New Hampshire native Justin Spencer of Recycled Percussion shared a heartwarming message on the band’s Facebook page following its Chaos & Kindness events at Rossview Farm in Concord last weekend. He wrote that a woman approached him after waiting in line for hours in the cold to meet the band — because she wanted to personally thank them for their, well, kindness at an event in Manchester four years ago. The woman had been homeless, living in a park where Recycled Percussion had a concert. Halfway through the show, Spencer wrote, he stopped and asked the people at the gate to let the homeless and less fortunate to come in and enjoy the rest of the show. “She said that was the moment she fell in love with us and has been waiting for 4 years to share how that act of kindness impacted her. … She has since gotten her life back on track and headed in a better direction and today I could tell how special it was to share that moment with us,” Spencer wrote.
Score: +1
Comment:Spencer’s post garnered 6,600 likes and more than 400 comments.
Goodbye, election flyers, calls and commercials
While we appreciate everyone’s efforts to get people out to vote, QOL will not miss the relentless barrage of political mailers, phone calls, texts and ads that led up to the general election. It is quite possible that we still don’t know who our new president will be by the time this paper hits the streets, and no matter what the outcome, there will likely be some strong feelings from both sides. But guys, no more calls or texts blowing up your phone! No more giant mailers that fill half your recycling container! No more House Hunters episodes being ruined by the onslaught of campaign ads!
Score: +1
Comment:This is a win no matter what side you’re on.
Confronting stigmas
Brielle Paquette, a videographer from Salem, has been named October’s Granite Stater of the Month by U.S. Sen. Maggie Hassan. According to a press release, Paquette is using her talent for filmmaking to confront the stigma surrounding mental illness, in part by opening up about her own struggles with an anxiety disorder. Pre-Covid, her mom filmed her standing blindfolded in the middle of a crowded area in Boston while holding a sign that read “20-50 percent of adolescents struggle with mental illness. Hug to show support for people who are struggling.” This footage of strangers hugging her became part of a PSA she put together in 2019.
Score: +1
Comment:Paquette has since filmed other PSAs about mental illness, and she uses her platform as Miss Londonderry to promote the message as well. She’s currently starting work on a PSA on body positivity, according to the release.
Award-winning trails in New Hampshire
The national Coalition for Recreational Trails has honored two Granite State trail projects with the Tom Petri Recreational Trails Program Achievement Awards, according to a press release from the New Hampshire Department of Natural & Cultural Resources. In southern New Hampshire, the Monadnock Trail Improvement Project won in the Youth Conservation/Service Corps and Community Outreach Category. Work on that project was done by the SCA NH AmeriCorps conservation services crew, which spent 10 weeks improving 4.5 miles of trails at Monadnock State Park. The other project award went to the Milan Trail Huggers Nash Stream Bridge in Milan, which diverted ATVs farther from area homeowners, according to the release.
Score: +1
Comment:Improvements to Monadnock trails — one of the most hiked mountains in the world, according to the press release — included new rock steps and rock staircases, and the closure of unofficial trails that bypassed eroded areas.
QOL score: 63
Net change: +4
QOL this week: 67
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 Oct. 25, Gov. Chris Sununu issued Exhibits V and W to Emergency Order No. 29, which had been issued on April 9. Emergency Order No. 29 requires state agencies, boards and commissions to submit recommendations to Sununu if any regulatory deadlines should be adjusted in response to the state of emergency. Per Exhibit V, in order to mitigate staffing concerns in police departments across the state, part-time officers who have not attended the full-time police academy will continue to be allowed to work during the pandemic. Per Exhibit W, in accordance with Emergency Order No. 12, the state’s Current Use Advisory Board will hold one public forum via phone and Webex in lieu of three in-person meetings. The forum will take place Tuesday, Nov. 17, at 1 p.m.
On Oct. 27, Sununu issued Emergency Order No. 71, an order temporarily suspending the penalty for a school’s failure to file a financial report showing receipts and expenditures to the state Department of Education.
On Oct. 30, Sununu issued Executive Order 2020-21, extending the state of emergency in New Hampshire due to the Covid-19 pandemic for another three weeks through at least Nov. 20. It’s the 11th extension he has issued since originally declaring a state of emergency on March 13.
In the last week, the New Hampshire Department of Health & Human Services announced two additional potential community exposures linked to positive cases of Covid-19, both at the Atkinson Resort & Country Club. The first one was announced on Oct. 27, with potential community exposure dates inside both Merrill’s Tavern and the Stagecoach Grille on Wednesday, Oct. 21, from noon to 7:30 p.m., and on Thursday, Oct. 22, from noon to 11:30 p.m. A second notice was issued on Oct. 30 in the same location, with more possible exposures, on Saturday, Oct. 24, from 11 a.m. to 11:30 p.m.; Sunday, Oct. 25, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and Monday, Oct. 26, from 4 to 9:45 p.m. Anyone who was there on any of those dates and times should monitor for symptoms and seek testing.
State health officials also announced 205 new positive infections on Oct. 31, the most reported in New Hampshire in a single day since the start of the pandemic in March. In a statement addressing this, Sununu said he expects cases to rise as community transmission increases. “As we enter these winter months, it will be more important than ever to wear your mask, practice social distancing, and maintain proper hand hygiene,” he said.
Details of all of Sununu’s Emergency Orders, Executive Orders and other announcements can be found at governor.nh.gov.
Inferior food
The New Hampshire congressional delegation has sent a letter to Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue regarding concerns that the products the New Hampshire Food Bank has been receiving do not meet nutritional standards, according to a press release. The USDA contracts with farms to provide food to state food banks through its Farmers Families Food Box Program; New Hampshire’s current distributor is Delaware-based Vincent Farms. Senators Jeanne Shaheen and Maggie Hassan and Representatives Annie Kuster and Chris Pappas said in the letter that the distributor for the program from the previous round, Costa Fruit & Produce, provided high-quality products for families in need, while the product provided by Vincent Farms was of “enormously inferior nutritional quality.” The letter also alleged that the USDA is paying more than the food boxes being provided by Vincent Farms have been estimated to be worth. “We understand that the USDA is paying $40 – $60 per box under the Farmers to Families Food Box Program. However, the cost per box of food provided to the New Hampshire Food Bank by the round three distributor has been estimated to equal $10 – $12. This significant discrepancy in value indicates a large potential profit opportunity for this distributor,” the letter reads. The delegation has asked the USDA to investigate the matter before it awards the fourth round of contracts for the program.
PFAS report
Last week, the Commission on the Environmental and Public Health Impacts of Perfluorinated Chemicals released its first Interim Report to highlight its initial assessments on the impacts of PFAS in the air, soil and groundwater in Merrimack, Bedford and Litchfield. The report includes recommendations such as extending the statute of limitations on chemical and PFAS-related injury, establishing a policy related to the identification of any PFAS chemicals that pose a concern to public health and/or the environment, create and implement educational standards and practices related to health implications of PFAS chemicals for all health care personnel, and require any source company responsible for water and soil contamination to be responsible for the costs of medical monitoring over a long-term basis for those exposed. The full report with all recommendations and findings can be seen at gencourt.state.nh.us/statstudcomm/committees/1495.
At-home-school tool
Parents have a new resource to help them support their children’s at-home learning. According to a press release from the New Hampshire Department of Education, the Parent and Family Digital Learning Guide will help parents use digital tools and resources, and it outlines the benefits and challenges of remote learning. “As New Hampshire families adjust to remote and hybrid instruction, parents remain essential in supporting students, and keeping them on track,” New Hampshire Education Commissioner Frank Edelblut said in the release. “This new Digital Learning Guide is a great tool for parents and caregivers to meet this challenge.” Access the guide at nhlearnsremotely.com.
EnVision Center
Harbor Care in Nashua has been designated as the first EnVision Center in New Hampshire, creating a centralized hub to provide resources to people in need, according to a press release. The EnVision Center program is run by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and provides services for HUD-assisted families. Harbor Care is one of more than 60 EnVision Centers in the country, but only the third in New England. The center supports four key pillars of self-sufficiency, according to the release: economic empowerment, educational advancement, health and wellness and character and leadership. “Harbor Care’s designation as an EnVision Center provides those chances for success for low-income residents,” Nashua Mayor Jim Donchess said in the release. “It makes even stronger Nashua’s existing support network for individuals and families in need of not just housing and financial support, but actual tools to guide them on a brighter path.”
Tons of drugs
During National Prescription Drug Take Back Day on Oct. 26, New Hampshire collected nearly 17,000 pounds of expired, unused and unwanted prescription drugs, as well as electronic vaping devices and cartridges, according to a press release. Throughout New England, the Drug Enforcement Administration collected more than 57 tons at 586 collection sites. This is in comparison to the first National Prescription Drug Take Back Day in September 2010, when the division collected 25,810 pounds of unwanted drugs. Massachusetts and Maine had the highest tallies (40,284 pounds and 40,100 pounds, respectively). New Hampshire collected 16,840 pounds, while Connecticut collected 8,002 pounds, Rhode Island collected 6,218 pounds and Vermont collected 4,498 pounds, according to the release.
Concord’s fall leaf collection started Monday with bulk leaf collection and bagged collection will start Nov. 23 for residents with curbside trash collection, continuing (weather permitting) through Dec. 11, according to a press release. For more details about how this year’s process will work, visit concordnh.gov.
Several roads will be closed for the Manchester City Marathon, scheduled for Sunday, Nov. 8, at 7:30 a.m., according to a press release. Starting at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 7, Elm Street from Pleasant Street to Merrimack Street will be closed until 5 p.m. Sunday. Starting at 6 a.m. Sunday, Elm Street between Granite and Bridge streets will be closed, and portions of the following roads will be closed: Hanover, Merrimack, Central, Spring, McGregor and Granite streets, and the Bridge Street Bridge. All roads will be reopened by 5 p.m.
The Hopkinton and Warner Historical Societies will present a virtual discussion about the influenza pandemic of 1918-1919 on Thursday, Nov. 12, at 7 p.m. The Zoom talk is free; for login information, email [email protected] or [email protected].
Nashua will hold its final Household Hazardous Waste Collection of 2020 on Saturday, Nov. 7, from 8 a.m. to noon at the Nashua City Park & Ride, 25 Crown St. Residents from Amherst, Brookline, Hollis, Hudson, Litchfield, Merrimack, Milford, Mont Vernon, Nashua, Pelham and Windham can participate, according to a press release. The cost is a $15 user fee per vehicle, with extra charges for waste that exceeds 10 gallons or 20 pounds. Latex paint, electronics and medications will not be accepted.
Drinks for Everyone Need a drink this weekend? Whether you’re looking for new cocktail ideas or non-alcoholic offerings that still pack big flavors, this week’s cover story features drinks for everybody — including two ideas for drinks to warm you up when the nights get cold.
Also on the cover, the Palace Theatre is hosting a live music-packed show — for free, p. 10. If you’re looking for something to do outside this weekend, we have 21 great ideas, from pumpkin hunts to full-moon hikes, p. 11. And the Annapurna Curry & Sekuwa House opens in Manchester, p.19.
Covid-19 updateAs of October 19As of October 126Total cases statewide9,74610,397Total current infections statewide1,0201,002Total deaths statewide468475New cases603 (Oct. 12 to Oct ...
Also Chris Messina and around the edges Josh Lucas and Michelle Rodriguez. This, what, horror movie?, comedy-horror, I think I saw it called in the trailer?, is, as writer Joe Reid said in a tweet a few months back, either the best or worst possible movie for right now. A woman is convinced, for no apparent reason, that she is going to die tomorrow. She believes it, completely, to the befuddlement of the friend she tells until that friend also believes, wholly, that she is going to die tomorrow. Is it some kind of fast-acting neurological illness? A sudden realization of the destruction coming from some outside force? A highly contagious kind of mass hysteria (with all the weight that comes with the word “hysteria”)? Does it matter? The movie works however you see the thing that has everybody feeling doom. I’m sure even if 2020 hadn’t gone the way it’s currently going this movie would still feel relevant — the idea of sudden, life-ending disaster applies even when you aren’t in the middle of a pandemic. (At one point, three characters introduce themselves saying their names followed by “I’m dying,” which is true even if it isn’t true.) As different people get hit with “I’m going to die tomorrow,” the movie perfectly captures the “oh heck, why not have the whole box of cookies; gah, obesity is a comorbidity! No more cookies!” of this particular moment in the real world. It is at times funny, at times poignant, at times just weird — not unlike 2020. BAvailable for rent.
Relic(R)
Emily Mortimer, Bella Heathcote.
Kay (Mortimer) and her daughter Sam (Heathcote) arrive at Kay’s mother’s Edna (Robin Nevin) rural-ish house in Australia after neighbors report the woman missing. Post-It note reminders to do basic things and general disarray (plus a recent history of forgetting things) have Kay believing her mother is slipping into dementia. But Kay and Sam can’t completely deny that Edna’s house is also quite creepy. So when Edna suddenly reappears, with a strange dark bruise and no memory of what’s happened, Kay in particular seems to think it’s time her mother live somewhere else. But they, and we, also catch glimpses of strange shadows and sudden blooms of mold that suggest something more malignant is at work in the house.
There are, I think, a few different ways to read this movie, which to me plays out as kind of a nightmare of fears and anxieties more than as a straightforward spooky tale. I felt like, as the movie goes on, it’s making a physical reality of the way disorientation and fear feel and that the movie is more metaphoric by the end than it is introducing us to the next, like, Annabelle or some specific demonic thing. And that, the terror that awaits in your own mind (coupled with some deeply sad stuff about caring for an aging loved one), is way scarier, to me anyway. But I think this movie also allows you to figure out what flavor of horror movie it is for yourself. Either way, it does a solid job of presenting actually scary situations and settings and of ramping up a feeling of dread with all three of the movie’s actresses doing good work. BAvailable for rent.
Good Boy (TV-MA)
Judy Greer, McKinley Freeman.
Greer is Maggie, a down on her luck newspaper reporter who adopts a murderously loyal dog in this movie that is actually maybe an episode of a TV show called Into the Dark. It’s a Hulu thing and it’s an hour and 29 and I’m counting it as a movie, a comedy horror to be exact. This movie is entertaining largely because of Greer, who is fun to watch even if she’s cleaning up entrails after her dog, Reuben, has, say, murdered the landlady, who keeps trying to raise the rent. Reuben is supposed to be an emotional support animal, adopted just as Maggie’s reporter job went from full-time and in print to contract and online (which was not only a professional setback but a financial one and it meant she didn’t have the money to cover the fertility treatments she was hoping would give her just a little more time to find Mr. Right). The movie isn’t particularly deep but it’s off-kilter and just entertaining enough to brighten up your laundry-folding, bill-paying 90 minutes.B-
If being adorable was a job requirement, it’s no wonder Fin got the gig.The 14-week-old chocolate Labrador retriever has joined the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department’s Law Enforcement Division’s K-9 Team, according to a news release on the department’s website. Fin met his new partner, Fish and Game Conservation Officer Kenneth St. Pierre, in September. “Fin will work on basic obedience, tracking, and exposure to both evidence and fish and wildlife daily,” St. Pierre said in the news release. Fin was donated by Wes and Belinda Reed of Rise and Shine Retrievers in Barnstead.
Score: +1
Comment: Who wouldn’t want to go to work with a partner like that?
Holiday stroll canceled
The 27th annual Winter Holiday Stroll in Downtown Nashua will have to wait, as the event has been canceled this year, according to a press release from Great American Downtown. Typically held on the Saturday after Thanksgiving, the stroll features performers, vendors, demonstrations and other attractions. With the ongoing community-based transmission of Covid-19, local health officials advised the City of Nashua and Great American Downtown that the event should be postponed until 2021.
Score: -1
Comment: As the holiday season approaches, Great American Downtown has planned several activities for downtown Nashua, including outdoor music, contests and the return of Plaid Friday to support small businesses the day after Thanksgiving.
New homes to help end homelessness
Four people who have been experiencing long-term homelessness will soon have new homes in the Green Street Apartments in Concord, according to a press release. The apartments, which have been renovated by the Concord Coalition to End Homelessness, are the culmination of efforts from numerous local businesses and organizations, from Warren Street Architects supplying designs and construction oversight at a drastically reduced rate to the Concord Food Co-op, Franklin Savings Bank, Keeler Family Realtors and Merrimack County Savings Bank furnishing, decorating and stocking each of the four homes.
Score: +1
Comment:“Green Street is really the story of so many people coming together and of an opportunity for a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow,” CCEH Director Ellen Groh said in the release.
ELL teacher honored
Danielle Boutin, an English Language Learner teacher at Ledge Street School in Nashua, has been named the 2021 New Hampshire Teacher of the Year by the Department of Education, according to a press release. Boutin teaches multilingual students in kindergarten through fifth grade, and she also works to connect her students and their families to community resources that can provide support for issues like food and housing insecurity, domestic violence and trauma.
Score: +1
Comment: “This has been one heck of a year in education,” Boutin said in the release. “All of the parents out there are also Teachers of the Year as they teach their kids from home. It takes a lot of people to help students succeed.”
QOL score: 61
Net change: +2
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
During an Oct. 22 press conference, state epidemiologist Dr. Benjamin Chan provided a public health update on New Hampshire’s ongoing fight against Covid-19, saying that the state has seen about 80 new infections per day on average over the last one to two weeks.
With its updated numbers on Oct. 23, New Hampshire surpassed 10,000 positive tests for the virus since the start of the pandemic in March. Despite this, the state has the third lowest rate of new cases of Covid-19 per capita in the country, according to Gov. Chris Sununu, with the test-positivity rate continuing to be at around 1 percent.
Also on Oct. 23, the Governor’s Economic Re-Opening Task Force released new guidance documents for hockey and indoor ice arenas in the state, following a two-week “pause” that began on Oct. 15 of all indoor ice activities due to multiple Covid-19 outbreaks. All rink staff, volunteers, athletes, referees and coaches are required to be tested for the virus before Nov. 6. The guidance for indoor ice facilities prohibits restaurants, bars and arcades from being used, encourages sneeze guard barriers at check-in/check-out counters, and requires a one-way flow of foot traffic throughout the facility, with specific entry and exit points.
Details of Sununu’s Emergency Orders, Executive Orders, Re-Opening guidance documents and more can be found at governor.nh.gov.
Emergency order violations
Two businesses have been fined for not complying with the governor’s coronavirus emergency orders, and the New Hampshire Attorney General’s Office continues to get complaints from customers about noncompliance, according to an Oct. 26 report from WMUR. The complaints are mainly about workers not wearing masks and businesses not enforcing social distancing. According to an Oct. 19 press release, Fat Katz in Hudson was sent a notice of violation assessing a $2,000 civil penalty for allegedly bringing karaoke indoors. According to WMUR, New England Flag Football was also fined $2,000 for violations. “We were very clear in writing to those organizations and businesses as to what they needed to do, and they both confirmed with us they understood that and then they proceeded to do different things,” Associate Attorney General Anne Edwards said, according to WMUR. More fines are expected to be issued in the next few weeks as the Attorney General’s Office continues to investigate complaints, Edwards said.
Fire ban lifted
State officials have lifted the ban on certain fires now that some soaking rains have reduced the potential for wildfires, according to a press release. Kindling of open fires is now allowed, as is smoking outdoors in or near public woodlands or on public trails, and permits are once again available for fires greater than four feet in diameter and not contained within a ring of fire-resistive material. Permits are always required for any open burning, according to the release, and can be obtained from a local fire department or at nhfirepermit.com.
MediGap shopping
There’s a new free interactive online dashboard to help consumers who are shopping for Medicare Supplement (MediGap) plans, the New Hampshire Insurance Department announced in a press release. The dashboard will allow consumers to find and compare rates based on their gender, age, plan type and preferred company. MediGap policies help cover some health care costs that Medicare does not, including copayments, coinsurance and deductibles, according to the release. The rates on the dashboard are available during an individual’s open enrollment, a six-month period that begins the month the person turns 65 and has Medicare Part A and Part B, though people who are changing plans or want to get a renewal rate can contact specific companies directly, according to the release. Visit nh.gov/insurance or call 1-866-634-9412.
Drought assistance
Low-income New Hampshire homeowners who have residential wells with insufficient or no water because of the drought can get short-term relief and financial assistance with a new initiative from the state’s Drinking Water and Groundwater Advisory Commission and Department of Environmental Services. According to a press release, short-term relief will be available in the form of free bottled water deliveries for people whose income is at or below 80 percent of the area median household income and who have no water due to the ongoing drought. This is a temporary measure to ensure that everyone has access to clean water for drinking and cooking. For permanent drought relief, financial assistance will be available for improving or replacing residential wells, or to connect to an existing community water system. “Given the severity of the drought, recent precipitation has done relatively little to alter drought conditions impacting residential wells in New Hampshire,” NHDES Commissioner Bob Scott said in the release. “Residents still need to take every action to conserve water now and for the foreseeable future.” Income eligibility requirements and financial assistance information can be found at des.nh.gov.
Drug disposal
Last week, the New Hampshire Hospital Association, the New Hampshire Department of Education and the Foundation for Healthy Communities partnered with the Public Health Networks and the Rx Abuse Leadership Initiative of New Hampshire to distribute 25,000 prescription drug disposal bags throughout the state, according to a press release. In the past few months, 50,000 of the Deterra Drug Deactivation disposal pouches, donated by RALI NH, have been distributed as part of an effort to educate families on safe medicine storage and disposal practices. Making sure prescription medications are securely stored out of the reach of children and safely disposing of unused or expired medications can help prevent drug misuse, the release said. Find take-back locations at ralinh.org
At a press conference in Concord on Monday, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development announced that it is awarding more than $12.3 million to agencies in New Hampshire to help protect children and families from lead-based paint and home health hazards, according to a press release. The week of Oct. 25 through Oct. 31 is Lead Poisoning Prevention Week.
Free meal boxes that include 12 pounds of produce, 5 pounds of meat, 5 pounds of dairy and a gallon of 2-percent milk will be distributed to families in need on Saturday, Oct. 31, from 9 to 11 a.m. at SNHU Arena in Manchester, according to a press release. The food is being provided by Granite United Way, in partnership with the YMCA of Downtown Manchester, Southern New Hampshire University and the Manchester School District.
A socially distant groundbreaking ceremony for the new location of Family Promise of Southern New Hampshire is scheduled to be held Thursday, Oct. 29, at 3 Crown St. in Nashua. The renovated space will provide transitional housing to more than 25 families, which is double its current capacity, according to a press release.
