Author: The Hippo Press

Frozen pipes

As reported by WMUR in a Jan. 27 online article, the recent cold weather has led to frozen pipes throughout New Hampshire. “As frigid weather continues in New Hampshire,” the article read, “plumbers say they’re keeping busy fixing frozen pipes.” WMUR quoted Steve Labbe, a plumber who has responded to dozens of frozen pipe calls over the past week or two.

QOL score: -1

Comment: According to the WMUR story, Labbe said: “It mostly happens to people that go away for vacation for a week, and they don’t know when they have no heat,” he said. “And then the house freezes up. We’ve seen that. And that’s thousands and thousands of dollars to fix.”

Can she declare a recess?

The Honorable Liv Crete-Sayer of Boscawen has been sworn in. As reported on nh.kidgovernor.org, the official website of the New Hampshire Kid Governor organization, [Kid] Governor Crete-Sayer and her Kid Executive Council “were inaugurated in a ceremony on Tuesday, January 27th in the NH House Chambers. Chief Justice Gordon MacDonald administered the oath of office and Governor Kelly Ayotte and other New Hampshire dignitaries presided.” Crete-Sayer’s “platform is to educate NH kids on the dangers of smoking, vaping, and drugs,” a post on the website read.

QOL score: +1

Comment: As explained on its website, “New Hampshire’s Kid Governor is a national award-winning civics program led by NH Civics in partnership with the New Hampshire Institute of Politics”.

More hungry families

As reported by NH Hunger Solutions (nhhungersolutions.org) on its website, with the future of the State’s SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) uncertain, 76,000 New Hampshire residents are at risk of going hungry. “The cost of operating SNAP in New Hampshire has increased,” the report said. “Historically, the state and federal government split administrative costs 50/50. Now, the state is required to cover 75% of the costs — an estimated $5.75 million increase to the state’s budget to run the program…. SNAP is our first line of defense against hunger in our state”

QOL score: -1

Comment: In a Jan. 23 blog post, the New Hampshire Fiscal Policy Institute (nhfpi.org) wrote, “Food insecurity in New Hampshire, while still lower than the national average, has been rising since the Covid-19 pandemic-era low.”

QOL score: 54

Net change: -1

QOL this week: 53

What’s affecting your Quality of Life here in New Hampshire?

Let us know at news@hippopress.com.

St. Patrick’s Day Parade canceled

According to its website (saintpatsnh.com), Manchester’s annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade, originally scheduled for Sunday, March 29, has been canceled. An announcement on the website read, “The St. Patrick’s Parade committee was recently met with the logistical challenge of shortening the parade route and changing the staging areas for the parade. At this time, as a small committee, we do not feel that we are equipped to handle the changes to be able to safely stage the parade in an organized manner…. We hope to be able to take this time to plan, recruit additional, knowledgeable volunteers and be able to safely host a St. Patrick’s parade in 2027.”

QOL score: -2

Comment: An announcement from Millenium Running, organizer of the Shamrock Shuffle, a 2-mile road race usually staged in conjunction with the Parade, read,”[W]e are currently in the process of possibly reworking the Shamrock Shuffle for a possible course and/or a date change. ” Visit millenniumrunning.com/shamrock.

Chicken with listeria

According to a Jan. 16 notice by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, more than 13,000 pounds of chicken products have been recalled in seven states, including New Hampshire, due to possible listeria contamination. “The ready-to-eat grilled chicken breast fillets were produced on October 14, 2025,” the notice read. They were produced by Sozanna’s Kitchen, a company in Norcross, Georgia. “There have been no confirmed reports of illness due to consumption of these products,” the notice said.

QOL score: -1

Comment: See fsis.usda.gov/recalls-alerts/suzannas-kitchen-recalls-ready-eat-grilled-chicken-breast-fillet-products-due to see the product label.

Saving for a rainy day

According to a Jan. 4 report by the New Hampshire Fiscal Policy Institute (nhfpi.org), a recent analysis by the Urban Institute (urban.org) reported that “nearly one in four New Hampshire households lacked $2,000 in savings for emergencies…. About 23 percent of New Hampshire households did not have non-retirement savings, such as money in a checking or savings account, totaling more than $2,000 in 2022.”

QOL score: -1

Comment: To view the data from the Urban Institute analysis, visit apps.urban.org/features/financial-health-wealth-dashboard.

QOL score last week: 58

Net change: -4

QOL this week: 54

What’s affecting your Quality of Life here in New Hampshire?

Let us know at news@hippopress.com.