Category: Quality Of Life

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].

Soggy library books

Manchester City Library patrons are still feeling the effects of a water pipe leak that flooded part of the Pine Street building in early September. As of Oct. 21, the library’s website still noted that while elevator access to the main floor is back, “Some areas of the library collection are still unavailable. These include Nonfiction: 400-999, Reference, World Languages, and Biographies.”

QOL score: -2

Comment: While browsing opportunities are curtailed, specific books may be requested for cardholders from nearby libraries that are part of the GMILCS consortium.

Remembering Scipio Page

The Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire, in partnership with the Dunbarton Historical Awareness Committee dedicated a historical marker to commemorate Scipio Page at Page’s Cemetery at 339 Stark Highway North in Dunbarton on Oct. 19. “A key African American soldier, Scipio fought in the French and Indian War and the Revolutionary War and later served as a captain of a regional Black militia. … The event featured a military color guard, a fiddle performance, and special treats baked from recipes from the 1800s that Scipio might have enjoyed,” according to an email about the event from the Black Heritage Trail.

QOL score: +1

Comment: Find a list of Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire marker sites, including the four unveiled in 2024, at blackheritagetrailnh.org.

Three bedrooms, three bathrooms and dinosaurs

For Realtor Jonathan Benton, the secret to generating interest in one of his listings has been to stage photos of the property with inflatable dinosaurs. According to an Oct. 13 online article in the Boston Globe, “In one image, [a] dinosaur is pictured swinging from a tire in the backyard. In another, two dinosaurs — computer software was used to create additional images — are baking cookies in the kitchen.” An Oct. 18 article on Realtor.com quoted Benton: “We had an instant response with showings requested within a half an hour of uploading the photos.”

QOL score: +1

Comment: The Zillow listing for the property describes it as a “wooded gem with a Dino-mite two car garage and finished basement!”

Dunka-whole-lotte

Dunkin’s Iced Dunkalatte, a drink announced in late summer/early fall, is apparently more popular than expected. The drink of Rhode Island fave coffee milk plus espresso is such a sippable treat that by the time QOL attempted to get a second Dunkalatte in early October (the first one was quite tasty), some outlets in southern New Hampshire and northern Mass. Dunkin’ were saying that the drink was not available. According to Dunkin’ spokesperson Gabby Camacho, the official word is as follows: “The buzz around the Dunkalatte has been overwhelming! Due to high demand, we’re running low — but stay tuned, the Dunkalatte will be back before you know it. For the latest updates, we encourage guests to check availability with their local Dunkin’ via the mobile app.”

QOL score: -1, for asking the caffeine-dependent to be patient

Comments: You can attempt making your own variation with coffee milk or coffee syrup (2 tablespoons per 8 ounces of milk, according to the Autocrat coffee syrup bottle).

Last week’s QOL score: 79

Net change: -1

QOL this week: 78

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

‘Ugh, winter’ or ‘Yay, ski season!’ — you decide

It doesn’t feel like it yet below the tree line, but winter weather has started. The top of Mount Washington has gotten its first significant snowfall of the season. In an Oct. 11 online article, New Hampshire Public Radio (NHPR.org) reported that as of Friday afternoon Oct. 11, the Mount Washington Observatory (mountwashington.org) reported “approximately 2.5 inches … capped with a layer of ice.” NHPR quoted the Observatory’s Alexandra Branton, who said that the top of the mountain “typically records 19 inches of snow each October.”

QOL score: -1 for the snow that’s not yet enough to ski on

Comment: NHPR reports that temperatures at the top of Mount Washington were “in the 20s last week, with … single-digit wind chills.”

State of student loan payments

The personal-finance website WalletHub (wallethub.com) reported on Oct. 10 that New Hampshire rates highest among U.S. states in terms of student loan payments. “The median monthly payment on student loans ranges from $142 to $229, depending on the state,” WalletHub reported. New Hampshire had an average monthly student loan payment per user of $229. As reported by the study, “Around 42.2 million Americans owe a collective $1.61 trillion in student loans. That comes out to an average of over $38,000 of debt for each borrower.” Given a fixed interest rate of 6.53%, it would require a monthly payment of $284 for an average American student to pay off everything within 20 years.

QOL score: -1

Comment: Arkansas and Mississippi tied for the lowest student loan payments in this study, with $149 per month.

Northern Lights in Northern New England

For the second time this year, observers in New Hampshire have been able to see the Aurora Borealis, or Northern Lights. In a rare display, viewers throughout the country were able to see the bright colors in the sky. “Last night’s event was the strongest since May,” reported the Boston Globe (bostonglobe.com) in an Oct. 11 online article, “with the lights coming out as far south as Texas, Florida and California.”

QOL score: +1

Comments: Ooo, pretty.

The death of a celebrity loon

The The Loon Preservation Committee (183 Lees Mill Road, Moultonborough, 476-5666, loon.org) announced on Tuesday, Oct. 8, that one of the loons familiar to viewers of its popular Loon Cam (loon.org/looncam) had been found dead. After performing a necropsy, The Loon Preservation Committee found that the female from Loon Cam 2 had probably died from a severe fungal respiratory infection. “Aspergillus fungus is extremely common in the environment,” the LPC reported in its October newsletter, “and normally does not pose a threat to a healthy loon. However, if a loon’s immune system is compromised in some way — if the bird is battling another illness, recovering from an injury, or otherwise experiencing stress — it becomes more susceptible to Aspergillus infection.”

QOL score: -1

Comment: “We are sad to lose her, but excited at the prospect of her offspring being productive members of our loon population for years to come,” the LPC wrote.

QOL score last week: 81

Net change: -2

QOL this week: 79

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

Like clockwork, pumpkins appear

Each year on Oct. 1 two pumpkins appear on the spires of the tower of Rounds Hall at Plymouth State University. As reported by WMUR in an Oct. 1 online story, the pumpkins have appeared again. “How the pumpkins get there remains a mystery dating back to the 1970s,” said the story, “making it one of the campus’s best-kept secrets.” In a story from Oct. 31, 2020, New Hampshire Public Radio investigated the mystery and found clues to a mysterious “Great Pumpkin Society” but was not able to track down its members or any information about it.

QOL score: 0, because who knows what those pumpkins are planning?

Comment: A call to three departments at Plymouth State revealed that not only doesn’t anyone know how the pumpkins get to the top of the spires, but nobody is really certain how tall the spires even are.

A New Hampshire Nobel winner

A scientist from New Hampshire has been awarded a Nobel Prize in Medicine. On Monday, Oct. 7, the Nobel Committee in Stockholm, Sweden, announced that Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun had been awarded the Prize for their microRNA discovery and gene regulation studies. As reported in an Oct. 7 online article by WMUR, “Ambros, a New Hampshire native who was a professor at Dartmouth Medical School from 1992-2007, performed the research that led to his prize at Harvard University. … ”

QOL score: +1

Comment: This year’s laureates will receive their awards at ceremonies in Stockholm on Dec. 10, the anniversary of Alfred Nobel’s death.

Using moose for that wet look

In a press release on Thursday, Oct. 3, the Bedford Police Department reported that the Bedford Police and Fire Departments responded Thursday morning to a report of a moose in a swimming pool. “First responders arrived to find an adult moose in a swimming pool under a pool cover, and removed the cover to help enable the moose to get out of the pool,” reported Chief of Police Daniel Douidi. “The moose then walked out of the pool on its own and left the area. No further action was taken.”

QOL score: +1

Comment: Video of the moose rescue can be found under the title IMG_9251 at Vimeo.com.

USA Today likes Manchester Airport

In an Oct. 2 press release, Manchester-Boston Regional Airport (flymanchester.com) reported that USA Today has named it one of the Top Ten small airports in the country. “MHT secured eighth place,” the press release read, “with this being the third time MHT has been awarded a place in the top 10.”

QOL score: +1

Comment: Myrtle Beach International Airport took the No. 1 spot in the USA Today survey.

QOL score: 78

Net change: +3

QOL this week: 81

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

Even more EEE

In a Sept. 26 online article, WMUR (wmur.com) reported that the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services confirmed two additional cases of mosquito-borne Eastern Equine Encephalitis. The article cited an announcement by NH DHHS “that an adult from Derry and another from Newmarket were both hospitalized but have since been discharged.” According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention at cdc.gov, EEE is a rare but serious disease. Symptoms can include fever, headache, vomiting, diarrhea, seizures, behavioral changes and drowsiness.

QOL score: -2

Comment: As you wait for the hard freeze, you can check out dhhs.gov for the NH DHHS regularly updated map showing where EEE, West Nile and Jamestown Canyon Virus have been found in the state this year.

How expensive is your town?

According to a recent study by doxo.com, a personal finance website, nine of the 10 most expensive towns in New Hampshire to live in are in this general southern New Hampshire, Manchester-Nashua-Salem area. The study, which was released Sept. 22, named Bedford as having the highest cost of living in the state, with monthly bills averaging $3,462 per month, 63 percent higher than the national average. The town with the next highest cost of living is Windham, followed by Milford and Pelham. Londonderry, Merrimack, Goffstown, Hudson and Salem round out the nine most costly cities. The study found that, overall, New Hampshire household expenses are 17 percent higher than the national average.

QOL score: -1

Comment: The same study found that Manchester and Hooksett have the two lowest costs of living. See doxo.com/w/insights.

Saint Anselm College keeps the kids in NH

On Sept. 23, Saint Anselm College (100 Saint Anselm Drive, Goffstown, 641-7000, anselm.edu) announced it will waive tuition for some New Hampshire students. “We understand the cost of a college education is challenging for so many families,” said college President Joseph A. Favazza, Ph.D., on the school’s website. “With Anselmian Community Commitment, we are investing in the future of New Hampshire by making a Saint Anselm education affordable to as many talented, high-achieving students as possible, regardless of their socioeconomic background.” The college’s “Anselmian Community Commitment” will allow New Hampshire students with a family income of $100,000 or less and a GPA of 3.25 or higher to attend the college tuition-free.

QOL score: +1

Comment: The full cost of attending Saint Anselm in the 2024-2025 academic year was $47,400 for tuition, $17,020 for food and housing, $1,520 in fees, plus between about $4,500 to $7,100 in books, supplies, transportation, and personal expenses, according to the college.

QOL score last week : 80

Net change: -2

QOL this week: 78

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