Category: Quality Of Life

Thanksgiving meals

At least eight churches, synagogues and other community groups have worked together preparing to serve a free Thanksgiving dinner on Thursday, Nov. 27, from 1 to 2:30 p.m. at St. Thomas Aquinas Church in Derry. And in a Nov. 20 press release Harbor Care Health and Wellness Center of Nashua announced that a number of prominent New Hampshire politicians, including Gov. Kelly Ayotte, U.S. Sens. Jeanne Shaheen and Maggie Hassan, U.S. Reps. Maggie Goodlander and Chris Pappas, and Nashua Mayor Jim Donchess, would work the buffet line serving Thanksgiving meals at its Free Thanksgiving Community Dinner on Tuesday, Nov. 25.

QOL score: +1

Comment: Speaking of getting food to the people who need it: in Bow, according to an online article by WMUR, local police officers were flagged down at the Alltown truck stop on Saturday, Nov. 15: “Officers said a truck driver flagged them down because he unexpectedly had too many chickens,” the story read. “According to police, he had around 250 whole chickens that were perfectly good to use, but he had nowhere to bring them.” WMUR reported a happy resolution, with the chickens going to the Friendly Kitchen in Concord.

Mittens and food help

Merrimack County Savings Bank is collecting new handmade or store-bought mittens, hats and scarves as part of its Annual Mitten Tree Drive, according to a press release. “For every item collected, The Merrimack will donate $2 to be distributed” to Bow Food Pantry, Friends of Forgotten Children (Concord), Henniker Food Pantry, Hopkinton Food Pantry, Hooksett Food Pantry, Nashua Soup Kitchen and Shelter, Shepard’s Pantry (Windham) and Twin Rivers Food Pantry (Franklin), the release said. “Winters in New Hampshire can be rough, especially for our neighbors in need,” said Linda Lorden, President of The Merrimack, in the press release. “When you make a donation to our Mitten Tree Drive, you’re not only providing warmth — you’re supporting local food pantries.”

QOL score: +1

Comment: Drop off items at any one of the bank’s nine locations, which are listed with their hours at themerrimack.com/locations, the release said.

Rabid raccoon

In a Nov. 19 Facebook post, the Nashua Division of Public Health and Community Services announced that a raccoon recently captured near Westgate Village in Nashua has tested positive for rabies. “While there’s no immediate threat to the community,” the statement read, “residents are urged to use extra caution around wildlife.” The agency advised local residents to keep pets on a leash and supervised outdoors, to never approach or feed wild animals, and to watch for animals displaying “unusual aggression, confusion, or ‘drunk-like’ movement.”

QOL score: -1

Comment: Report suspicious animal sightings to Nashua Animal Control at 594-3500. For possible exposure concerns, call 589-4500 (option 2).

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 news@hippopress.com.

Light show

As reported by WMUR in a Nov. 12 online article, the northern lights were visible in many communities across New Hampshire last week. “News 9 received photos from viewers in Nottingham, Holderness, Merrimack, Plainfield, Danbury and Milford,” the story read. The lights, were visible farther south than usual because of “two coronal mass ejections, or CMEs, from the sun that hit the Earth’s atmosphere and magnetic field at the same time. A CME can be produced by a solar flare or other intense activity on the sun,” the article read.

QOL score: +1

Comment: Find visibility forecasts at swpc.noaa.gov.

Oil be there for you

According to a Nov. 12 press release from community service organization Manchester Proud (manchesterproud.org), “Teachers and staff at Gossler Park Elementary School received a well-deserved boost of appreciation last Thursday and Friday during parent-teacher conferences, thanks to Grappone Ford’s Mobile Oil Change Service.” The Bow-based service provided free oil changes to the school’s employees while they put in an extended day meeting with parents.

QOL score: +1

Comment: “Grappone Ford generously offered their mobile oil change service as a donation event, providing service for up to ten vehicles per day and offering to return for future multi-day events to reach even more school staff,” the release said.

Adam Sander Jr.

The New Hampshire Department of Transportation has announced on its website (dot.nh.gov) that submissions are being accepted for its second annual Name A Plow Contest. “This is a unique opportunity for New Hampshire residents to engage with our snow-fighting fleet,” the announcement read. “We’re inviting you to help name a snowplow and join in the fun as our hard-working team prepares for winter storms. Each named plow will be a part of our ongoing mission to keep New Hampshire’s roads safe, clear, and ready for travel in even the toughest conditions.” To submit name suggestions, visit the NHDOT webpage and click on the “Name a Plow Contest” graphic. Submissions will be accepted until Dec. 12.

QOL score: +1

Comment: According to a Jan. 13 post on the DOT’s Instagram, last year’s contest winners were CTRL-SALT-DELETE, Tomie DePlowa, Live Free and Plow, Adam Sander, 6 Snow 3, The Big Leplowski, and Fritz Plowerbee.

Head-banging educational support

The Community College System of New Hampshire announced in a Nov. 10 press release that its trades programs have received a $50,000 grant from the heavy metal band Metallica. “The band’s All Within My Hands Foundation” the press release read, “a non-profit philanthropic organization, was created in 2017 by the members and management of Metallica that is dedicated to creating sustainable communities by supporting workforce education, the fight against hunger and other critical local services.”

QOL score: +1

Comment: This is the second year in a row that CCSNH has received this funding, the press release said. Visit allwithinmyhands.org.

QOL score last week: 68

Net change: +4

QOL this week: 72

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

Let us know at news@hippopress.com.

Cuuubes … innn … spaaaace

According to a Nov. 6 press release from the University of New Hampshire, as you read this, a mini satellite known as a CubeSat designed and built by a team of UNH undergraduates has launched into space. Probably. “The small-but-mighty satellite is set to launch on a SpaceX rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California no earlier than Nov. 10, 2025 at 10:19 a.m. PST,” the announcement read. “It will head to the outer reaches of the atmosphere to study the solar wind, which will help scientists in their quest to improve space weather forecasting and better protect technology in space and on Earth — such as communication networks, power grids and GPS — from potentially damaging large solar flare events.”

QOL score: +1

Comment: “CubeSats are a specific subset of satellites that are small and standardized,” the announcement said, “and provide a cost-effective way to study space science. It is about the size of a loaf of bread and offers a simpler way to start building and operating than larger satellites, making it an ideal piece of equipment for students to hone their skills outside of the classroom.” Visit eos.unh.edu/3ucubed.

Festive painted windows

Mosaic Art Collective (66 Hanover St., Manchester, 512-6209, mosaicartcollective.com) has launched a new community initiative, The Painted Holiday Windows, in downtown Manchester. Working with downtown businesses and corporate sponsors Stonyfield Farm and Members First Credit Union, Mosaic has commissioned artists to paint festive holiday-themed images on street-facing windows. “[By] bringing color and joy to downtown this November and December, we’re reminded once again how powerful it is when our community comes together to celebrate art and imagination,” Mosaic announced in a Nov. 7 statement.

QOL score: +1

Comment: The depictions on business windows range from traditional images of reindeer and candy canes to pop culture icons, like the Rankin Bass characters Snow Miser and Heat Miser, who are painted on the windows of the Thirsty Moose Taphouse.

Still a drought, but at least it’s a damp drought

“The latest U.S. Drought Monitor report shows that parts of Grafton, Carroll and Coos counties remain in severe or extreme drought,” WMUR reported in a Nov. 6 online article, “while Hillsborough and Cheshire counties continue to experience moderate drought. Even with more frequent rain showers, overall rainfall totals have stayed low.” A Boston Globe story on Nov. 10 described reports of wells going dry around the state, particularly in the north, and noted that “Nearly half of the state’s residents get their water from a private well, according to the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services.”

QOL score: -1

Comment: “While New Hampshire state officials said recent rain has decreased wildfire risk, it didn’t replenish surface water or aquifers,” the Globe reported, and the WMUR story said, “While the drought hasn’t worsened, New Hampshire will need much more rain to make a significant impact.”

QOL score last week: 67

Net change: +1

QOL this week: 68

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

Let us know at news@hippopress.com.

You didn’t miss jury duty and nobody is going to arrest you

As reported by WMUR in an Oct. 25 online article, there is a new phone scam telling area residents that they have missed jury duty and are about to be arrested. The article described the experience of a recent victim of this hoax: “The caller even had him Google the sheriff’s number, and then they called him from that number in an effort to prove it was legitimate. The next steps were for [him] to get a $3,500 bail bond until the situation could be figured out, but that’s when the red flags went off because they wanted him to get the bail bond from Walgreens.”

QOL score: -1

Comment: The WMUR article went on to reassure readers that New Hampshire’s court system will never ask you to send them money. “My office or any law enforcement office would never call anyone and say that you need to make a payment to clear up a warrant. That is so fraudulent,” the article quoted Merrimack County Sheriff David Croft.

Unsettling cancer trend

In a Nov. 3 online article New Hampshire Public Radio reported that the rate of kidney cancer is higher in Merrimack than in other New Hampshire communities. “According to an investigation led by state officials and researchers from Dartmouth, more research is needed to determine the cause,” the article read. “Looking at 27 years of cancer data, researchers determined the rate of kidney cancer in Merrimack is 38% greater than it is in the rest of New Hampshire. The study also found a slight increase in the rate of kidney cancer in Manchester compared to the rest of the state.”

QOL score: -2

Comment: According to the NHPR article, “The investigation began after Merrimack residents expressed concerns about their exposure to PFAS — a group of man-made chemicals that contaminated that community’s water.” Visit geiselmed.dartmouth.edu/nhscr/mkc to read the report.

Trick or trash

The Manchester Economic Development Office reported in the Oct. 29 edition of its online newsletter, the MEDO Minute, that volunteers from the SEE Science Center (200 Bedford St., Manchester, 669-0400, see-sciencecenter.org) blitzed Manchester’s parks during the last weekend of October. “The SEE Science Center led the charge on last weekend’s Trick-or-Trash in Manchester,” the announcement read. “Some 80 volunteers took to local City parks, contributing over 140 hours of time, cleaning up seven parks, and clearing away 66 bags of trash.” The next organized Park2Park event is scheduled for Earth Day, next April 24.

QOL score: +1

Comment: An Oct. 28 announcement on the SEE Science Center’s Facebook page (facebook.com/SEEScienceCenter) includes photos of interesting objects the volunteers found during the trash pick-up. These include $501 in Monopoly money, a shopping cart, a portable bluetooth speaker, a stairway spindle, house keys and what appears to be a very large chocolate cookie.

QOL score last week : 69

Net change: -2

QOL this week: 67

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

Let us know at news@hippopress.com.

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

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

Let us know at news@hippopress.com.

Leaves of brown

If you’re noticing a little less fall color this year, it’s not just you, as “weeks of drought have muted this year’s autumn colors” and made leaves drop earlier than usual, as reported by the Concord Monitor on Monday, Oct. 20. The article noted “more than 40% of the country was considered to be in a drought in early October, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor,” and the Northeast is particularly dry.

QOL score: -1

Comment: Less fall color doesn’t mean none; New England’s trees are resilient, the story said, and “tourism business built around leaf peeping has also proven resilient.” The story said Chris Proulx of the Mount Washington Valley Chamber of Commerce noted that the region has a reputation for fall beauty and people book travel plans in advance.

Speaking of Mount Washington…

In an Oct. 17 online weather update, WMUR announced that Mt. Washington has received its first measurable snow of the season. “The Mount Washington Observatory said that the accumulations were very light and rime ice produced from freezing fog added to the appearance of snow dust on Mount Washington,” the report read. “According to the observatory, there was 0.4 inches of snow. Temperatures on the summit were in the teens and 20s.”

QOL Score: 0 (+ 1 because “yay, snow season has begun in New Hampshire!” for some and -1 because “gah, snow has begun in New Hampshire!” for others)

Comment: The Old Farmer’s Almanac (almanac.com/weather/longrange/NH/Manchester) predicts that our first significant non-mountain snowstorm will happen sometime around Nov. 9. For extremely detailed reports of weather conditions at Mount Washington Observatory, visit mountwashington.org.

The mystery continues

As reported by WMUR’s Chronicle on Oct. 13, two pumpkins have appeared skewered on the spires of Rounds Hall at Plymouth State University. According to the Chronicle story this is a yearly occurrence. “The pumpkins pop up there under the cover of darkness,” the article read, “and in all these years, the secret of how they get up there remains a mystery, … this year, one was painted ‘1975’ and the other ‘2025’ to mark the 50th year of the tradition.”

QOL score: +1

Comment: WMUR reported that every year the feed to its live weather cam, which has a view of Round Hall, mysteriously cuts out for an hour or so, only to reveal the pumpkins when the feed comes back online.

QOL score last week: 71

Net change: 0

QOL this week: 71

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

Let us know at news@hippopress.com.