Category: Quality Of Life

Spotted lanternfly spotted

Spotted lanternflies (SLF) have been detected at a New Hampshire nursery, according to a press release from the New Hampshire Department of Agriculture, Markets & Food. The department and nursery personnel found the invasive insect on Sept. 3 and subsequently killed several adult SLF. They also identified SLF eggs on red maple trees that had come from Pennsylvania. The SLF typically feeds on the tree of heaven, which is prohibited for sale in the state, but it will feed on more than 70 kinds of plants. The insect is considered a risk to a variety of agricultural, ornamental and hardwood crops, according to the release.

Score: -1

Comment: There is currently no evidence of an established SLF population in the state, the release said, and public awareness and the ability to identify the insect can help keep it that way. Visit nhbugs.org/spotted-lanternfly to learn more.

Ending chronic homelessness

Harbor Care, which provides housing, health care and support to community members who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless, recently announced a new goal: to end chronic homelessness in Nashua by the end of 2020. According to a press release, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development recently provided Harbor Care with 26 new housing vouchers. As of Sept. 22 there were 21 chronically homeless people in Nashua, meaning that Harbor Care can now house every person who meets the definition of chronically homeless (people who have been homeless for more than one year or have experienced homelessness at least four times in three years).

Score: +1

Comment: Harbor Care has also launched a fundraiser called Dignity of Home to make sure that supports are available to people after they move into their new homes. So far the campaign has raised more than $125,000 of its $200,000 goal, according to the release, and the Ending Homelessness Committee, a group of concerned citizens, recently offered to match the next $5,000 in donations.

Check your smoke detectors

The state saw its second deadliest three-month period in the past 10 years for unintentional fatal fires from March to May, according to a press release. This year there have been eight fatalities in seven home fires — and in each fire, there were no working smoke alarms, the release said. This week (Oct. 4 through Oct. 10) is National Fire Prevention Week, and State Fire Marshal Paul J. Parisi said in the release that “smoke alarms are the biggest factor when it comes to giving people time to get out alive.”

Score: -1

Comment: In New Hampshire, it is the law to have smoke alarms in every bedroom, outside each separate sleeping area and on every level of the home, including the basement. Contact your local fire department, as many in New Hampshire have free smoke alarm programs, according to the release.

Take a road trip

With foliage at its peak in southern New Hampshire, now is a great time to take a scenic drive. You can travel pretty much anywhere and find beautiful scenery, or you can set out on a more purposeful drive: the Robert Frost/Old Stagecoach Byway, which travels through Auburn, Chester, Derry, Hampstead and Atkinson. A group of people representing the five communities recently created a brochure and website for the route, which includes numerous points of interest.

Score: +1

Comment: Visit frost-stagecoach-byway.org to find a map as well as the history of the byway.

QOL score: 57

Net change: 0

QOL this week: 57

What’s affecting your Quality of Life here in New Hampshire? Let us know at news@hippopress.com.

Warnings about wildfires, well problems

Increasing concerns about the drought have prompted warnings from the state about both the increased potential for wildfires and for wells running dry. On Sept. 25, Gov. Chris Sununu issued a proclamation, effective immediately, that prohibits the kindling of any open fire and smoking in or near woodlands anywhere in New Hampshire due to “great concern that wildfires could unexpectedly and rapidly increase thereby endangering life and property,” according to a press release. Meanwhile, the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services is asking residents to conserve water and to report any well problems to the state. As more and more residential well owners are reporting supply issues, well drillers are reporting waits greater than six weeks to get a new well drilled while others are booked until the end of the year, according to a DES press release.

Score: -2

Comment: As of Sept. 28, the entire state was in drought, with nearly 10 percent of the state elevated to D3-Extreme Drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. Forecasted rainfall for this week will help some, according to a report from WMUR, but officials say that in order to bring water levels back up to normal, it will take a very wet autumn and a snowy winter.

Slow speeds

Manchester ranks 24th for midsize cities with the slowest internet speeds, according to a new study from AdvisorSmith. The company calculated the percentage of residents with access to 100 Mbps, 250 Mbps and 1 gigabit internet in thousands of U.S. cities and analyzed the data to come up with its rankings. According to the study, 0.1 percent of Manchester residents had access to 1 gigabit broadband providers, whereas in most midsize cities, an average of 27 percent of residents had access to gigabit internet providers.

Score: -1

Comment: 98.5 percent of residents had access to 100 Mbps and 250 Mbps internet, which, according to the data, is pretty average for midsize cities.

Cereal smarts

Granite United Way had to cancel its annual Day of Caring, but the nonprofit came up with a new way to help local communities instead: the Smart Start Cereal Campaign. According to a press release, from now through Oct. 16 individuals and companies can donate cereal and other non-perishable breakfast foods to help students get a “smart start.” Companies can hold cereal drives, or anyone can text guwfeeds to 41444 to donate through the Smart Start Text-to-Give Campaign.

Score: +1

Comment: “We’ve been working with local volunteers and corporate partners to ensure that even though our traditional Day of Caring may look different we are still able to provide help this fall,” said Patrick Tufts, president and CEO of Granite United Way.

QOL score: 59

Net change: -2

QOL this week: 57

What’s affecting your Quality of Life here in New Hampshire? Let us know at news@hippopress.com.

Rising Stars of New Hampshire

The winners of the 2020 Rising Stars Awards, presented by Stay Work Play New Hampshire, were announced last week, honoring exceptional young people and the businesses that support them. The winners are:

Civic Leader of the Year: Hooksett resident Martin Toe, grassroots organizer intern for the American Friends Service Committee, and co-founder of Change for Concord

College Student of the Year: Barrington resident Juliana Good, senior at UNH

High School Student of the Year: Londonderry resident Erin Strike, senior at Londonderry High School

Intern of the Year: Auburn resident Madison Olsen, intern with Hinsdale School District

Young Entrepreneur of the Year: Manchester resident Shaquwan’Da Allen, owner of Rootz Natural Hair Shop

Young Professional of the Year: Lebanon resident Patrick Ho, Chief Resident, Clinical Instructor in Psychiatry, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, and president of the New Hampshire Psychiatric Society

Score: +1

Comment: Three finalists were selected for Coolest Company for Young Professionals: GYK Antler of Manchester, Nobis Group of Concord and Sunrise Labs of Bedford. One of these companies will be chosen as the “People’s Choice” recipient; check out each company’s virtual “Happy Hour” event, beginning Tuesday, Oct. 6, at 6 p.m., to learn more about why they should be selected as the winner. Then vote online at bit.ly/RSA2020vote.

Race and remember

The Manchester Police Athletic League has turned its annual Footrace for the Fallen into a virtual event this year, while still honoring the race’s mission of remembering heroes who were lost in the line of duty and supporting the Queen City’s at-risk youth. According to a press release, the Manchester Police Department and PAL will host a drive-through bib pickup on Saturday, Oct. 3, between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. in the police department’s parking lot, where you’ll be able to pick up your bib (and T-shirt, if you’re one of the first 500 people to register) and will be greeted by “many friendly faces who will provide you with everything you need from remembrances and giveaways to photo opportunities,” according to the release. You can then run your 5K anywhere, any time between 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 3, and 2 p.m. Monday, Oct. 5.

Score: +1

Comment: Visit runreg.com/footrace-for-the-fallen to register; the price is $25 for adults (18+) and $20 for youth.

Animals welcome?

New Hampshire has been ranked one of the least pet-friendly states in the country in a recently released report from home security company SafeWise. The 48 contiguous states were ranked on percentage of pet-friendly apartments; pet population; pets-left-in-car laws; veterinary reporting requirement laws; tether laws; anti-cruelty laws, and animal fighting paraphernalia laws. Our neighboring states of Vermont and Maine both made the top 10 for most pet-friendly states (ranked seventh and 10th, respectively), while elsewhere in New England, Connecticut joined New Hampshire in the top 10 least friendly states, ranking 10th and ninth, respectively.

Score: -1

Comment: Only 8 percent of New Hampshire’s rentals are pet-friendly, according to the report.

QOL score: 58

Net change: +1

QOL this week: 59

What’s affecting your Quality of Life here in New Hampshire? Let us know at news@hippopress.com

Capital Arts Fest is a go

The League of New Hampshire Craftsmen announced in a press release on Sept. 14 that it will move ahead with its third annual Capital Arts Fest, scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 26, and Sunday, Sept. 27, on South Main Street in Concord. The event will feature more than 20 craftsmen, food, and live music coordinated by the Capitol Center for the Arts. It will be held outside the League’s headquarters, across from the Cap Center, with tents spaced out up and down the street to allow for social distancing.
Score: +1

Comment: “When we surveyed our members, our first and only real concern was their health and safety, but we were overwhelmed with people who are excited to show their work and be able to do something safely in person,” Miriam Carter, executive director of the League of New Hampshire Craftsmen, said in the release.

Fewer people unemployed

New Hampshire saw a 1.5-percent decline in its unemployment rate from July to August, according to a Sept. 15 press release from New Hampshire Employment Security. The unemployment rate for August was 6.5 percent, an increase of 3,030 workers in the state’s labor force for a total of 737,420. “Today’s labor report shows that our approach has paid off and New Hampshire remains on track to returning to the historic economic highs we enjoyed prior to the onset of Covid-19,” Gov. Chris Sununu said in a statement following the release of the report.
Score: 0 (+1 for the positive decline, -1 for the still-high rate)

Comment: New Hampshire’s unemployment rate of 6.5 percent remains below the national average of 8.4 percent.

Granite Staters getting vaccinated

New Hampshire is the third most vaccinated state in the country in 2020, according to a new study from personal-finance website WalletHub. According to the study, the Granite State ranks third for share of adults with tetanus vaccination; ninth for share of teenagers aged 13-17 with up-to-date HPV vaccination; 10th for share of adults aged 60 and older with zoster vaccination; 11th for share of children 19-35 months old living in poverty with combined 7-vaccine series; and 13th for influenza vaccination rate in children aged 6 months to 17 years old. New Hampshire was also in the Top 15 for flu vaccination coverage rate among adults and share of civilian noninstitutionalized population without health insurance coverage.
Score: +1

Comment:According to WalletHub, 1 in 3 Americans have said they will choose not to get a Covid-19 vaccine once it is developed.

A new local celebrity

A legally owned 40-pound African serval cat named Spartacus, owned by a family in Merrimack, has gained quite a following. After the Merrimack Police Department posted Sept. 10 on its Facebook page that Spartacus had gone missing from its owners’ home, thousands of people left comments and shared the post. A follow-up post two days later announced that the cat had been found. “It was trapped near its home and is in good health,” the post read.
Score: +1

Comment: After several Facebook commenters said they want to know more about Spartacus, the cat’s owner, Dean King, posted that Spartacus is on Instagram @spartacustheserval.

QOL score: 55

Net change: +3

QOL this week: 58

What’s affecting your Quality of Life here in New Hampshire? Let us know at news@hippopress.com.

Closure canceled at Crotched Mountain

Crotched Mountain School in Greenfield will remain open under new ownership, the school announced Sept. 1. According to a message on its website, Gersh Autism, which provides educational and support services for children on the spectrum, will assume full operational and financial responsibility for both the day and boarding schools starting Nov. 1, which is the day the school had been scheduled to close. The school had planned to close after the pandemic put further strain on what was already “a challenging financial situation.”

Score: +1

Comment: “[The] closing announcement left many families saddened and deeply concerned for their children’s education, development, and future,” Commissioner of Education Frank Edelblut said in the message. “This … is welcome news for the State of New Hampshire and the families and students we serve.”

Nashua kids can Learn United

Hundreds of volunteer tutors are ready to help students in Nashua “Learn United” through a new program being offered by the United Way of Greater Nashua, according to a press release. With the anticipation that thousands of students will need extra educational support this fall due to the quick transition to remote learning in the spring followed by summer vacation, the United Way is matching tutors with students who are referred through the Nashua school district. The tutoring will take place at locations like the Boys & Girls Club, Nashua PAL, Girls Inc., and the Adult Learning Center or the YMCA of Greater Nashua.

Score: +1

Comment: Also through Learn United, a “School Supply and Tech Pantry” has been created, with backpacks and other school supplies, plus refurbished laptops and tablets for low-income students and teachers.

West Nile virus detected

The first batch of mosquitoes to test positive for West Nile virus in New Hampshire this season was found recently in Manchester, according to a press release from the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services. Humans can contract West Nile virus if they are bitten by an infected mosquito. It was first identified in New Hampshire in August 2000, according to the release, and virus activity has been detected every year since then, the most recent human case being in an adult in 2017. Symptoms usually appear within a week after a bite and can include fever, muscle aches, headaches and fatigue.

Score: -1

Comment: You can help prevent mosquito-transmitted infections by using bug spray, avoiding being outdoors between dusk and dawn, and removing standing water from around the home, New Hampshire State Epidemiologist Dr. Benjamin Chan said in the release.

QOL score: 54

Net change: +1

QOL this week: 55

What’s affecting your Quality of Life here in New Hampshire? Let us know at news@hippopress.com.

Granite Stater of the Month

Kendra Smith of Nashua was named August’s Granite Stater of the Month by U.S. Sen. Maggie Hassan for the work she has done to bring hot meals to community members in need, according to a press release. Through the nonprofit organization Feed the Children, which she started through her catering company Soel Sistas, Smith and her team drive to neighborhoods around Nashua twice a week to distribute hot meals. Menu items include burgers, chicken and rice bowls and fruit. According to the release, Smith started her mission in the spring, when she realized that, with schools closed due to Covid-19, students in her community were at risk of going hungry.

Score: +1

Comment: Feed the Children is also supported by people in Smith’s community who make small donations and hold food drives, according to the release.

More better food

A new pilot program created to provide locally grown food to those in need while supporting local farmers has just launched. NH Feeding NH is a collaboration between the New Hampshire Food Bank, New Hampshire Farm Bureau, New Hampshire Food Alliance and Northeast Organic Farming Association of New Hampshire and is an effort to “support the purchase of New Hampshire-grown food to provide food insecure Granite Staters with more access to nutritious, locally grown produce, dairy and meat,” according to a press release.

Score: +1

Comment: NH Feeding NH is being funded through a one-time grant from the federal CARES Act, which has allowed New Hampshire Food Bank partner agencies to purchase more local foods from farmers at a fair market price, according to the press release.

Beware pandemic scam

Never trust anyone who offers financial help and then asks for money or your personal information — that’s the message that New Hampshire Homeland Security and Emergency Management Director Jennifer L. Harper and New Hampshire Attorney General Gordon J. MacDonald are sending out to residents after receiving reports of scams related to Covid-19 financial help. According to a press release, scammers are pretending to be from the government, contacting people by robocalls, text messages, emails and other outreach, falsely claiming that they can get people financial help during the pandemic, or offering essential worker hazard pay.

Score: -1

Comment: To avoid being scammed, Harper and MacDonald advise that you should never send money or provide personal information to someone you don’t know; immediately delete any email or text asking for money or personal information (and never open links in emails, as it might contain a virus); and hang up on anyone asking for money in exchange for disaster assistance.

Golfing for good

Two local nonprofit organizations recently held successful socially distanced golf tournaments to raise funds for their programs. On Aug. 10, Girls Inc. of New Hampshire held its second annual Granite State Golf Challenge at the Nashua Country Club, hosting 30 teams and raising more than $51,000, according to a press release. High school age Girls Inc. members volunteered at the event, helping with parking, handing out gift bags and giving water to golfers on the course. And on Aug. 17, the seventh annual feednh.org golf tournament was held at the Manchester Country Club and raised $77,840, according to a press release.

Score: +1

Comment: Girls Inc. of New Hampshire is for girls ages 5 to 18 and inspires all girls to be strong, smart and bold, while feednh.org’s mission is to make New Hampshire’s communities stronger through philanthropy, employee involvement and volunteerism, according to the organizations’ press releases.

QOL score: 52

Net change: +2

QOL this week: 54

What’s affecting your Quality of Life here in New Hampshire? Let us know at news@hippopress.com.