The Instigator was taking a walk in White Park the other day, minding our own business. We weren't looking to instigate anything, we swear. But what did we come across but a pile of garbage at the Centre Street entrance! Upon closer inspection of the heap of refuse, we discovered that this was no ordinary trash. These bags were full of dog excrement! We took one more even closer look.…

Jan. 4, 1950: The temperature in Concord climbs to 68 degrees, making this the warmest January day of the 20th century. Jan. 5, 1996: The early-morning low temperature in Concord is a brisk 18 below zero. Jan. 5, 1943: In his Monitor editorial, Editor James M. Langley calculates that “we” have completed 20 years of editorial writing, averaging 2,250 words a day 300 days a year. The editorial is headlined: “13,500,000 FUTILE WORDS.” Jan. 5, 1791: The Legislature gathers in Concord’s new “town house” near Main and Court streets. The Legislature still moves its meeting site from town…

We here at the Insider recently got our hands on a copy of the rules and regulations for the city cemeteries, and boy, let us tell you, some of the rules are pretty stiff. If you had big plans to get buried with your favorite taxidermied parakeet Petey, you’d better think twice. Non-human beings need not apply for burials. And you know that picnic you were planning next to Franklin Pierce’s grave when the snow melts? Well, forget about it. According to the ordinance, refreshments of any kind are barred from the cemetery (Sorry, homies, pouring forties for your lost brethren is strictly prohibited).…

The senior center at Horseshoe Pond Place hosts a community luncheon every weekday, but on Tuesdays the dining room is transformed into Café Bienvenue. It may sound like a fancy Parisian bistro where the waiters speak French, but you don’t have to be the master of any tongue to eat there. Horseshoe Pond Place is the only full-time senior center in Concord, and their senior nutrition…

Domestic assault, criminal mischief On Dec. 21 about 11:30 p.m., Officer Laura Spaulding was dispatched to 185 Airport Road for a report of a domestic disturbance. Upon arrival, she saw a man coming out of an apartment with a purple substance covering his left shoulder and back, according to her report. “I asked him what was going on. The man was unsteady on his feet and had a strong smell of alcohol coming from him,” she wrote. Spaulding then heard noises coming from the rear of the building, stepped around the corner and saw a sliding door being slammed shut, the report said. The man walked…

Finally! The snow has arrived. We were getting a little worried about a week before Christmas, when temps were still in the high 50s. “Will the snow ever arrive?” we wondered. “And if not, what will become of our winter guide?” Well, as you know, Mother Nature came through like a champ last week and blasted us with several splendid inches, right in time for winter break for…