Author: The Hippo Press

Yeah but what about ‘Baconchester’? ‘Baconcord’?

In an Oct. 2 press release, New Hampshire Lottery described the return of its “bacon-scented, scratch-n-sniff $2 ‘I Heart Bacon’ scratch ticket” this way: “As players scratch the “I Heart Bacon” ticket, they’ll be met with the aroma of sizzling bacon, and an opportunity to win up to $10,000, along with a second-chance drawing for a … full year’s supply of bacon from North Country Smokehouse in Claremont.” To promote the sniffy scratchies, the NH Lottery posted a video on its website replacing the “ham”s in say New Hampshire or Durham or Pelham, with “bacon,” so “New Baconshire,” “PelBacon,” etc.

QOL score: +1

Comment: Because at least you know you’ll win the bacon smell.

Dry but colorful

In an Oct. 2 press release, the University of New Hampshire announced that the state’s drought conditions will not have a significant impact on this fall’s foliage. “There should be plenty of leaf peeping opportunities this year,” the press release read. The report quoted Steve Roberge, professor of natural resources and UNH Extension forestry specialist: “[Y]ou still see color because it is already in the leaves from the rainy weather we had this spring.”

QOL score: +1

Comment: “The color’s reveal is controlled by the length of the days and nights as we head into fall,” said Roberge. “What has been great so far are these lovely 45-degree nights that help to bring out the first reds and deep purple colors.”

The number of NH drug deaths has dropped

A recently released study by the New Hampshire Fiscal Policy Institute found that drug-related deaths in New Hampshire have dropped to their lowest level in more than a decade. “In 2024, 287 Granite Staters died from drug-related causes, down from a peak of 490 in 2017,” the Institute reported in a Sept. 30 press release. The study credited State investment in anti-drug measures for much of the decrease.

QOL score: +3

Comment: According to the Fiscal Policy Institute, “In 2015, New Hampshire had the second-highest drug-related mortality rate in the nation (32.5 deaths per 100,000 residents). By 2024, that rate had fallen more than 38 percent to 20.0 deaths per 100,000 — the lowest in New England and below the national average.” Visit nhfpi.org/press-releases.

QOL score last week: 68

Net change: +5

QOL this week: 73

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

Let us know at news@hippopress.com.

From UNH to space!

As reported by the University of New Hampshire in a Sept. 24 press release, New Hampshire-built technology was aboard a rocket launched that morning. “Instrumentation designed and built by researchers, engineers and students from the University of New Hampshire (UNH) blasted off on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Kennedy Space Center in Florida,” the press release read. “The rocket is headed toward the sun as a part of NASA’s latest scientific mission to better understand the impact of space weather, cosmic radiation and their impacts on Earth.”

QOL score: +1

Comment: As reported by WMUR in a Sept. 25 online article, “Multiple spacecraft from the rocket are expected to reach their destination, a location between Earth and the Sun about one million miles away, by January.” Visit “UNH and IMAP-Lo“ on YouTube.

You might need to borrow a little more money

As reported by the Concord Monitor in a Sept. 24 online article, the cost of buying a home in New Hampshire has gone up. Again. “August marked the 67th consecutive month in which New Hampshire home prices were higher than in the same month a year earlier, according to the New Hampshire Association of Realtors,” according to the article

QOL score: -2

Comment: “Rockingham County topped the list as the most expensive area to buy a house last month,” the Monitor reported, “with a median price of $689,000. In Merrimack County, the median price was $527,500.”

Hoping you don’t work at the top of a hill

In a Sept. 28 post, the New Hampshire Department of Transportation announced on its Facebook page (facebook.com/NHDOT) that it was encouraging the drivers of New Hampshire not to drive. In a post titled, “Could You Go a Week Without Driving?” the DOT wrote that “from Sept 29 – Oct 5, NHDOT is stepping out of the driver’s seat and into the reality of millions who rely on walking, rolling, biking, transit, or carpooling every day.” They prompted temporary non-drivers to “sign up at weekwithoutdriving.org.”

QOL score: +1 for good intentions

Comment: The online responses included: “Well, that’ll be a really long walk to get groceries 35+miles away,” and, simply, “No.”

QOL score last week: 68

Net change: 0

QOL this week: 68