Don’t forget to dial 603 when you’re making a local call — after Oct. 24 it will be mandatory, and calls that are dialed without the area code won’t go through. The new requirement is in preparation for next July’s national rollout of the 988 National Suicide Prevention and Mental Health Crisis Lifeline, which will replace the current number: 1-800-273-TALK (1-800-273-8255). Starting next July, people will be able to dial 988 and reach the lifeline, but all 35 states that have 988 exchanges are required to switch to 10-digit dialing. In New Hampshire, 988 is an exchange in Portsmouth.
QOL Score: -1 (because QOL will definitely forget to update all of QOL’s contacts’ numbers before Sunday)
Comments:Of course, QOL does recognize that it’s an effort worth making if it means people can reach 988 services when they need it. Meanwhile, since all New Hampshire numbers still have a 603 area code, Hippo won’t be adding them to phone numbers in the paper. Consider it implied.
A baseball Marvel
Minor League Baseball has a new three-year partnership with Marvel Entertainment, creating an event series that will take place in Minor League ballparks — including Delta Dental Stadium, home of the New Hampshire Fisher Cats — starting in 2022. According to a press release, 96 Minor League teams will participate in the series, called “Marvel’s Defenders of the Diamond” during the next three baseball seasons. All teams will host at least one Marvel Super Hero themed game each year, wearing special-edition Marvel-branded jerseys during the game with other Marvel-themed activities and promotions taking place throughout the game, the release said.
Score: +1
Comment:Marvel will also create a Marvel’s Defenders of the Diamond comic book for fans that will be distributed in ballparks like Delta Dental Stadium, according to the release.
Holiday event cancellations starting already
Last week, the Nashua North vs. Nashua South Turkey Bowl was canceled “after thoughtful consideration,” according to a press release. There will be no Wednesday night or Thursday morning game this Thanksgiving. According to the release, the cancellation was made after the Nashua Holiday Stroll was canceled, and as Covid numbers have continued to rise in the Nashua community.
Score: -1
Comment: “Putting our students, staff, and their families in an atmosphere where many spectators may have traveled from other parts of the country to attend the game while visiting family in Nashua seems like a needless risk,” the release said. “We want everyone to remain safe and healthy during their holiday season and into the winter athletic season.”
Addressing the mental health crisis
The state is in the process of buying Hampstead Hospital, an effort to provide better mental health services in New Hampshire. NAMI New Hampshire praised the planned purchase in a press release, saying it was “a significant step forward in addressing the current mental health crisis, which has hit youth and young adults especially hard during the pandemic.” According to NAMI, New Hampshire youth and young adults are reporting significant increases in stress, anxiety and depression since the start of the pandemic, and the number of youth who need inpatient mental health services has more than tripled since then.
Score: 0 (-1 for the dire need, +1 for the efforts the state is taking to address that need)
Comment: On Oct. 13, there were 18 youth staying in emergency rooms around the state while they awaited inpatient admission, according to the release from NAMI. “The process of holding a young person in an emergency room, with minimal treatment, is traumatizing for youth and their families,” NAMI wrote.
QOL score: 78
Net change: -1
QOL this week: 77
What’s affecting your Quality of Life here in New Hampshire? Let us know at news@hippopress.com.
What a difference 14 days can make. After the Red Sox lost two of three to the lowly Orioles in the second to last series of the year, talk show blowhards and other media types were getting ready to bury them after what they thought would be a final week collapse. Then there was the friend of mine who I call Mr. Sunshine for his, let’s call it dour, outlook on local teams on Facebook the second anything goes wrong, calling them “pathetic” after the Game 1 loss to Tampa Bay. But after taking out Tampa Bay in four there’s a breezy “had it all the way” as they moved into the ALCS.
Sorry, but that kind hypocrisy and abandon ship mentality after one loss makes me absolutely nuts. Especially when it comes from “fans” or those supposedly attuned to make informed media judgments.
I think there should be a standings among the media to see who is most often right and wrong. Most wouldn’t do it because that brings accountability for what they say, even though they expect it from players and coaches. For the record, I had the Sox for 82 wins. So I missed and think they’re playing with house money.
That’s my take on the week’s biggest story. Here are some more on the other big stories.
I’m sure they’ll disagree with me in Dodgertown. But seeing arguably the greatest head to head pennant race in baseball history end on a blown check-swing call doesn’t seem right. If the bases were loaded maybe I’d change my mind. But the cardinal rule of sports should be to let the players decide it, not the umps, and certainly not a guy over 100 feet away on a near impossible angle making the call as happened in the NLDS. Isn’t that why instant replay was brought into the game? Joy in L.A. A sports tragedy for SF. Major-league black eye for baseball.
Baseball 101: Who led the 2021 Red Sox in stolen bases?
Pretty rich hearing Rex Ryan ripping Mac Jones by calling him Danny Wuerffel-like, a reference to the guy who won a national title at Florida in the ’90s because the talent around him was so good they didn’t need much at QB. After buying the bluster early, Rex was treated like a buffoon at the end in NYC. Then after two dismal years in Buffalo, who immediately got better after he got axed, he got demoted to TV. So given that, who’d have thought the two-time failure would be worse at broadcasting than he was at head coaching?
Speaking of announcers: John Smoltz has beenexcellent during the Red Sox playoff games on FS1/Fox, as was partner Joe Davis in the ALDS. He excels at talking us through situations as they arise, especially on the pitching end. Case in point, not more than five seconds after Smoltz said in Game 1 vs. Houston, “you can’t pitch Jose Altuve up and in because his short arms let him get to those pitches” as a graphic illustrated his hot spot, Tanner Houck did it and Altuve put it into the left field seats. That is great work by a color analyst. A stark contrast to the steady stream of nonsense A-Rod delivered in the wild card game vs. the Yanks.
And Earth to Alex: Listen to what Smoltz said about yanking starters too early as you regularly do. “I get the analytics” but I’m not gonna yank a pitcher who’s clearly in his rhythm for someone I hope will be in his.
Along a similar vein, my friend Gary Parsons, the displaced Red Sox fan in Michigan, asks regarding the practice of the day, how can you regularly use eight pitchers in a game and expect all of them to get the job done?
So much for the 5-1 start that seemed possible for the Patriots with four of their first six games at home while playing what looked to be the easier part of their schedule. Instead, after Sunday’s loss to Dallas, they’re 2-4 after losing all four of those home games. But while you can’t unring the bell of the losses, they were three or so inches away from end-of-the-game field goals bending the wrong way for them vs. two 5-1 teams and an ill-timed fumble 9 yards away from the winning field goal vs. Miami from being 5-1 themselves. Not exactly sure what it means, good or bad, beyond that it’s a game of inches.
Think it’s just a coincidence Cam Newton magically changed his mind about getting vaccinated? Or is it because he hasn’t had even a nibble from another NFL team since being cut by the Patriots and figures not being vaxxed isn’t helping the cause?
Which brings us to the now benched, un-vaxxed Kyrie Irving. Disagree with Nets GM Sean Marks saying Kyrie“loves playing basketball.” His self-created, me-first distractions that get in the way of playing show he does not. He’s just a guy given the gift of having great “talent” and he’s been fawned over for that from an early age. I think he likes playing basketball, but there are clearly other things important to him. That’s fine and his choice, just don’t be a fraud about it, which he’s been since he was in Cleveland.
Baseball 101 Answer: While he’s not exactly in Ricky Henderson territory, believe it or not catcher Christian Vasquez was the Sox stolen base leader with eight.
Don’t know how accurate it will be if it actually happens, but I noticed on the map in last week’s Boston Globe showing the effects global warming will have on shorelines around the city it said if we have an average 3 degrees Celsius increase in temperature in Boston, the shoreline will engulf Fenway Park to put it under water. Of course they project that to happen in 200 to 2,000 years so your seats are safe for now.
The Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire has named Brenda Bailey Lett its 2021 Citizen of the Year. Since moving from Chicago to the Granite State in 1993, Lett has been involved in numerous local and national social justice efforts and co-authored a book, Race Between Us: Racism — A Human Experience, which explores how people from different backgrounds can break down barriers to have honest dialogue about racism. Lett will receive the award at the 15th annual Black New England Conference Awards Dinner at Saint Anselm College in Manchester on Saturday, Oct. 23. Visit blackheritagetrailnh.org/black-new-england-conference for information about the conference and how to attend, either in person or virtually.
What kinds of social justice work have you done in New Hampshire?
I participated with the Outreach for Black Unity in Nashua … and the Manchester NAACP … and in creating the Ujima Collective, starting with [organizing] a commemoration of the death of Martin Luther King … to talk about why he was assassinated. We [held] film festivals and workshops, and worked with other organizations. … I was involved with the Greater Manchester Black Scholarship Foundation … and with the We Are One Festival, which [was created] with the combined efforts of the African Caribbean Celebration and the Latino Festival. I would say that, overall, the work I’ve done has been really [focused on] creating community.
What have you done on a national level?
I’m pretty heavily involved in the reparations movement. … I started out as a member-at-large on the N’COBRA [National Coalition of Blacks for Reparations in America] board, then became a life member. I was elected as the national secretary and served three two-year terms. Now I’m serving as the treasurer … [until] next year. … For me, reparations isn’t just about getting a paycheck. It’s really about repair … because it’s 2021, and people of African descent are still being treated poorly.
What inspired your book, Race Between Us?
When I was working at the New Hampshire Department of Corrections, a co-worker of mine [Laurielee Woodlock Roy], a woman of European descent, and I … became friends. … She went and did racism training at the People’s Institute … and it was then that she finally understood what racism really is. Then, she told me, she started seeing it everywhere. We ended up writing that book together, which is a parallel of our lives. … We realized that we had very similar lives. … Even though the melanin in our skin was different, we had many of the same issues in terms of being human. The book [centers on] the human experience, and racism as a human experience.
What keeps you going?
What keeps me going is that I’m committed to giving back as much as I can, in love and support of people, and not just people who look like me, but people who are also committed to this concept of truth. … I’ve been very fortunate to have a family that has supported and loved and provided for me; they’ve kept me going, as well, especially my grandchildren … because they are the next generation, and my job now, as an elder, is to support them [in the way that] I was supported, and to instill in them the values that I have received.
What does New Hampshire need most right now in terms of social justice?
I think the biggest need is the truth … and the truth is that, many times, people of African descent are not treated in the same way as people of European descent. … Eliminating racism is very difficult to do when people are not even clear on what racism is … so dealing with the truth, as difficult as it can be sometimes, is the only path.
What can the next generation do to build on the work you’ve done?
My hope for the next generation is that, when you hear a microaggression or someone is saying things in an effort to demean or dehumanize you, whether it’s meant to be taken seriously or taken as a joke, stop it where it happens. Respond with the truth. Be prepared so that, in that moment, you’re able to let that person know in a respectful and positive way that they insulted you, and that you are not to be played with or toyed with, because you are just as valuable and important as they are.
Featured photo: Brenda Bailey Lett. Courtesy photo.
Information from the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services
Covid-19 news
During an Oct. 13 press conference, state epidemiologist Dr. Benjamin Chan reported that New Hampshire had averaged more than 500 new infections of Covid-19 per day over the previous week, with the total number of deaths from the virus now exceeding 1,500 since March 2020. “To put this in perspective, in the last week there have been a total of 17 deaths that have been Covid-19-related that have been identified and reported out. The vast majority of these deaths are occurring outside of long-term care facilities, which is very different from the early days of the pandemic,” Chan said. As of Oct. 18 there were 4,430 active infections and 178 hospitalizations.
Also on Oct. 13, New Hampshire Department of Business and Economic Affairs Commissioner Taylor Caswell issued a statement following the U.S. federal government’s announcement that it will lift border restrictions for fully vaccinated travelers from Canada. “Our tourism industry has been anxiously awaiting this news for months,” Caswell said in part. “We are excited to welcome back our Canadian friends very soon and we fully expect to see an increase in visitation to the state in the coming months when our neighbors from the north return.” According to the announcement from U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas, the easing of restrictions is expected to occur in two phases, beginning in November with the admittance of fully vaccinated travelers to enter the U.S. from Canada and Mexico at land and ferry points of entry for non-essential reasons. Then, by early January 2022, all foreign nationals entering the country will be required to provide proof of vaccination, regardless of essential travel.
Last week, advisors to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration unanimously voted to recommend booster shots for both the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines, during respective meetings on Oct. 14 and Oct. 15, according to press releases. Booster doses had been approved for the Pfizer vaccine late last month. As with Pfizer, recommended booster doses for the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines apply to individuals over the age of 65 and to at-risk individuals.
Vax money, protest
On Oct. 13, the New Hampshire Executive Council rejected $27 million in federal funding to boost the state’s vaccination effort, according to a report from WMUR. All four Republicans on the council voted against the funds, the report said, despite Gov. Chris Sununu urging them to accept them. After the vote, he issued a statement: “… Today’s vote by members of my own party on the Executive Council was a total disservice to the constituents we serve,” he wrote. “The vote showed a reckless disregard for the lives we are losing while they turn away the tools our state needs to fight and win this battle against Covid.” According to the WMUR report, some councilors questioned language attached to the funds, worrying it could force the state to comply with federal vaccine mandates. The governor said it was not the case and pointed out the council had already accepted other grants earlier this year with the same language included.
During the meeting, nine of the protesters who were there opposing mask and vaccine mandates were arrested after state police told them that if they disrupted the meeting, there would be arrests. “The individuals arrested at today’s Governor and Council meeting failed to comply with a lawful order from the New Hampshire State Police and intentionally disrupted the meeting,” state police said in a press release sent out after the meeting.
School forums
The Manchester School District is inviting the community to a series of forums on long-term planning for the district’s facilities. The first two forums were held Oct. 19, and the next two are scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 21, from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at McDonough Elementary School and Wednesday, Oct. 27, from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Highland-Goffe’s Falls Elementary. According to a press release, the forums are the next step in a process of developing a long-term plan for school facilities in the city. Earlier this year Superintendent John Goldhardt presented recommendations based in part on recently completed studies of facilities and city demographics, the release said. Goldhardt wrote to the board that years of avoiding making difficult decisions on school facilities means that the district is “left with … aging buildings that are costly to operate and are not suitable as a modern educational facility.” His recommendations include consolidation of high schools, creation of magnet schools, continuation of the move to the 5-8 model for middle schools and renovation of elementary schools. Anyone with questions about the forums can email communications@mansd.org; use the subject line “Facilities forums.”
Transgender bills
Last week Republicans on the House Education Committee voted on party lines against a bill that would require schools to update documents and software to include the option of identifying a student as non-binary, then moved to recommend killing the bill outright. Rep. Joshua Query (D-Manchester), Vice Chair of the Stonewall Democrats and Chair of the LGBTQ+ Legislative Caucus, released a statement after the vote: “A huge population of Granite State students would benefit from this simple bill. As one of two non-binary legislators in the country, I can attest how crucial this legislation is and how life-affirming an acknowledgment of gender identity can be to a non-binary student. If this was an option when I was a student, it could have allowed me to come to terms with my gender earlier in life.” But the committee also rejected legislation that would have allowed transgender girls to be banned from participation in all-female athletics. According to a report from WMUR, the House Education Committee voted unanimously to declare the bill “inexpedient to legislate.” The Republican sponsor of the bill said legislation was “not ready for prime time” but concerns over protecting girls’ sports remain, the report said.
Reports to IRS
Last week, New Hampshire Attorney General John M. Formella and 19 other Attorneys General sent a letter to President Biden and Secretary Yellen opposing the Biden administration’s proposal to require all banks, credit unions and financial institutions to report information to the IRS on every bank account that has a balance of at least $600 and exceeds $600 per year in transactions, according to a press release from the Office of the Attorney General. Meanwhile, Gov. Chris Sununu sent a letter urging members of New Hampshire’s congressional delegation to oppose the proposal as well, according to a press release from the Governor’s Office.
United Way
Granite United Way and the Greater Seacoast Region are aligning service areas to achieve greater community impact, according to a press release, with the full alignment expected to be completed by Jan. 1. Patrick Tufts, president and CEO of Granite United Way, said in the release that the partnership is a natural evolution that will allow them to leverage their collective resources. Some of the Greater Seacoast team’s strengths include fostering early childhood development, advancing housing stability, supporting youth, capacity and systems building, strategic planning and strong volunteer engagement, the release said.
For the past few weeks Dartmouth’s Family Medicine Residency at Concord Hospital has been participating in the Frontline Healthcare Worker Project Pilot, an effort that combines arts and medicine to help promote wellness in frontline health care workers who are experiencing stress and trauma. According to a press release, the program was created by Newfields, New Hampshire-based nonprofit Articine and features short guided experiences like meditations, breathing exercises and artist performances, accessed via smart devices. The effectiveness and interest of different video experiences will be assessed at the end of the pilot, with the goal of expanding the program to health care organizations throughout the country, the release said.
The New Hampshire Institute of Politics & Political Library at Saint Anselm College in Manchester has resumed its Bookmark Series of speakers in person after an 18-month hiatus, according to a press release. Coming up next, Washington Examiner correspondent and author David M. Drucker will discuss his book In Trump’s Shadow on Tuesday, Oct. 26, and on Monday, Nov. 1, author Sasha Issenberg will speak with the Institute’s executive director, Neil Levesque, about his recent book, The Engagement: America’s Quarter-Century Struggle over Same-Sex Marriage. Both events start at 6 p.m. and are free and open to the public with advance registration; masks are required. Visit anselm.edu/nhiop.
Nashua High School South is hosting a regional college fair for any junior or senior from southern New Hampshire on Monday, Oct. 25, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. According to a press release, more than 100 colleges and universities will be represented at the fair, including local colleges like UNH, Keene State College, Plymouth State University, Nashua Community College and Rivier University.
I like to hike and to write. Both activities demand focus. One foot, or one word, in front of another. The effort distracts me from problems and surfaces memories and ideas.
As if the foliage on the Kancamagus Highway weren’t glorious enough, I recently hiked the Champney Falls Trail up Mt. Chocorua. Golden, orange and red leaves floated down from the treetops. Balsam and damp moss scented the air. Just out of sight the waterfall hummed like a highland bagpipe. Poking my poles into the leaves in search of solid ground, I picked my way among the rocks and roots. I was thinking about my mother.
Chocorua was the last big mountain my mother climbed before multiple sclerosis confined her to lower ground. Due to that disease, even her vinyl kitchen floor proved rough terrain on bad days. Remembering her determination to enjoy life and help others despite her condition, I backtracked in my mind to the stories she told us of growing up in the Depression and World War II. As a child in rural New Hampshire, she didn’t know that much about the interplay of economic, political and military forces at work. What she did understand from a young age was that she and her family and neighbors could make a difference. They needed to help with “the war effort.” They could, and did, grow victory gardens for food self-sufficiency; collect and donate scrap metal and rags; save quarters to buy war bonds; and make do with rationing. My grandmother sometimes served “peanut butter oatmeal chops” for supper. My mother knew it was her patriotic duty not to complain.
As in the 1940s, the U.S.A. now faces multiple fronts: the Covid pandemic, substance abuse, and mental health crises; financial precariousness; economic, educational and racial disparities; political stalemate; and, above all, climate change. Where are the 21st-century equivalents of those ebullient World War II posters urging Americans to do their part? Too few of us are getting the message that there is something we each can do. Too many are obsessed with protecting individual rights and ignoring societal responsibilities. Our republic is in dire danger. What to do? For starters, just get vaccinated.
I have to pause, breathing in-in-in and out-out-out. Above the treeline, granite boulders loom between me and the summit, grating my knees as I scramble up. But at the top, the blue sky, the distant lakes, the company of the other mountains, steadies me. Everything seems possible — even the resolution of our nation’s problems. It is not enough to hike, though. I have to write.
Susan Hatem, former Director of Programs and Grant Making at New Hampshire Humanities, is a CASA of NH guardian ad litem and a connector, mentor and writer. Email her at susanh8m@gmail.com.
