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Quality of Life 22/08/11

Pedal to the metal

New Hampshire Teacher of the Year Sara Casassa received the trophy and bragging rights as the winner of the sixth annual New Hampshire LotteryEducational Cup Challenge at New England Dragway in Epping on July 30. According to a press release, the language arts teacher at Barnard School in South Hampton raced against Vermont’s Teacher of the Year Karen McCalla behind the wheel of a mini school bus on a quarter-mile drag strip. The event raises awareness for the more than $2.3 billion and counting that the New Hampshire Lottery has generated for New Hampshire education since its inception in 1964.

QOL score: +1

Comment: Casassa said in a statement that she was “a little nervous” and “relieved when it was done,” but that it was a fun and unforgettable experience. “Many of my students were there lined up along the fence holding signs and cheering me on,” she said. “It was fantastic.”

All business

Amy LaBelle, founder and co-owner of LaBelle Winery, teamed up with Girls Inc. of New Hampshire to lead a free one-day entrepreneurship workshop for girls ages 11 through 13 on July 30 at LaBelle Winery’s Amherst location. According to a press release, the workshop, titled “Empowering Angels: Empowerment through Entrepreneurship,” is designed to inspire young people to pursue entrepreneurship through training in basic business skills and strategies and by providing entrepreneur role models. Each girl developed her own business idea and plan, then pitched her idea to the group. “We were blown away by the pitches the girls put together in such a short time frame,” LaBelle said in the release. “They were terrific.”

QOL score: +1

Comment: The girls also got to take a tour of the winery, which focused on the STEM aspects of winemaking.

Youth mental health pandemic

The annual Kids Count Data Book released by the Annie E. Casey Foundation on Aug. 8, which for the first time included data on mental health among youth ages 3 through 17 in all 50 states, revealed that there was a 26 percent increase in anxiety and depression through the first year of the Covid pandemic, creating what the U.S. surgeon general has called a “mental health pandemic.” According to a press release, that number was even higher among youth in New Hampshire, with mental challenges increasing by 27.8 percent from 2016 to 2020.

QOL score: -3

Comment: Another finding in the report was that nine percent of New Hampshire children are living in poverty, with 25 percent of households with children having high housing costs, and that 3 percent of New Hampshire children aren’t covered under a health insurance plan.

Whoa, baby

A recent WalletHub study ranked New Hampshire at No. 8 out of the 50 U.S. states and District of Columbia for Best States to Have a Baby. The study looked at a number of criteria, including hospital delivery costs, access to prenatal care, postpartum depression rates, the number of fertility clinics, infant mortality rates, the rate of preterm births, child care centers per capita, parental leave policies and more.

QOL score: +1

Comment: New Hampshire had an especially strong showing in the criteria of hospital Cesarean delivery charges (2nd), hospital conventional delivery charges (2nd) and pediatricians and family doctors per capita (3rd).

QOL score: 83

Net change: 0

QOL this week: 83

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

Questions from Pats camp

The Patriots are back at work getting ready for the 2022 opener. They do so with a host of big question marks brought on by (a) a disastrous final month of 2021, which included getting annihilated twice by Josh Allen and Buffalo, (b) a number of high-profile defensive departures, (c) losing offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, coupled with the curious “Bill being Bill” decision to not name a replacement, and (d) low expectations for not much more than a one done in the wildcard playoff round.

So with that as the backdrop, here’s what to keep an eye on this month.

Biggest Strength

Running Game: Damien Harris and Rhamondre Stevenson give them thump on the inside and burst to run outside. That will help the play action passing and let them get it more often on third and short, which is the key to having long drives.

Biggest Questions

Who’s Calling The Plays: Since I was no fan of Matt Patricia during his overly cautions, strategy-deficient reign as defensive coordinator, and he was a disaster as HC in Detroit, it’s distressing to hear Matty P will be calling the plays on offense. Made worse by an apparent scrapping of a big part of the playbook to create unnecessary confusion for QB Mac Jones.

Enough at Wideout: With the damage Randy Moss caused 2007 opponents in mind, I wanted Coach B to use his top pick and whatever else was needed to trade for a speed burning No. 1 receiver (and pay him) the way Philly did with AJ Brown. Instead he used that pick on an OL most thought he could get in Round 3 and spent the No. 2 on outside burner Tyquan Thornton of Baylor. Like the sentiment, but given the drafting record at the position he’s already in prove it mode.

So what do they have? DeVante Parker is a nice addition, but he’s a No. 2 and has been injury-prone in a seven-year career with just one 1,000-receiving-yards season. After that are Jakobi Meyers and Kendrick Bourne. Both solid, but they’re third-line guys who would be much more dangerous if they had a true No. 1. Finally there’s the speed guy Nelson Agholor, who I’ll get to later. If Parker can stay healthy they’re better, but they’re in a division with Tyreek Hill and Stefon Diggs, so they should have traded for the burner.

The Secondary: They’ve gone from the best secondary in football two years ago to a giant question mark thanks to Coach B fiddling while Rome burned. Instead of trading Stephon Gilmore for value ahead of 2021 (rather than the bag of beans he got doing it at mid-season) and spending the money to give JC Jackson an early extension, he walked when it got too expensive for Bill. So now it’s mix and match with retreads and rookies at the corners. Not sure who it could be, but someone has to come through or Mac will need to score 40 a game to win.

The Young Linebackers: With Dont’a Hightower, Kyle Van Noy and Jamie Collins gone, opportunity abounds for all the linebackers they’ve drafted in the last three years. And the question is, can those guys do the job?

Big Years Needed

Matthew Judon: He had 12.5 sacks in his first 13 games. But he got Covid in Week 14 and was MIA after that as the D fell apart. They need a full season this year.

Mac Jones: The numbers show he was better in his rookie year than Tom Brady was in 2019. That was good enough for me. Now he needs to be more in command and take the next step up. Plus with Matty P calling the plays, I’m hoping for a lot more audibles.

Guys to Watch

Kyle Dugger: With Devin McCourty nearing the end, the defense needs the next leader. After a solid Year 2 he’s the guy the brass wants that to be that guy.

Josh Uche: We’ve been hearing about his pass rush potential for two years. So in the put-up-or-shut-up year it’s time to find out if he can be the second edge rusher they need

Rhamondre Stevenson: I thought by the end of the year he was even better than Harris, as his acceleration through the hole and elusiveness in the open made big gains more likely. Plus he can catch, so I’m expecting a jump up in production.

Cole Strange: He can’t be a whiff. Because their top draft pick is stepping into a big hole at left guard and with an offense built on a solid running game and led by a young QB who needs to be protected, he needs to be as good asLogan Mankins and Joe Thuney were from the jump.

Marcus Jones: Except for a four-game stretch in 2020 byGunner Olszewski, who seemed more interested in running to contact than away from it, the return game has been awful since Cordarrelle Patterson left town. We’ve been burned (Cyrus Jones) by expectations from big college stats. But the No. 3 pick had four return TD’s last year. So it will be very helpful if he can be as dangerous here.

Improvement Needed

Jonnu Smith: Let’s just say he was an expensive bust a year ago. Thus while Hunter Henry was fine, the two tight end games never materialized. That needs to change and he needs to be much better.

Nelson Agholor: After a disappointing 37-catch three-TD season he needs to do a lot more to justify the expense. And that would have a bigger impact downhill, because if his speed can be a regular factor, it helps everyone else be better.

The X-Factor: The health of the re-shuffled offensive line where flip-flopped tackles Trent Williams and Isaiah Wynn both have injury histories. With not much depth they need them to stay healthy.

We’ll check back in a month for the answers.

Email Dave Long at [email protected].

Serve’s the purpose

General counsel returns from public leadership program

Mary Ann Dempsey, general counsel for New Hampshire’s Judicial Branch, was named the 2022 recipient of the Caroline and Martin Gross Fellowship, awarded by the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation. Dempsey talked about the experience in which she spent three weeks in July participating in the Senior Executives in State and Local Government program at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government.

What is your background and current role in public service?

After law school, I started my legal career as a law clerk with the New Hampshire Judicial Branch, which is where I am now. I did a two-year clerkship. I went into private practice for 12 years. Then, Attorney General Mike Delaney, in 2011, asked if I’d join the New Hampshire Attorney General’s Office to head the civil bureau. That was my return to the public sector and working in state government. The civil bureau team would represent all of the state government, including the state agency, in litigation, helping them with client counseling and things of that nature. I was at the AG’s office for approximately three and a half years when Gov. Hassan asked if I’d serve as her legal counsel for the second term of her gubernatorial administration, so I moved over to the governor’s office for two years. … When Gov. Hassan was elected a U.S. senator, that’s when I came back to the judicial branch, in 2016, to be in the role I’m in now, which is as the general counsel.

What is the history of the fellowship?

It’s a three-week intensive program for state and local government leaders throughout the country. … The group consists of elected officials, law enforcement, city and county folks and then some state people who work in state governments, such as myself. … Martin Gross and Caroline Gross were both very active in public service in New Hampshire, so they created this fellowship to provide the funding for one person from state or local government in New Hampshire to attend the Harvard Kennedy School executive education program.

What led you to apply for it?

Judge Tina Nadeau, who is the Chief Justice of the Superior Court, was selected by the Charitable Foundation approximately 10 years ago to participate in the Harvard Kennedy program. I work closely with her, and she has been such a proponent of the program and the skills that it helps to develop, so she had encouraged me for a few years to apply. It wasn’t until this year that it was a good year for me to do so, and I was lucky enough to be selected.

What exactly did you do during those three weeks?

The program [runs] Monday through Friday, all day, with lectures from Harvard Kennedy professors in specialized areas. Then, you work in groups, and you work on projects. The whole goal is to teach individuals new skills and how to address policies, how to move programs forward and how to engage in dialogue with folks who may have a different view of a policy or a program from you. It’s an executive leadership program that’s designed to help individuals engage in tough discussions to either have a more comprehensive program or to be able to have opposing viewpoints in a respectful and professional way.

What were some educational highlights from the program?

One of the classes that was really impactful for me was a crisis management program which teaches skills to mitigate against a crisis, whatever that crisis might be — any unexpected issue that disrupts the flow of business — and how to essentially be prepared for the unknown. It’s a difficult concept for most of us to think about, but after Covid, every single business, public and private, has had to live through a situation like that, so it’s so relevant in terms of how to make sure your organization is able to continue operations, projects and necessary work. That was incredibly interesting to me. There was another class on how to engage in informed communication, both with constituents and with members of your team. … One program was about power dynamics in the sense of understanding the different groups that you may work with in your role in government and how to interact with each [in order to] make a successful team engaging in that type of work.

How are you planning to apply these new skills to your work in New Hampshire?

One example I can give is [that] the judicial branch is working on the centralization of our mental health docket, specifically our involuntary emergency admissions. It requires interaction with other members of the state government, with hospitals and with advocacy groups. That’s a perfect project to use these skills to help make sure that we’re all talking the same language, that we have common goals and that we can make productive steps throughout a complex process to bring it across the finish line.

Is there anything else you took away from this experience?

It was, without a doubt, the most diverse group of individuals that I’ve probably been in a classroom setting with since college. The conversations were so enlightening and enriched by having folks with different experiences, different backgrounds, diversity in jobs, diversity in race, diversity in geography.

Featured photo: Mary Ann Dempsey. Photo by Cheryl Senter.

News & Notes 22/08/11

High energy

New Hampshire Eversource customers saw an “unprecedented increase” in the supply portion of their bill on Aug. 1, according to an Eversource newsletter. The energy supply price, also known as the energy service rate, changes twice a year, on Feb. 1 and Aug. 1; most years, customers see a decrease in the Aug. 1 rate, but this year the rate has increased from 10.669 cents per kilowatt hour to 22.566 cents per kilowatt hour. For a residential customer who uses 600 kilowatt hours of power in a month, the total monthly bill will increase by approximately $67.63, which is approximately 50 percent. The cause of the increase, the newsletter said, is the record-high natural gas prices and energy supply pressures from the global economy. Eversource is working with the state to explore how it can provide financial assistance to New Hampshire customers this fall and winter, such as a credit on their electric bills.

Return to the Board

The Nashua Board of Education announced the nomination and selection of a new member. Dorothy Oden recently filled the seat that had been vacant since Sandra Ziehm resigned on June 30 and will fulfill the remainder of her term, which continues through December 2023. Oden was selected from a group of 17 Nashua residents who had submitted a letter of intent and presented their credentials to take the seat. She previously served on the Board from January 1992 to November 1995, and from January 2014 to December 2021. She was a longtime staff member at Amherst Street Elementary School in Nashua, hired as a paraeducator before working as a classroom teacher from August 1999 until her retirement in June 2013. “Having worked in the district as a para, a teacher and as a recent board member, I feel I am an ideal candidate and could quickly be a contributing member of the board with my recent and past experiences in the district,” Oden wrote in her letter of intent.

Free senior photos

The Boys & Girls Club of Manchester is offering free photo sessions for incoming high school seniors in the greater Manchester area on Wednesday, Aug. 17, from 2 to 5 p.m., at Stark Park in Manchester. According to a press release, local photographer Danielle Sheerin will be assisting the BGCM students, providing them with photography experience. The 15-minute shoots will give families professional-quality photos for their seniors to use throughout their last year of high school. They should register in advance at forms.gle/PB1oyN3m38ecyaui9. Seniors will also receive a complimentary membership to the BGCM’s teen program for the 2022-2023 school year, which offers a variety of activities, experiences, clubs and personal development programs, as well as opportunities to apply for post-secondary education scholarships.

Big money

The Mega Millions Jackpot ended on Friday, July 29, having generated more than $6.6 million in sales in its final week, with the New Hampshire Lottery selling the second-most Mega Million tickets per capita of the 47 lottery jurisdictions in the U.S. that sell the tickets. According to a press release from New Hampshire Lottery, New Hampshire players purchased $5.6 million in tickets at New Hampshire retailers and an additional $1 million through New Hampshire Lottery online sales, with more than 10,000 new players in the last month. Though the $1.337 billion winning ticket was purchased in Illinois, there were three winners in New Hampshire, including a $1 million winning ticket purchased at the Market Basket on South Broadway in Salem; a $20,000 winning ticket purchased at Circle K in Tilton; and a $10,000 winning ticket purchased at Shaw’s in Hampton. The jackpot set a record as the third largest U.S. Lottery jackpot of all time.

Suicide prevention for students

Gov. Chris Sununu signed SB 234 into law on Aug. 3, a bill that requires student identification cards to include the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. “Every student and family should have equal opportunity to access lifesaving services, and this bill moves us forward,” Sununu said in a statement. “New Hampshire is tackling our mental health challenges, and we are adding more and more investments every day.” New Hampshire recently implemented a new three-digit dialing, texting and chat code, 988, which connects callers experiencing suicidal, mental health or substance misuse crises to a national network of more than 200 call centers via the established National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.

The Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire, in partnership with the Andover Historical Society, has added a new historic marker for Potter Place in Andover, commemorating the life and work of Richard Potter. According to a press release, Potter was America’s first Black magician and ventriloquist and made his home in Andover in the early 1800s. The Andover Historical Society owns and maintains the historic grounds and family graveyard of Potter and his wife, Sally, as well as the Potter Place train station, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. An event celebrating Potter’s influence on American theater will be held at Proctor Academy in Andover on Friday, Sept. 30, and will feature a performance by ventriloquist Dan Ritchard and a presentation by John Hodgson, author of Richard Potter: America’s First Black Celebrity. Visit blackheritagetrailnh.org and andoverhistory.org.

Dartmouth Health’s Heart & Vascular Center hosts its fifth annual Love Your Heart Night at Northeast Delta Dental Stadium in Manchester (1 Line Drive) during the New Hampshire Fisher Cats game against the Erie SeaWolves on Saturday, Aug. 13. The event, centered around heart health awareness and reducing the risk of heart disease, will feature free heart-health screenings, CPR demonstrations, fun and educational activities and a video message from Kelly George, an Enfield resident who received a life-saving heart transplant. Attendees are encouraged to wear red. Gates open at 6 p.m., and there will be fireworks following the game. Visit nhfishercats.com.

Gov. Chris Sununu has named the new Ash Road Bridge over Interstate 93, just north of Exit 4 on I-93 in Londonderry, in honor of its designer, Robert J. Prowse. According to the Union Leader, Prowse is a longtime New Hampshire Department of Transportation designer and has designed 400 bridges over six decades.

A community garden

Having grown up in America’s heartland, one of my fondest childhood memories is of the garden that our family planted every spring. It was huge by New England standards, average by Midwest standards. So many hours of labor and love went into the garden, but the rewards were well worth the effort. Early morning harvests (before the heat got too bad) led to bushels (literally) of tomatoes, green beans, corn, peas, potatoes, onions, lettuce, cabbage and anything else my mom decided to grow that year. After a few hours spent in the morning hauling in the goods, the afternoon’s tasks required my siblings and me to clean and prepare the harvest for my mother to work her magic. She would spend the afternoon canning and freezing the produce to be served and enjoyed in the cold of winter when it tasted every bit as delicious as the day it was harvested.

Today I am a pretend gardener here in New Hampshire. I have a vertical tower that utilizes hydroponics for my summer vegetables. My family loves the tomatoes, green beans, cucumbers, and lettuces that our tower produces, but I am just playing at it. There is no canning or mass production going on, no feeding of the masses.

One wonders what type of garden the City of Manchester and Families in Transition (FIT) envisioned when federal funds were spent to purchase property, demolish buildings and address environmental concerns to create the Hollows Community Garden and Learning Center in 2018. According to a recent Union Leader article, the plan was for the garden to provide fresh fruits and vegetables to supplement meals served at Families in Transition Family Place Resource Center and Shelter. A grant funded a part-time garden manager until 2020, when funds were cut. Currently, the lot is vacant and overgrown. FIT is currently requesting permission from city aldermen to develop the land as affordable housing.

No doubt affordable housing will address a much greater need for Manchester than a community garden, and it falls into the wheelhouse of FIT. They have done it many times before and have done it well. Remembering from my Midwest roots what it takes to achieve a meaningful return from a garden, I think FIT is wise to pivot back to their core mission for this parcel of land. Unless there is funding, staff and volunteers, combined with experience and knowledge to drive the project forward, a community garden is doomed to end up exactly where it is today, a vacant and overgrown piece of land.

Manchester celebrates movies — 08/04/22

The inaugural Manchester International Film Festival rolls into the Queen City’s Rex Theatre next weekend (Friday, Aug. 12, through Sunday, Aug. 14), a three-day event packed with screenings of everything from cult classics to New Hampshire-directed short films. Find out what it takes to put together a film festival in the Granite State, and meet some of the directors behind several of the event’s featured flicks.

Also on the cover Katelyn Sahagian gets all the details on the return of this year’s League of NH Craftsmen’s Fair (page 19). Gourmet deli sandwiches are the stars of the menu at City Hall Pub, a new lunch option for downtown Manchester (page 28). Find local laughs this weekend and beyond in our Comedy This Week section (page 37).

Ice Cream!

Check out the annual Great New Hampshire Ice Cream Tour map, featured on pages 24 and 25 of this week’s paper.

Pay attention, get involved

Even though I am a transplant who has lived in this state for more than 20 years, there are occasions ...

News & Notes 22/08/04

Cash for Nashua Fire The Department of Homeland Security and FEMA’s Assistance to Firefighters Grant will award $569,036 to the ...

Journey to safety

two women, one middle aged, one older, sitting on a piano bench, holding large dog

Derry woman brings her Ukrainian family to NH Nataliya Androsovych, a Ukrainian-American living in Derry, shared her story of bringing ...

The week that was

News Item: PGA-LIV Battle Heats Up The controversial start-up LIV world golf tour currently giving the PGA tour indigestion had ...

Quality of Life 22/08/04

A kid helping kids Local Boy Scout John Larochelle partnered with the Hillsborough County chapter of Sleep in Heavenly Peace, ...

This Week 22/08/04

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Big Events August 4, 2022 and beyond Thursday, Aug. 4 Catch the final home games of the regular season for ...

Manchester celebrates movies

The Manchester International Film Fest is ready for the big screen How to make a film festival The Manchester International ...

New Hampshire swan

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Iona Darling takes on dual-role lead in Swan Lake By Hannah Turtle [email protected] At only 19 years old, Iona Darling, ...

The Art Roundup 22/08/04

The latest from NH’s theater, arts and literary communities • LGBT history exhibit: The Seacoast LGBT History Project holds its ...

Art, crafts and goodies galore

a craftsperson displays a piece of glass artwork to a man and a woman

Homemade gifts and goods available at 89th annual Craftsmen’s Fair By Katelyn Sahagian [email protected] There will be everything from pottery ...

What you should do in the veggie garden

raised beds made with wooden slats in vegetable garden

Thin out some crops, grab some garlic Heat descended on us recently like opening the door to a roaring wood ...

Treasure Hunt 22/08/04

clipping from previous Hippo showing Treasure Hunt article about large wooden hutch

Hello, Donna, Not sure if you recall, but you wrote about my mother’s hutch/china cabinet back in late 2020. Mom ...

Kiddie Pool 22/08/04

Family fun for the weekend Out in nature • Creepy and crawly bugs are the big focus at the Squam ...

On The Job – Christine Gagnon

woman holding very large foraged mushroom

Mushroom forager and educator Christine Gagnon is a mushroom forager and educator and owner of Uncanoonuc Foraging Company, based in ...

The Weekly Dish 22/08/04

News from the local food scene • Live free, eat local: August is observed as NH Eats Local Month by ...

Starring the sandwich

sandwich filled with chicken and vegetables on plate

City Hall Pub now open in Manchester Gourmet deli-style sandwiches and craft cocktails are the stars of the menu at ...

Italian inspired

cinnamon bun with frosting beside cup of coffee on table

Pelham pastry chef takes over Nashua’s Riverwalk cafe Life sometimes has a funny way of coming back full circle — ...

In the kitchen with Ira Street

Ira Street of Manchester is the chef and owner of Squaloo’s BBQ (75 Webster St., Manchester, 232-7288, squaloosbbq.com), a mostly ...

Peanut butter truffles

round peanut butter ball covered in chocolate

Hello, August! Today I have a slightly messy, lightly chilled treat for you. In full disclosure, the messiness is part ...

A bee walks into a bar…

cocktail in etched stemmed glass sitting on top of open notebook

“Hey, Susan.” “Evenin’, Alice. The usual?” “Please. Busy night?” “Well, you know how it goes; everyone’s busy — kinda part ...

Album Reviews 22/08/04

album art for JoVia Armstrong album Antidote Suite

JoVia Armstrong, Antidote Suite (Wild Kingdom Records) The term Afrofuturism — referring to a “cultural aesthetic and philosophy of science ...

An Immense World, by Ed Yong

An Immense World, by Ed Yong (Random House, 359 pages) In the 17th century, the French philosopher and priest Nicolas ...

DC League of Super-Pets (PG)

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DC League of Super-Pets (PG) A horse training family encounters Something at their desert ranch in Nope, the latest film ...

At the Sofaplex 22/08/04

Honor Society (TV-MA) Angourie Rice, Gaten Matarazzo. Also Christopher Mitz-Plasse, Armani Jackson and Kerry Butler. Rice has the energy of ...

The Music Roundup 22/08/04

Local music news & events • Sweet and local: A showcase for the original music of singer-guitarist Mary Fagan, The ...

Rock ’n’ laugh

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Off With Their Heads unplugged, and comedy Music and standup comedy have intersected since Midge Maisel opened for Shy Baldwin ...

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Quality of Life 22/08/11

Questions from Pats camp

Serve’s the purpose

News & Notes 22/08/11

A community garden

Manchester celebrates movies — 08/04/22

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