Category: Quality Of Life

Opioid deaths down in Manchester and Nashua

As reported in a Jan. 7 online article by WMUR, deaths from opioid overdoses fell dramatically in New Hampshire’s two largest cities in 2024. “According to American Medical Response, there were 46 suspected opioid deaths in Manchester in 2024, 21% fewer than in 2023,” the story reported. “In Nashua, there were 20 suspected opioid deaths, marking a 49% drop. These are the lowest numbers since AMR (American Medical Response) began tracking them in 2015.” In a related Dec. 13 story, WMUR reported that one factor in the drop in overdose deaths might be the increasing availability of emergency medication. “Narcan, also known as naloxone, can reverse a deadly opioid overdose. Today, it can be found in public buildings and first aid kits,” that story read.

QOL score: +2

Comment: To see data from the New Hampshire Drug Monitoring Initiative, a project of the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Resources, regarding New Hampshire’s drug use, visit dhhs.nh.gov.

Reading is up in Nashua

Nashua residents checked out significantly more books from the Nashua Public Library in 2024 than the previous year. In a Jan. 9 article, Nashua Ink Link reported a 12 percent increase in the Library’s circulation. “We read nearly 44,000 more books than last year,” Ink Link quoted Library Director Jennifer McCormic. According to the Library staff, the book that was checked out the most — The Ride of Her Life: A True Story of a Woman, Her Horse, and Their Last-Chance Journey Across America by Elizabeth Letts — was read more than three times as often as the next most popular — 554 times, compared to 163 checkouts for The Women by Kristin Hannah.

QOL score: +1

Comment: For lists of the Library’s most popular books by category, visit a Dec. 29 post on the Library’s Facebook account at facebook.com/nashuapubliclibrary.

The long reach of long Covid

In a Jan. 9 blog post, the New Hampshire Fiscal Policy Institute reported that according to a recent study, “long Covid” has had a substantial impact on New Hampshire’s work force. “Longstanding symptoms resulting from initial Covid-19 infections and Post-Acute Covid-19, more commonly known as ‘long-Covid,’ may have kept several thousand Granite Staters from returning to work,” the post read. “About 9,300 Granite Staters with current long-Covid symptoms may still experience impacts to their work, with approximately 5,300 workers reducing their hours and an estimated 4,000 leaving the workforce entirely.” The state’s relatively small population has exacerbated the effect of long-term Covid infection, Jessica Williams, a Policy Analyst with the Institute wrote. “With an average of only 20,000 residents unemployed and actively seeking work in 2024, long-Covid’s impact on labor force participation may pose a significant challenge to New Hampshire’s economic growth and prosperity.”

QOL score: -2

Comment: To read the report, visit nhfpi.org/blog.

QOL score: 51

Net change: +1

QOL this week: 52

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

Let us know at [email protected].

An eggs-treme shortage

As reported on Dec. 30 by Manchester Ink Link, New Hampshire’s inventory of fresh eggs has been hit hard by bird flu. “Avian flu, officially H5N1 bird flu, continues to cause issues for supermarket chains, bakeries and restaurants,” the story read, noting that area Hannaford supermarkets have been adversely affected, as well as many other wholesalers and retailers. “

QOL score: -1

Comment: “Prices are up 20 to 22 cents for Extra Large [eggs], up 24 cents for Large, and unchanged for Medium,” the USDA wrote in a Dec. 30 press release. Visit mymarketnews.ams.usda.gov/viewReport/1427.

Is the bird flu going to last for-heiffer?

In a Jan. 1 online article, New Hampshire Public Radio reported that the state will join a federal program to test dairy herds for aggressive strains of avian influenza. While the only instances of bird flu that have been detected in New Hampshire were in wild birds about a year ago, other states have reported infections in dairy cattle. “Concern about Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza is spreading,” NHPR reported. “At least 875 dairy cattle herds in 16 states have tested positive…”

QOL score: -1

Comment: On its website, the United States Department of Agriculture has stated that the dairy testing is part of a coordinated strategy to “facilitate comprehensive H5N1 surveillance of the nation’s milk supply and dairy herds. The strategy is designed to increase our understanding of the virus’ spread …, decrease the risk of transmission to other livestock …, and protect farm workers, to help lower their risk of exposure.” Visit aphis.usda.gov/livestock-poultry-disease/avian/avian-influenza/hpai-livestock.

Electrical service was gone with the wind

WMUR reported in a Jan. 3 online story, “As winds gusted above 40-45 mph, thousands of New Hampshire customers lost power.” More than 10,000 customers were left without electricity, as high winds picked up Thursday afternoon, Jan. 2.

QOL score: -1

Comment: “The National Weather Service issued a wind advisory for all of New Hampshire,” the article read; that lasted until 9 p.m.

A stronger community through flowers

Fortin Gage Flowers in Nashua announced in a Jan. 6 press release that it has launched a new initiative called “Flowers for Good” to “support local nonprofits through unique floral arrangements.” Each month the Nashua florist will design a unique flower arrangement for a particular area organization, the announcement said. “Proceeds from the sale of these exclusive arrangements will directly benefit the featured nonprofit, fostering community engagement, connection and support.”

QOL score: +1

Comment: Sales of January’s arrangement will go to support Bridges: Domestic & Sexual Violence Support. “The exclusive arrangement for January, titled ‘Flowers for Change,’ features a harmonious blend of purple hydrangea and purple veronica in a white vase, symbolizing purity, hope, and courage,” Fortin Gage wrote in its announcement, “reflecting the resilience of those affected by domestic and sexual violence.”

QOL score: 53

Net change: -2

QOL this week: 51

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

Let us know at [email protected].

Votes for the Sand-man

The New Hampshire Department of Transportation has narrowed down the options for names for its snow plows. NHDOT says it received more than 900 suggestions for plow names in its first round of polling, which it has narrowed down to 15 finalists: 6 Snow 3, Adam Sander, Big Leplowski, CTRL-Salt-DELETE, Darth Blader, Fritz Plowerbee, Live Free and Plow, Notch Your Avg Plow, Please Snow Down, Rider on the Storm, Sled Zepplin, Sleetwood Mac, Snobi Gone Kenobi, Tomie DePlowa, and Vincent van Snow.

QOL score: +1

Comment: Cast your vote while the poll remains open (through Jan. 10) at forms.office.com/g/Px4hL1gvDi. The comments in NHDOT’s Facebook posts about this contest are excellent and, appropriately enough, extremely salty.

Cold holiday week was kind to ski towns

As reported by WMUR in a Dec. 29 online story, cold, snowy weather during the first week of winter has brought a welcome influx of business and revenue to New Hampshire ski business­es and their communities. WMUR quoted Frank MacConnell, the owner of Bob Skinner’s Ski and Sports in Sunapee, who said that this has been one of his top three holiday seasons. “At the end of the day,” he said, “the whole crew locked the door and went, ‘OK, what was that?’ That was huge.” As reported by WMUR, many ski industry workers credit new technology, like flexible ski passes, for bringing in new business.

QOL score: +1

Comment: For information about New Hampshire ski passes, visit skinh.com/deals/season-passes.

Everyone likes a bad boy

By one metric, Santa Claus’s popularity was overshadowed this season by The Grinch. New Hampshire Public Radio reported in a Dec. 24 online story that travelers at Manchester-Boston Region­al Airport during the holiday week showered more attention on a greeter in a Grinch costume than they did on one dressed as Santa Claus. NHPR quoted Airport Director Ted Kitchens: “The one that people loved the most this year was the Grinch. People just wanted their photo with the Grinch.” The airport started greeting travelers with characters in costume during the holiday season three years ago, NHPR reported. 2024 marks the 67th anniversary of the pub­lication of How The Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss, and the 58th year since the original animated television special first aired.

QOL score: +1

Comment: As reported by NHPR, approximately 52,000 people were expected to travel through the airport in the two weeks sur­rounding Christmas.

QOL score last week: 50

Net change: +3

QOL for the end of 2024: 53

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

Let us know at [email protected].

The opposite of dry reading

The Concord Public Library (45 Green St., Concord, 225-8670, concordnh.gov/1983/Library) found itself very, very damp, after a ceiling leak during the night on Sunday, Dec.14. As reported in a Dec. 16 online article by the Concord Monitor, water had come down “through the ceiling in the children’s room and pooled down on the first floor.” On Monday, Dec. 15, the Library posted on its Facebook page, “We have sprung a leak! Please excuse the mess as we dry out. The Main Floor is open for public use with the exception of the adult fiction collection. The Children’s Room and Lower Lounge will be closed for the day. We will be happy to get materials for you from the children’s and adult fiction collections.” The Monitor quoted Library Director Todd Fabian. “A few hundred library items were affected by the leak,” he said, “but how many books are a loss won’t be known for a few days.”

QOL score: -1

Comment: According to the Monitor’s story, the Library has had “a few sizable leaks of this kind” in recent years. Last year the room housing its computer servers was flooded, and the Concord Room, which houses the Library’s historical archives, was flooded before that.

An astronomical achievement

As reported in a Dec. 19 online article by WMUR, a team of students from Nashua has won a competition to have an experiment performed on the International Space Station. “Team Hydra” from the Academy for Science and Design wanted to look more closely at the effects of precipitation in microgravity. As explained by WMUR, “The experiment will analyze how calcium chloride and sodium carbonate interact in space, with potential applications for water filtration systems on Earth and in space exploration.”

QOL score: +1

Comment: Tech company Space Tango will implement and monitor the students’ experiment in space sometime in the next year. The Academy’s team competed against 10 other teams from across the region.

The cost of dog ownership can be ruff

A recent study by online discount platform WeThrift has ranked U.S. states by how much the residents in each spend on their dogs. According to a Dec. 18 press release, “New Hampshire ranks as the eighth most [expensive] state for pet owners, with a total cost of $1,883.38, 12.36% above the average annual cost across all states.” According to the study, some factors that contribute to the state’s pet spending include the cost of pet food (“an annual cost of $761.60, 11.54% above the national average”), veterinary care (“$75.32, which is 8.55% above the average”) and vaccinations (“The state’s annual dog vaccine cost is $233.46, which is 4.88% above the average”).

QOL score: -1

Comments: The study found that Massachusetts has the highest dog spending in the U.S., at $2,275.97. The most affordable state dog-maintainance-wise is Kansas, with yearly spending of $1,403.40.

QOL score last week: 73

Net change: -1

QOL for the end of 2024: 72

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

Let us know at [email protected].

Green light in the sky

As reported by WMUR in a Dec.10 online article, a comet will be visible in night skies in January, after an absence of 50,000 years. Discovered two years ago, the comet, whimsically named C/2022E3 (ZTF), “will make its closest approach to the sun on Jan. 12, according to NASA,” the story reported. This loop around the sun represents the near edge of an orbit that normally takes the comet through the extreme far edges of the solar system. “The icy celestial object,” WMUR reported, “which has steadily brightened as it approaches the sun, will subsequently make its closest pass of Earth between Feb. 1 and Feb. 2, around 26 million miles away, according to EarthSky — as the comet nears Earth, observers will be able to spot it near the bright star Polaris, also called the North Star, and it should be visible earlier in the evening.”

QOL score: +1

Comment: While keen-eyed observers might be able to see the comet unaided at the end of January, most sky-watchers will need the help of binoculars or a telescope.

A rude shock for Rochester dogs

According to a Dec.11 online story by WMUR, Rochester City officials are investigating a number of complaints from pet owners that their dogs have been shocked while peeing against city light poles. WMUR quoted dog owner William McKay: “I walked him over to a pole, he lifted his leg up, and then he just screamed real loud, jumped up in the air and ran away.” According to the report, this has been traumatic for pet owners as well. “My dog started walking,” the story quoted Rochester resident Ryan Naples, “and he lifted his leg to pee, and all of a sudden, it was the most excruciating noise I’ve ever heard in my life. For about 30 seconds, he was just screaming and panting, laying on the ground, freaking out.”

QOL score: -1

Comment: As reported by WMUR, “The city said it’s looking into what’s causing the shocks. It has cut power at all the reported sites as the investigation continues.”

The odds may be in your favor

A recent study by VegasInsider.com compared payouts in lotteries across the country and found that “New Hampshire had the best overall chance of winning any sort of prize, with a 1-in-10 chance of winning something,” according to a Dec.12 press release. The study used the official websites and odds chances of state lotteries. “The results showed that the games specific to New Hampshire, Kentucky, Iowa, and New Mexico have the most likely odds of winning the big prize of 1:10,000,” the press release read.

QOL score: +1

Comment: New Hampshire’s relatively small population might be responsible. According to the press release, “bigger populated states with bigger state lottery jackpots were the least likely to succeed for the top money. New York had the worst chances, with a whopping 1-in-45,047,474, followed by Texas and Florida, which had chances of [one in] over 20 million.”

Last week’s QOL score: 72

Net change:+1

QOL this week: 73

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

Let us know at [email protected].

Baffling the beavers

As reported in a Dec. 5 article by Nashua Ink Link (nashua.inklink.news) the City of Nashua is deploying technology in its ongoing battle of wits against beavers. In an effort to reduce beaver-related flooding, the article said, “after deliberation … a pond leveler was installed at Mine Falls Park, near the entrance on Spine Road. Pond levelers are pipes that run underneath beaver dams that create a permanent leak to keep ponds at a controlled, safe level.” The pipes are fitted with baffles to prevent beavers from feeling the flow of water and kicking off a new spate of dam-building. Popularly referred to as “beaver deceivers,” pond levelers have been used successfully in several beaver ponds in southern New Hampshire.

QOL score: +1

Comment: Sustainability manager Deb Chisolm said in the article, “We really have no local data to indicate whether [pond levelers] work or don’t work. We’re just trying to test it out; we thought that the Spine Road area would be a good location.”

Protecting against holiday scams

According to a recent study, Granite Staters were scammed out of more than $27 million online in 2023. In a Dec.3 press release, the Internal Revenue Service (irs.gov) warned consumers to protect themselves online this holiday season. “Taxpayers can be duped into unwittingly handing over their confidential tax and financial information,” the press release read. “Would-be victims could also get tricked into disclosing their addresses, Social Security numbers, bank account numbers, credit card numbers or passwords, which can lead to tax-related identity theft and fraud.” The IRS recommends shopping at online sites with web addresses that begin with the letters “https:” (The “s” stands for secure communications.) Also look for a padlock icon in the browser window. Make sure that your security and anti-virus software is up-to-date, and use strong, unique passwords for online accounts.

QOL score: -1

Comment: Better news is that New Hampshire ranked 47th in the United States in online scam victimhood. View the study at socialcatfish.com/scamfish/state-of-online-scams-2024.

Wrong way

As reported by WMUR in a Dec.2 online article, the number of New Hampshire drivers involved in driving in the wrong direction is increasing. “New Hampshire State Police said there have been 248 reported cases of wrong-way drivers and 17 related crashes on state roads this year,” the article reported. Although the number of accidents has decreased slightly — there were 26 last year — the overall number of wrong-way driving incidents has increased significantly. WMUR quoted Lt. Christopher Storm with New Hampshire State Police, who said that alcohol is a common denominator in most wrong-way crashes. “Number one, impairment,” he said. “Number two is people’s inattention or medical situations. And the third is our drivers that may not understand the language.”

QOL score: -2

Comment: According to WMUR’s article, the State plans to form a commission to study this problem.

Last week’s QOL score: 74

Net change: -2

QOL this week: 72

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

Let us know at [email protected].