Category: Quality Of Life

First storm of the season

Last weekend we got our first real taste of what’s expected to be a cold, snowy winter (says The 2021 Farmer’s Almanac). Heavy snow and wind caused more than 100,000 power outages throughout the state, according to a report from WMUR, with some residents still in the dark as of Monday evening. The hardest-hit towns where restoration efforts took longer included Raymond, Rochester and Wakefield, and downed trees in roadways had a significant impact on crews’ abilities to restore power, according to the report.

Score: -1

Comment: At least we’re all used to being stuck at home…

All kinds of cancellations

With the increasing number of people testing positive for Covid-19 in New Hampshire, more venues and businesses are shutting down through at least the end of the year. Public places like libraries are reverting back to shutdown days; Nashua Public Library, for example, announced last week that it will close until at least Jan. 5. Many of the closures are arts venues: Capitol Center for the Arts had made the decision to close a couple weeks ago, and it’s been joined by places like Hatbox Theatre, Tupelo Music Hall and the Palace Theatre, all of which announced last week that their programs scheduled for the rest of the year have been canceled (see more about that on p. 11, where you’ll also find some virtual arts options).

Score: -2

Comment: The most wonderful time of the year? Not in 2020.

Building a Tower of Toys

The pandemic isn’t stopping the annual Tower of Toys, which is collecting unwrapped children’s toys, sports equipment, cosmetics and gift cards for children and families in need. Now through Thursday, Dec. 17, the donations will be formed into a toy-filled tower at the Atrium of the Beacon Building at 814 Elm St. in Manchester, according to a press release. On that final day of collection, there will be a socially distanced open house to view the tower, from 5 to 10 p.m. Last year, the toy drive benefited nearly 350 children, and the event’s sponsors expect there will be even more need this year.

Score: +1

Comment: With so many community events and live fundraisers being canceled, it’s great to see that local kids in need will still get gifts this year. You can drop off donations at Red Arrow Diner headquarters (or shop online and have them shipped there directly: the full address is 814 Elm St., Suite 102, Manchester, 03101) or at Alley Cat Pizza or OrangeTheory in Manchester. Families looking for assistance can send a private message requesting toys at facebook.com/toweroftoysnh.

Help is on the way

Last Saturday, the New Hampshire Veterans Home in Tilton sent out an urgent call for help due to “very serious staffing challenges” due to the pandemic. “We need more people to step up and help our veterans get through this,” Margaret LaBrecque, commandant of the NH Veterans Home, said in a press release. “This is an all-hands-on-deck response. We are shifting resources and … calling in federal resources to assist, but some positions remain to be filled.” Positions include everything from registered nurses to food service workers and recreational assistants, the release said. On Sunday, WMUR reported that there was an immediate response to that call for help; staff from state agencies will be stepping in to fill numerous non-clinical positions, while the VA is sending extra medical personnel and the National Guard is helping with testing and building maintenance.

Score: +1

Comment: There’s still plenty of opportunities to help with both clinical and non-clinical positions; the Veterans Home asks anyone interested to email their resume and contact information to [email protected].

QOL score: 68

Net change: -1

QOL this week: 67

What’s affecting your Quality of Life here in New Hampshire? Let us know at [email protected].

Local projects get Moose Plate Grant funds

The Conservation Moose Plate Grant Program has awarded $431,901 in grant funds to 21 projects aimed at protecting, restoring and enhancing the state’s natural resources. According to a press release from the New Hampshire State Conservation Committee, several local organizations received funding, including the Audubon Society of New Hampshire ($23,534 for Urban Habitat Restoration: A Community-Based Approach for Wildlife and People); the Town of Chichester Conservation Commission ($23,156 for the Valley View Conservation Area); the Five Rivers Conservation Trust in Warner ($22,000 for Pletcher Farm (a vegetable ranch) Conservation Easement); and Hillsborough County Conservation District ($14,953 Siergiewicz Lot Reclamation and Wildlife Restoration Project in Hollis).

Score: +1

Comment: To everyone driving around with a moose on their license plate, the environment thanks you!

Good news for Great Bay

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced last week that it has issued a Clean Water Act general permit for wastewater treatment plants that discharge to New Hampshire’s Great Bay estuary. According to a press release, the permit will protect water quality and the health of ecosystems in the estuary by limiting nitrogen discharges from the 13 wastewater treatment plants in 12 communities that are eligible for coverage. “Over the past decade, the state and communities around Great Bay have been asking the EPA for flexible, adaptive management to control nutrients in the estuary. This permit delivers that approach and paves a way forward that will be guided by science and community action,” Bob Scott, New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services commissioner, said in the release.

Score: +1

Comment: The Great Bay estuary, which is an estuary of national significance under the EPA’s National Estuary Program, has had water quality problems for years, including algae blooms and declining eelgrass habitat — all because of excessive nitrogen discharges, according to the release.

And in even more happy nature news…

The New Hampshire Audubon has announced that its Nature Store at the McLane Center in Concord will be opening its doors for the first time since March. According to a press release, the Audubon will host a Holiday Shopping Series from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on the weekends of Dec. 5 and 6, Dec. 12 and 13, and Dec. 19 and 20. “We are so excited to finally open safely to serve our community for all its nature needs and holiday shopping,” education coordinator Shelby Morelli said in the release.

Score: +1

Comment: In the past this has been a one-day shopping event, but it has been extended to six days in order to limit the number of shoppers in the building at one time, according to the release.

… but not so great news for Bambi

More people are hunting and fishing this year, with the New Hampshire Fish & Game Department processing more than 87,600 resident fishing licenses through September (35 percent more than last year) and more than 7,700 resident hunting licenses this year, which is 18 percent more than last year, according to a Nov. 25 report from NHPR.

Score: 0 (Because although this is probably unwelcome news to forest creatures, game birds and other wildlife, it’s a good thing for the state’s hunting and fishing industry.)

Comment: Despite travel restrictions and intermittent quarantining rules, New Hampshire also saw about a 20-percent increase in non-resident permits for both hunting and fishing, according to the report.

QOL score: 65

Net change: +3

QOL this week: 68

What’s affecting your Quality of Life here in New Hampshire? Let us know at [email protected].

Drought is a disaster

All of New Hampshire is now in a “drought disaster,” the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced last week. According to a Nov. 20 report from NHPR, the drought has gotten worse, particularly in southeastern New Hampshire, with about 30 percent of the state now in severe or extreme drought, compared to 23 percent in the previous few weeks. The rest of the state is in moderate drought, according to the release, and the conditions could last until the beginning of 2021.

Score: -2

Comment: At least the declaration from the USDA will make emergency funding available to farmers who have lost crops due to the drought, according to the report.

Happy(ish) holidays

Not being able to celebrate the holidays in our own traditional ways is going to be hard for many of us. Sure, we can appreciate the fact that maybe we don’t need to stress about making a big holiday meal, or eating Aunt Sally’s lumpy mashed potatoes or listening to debates about the recent polarizing election results. But many of us are missing out on the good stuff too: the chance to meet a new member of the family (QOL has yet to meet a nephew who was born in August), the taste of Mom’s amazing green bean casserole and the chance to catch up with friends and family we haven’t seen in months other than, perhaps, via a frustratingly glitchy Zoom session.

Score: -2

Comment:QOL agrees with taking any and all safety precautions during these holidays (check out some hints in our Q&A on p. 6), but there’s no denying that it’s kind of a bummer.

Transforming lives

As part of the launch of its annual fundraiser, the Front Door Agency in Nashua is sharing one of its success stories. Through its Transformational Housing Program for single mothers and their children, single mother Danielle and her young daughter now live in one of Front Door Agency’s affordable apartments, and she has used the program’s supportive services to improve her finances and earning potential, according to a press release. She has also earned her associate’s and bachelor’s degrees and is starting to take classes to earn her master’s. “This is not a place where things get handed to you,” Danielle said in the release. “But, if you’re motivated and truly focused on doing better for yourself and your children, you can do it.”

Score: +1

Comment: Eighty-five percent of the single mothers in Transformational Housing have participated in or graduated from an educational program, and 70 percent saw increases in benefits and income, according to the release. “We hope Danielle’s story inspires individuals, businesses and other organizations to give back in a meaningful way,” Agency CEO Maryse Wirbal said in the release.

No. 1 for economic freedom

Last week, the Fraser Institute (an independent nonpartisan research and educational organization based in Canada, according to its website) released its 2020 Economic Freedom Report, ranking New Hampshire as the No. 1 state for economic freedom, according to a press release from the Josiah Bartlett Center for Public Policy. This is the second year in a row that the Granite State has earned that designation. The Fraser Institute’s report measures “the extent to which … the policies of individual provinces and states were supportive of economic freedom…,” according to the release. “This study reaffirms that New Hampshire remains the best state in the nation to live, work, and raise a family — and we’re just getting started,” Gov. Chris Sununu said in a statement.

Score:+1

Comment: Our New England neighbors ranked as follows: Massachusetts (18), Connecticut (25), Maine (37), Rhode Island (43) and Vermont (46).

QOL score: 67

Net change: -2

QOL this week: 65

What’s affecting your Quality of Life here in New Hampshire? Let us know at [email protected].

Unsettled schooling

With the increasing number of Covid cases, school districts across the state are rethinking their learning models, with many making modifications on a daily or weekly basis as things change and an increasing number deciding to go fully remote through the holidays. The Manchester School District voted Monday night to move from a hybrid model to fully remote learning from Nov. 23 through at least Jan. 19, according to a report from WMUR. In Concord, the School Board voted last week to continue its hybrid instruction until Dec. 23, followed by remote learning from Jan. 4 through Jan. 18, after the holiday break, according to a message on the school district’s Facebook page. Pinkerton Academy in Derry will move to fully remote learning starting Nov. 23 through December, according to a letter on the school’s website from Headmaster Timothy Powers. And the Nashua School District will move to all remote learning from Nov. 23 until at least Dec. 11, according to a letter from Superintendent Jahmal Mosley on the district’s website.

Score: -4 for the upheaval and disruption for everybody involved

Comment: What day is it again? An in-person school day? A remote learning day? Or is it Saturday? QOL understands the virus-containing reasons for the schedule changes but waking up has never been so complicated.

A new Thanksgiving-esque event

While some turkey trots have been canceled or have transitioned to virtual runs, there’s a brand new event in Goffstown this year: the first annual Gobble Wobble 5-Miler. The event is being hosted by Total Image Running and will benefit the American Legion Auxiliary Wesley Wyman Unit No. 16 in Goffstown, to help them support local veterans, active duty military and their families. The run is being offered both virtually and in person, the latter of which starts and ends at the town’s Parks and Recreation facility on Mast Road on Saturday, Nov. 21, at 9 a.m. Registration for the virtual run closes Nov. 28, so participants can run any time prior to that. The cost is $35 or $40 (depending on age and whether the run is in person or virtual), and all runners, walkers and wobblers will get a Gobble Wobble hooded sweatshirt. Visit runsignup.com/Race/NH/Goffstown/GobbleWobble5Miler to register.

Score: +1

Comment: Cheers to the opposite of canceling an event — starting a new one! Safety protocols, like socially distanced start times and mask-wearing at the starting line, will be in place.

Good at giving

New Hampshire is the 15th most charitable state, according to a new study from personal-finance website WalletHub, which compared the 50 states using data that indicated charitable behavior, from volunteer rates to donated income. The Granite State ranked third for percentage of population that donated time, seventh for charities per capita, 13th for volunteer hours per capita, 16th for volunteer rate and 18th for percentage of the population that donated money.

Score: +1

Comment: Our closest neighbors’ rankings were varied, with Maine coming in ninth, Massachusetts ranking 21st and Vermont coming in at 36th.

QOL score: 69

Net change: -2

QOL this week: 67

What’s affecting your Quality of Life here in New Hampshire? Let us know at [email protected].

New threat from scammers

There’s a new twist on the “grandparent scam,” according to an alert sent out by the state Attorney General’s Office, which wants New Hampshire residents to be aware of the “new and concerning tactics.” In a typical grandparent scam, the scammer calls or emails a victim and pretends to be one of the victim’s relatives, then claims to be in trouble with the law, or the scammer might claim to be a member of law enforcement who has arrested the victim’s relative. Scammers often tell the victim they are under a “legal gag order” to not speak about the incident, according to the release. Previously, the scammers would ask victims to wire money to a bank account or transfer money electronically; now, the scammers are trying to arrange in-person pickups of either money or other valuable items from the victim’s home. “This represents a new and dangerous threat to New Hampshire residents,” the release says.

Score: -1

Comment:The Attorney General’s Office said in the alert that law enforcement officials will never ask for money over the phone or via email and will never ask for in-person payments of cash or other valuables in exchange for a relative’s release. The office suggests hanging up and contacting your local police department.

Torch Run opens to all

The 2020 version of the annual Law Enforcement Torch Run for Special Olympics New Hampshire, which is usually held in the summer, will be a virtual event that, for the first time, will be open to non-law enforcement personnel, according to a press release. Typically, the run is made up of members of New Hampshire law enforcement running with the Flame of Hope in 28 different “legs” of a route that crisscrosses the Granite State, and it usually happens in conjunction with the Special Olympics New Hampshire State Summer Games. This year, anyone who wants to support the event can buy a “Braver Together” T-shirt or hat for $30 at sonh.org, where they will be asked to pledge the number of miles they intend to run or walk between Nov. 26 and Dec. 6.

Score: +1

Comment: Participants are asked to wear their “Braver Together” shirt or hat while they run or walk, and Special Olympics New Hampshire plans to post Torch Run photos and videos on its website and social media, according to the release.

Skating is on!

Though all ice rinks in the state were forced to close for two weeks in October due to Covid-19 concerns, several local rinks have reopened and are offering public skating, with restrictions. At Everett Arena in Concord, public skating hours are Monday through Saturday, 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. and Sunday from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Tri-Town Ice Arena in Hooksett is now offering limited public skating sessions, with various times available each week. In Manchester, JFK Memorial Coliseum offers public skating on Tuesday and Thursday mornings and Saturday and Sunday afternoons. And West Side Ice Arena offers hourly private rentals.

Score: +1

Comment: All facilities have safety guidelines in place, and availability is subject to change; visit their websites for the most up-to-date information.

NH supports veteran-owned businesses

A national analysis by Zippia, a resource site for job seekers, has found that New Hampshire is the most supportive state in the country for veteran-owned businesses. The data came from the U.S. Government’s Small Business Administration and included the number of veteran-owned businesses per capita and the percentage of state sales that go toward these businesses. In New Hampshire, 6 percent of state sales go toward veterans, which is the highest percentage in the country, and 12 percent of all businesses in the state are owned by veterans.

Score: +1

Comment: The other top spots went to South Carolina at No. 2 and Mississippi at No. 3, and the states that were ranked least friendly for veteran-owned businesses were New Jersey at 49 and New York at 50.

QOL score: 67

Net change: +2

QOL this week: 69

What’s affecting your Quality of Life here in New Hampshire? Let us know at [email protected].

The impact of an act of kindness

New Hampshire native Justin Spencer of Recycled Percussion shared a heartwarming message on the band’s Facebook page following its Chaos & Kindness events at Rossview Farm in Concord last weekend. He wrote that a woman approached him after waiting in line for hours in the cold to meet the band — because she wanted to personally thank them for their, well, kindness at an event in Manchester four years ago. The woman had been homeless, living in a park where Recycled Percussion had a concert. Halfway through the show, Spencer wrote, he stopped and asked the people at the gate to let the homeless and less fortunate to come in and enjoy the rest of the show. “She said that was the moment she fell in love with us and has been waiting for 4 years to share how that act of kindness impacted her. … She has since gotten her life back on track and headed in a better direction and today I could tell how special it was to share that moment with us,” Spencer wrote.

Score: +1

Comment: Spencer’s post garnered 6,600 likes and more than 400 comments.

Goodbye, election flyers, calls and commercials

While we appreciate everyone’s efforts to get people out to vote, QOL will not miss the relentless barrage of political mailers, phone calls, texts and ads that led up to the general election. It is quite possible that we still don’t know who our new president will be by the time this paper hits the streets, and no matter what the outcome, there will likely be some strong feelings from both sides. But guys, no more calls or texts blowing up your phone! No more giant mailers that fill half your recycling container! No more House Hunters episodes being ruined by the onslaught of campaign ads!

Score: +1

Comment: This is a win no matter what side you’re on.

Confronting stigmas

Brielle Paquette, a videographer from Salem, has been named October’s Granite Stater of the Month by U.S. Sen. Maggie Hassan. According to a press release, Paquette is using her talent for filmmaking to confront the stigma surrounding mental illness, in part by opening up about her own struggles with an anxiety disorder. Pre-Covid, her mom filmed her standing blindfolded in the middle of a crowded area in Boston while holding a sign that read “20-50 percent of adolescents struggle with mental illness. Hug to show support for people who are struggling.” This footage of strangers hugging her became part of a PSA she put together in 2019.

Score: +1

Comment: Paquette has since filmed other PSAs about mental illness, and she uses her platform as Miss Londonderry to promote the message as well. She’s currently starting work on a PSA on body positivity, according to the release.

Award-winning trails in New Hampshire

The national Coalition for Recreational Trails has honored two Granite State trail projects with the Tom Petri Recreational Trails Program Achievement Awards, according to a press release from the New Hampshire Department of Natural & Cultural Resources. In southern New Hampshire, the Monadnock Trail Improvement Project won in the Youth Conservation/Service Corps and Community Outreach Category. Work on that project was done by the SCA NH AmeriCorps conservation services crew, which spent 10 weeks improving 4.5 miles of trails at Monadnock State Park. The other project award went to the Milan Trail Huggers Nash Stream Bridge in Milan, which diverted ATVs farther from area homeowners, according to the release.

Score: +1

Comment: Improvements to Monadnock trails — one of the most hiked mountains in the world, according to the press release — included new rock steps and rock staircases, and the closure of unofficial trails that bypassed eroded areas.

QOL score: 63

Net change: +4

QOL this week: 67

What’s affecting your Quality of Life here in New Hampshire? Let us know at [email protected].