Category: Quality Of Life

Just hang up

If you feel like you get more phone calls from robots than from actual humans, you’re probably right. According to a Nov. 20 press release from Whistle Out (whistleout.com), an online technology comparison service, a recent study found that the residents of New Hampshire receive a staggering number of spam calls. “New Hampshirites receive 144,221,100 robocalls annually,” the press release reported. “That’s 103 per person.” New Hampshire ranks 33rd in the number of these calls, and 12th in preventing them.

QOL score: -1

Comment: It could be worse. According to WhistleOut, “Southern states are hit the hardest by spam calling: Louisiana residents receive the most robocalls per capita (339) in the U.S., followed by Georgia (307), South Carolina (248), Alabama (248), and Arkansas (238)” It could also be better; Utah has the fewest, with 78 calls per person.

So many mice

TheNew Hampshire SPCA is up to its eyebrows in mice. As it described on its website on Nov.14, the SPCA was approached by a man in the lobby, hoping to surrender some pet mice. “The man was overwhelmed by the sheer number of mice in his possession,” the NHSPCA wrote, “initially stating he had 150 pet mice in his home. Subsequently, he clarified that he actually had 150 tanks with mice in them. Depending on the size of the tank, there may be more than a dozen in each. The mice were not separated by sex and were reproducing uncontrolled. Many of the females came to the shelter pregnant. By Tuesday morning, more mice had been born. Our current estimate is that there are an approximate 400 still at the man’s home, but we may be looking at intaking as many as 1,000 mice in total.”

QOL score: -1

Comment: A breeding pair of mice and their offspring can produce more than 5,000 mice in a year, so this is a tribble-like compounding problem for the SPCA. “Community members wishing to help are encouraged to foster, adopt or donate,” the organization wrote on its website.

Plowy McPlowface?

The New Hampshire Department of Transportation tapped the public last month to find names for its fleet of snowplows. As reported by WMUR in a Nov. 27 online story, the DOT has accepted suggestions for names from the public for one of its plows. On the DOT website, a guideline for the names said that suggestions should be unique, polite, short and politically nonpartisan. The deadline for suggestions closed on Nov. 29. The DOT will look over the suggestions, then post some of the best ones online for the public to vote on. The voting will take place between Monday, Dec.9, and Friday, Dec.13. Visit dot.nh.gov/name-plow-contest.

QOL score: +1

Comment: The WMUR story reported that “the Massachusetts Department of Transportation held a similar contest earlier this year. Some winners included Edward Blizzard-Hands, Snow-B-Wan-Kenobi and Sleet-Wood Mac.”

QOL score: 75

Net change: -1

QOL this week: 74

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

Let us know at [email protected].

Some rain, some drought

The U.S. Drought Monitor for New Hampshire reported on Nov. 21 that a small section of southeastern Rockingham County was in “extreme drought” while portions of Rockingham, Hillsborough and Cheshire counties were still in “severe drought” with the rest of those counties plus all of Merrimack, Sullivan, Strafford and Belknap counties listed as in “moderate drought” along with parts of Grafton and Carroll counties. The rest of the state was labeled as “abnormally dry,” the map reported.

QOL score: -1

Comments: According to WMUR, the report looks at rainfall Tuesday to Tuesday, so it does not include the rain from the second half of last week — here’s hoping the next report, which you can find at drought.gov/states/new-hampshire, is more promising.

Fun for data nerds

New Hampshire’s Economic and Labor Market Information Bureau has released an application that allows users to examine data for the 234 incorporated cities and towns in the state. In an Oct. 23 email the ELMI — part of the Department of Employment Security — explained, “Data on many topics are available ranging from population and demographics as well as income, labor force, educational attainment, housing units, and property taxes. Additional information on school and day care enrollment, as well as other specific data provided by the municipalities, can be compared.” If you’ve ever wondered what the average weekly wage in Derry is, for instance, it’s $1,281. Or it ever seemed to you that there are more men than women walking around Concord, you’re right — there are 22,879 men, versus 21,170 women (as of 2023).

QOL score: +1

Comment: To access the application, visit nhes.nh.gov/elmi.

We’re woodworking winners

New Hampshire carvers dominated the recent New England Woodworking Competition, which featured works by professionals, amateurs and students, held at the University of New Hampshire in Durham. In a Nov. 15 press release, The Guild of New Hampshire Woodworkers wrote that there were 150 entries from New Hampshire, Maine, Vermont and Massachusetts including more than “60 elementary, middle school, high school and college students.” The three Judges Awards all went to Granite Staters: David Foote of Barrington; Ronald Litalien of Canterbury and Ted Blachly of Warner, the release said. In the student categories, Michael Franta of Contoocook won first prize in the Middle School division (for “Cherry Wood Coffee Table”) and Gabriela Crinigan of UNH won first prize in the College division (for “Tooth Box”). New Hampshire woodworkers swept the Amateur Woodworkers division: Joe Marshall of Nashua in Carving; Edward Marks of Nashua for Turning between Centers; Ron Marcoux of Bedford for Bowl Turning; Jim McLaughlin of Warner for Amateur and David Labrie of Manchester for Traditional, the release said.

QOL score: +1

Comment: To see this year’s winners and their winning works, visit the Guild of New Hampshire Woodworkers website at gnhw.org.

QOL score last week: 74

Net change: +1

QOL this week: 75

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

Let us know at [email protected].

Sad news for local music fans

The sudden passing of Brooks Young on Nov. 8 shocked the local music-loving community. The level of commitment he brought to his music was inspirational, and his success was a combination of talent and tenacity. The guitar-slinging bandleader wasn’t content to simply meet his heroes, playing with icons like B.B. King, Robert Cray and Jimmie Vaughan, and touring with George Thorogood & the Destroyers multiple times. Once he performed in front of 20,000 fans with Sammy Hagar, Jason Bonham and Van Halen’s Michael Anthony. Young, however, brought the same intensity when he played for a handful of fans at Concord Craft Brewery. He’ll be missed.

QOL score: -5, but really incalculable

Comment: Young leaves two daughters and a son, and a GoFundMe (gofund.me/b05711e5) has been established for them. A memorial concert organized by Young’s family and his musician friends is in the planning stages, as is an annual blues festival that will happen on the anniversary of his death.

Manchester gets a puppy

As reported in a Nov.14 article by Manchester Ink Link (manchester.inklink.news), the Manchester Fire Department has brought a new member of its support team back from hurricane rescue work in North Carolina. “The firefighters also brought home a dog named Bo,” the story read, “a shortened new name from its original moniker of Boone, one of the cities in North Carolina where Manchester’s firefighters operated.” Members of the Manchester Fire Department were deployed to western North Carolina as part of an Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC) response to damage from Hurricane Helene earlier this fall. As reported in a Nov.14 online story by WMUR, “Months-old puppy Boone was adopted from the Meat Camp Fire Department, where they lived with local families during the second half of their time in North Carolina.”

QOL score: +1

Comment: On its Facebook page, the Meat Camp, N.C., Fire Department posted, “We’ve been happy to provide a place for our friends from City of Manchester, NH Fire Department to clean up and lay their heads at night after working tirelessly serving the hurting folks of our county and surrounding counties. We’re glad to have them and thankful for their efforts to help us in this recovery. They’re a great team and bring valuable knowledge and assets to our efforts.”

Hannaford Supermarket is back online

In a Nov. 17 online story, WMUR reported that the Hannaford Supermarket chain is back online, following complications relating to cybersecurity issues. “It had been down since earlier this month and customers could not access online order services or the app,” the story read. According to a Nov. 12 article in the Boston Globe, the same issue “reportedly affected the ability of some stores to accept payments via gift cards or debit cards.”

QOL score: -1 for the missed coupon opportunities

Comment: According to a message on hannaford.com: “Hannaford.com and our app are online! Hannaford To Go pickup and delivery orders may be placed as slots become available. We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience and thank you for your continued understanding.”

QOL score last week: 79

Net change: -5

QOL this week: 74

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

Let us know at [email protected].

Good news for coyotes, bad news for outdoor pets

The University of New Hampshire announced in a Nov. 6 press release that, despite human and predator pressures, coyote populations are thriving. “Surprisingly, the study’s findings suggest that human hunting practices may actually contribute to increasing the number of coyotes,” the press release read. It quoted Remington Moll, Assistant Professor of Natural Resources and the Environment and lead author of the study. “Intensive coyote removal can obviously reduce populations in the short term, but removal can also result in younger coyote populations with higher reproduction and immigration rates,” Moll said.

QOL score: +1 for the coyotes, -1 for your cat

Comment: At wildlife.nh.gov, the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department warns, “In suburban areas, coyotes have been known to kill house cats. Keeping your pets and pet food inside at night helps reduce the likelihood that a family pet will become prey. Coyotes are often blamed for events for which domestic dogs, automobiles or other wildlife are responsible. As for your safety, coyotes pose little risk to people.”

Hard times for soft cheese

Savencia Cheese USA has announced a voluntary recall for some of its soft-ripened cheese because of potential contamination with Listeria monocytogenes, according to a U.S. Food and Drug Administration email and a notice at savenciacheeseusa.com. See pictures of the items, which include Aldi Emporium Selection Brie and Market Basket Brie, and a list of the UPC and best-by dates of the affected items on Savencia’s website.

QOL score: -1

Comment: “Through routine testing, it was identified that processing equipment at the site may have been contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes. While finished product testing has not identified contaminated product, we have initiated a voluntary recall to retrieve the potentially affected product,” the website said.

NH is bicycle-friendly

New Hampshire is the ninth best state for cyclists. A Nov. 7 press release read, “The legal team at Philadelphia-based personal injury law firm KaplunMarx analyzed various metrics, including the air quality, cyclist deaths per capita, bike routes per square mile, local government actions supporting cycling, federal funding for cycling projects, and bicycle laws to determine the most cycling-friendly states in the U.S.” The study found that New Hampshire has a higher-than-average density of bike paths (62.8 miles per 1,000 square miles), good air quality, and a low cyclist fatality rate (3.3 per million residents).

QOL score: +1

Comment: The study rated New Hampshire’s overall score as 62.4 points out of 100. The top-rated state was Minnesota, with a score of 84. The lowest scoring state was Alabama, with 39.

Last week’s QOL score: 79

Net change: 0

QOL this week: 79

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

Let us know at [email protected].

Nashua parking blues

In an Oct. 1 press release the City of Nashua announced that it is raising the price of parking in a metered space as well as the cost of tickets for parking violations. “Parking meter rates will see an adjustment across the three existing zones and the addition of a fourth zone,” the press release read. The new rates will range from 75¢ to $4 per hour. Parking violations will cost anywhere from $15 for an expired meter to $250 for a handicapped parking violation. The press release quoted Parking Manager Jill Stansfield: “These updates are designed to improve the overall parking experience for residents, businesses, and visitors.”

QOL score: -1

Comment: The changes will take effect on Jan.1, 2025.

It’s a good sign

It’s a fun election story! As reported in an Oct. 30 online story by WMUR, Goffstown resident Andy Brown’s lawn has been sporting a campaign-style sign that reads, “Andy Brown, not Running for anything, just wanted a sign.” Brown told WMUR that the sign wasn’t expensive, so he ordered it on the spur of the moment.

QOL score: +1

Comment: “The initial sign was partially a prank on Brown’s wife, Erin Marchal,” the story read. “I don’t actually know how long it was [up],” she told WMUR. “I’m told it was weeks.”

Still 603

As reported in an Oct. 31 press release by the Governor’s office, “Governor Chris Sununu announced that following his “Don’t Overload the Code” Executive Order, federal regulators have updated the projected exhaustion date for the 603 area code to the third quarter of 2029.” This extension was part of the Governor’s “Don’t Overload the Code” initiative. He directed the State Department of Energy to look into strategies to preserve the current area code, and directed the Department of Business and Economic Affairs (BEA) to complete a study on the costs of implementing a new area code.

QOL score: +1

Comment: “The 603 area code has incredible symbolic and economic value for New Hampshire and we have taken tremendous strides to protect it,” the Governor said in a statement.

A moving picture

The Yankee Flyer Diner mural has found a new, indoor home in the Nashua City Hall Building, according to a Nov. 1 article on Nashua Ink Link. The mural, a 10- by 28-foot elaborate still-life of the Yankee Flyer Diner, which was a fixture in Nashua from 1930 to the mid-1960s, was painted in 1997 by Nashua native James Aponovich, the article said. Aponovich and his wife Beth restored the seven-panel mural over the summer.

QOL score: +1

Comment: This is the second restoration for the mural, which was last refreshed in 2015, according to the report. After its first restoration, the mural was returned to Main Street across from City Hall, where the original diner was located. This time the mural has been moved indoors, to a wall in the City Hall Auditorium, the article said.

QOL score: 77

Net change: +2

QOL this week: 79

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

Let us know at [email protected].

Air and water

Air quality took a dip in southern New Hampshire on Monday, Oct. 28, with readings that night for Manchester and Londonderry in the merely “acceptable” range of the US EPA Air Quality Index according to PurpleAir.com. A map at AirNow.gov showed “moderate” air quality from Concord north to the White Mountains. The Boston Globe on Monday reported that wildfires in eastern Massachusetts were blanketing that region with smoke, and NHPR reported online that the National Weather Service had issued a red flag warning for southern New Hampshire on Oct. 27.

QOL score: -1

Comment:According to the National Integrated Drought Information System at drought.gov, 57.2 percent of New Hampshire is “abnormally dry” and 10 percent (a chunk in the southeastern part of the state) is in “moderate drought.”

Books and bragging rights

“The Nashua Public Library has been named the state’s 2024 Large Library of the Year by the New Hampshire Library Trustees Association,” an Oct. 21 press release from the library announced. The press release reports that the Library was recognized for its “impressive growth in services and programs, enhanced equity work, and strong partnerships with dozens of local organizations, city departments, and other libraries.” Over the past year the Library redesigned its online presence, worked to meet the needs of neurodiverse patrons and was a partner in hosting Nashua’s recent Multicultural Festival.

QOL score: +1

Comment: In its fall newsletter the New Hampshire Library Trustees Association named the Meredith Public Library its Small Library of the Year, and Beryl Donovan of the Gaffney Library in Wakefield its Library Director of the Year.

NH civic health is in decline

A recent report by the Carsey School of Public Policy at the University of New Hampshire revealed that the state’s civic health — behaviors, beliefs and actions related to public life — has declined since 2020. An Oct. 8 press release from UNH stated, “Researchers found long-term data suggests that there have been declines in areas that need attention — including how much people trust each other, attend public meetings, vote and help neighbors, with more than a 30% decline in how New Hampshire residents feel they matter in their own communities.” According to the study, “the share of residents across New Hampshire who do favors for neighbors fell by half. Only 1% of residents reported that they trust the national government all the time and 49% almost never trust the national government.“

QOL score: -2

Comments: Read the report at carsey.unh.edu/publications.

Was it you?

In an Oct. 22 press release, The New Hampshire Lottery Commission announced that a $1.475 million winning lottery ticket was sold in a convenience store in Derry. The ticket was “for the drawing on Saturday, October 19, 2024,” the press release read. “The winning ticket was sold by the Speedway Convenience Store.”

QOL score: +1

Comment: According to the State’s Megabucks website (nhlottery.com/Games/Megabucks) the odds of winning a jackpot are 1 in 4,496,388.

QOL score: 78

Net change: -1

QOL this week: 77

Tell us what’s affecting your Quality of Life at [email protected].