One of my favorite words is penultimate.

You almost never hear it, and it sounds wildly pretentious. All it means is … second to last. That’s it. A word with fake prestige for something nobody talks about. We talk about first, second, third. Winners and losers. Best and worst.

But second to last? Never.

Which brings me to this week’s crossword (scroll all the way down). It’s all about words nobody uses—the forgotten, the dusty, the “wait, that’s a real word?” kind of terms.

And, while we’re talking about the crossword, a new year always feels like a good excuse to reassess things. I’ve been doing that with this crossword.

Be honest … should it stay or should it go? I’ve been debating swapping it out for something new.

Hit reply and tell me what you think. Keep it? Ditch it? Replace it with something better? 

While you’re at it, reply to this email and share your favorite useless word. 

Your thoughts are appreciated, as usual.

Here’s what else we’re covering today:

📰 What we’re reading, news from around the state

🥐 Cozy up with these cooking and baking classes 

📢 Question of the week: Should New Hampshire have open school enrollment?

🔠 Test our crossword featuring the world’s most useless words

P.S. One email worth keeping. Forward this email to a friend who likes being in the know.

👉 How Trump will use his State of the Union address to sell skeptical midterm voters on his plans. The Associated Press

“President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address on Tuesday is likely to be a test run of the message Republicans will give to voters in November’s elections for control of the House and the Senate. The president and his party appear vulnerable, with polls showing much of America distrusts how Trump has managed the government in his first year back in office. In addition, the Supreme Court last week struck down one of the chief levers of his economic and foreign policy by ruling he lacked the power to impose many of his sweeping tariffs.”

👉 NH congressional delegation introduces bill to require local input on ICE detention facilities. New Hampshire Bulletin

“New Hampshire’s four congressional delegates — U.S. Sens. Jeanne Shaheen and Maggie Hassan and Reps. Chris Pappas and Maggie Goodlander —are introducing legislation that would require Immigration and Customs Enforcement to solicit feedback from area residents and receive written approval from local and state officials before it can build an immigrant detention facility.”

👉 Speaking to crowd in Concord, Pete Buttigieg rails against planned ICE facility in Merrimack. WMUR

Pete Buttigieg drew hundreds to the Concord City Auditorium Saturday, wrapping up a multi-day visit to New Hampshire and signaling strong Democratic support. Speaking to an estimated crowd of 600, he criticized the planned Merrimack immigrant detention center and encouraged supporters to think beyond the current presidency, fueling speculation about a potential 2028 run.

(Tabitha Turner/Unsplash)

By Katy Savage

I want to be someone who loves to bake—creating from scratch and experimenting until it’s just right. It sounds rewarding, but in reality, I find it frustrating and time-consuming. Still, I’d love to learn to bake bread, and I recently discovered plenty of cooking and baking classes nearby, both in person and online.

Here’s a roundup of some options to get you started:

🍞 King Arthur Baking Company, Norwich, Vermont
Offers on-demand, live online, and hands-on classes at its Norwich baking school.
Cost: $45–$65

Upcoming classes:

Pierogi, March 6
A 90-minute class making dumplings from scratch—hand-mixed dough, traditional potato and onion filling, browned in butter and served with caramelized onions.

Lofty Layers: Crafting Croissants, March 6-7 
A two-day class focused on lamination techniques, locking in butter, folding, shaping and baking croissants, pain au chocolat, and more.

Biscuits & Scones, March 7
Learn the science behind tender, flaky quick breads, including tips on mixing, chemical leaveners and storage.

Baguettes, March 8
Master shaping, scoring and steaming techniques to create bakery-quality baguettes at home using a pre-ferment for maximum flavor.

Sheng Jian Bao, March 8
Make Shanghai-style crispy-bottom pork buns from scratch, with guidance on customizing fillings.

🍷 Tuscan Market, Salem
Cook alongside chefs, explore wine tastings, or try a mixology class.
Cost: Around $65

Upcoming classes:

Gnocchi with Creamy Truffle Butter Sauce, March 8  
Handmade gnocchi finished with truffle parmesan sauce. 

Mixology: Martini Magic, March 7 
Explore classic and modern martinis while learning proper shaking and stirring techniques.  

Pasta Puttanesca with Farfalle, March 10 
Prepare puttanesca sauce paired with handmade farfalle.  

🍝 Top of the Ridge Farm, Durham
Hands-on Italian cooking classes covering pasta, sauces, breads and desserts.
Cost: Starting at $125 per person
Class size: 4 minimum, 8 maximum
Booking: Call to reserve

🥙 Karimah’s Kitchen, Kensington
Private hands-on Lebanese cooking classes (minimum five participants). Each class includes preparing a three-dish authentic meal, wine tasting, and printed recipes to take home.
Cost: $65–$120 per person
Booking: Email karimahskitchen@gmail.com to sign up.

🌎 Online Option

The Chef & The Dish
Live, private virtual cooking classes with chefs from around the world.

Republicans in the House and Senate want to make every school in New Hampshire open enrollment. That means students could attend any public school in the state, and the town where that student lives would foot the bill.

Dig into the bills here: SB 101 and HB 751.

It could cost towns anywhere from $18,000 to $40,000 per student. School districts set their budgets based on how many students they expect to serve and what those students need. School leaders say this proposal would make budgeting that much harder.

Supporters say this gives families more flexibility. Critics worry about inequities, especially for students who don’t have transportation to schools outside their area.

Curious what this could mean for your community? Use Reaching Higher’s calculator to estimate costs.

So this week’s question is…

Should New Hampshire have open school enrollment?

Here’s what you’re saying…

“No! We are already paying for enrollment in private schools, which is straining school district budgets. Keep kids in their home school district unless their educational needs can only be met elsewhere (such as special needs that cannot be addressed locally). Keep kids local. If you have concerns about the quality of your child’s education, contact your school board and become an active participant in your child’s education.” — Fran Harriman

“I see two major problems here. First, local school boards understand their own situations best and need to retain some control over how their schools are managed. Second, the ultimate goal should be for all children to receive a quality public school education that prepares them either for further education or to enter the workforce — whichever path suits them best. It seems to me that the most effective way to accomplish this is to ensure that all school districts have the same amount of funding to spend per pupil. That would require shifting funds from wealthier areas to poorer ones. Shuffling individual students back and forth between districts strikes me as stressful, inefficient and costly. At least in the early years, children should attend school with others from their immediate area. The current system of funding and enrollment appears to be a patchwork that has developed over time. In short, the state legislature needs to hammer out a compromise plan that allows each citizen to contribute proportionally to a shared pool that funds each student equally in facilities within their own community. While some aspects of the present system may still work, the entire structure needs to be examined thoughtfully rather than altered through piecemeal fixes.” — JoAnn Carlson

Think you’ve got what it takes to crack this crossword? Tell us how long it takes you to finish it by emailing us at info@granitepostnews.com! This week’s topic? Words nobody uses.

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Thanks for reading. This newsletter was written by Katy Savage. It was edited by Paula Solis.

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