201231 – Page 2

The Weekly Dish 20/12/31

News from the local food scene

• Free coffee for health care workers: Now through Jan. 31, participating Aroma Joe’s locations across New Hampshire are offering free daily coffee to health care workers, according to a press release. The Portland, Maine-based company had previously run this promotion, which featured a free 16-ounce cup of hot or iced coffee every day to health care workers, resulting in more than 50,000 cups of free coffee, according to the release. Aroma Joe’s, known for its handcrafted coffees and espresso drinks, has 72 locations, a majority of which are in New Hampshire and Maine. Visit aromajoes.com/locations to find the shop closest to you.

• Pipe bursts at Revival: A heating pipe at Revival Kitchen & Bar in Concord burst early in the morning on Dec. 21, causing extensive damage to the restaurant’s dining space and forcing its temporary closure. According to a post on Revival’s Facebook page, the burst pipe also significantly damaged the space inside Angelina’s Ristorante Italiano, just next door. Since Revival’s kitchen space was unaffected, all holiday take-and-bake orders were expected to be fulfilled with no issues, according to the post. “Clean-up crews were quick to respond and have begun cleaning the space, assessing damages and creating a plan to move forward and get the door back open,” the post read. “We will know more as the days continue, so stay tuned for updates.”

• Hospitality fund gets a boost: The New Hampshire Hospitality Employee Relief Fund, which provides grants of $250 to hospitality employees in the state who have been impacted by the pandemic, recently received a $5,000 donation in local grocery store gift cards, according to a press release from the New Hampshire Lodging & Restaurant Association. The donations, featuring several $50 or $100 gift cards, came from the Beer Distributors Association of New Hampshire, in partnership with Anheuser-Busch, Molson Coors and the National Beer Wholesalers Association, and will be distributed throughout the fund. “We wanted to help in some small way, so we rallied our member companies from across the state and joined forces with a few of our key partners to support workers in need before Christmas,” New Hampshire Distributors President and CEO Chris Brown said in a statement. According to the release, the fund has distributed more than $164,000 in direct aid to state restaurant and hospitality workers since its formation in March.

Treasure Hunt 20/12/31

Dear Donna,

This cast iron plaque was mounted on our shed door. We removed it when the shed was replaced and now would like to know a little more about it. It weighs around 10 pounds and is 11 inches wide and 8.5 inches tall. Anything you can tell me will be greatly appreciated.

Ellen

Dear Ellen,

What was in your shed is a reproduction of a fire marker. This one was representing The United Firemen’s Insurance Co. These markers were used back in the 1800s on homes to show the owners were insured. They were mounted on the exterior of the home in full view.

To find an original one is tough, and there are reproductions out there. There are many ways to tell a reproduction from an authentic one; you can find much of this information online. The interesting point I found was that the originals were never painted in red. Gold was colorized to show up clearly.

With so many reproductions around today, the market for even the older ones is in the range of $20 to $30. For more information, check out the history of fire markers. I found it all very interesting.

Kiddie Pool 20/12/31

Family fun for the weekend

Fun at the museum

*The iBOT wheelchair is SEE’s newest demonstration. Photo courtesy of SEE Science Center.*

Watch a special demonstration of an iBOT at the SEE Science Center (200 Bedford St., Manchester, 669-0400, see-sciencecenter.org), which is open Thursday, Dec. 31, Saturday, Jan. 2, and Sunday, Jan. 3, with sessions from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. or 2 to 5 p.m. The iBOT wheelchair is SEE’s newest demonstration and shows how technology can help people with limited mobility do things they could never do in any other wheelchair. The demonstration is part of regular museum admission, which is $9 per person for ages 3 and up. Registration is required to reserve a time during one of the sessions; register online or via phone. SEE will be open each weekend in January, as well as on Monday, Jan. 18.

The Children’s Museum of New Hampshire (6 Washington St., Dover, 742-2002, childrens-museum.org) will be open for a couple more days before winter break ends. Reserve a play session Thursday, Dec. 31, or Saturday, Jan. 2, from 9 to 11:30 a.m. or 1 to 3:30 p.m. either day. The cost is $11 for adults and kids older than 1 and $9 for seniors 65 and older. Reservations are required and can be made on the museum website.

Sweet game

Chunky’s Cinema Pub is hosting a family-friendly Theater Candy Bingo event on Friday, Jan. 1, at 6 p.m. at its Manchester location (707 Huse Road); on Saturday, Jan. 2, at 6 p.m. at its Nashua location (151 Coliseum Ave.), and on Sunday, Jan. 3, at 6 p.m. at its Pelham location (150 Bridge St.). Purchase a ticket online to reserve a spot; for $4.99 you get a ticket and a box of Chunky’s theater candy. Players will turn in their candy to the host to get a bingo card, then play a few rounds to try to win some of that candy as well as other Chunky’s prizes. Visit chunkys.com.

Live performance

There’s still time to catch a performance of the holiday classic The Nutcracker at The Music Hall Historic Theater (28 Chestnut St., Portsmouth) on Saturday, Jan. 2, at 2 and 6 p.m., and Sunday, Jan. 3, at 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. Seating is socially distanced. Tickets cost $50 for adults and $45 for seniors and children. Visit themusichall.org or call 436-2400.

Pops of color

How to make cut flowers last

Snow is finally here in Cornish Flat. The cardinals and blue jays are providing a little color to an otherwise unremarkable world. The sun is lurking behind gray clouds, and on a good day we get nine hours of light. I do miss the colors of summer. I still keep fresh cut flowers on our table — just not flowers from my garden.

Cut flowers are among modern America’s true bargains. For the price of a bottle of wine — or a few cups of fancy coffee — you can buy flowers that will grace your table for up to three weeks. But there are some things you should know about getting good table-life for your investment.

Where you buy your flowers may affect how well they last. A floral shop or a good Food Coop has trained personnel who trim each stem in the store every other day. And someone who regularly changes the water to keep it fresh. Chain grocery stores probably count on you buying their flowers before the flowers need to be trimmed or their water changed.

In either case, you should cut off half to three quarters of an inch from each stem before you put them in a vase, and change the water regularly. Never let leaves sit in the water. Leaves will rot, promoting growth of bacteria, which will impede water take-up. Ask for the little packets of powder that florists provide, and add that to the water to prolong the life of your flowers. A couple of drops of chlorine bleach may work, too.

Keep your arrangement cool if you can. Putting it near a radiator or woodstove will shorten its life. If you’ve invested in roses or tulips, you may wish to move the vase to the entryway or mudroom at bedtime to keep the flowers extra cool during the night.

Some flowers are better picks than others if you’re on a budget and can’t afford to buy new flowers every week. Here are my recommendations for good cut flowers:

Alstroemeria: Each long stem has clusters of two-inch lily-like blossoms in pinks and reds, with yellow throats. Very long-lived. Great value. Most grocery stores sell them inexpensively.

Chrysanthemums: These come in a variety of sizes and colors, from the huge spider mums to little guys. I love the scent of the flowers — it’s not overpowering, but it’s there if you sniff them.

Lisianthus: These look like silk flowers to me: perfect white, pink or lavender-colored bell-shaped flowers on long stems. Tough to grow in the garden, they are perfect in a vase — I’ve kept them for up to 3 weeks.

Miniature carnations: Each stem has two to four blossoms. They come in a variety of colors. Mix dark red “minis” with red roses to make a bouquet of roses look fuller. And even after the roses go to Valhalla, the carnations will still be good!

Baby’s breath. Tiny white pompoms are great on their own or mixed with colorful flowers. I have kept them in a dry vase for months.

Statice: I grow these for use as dry flowers, which tells you that they really do last forever, even out of water. They come in blue, purple, pink and white. You can put them in a dry vase and they will last all winter.

Spray roses: Instead of a single blossom per stem, these have two to five blossoms, giving you more bang for your buck. Will last about a week with proper care.

Orchids: While not cheap, orchids can last up to a month. I love dendrobiums, though they are not common, even in floral shops. Cymbidiums have bigger blossoms but also last extremely well. And of course you can buy potted ones, which bloom even longer and can be coaxed to rebloom next year if you put in the effort to keep them happy.

Kangaroo paws: These Australian natives are fuzzy and cute. They come in pinks, reds and browns, and last very well. Not every florist will have them. I grew them in a pot on the deck one year and love them — like teddy bears on a stem!

It’s possible to change the colors of cut chrysanthemums. Here is what has worked for me: leave a few stems of a white mum out of water for 12 hours, then cut off two to three inches and put it in water with food coloring. Try it with a few stems, to see if you like the results. Put eight drops of food coloring in a glass with just an inch of water.

When I tried it with blue food coloring, my white mums had turned color — but not the true blue I wanted, more of a ghastly greenish blue. Still, if you want to have some fun with your kids, this is an easy way to show how water and dye move up a flower’s stem.

Everyone loves to receive the gift of cut flowers, even guys. So treat your loved one — or yourself — to fresh flowers this winter. They’re cheerful, and can make winter less oppressive for gardeners.

Featured Photo: I grew Kangaroo Paws in a pot last year, and they are fabulous. Courtesy photo..

The Art Roundup 20/12/31

The latest from NH’s theater, arts and literary communities

• A gift from the harp: Salem resident Dr. Diana Kolben has donated her harp to the Manchester Community Music School. Kolben, who studied music at Oberlin College and worked as a music educator throughout her life, has owned the harp for more than 50 years. No longer able to play it, she reached out to the New Hampshire Philharmonic Orchestra about finding the instrument a new home, and The Phil coordinated the donation to MCMS. “We are so happy to continue working with MCMS and its own mission to change lives through the power of learning, sharing and making music,” The Phil music director Mark Latham said in a press release. “We hope and anticipate that one day a student from MCMS, having studied on Diana’s harp, will perform … with The Phil.” The 1938 Lyon and Healy Model 23 concert grand harp was refurbished in 1983 and was freshly restrung before it was given to the school.

• Live performances on hold: The Capitol Center for the Arts in Concord announced in a newsletter that it has extended its suspension of in-person performances, originally set to end Jan. 15, through March 1, at which point it will resume a limited schedule of in-person performances. All in-person performances and events that were scheduled between Jan. 15 and Feb. 28 have been canceled or will be rescheduled. “Although we are encouraged by the new vaccines being distributed, the risk of indoor performances at this time remains higher than we would like,” the newsletter said, adding that a schedule for a new virtual series of performances including concerts, comedy, theater and dance will be announced in mid to late January. Call 225-1111 or visit ccanh.com.

• NHAA new member exhibit: The New Hampshire Art Association will highlight 35 of its new members in an exhibit titled “A New Day,” viewable online, in the front windows at the NHAA’s Robert Lincoln Levy Gallery (136 State St., Portsmouth) and at the gallery in person by appointment from Jan. 6 through Jan. 31. “We are thrilled to welcome so many talented artists into NHAA and are happy to provide them opportunities to show and sell their work,” NHAA board president Renee Giffroy said in a press release. “The fresh perspectives they bring help everyone in our community continue to grow.” Among the featured artists are Carla Zwahlen, a landscape painter from Mont Vernon; John Kessler of Windham, an oil painter of landscapes and still life; and Howard Muscott, a nature photographer from Amherst. A virtual opening reception for the exhibit will be held on Thursday, Jan. 7, at 6 p.m. on Zoom. NHAA’s next jurying opportunity for new members is scheduled for March. “We look forward to having more local artists join us next year,” Giffroy said. Call 431-4230 and visit nhartassociation.org.

• Still time to see The Nutcracker: Catch a live performance of The Nutcracker by Safe Haven Ballet at The Music Hall Historic Theater (28 Chestnut St., Portsmouth), with showtimes on Saturday, Jan. 2, at 2 and 6 p.m., and Sunday, Jan. 3, at 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. Safe Haven Ballet is a nonprofit that provides trauma-sensitive ballet, art and movement opportunities for survivors of sexual assault and trauma. Seating will be socially distanced. Tickets cost $50 for adults and $45 for seniors and children. Visit themusichall.org or call 436-2400.

If you’d rather enjoy The Nutcracker from home, the Northeastern Ballet Theatre of Wolfeboro is streaming a video of its 2019 performance of The Nutcracker now through Sunday, Jan. 3. Virtual tickets cost $8. Visit northeasternballet.org or call 834-8834.

• Virtual author events: New Hampshire author KJ Dell’Antonia will present her new novel, The Chicken Sisters, which was chosen as the December book of the month for Reese Witherspoon’s Reese’s Book Club. Dell’Antonia’s friend and the producer for NHPR’s The Exchange Jessica Hunt will join the conversation. Then, on Thursday, Jan. 7, at 7 p.m., K Woodman-Maynard, formerly of Concord, will provide a look at her graphic novel adaptation of The Great Gatsby. Concord novelist Virginia Macgregor will join Woodman-Maynard in the discussion. The events will be held on Zoom, and registration is required. Visit gibsonsbookstore.com or call 224-0562.

Featured photo: Harp donated to the Manchester Community Music School. Photo courtesy of Toni DeGennaro and the NH Philharmonic Orchestra.

Art adapts

2020 became a year of unexpected innovation for arts organizations

In 2020, we saw art galleries and performance venues closed, shows and festivals canceled and classes and programs suspended. But in the face of the many challenges brought about by Covid-19, the New Hampshire arts community did what it does best: It got creative.

“Many New Hampshire arts organizations and artists are finding creative ways to engage the public during the pandemic, reimagining events and activities in both physical and virtual spaces,” said Ginnie Lupi, director of the New Hampshire State Council on the Arts.

Performance venues erected new outdoor stages and spaces to welcome socially distanced audiences; theater companies, musicians and authors accommodated audiences at home through livestreamed and recorded shows and discussions, and educators in the arts carried on with classes and lessons remotely.

Now, as a Covid vaccine brings hope that a return to normalcy is on the horizon, artists and arts organizations are reasoning that the solutions they improvised to get through the pandemic may still have merit in a post-pandemic world.

“We expect many of these changes to become permanent,” Lupi said. “Many organizations are finding that online performances and activities are reaching more diverse and distant audiences.”

Living room theater

The Majestic Theatre in Manchester is one of many local theater companies that installed new video equipment to offer virtual performances.

“The virtual component has been a valuable tool to share our performances with those who are homebound,” artist director and CEO Rob Dionne said. “Now, a virtual component will be a part of most of our shows moving forward.”

Genevieve Aichele, executive director of New Hampshire Theatre Project in Portsmouth, said that purchasing new video, audio and computer equipment and hiring a part-time associate producer for media was an advantageous use of the CARES relief funds it received.

“The board and staff of NHTP views this as an investment for the future,” she said. “NHTP will be continuing to offer programs online for the foreseeable future.”

Though New Hampshire Theatre Project is presenting in-person performances again, it and many other theater companies that are able to do so are now using both formats, giving audiences the flexibility to experience theater in a way that meets their needs and comfort level. Aichele said the virtual option remains the most popular, noting that New Hampshire Theatre Project’s November production of The Adventures of Sleepyhead brought in 36 tickets for the in-person show and 245 tickets for the virtual one.

Matt Cahoon, artistic director of Theatre Kapow in Manchester, said the company’s “significant [investment in] time, energy and money” to offer virtual performances will “define this company for the next decade.”

“I would hate to see us just leave that behind,” he said. “I imagine that some of the technology will come back with us, and that we will find ways to meld together the live and virtual experiences.”

Unexpectedly, Cahoon said, the virtual format has given Theater Kapow the opportunity to enhance the theater experience for audiences by incorporating storytelling elements that aren’t feasible on a live stage. For example, the use of cameras allows him to draw the audience’s attention to small details that they might miss in person.

“The audience’s perspective of the actors was closer than ever,” he said. “It seems impossible to me to go back to a time where we say to audiences, ‘OK, you sit over there in the dark and we will be up here with the lights on us.’”

Art on screen

The visual arts have also found a new place in the virtual realm, with many arts organizations and art galleries shifting to an online format.

Lauren Boss, co-president of the Nashua Area Artists’ Association, said the Association moved its operations online when the months-long closure of its brick-and-mortar art gallery, ArtHub, limited members’ opportunities to sell their art.

“The pandemic forced us to figure out how to make e-commerce work for us,” she said. “This is something that will definitely remain after the masks are gone.”

The League of New Hampshire Craftsmen made a successful transition online after Covid made it impossible for the League to host its annual Craftsmen’s Fair in-person. The nine-day arts and crafts fair held in August at Mount Sunapee Resort typically draws 20,000 paying attendees, provides 80 percent of the League’s yearly operating income and is the largest opportunity for more than 300 local and regional artisans to sell their work; canceling the event altogether, League executive director Miriam Carter said, was simply not an option.

The League held the fair virtually on its website by providing links to the artisans’ online shops as well as a virtual exhibition tour and exclusive video content including craft demonstrations, musical performances and guided try-at-home craft projects for all ages.

While the virtual fair was a success in that artisans were still able to sell their work, it also had some silver linings that extended far beyond the fair itself, Carter said.

“[It] inspired 80 of our craftsmen to create websites or online sales capability for the first time,” she said. “This is a significant and welcome culture shift in a membership that is generally slow to adopt technological innovation … [and gives] craftsmen online tools they need to sustain their business through the Covid era and beyond.”

Carter said the League plans to make virtual elements a permanent feature of the Craftsmen’s Fair moving forward.

Learning from home

During the pandemic, many local arts organizations started offering classes, lessons and educational programs remotely, with students and educators meeting over video conferencing apps like Zoom, and some plan to continue offering remote education as an option indefinitely.

New Hampshire Writers’ Project hosted its annual 603: Writers’ Conference, normally held in Manchester in the spring, remotely in October. The reimagined 603: Writers’ “Sit and Click” Virtual Conference featured most of the same activities as the in-person conference, including panels, classes and a keynote speaker, accessible live on Zoom and through recordings that were available to participants for 90 days following the conference.

“We also have become more creative with our programming,” New Hampshire Writers’ Project board chair Masheri Chappelle said.

Many of New Hampshire Writers’ Project’s regular programs are now offered virtually, which has increased membership and participation, including writers from as far as Utah and Australia.

Peggy Senter, president of Concord Community Music School, said there has always been a number of students who travel from out of state to participate in the school’s programs as well as students who discontinue their education after moving farther from the school. Remote classes and lessons have eliminated that barrier, she said, and have proven to be “a wonderful opportunity for people who live far away and otherwise wouldn’t be able to participate.”

“Going forward, we will most likely offer remote learning to those who would be unable to participate due to distance, illness or adverse weather,” she said.

Additionally, virtual student recitals have given students a chance to share their musical abilities with people who would not be able to attend the recital in person.

CCMS has produced 11 student recitals on YouTube since March, Senter said, the most recent of which featured 40 students.

“Going forward, we will look forward to in-person recitals again, but also having a recorded version is allowing friends and family to access these performances from around the country and the world,” she said.

Supporting the arts

Lupi said that while the creativity exhibited by the New Hampshire arts community to keep the arts alive has been “encouraging” and “speaks to the value of the arts,” local arts organizations aren’t out of the woods yet.

“The pandemic will definitely have an ongoing, long-term impact on New Hampshire’s arts sector,” she said. “Some organizations and businesses may not survive, and those that do will have a long financial and programmatic recovery. … More aid to the sector will definitely be necessary for 2021 and beyond.”

Featured photo: Peter Josephson in Theater Kapow’s virtual production of A Tempest Prayer in November 2020. Photo by Matthew Lomanno.

Quality of Life 20/12/31

Tons of toys

Hundreds of kids in Manchester and Nashua got to open presents this Christmas thanks to two very successful holiday programs. The Tower of Toys in Manchester saw its biggest number of donations and recipients in its nine-year history, ultimately providing two gifts each to approximately 1,500 children, according to a press release. And the Front Door Agency in Nashua distributed gifts to nearly 500 children through its annual holiday program, which pairs families in need with “adopters,” according to a press release. This year more than 215 families were given almost $100,000 worth of toys, clothing and groceries.

Score: +2

Comment: Both organizations noted that despite the widespread financial hardships caused by the pandemic, local communities really stepped up to help those in need.

Well-deserved thank yous

Frontline health care workers at St. Joseph Hospital and Southern New Hampshire Health got a big thank-you last week, in the form of gift cards to local eateries. The United Way of Greater Nashua presented each facility with 350 gift cards that were purchased with $7,000 worth of donations from the community, according to a press release.

Score: +1

Comment: The fundraiser was ultimately a gift to small local businesses too, as the gift cards were purchased from 15 small local eateries, including Main Street Gyro, Mr. Macs and SubZero Ice Cream, according to the release.

Vaccine scams

New Hampshire Attorney General Gordon J. MacDonald issued a warning last week urging residents to be aware of potential scams related to the distribution of the Covid-19 vaccine. According to a press release, there is concern that high demand for the vaccine may create an opportunity for scammers to try to take money or personal information by saying they can provide fast access to the vaccine. Though it’s not widely available right now as doses are first being provided to health care and front line workers, the vaccine will be available to everyone at no cost regardless of insurance status, and you will never be asked for payment in any form to reserve a vaccine or for confidential personal information, including your Social Security number or bank or credit card information.

Score: -1

Comment: If you receive a call or email from anyone offering quick access to the Covid-19 vaccine in exchange for money or personal information, call the Consumer Protection Hotline at 1-888-468-4454 or email DOJ-CPB@doj.nh.gov. You can also call 2-1-1 for information about the vaccine and its availability.

Pandemic struggles

A new report from the Annie E. Casey Foundation, which offers support for at-risk children, was recently released, identifying pandemic pain points — indicators that show families struggling with economic stability, food security, health insurance access and mental health — in all 50 states. According to a press release, Kids, Families and Covid-19: Pandemic Pain Points and the Urgent Need to Respond highlights how households with children are coping in the midst of the pandemic. In New Hampshire 15 percent of adults over the age of 18 living with children reported feeling down, depressed, or hopeless in the previous week, while 12 percent of New Hampshire families reported having slight or no confidence in paying rent or mortgage, and 10 percent reported they sometimes or often do not have enough food to eat, according to the release.

Score: -1

Comment: The report, which can be downloaded at aecf.org, also offers state-specific information about child well-being prior to the pandemic, federal and state support of families and children during the pandemic and strategies to help meet the needs of kids and families now and after the pandemic.

QOL score at the end of 2019: 93

QOL score at the end of 2020: 76

Change in QOL from 2019 to 2020: -17

What’s affecting your Quality of Life here in New Hampshire? Let us know at news@hippopress.com.

End of the year 2020 awards

With the year coming to a close, it’s time for the Hippo Sports unorthodox awards that annually focus on things big and small that no one else does.

Beat the Expectations: Tom Brady. I was not one of the many who thought he’d take the magic with him to Tampa Bay without missing a beat, as I’ve never seen a guy who looked old at 42 get better at 43. At least until now, because after initial acclimation issues, TB has already thrown for the third-most TD passes of his career and his team is playoff-bound with the offense hitting its stride. My one caveat to predicting another year of decline was saying it’s probably dumb to bet against TB-12. And it was.

Comeback Player: You could see Brady here for just-mentioned reasons, Ditto for LeBron after winning the title in Year 2 after his first year in L.A. was a disaster. However, both pale to what Alex Smith did by getting back on the field to play solidly after nearly losing his leg to a gruesome break 18 months earlier. But he’s just my runner-up to one-time Sox reliever Daniel Bard for making it back to the majors for the first time since 2014, when after finally solving his baffling control issues he struck out 27 in 24.1 innings while compiling a 3.67 ERA.

Didn’t Live Up To Expectations: L.A. Clippers. With their blockbuster trade for Paul George that helped reel in free agent Kawhi Leonard, expectations were through the roof. That they didn’t win was a fan letdown, but they earn the award for gagging away a 3-1 lead to Denver to prevent what every NBA fan wanted to see — a battle for L.A. Western Conference Final.

Dumbest Set of Expectations: While every person on local sports talk radio and the Football Night in America and Monday Night Football brass are in the conversation, it goes to Patriots Nation for its sense of entitlement assuming the Pats would be in the playoffs because they’re the Pats, despite losing seven key defensive players and their all-world QB. Particularly galling was how little appreciation was shown by the “what have you done for me lately” crowd during their first bad year after two decades of astonishing success.

Biggest Mistake – Player: Technically it was 2019, but since the suspension continued into this year, it goes to Cleveland DE Myles Garrett. He gets itfor being the first NFL player to conk someone on their head with their helmet since Raiders linebacker Matt Millen did it to Pats GM Pat Sullivan after New England upset Oakland in the 1985 playoffs. In this case the victim was Pittsburgh QB Mason Rudolph and it got Myles suspended until his 2020 reprieve.

Biggest Mistake – Coaching: This one wasn’t just the 2020 winner, it’s in the top three of all time along with Seattle passing instead of giving it to Marshawn Lynch from the one in SB 49, and Grady Little sticking with Pedro after the Jeter and Matsui doubles in 2003. It’s Kevin Cash yanking Blake Snell in the sixth despite his having allowed one measly hit and striking out 10 hapless Dodgers batters because the analytics said to. All that did was blow the World Series by opening the door to L.A.’s three-run rally and its 3-1 Game 6 win.

The New Boston Award: After winning NBA and MLB titles within days and in position to repeat, while having a pretty good football team playing in the planet’s sports mecca, it’s looking like Los Angeles this year will wrest away the title that has resided in Boston since 2001.

Biggest Name On The Hot Seat: With the Sox brass having fired GM’s twice within two years of winning a World Series since 2015, you’d think after last year’s unmitigated disaster it would be Chaim Bloom. But that was Year 1 and he got a pass. So after seeing him do what all in-trouble football coaches do, I’ll take Michigan’s Jim Harbaugh. That would be scapegoating someone else to bring the heat down on him, as he just did by firing one-time Plymouth State Coach Don Brown as Defensive Coordinator.

Sports Executive of the Year: Andrew Friedman basically had the same job Bloom has in Boston now when he arrived in L.A.: extract the Dodgers from the payroll mess caused by taking on three giant contracts from Boston in 2012. Then build a farm system to regularly produce high-end talent to have enough surplus talent available and the payroll low enough to pounce when a difference-making talent like Mookie Betts came on the market. Mission accomplished. All done while winning seven straight division titles, going to three series and being in position to keep doing the same.

Toughest Thing To See: The Mookie Betts trade. History eventually may show it was the right thing to do, but it was tough seeing my favorite Red Sox player ever lead L.A. to win the World Series immediately after being traded away from Fenway.

Best Thing To See – Misery Upon Others Department: Seeing Cash and Tampa Bay demonstrate to the baseball world in the worst and most painful possible way that analytics are simply a tool to be used in decision-making and not the gospel so many self-important stat geeks make them out to be.

Most Valuable Player: LeBron James, and not just by, as Brady did it, showing he’s still the best while leading the Lakers to Title No. 17 with a performance that kept Father Time on the sidelines, but also for his executive-of-the-year level move to (unethically) maneuver around tampering rules to be the catalyst behind Anthony Davis wanting out in New Orlean, which led to his trade to benefit LBJ in L.A.

Biggest Hope For The New Year: That things will get back to normal sooner than later.

Happy and safe new year to all.

‘We can’t relax yet’

Where we’re headed with Covid-19

Beth Daly, chief of New Hampshire’s Bureau of Infectious Disease Control and director of Public Health Preparedness at the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services, provided an overview of Covid-19 in New Hampshire, from when the pandemic first emerged to what we might see in the coming months. She also answered questions about the Covid-19 vaccine, a new strain of the virus, the flu and more.

Case trends

What did you observe about Covid cases during the summer?

We had very low case counts overall in the summer. … Many states experienced a second wave in cases in the middle of the summer, but we did not; ours remained low. That’s probably attributable to a number of different factors: we closed a number of different sectors in the spring, and by the end of June we were seeing as few as 14 or 15 cases per day. Then, we had a phased reopening and were able to reopen in a safe manner. I think implementing those measures helped to control the outbreak at that time and [prevent] a resurgence of cases over the summer. But, of course, heading into the fall, we did see a resurgence like many other states, and [cases] have now far exceeded what we even experienced in the spring.

What’s currently happening with Covid cases in New Hampshire?

On average, we’re seeing between 800 and 900 cases per day, which, of course, is very, very high, especially in comparison to what we had thought was our peak back last spring. … The increase started at the end of October and has increased on a daily basis all the way through until the middle of December, but over the last week the increase appears to be slowing down and possibly moving toward a plateau.

Were you expecting there to be an increase in cases during the holiday season?

We expected there to be some increase after the holidays because of people getting together, of course, but we can’t specifically attribute any amount of transmission to Thanksgiving, for example, since the rapid increase in cases started at the end of October. … We know through contact tracing that there was some transmission that occurred from Thanksgiving, but by and large, it’s been community transmission in workplaces and community settings. … The increase is probably more of a reflection of people being indoors [due to the weather] and coming into closer contact with each other inside, where there’s not as much ventilation as being outside.

What do you predict will happen with Covid in the early months of 2021?

We can’t make any predictions about what will or won’t happen with Covid-19 … but we’re hopeful that, with the vaccine, we’ll start to see some declines in cases. Ultimately, it’s going to take a large proportion of the population to get vaccinated in order to really keep Covid-19 at bay, but every little bit of immunity being acquired in our communities, either through vaccinations or through infection, does help us prevent future cases of Covid-19.

Covid and kids

What trends have you seen with Covid-19 cases in people under age 18?

We have seen a number [of cases among] children, and that number increased in the fall. However, we have not had a significant number of outbreaks or large clusters of outbreaks in school settings. We think the measures that schools put in place to prevent the spread of Covid-19 really helped to prevent transmission in a school setting. … We see more transmissions occurring outside of school, like from sports teams … sleepovers and birthday parties … and close contact with someone in their household who has Covid-19.

What protocols put in place by schools were the most effective for reducing transmission?

Their protocols and procedures varied widely, but a lot of schools set up staggered schedules for students so that they could reduce the total number of people in the school setting at one time. That was helpful for carrying out social distancing by making sure the desks were at least three feet apart or, ideally, six feet apart. … Many schools also implemented mask requirements for students and staff.

New Hampshire’s response

How prepared was New Hampshire to handle a pandemic when Covid first hit?

We had been preparing for a pandemic for two decades, since the 9/11 funding that came through that gave all states funding for public health and health care preparedness. From that, a lot of relationships were developed and a lot of plans were put in place that suited us very well in responding to the pandemic. We knew what needed to be done and had already worked toward having the capabilities that we knew would be needed.

What has New Hampshire done right in its response to the pandemic?

The partnerships that we had going into the pandemic that we then built stronger — our health care associations, medical associations and hospital associations, along with the Emergency Management Agency here at the state and their partners in the local municipalities — have been one of our greatest assets. They have been really critical in helping us make sure that, together, we are serving the needs of the frontline health care staff in all kinds of different facilities, and that the public is getting the testing and care they need. The flexibility that the governor has had in terms of declaring a state of emergency, bringing funds into the state and being able to execute contracts quickly has also been incredibly important and helpful.

Is there anything it should have done differently?

I think overall New Hampshire has mounted a strong response to Covid-19. The thing that slowed down our capacity [to respond] was … testing. I think a lot of what has transpired with the pandemic reflects on the existing health care and public health infrastructure in our country. Having stable investments in public health laboratory testing, case investigation [and] contact tracing is important. A lot of these systems have been here for decades but were clearly not funded enough to support us during a pandemic. Now, we’ve ramped those systems up, but it took a while to do.

What are your top priorities right now?

Our focus and attention is on the vaccine right now, and on getting that out to people as quickly as possible. … We also stand ready to be able to open up alternative care sites and work with our health care partners to make sure that, if there is a resurgence that exceeds our health care system, people are able to access care. Hopefully, that won’t be needed, and we’ll keep our case counts where they’re at or, ideally, even lower.

Are we more prepared now, if another pandemic were to come along in the future?

We’re obviously in a much better place to respond to a future pandemic because we’ve done it now; we’ve figured things out, and we’ve learned from it, and we’ll be able to take our experience with us into the future.

The vaccine

What’s happening with the vaccine?

Right now, we’re getting a small amount of vaccines each week, and we’re rolling out Phase 1A, which includes health care workers, long-term care facility residents and staff and first responders. There are about 100,000 to 110,000 people in that group. Assuming we get the vaccines as we’re expecting from the CDC, we should be able to have that group vaccinated by the middle to end of January. Then, in February, we would be able to move forward with the next phase, Phase 1B. We have not shared yet who is going to be included in that group, but we plan to share that information with the public in the next week or two.

When will it be available to the general public?

That depends on how large the Phase 1B group is. For example, if that group has 200,000 people and [New Hampshire continues] to get the same amount of vaccines each week, that could take us into February and March, and we’d be looking at opening up vaccines more broadly to the general public in April. … It also depends on just how much vaccine we’re going to get. We expect that we’re going to get more and more over time as more formulations become available, but there are still a lot of unknowns that make it difficult to predict the trajectory of when we’ll be done [vaccinating] the 1.3 million people in New Hampshire.

How is it being distributed?

There are two formulations available right now: Pfizer and Moderna. Both require two doses. For Pfizer, you would get the doses 21 days apart, and for Moderna, you would get them 28 days apart. … In order to vaccinate everyone, the plan is to leverage everyone who’s able to provide vaccines in our state in all of our different settings. That will include a combination of hospitals, health care providers, pharmacies and state-run sites that we’re opening up to assist with the vaccinations and make sure that we can reach everyone.

A new strain

There’s been talk of a new strain of the virus. What’s going on with that?

We’re following [updates] coming out of the United Kingdom, where they are investigating a potential new strain of the Covid-19 virus that is emerging there. This is something that can happen with viruses. The virus can recombine and have different proteins on the surface of the cell that cause it to behave differently. You can detect these changes through molecular testing of the viruses themselves. In this case, [the U.K. is] reporting that [the new strain] is more transmissible [but] does not appear to be more severe.

How concerned are you about the new strain?

It’s certainly something we’re keeping our eye on. We don’t know what will happen with that strain and if it will continue to circulate or not, so all we can do is monitor it. Fortunately, the same prevention measures for the [original] Covid-19 virus — social distancing and mask use — work for the other strain as well.

The flu

Has influenza been a problem this year?

We’ve seen very little flu activity in our state. In fact, we haven’t confirmed any influenza in our public health laboratory. We’ve heard that there have been some detections of it by rapid tests in the community … so it’s out there, but it could be out there in a very sporadic way. It’s certainly not widespread or being detected frequently right now in our population. … The flu and Covid-19 are transmitted in similar ways, so we think a lot of the measures that we’re taking to prevent Covid-19 spread — social distancing, washing hands, wearing masks — could also be helping to protect us from influenza and other respiratory illness and keep those cases down.

Is it still important to get a flu shot?

Absolutely. We typically recommend that everyone six months and older get the vaccine to protect themselves from influenza, which is also a serious respiratory virus that we don’t want people to get. We have people die from it every year in our state. We also don’t want people getting influenza and getting hospitalized, because that’s going to increase the pressures that are already put on our health care system due to Covid-19. Keeping people out of the emergency room and doctors’ offices and from being hospitalized will help our whole health care system be able to better respond to Covid-19.

What now?

Is there anything else the New Hampshire public should know as we head into the new year?

Please, keep social distancing, wear masks, exercise good hygiene, stay home if you’re not feeling well and avoid travel. We know people are tired of it, but this is not the time to give up on those precautions. We want to stay strong as we roll out the vaccine. We can’t relax yet.

Featured photo: Beth Daly. Courtesy photo.

News & Notes 20/12/31

Covid-19 update	As of December 21	As of December 28
Total cases statewide	37,388	41,670
Total current infections statewide	6,688	5,508
Total deaths statewide	656	715
New cases	5,513 (Dec. 15 to Dec. 21)	4,282 (Dec. 22 to Dec. 28)
Current infections: Hillsborough County	2,290	1,908
Current infections: Merrimack County	929	609
Current infections: Rockingham County	1,580	1,264

Information from the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services

Covid-19 news

During a Dec. 22 press conference, state epidemiologist Dr. Benjamin Chan reported that New Hampshire had seen an average of 750 to 800 new infections of Covid-19 per day over the last week, numbers that were slightly down from the week before. While the test positivity rate has remained stable, at 9.1 percent as of Dec. 22, the number of hospitalizations has been up, he said. Dr. Beth Daly, Chief of the Bureau of Infectious Disease Control of the New Hampshire Department of Health & Human Services, also provided an update on vaccine distributions in the state. Over the previous weekend the Moderna vaccine received emergency use authorization and it is now approved for people ages 18 and older. “We received 24,200 doses of Moderna vaccine … here in New Hampshire,” Daly said during the Dec. 22 press conference. “About half … will be distributed to our hospitals … and about half are going to be used to launch our state-run fixed vaccination sites, as well as our mobile teams.” According to a press release from the Governor’s Office, 13 sites across the state — most locally in Concord, Hooksett, Londonderry and Nashua — were set to open Dec. 29 to vaccinate first responders and high-risk ambulatory care providers. It’s part of Phase 1A of the state’s vaccination plan, which includes approximately 110,000 people and is expected to be completed by mid-January. Over the next few weeks, Daly said, state health officials expect to receive approximately 9,000 doses each of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, with the exact number subject to change by the week.
On Dec. 23, Gov. Chris Sununu issued Emergency Order No. 77, an order amending Emergency Order No. 37, which had been issued back on April 28 to temporarily halt the hiring of all full-time and part-time employees of the state’s executive branch for positions that are already vacant or will become vacant during the state of emergency, with a few exceptions, including employees in roles related to combating the pandemic and those working in child protective services. Emergency Order No. 77 adds that all full-time and part-time employee positions may be posted for internal and external applicants, provided they certify in writing that projected federal funds used to pay for the position can support it through the end of State Fiscal Year 2023, or however long the contract period lasts.

Drive-in House session

On Dec. 28, acting New Hampshire House of Representatives Speaker Sherman Packard sent a letter with details of the upcoming Jan. 6 House session to state representatives. According to a press release, the event will be conducted as a drive-in, with all representatives and staff staying in their own vehicles, spread apart across the largest parking lot on the UNH campus in Durham. The New Hampshire Supreme Court has said remote sessions are constitutional, but the House has not yet adopted a rule that allows it to meet remotely, which means it is obligated to meet in person, according to the letter. “Additionally … the anticipated cost in establishing a secure voting mechanism would be in excess of $300,000,” the letter reads. “In the absence of a rule which permits remote participation, such an expense cannot be justified at the present time, nor is it possible to resolve the significant logistical requirements of a remote session given the short timeframe and the unique challenges of the 400-member House.” On Dec. 29, Democratic House members held a press conference in response to the announcement of a drive-in legislative session, and Deputy Democratic Leader Representative David Cote released a statement saying that “This is the New Hampshire Republican Party saying that they are unable to do what the government has required individuals and businesses to do since the pandemic began … by working remotely to protect public health,” and that the plan does not account for Representatives who can’t drive or sit in their car for hours.

Supreme Court case

New Hampshire has filed a reply brief in the United States Supreme Court in response to Massachusetts’ position that the court should not hear New Hampshire’s case against Massachusetts for taxing New Hampshire residents who work remotely for Massachusetts companies, according to a press release from the Office of the Governor. “Massachusetts’ current position is a far cry from our country’s rallying call of ‘no taxation without representation,’ — which they seem to have forgotten originated in their state,” Gov. Chris Sununu said in a statement. The reply brief argues that Massachusetts is downplaying the seriousness of New Hampshire’s claim in that it contends that the Tax Rule does not impede any tax policy New Hampshire desires to implement, that the Tax Rule maintains the status quo because Massachusetts continues to impose an income tax on nonresidents solely for Massachusetts-sourced income, and that the Tax Rule addresses a temporary problem, according to the release.

Members of the Buntin Rumford Webster Chapter Daughters of the American Revolution gathered at the Old Fort Cemetery in East Concord on Dec. 19 to lay wreaths as part of the annual National Wreaths Across America Day, according to a press release.

It’s time to order from the 2021 State Forest Nursery seedling catalog, which is now available at nh.gov/nhnursery. According to a press release, the New Hampshire Division of Forests and Lands is expecting an increased demand this year and encourages anyone who wants to plant trees or shrubs in the spring to place orders now. All seedlings are grown onsite at the nursery, located on 16 acres of land in Boscawen.

The 27 men and women from Manchester who died as a result of experiencing homelessness in the past year were remembered during a virtual vigil held by Catholic Medical Center’s Health Care for the Homeless during Homeless Persons’ Memorial Day on Dec. 21, according to a press release.

A new primary care practice has opened in Nashua that will focus on “unhurried and patient-focused health care” for all ages and will help alleviate southern New Hampshire’s shortage of primary care providers, according to a press release. The Altrix Primary Care staff is made up of board-certified nurse practitioners who will offer a full range of primary care services.

Tag: 201231