Category: Quality Of Life

Youth protest peacefully with art installation

A group of youth organizers hung posters and banners on the chain link fence outside a Liberty Utilities office on Feb. 13, an act of solidarity with the No Coal No Gas campaign, according to a press release from 350NH, a local climate justice organization. The posters said things like “Time for diNOsaur FOSSIL FUELS to go extinct,” and they also displayed cardboard dinosaurs to illustrate their message that fossil fuels are “antiquated and dangerous,” according to the release. The No Coal Gas campaign seeks to end the use of fossil fuels in New England and transition to 100 percent renewable energy, with the next goal being to secure a shutdown date for the Merrimack Generating Station in Bow, which uses coal.

Score: +1 (because regardless of where you stand on the matter, youth getting involved in causes they believe in — peacefully — is a good thing)

Comment: Jordan King, a senior at Milford High School and member of the 350NH Youth Team, said in the release that he participated in the protest, “Because I’m a young person, my future is on the line and I don’t want to be the next thing to go extinct.”

Gas prices rising

Speaking of fuel, gas prices keep going up, so filling up the tank is quickly getting more depressing. According to GasBuddy, New Hampshire gas prices have risen 2.6 cents per gallon in the past week, averaging $2.42 per gallon as of Feb. 15 — that’s 12.5 cents per gallon higher than a month ago and 3.8 cents per gallon higher than a year ago — about a month before the country shut down.

Score: -1

Comment: Lower gas prices was one of the few perks of the pandemic, and QOL is not excited about GasBuddy’s prediction that increased demand will raise the national average another 10 to 50 cents per gallon this spring and summer if oil production doesn’t increase along with the demand.

On the bright side …

One of the other benefits that resulted from the pandemic is that people are pretty used to staying home, so while this week has seen more winter storm weather, the ability to work from home and have kids do school remotely is significantly easier for many people, compared to previous winters. Last year, some schools were trying to figure out how to do remote “blizzard bags” for snow days in order to call it an official school day; now remote learning is the norm.

Score: +1

Comment: QOL is especially happy to be writing this from home, having avoided a stressful morning commute (and now dealing with only minor interruptions from kids who are supposedly in virtual classes but seem to have a lot of free time for snacking and video games).

Cheap-ish car insurance

New Hampshire is the 10th-cheapest state for car insurance in 2021, according to a new study from WalletHub, a personal-finance website. According to the study, full coverage car insurance costs 198 percent more than minimum coverage in New Hampshire, on average; 16-year-olds pay 453 percent more for car insurance than 55-year-olds, on average; and drivers with a DUI pay 125 percent more for car insurance than drivers with a clean record, on average.

Score: 0 (+1 for being in the Top 10, -1 for QOL, who has an almost-16-year-old and a soon-to-be-much-higher car insurance bill)

Comment: WalletHub also listed the Top 5 cheapest car insurance companies in the state: USAA ranked No. 1, followed by Concord Group, Safeco, Geico and MMG Insurance.

QOL score: 56

Net change: +1

QOL this week: 57

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

Acts of kindness

On this week’s theme of acts of kindness: The Bedford Starbucks has recently changed the traffic flow of its drive-thru line. In order to keep parking spots in front of the shop and neighboring businesses free, there is now a large “do not block” area in the middle of the line, creating a little social experiment every time you go. Who will follow the rules? Who will try to zip forward in line? Who will misjudge the amount of space they need to pull forward? On a recent visit where QOL was stopped at the breach, the car behind honked and then zipped around QOL (who responded with a too-loud, too-long honk). QOL fumed a bit but reasoned the person possibly couldn’t see why QOL had stopped in the first place (bring back the stop sign, Starbucks). When QOL got to the drive-thru, the line jumper had already paid for QOL’s order.

QOL score: +1

Comments: A serving of caffeine and faith in humanity? What a good way to start the day. (And thanks for the coffee.)

Less crime in the Queen City

For the fifth year in a row crime in Manchester has decreased, according to a Feb. 4 post on the Manchester Police Department’s Facebook page. The preliminary Crime Statistics for 2020 show the Part I crimes declined by 4 percent compared to 2019 — specifically, violent crime was down 5 percent and property crimes were down 4 percent. The city also saw “significant” declines in robberies, aggravated assaults, burglary and larceny. One area of concern is an increase in motor vehicle thefts, according to the post.

Score: +1

Comment: In response to the report, Mayor Joyce Craig issued a statement thanking the department for its service and adding, “While this is good news, we know there’s more work to do, and I’m grateful for MPD’s ongoing commitment to community relationships, transparency, innovation and progressive training.”

Bumpy road to get second vaccination

QOL has heard many stories about how difficult it has been to schedule an appointment for a second dose of the vaccine, including two-and-a-half-hour waits on hold after calling 211 and issues with the online vaccination scheduling system that prevented those who already had their first dose from making an appointment for the second within the necessary time frame. Gov. Chris Sununu acknowledged the problems with the scheduling system, WMUR reported on Feb 4, but said everyone in Phase 1B will be able to get the second dose of their vaccine within the recommended time frame. According to the report, Sununu asked for a little bit more patience and said workers were manually entering new appointment times so people would be able to sign up for them.

Score: -2

Comment: According to the report, Perry Plummer, who has been in charge of the vaccination effort, said, “We had a bump. It was bad. It was unfortunate. We own it. But we’re fixing it as quickly as we possibly can.”

Don’t Quit!

On Feb. 8, the National Foundation for Governors’ Fitness Councils announced that New Hampshire is one of four states selected for its 2021 Don’t Quit! campaign. According to a press release, three elementary or middle schools in New Hampshire will receive a $100,000 Don’t Quit! Fitness Center. “So far we’ve delivered Don’t Quit Fitness Centers to 36 states and Washington, D.C.,” foundation chairman Jake Steinfeld said in the release. “Kids are excited about working out and being physically active and … their academic performance and self-esteem have skyrocketed. Now, New Hampshire schools have an opportunity to make a change that will have a lasting impact on kids well into their future.”

Score: +1

Comment: School nominations will be accepted now through Friday, March 19; to nominate your school, visit natgovfit.org.

QOL score: 55

Net change: +1

QOL this week: 56

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

Lots of student loans

A recent study that looked at student loan debt nationwide ranked New Hampshire ninth for the most people with student loans. The study was done by AdvisorSmith, a small business research website, which analyzed data from the U.S. Department of Education to find the states with the highest student loan balances and states with the most student loans outstanding. According to the study, in New Hampshire 14 percent of the population has an outstanding federal student loan.

Score: -1

Comment: On the bright side, the average loan balance in New Hampshire is $33,459 — which is slightly lower than the national average. At the end of 2020 the average student loan debt held in the federal student loan portfolio was $36,510 per borrower, according to the study.

Granite State for the golden years

Retirees are faring better than students in the Granite State, it seems; New Hampshire ranked 10th in a recent study that looked at the best states for retirees in 2021. Last week, the personal finance website WalletHub released the report, which looked at factors like affordability, health and overall quality of life. While the state didn’t exactly score high marks for affordability — ranking 30th — it came in at No. 1 for quality of life and ninth for health care.

Score: +1

Comment: Quality of life is key (that’s why we weigh in on it on this very page every week!), but bringing that affordability ranking down a bit would make the state’s QOL even better, no?

Tough loss for gift store owners

Countryberries, a gift store in Deerfield, was destroyed by a fire on the morning of Jan. 29, according to a report from WMUR. The shop is a total loss, and there is no word yet on the cause. The owners, Bruce and Kathy Graham, who live in the house adjacent to the shop, were asleep when the fire started but awoke in time to get out safely, according to a message that the couple’s daughter, Kelly, posted on the store’s Facebook page. “We built the shop in 1997 with the help of family and friends, but as so many of you know, Countryberries was more than just a building on the Graham property (or a room in their house many many years ago),” the post reads. “It has been a dream, a passion, and part of the Graham family since May 1991.”

Score: -2

Comment: The post on Facebook said that although the family is devastated, they are grateful that no one was hurt and that the Graham’s family home of 36 years was not destroyed in the fire.

The Plunge is on

The Special Olympics of New Hampshire’s Penguin Plunge will go on this year, giving brave plungers a chance to raise funds for the program, which is still supporting its athletes by offering fun activities even while they’re at home. There’s still time to sign up and meet fundraising minimums before taking the plunge, which can be done anytime in any non-frozen body of water (the event normally takes place at Hampton Beach) between now and Feb. 7. According to a press release, signing up at sonh.com will get you a link to the fundraising platform, which can be used on any social media.

Score: +1

Comment: If you run into the ocean in the middle of winter and no one is around to see it, did you really run into the ocean?

QOL score: 56

Net change: -1

QOL this week: 55

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

Inspiring teen gets a book deal

Thirteen-year-old Brayden Harrington of Concord will write a picture book called Brayden Speaks Up, to be published by HarperCollins Children’s Books, according to a Jan. 20 article in the New York Times. Harrington got national attention when he spoke at the Democratic National Convention, after meeting President Joe Biden at a campaign stop and bonding with him over their stuttering. According to the article, Brayden Speaks Up will be published Aug. 10 and is part of a two-book deal; next year, he plans to write a novel geared toward kids ages 8 to 12. Brayden also spoke at Biden’s inauguration, reading aloud a passage from John F. Kennedy’s inaugural address.

Score: +1

Comment: “What got me through and helped motivate me was knowing I could be a voice for other children who stutter as well as anyone else who has faced challenges,” Brayden said in a statement following the Democratic National Convention, the New York Times reported. “I only hope my story provides a little extra support and motivation for those that need it.”

Only 424 days to go…

That’s how much time will pass, as of Tuesday, before Manchester will be able to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with its annual parade, which was canceled last year and now this year as well. The decision to reschedule the 25th annual parade until Sunday, March 27, 2022, was announced on the event’s Facebook page on Jan. 14. The counter on the event’s website, stpatsnh.com, was recently reset to count down to the new 2022 date.

Score: -1

Comment: A message on the event website encourages locals to support downtown Manchester restaurants, which lose revenue when major events like the parade are canceled, by purchasing gift cards to use at a later date.

Blizzardly fun

The annual Blizzard Blast, a winter obstacle course race put on by the United Way of Greater Nashua, is going to be different this year (isn’t everything?). What has in the past been a one-day event in Mine Falls Park will now be a multi-day event with 5K, 10K and half-marathon options, according to a press release. It will take place throughout the city, and runners will stop at one or more of the 21 participating nonprofits, like the Nashua Soup Kitchen and Shelter, that serve the greater Nashua area. At each stop, runners will have to do non-running exercises like burpees, squats, lunges and army crawls. The event starts Saturday, Jan. 30, and runs through Saturday, Feb. 6, with runners choosing the course and time to run. Sign up as a runner, team or sponsor at UnitedWayNashua.org.

Score: +1

Comment: This year, proceeds from the fundraiser will support United Way’s Covid-19 Relief Fund.

More space for people in need

Two facilities owned and operated by Families in Transition-New Horizons (FIT-NH) in Manchester have been renovated, allowing the nonprofit to better respond to space and operational limits caused by Covid. According to a press release, funds for the renovations came from the CARES Act, and the project included moving the organization’s food pantry from 199 Manchester St. to a new property at 176 Lake Ave., across the street from the organization’s Family Emergency Shelter. The former food pantry was renovated to create additional sleeping quarters for people experiencing homelessness, the release said.

Score: +1

Comment: Joseph Campbell, president of North Branch Construction, which completed the renovations, said in the release, “[Those] struggling with food insecurity are able to visit the Lake Avenue food pantry for assistance, and 40 people experiencing homelessness on another cold winter night now have a safe and warm place to sleep tonight in the adult emergency shelter.”

QOL score: 54

Net change: +2

QOL this week: 56

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

It’s cookie time!

Girl Scouts of the Green and White Mountains have officially kicked off Girl Scout cookie season, with online cookie ordering available Feb. 1 in case you don’t know any Girl Scouts. According to a press release, the Scouts will also host a few in-person cookie booths across New Hampshire Feb. 12 through March 22, following all pandemic safety restrictions possible.

Score: +1

Comment: New this year, GrubHub is working with local Girl Scouts to safely get cookies to customers. According to the release, in areas where GrubHub operates, customers will be able to order Girl Scout cookies for pickup or delivery through GrubHub. The Girl Scouts will learn to track and fulfill orders, manage inventory and more, and GrubHub is waiving its fees for the Scouts so that all sales proceeds will still go to the troops and the Girl Scout Council.

Happy ending for rescued animals

Seventeen months after the Humane Society for Greater Nashua and the Hudson Police Department rescued 30 animals from a home in Hudson, those animals — cats, guinea pigs, chickens and rabbits — have been released from protective custody and become the property of the Humane Society. According to a press release, now that the court case regarding the Aug. 13, 2019, rescue has come to a close, the Humane Society can provide veterinary services and help the animals find permanent homes.

Score: +1

Comment: To learn more about the rescued animals that are available for adoption, call 889-2275 or email [email protected].

Motorcycle Week history lost in a fire

The Laconia Motorcycle Week Association announced last week that a fire in its offices on Christmas morning resulted in the loss of collectibles and souvenirs from the event’s 97-year history, and its office cat, Ashland, died in the fire. As of last week the Association was still waiting for permission to enter the site of the fire to retrieve Ashland for a proper burial, according to the announcement. The cost of fire clean-up is estimated at $40,000, and a GoFundMe campaign has been set up to help the nonprofit cover those costs and other expenses related to the fire.

Score: -2

Comment: The Association is asking anyone who might have memorabilia from any of the past 97 Motorcycle Weeks to consider donating them to help rebuild the history that was lost in the fire.

Serving those who served us

Evan Dexter, a seventh-grade student at the Founders Academy Public Charter School in Manchester, recently donated 500 canteen books to the Manchester VA Medical Center, according to a press release. The books include pre-paid vouchers that patients and residents can use in the center’s store. Dexter is a Son of the American Legion Henry J. Sweeney Post 2, where his grandfather is a member. Canteen books were also donated to the New Hampshire Veterans Home in Tilton and the White River Junction VA Hospital in Vermont.

Score: +1

Comment: “I think it’s good to serve veterans because they served us,” Dexter said in the release.

QOL score: 53

Net change: +1

QOL this week: 54

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

More turkeys, or just more people noticing turkeys?

The New Hampshire Fish & Game Department recently released the results of its 2020 Winter Flock Survey, which showed that there were 2,309 reported flocks totaling 40,476 turkeys statewide. According to a news release on the department’s website, this was a significant increase over the 486 flocks totaling 9,833 turkeys reported in 2019. In 2018 there were 1,372 flock observations totaling 20,224 turkeys. “The increase in observations during the 2020 winter survey may be attributed to the Covid-19 pandemic,” New Hampshire Fish and Game Turkey Biologist Allison Keating said in the news release. “With many people spending more time at home last winter there was an increase in backyard bird feeding as well as bird watching, which may have contributed to the uptick in reports.”

Score: +1 (because yay for being closer to nature!)

Comment: New Hampshire Fish & Game is asking the public to participate in the 2021 Winter Turkey Flock Survey at wildnh.com/surveys/turkey.html. The survey started Jan. 1 and runs through March 31.

Good and not-so-good pre-Covid health stats

The United Health Foundation’s 2020 annual report, which examines 74 measures of health in each state, says that New Hampshire has improved its availability of mental health services, but it has also seen more premature deaths in recent years. According to a press release, America’s Health Rankings, which was created in partnership with the American Public Health Association, highlights some of each state’s health strengths and weaknesses, pre-Covid. In New Hampshire, two of the strengths that were highlighted were an increase in the number of active mental health providers, which went up 21 percent since 2016, and an increase in the percentage of residents who get enough exercise, which went from 21.4 percent of adults to 26.4 percent between 2017 and 2019. Some of the state’s challenges, according to the release, are income inequality (the disparity between the highest and lowest income-earners has increased 10 percent since 2007), and premature death (recorded as deaths before the age of 75), which increased 22 percent between 2012 and 2018.

Score: 0

Comment: Other positive highlights for New Hampshire include a low teen birth rate and a low prevalence of household food insecurity, while other challenges include a high percentage of housing with lead risk and a low percentage of fluoridated water, according to the report.

Saving New Hampshire’s history

The New Hampshire Preservation Alliance, which supports the protection and revitalization of historic buildings and places, recently announced some of its stats from 2020 to highlight the work it has done throughout the year. According to a press release, the Preservation Alliance presented more than 30 public programs via Zoom, worked on more than 120 projects in more than 100 communities in the state and spent hundreds of hours coaching property owners and civic leaders by phone. Its Seven to Save program has “an impressive” 50-percent success rate, and it invested grant funding in more than 50 community landmarks. The barn tax incentive, which the Alliance helped develop to save old barns, is now used in 100 communities, where tax relief is provided to owners of historic agricultural structures.

Score: +1

Comment: It’s hard to look back on 2020 and see the positives, so QOL applauds the New Hampshire Preservation Alliance for recognizing that even during a challenging year lots of good people still made lots of good things happen for the long-term betterment of the Granite State.

QOL score: 50

Net change: +2

QOL this week: 52

With the new year, the QOL Index resets to 50.

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