The Conservation Moose Plate Grant Program has awarded $431,901 in grant funds to 21 projects aimed at protecting, restoring and enhancing the state’s natural resources. According to a press release from the New Hampshire State Conservation Committee, several local organizations received funding, including the Audubon Society of New Hampshire ($23,534 for Urban Habitat Restoration: A Community-Based Approach for Wildlife and People); the Town of Chichester Conservation Commission ($23,156 for the Valley View Conservation Area); the Five Rivers Conservation Trust in Warner ($22,000 for Pletcher Farm (a vegetable ranch) Conservation Easement); and Hillsborough County Conservation District ($14,953 Siergiewicz Lot Reclamation and Wildlife Restoration Project in Hollis).
Score: +1
Comment:To everyone driving around with a moose on their license plate, the environment thanks you!
Good news for Great Bay
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced last week that it has issued a Clean Water Act general permit for wastewater treatment plants that discharge to New Hampshire’s Great Bay estuary. According to a press release, the permit will protect water quality and the health of ecosystems in the estuary by limiting nitrogen discharges from the 13 wastewater treatment plants in 12 communities that are eligible for coverage. “Over the past decade, the state and communities around Great Bay have been asking the EPA for flexible, adaptive management to control nutrients in the estuary. This permit delivers that approach and paves a way forward that will be guided by science and community action,” Bob Scott, New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services commissioner, said in the release.
Score: +1
Comment: The Great Bay estuary, which is an estuary of national significance under the EPA’s National Estuary Program, has had water quality problems for years, including algae blooms and declining eelgrass habitat — all because of excessive nitrogen discharges, according to the release.
And in even more happy nature news…
The New Hampshire Audubon has announced that its Nature Store at the McLane Center in Concord will be opening its doors for the first time since March. According to a press release, the Audubon will host a Holiday Shopping Series from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on the weekends of Dec. 5 and 6, Dec. 12 and 13, and Dec. 19 and 20. “We are so excited to finally open safely to serve our community for all its nature needs and holiday shopping,” education coordinator Shelby Morelli said in the release.
Score: +1
Comment:In the past this has been a one-day shopping event, but it has been extended to six days in order to limit the number of shoppers in the building at one time, according to the release.
… but not so great news for Bambi
More people are hunting and fishing this year, with the New Hampshire Fish & Game Department processing more than 87,600 resident fishing licenses through September (35 percent more than last year) and more than 7,700 resident hunting licenses this year, which is 18 percent more than last year, according to a Nov. 25 report from NHPR.
Score: 0 (Because although this is probably unwelcome news to forest creatures, game birds and other wildlife, it’s a good thing for the state’s hunting and fishing industry.)
Comment:Despite travel restrictions and intermittent quarantining rules, New Hampshire also saw about a 20-percent increase in non-resident permits for both hunting and fishing, according to the report.
QOL score: 65
Net change: +3
QOL this week: 68
What’s affecting your Quality of Life here in New Hampshire? Let us know at news@hippopress.com.
Information from the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services
Covid-19 news
On Nov. 21, the New Hampshire Department of Health & Human Services issued a notice of potential community exposures connected to positive cases of Covid-19 at Grumpy’s Bar & Grill in Plaistow. According to the notice, the exposures likely occurred in the eatery’s bar and pool table areas on the evenings of Nov. 10 and Nov. 14. State health officials have identified three positive cases of the virus associated with Grumpy’s, and the state Attorney General’s Office is investigating multiple violations of food service guidelines.
New Hampshire surpassed 20,000 positive tests of Covid-19 over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, according to a Nov. 28 report from WMUR — these included a two-day total of 702 cases on Thanksgiving Day and the following day. WMUR also reported that state hospitalizations from the virus also reached a new high, of 160 as of Dec. 1.
Because people can begin experiencing symptoms of Covid-19 within two days of being exposed, state health officials say now is the time when you will see any direct links between the virus and Thanksgiving celebrations you had, according to WMUR’s Nov. 29 report. The incubation period of the virus can last anywhere from two to 14 days.
On Nov. 30, DHHS issued a notice of potential community exposures connected to positive virus cases at the Stumble Inn Bar & Grill in Londonderry, which occurred between Nov. 11 and Nov. 23. At least 11 positive cases have been reported so far at the Stumble Inn, which is currently closed, according to the notice.
New council
Last week, members of the newly established Council on Housing Stability were announced. According to a press release, the council is a “revamped effort of the State’s Interagency Council on Homelessness” and has been tasked with updating the state’s plan for addressing homelessness, including broader issues related to housing affordability and stability. The council is made up of dozens of members, including city mayors, representatives from several state departments, building and landlord association representatives, experts in the areas of homelessness and housing instability, and people who have experienced housing instability. The Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Business and Economic Affairs, and the New Hampshire Community Development Finance Authority will lead the council, according to the release. A preliminary plan is due from the council no later than Dec. 14; its first meeting is scheduled for Dec. 4.
NH-JAG awarded
New Hampshire Jobs for America’s Graduates has earned the national 5 of 5 Award, according to a press release. NH-JAG, which provides support for youth in the state who face significant academic, emotional and economic challenges, has met or exceeded JAG’s national standards. The program offers mentoring, employability skills instruction and leadership development activities and is available at eight New Hampshire high schools and one out-of-school health care training program. NH-JAG has served more than 300 students this year, and more than 19,000 students since its inception, according to the release. “In New Hampshire, JAG boasts an impressive 100 percent graduation rate and 76 percent full-time job placement rate, even amid a pandemic. We applaud the NH-JAG Specialists [teachers] for their hard work and unwavering support of their students, which helped NH-JAG achieve the 5 of 5 Award this year, despite the unprecedented challenges of Covid-19,” Ken Smith, president of JAG, said in the release. Smith presented the 5 of 5 Award to Gov. Chris Sununu during a virtual ceremony on Nov. 30.
Voluntary services
The New Hampshire Division for Children, Youth and Families announced last week that it has partnered with two social service agencies to provide community-based voluntary services for at-risk children and families. The partnerships with Waypoint, based in Manchester, and the Family Resource Center, based in Gorham, will bridge the gap between initial contact with DCYF and community-based voluntary services. According to a press release, voluntary services provide tools to families that are struggling with health and safety concerns that do not currently meet a finding of abuse or neglect today but could meet that standard without intervention. “Voluntary services help strengthen and preserve families, keep children safe at home and foster environments in which they will thrive,” DCYF Director Joseph E. Ribsam said in the release.
The Concord Regional Visiting Nurse Association has been named Nonprofit of the Year by the Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce, according to a press release. The award was presented virtually during the Chamber’s annual Pinnacle Awards last month.
The New Hampshire Food Bank will bring its drive-through mobile food pantry to Manchester on three Fridays in December: Dec. 4, Dec. 11 and Dec. 18. According to a press release, truckloads of food will be distributed to people in their vehicles in the Comcast parking lot at 676 Island Pond Road, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on those days.
Merrimack County Savings Bank is now holding its annual Mitten Tree drive at its locations in Bow, Concord, Contoocook, Hooksett and Nashua. Each branch will have a decorated box where community members can drop new handmade or store-bought mittens, hats, gloves and scarves; the bank will also contribute $2 to local food banks for every donated item, according to a press release.
The Upper Room, a family resource center based in Derry, is offering a series of free parenting and stress management workshops, according to a press release. The pre-recorded videos are available for viewing at URteachers.org.
Holiday Guide It might not look the same as years past, but this holiday season still has plenty of fun ways to celebrate, from in-person tree lightings and festive dinners to livestreamed concerts and drive-thru visits with Santa Claus.
Also on the cover, whether you want a festive cocktail or a glass of wine (or both) on Thanksgiving Day, our drinks experts have suggestions, p. 30 & 31. If you’re looking to get out of the house, there’s still live music to be found, p. 40. And if you’d rather stay in, we have plenty of extra puzzles to keep you entertained, starting on p. 43.
Covid-19 updateAs of November 16As of November 22Total cases statewide15,02917,598Total current infections statewide3,3444,199Total deaths statewide500512New cases2,330 (Nov. 10 to Nov ...
Sure, this is a short, but I’m still counting this eight-minute movie about Olaf of the Frozen universe as fair movie game. Here, we see the little journey Olaf (voice of Gad) went on between the time that Elsa, mid- “Let It Go,” conjured him and when he met up with Anna and Kristoff. Maybe you remember, back a million years ago in 2013, how some complained that early trailers had set Frozen up as a slapsticky adventure with a snowman but then the movie wasn’t really that (ha, to have such concerns; were we ever so young?). Well, here’s your slapsticky snowman movie, which gives us Olaf’s proto-nose and explains where the wolves in Frozen came from. It also cracked my slapstick-loving kid up with a “where’s my butt” joke. This is a sweet, probably all-ages-friendly new bit of Frozen-ness. B+Available on Disney+.
*Phineas and Ferb The Movie: Candace Against the Universe (TV-G)
Voices of Ashley Tisdale, Ali Wong.
While I was aware of the existence of Phineas and Ferb, neither I nor my children had seen an episode of the Disney series before we watched the movie, which I think all of us enjoyed. Maybe me the most. This visual- and verbal-joke-dense world features young teen Candace (voice of Tisdale) and her younger brothers Phineas (voice of Vincent Martella) and Ferb (voice of David Errigo Jr.) in that age-old sibling battle between the kids always doing crazy stuff (Phineas and Ferb) and the kid (Candace) who can’t convince anybody that they are really the ones causing trouble and mess. There’s also a secret agent platypus and a mad scientist and his too-cool daughter (Vanessa, voiced by Olivia Olsen, Candace’s chill friend) and a bunch of Phineas and Ferb’s friends, all with their own weird quirks. But in this adventure, Candace is central to the action; she is kidnapped by a spaceship and taken to a planet where she is told by leader Super Super Big Doctor (voice of Wong) that she is the Chosen One, and what put-upon older sister doesn’t like that? Meanwhile, Phineas and Ferb and their friends try to save her — and convince her that she needs saving. There are also songs, all of which are great.
My younger kids loved the pratfall humor, my older kid liked some of the “little brothers, ugh” bits and I liked the classic The Simpsons mix of pop culture references, smart use of cartoonery and general smart alecky-ness. And, the message is ultimately that families love each other and should stick together, but said with way less sappiness and plenty of kid appeal. A Available on Disney+.
Secret Society of Second Born Royals (TV-PG)
Peyton Elizabeth Lee, Elodie Yung.
And Skylar Austin, of Pitch Perfect fame, who is 33 and playing, essentially, the professorial Giles-from-Buffy-like mentor to the kids in this movie, which is one of many things about this cute adventure movie that will make parents feel old. Lee plays Sam, a second-born royal whose older sister Eleanor (Ashley Liao) is about to become queen of Illyria, their tiny European country. Sam is all about her band with her best friend Mike (Noah Lomax) and being all “the monarchy and rules are lame,” behavior that she thinks is the reason she’s sent to summer school. Really it’s because she, like fellow royals Tuma (Niles Fitch), January (Isabella Blake-Thomas), Matteo (Faly Rakotohavana) and Roxana (Olivia Deeble) (and, it’s suggested, the late Princess Margaret and Prince Harry — ooo, does America have a new superhero?), are second-borns gifted with special abilities that will help them protect and serve their countries. If they pass rigorous training, they will join a secret society of second-borns — and their skills may be even more important now that a dangerous prisoner (Greg Bryk) has escaped an Illyrian prison. Who is this baddie and what does he want? Will the second-borns figure out how to use their powers? Will Sam’s mom (Yung) get off her back about being perfect? This teen superhero movie makes up for what it lacks in story innovation and special effects (there is one special effect in particular that is pretty “yikes”) with likeable characters and pacing that mostly moves the action along (even if my eight-year-old did get bored by some of the emotional drama stuff). BAvailable on Disney+.
All of New Hampshire is now in a “drought disaster,” the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced last week. According to a Nov. 20 report from NHPR, the drought has gotten worse, particularly in southeastern New Hampshire, with about 30 percent of the state now in severe or extreme drought, compared to 23 percent in the previous few weeks. The rest of the state is in moderate drought, according to the release, and the conditions could last until the beginning of 2021.
Score: -2
Comment:At least the declaration from the USDA will make emergency funding available to farmers who have lost crops due to the drought, according to the report.
Happy(ish) holidays
Not being able to celebrate the holidays in our own traditional ways is going to be hard for many of us. Sure, we can appreciate the fact that maybe we don’t need to stress about making a big holiday meal, or eating Aunt Sally’s lumpy mashed potatoes or listening to debates about the recent polarizing election results. But many of us are missing out on the good stuff too: the chance to meet a new member of the family (QOL has yet to meet a nephew who was born in August), the taste of Mom’s amazing green bean casserole and the chance to catch up with friends and family we haven’t seen in months other than, perhaps, via a frustratingly glitchy Zoom session.
Score: -2
Comment:QOL agrees with taking any and all safety precautions during these holidays (check out some hints in our Q&A on p. 6), but there’s no denying that it’s kind of a bummer.
Transforming lives
As part of the launch of its annual fundraiser, the Front Door Agency in Nashua is sharing one of its success stories. Through its Transformational Housing Program for single mothers and their children, single mother Danielle and her young daughter now live in one of Front Door Agency’s affordable apartments, and she has used the program’s supportive services to improve her finances and earning potential, according to a press release. She has also earned her associate’s and bachelor’s degrees and is starting to take classes to earn her master’s. “This is not a place where things get handed to you,” Danielle said in the release. “But, if you’re motivated and truly focused on doing better for yourself and your children, you can do it.”
Score: +1
Comment:Eighty-five percent of the single mothers in Transformational Housing have participated in or graduated from an educational program, and 70 percent saw increases in benefits and income, according to the release. “We hope Danielle’s story inspires individuals, businesses and other organizations to give back in a meaningful way,” Agency CEO Maryse Wirbal said in the release.
No. 1 for economic freedom
Last week, the Fraser Institute (an independent nonpartisan research and educational organization based in Canada, according to its website) released its 2020 Economic Freedom Report, ranking New Hampshire as the No. 1 state for economic freedom, according to a press release from the Josiah Bartlett Center for Public Policy. This is the second year in a row that the Granite State has earned that designation. The Fraser Institute’s report measures “the extent to which … the policies of individual provinces and states were supportive of economic freedom…,” according to the release. “This study reaffirms that New Hampshire remains the best state in the nation to live, work, and raise a family — and we’re just getting started,” Gov. Chris Sununu said in a statement.
Score:+1
Comment: Our New England neighbors ranked as follows: Massachusetts (18), Connecticut (25), Maine (37), Rhode Island (43) and Vermont (46).
QOL score: 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.
Information from the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services
Covid-19 news
On Nov. 19, Gov. Chris Sununu issued Emergency Order No. 74, a statewide mask mandate effective Nov. 20 for everyone over the age of 5 in both indoor and outdoor public spaces where social distancing is not possible. The order came on the same day that 529 people in New Hampshire tested positive for Covid-19, the highest single-day total to date. “[This was] obviously a decision that did not come lightly,” Sununu said in a press conference announcing the order. “Many factors were clearly taken into consideration with regards to the data and the impact, and the effect on our citizens and businesses.” The mandate, which will remain in effect through Jan. 15, has a few exceptions, including anyone with a medical condition or disability preventing them from wearing a mask, anyone engaged in strenuous physical activity, or anyone asked to remove a mask or face-covering to verify his or her identity for lawful purposes. Public spaces where masks are required, as recognized by the mandate, include lobbies, waiting areas, outside plazas or patios, restaurants, retail stores, streets, sidewalks, parks, beaches, elevators, restrooms, stairways and parking garages. According to the Associated Press, at least 100 people protested the mask mandate outside Sununu’s home in Newfields on Nov. 23.
On Nov. 20, Sununu issued Executive Order 2020-23, extending the state of emergency in New Hampshire due to the pandemic for another three weeks through at least Dec. 11. It’s the 12th extension he has issued since originally declaring a state of emergency on March 13.
Details of all of Sununu’s Executive Orders, Emergency Orders and other announcements can be found at governor.nh.gov.
The New Hampshire Hospital Association, the New Hampshire Medical Society and the New Hampshire Nurses Association issued a joint statement Nov. 23 in anticipation of the holiday season, asking residents to continue following the public health guidance. “The Governor’s most recent Executive Order requiring Granite State residents to wear a mask when they are unable to maintain social distance is very important and a signal of just how serious this situation is as we seek to slow the spread of Covid-19 and prevent our health care system from being overwhelmed,” the statement read.
Many hospitals have also tightened up their visitor restrictions as case numbers have increased. Catholic Medical Center, for example, announced that as of last week no visitors will be allowed, with the exception of some caregivers in certain circumstances, and it has also put stronger mask requirements in place.
Homeless encampment
On Nov. 20, the state Departments of Health and Human Services, Justice and Safety issued a joint statement regarding the homeless encampment located on state property at the Hillsborough County North Courthouse in Manchester. Signs were posted at the encampment earlier this month ordering everyone to leave by Nov. 16, or they would face penalties. According to the statement, the state had received multiple requests in the past few months from the City, the court system, businesses, legislators and the County Attorney’s Office to remove the encampment. Since then, the statement said, the state has “repeatedly” offered alternative housing and other supportive services to each person living there, including for several days beyond the Nov. 16 deadline. “On Nov. 19, officials from the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services and local providers approached each one of individuals in the encampment and [offered] housing with accompanying transportation offered by several providers across the state, transportation to stay with family or friends, or relocation to another encampment [as well as] mental health and substance use disorder services,” the statement said. On that day, 27 individuals accepted services and left the encampment; on Nov. 20, individuals were again offered services and were told that if they did not accept, they could either leave the property or would be removed, according to the statement. Six more people accepted services, while three people who chose not to leave were issued summonses for illegal camping. One then left the property while the other two were arrested and charged with criminal trespass, according to the statement. The property has since been cleared and a fence will be put up.
Following these actions, Manchester Mayor Joyce Craig issued a statement saying that she had contacted local services, including the Mental Health Center of Greater Manchester, Families in Transition – New Horizons and the City Welfare Department. “As a result, Families in Transition – New Horizons already filled all of their available beds with people being forcibly removed from the courthouse lawn, and we’re working to find any other options available,” she said in her statement. She said the eviction will disconnect individuals from the services they’ve been receiving for months and noted that “this action from the State is inhumane, causing trauma to individuals with nowhere else to go.”
According to the statement from the Departments of Health and Human Services, Justice and Safety, the services offered to people at the encampment on Nov. 19 “were provided by the State of New Hampshire and not the City of Manchester, despite it being the City’s legal obligation under RSA chapter 165 to provide welfare services for those within the City.”
Previously, on Nov. 18, Gov. Chris Sununu sent a letter to New Hampshire’s mayors detailing steps the State has taken to combat homelessness; he also signed an Executive Order to expand the scope and membership of the State’s Interagency Council on Homelessness and renamed it to the Council on Housing Stability, which will update the state’s homelessness plan, with a preliminary report that includes legislative recommendations for the 2021 legislative session due by Dec. 14. “Our focus on homelessness is not new and our philosophy is consistent: housing is not an optional lifestyle commodity, but rather, is an irreplaceable requirement for any form of humane human condition,” Sununu wrote in the letter.
Benefits paybacks
Senate Majority Leader Dan Feltes (D-Concord) issued a statement last week after a Union Leader article reported that the New Hampshire Department of Employment Security is seeking to reclaim nearly $25 million from 10,773 people who received unemployment benefits during the pandemic because it says they were overpaid by the state. Feltes said in his statement that the Senate had tried back in March to create legislation to “prevent the clawing back of benefits paid under the emergency orders,” but that legislation was vetoed. “If they are not at fault in causing the overpayment, then they will not be required to repay the benefits,” Rich Lavers, deputy commissioner at Employment Security, told the Union Leader. “However, if they misstated the circumstances of their separation to make themselves eligible or overstated their earnings from self-employment and were paid at a higher benefit amount than is supported by the information in their federal tax return, then they will and should be expected to repay those benefits.”
Mobile classroom
As part of its campaign to promote career and technical education, the New Hampshire Department of Education will be bringing its 35-foot RV, named MAPs (Mobile Access to Possibilities), to the Tanger Outlet in Tilton on Saturday, Nov. 28, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. According to a press release, the mobile classroom will be making stops at shopping areas around the state during the holiday season, offering information about CTE offerings at local high schools and community colleges.
More than a dozen nonprofit organizations in Concord and its surrounding communities received more than 3.5 tons of nonperishable food items from the Capital Region Food Program. According to a press release, the distribution last week included the traditional Year Round Distribution Project foods, plus chickens and turkeys for Thanksgiving.
Manchester’s overnight winter parking ban will go into effect Dec. 1 at 1 a.m., according to a press release. Between 1 and 6 a.m., parking will be allowed only on the odd-numbered side of a street on odd-numbered calendar months and only on the even-numbered side of a street on even-numbered calendar months. There is no on-street parking during snow emergencies; you can be notified of snow emergencies by signing up at manchesternh.gov/snow for automatic email or text.
To kick off the bell-ringing season, a $20,000 donation was made on Nov. 19 to the Salvation Army Holiday Kettle outside the New Hampshire State Liquor & Wine Outlet in Bedford. According to a press release, the check was presented by the Great NH Restaurants charitable trust FEEDNH.org, in partnership with Tito’s Handmade Vodka.
Greater Nashua Mental Health is now home to the Nashua area Mobile Crisis Response Team, according to a press release. The MCRT will provide 24/7 emergency services, including going directly to people in need.
