Your next picnic just got more expensive
According to a July 15 press release from the U.S. Senate Joint Economic Committee (jec.senate.gov) the prices of ground beef and ice cream have risen to record levels. Quoting a report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (bls.gov), ground beef is 11 percent more expensive than it was in May, and ice cream has increased by five percent. “This is the first time that beef has been above $6.00 since CPI [Consumer Price Index] data collection began,” the press release read.
QOL score: -2, one for the burger and one for the ice cream
Comment: This comes on top of a JEC report from July 3 that the price of domestic beer has gone up 13% since April.
The future of grapes in New Hampshire
As reported in a July 20 online article by WMUR, a team of scientists at the University of New Hampshire worked for the past seven years to develop new grape varieties to grow in New Hampshire’s climate. There are currently more than 100 acres in New Hampshire planted with seedless table grapes. In a July 15 online story, UNH Today (unh.edu/unhtoday) reported, “There are several seedless table grape varieties that are well adapted to our region…. These varieties bring delicious and unique flavors to consumers, and they expand the options for local producers.”
QOL score: +1
Comment: “Officials said varieties such as Mars and Lakemont show the most promise for supporting a local grape-growing industry,” the WMUR story reported.
Data breach
As reported in a July 20 online article by WMUR, more than 2,000 New Hampshire residents have been impacted by a recent data breach. The breach, the story read, happened “at Covenant Health, the parent company of St. Joseph Hospital, according to a recent letter sent to the New Hampshire Attorney General’s Office. In letters sent to those potentially impacted, officials said an unauthorized party gained access to Covenant Health’s IT environment on May 18.” According to Covenant Health, some of the accessed information may have included medical, health insurance and Social Security information.
QOL score: -1
Comment: “In response, Covenant Health is offering complimentary memberships and fraud monitoring systems to affected individuals and is enhancing its IT security measures,” WMUR reported.
QOL score last week: 67
Net change: -2
QOL this week: 65
What’s affecting your Quality of Life here in New Hampshire?
Let us know at news@hippopress.com.