Fisher Cats alumni go the distance
In an Oct. 24 press release the New Hampshire Fisher Cats (milb.com/new-hampshire) announced that 11 former Fisher Cats are on the Toronto Blue Jays’ roster for this year’s World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers (the World Series could run through Saturday, Nov. 1, if it goes all seven games). Players include pitchers Trey Yesavage, Braydon Fisher, Jeff Hoffman and Mason Fluharty, right fielder Addison Barger, left fielder Davis Schneider, first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and shortstop Bo Bichette.
QOL score: +1
Comment: In addition to the eight players, the Manchester alumni include team manager John Schneider, pitching coach Pete Walker and assistant hitting coach Hunter Mense. The Fisher Cats are a double-A farm team for the Blue Jays.
Toll increases
As reported by the Portsmouth Herald in an Oct. 27 online article, “New Hampshire Department of Transportation officials have floated a $1 hike at three tollbooths across the state.” “If approved by the Executive Council and the governor,” the Herald article said, “the proposed toll increase would raise rates from $2 to $3 at the Hampton plaza and from $1 to $2 at the Hooksett and Bedford tollbooths.”
QOL score: -1
Comment: As reported by the Herald, Department of Transportation officials cited “stagnating revenues and a growing list of priorities” as the impetus for the proposed toll increases. “The idea, if it moves forward,” the article continued, “may be paired with a discount for New Hampshire-registered E-ZPass holders to ensure additional tollbooth revenue is generated primarily by out-of-state tourists.”
Families losing ground financially
According to a new study by the New Hampshire Fiscal Policy Institute (nhfpi.org), average New Hampshire families are not making enough to cover their expenses.”The typical New Hampshire family has lost major ground over the past decade, as the cost of basic necessities has risen substantially faster than household incomes,” the NHFPI reported in an Oct. 21 press release. “According to the study, the typical four-person New Hampshire family’s disposable income — the amount left after paying for only a few of the essentials (food, housing, child care, health care, gasoline) — has dropped by $17,349 since 2015. Ten years ago, a New Hampshire family with the median household income would have had an inflation-adjusted surplus of about $15,400 after those same basic needs — money that could be saved, invested, used for other typical expenses, or used for emergencies.”
QOL score: -2
Comment: According to the NHFPI report, it’s not the expensive items that have gotten pricier. “While prices for many luxuries like certain types of clothing, recreation, and technology have remained relatively stable or even declined since 2005, the cost of essentials such as food, housing, and health care has risen sharply. For example, the price of a television or toys, listed as recreational commodities in the Consumer Price Index, decreased by 96 and 64 percent, respectively, between 2005 and 2024. At the same time, necessities like medical care, food, and housing costs increased.” Visit nhfpi.org/press-releases.
QOL score last week: 71
Net change: -2
QOL this week: 69
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