Area 23 in Concord is making snow days even better for teachers and school staff. According to Area 23’s Facebook page, if Concord cancels school in January or February, teachers and staff get drinks and food at half price from 4 to 6 p.m. that day. The eatery, located on North State Street, offers craft beer, cider and pub eats.
Score: +1
Comment:Area 23 gets an A+ for this snow day special!
Success at the slopes
The holiday week was a success for the state’s ski areas, according to a press release from Ski New Hampshire, with most resorts reporting that business was up for the period compared to last year. Pats Peak in Henniker, for example, had significant increases in admissions and revenue; general manager Kris Blomback said in the release that business was “absolutely booming.” At McIntyre Ski Area, there was an increase in the number of visitors who had never been skiing or riding but decided to give it a try, marketing director Aly Moore said in the release. Moore also reported that many guests chose to spend time outside on the patio around the fire pits, and at Pats Peak relatively mild weather had guests stay outside the lodge for eating and breaks.
Score: +1
Comment:With the Martin Luther King Jr. long weekend coming up, “snowmaking efforts will resume in full force to refresh snow conditions and expand terrain,” the release said
It’s beginning to look a lot like winter
The weather has been brutal lately, with unexpected icing Jan. 5 leading to cars off the roads all over the state during the morning commute, followed by a snow day for some on Jan. 7 and more winter weather that made for tough driving Jan. 9. QOL got caught off guard by snow squalls in the Hooksett and Concord area Jan. 10, and the following day, wind chill advisories were in effect, getting as low as 25 below zero, according to a press release.
Score: -1
Comment:Yes, QOL knows this is New Hampshire, but with Covid putting so many events and activities in jeopardy again, it would be nice if we didn’t have to worry every day about weather canceling plans.
Family-friendly Granite State
New Hampshire is the sixth-best state to raise a family, according to WalletHub’s new report of 2022’s Best & Worst States to Raise a Family. According to a press release, the personal finance website compared family-friendliness data for all 50 states, using information like median annual family income and housing affordability. The Granite State is No. 1 in two areas: It has the lowest percentage of families in poverty and the lowest unemployment rate. It also has the second lowest infant mortality rate and second fewest violent crimes per capita.
Score: +1
Comment:New Hampshire was above average in other areas too; according to the report, it ranked 17th for child-care costs, median annual family income and percentage of residents ages 12 and up who are fully vaccinated, and it ranked 19th for its separation and divorce rate.
QOL score: 50
Net change: +2
QOL this week: 52
What’s affecting your Quality of Life here in New Hampshire? Let us know at [email protected].
The regular season is in the books and the NFL playoffs start Saturday. Here are some thoughts from looking back and ahead.
Guess we can put a hold on all those Coach of the Year votes for FrankReich after Indy pulled the gag of the century by falling from odds-on favorite to host a playoff game to missing them altogether, with losses to the worst team in football (Jacksonville) in Week 18 and while resurrecting the presumed dead Raiders in Week 17.
Not that losing five straight to go from the top seed to out of the playoffs wouldn’t happen to most teams who lose their starting QB, or saying I wouldn’t want him. But when a team heavily relies on a running QB as the Ravens do with LamarJackson, isn’t what happened to him/them a sooner or later inevitable outcome?
What, TomBrady can’t shoot his age? Throwing a second best in his career 43 TD passes at his advanced age is astonishing. But it would have been even cooler if he’d gotten one more to make it 44 at 44! Even with a very sluggish final month MacJones had a better first regular season than Brady in 2001. And in being watched through the lens that comes from 20 years of expecting excellence around here, he did it with far greater scrutiny and pressure than Brady, who had none when he took over.
AntonioBrown saying the only reason Brady is his friend is that he’s a good football player doesn’t sound crazy to me.
Of course since AB backstabbed him with the phony vax card after Brady went out on a limb for him despite an avalanche of reasons not to, you can see how Brady might wipe his hands of this mess.
For what it’s worth, if I were putting a team together I’d absolutely take vax status into account in deciding who stays and who goes.
Both Patriots All-Pros from last year, GunnerOlszewski and JakeBailey, had no impact to negative impact on them this season. The return game did zero, while Bailey was inconsistent on kickoffs, rarely pinned teams inside the 10, and his three blocks were the most since the 1970s.
Mac may have had the best year among the five quarterbacks taken in the 2021 draft. But TuaTagovailoa wins Alabama Alumni bragging rights among their ex-QB’s by being 2-0 vs. his former back-up in 2021 after Sunday’s win in Miami. It also made his head coach Flores 4-2 head to head against Coach B.
My gut was wrong about feeling N’KealHarry would turn it around to answer the critics. He didn’t.
Got it right, thought, that CarsonWentz would (sorta) wreck his second team. Indy did go 9-8, but he was basically MIA as they gagged away their season and even in the ballyhooed win over NE he threw for only 57 yards.
If it’s Most Outstanding Player I’ll go with Cooper Kupp for his dominating statistical season. But if it’s Most Valuable Player, it’s AaronRodgers because of a superb season at the indispensable position.
CoachoftheYear:CoachB was in the running till Week 13 and anyone whose team hangs in to finish 9-8 after a 1-7 start, as Miami’s BrianFlores did, earns votes and makes his firing ridiculous. But, after losing DerrickHenry and using the most players in history thanks to injuries as Tennessee still has the AFC’s best record, it goes to MikeVrabel.
Under–the–RadarPlayeroftheYear: He’s been around for five years, but did anyone see Chargers all-purpose back AustinEkeler scoring 20 TD’s? Not me.
WorstCoachingMove: Go for it on fourth down analytics maven/Chargers Coach BrandonStaley retires it, for doofus moves in two games that each cost his team making the playoffs. The first came in Week 16 when he failed to make it on fourth down three times inside the five when all he needed vs. KC was a FG to avoid OT, where they lost. Then on Sunday he failed on fourth and one from his own 18 to gift-wrap a FG that helped Vegas make it to OT, where they knocked L.A. out of the playoffs.
The last time someone did something that dumb was Dallas coach BarrySwitzer failing on fourth down from his own 28 vs. the Giants in the 90’s leading to the NY Post headline BozoTheCoach!
Speaking of the G-Men, the best sign I saw last weekend was a guy wearing a Giants jersey and a grocery bag over his head holding a sign that said “fire everyone.”
Playoff predictions
Bucs (2) vs. Eagles (7): Can Brady win again for TB? He takes the next step this week. TB
Cowboys (3) vs. 49ers (6).: JimmyG shows critics they’re wrong about him. SF
Rams (4) vs. Cardinals (5): I don’t trust either team in the clutch. Rams
KC (2) vs. Pitt (8): Karma only goes so far for BigBen. KC
Buf (3) vs. NE (6): Losing three of their last four when the D couldn’t get the needed fourth-quarter stop in all three sapped all my Pats confidence. Bills
Cinn (4) vs. Oak (5): Trick-or-treat teams where both look great at times and not so much others. So I’ll close my eyes and pick. Bengals
Finally, what should stand out above all else about the late, great JohnMadden is not leaving coaching with the best winning percentage in history. It’s how he stood by DarrylStingley after he was paralyzed in a preseason game vs. Oakland, including calling Patriots Coach ChuckFairbanks to demand he not get on the plane home and get over to the hospital ASAP, because Stingley was 3,000 miles from home and alone, then making it a point to visit him as much as possible as he remained in Oakland. RIP, Big John.
Meet Rick Rossi, New Hampshire’s first Cybersecurity Advisor, a newly created position within the Integrated Operations Division, Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency of the Department of Homeland Security.
When and why was this position created?
This position was created by Congress in the fiscal year 2021 National Defense Authorization Act, so I’m a federal employee funded by the Department of Homeland Security. It was created to improve communication as well as awareness of resources and collaboration between the federal government, state and local governments and critical infrastructure owners and operators.
What is your background in this type of work?
I come into the role with prior experience with the Department of Homeland Security and the Intelligence Community. … I’ve been with the Department in some form or fashion for almost 16 years now. I’ve done a lot of work with critical infrastructure owners and operators in terms of hardening their defenses and mitigating threats from our foreign advanced adversaries and other significant criminal cyber actors.
What exactly does this position entail?
My role as the Cybersecurity Advisor for New Hampshire is to offer cybersecurity assistance to critical infrastructure owners and operators, as well as state, local, tribal and territorial governments. That assistance can take the form of many different things, including introducing organizations to the myriad cybersecurity services and products that are available to them at no cost, as well as other public and private resources. … Additionally, my role includes providing cyber preparedness assessments, protective resources, strategic messaging, working group support and leadership, partnership in public-private development, as well as incident coordination and support in times of cyberthreat disruption and attack.
What do you hope to accomplish?
One of the primary goals is to make contact with as many critical infrastructure owners and operators, municipalities and government entities as possible … and [develop] a robust partnership between the public and private sector in terms of information sharing, cooperation and thought exchange. It’s not ideal to be exchanging business cards in the middle of an incident; it’s very useful to develop those relationships in advance. The secondary [goal] is to make sure that entities are aware of the cybersecurity resources available to them. … Oftentimes, we find that municipalities and smaller organizations … are very reticent about cybersecurity in terms of the investment monetarily … and aren’t always aware of the breadth of resources that are available to them at no cost through … public and private means.
What is the biggest challenge?
[Cybercriminals] generally gravitate toward targets of opportunity. New Hampshire has a number of very small towns and small businesses, and oftentimes those smaller entities don’t have the budget to put together a robust cybersecurity program. Oftentimes, there’s a misconception … smaller entities [have]: ‘Why would anybody want to attack us?’ The truth of the matter is, to a cybercriminal who’s after monetary gain, the size of the organization doesn’t matter. If it’s an easy buck, they’ll take the easy buck. So one of the challenges I have is [increasing] the knowledge that … the size of an organization doesn’t always [factor] into [cybercriminals’] targeting decisions.
Has Covid contributed to cybersecurity threats?
Early on during the pandemic, we saw the cyberthreat environment really ramp up, the reason being that most organizations weren’t prepared for a near-100-percent remote work environment. You had a lot of smaller businesses and organizations that don’t traditionally have people working from home having to employ remote access solutions to their networks, and when you’re trying to do something in haste, oftentimes, unfortunately, security doesn’t always take a front seat. We saw a lot of [criminals] … looking to take advantage of that situation where we didn’t always have security at the forefront.
How can New Hampshire residents protect themselves and their families from cybersecurity threats?
They can create strong passwords for their home WiFi network … as well as email accounts and social media. … If you have a simple password, like a dictionary word or something that can be easily guessed, like your pet’s name … [cybercriminals] could enable a password cracker [that uses] algorithms to guess your password. … You want to use passwords that are more complex, that aren’t dictionary words, that can’t be easily guessed, and that involve uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers and special characters.
Information from the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services.
Covid-19 news
During the state’s weekly public health update on Jan. 6, state epidemiologist Dr. Benjamin Chan reported that New Hampshire averaged about 1,500 new infections of Covid-19 per day over the previous week. Just two days prior, the total number of deaths attributed to the virus crossed the 2,000 mark. “In the last week, we have been averaging about nine to 10 new people dying from Covid-19 each day in our state,” Chan said, adding that the majority of the deaths have been occurring in the community rather than in long-term care facilities.
Chan also announced new updated isolation and quarantine guidance, which includes recommendations adapted from the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention. The guidance breaks down details of recommended action for anyone who may have been exposed to Covid, either in the community or from another person in their shared household. According to Chan, the guidance applies to the general public, including workplaces and K-through-12 schools. It does not apply to health care settings, correctional institutions or homeless shelters. Go to covid19.nh.gov to view the guidance documents.
Gov. Chris Sununu also announced during the press conference that the state will be deploying an additional 100 members of its National Guard — about 30 of them will be deployed to long-term care facilities, while the other 70 will be helping out at local hospitals. Sununu had previously announced the deployment of 70 National Guard members back on Dec. 8.
On Jan. 7, Sununu visited Elliot Hospital in Manchester to welcome a team of active-duty service members from the federal Department of Defense. According to a press release, the team is composed of medics, nurses, administrative support and a physician and is expected to remain at Elliot Hospital until the beginning of February.
Open enrollment
New Hampshire Navigator, a nonprofit that offers assistance for accessing health coverage, is reminding people that Saturday, Jan. 15, is the deadline for residents to enroll in the Health Insurance Marketplace. According to a press release, anyone who misses the open enrollment period may not be able to get coverage until 2023. It is available to anyone who is not eligible for Medicare, Medicaid or employer-based insurance. The American Rescue Plan has made it easier for New Hampshire residents to get affordable coverage, the release said, and the number of consumers getting coverage for $10 or less per month after tax credits has nearly doubled. “Most people will be able to qualify for substantially lower costs this year if they get their insurance on the Marketplace,” said Jeremy Smith, program director for New Hampshire Navigator. “We are really urging people to look at the new plans and prices that are being released this year. In a lot of cases, the plans are more affordable than we have ever seen.” Anyone who needs help learning about their options or signing up can reach New Hampshire Navigator at 931-3858 or acanavigator.com.
Activists arrested
Four activists were arrested by Bow police on Jan. 8 after they entered the property of Merrimack Generating Station, the last coal-fired power plant in New England, around 4 p.m., while it was operating, and remained there for more than six hours. According to a press release, two of the activists locked themselves to the base of the inactive smokestack while the other two scaled the smokestack and dropped a banner that read, “Shut It Down.” They called on the owners of the plant to file a delist bid at an upcoming auction, the outcome of which will determine which power plants will be granted ratepayer funding to be on standby for New England’s electric grid. The owners did not agree to the demands, and the activists were arrested around 10:30 p.m., then released around midnight, with a court date to follow. No Coal, No Gas, a campaign launched in 2019 to end the burning of fossil fuels in New England, has claimed responsibility for organizing the activism. “We are determined to do what must be done to prevent this plant from running, even if that means we have to shut it down ourselves,” campaign coordinator Leif Taranta said in a public statement. “By our actions today, we sent a clear message that we are going to do everything we can to shut this coal plant down and pave the way for a better, more just future.”
Eviction extension
A proposal up for consideration at the Statehouse this year would, if passed, require New Hampshire landlords who are planning to repair, renovate or sell their properties, to give their current tenants more time to find new places to live before evicting them, NHPR reported. The New Hampshire law as it is currently written does not clearly regulate such evictions, leading many landlords to file the evictions under the catchall category of “other good cause,” giving tenants 30 days to vacate. The proposed bill would create new, more specific categories for eviction filings, with regulations for how landlords can proceed with those evictions. In the case of evictions related to non-emergency repairs, renovations or selling of the property, the length of time tenants are given to vacate would be increased from 30 to 90 days.
Teacher negotiations
The Nashua Board of Education Negotiating Team and the Nashua Teachers Union were unable to reach an agreement regarding the Union’s request for salary increases for its teachers, the former group reported. The contract proposed by the BoE Negotiating Team offered to increase each teacher’s salary by more than $3,300, with a minimum salary increase of $8,400 for top step teachers, effective immediately; increase compensation for school nurses; and adjust how starting pays are calculated according to prior work experience; while requesting that the NTU fully cover the NTU president’s salary, health insurance and other compensations without financial assistance from the Nashua School District, of which the NTU president is not an employee. According to the BoE Negotiating Team, the NTU did not agree to the terms, and the BoE Negotiating Team stated its intention to continue pursuing a successfully negotiated contract.
Student ID cards
On Jan. 11, Gov. Chris Sununu sent a letter to the Education Committee in support of Senate Bill 234, which would require schools that issue student identification cards to include the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline or their own mental health support helpline on the cards. According to the letter, the requirement would also apply to institutions of higher learning within the state but will not require grades six through 12 public schools to issue student identification cards if they do not already do so.
Squam Lakes Natural Science Center in Holderness will soon run mainly on solar power; according to a press release, a 139kW solar photovoltaic array is being built in two phases, and when it’s complete it will generate enough power to offset nearly all the Science Center’s electric needs. The solar array could save about $26,000 in electricity costs annually and more than 250,000 pounds of CO2 emissions, the release said.
Atticus, a 10-year-old certified pet therapy dog, spent time with staff and patients at Concord Hospital – Laconia last week. The visit was to introduce the Laconia branch to Concord Hospital’s Pets Uplift People program, according to a press release.
The Plains Cemetery in Kingston, established circa 1725, has been placed on the National Register of Historic Places. According to a press release, Josiah Bartlett (1729-1795), the first constitutional governor of New Hampshire and second signer of the Declaration of Independence, is buried there. The cemetery’s most elaborate pedestal monument belongs to Major Edward S. Sanborn, a Kingston native who funded the Sanborn Seminary and donated to several local churches and public improvements in the 1880s — and who earned his fortune as the proprietor of several prostitution houses in Boston.
Winter is for the birds — which birds? Find out today (and every Friday through Feb. 4) at the Birding Walk at the New Hampshire Audubon’s Massabesic Center (26 Audubon Way in Auburn; 668-2045, nhaudubon.org) at 8 a.m. Admission costs $10 (per Friday); registration is required. All ages and skill levels of birders are welcome, according to the website.
Saturday, Jan. 8
Get some eats for your weekend at the Downtown Concord Winter Farmers Market today from 9 a.m. to noon at 7 Eagle Square in downtown Concord. Find the list of vendors (selling cheese, wine, baked goods, bacon, produce and more) at dcwfm.squarespace.com.
Saturday, Jan. 8
Drumming group Recycled Percussion finishes up a run of shows at the Palace Theatre (80 Hanover St. in Manchester; 668-5588, palacetheatre.org) today with shows at 4 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Tickets cost $35 and $45.
Saturday, Jan. 8
See the Rockin Daddios, a Lakes Region-based vocal group, performing a night of doo-wop tonight at 7 p.m. at the Majestic Studio Theatre (880 Page St. in Manchester; majestictheatre.net, 669-7469). Tickets are available by phone or online and cost $20.
Saturday, Jan. 8
Heat up this cold weekend night with Dance New England at Bank of NH Stage (16 S. Main St. in Concord; ccanh.com) tonight at 8 p.m. (doors open at 7 p.m.). General admission tickets cost $15 (plus fees). The evening will feature DaBomz Xclusive “spinning the best of the best music classics, new jams, and everything in between,” according to the website. Check out DaBomz Xclusive’s mixes at dbxdj.com.
Wednesday, Jan. 12
Put a little magic in your week with “Discovering Magic with Andrew Pinard” tonight at 7:30 p.m. at the Hatbox Theatre (270 Loudon Road in Concord; hatboxnh.com, 715-2315). Tickets cost $22 for adults, $19 for seniors and students.
Save the date! Jan. 16, 2022
Branch out with your bread skills — the Derry-based Nomad Bakery will hold a “Winter Challah Braid-a-thon” online class on Sunday, Jan. 16, from 2 to 3:30 p.m. Admission costs $50 and gets you a link to the session (with opportunities to ask questions) plus recipes and instructions to prepare dough for this class (and for a February class about sourdough challah), according to nomadbakery.com/baking-classes (where you can register for the class).
Featured photo. Loaf of braided challah. Courtesy photo.
Forty-two New Hampshire public libraries will get funding through an Institute for Museum and Library Services’ “Grants to States” program, part of the American Rescue Act Plan of 2021. According to a press release, the grants, which total $825,442, will be facilitated by the New Hampshire State Library and align with its 2017-2022 five-year plan, addressing three goals: expanding access to libraries and information services for patrons of all abilities; improving equity of access to library services by offering professional support for librarians and staff; and increasing innovative services and programming to meet the changing needs for library services. Numerous local libraries will receive grants, including the libraries in Concord, Derry, Goffstown, Hooksett, Londonderry Manchester, Nashua and Windham. Projects had to start after Jan. 2 and be completed by Sept. 30.
Score: +1
Comment:Examples of funded projects include upgrading technology, digitizing historical documents and oral histories and purchasing bicycles to deliver materials to patrons who can’t come to the library, the release said.
Gubernatorial brags
A recent press release from the Office of Gov. Chris Sununu was full of brags about New Hampshire rankings. The state ranks highest in personal freedom, economic opportunity and safety in the country, the release said, pointing to recently released data, like data from the U.S. Census Bureau that shows New Hampshire was the fastest growing state in the Northeast in 2021, with a population growth of 0.8 percent, and a U.S. News & World Report that puts the Granite State first for public safety. Other data rankings include: sixth best in the Tax Foundation’s Business Tax Climate Index, first for overall freedom in the Cato Institute’s “Freedom in the 50 States” report, first for economic freedom according to a report from the Fraser Institute, and lowest poverty rate according to a report from Forbes.
Score: +1
Comment:The press release did not ask if New Hampshire had been working out lately, because New Hampshire looks great.
Making veterans’ wishes come true
Residents of the Manchester VA Community Learning Center were in quarantine and confined to their rooms due to Covid during the holidays, meaning they couldn’t visit with family. According to a press release from the New Hampshire Daughters of the American Revolution — who represent the Veterans Administration Voluntary Services — the VA center asked each of the residents for their Christmas wishes, then compiled a list for the DAR, which sponsored the wishes. In return, the DAR received a “wonderful gift” on Christmas Day, in the form of a message from the VA center: “When you make a veteran cry, it’s either a very bad day or a really emotional thing. The thoughtfulness of the gifts that were provided this year was truly breathtaking. I had five veterans tear up. They truly had one of the best days I have seen, in a really long time. Your organization’s kindness was beyond measure.”
Score: +1
Comment: The message also noted that “for just one day [these veterans] were young and they were showered with gifts and love.”
This feels familiar …
As 2022 begins, events are being canceled like it’s 2020. This week, Taste of Bedford, which was scheduled for Jan. 11, was canceled “due to the rapidly escalating cases of both Covid-19 and flu during this post-holiday period,” according to an email sent by organizers the morning of Jan. 4. NHSCOT’s Hogmanay, which had been planned for Jan. 2 was canceled, and an artist’s reception for a new art display at Nashua Public Library has been postponed indefinitely (though the exhibit is still scheduled to open for viewing this Saturday, Jan. 8 — check out the story on page 14!).
Score: -3 (one for each fun time delayed)
Comment:Come on, 2022, cancellations are so two years ago. Do your own thing!
QOL score for the start of 2022: 50
Net change: 0
QOL this week: 50
What’s affecting your Quality of Life here in New Hampshire? Let us know at [email protected].
