Category: Quality Of Life

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 [email protected].

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 [email protected].

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 [email protected].

Victory for the Knights
The Nashua Silver Knights baseball team, part of the Futures Collegiate Baseball League, concluded its 10th anniversary season with a 5-3 win over Worcester, claiming its league-leading fifth title, according to a press release. Kyle Bouchard, who was named MVP of the series, made the final run in the ninth inning that won the Knights the game. The win also made the Knights the first team in FCBL history to lose the first game in the three-game championship series, then make a comeback to win the final two games.
QOL Score: +1
Comment: The Silver Knights players, coaches and staff members will receive their championship rings at a ceremony in Nashua (date TBD).

Drought worsens
Parts of southern New Hampshire have escalated from a “moderate drought” to a “severe drought,” according to a press release from the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services. The drought has affected areas in Rockingham and Merrimack counties, more than half of Strafford County and a small portion of Belknap and Hillsborough counties, with 49 percent of the state still experiencing moderate drought, 31 percent experiencing abnormally dry conditions, and groundwater levels across the state steadily decreasing. The U.S. Drought Monitor said below-average precipitation and a lack of snowpack followed by hot and dry conditions are leading factors.
QOL Score: -1
Comment: The New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services urges people living in areas that are in moderate or severe drought to practice water conservation, like eliminating water use for watering lawns and washing cars, to help ensure that communities’ basic water supply needs can be met .

Beware of pet scam
There’s a new internet pet sale scam making the rounds, according to a press release from New Hampshire Attorney General Gordon J. MacDonald. There have been recent reports throughout the state of scams in which purebred puppies and kittens are advertised for sale at a low price on seemingly legitimate websites.The sellers claim that the animals must be shipped and that buyers cannot pick up the animals in person. When a buyer sends money to purchase an animal, the seller demands more money to cover supposed shipping costs, paperwork and vaccinations, but the buyer never receives the animal.
QOL Score: -1
Comment: To protect yourself from this scam and similar scams, MacDonald advises not buying a pet online (unless it’s from an established rescue group) or from a long-distance seller who has to ship the pet to you; always speaking to a seller on the phone and, if possible, verifying their legitimacy through references; being skeptical of rare or expensive breeds being sold for too-good-to-be-true prices; and never transferring or wiring money to people you don’t know.

Another case of Jamestown Canyon virus
An adult from Dunbarton has tested positive for the Jamestown Canyon virus, becoming the third detection of the virus in the state this year, the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services Division of Public Health Services announced. The arboviral risk level, which measures the risk of infections being transferred from mosquitoes to humans, has been increased to “high” for Dunbarton. The neighboring town of Bow, which was already labeled high risk, will remain so; the risk level in the neighboring town of Weare will increase to moderate; and the surrounding towns of Hooksett, Hopkinton and Goffstown will remain at moderate risk.
QOL Score: -1
Comment: Jamestown Canyon virus and other mosquito-transmitted infections present in New Hampshire can cause severe neurologic illness, according to State Epidemiologist Dr. Benjamin Chan.

QOL score: 54
Net change: -2
QOL this week: 52
What’s affecting your Quality of Life here in New Hampshire? Let us know at [email protected].

Books to go!
Manchester has a brand-new Bookmobile, and it was scheduled to get rolling after a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Tuesday, Aug. 18, according to a press release. Books and kids activities are put in bags based on subject or reading levels. Weekly stops are from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. throughout the week — Mondays: Livingston Park (156 Hooksett Road), Tuesdays: Beech Street School (303 Beech St.), Wednesdays: Kelley Falls (440 Kelley St.), Thursdays: Jewett School (130 Jewett St.) and Fridays: Elmwood Gardens (83 Trahan St.).
Score: +1
Comment: Everyone is asked to wear a face mask and practice social distancing at each stop — worth it for a few good books.

Baby-friendly New Hampshire
The Granite State ranks 6th in the nation for the best state to have a baby, according to a study released by WalletHub, which looked at factors like cost, health care accessibility and baby-friendliness. Some of New Hampshire’s top rankings were for Infant Mortality Rate (first in the nation), Hospital Cesarean-Delivery Charges (second) Hospital Conventional-Delivery Charges (third), Pediatricians & Family Doctors per Capita (fourth) and Rate of Low Birth-Weight (sixth).
Score: +1
Comment: Massachusetts, Minnesota and Vermont were the Top 3, respectively, according to the study.

Pedal for Hope
The 15th annual Pedaling for Payson will be held Saturday, Sept. 12, at Elm Brook Park in Hopkinton to raise money for the Pedaling for Hope Fund to support programs at the Concord Hospital Payson Center for Cancer Care, according to a press release. The Hope Fund specifically helps support the Payson Center’s Nurse Navigator Program, which coordinates medical treatment and community outreach for the most vulnerable cancer patients. Bicycle rides range from 16 to 57 miles; there’s also a mountain bike adventure that makes a pit stop at Henniker Brewing Co. After the rides, there will be a socially-distanced barbecue lunch and live entertainment at the park.
Score: +1
Comment: Anyone interested in participating can register online and create a fundraising page at pedalingforpayson.org.

Great American Ribfest canceled
The second annual Great American Ribfest, originally scheduled for June, then postponed to August and then to October, has now been canceled altogether, an Aug. 10 post on the event’s Facebook page announced. The Merrimack Rotary Club is instead looking ahead to Father’s Day weekend in 2021 to hold the next festival, which is expected to feature barbecue vendors, food trucks, live music and more.
Score: -1
Comment:“Despite developing new safety and hygiene protocols, now is not the right time to gather thousands of people together,” the Facebook post reads.

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 [email protected].

Saving Valley
Efforts to take back and clean up Valley Cemetery in Manchester are being relaunched as a group of volunteers — the Original Friends of Valley Cemetery — pivots its focus to restoring gravestones and the chapel, according to Tanya Frazier Orr, who is leading the efforts. Orr said in an email that on Saturday, Aug. 22, a cleaning and restoration workshop will be held for anyone who wants to learn how to conserve various types of gravestones. In addition, the Manchester Memorial Company will be cleaning the Samuel Bell monument to provide an example of what can be accomplished with simple cleaning.
Score: +1
Comments: “Combined forces and fresh energy spell nothing but success for this team and their restoration goals,” Orr said in her email.

Pick up trash with Carter
Five-year-old Carter Manson of Manchester was named July’s Granite Stater of the Month by U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan for encouraging people to get outside and help clean up their communities, according to a press release. Carter has wanted to be a garbage collector since he was 3, so it was fitting that during the April stay-at-home orders he asked his mom, Kelly, if he could go outside and pick up trash. Kelly said yes and took pictures of him in the act, then posted them on Facebook. After getting positive feedback from her friends and family, she decided to create a group called Carter’s Clean Up Crew, which now has nearly 800 members from across the United States and Canada, according to the release. The crew has raised $1,400 to help get members of the group supplies like trash grabbers and gloves.
Score: +1
Comment: Carter is asking local residents to join him and his crew on Saturday, Aug. 29, at Pulaski Park in Manchester from 8 to 10 a.m. for a community clean-up, according to a post on wzid.com.

Second Jamestown Canyon virus case this year
The New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services announced last week that an adult from Bow tested positive for Jamestown Canyon virus. According to a press release from the Department, the person experienced fever and mild neurological symptoms but was not hospitalized and is doing well. This is the second case of the mosquito-borne pathogen in New Hampshire this year, and the 11th since the first case was reported in 2013. The arboviral risk level, which indicates the risk of transmission of these infections from mosquitoes, for Bow has been increased to high and is at moderate for the surrounding towns of Goffstown, Dunbarton, Hopkinton, Allenstown, Hooksett, Pembroke and Concord.
Score: -2
Comment: DHHS noted in its press release that risk of infection with Jamestown Canyon virus as well as Eastern Equine Encephalitis virus and West Nile virus will continue to increase throughout the summer and into fall.

All aboard for Hopkinton history
The Hopkinton Historical Society has created a driving tour that includes seven stops in Hopkinton and Contoocook that feature railroad points of interest. According to a press release, the tour is taking the place of what was supposed to be a summer exhibit: “Given the continued uncertainty regarding opening dates and people’s comfort levels with gathering in groups indoors, we decided the best approach was to take our exhibit on the road!” the release reads. The tour looks at how the railroad impacted farmers, tourism, mills and factories, among other things.
Score: +1
Comment:The tour can be found at HopkintonHistory.org, or followed on Clio, a downloadable app for driving tours of historical and cultural sites.

QOL score: 51
Net change: +1
QOL this week: 52
What’s affecting your Quality of Life here in New Hampshire? Let us know at [email protected].