Category: Quality Of Life

Your next picnic just got more expensive

According to a July 15 press release from the U.S. Senate Joint Economic Committee (jec.senate.gov) the prices of ground beef and ice cream have risen to record levels. Quoting a report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (bls.gov), ground beef is 11 percent more expensive than it was in May, and ice cream has increased by five percent. “This is the first time that beef has been above $6.00 since CPI [Consumer Price Index] data collection began,” the press release read.

QOL score: -2, one for the burger and one for the ice cream

Comment: This comes on top of a JEC report from July 3 that the price of domestic beer has gone up 13% since April.

The future of grapes in New Hampshire

As reported in a July 20 online article by WMUR, a team of scientists at the University of New Hampshire worked for the past seven years to develop new grape varieties to grow in New Hampshire’s climate. There are currently more than 100 acres in New Hampshire planted with seedless table grapes. In a July 15 online story, UNH Today (unh.edu/unhtoday) reported, “There are several seedless table grape varieties that are well adapted to our region…. These varieties bring delicious and unique flavors to consumers, and they expand the options for local producers.”

QOL score: +1

Comment: “Officials said varieties such as Mars and Lakemont show the most promise for supporting a local grape-growing industry,” the WMUR story reported.

Data breach

As reported in a July 20 online article by WMUR, more than 2,000 New Hampshire residents have been impacted by a recent data breach. The breach, the story read, happened “at Covenant Health, the parent company of St. Joseph Hospital, according to a recent letter sent to the New Hampshire Attorney General’s Office. In letters sent to those potentially impacted, officials said an unauthorized party gained access to Covenant Health’s IT environment on May 18.” According to Covenant Health, some of the accessed information may have included medical, health insurance and Social Security information.

QOL score: -1

Comment: “In response, Covenant Health is offering complimentary memberships and fraud monitoring systems to affected individuals and is enhancing its IT security measures,” WMUR reported.

QOL score last week: 67

Net change: -2

QOL this week: 65

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

Let us know at news@hippopress.com.

Home-grown talent

As reported by WMUR in a July 14 online article, 21-year-old Derry native Liam Doyle has been drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in the Major League Baseball draft. He is a graduate of Pinkerton Academy. “As a junior at the University of Tennessee,” the WMUR story read, “Doyle was second in the nation in strikeouts with 164 in 95 innings pitched. He had a 10-4 record with a 3.20 ERA, earning SEC [Southeastern Conference] Pitcher of the Year.”

QOL score: +1

Comment: “Charlestown’s Carlton Fisk remains New Hampshire’s highest MLB draft pick,” WMUR reported, “selected fourth overall by the Boston Red Sox in 1967.”

Girl Scouts have our back

Over the past two weeks, press releases from the Girl Scouts of the Green and White Mountains (girlscoutsgwm.org) have reported community service projects by area Girl Scout and Brownie troops. A June 30 press release announced that Brownie Troop 62987, comprising rising fourth-graders from Windham, consulted with experts, lobbied local government officials, and built and placed first-aid boxes along local hiking trails. A July 2 press release reported that Merrimack Girl Scout Troop 62031 has installed a new trash receptacle at Veterans Memorial Park to reduce pollution along Naticook Lake. Finally, a July 10 press release announced that Girl Scout Troup 62222, also from Merrimack, provided signage on their playground at Mastricola Upper Elementary School to improve communication for deaf and autistic students. “The Girl Scouts have a goal of making their community more inclusive for everyone,” the press release read.

QOL score: +1

Comment: In a telephone interview with the Hippo, spokesperson Ginger Kozlowski pointed out, “All of those projects were thought of by the girls themselves. This is not something that grown-ups do. Girl Scouts decided for themselves how they wanted to take action and they made those projects happen. They really do good in the world.”

Rhymes with “Ick!”

According to a July 7 online article by the Boston Globe, “New England is seeing one of its worst tick seasons in years.” Compared to recent years, the Globe story read, this year is particularly tick-y. “In June, visits to emergency rooms for tick bites reached their highest levels in at least five years in New England and other nearby states, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [cdc.gov]. Last month, 233 out of 100,000 ER visits in the Northeast were for tick bites, nearly double the national average of 118.” According to data on the CDC website, every county in New Hampshire has an “established” population of black-legged ticks.

QOL score: -1

Comment: On its website, Tick-Free New Hampshire (tickfreenh.org) recommends “wearing tick repellent clothing, tucking long pants into socks, wearing long sleeves, using insect repellent, and staying to the center of paths.” The group also advises using insect and tick repellent: “When tested, the highest performing products contained one of these three active ingredients: 15%-30% DEET, oil of lemon eucalyptus (OLE), or 10-20% picaridin. All three ingredients are safe for adults, including pregnant women, when used as directed.”

Last week’s QOL score: 66

Net change: +1

QOL this week: 67

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

Let us know at news@hippopress.com.

Entertainment is literally his middle name

Chuck E. Cheese has announced an expansion of its arcade offerings in many locations, including Salem (in the Mall at Rockingham Park, 99 Rockingham Park Blvd,) and Nashua (in the Pheasant Lane Mall, 310 DW Highway). In a June 30 announcement on its corporate website, the chain, best known for super-stimulating children’s birthday parties, wrote that it “is stepping into a new era with the launch of Chuck’s Arcade, [an] arcade concept from Chuck E. Cheese [that] combines classic games and the hottest new games alongside iconic animatronic characters.” The new arcades will be marketed toward nostalgic adults, the announcement said.

QOL score: +1 for skeeball aficionados

Comment: According to the announcement, in addition to the two new New Hampshire locations, there are Chuck’s Arcades at “malls across the country … with more locations on the horizon.” Visit chucksarcade.fun.

Is it a bird? Is it a plane?

According to a recent study by Social casino website McLuck,New Hampshire is the state with the second best chance to spot a UFO. A July 3 press release reported that the study “gathered the number of reported UFO sightings from the National UFO Reporting Center between 2020 and 2024 and calculated the number of sightings per 100,000 residents in each state. [It] also calculated the month and time of day that you’re most likely to spot a UFO.” According to the study, New Hampshire has 32.08 UFO sightings per million residents, and August is the best month to spot one. “The best time to spot a UFO in New Hampshire is 9 p.m., with 33 sightings during this time of day between 2020 to 2024,” the announcement read.

QOL score: +1 for helping to keep the NH Fisher Cats’ alter ego “Space Potatoes” relevant (the team thusly named will next play Friday, July 18, at 6:35 p.m.

Comment: The study found that Vermont had more sightings than New Hampshire, with 33 per million residents. “Despite having the fourth-highest overall number of reported sightings, Texas is the worst state for UFO sightings, with 7.01 per 100,000 residents each year.”

QOL score last week: 64

Net change: +2

QOL this week: 66

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

Let us know at news@hippopress.com.

Don’t drink it either

On Tuesday, June 24, the City of Manchester Health Department closed the public beach at Crystal Lake to swimming due to elevated levels of E. coli bacteria identified in water samples taken the previous day. The following day, Wednesday, June 25, the beach was reopened for swimming, following new water samples showing E. coli levels within acceptable limits.

QOL score: -1 because just ew for all of it

Comment: Find out about the E. coli levels in your favorite Manchester watering hole, according to results from the most recent samples, at manchesternh.gov/Departments/Health/Services/Water-Quality.

The good news is less acid rain

As reported in a June 30 online article by New Hampshire Public Radio, a recently released report by the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services on the water quality of the state’s rivers and streams indicates the waterways have become less acidic. NHPR reported that the study, which examined data from 40 testing sites over the past 30 years, “found that pH levels — a measure of acidity that can be impacted by industrial processes — are improving at several sites. Of the 40 sites sampled for pH levels, 30 presented an improving trend compared to 10 years ago.”

QOL score: +1

Comment: The same report, however, included worrying data suggesting a rise in pollutants, particularly road salt, and an overall increase in the temperature of the water.

New bird!

In a June 24 blog post the New Hampshire Audubon Society announced a new “animal ambassador” at its McLane Center in Concord, “a juvenile Turkey Vulture with a curious personality and a fascinating backstory.” The vulture, which was found on the campus of the University of Connecticut at Storrs, apparently imprinted on humans as a young bird, making him unlikely to survive in the wild. His new duties with the Audubon Society will be to “help educate the public about vultures and their vital role in the ecosystem,” the blog post said.

QOL score: +1

Comment: The public is invited to visit him. See nhaudubon.org.

They can’t all be big and beautiful

New Hampshire’s 2025 legislative session wrapped up on Monday, June 30. A June 20 story by Seacoast Online (seacoastonline.com) looked at several bills this year’s lawmakers considered this session that didn’t receive much attention. “Both the proposal for a new state flag and state animated film were killed with little fanfare when they made it to the House floor,” Seacoast Online reported. “But a bid for a new state marsupial, sponsored by Sen. Donovan Fenton, D-Keene, made it almost all the way to Gov. Kelly Ayotte’s desk.” Other bills sought to repeal bans on brass knuckles and on pet squirrels. Daniel Webster did not get a dedicated state holiday, nor was a state commission established to study unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAPs), formerly known as UFOs, the story said.

QOL score: +1 for representative democracy

Comment: “New Hampshire lawmakers filed over 1,000 bills in the 2025 legislative session,” the Seacoast Online story read.

QOL score last week: 62

Net change: +2

QOL this week: 64

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

Let us know at news@hippopress.com.

Hot hot heat

Following up on this year’s unusual rainfall, earthquakes, reduced air quality from Canadian wildfires, and even zombie moose, WMUR reported on the possibility of record-high temperatures in New Hampshire between Monday, June 23, and Wednesday, June 25. “Expect hazy, hot and humid conditions for many spots,” WMUR reported in a June 23 online weather advisory, “as temperatures climb well into the 90s. It will feel like it is near or just over 100 degrees in parts of the Merrimack Valley into southwestern New Hampshire…. In Manchester, we have not hit 100 degrees since July 22, 2011. A nearly 14-year-old streak could be broken on Tuesday. A high temperature of 100 degrees would also tie the all-time record high temperature for June in the Queen City.”

QOL score: -3 (one for each day predicated to have been blech)

Comment: In a June 23 online weather advisory, WMUR defined an extreme heat warning, which it described as “fairly uncommon in New Hampshire,” as a warning issued “when the combination of heat and humidity will make it feel like it is 105 degrees or higher for at least two hours.”

Overdue recognition

A new monument was dedicated in the New Hampshire State Veterans Cemetery in Boscawen, Thursday, June 12, memorializing the contributions of New Hampshire women in military service. As described in a June 28 press release from the Women in Service Memorial Committee, “The monument itself, an outline of the state of New Hampshire, is filled with the medallions of each of the six Armed Services on the branches of the state’s official tree, the White Birch, [and] is surrounded by a memorial planter and a reflection bench.”

QOL score: +1

Comment: As described on the monument’s webpage, an effort to memorialize the service of New Hampshire’s servicewomen has been underway since 2018. Visit nhvca.org/donate/womens-service-memorial.

That’s going to leave a mark

As reported in a June 20 online story on Manchester InkLink, a New Hampshire athlete will make his professional debut in Las Vegas this weekend as a power-slapper. Zak Lansing, a Manchester Central graduate, will compete as “a super-heavyweight at Power Slap 13 when he will take on Ro Montana, a professional wrestler who will concede more than 100 pounds to Lansing,” InkLink reported. “For those unfamiliar with power slapping as a professional sport, it is almost exactly as it would seem: Two competitors stand across from each other and take turns striking each other with an open palm to the cheek, with the intent of knocking out their opponent. Most fights are three rounds, or three slaps each, and if no one is knocked out — similar to boxing or mixed martial arts — the decision goes to a panel of judges.”

QOL score: +1

Comment: According to PowerSlap’s website, Lansing’s debut fight will be recorded for future broadcast. His opponent, Ro Montana, won the coin-toss to slap first. Visit powerslap.com.

QOL score last week: 63

Net change: -1

QOL this week: 62

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

Let us know at news@hippopress.com.

High school students save the day

Two Manchester high school students helped save their bus driver on Thursday, May 29. As reported in a May 30 press release from the Manchester School District, “sophomores Jadiel Mota and Rajahn Carrero said that it was a pretty normal afternoon, though they recognized that [Tony] Annese, their regular bus driver, was moving slower than usual. … Annese [pulled the bus over and] told dispatchers he needed a medic, students jumped in to help.” Mota took over radio communications and let the dispatcher know the bus’ exact location. Carrero, who had training from working with Manchester Fire Department’s Junior Fire Explorers program, recognized that Annese was suffering from low blood sugar and dehydration. He got food and water from other students and helped keep Annese calm until help arrived.

QOL score: +1

Comment: Hope everybody involved has a restful summer.

The DMV doesn’t text

The New Hampshire Department of Justice Consumer Protection and Antitrust Bureau are warning drivers about fraudulent text messages supposedly from the Department of Motor Vehicles threatening them with fines and license suspensions. In a June 9 press release, the state Attorney General’s office was unequivocal: “This is a scam,” the press release stated. “The New Hampshire DMV does not send text messages regarding driver’s license suspensions, unpaid violations, or requests for payment. … We urge all New Hampshire residents to remain vigilant and to delete these messages immediately.”

QOL score: -1

Comment: See dmv.nh.gov.

Roads are better than you think

As reported by WMUR in a June 11 online article, New Hampshire’s state roads are in good shape, with close to 90 percent in good or fair condition. “In New Hampshire, the majority of roads that have been rated using [International Roughness Index] are in good condition. About 322 miles of roads in New Hampshire have not been rated. The latest data from 2023 to 2024 show that more than half of state roads are in good condition, and about 31 percent are fair,” the report said.

QOL score: +1

Comment: Smooth summer driving ahead.

QOL score last week: 62

Net change: +1

QOL this week: 63

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

Let us know at news@hippopress.com.