up. However, the court set a Sept. 2 recheck date. The hearing would allow the court to review Caruso’s status if he has not yet been taken to Orange County.

During the hearing, the judge imposed a strict no-contact order prohibiting Caruso from having any contact with the alleged victim, the victim's immediate family members, witnesses in the case or anyone under the age of 18.

At the outset of the hearing, the judge addressed Caruso's public position and made a statement for the record before ruling on bond.

"As Mr. Weiss is approaching, let the record reflect that I have never met Mr. Caruso, nor do I know him in any capacity other than the fact that he is now the suspended clerk of court," the judge said.The judge ultimately ordered that Caruso be held without bond.

Caruso's arrest was announced Tuesday by Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier, who said the case was investigated with assistance from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and local law enforcement agencies.

According to charging documents, Caruso faces multiple felony charges, including kidnapping, lewd or lascivious molestation, lewd or lascivious exhibition, luring or enticing a child and child abuse causing mental injury.

Authorities have said the investigation remains ongoing.

Hours after Caruso's arrest, Gov. Ron DeSantis issued an executive order suspending him from his position as Palm Beach County clerk of court.

Caruso remains in custody as the criminal case proceeds and ahead of his expected transfer to Orange County next month.

Heroes of the Week: Waste workers help winner find binned €1m ($1 Million U.S;) lottery ticket in Italy

 This week's heroes are Italian sanitation employees who helped someone find a big winning lottery ticket they accidentally discarded in a store, when they thought the ticket was a losing ticket. Quickly the person learned it was the big winner, returned to the store to find the trash had been taken away. That's when heroes came to the rescue.

(Photo: Waste boss Roberto Nicola Toscano said the story was "nothing short of miraculous") 

Waste workers help winner find binned €1m lottery ticket in Italy

August 5, 2026 , BBC NEWS, André Rhoden-Paul

A lottery player who accidentally binned a €1m (£857,158) winning-ticket may be the luckiest person in Italy after refuse workers found the missing slip.

The anonymous player disposed of the ticket in a shop in Bitonto, southern Italy, after checking their numbers and being told it was "non-payable". The person only realised they threw away a winning ticket after a relative pointed out the numbers they always played had been drawn.

It sparked a two-day search through a "mountain of waste" which had been collected by a bin lorry, the head of the refuse company, Roberto Nicola Toscano, told Italian news agency Ansa."This story is nothing short of miraculous," he added.

Recounting the story, he said the mix-up happened because the "non-payable" message appears when the prize is too high to be paid out by the shop. When the player returned home, their family reportedly pointed out their favourite numbers - 2, 4, 8, 10, and 51 - had been drawn. "It was then that they realised the misunderstanding. So they all went to the shop together and discovered that the tickets had been thrown away and collected by one of our operators," said Toscano, director of SANB who handles waste collection in the area.

After the player made contact with the refuse company, the bin lorry was located before its contents were compacted for disposal."Luckily it was a Sunday, otherwise the load would have already ended up in landfill," the boss told Italian broadcaster TGCOM24. The truck was then escorted to a special site where the search began to find the "small piece of paper hidden in a mountain of waste".

Finally after a two-day search, the winning ticket was reportedly found by a waste worker on Tuesday morning, with the workers cheering as if they had won the prize themselves. "It was in a hole-ridden bag along with other damaged tickets: this was one of the few intact ones," Toscano told Ansa.

The cost of the recovery operation is set to be charged to the winner, who had previously signed a declaration promising to cover the search costs.

Toscano told BBC News that he was not authorised to reveal any details on the identity of the winner.

But the luck rubbed off - when Toscano and his colleagues bought a scratch card as a joke, they won €50 (£43).

Book of the Week: Teddy Spencer isn't Looking for Love by Kim Fielding

 It's uncommon to find an LGBTQ romance that's just really a nice story about two guys meeting and falling for each other. But that exactly describes the book "Teddy Spencer isn't Looking for Love" by Kim Fielding. I had not read anything previously by this author, but thought I would take a chance and I'm glad I did. This is a fun read!  - 

The main character, Teddy Spencer is a designer and the other main character is an engineer named Romeo Blue (his parents named his siblings after Shakespeare characters). These guys work together and Teddy doesn't like Romeo when they meet. Then they get forced on a business trip and have to share a hotel room and one bed because of a very cheap boss. Even on flight over Teddy notices Romeo helping a single mom with children, and Teddy starts to think twice about pre-judging him. Over the trip they get assigned bizarre tests by a potential investor in their product, and they get to know each other.  (Don't worry, there's no x-rated stuff in it). 

It's a fun read, and I read it in a week!  You'll enjoy it.  

ABOUT THE BOOK

Teddy Spenser Isn't Looking for Love: A Gay New Adult Romance – A Charming MM Workplace Comedy of One Bed and Enemies to Lovers by Kim Fielding

 Some people search their whole lives to find love. He just wants to avoid it.

Teddy Spenser spends his days selling design ideas to higher-ups, living or dying on each new pitch. Stodgy engineer types like Romeo Blue, his nemesis—if you can call someone who barely talks to you a nemesis—are a necessary evil. A cute necessary evil.

Working together is bad enough, but when their boss puts them both on a new high-stakes project, “working together” suddenly means: - sitting uncomfortably close on the same plane - staying in the same hotel room—with only one bed - spending every waking minute together.

Turns out Mr. Starched Shirt has some hidden depths, and it’s getting harder to ignore the spark Teddy feels with every brush of their hands, with every knowing glance. He might not have been looking for this connection with Romeo, but will he ever be ready to let him go?

Discovery: Archaeologists unearth a medieval nobleman buried with his horse and dog in a rare wooden tomb in Russia

Archaeology reveals the hidden secrets from the past, and in a recent finding of a tenth century burial, a medieval nobleman was found buried with his horse and dog in a rare wooden tomb in Russia.

(Image credit: Institute of Archaeology of the Russian Academy of Sciences)

Archaeologists unearth a medieval nobleman buried with his horse and dog in a rare wooden tomb in Russia

A rare example of a wooden chamber tomb reveals connections between medieval Norse and Old Russian burial styles.

By Kristina Killgrove Edited by Laura Mondragón, Nicoletta Lanese, LIVESCIENCE, August 23, 2026 

Archaeologists in Russia have unearthed a rare wooden tomb containing the remains of an elite man who was buried with a horse and a dog. The remarkably preserved burial, which dates to the 10th century, suggests that medieval Russian and Northern European nobility shared funeral customs a millennium ago.

The horseman's burial was discovered unexpectedly this summer during excavations in the medieval cemetery at Gnezdilovo, an archaeological site in Suzdal, Russia, about 137 miles (220 kilometers) northeast of Moscow, according to an Aug. 15 translated statement from the Institute of Archaeology of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

In the late ninth century, what is now western Russia was ruled by the Kievan Rus' (also spelled Kyvian Rus'), a conglomeration of settlements and territories that included Baltic, eastern Slavic and Norse peoples. 

WHERE DID THE BURIAL TRADITION COME FROM?

By the 10th century, the custom of burying medieval Rus' nobility in underground wooden crypts with a multitude of grave goods was imported from Scandinavia.

But the newfound and remarkably well preserved chamber tomb at Suzdal is a rare and early example of the burial type. Only 80 other medieval chamber burials have been found across western Russia, according to the statement.

The wooden burial chamber was found about 3.3 feet (1 meter) underground and measured 10.2 by 8.9 feet (3.1 by 2.7 m). The wooden roof of the chamber had decayed and collapsed onto the deceased in the tomb. Archaeologists found the skeleton of a man who was about 25 to 35 years old when he died, along with the remains of a horse and a dog.

Medieval babies and adults buried together in Sweden were not related, archaeologists discover — raising big questions about early Christian burial practices.

ALSO FOUND IN THE BURIAL SITE

Also included in the burial were an iron knife, stirrups and other riding gear, as well as a comb made of bone and a battle ax. The man was buried wearing a garment secured by a silver, horseshoe-shaped brooch near his neck. The assemblage of the grave goods signifies that the man held high status in his community, according to the statement.

All of the previously excavated chamber tombs were found in urban centers of the Kievan Rus' territory, suggesting that the nobility formed relationships of power across the land. The newly discovered chamber tomb at Suzdal therefore points to the site being an important center of the Rus' polity, which was previously unknown.

New Jersey Meteorite contains ingredients of life from an ancient proto-planet

 This is a cool finding! Amino acids and other "pre-biotic" molecules were spotted in a meteorite that crashed into a New Jersey home in 2024.  

(Image: A meteor fragment (right) that crashed through the roof of a New Jersey home in July 2024 (left) contains several key ingredients of life, new research shows. (Image credit: SETI Institute)

New Jersey Meteorite contains ingredients of life from an ancient proto-planet 

July 16, 2026- LIVE SCIENCE,  By Elizabeth Howell  Edited by Brandon Specktor, Laura Mondragón

Scientists have discovered the building blocks of life inside a meteorite that smashed through a New Jersey home two years ago. The space rock contains amino acids, carbon compounds and other "prebiotic" molecules similar to what may have helped kick-start life on our planet, a new study shows.

Scientists on the study team — led by Peter Jenniskens, a meteor astronomer with affiliations at the SETI Institute and NASA's Ames Research Center — praised the homeowner in Hillsborough, N.J., for quickly preserving the meteorite after it fell through the roof on July 16, 2024, despite the adverse circumstances. His actions included using disposable gloves and aluminum foil to place pieces of the meteorite fragments into glass jars.

"I was at home at the time, heard a loud crash and found a hole in the ceiling of the master bedroom," the homeowner, who was not named, said in a statement from the SETI Institute. "I smelled a strong, sulfur-like odor and saw many black fragments, along with debris and black dust that covered my bed, carpet and surrounding areas."

Those meteorite pieces were precious, the scientists said, and likely came from an ancient solar system planet that wasn't fully formed. "A forensic study of the fragments revealed that they contained preserved bits from near the surface of a small primitive asteroid where it experienced concentrated salty fluids — a process not previously known from this type of protoplanet world," Jenniskens said in the statement.

The study, published July 15 in the journal Science Advances, also traced how the meteorite got to the house.  

The rock broke apart in midair, with observer reports stopping when the meteor reached 22 miles (35 kilometers) in altitude, although Newark Liberty International Airport briefly tracked pebbles falling from the sky with Doppler weather radar after that. Fragments from only one meteorite ‪—‬ called Hillsborough, after the town where it crashed through the New Jersey home ‪—‬ were recovered.

The American Meteor Society used its cameras in Northford, Connecticut, and Douglassville, Pennsylvania — along with a doorbell camera in Wayne, New Jersey — to figure out the meteor's origin, Mike Hankey, an operations manager at the American Meteor Society and co-author of the study, said in the statement. "The path traced back to low in the asteroid belt."

Hillsborough is the second stony meteorite of its type ever spotted in a fall. Later analysis showed that the meteorite is full of ancient brines or salt. Scientists classified the meteorite as a type of stony space rock called a carbonaceous chondrite.

Scientists will compare the salt minerals to samples of asteroids Ryugu and Bennu, both of which contain ingredients of life and are samples of another carbonaceous chondrite type that formed earlier than Hillsborough. This analysis could help scientists further trace the origins of life-friendly chemistry in the early solar system.

DISCOVERY! Italian teenagers discover 1,800-year-old Roman luxury house underneath their high school gym

Here's a cool story! Imagine being a curious student who wound up finding an ancient Roman home under the high school gym floor. Well, some students did just that in Rome near the Colosseum!

(Photo: Archaeologists excavated several rooms underneath the modern Italian high school. (Image credit: Cantieri Narranti/Special Superintendency of Rome)

 

Italian teenagers discover 1,800-year-old Roman luxury house underneath their high school gym 

After being notified by mischievous high school students, archaeologists uncovered a large and luxurious second-century Roman house near the Colosseum.

By Kristina Killgrove,Live Science

For years, students at a high school just steps from the Colosseum in Rome have spun tales of mysterious rooms hidden underneath the gymnasium floor. Now, it turns out those rumors have more than a grain of truth to them.

Students on several clandestine explorations happened upon an ancient structure beneath their school. Upon notifying their teacher, who notified the authorities, archaeologists arrived to take a more detailed look. Following an excavation earlier this year, archaeologists have announced that the dark corridors and dimly lit chambers actually belonged to a luxurious second-century villa.

The Liceo Scientifico Cavour (Cavour Scientific High School) is located in a building near the Colosseum that originally housed a Catholic missionary congregation. When the missionaries' headquarters were constructed in the late 19th century, early archaeological exploration of the foundation revealed part of a "domus" — a large ancient Roman house. This neighborhood is incredibly important in Roman history, as figures such as Cicero, Pompey and Octavian (later known as Augustus) lived there, but is not well-understood archaeologically because of all the modern buildings on top of the ancient layers.

(Photo: One of the tunnels below the gym. Source: https://www.liceocavour.edu.it/web/?page_id=1636)  

Claudia Marino, a history and Latin teacher at the high school, reported the students' discoveries in the subterranean tunnels to the Special Superintendency of Rome, but crews did not begin excavating the site until January 2026. The discovery was presented to the public on May 28 by Marino and Filippo Coarelli, an archaeologist at the University of Perugia in Italy.

The rooms preserved under the high school's gym are part of a mid-second-century house that, based on an inscription found in the late-19th century excavation, was likely owned by a member of the Umbrius family. Little is known about this family, but the Umbrii may have originally come from Samnium, a region of south-central Italy not far from Pompeii, where Mt. Vesuvius famously erupted in A.D. 79. For now, the house is being called the Domus Liceo Cavour (the House of the Cavour High School).

(Photo: One of the tunnels below the gym. Source: https://www.liceocavour.edu.it/web/?page_id=1636)  

Archaeological excavation revealed figurative and floral frescos on the walls and stucco decorations along the ceiling vaults of the villa. In one room, archaeologists discovered a mosaic with large, irregularly shaped tiles — a style fashionable among elite Romans in this time period. They also found much more recent graffiti made by students, tourists and other subterranean explorers in the 20th century.

Newbury, Mass #3: Visited the Historic Coffin House

This is the final blog about Newbury, Massachusetts. In the previous two Monday blogs you read about the historic farm and residence. Today's blog is about another property called the Coffin House. You'll learn the importance of the family in the drafting of 2 Constitutions and a surprise tie-in to southern Maine! 

(Rob and Tom outside the Coffin house in Newbury, Massachusetts.) 

WHAT IS THE COFFIN HOUSE? This house was the home to the Coffin family for over three centuries. The Coffins came in 1642 from England. They were not puritans but loyalists instead, and the family even founded the island of Nantucket. The house was built in 1678 and it began as a simple dwelling where Tristram and Judith Coffin lived in two or three rooms with their family in 1712 the house more than doubled in size to accommodate a married son's family.

 

WHO WAS TRISTHAM?  Tristham (1609-1681) was born into a wealthy family in Brixton, Devonshire, England. As a royalist during the First English Civil War, he chose to leave for America rather than stay and fight. 

HOUSE CHANGES - As generations grew the house expanded.  In 1785, Two Coffin brothers divided the only separate residences with rooms expanding 3 centuries the Coffin House reflects an expanding economy and evolving ideas about architecture privacy and domestic life.

WHAT IS THE COFFIN FAMILY FAMOUS FOR? - Famous members of the historic Coffin family include Tristram Coffin, Levi Coffin and Lucretia Coffin Mott. This prominent lineage traces back to early New England settlers and includes leaders in abolition, women's rights, and colonial history.

ABOUT THE COFFIN FAMILY and MASS. CONSTITUTION -  Joshua Coffin was a school teacher who had married twice and 6 children. He wrote about history of Newbury and west Newbury and helped draft the language in the Massachusetts constitution in 1782. It cited a freedom of religion clause and "all men are created equal." FACT: It's the oldest state constitution and it's still in effect! It was used to draft the U.S. Constitution. Joshua Coffin's student, Whittier was also an abolishinist and they helped slaves escape captivity.

WHO BUILT THE HOUSE? - Tristan coffin jr. built this house in 1678. He and his wife had many children. He was a tailor and made cloth.  In 1711 the front of house was built out.

MOST PHOTOGRAPHED FIREPLACE!- Originally, the fireplace was larger, and over time was made smaller in 1785. It is one of the most photographed fireplaces in historic homes. (Photo left: The kitchen fireplace. Credit: R.G.) 

FAST FACTS - 1) Upstairs there is a fireplace in central area that was constructed with plaster & clay, horsehair and limestone. 

2) There's also a 1720 era bedroom with a Murphy bed that hoists up to the wall. 

(Photo: A bedroom the shows the original wood plank flooring. Credit: R.G.) 

3) ORIGINAL FLOORING!- All of the flooring is Pine. in 1678, England's King marked pine for shipbuilding, so carpenters could only cut 23" wide boards for homes. Wider boards were used for ships. The  Have been here since 1678.

ABOUT NATHANIEL & SARAH COFFIN, TAILOR & SHOEMAKER - When Nathaniel coffin owned the property it was 20 acres, and a farm with sheep, pigs, and cattle. He was also a tailor and had a tannery. His wife Sarah and their children made shoes!  In fact, in 1784, Sarah may have provided shoes to George Washington . She made shoes and provided shoes for revolutionary war soldiers. 

ANOTHER MOST PHOTOGRAPHED HISTORIC PIECE - We learned that the Hutch in kitchen is one of the most photographed historic hutches. It was built 28 years later than 1678 (1706) by Nathaniel Tristan's son. (Photo left: The kitchen Hutch! Credit: R.G.) 

THE BUTTERY- The Buttery was located on the north side of house. It was out of direct sunlight and the coolest room in the house. It has one window with shutters which would be closed to keep it cool and store butter.  Gratefully, it was preserved as it was for 100 years as most of these rooms have been turned into bathrooms in historic homes.

(Photo below: The narrow "Buttery." Credit: R.G.) 

THE FRONT PARLOR -  The Front parlor is decorated in the Federalism period of the 1800s. Event the hallway outside, leading to the front door (which was added on in 1700s) is in the Federalist time design. In the front parlor they would hold Tea parties, wakes, and host holidays. The parlor had wallpaper, and portraits, a piano and ribbon backed chairs made locally in Newburyport.

 HOW THE HISTORICAL SOCIETY GOT THE HOUSE - When the 2 Sons divided house between families, there were 2 deeds for one house in 1820. By the late 1800s, Edmund coffin wanted to recombine property and knew a man named Appleton who was the  founder of the Historical society. Appleton's mother also happened to be a member of the Coffin family and by 1929 the house became an historical property.

FUN FACT TIED TO SOUTHERN MAINE - Peter coffin was a logger and had a lumber business in the Berwicks (North Berwick, South Berwick and Berwick). Peter Coffin worked near the Hamilton House in South Berwick, ME. From there, he sent lumber to Newburyport for ship construction. There is a also a "Coffin brook" in Berwick, Maine, which has to be named for him! 

Idiot of the Week: Jay Lucas Pleads Guilty In $50M Fraud

 This week's idiot is someone who was prominent in New Hampshire politics. Former gubernatorial nominee and donor Jay Lucas pled guilty to securities fraud, wire fraud, money laundering, and investment adviser fraud.  

New Hampshire Political Figure Jay Lucas Pleads Guilty In $50M Fraud
By Damien Fisher, NH Journal Tue, Jul 28, 2026

Former Republican gubernatorial nominee and longtime New Hampshire GOP donor Jay Lucas may soon bring his Sunshine brand of positivity and optimism to federal prison after pleading guilty to operating a $50 million investment fraud. Lucas, 71, pleaded guilty Friday, July 24, 2026 in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York to securities fraud, wire fraud, money laundering and investment adviser fraud.

“Lucas lied to investors to induce them into investing millions of dollars in private equity funds that he created, promising to invest their money in emerging companies in the health and wellness space,” said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton. “In reality, Lucas used much of the money to pay for personal expenses and ventures entirely unrelated to the funds, and to make Ponzi-like payments to other investors.

“Today’s plea reflects the continued commitment of this Office and our law enforcement partners to holding accountable investment advisers who abuse their investors’ trust to illegally enrich themselves.”

WHO IS LUCAS? 

Lucas is a former two-term Republican state representative who was first elected at age 19 while attending Yale University. He was an alternate delegate to the 1976 Republican National Convention and later served as treasurer of the New Hampshire Republican State Committee.In 1998, Lucas spent nearly $1 million of his own money to win the GOP gubernatorial nomination in a bitter primary against former state Sen. Jim Rubens. He went on to lose the general election to incumbent Democratic Gov. Jeanne Shaheen.Lucas remained a major Republican donor and activist after his gubernatorial campaign and was mentioned as recently as 2020 as a possible GOP candidate for U.S. Senate. His son, Gates Lucas, represented Sullivan County as a Republican in the New Hampshire House from 2018 to 2020.

The securities fraud, wire fraud and money laundering charges each carry maximum prison sentences of 20 years. The investment adviser fraud charge carries a maximum sentence of five years. Lucas’ actual punishment will be determined at a sentencing hearing.

Lucas operated Lucas Brand Equity, a boutique investment firm that purported to focus on emerging companies in the health and wellness industry.

WHAT ELSE DID HE DO?

1) Prosecutors say he instead used investors’ money to pay his rent and alimony, finance the Eagle Times newspaper, hire political consultants and cover other personal expenses. The Securities and Exchange Commission also alleges Lucas used investor money to pay for his wedding reception.

2) Lucas concealed negative information about companies in which he claimed to be investing, including the fact that one had gone out of business, according to federal authorities. He also used money from new investors to make Ponzi-like payments to disgruntled earlier investors. A separate SEC lawsuit filed in the Southern District of New York links the alleged fraud to Lucas’ relationship with his current wife, Karen Ballou.

3) Lucas took control of Immunocologie, a skincare-products company in 2013, purchasing a 51 percent interest through his investment operation. “From about 2013 through 2018, [Lucas] directed more than $5.3 million of Fund 1 investor money to Immunocologie. From 2018 to 2024, [Lucas] directed more than $6.9 million of Fund 2 investor money to Immunocologie,” the lawsuit states.

Those transfers made Immunocologie the largest investment held by both funds, representing approximately 40 percent of Fund 1’s invested capital and 43 percent of Fund 2’s. Fund 3 transferred at least $310,000 to Immunocologie, representing approximately half of the money that fund invested in portfolio companies.

4) Lucas also moved investor money into an account for XL7 Group, an LLC he operated with Ballou, according to the SEC. “[Lucas] operated [XL7] as a slush fund masquerading as a business account that he could tap for personal expenses,” the lawsuit states.

5) Lucas and Ballou married May 12, 2018, in a lavish ceremony allegedly financed in part with investor money. Nine days before the wedding, a married couple investing with Lucas for the first time gave him $375,000. The entire investment was supposed to go into one of Lucas’ funds, but he instead transferred $123,000 to XL7, the SEC alleges. Lucas then used $118,448 from the investor deposit to pay three vendors for his upcoming wedding. Around the same time, XL7 also paid $6,700 to a political consultant and $3,000 to one of Lucas’ family members, according to the lawsuit.

Hero of the Week: First responders in Bourne, Massachusetts Rescue Raccoon from Storm Drain

 This week's heroes are the Bourne, Massachusetts emergency personnel who freed a trapped raccoon, and transported him, complete with sewer grate, to the Cape Cod Wildlife Center. The heroes were from the Bourne Department of Natural Resources, Bourne Fire Department, Bourne Police Department, and Bourne Department of Public Works.

Bourne emergency personnel transported a trapped raccoon, complete with sewer grate, to Cape Wildlife Center

“In our line of work it sometimes takes a village to do what we do and this young raccoon had so many people fighting to save him today,” the center said. Cape Wildlife Center 

By Elizabeth Mehler, Boston.com August 14, 2026

First responders in Bourne, Massachusetts came together to rescue a raccoon whose head was wedged through the grate of a storm drain, transporting him to Cape Wildlife Center.

(Photo: the raccoon stuck in the grate, with a plastic milk carrier to support him until he could be transported to be freed. Credit: Cape Wildlife Center. )

The responders collaborated to get the entire sewer grate and raccoon transported as one to the center, as the center’s veterinary staff were actively dealing with other emergencies and were unable to sedate the raccoon on scene, the center said in a social media post.

The Bourne Department of Natural Resources, Fire Department, Police Department, and Department of Public Works all pitched in.

“In our line of work it sometimes takes a village to do what we do and this young raccoon had so many people fighting to save him today,” the center said.

Once at the center, veterinary staff sedated the raccoon and used canola oil and plastic garbage bags to reduce friction and free his head. “It took a couple tries but within 10 minutes we were able to free him,” the center said.

(Photo: The raccoon once freed was housed in a crate until he was brought back to the wild. Credit: Cape Wildlife Center. )

The raccoon was able to move all his limbs and neck appropriately once conscious, according to the center. He is currently in an outdoor enclosure at the center, where staff will continue to monitor his improvement.

“Wildlife rescues don’t always happen with one person or one team,” the center said. “This one took a whole community working together, and we’re grateful to everyone who helped get this little guy the care he needed.”

Book of the Week: See Something (Witch City Mysteries) by Carol J. Perry

 Carol J. Perry is one of my all time favorite cozy mystery writers, and the "Witch City Mysteries" are one of my favorite series. I've read most of the 15 in the series, and have now read and enjoyed 14 of the 15. "See Something" was another 5 star read. That's today's blog. 

"See Something" opens with the main character Lee, coming to the aid of woman sitting on a park bench who lost her memory. After determining she saw something traumatic, the villains come looking for her and noticed Lee helping her - so Lee also becomes part of the web of mystery. Lee's boyfriend, Pete is a Salem, Massachusetts police officer and he's in charge of finding out about the mystery woman, the traumatic event that triggered her memory loss, and determine who is stalking Lee. 

All of the characters are likeable, and you root for Lee and Pete to solve the mystery and help the woman. Supporting characters are really great, too- like Lee's Aunt Ibby, a librarian, whose retired friends like to watch "Midsomer Murders" on TV, discuss it, and try their own sleuthing. There's also the cat O'Ryan, who used to belong to a Salem witch (that was killed in book 1), and found a home with Lee... and the cat seems to know things!  This is a 5 of 5 star read. I read it in a week because I couldn't put it down!

ABOUT THE BOOK  : Salem's WICH-TV program director Lee Barrett is about to discover no good deed goes unpunished...

Lee has been promoted from field reporter to program director. Keeping track of all the shows and managing the local TV personalities--including a cowboy, a clown, and a performing dog--has her head spinning. Perhaps that's what makes her take pity on the distraught woman she finds sitting alone on a bench on the Salem common. When she realizes that the poor woman doesn't even know her own name, Lee takes her into the warmth of the home she shares with her Aunt Ibby and their clairvoyant gentleman cat, O'Ryan. Maybe Lee can use her own psychic gifts to divine the woman's identity.

Lee's detective beau Pete Mondello wants to talk to the "Jane Doe," but before he can investigate, he's called to a crime scene. A body has been found washed up in a narrow harbor cove. As harmless as her new houseguest seems, Lee can't help but wonder if she may be harboring a killer...