Despite the challenges of the past year, there’s still plenty to celebrate about living in New Hampshire. Readers voted on their favorite people, places and things in the Granite State; now, check out the results and make some plans to grab a winning bite, take a mini hike or enjoy a night of comedy or live music from some of our best local talent.
Also on the cover, immerse yourself in verse during Poetry Month, p. 24. New Hampshire breweries celebrate Craft Beer Week, p. 30. And springtime means spring wines, p. 35.
Covid-19 updateAs of March 22As of March 29Total cases statewide80,75083,340Total current infections statewide2,3342,785Total deaths statewide1,2171,237New cases1,937 (March 16 to March ...
A third-grade environmental science class from Hollis Primary School stood before the Senate Executive Departments & Administration Committee last week to push for the passage of HB 318, which would proclaim the daring jumping spider to be the state spider of New Hampshire, according to a press release. Tara Happy, the teacher who taught the spider unit to her class in October, told the Concord Monitor in December that the daring jumping spider won the school-wide election in part because it can jump really far, can withstand New Hampshire winters, isn’t harmful to people and is the size and shape of a button.
Score: +1
Comment:“Not only was their testimony educational and persuasive, it was a pleasure to hear about the ways in which teachers and their students have creatively adapted approaches to education during the pandemic,” Sens. Kevin Cavanaugh (D-Manchester) and Sue Prentiss (D-West Lebanon) wrote in a statement after the session.
Manchester PD takes 30×30 Pledge
The Manchester Police Department has announced a new initiative called the 30×30 Pledge, with the goal of increasing the number of women in recruit classes by 30 percent by 2030, according to a press release. The department will look at low- and no-cost ways to attract and retain female officers, who, according to the release, generally use less excessive force, are named in fewer complaints and lawsuits, are perceived as being more honest and compassionate by communities and see better outcomes for crime victims, especially in sexual assault cases.
Score: +1
Comment:“This pledge means that the Manchester Police Department is actively working to improve gender equity and identify any disparities that there may be,” Chief Allen Aldenberg said in the release. “The goal is to eliminate barriers and advance women in policing.”
Vaccination registration success!
It took until Phase 3, but New Hampshire’s vaccination scheduling system is now running smoothly — and QOL can vouch for that, as it took all of five minutes to sign up through the VINI website on Monday and find an appointment for later this week. According to a press release, almost 37,000 appointments were booked Monday by 5 p.m., as New Hampshire became the first state in New England to expand vaccine eligibility to residents 40 and over.
Score: +1
Comment: QOL felt bad for all of the people who previously struggled with scheduling problems in Phases 1 and 2 and spent hours trying to navigate an overwhelmed system but was relieved to get that appointment with no issues.
QOL score: 60
Net change: +3
QOL this week: 63
What’s affecting your Quality of Life here in New Hampshire? Let us know at [email protected].
Information from the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services
Covid-19 news
State residents between the ages of 40 and 49 became eligible to register for the Covid-19 vaccine on March 29, through the state-run Vaccine & Immunizations Network Interface website at vaccines.nh.gov. On March 31, those between the ages of 30 and 39 became eligible. Starting on April 2, everyone between the ages of 16 and 29 will be able to register. “We feel fairly confident that everyone should be able to get their first shot by Memorial Day,” Gov. Chris Sununu said in a March 25 press conference.
On March 26, Sununu issued Emergency Orders No. 87 and No. 88. Emergency Order No. 87 extends the statewide mask mandate for another three weeks through at least April 16. Emergency Order No. 88 extends the stay-at-home advisory, also through at least April 16.
Also on March 26, Sununu issued Executive Order 2021-5, extending the state of emergency in New Hampshire due to the pandemic for another three weeks through at least April 16. It’s the 18th extension he has issued since declaring a state of emergency in March 2020.
New NH AG
John Formella was confirmed on March 24 as New Hampshire’s next Attorney General after a 4-1 Executive Council vote. “John’s work ethic is unmatched, and I have no doubt he will make an exceptional Attorney General and advance the best interests of Granite Staters,” Gov. Chris Sununu said in a statement.
State budget
The NH Fiscal Policy Institute is hosting a free webinar on Monday, April 5, from 1 to 2:30 p.m. to provide a closer look at the House Finance Committee’s budget proposal for Fiscal Years 2022 and 2023, according to a press release. Examining the State Budget: The House Finance Committee’s Proposal will be held virtually via Zoom and will include a discussion of key changes from the governor’s budget proposal and the current operating budget, and the potential impact of federal aid that’s expected from the American Rescue Plan Act, as well as a question and answer session. Pre-registration is required. Visit NHFPI’s online at nhfpi.org,
At 57, Barb Higgins of Concord is the oldest woman to give birth in New Hampshire, according to a report from the Concord Monitor. Higgins gave birth March 27 to a healthy boy, whom she and her husband, Ken Banzhoff, named Jack Kearsley Banzhoff, according to the report.
A new resale shop has opened in Contoocook, according to a press release. On March 26, the Contoocook Chamber of Commerce hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony for Granny Chic Boutique, which offers clothing and home items from a variety of eras and genres. Owner Elizabeth Catalena said in the release that she has spent many hours looking for unique items that express individualism.
Spark Academy of Advanced Technologies in Manchester is sending four two-member robotics teams to compete in the NH SKILLS USA Mobile Robotics Competition on April 2, according to a press release. The Spark Robotics teams will have their robots perform tasks both under driver control and autonomously, based on their programming. The winner will compete at the national level in June, according to the release.
If you’re looking for some adults-only fun that trumps going out to dinner (again), a wine tasting is a great way to get out and try something new. Explore all kinds of flavors, learn about New Hampshire’s unique wine culture and find your perfect pour.
Also on the cover, Chris Viaud of Milford talks about his experience competing in Top Chef, p 24. IPAs may be trendy, but with good reason, p. 28. And Kelly MacFarland brings the laughs to Chunky’s, p. 34.
Covid-19 updateAs of March 15As of March 22Total cases statewide78,81380,750Total current infections statewide2,0642,334Total deaths statewide1,1991,217New cases1,753 (March 9 to March ...
After a regional vaccine clinic for teachers was held at the Steeplegate Mall in Concord on Sunday, March 21, several schools were forced to close Monday after hundreds of teachers who received the vaccine called in sick, according to a March 22 report from WMUR. Teachers from several local districts received the one-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine, and many started feeling side effects shortly thereafter. Concord, Hopkinton and Hillsboro-Deering all canceled school, but it was too late for Bow to cancel after the buses went out, despite ultimately having more than 50 staff members call out. The district sent an emergency alert to parents asking them to keep middle and high school students remote if possible.
Score: -1
Comment: “Is it a perfect day of school? No, but we were able to cover and be open for the students that really needed us to be, especially because of the late-breaking nature of this,” Bow Superintendent Dean Cascadden told WMUR.
Dancing in spite of it all
Some Milford residents have spent part of every evening for the past year dancing outside. According to a March 16 report from WMUR, the Myrtle Street neighborhood celebrated its one-year anniversary of its nightly outdoor dance party on March 15. “We’ve been keeping it going for 365 days and if one of us couldn’t make it, then everyone else would represent,” Monica Kluz said in the report. The parties were inspired by a video of neighbors in Italy singing together from their balconies. Now the whole town knows about the 6 p.m. dance party, and at the moment, there’s no plan to stop.
Score: +1
Comment: Even in the dead of winter, the dancing continued. “We always made it out for at least one song,” said Jamie Anderson. “So we would dance real quick to keep our bodies warm and then we would run back in.”
Meth, not Adderall
On March 22, Sen. Maggie Hassan retweeted a post from the Drug Enforcement Administration’s New England division warning young people in the region — and specifically in New Hampshire — that they are being targeted with counterfeit prescription pills that look like Adderall but are made with methamphetamine and caffeine. DEA New England has released a poster warning parents, coaches, teachers and kids that the fake ADHD drug is on the streets being sold illicitly. The poster shows how the fake pills are nearly identical to real Adderall and said that meth dealers are specifically targeting students in college, high school and middle school.
Score: -2
Comment: “They’ve shown up all over New England, but specifically New Hampshire,” DEA Special Agent in Charge Jon DeLena said in a WMUR report. “All four corners of the state are seizing these pills and they are deadly. … It’s probably one of the most critical messages that we’ve had to deliver yet.”
Rent costs going up in New Hampshire
The average cost to rent an apartment in New Hampshire is increasing at a higher rate than almost anywhere else in the country, according to a new report from QuoteWizard, an online insurance marketplace. While the average cost of one-bedroom apartments in 15 states has dropped in the past two years — mainly highly populated states like Massachusetts, whose rent dropped 11.3 percent to an average of $1,152 — New Hampshire joins other rural states like Montana, Idaho and Vermont in the Top 10 states that have seen an increase. The Granite State ranks No. 6 for rental increases, with the average cost of an apartment has gone up 7.5 percent in the last two years and is now $1,010, compared to $939 in 2019.
Score: -1
Comment: According to the report, since the beginning of the pandemic, the number of available apartments has gone down 10 percent in suburban areas.
QOL score: 63
Net change: -3
QOL this week: 60
What’s affecting your Quality of Life here in New Hampshire? Let us know at [email protected].
Information from the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services
Covid-19 news
On March 15, the New Hampshire Department of Health & Human Services issued a notice of potential community exposures connected to positive Covid-19 cases associated with the King of the Mat wrestling tournament, which was held on March 6 at The Rim Sports Complex in Hampton. Anyone who attended the tournament between 5 and 10 p.m. that day, according to health officials, should be monitoring symptoms and should seek testing.
The state launched its new Vaccine & Immunizations Network Interface website on March 17, at 8 a.m., according to a press release, just in time for Phases 2A and 2B vaccine appointment scheduling to begin. The new VINI platform is a state-run site, transitioning New Hampshire away from the federally run VAMS portal. During the state’s public health update in a March 18 press conference, Gov. Chris Sununu said the system was loaded with about 200,000 first-dose appointments through the month of April. He said the state is on pace to expand vaccine access to all adults over the age of 16 in New Hampshire within weeks. “We don’t have a firm date on that yet,” he said, “but it really is just weeks away that any adult citizen in the state of New Hampshire will be able to go to VINI and sign up for their vaccine as well.” As of March 18, about 12 percent of the state’s population has been fully vaccinated, according to Dr. Beth Daly, Chief of the Bureau of Infectious Disease Control of the New Hampshire Department of Health & Human Services. “To date, 31 regional clinics have been held with 6,500 people in Phase 2A vaccinated,” Daly said later during the press conference. “An additional 36 regional clinics are scheduled through the end of March, with plans to vaccinate another 20,000 people.”
Registration for Phase 2B, which includes people between the ages of 50 and 64, opened on March 22, with the first appointments beginning on March 25. Hundreds of thousands of newly eligible registrants encountered problems on the site as soon as they were able to log in at 8 a.m., according to a report from WMUR, with many others who called 211 not being able to get through on the phone. “An unprecedented volume of web traffic was experienced this morning, a good sign that Granite Staters are ready and eager to receive their vaccine,” Sununu said in the March 22 report. “Registrations have been accepted and continue to be processed at an increasing pace, with over 35,000 having scheduled an appointment within the first three hours.”
Funding input
The office of Manchester Mayor Joyce Craig issued a press release last week asking Queen City residents to share ideas on how to spend the federal funds that the city will be getting from the American Rescue Plan Act. According to the press release, Manchester will receive approximately $44 million over two years. Though it’s waiting for more guidance from the U.S. Department of the Treasury on how exactly the funds can be used, the idea is to help with local economic recovery, which includes things like assistance to households, small businesses and nonprofits, assistance to hard-hit industries like tourism, travel, and hospitality, premium pay for essential workers and infrastructure investment. Craig is asking residents to share their Covid-19 stories, specifically how it’s impacted them and how they’d like to see the funds used. “For over a year, our community has felt the widespread negative impacts of Covid-19. This is the first time the City of Manchester is receiving direct funding, and we want to ensure it’s used to best meet the needs of our community,” Craig said in the release. Contact the mayor’s office or fill out a form at bit.ly/ARP4MHT.
Homeless Assessment
Last week the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development released its 2020 Annual Homeless Assessment Report Part 1 and, according to a press release, the report found that 1,675 people experienced homelessness in New Hampshire on a single night in 2020, which is an increase of 20 percent from 2019. HUD releases its report in two parts; Part 1 is a snapshot of homelessness on a single night, conducted during the last 10 days of January each year, so these numbers are pre-Covid. Other key findings in New Hampshire: Unsheltered homelessness increased 133 percent, with 199 people counted in 2019 compared to 348 in 2020. Also seeing increases were family homelessness, veteran homelessness and chronic homelessness. Youth homelessness is down 22.6 percent, according to the press release.
Rachel Budd from Bow High School has been selected as the alternate winner of the 2021 New Hampshire Poetry Out Loud High School Championship, according to a press release from the New Hampshire State Council on the Arts. Budd will fill in for winner Lilla Bozek from Newmarket High School if Bozek can’t participate in the national finals. Bozek received $200 and Newmarket High School got a $500 stipend for the purchase of poetry books, while Budd received $100, plus a $200 stipend for Bow High School’s poetry book collection.
Detective Justin Breton has been named 2020 Officer of the Year for the Manchester Police Department, where he’s served since 2010, according to a press release. He has been a patrol officer, a juvenile detective, a detective with the Investigative Division and a SWAT negotiator, he is the director of the Manchester Police Critical Incident Stress Management Team, and he’s the primary handler of Manchester’s comfort dog, Patch.
Beth Greenwood of Amherst is the first American-born female catcher of an NCAA baseball team. According to a report from WMUR, Greenwood is a junior at the University of Rochester in New York, and she has earned a spot on the roster of her school’s baseball team. She has never played softball; she was on the baseball team at Souhegan High School, according to the report.
The CHaD NH East-West High School All-Star Football Game, which will feature more than 80 of New Hampshire’s best football players taking the field to raise money for Children’s Hospital at Dartmouth-Hitchcock, will also be a tribute to Londonderry High School football captain Jacob Naar, who was killed in a car accident on March 12. According to a press release, his family has chosen to fulfill his wishes of fundraising for the game, and his team will not replace Naar on the roster; instead his teammates will honor his memory at the game, which is scheduled for July.
