Tag: 221117

This Week 22/11/17

Big Events November 70, 2022 and beyond

Thursday Nov. 17

This week’s Art After Work at the Currier Museum of Art (150 Ash St. in Manchester; currier.org, 669-6144) will feature live music performed by Green Heron, the duo who describe themselves as stretching “across the entire folk landscape. Old-time, folk, bluegrass, country, Celtic and blues music are all represented,” according to greenheronmusic.com, where you can hear their music. The evening, which runs from 5 to 8 p.m., also includes free admission to the museum and 30-minute tours of the exhibits (“State of the Art 2020: Locate” at 5:30 p.m. with artist-in-residence Eriko Tsogo, followed by a workshop led by Tsogo, and then “Gee’s Bend Quilts” at 6:30 p.m.).

Friday, Nov. 18

Chef Robert Irvine, star of Food Network’s Restaurant: Impossible and other shows, will be in Concord and Nashua today at meet-and-greet bottle signings for his Irvine’s Vodka and Irvine’s Gin, according to a press release. Irvine will be at the NH Liquor and Wine Outlet in Concord (11 Merchant’s Way) from noon to 2 p.m. and at the NH Liquor and Wine Outlet in Nashua (25 Coliseum Ave.) from 4 to 6 p.m., the press release said. Go to liquorandwineoutlets.com to reserve a spot (find the meet-and-greets under “events”).

Friday Nov. 18

See the classic Agatha Christie whodunitMurder on the Orient Express by the Community Players of Concord tonight at 7:30 p.m. at the Concord City Auditorium (2 Prince St. in Concord). Follow Hercule Poirot as he tries to unravel the murder of a man found stabbed in his bed. Shows are also on Saturday, Nov. 19, at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, Nov. 20, at 2 p.m. Tickets cost $20 for adults, $18 for ages 17 and younger and ages 65+. Find an interview with the production’s Poirot, Jim Gocha, on page 15 of the Oct. 13 edition of The Hippo (find the e-edition at hippopress.com). See communityplayersofconcord.org.

Saturday, Nov. 19

The Concord Christmas Parade steps off today at 9:30 a.m. and runs from Hazen Drive to Loudon Road to Canterbury Road to Pembroke Road, according to the event’s Facebook page.

Saturday, Nov. 19

Kimball Jenkins (266 Main St. in Concord; kimballjenkins.com, 225-3932) will hold an opening reception for “Salon 2022,” an exhibition featuring small works in all media, today from 6 to 8 p.m. The exhibit runs through Sunday, Dec. 18.

Sunday, Nov. 20

Catch the final performance of the Peacock Players’ (14 Court St. in Nashua; 886-7000, peacockplayers.org) production of 9 to 5 The Musicaltoday at 2 p.m. The show also runs this weekend Friday, Nov. 18, at 7 p.m. and Saturday, Nov. 19, at 2 and 7 p.m. Tickets cost $12 or $15 for children and seniors, $15 or $18 for adults (based on seat location), plus fees.

Saturday, Nov. 19

The Bektash Shriners Feztival of Trees begins today from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the Bektash Shrine Center (189 Pembroke Road in Concord). Admission costs $5 for ages 12 and over. Peruse the decorated trees and enter the raffle to win the tree (or trees) that you like best. Raffle tickets cost $5 for 25 (tickets can also be purchased online for an additional fee). The drawings are done on Sunday, Nov. 27, the end of the festival. The festival is open Sunday, Nov. 20, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Monday, Nov. 21, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Tuesday, Nov. 22, and Wednesday, Nov. 23, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m; Friday, Nov. 25, and Saturday, Nov. 26, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Sunday, Nov. 27, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., according to bektashshriners.org.

Save the date! Satruday, Nov. 26
The New England Dance Ensemble will present its production of The Nutcrackeron Saturday, Nov. 26, and Sunday, Nov. 27, with the NH Philharmonic as its pit orchestra.
The ballet will feature guest performers from the Philadelphia and Nashville ballets and take place at the Seifert Performing Arts Center at Salem High School (44 Geremonty Drive). The show starts at 4 p.m. each day. Tickets cost $40 to $55. See nede.org.

Featured photo. Bektash Shriners Feztival of Trees. Courtesy photo.

Quality of Life 22/11/17

Lending a helping car

In honor of Veterans Day, Progressive Insurance donated two vehicles to support the local veteran community during a special event at Liberty House in Manchester on Thursday, Nov. 10. According to a press release, one of the vehicles was donated to a local veteran, and the other was donated to Liberty House, a sober-living transitional housing community that serves homeless and struggling veterans and helps them to achieve independence and self-sufficiency.

QOL score: +1

Comment: Progressive Insurance has donated more than 900 vehicles to veterans and veteran communities throughout the U.S. since 2013 through its Keys to Progress vehicle giveaway program. This is the first time that the program has had recipients in New Hampshire.

Voting

Voters in Derry had to wait for up to over an hour to vote during the general election, NHPR reported. The town’s sole polling site at Calvary Bible Church on Hampstead Road was among the busiest in the state, with 18,000 registered voters assigned to it and a high turnout among them. Long wait times and traffic congestion, particularly during the before- and after-work surges, prompted the Attorney General to get involved in accordance with a New Hampshire statute which states that voters shouldn’t have to wait longer than 20 minutes to vote. The Attorney General is permitted to take actions such as garnering the assistance of local police to direct traffic and respond to any unruly behavior at the polling site. Derry had three polling locations before the town council decided to downsize during the pandemic, the article said.

QOL score: +1 for the high voter turnout, -2 for the long wait times

Comment: This is why QOL is always grateful for the kids selling baked goods at QOL’s voting site. Even if there’s a wait, there’s always a sticker and some cookies to look forward to — oh, and democracy, of course.

Career options for kids

The U.S. Department of Labor has announced an initiative to expand its pre-apprenticeship opportunities for Job Corps students as part of a nationwide effort to prepare students for Registered Apprenticeship programs. According to a press release, the initiative will allow New Hampshire Job Corps in Manchester, the state’s only Job Corps campus, to emphasize pre-apprenticeship programs in the high-growth industry sectors for which it offers career skills training, such as advanced manufacturing, construction, health care, homeland security and hospitality. The pre-apprenticeship programs will take most students approximately one year to complete. “Pre-apprenticeship programs prepare students with a set of skills and strategies needed to enter and succeed in a Registered Apprenticeship program or industry-relevant job,” Job Corps national director Rachel Torres said in the release. “With the general education, enhanced social skills and hands-on job training they receive, these students will have more career pathways from which to choose.”

QOL score: +1

Comment: The announcement coincided with National Apprenticeship Week, Nov. 14 through Nov. 20, and aligns with the Biden Administration’s commitment to expand Registered Apprenticeship opportunities to help build equitable pathways to the middle class and connections to living-wage jobs for the nation’s diverse workforce.

QOL score: 85

Net change: +1

QOL this week: 86


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

Pats mid-season update

After a week off to recharge the batteries and give injuries more time to heal, the Patriots begin the second half of their season vs. the J-e-t-s Jets, Jets, Jets at home on Sunday in Foxborough.

Before they do that, here’s a look at some of the biggest first happenings and what lies ahead.

MVP Defense — Matthew Judon: With a league–leading 11.5 sacks Judon has been the overall MVP, best Patriots edge rusher since Andre Tippett and in the conversation for the NFL Defensive Player of the Year.

MVP Offense — Rhamondre Stevenson: A better way to say it might be he is the offense, with a little help from the dependableJakobi Meyers.He’s been a three-down back who can catch it out of the backfield when it matters who with 618 yards and 35 catches is on pace for a 1,200-yard, 66-catch season.

Stat Sheet — Turnovers: The defense has created a second best in the NFL 17 turnovers, which is great. What’s not is the 29th worst 17 TOs committed by the offense. That needs to be cleaned up.

Most Damaging injury — David Andrews: If you asked for a prediction before the season, you’d say Mac if you knew he’d miss three games. But since the O got better when he was out that’s not the case. It was the concussion suffered by center because the O-line turned into mush in the two games he missed.

Wally Pipp Award: Given how Bailey Zappe played when he got a chance you’d think it was Mac. But while I felt it coming as far back as last December, Damien Harris’s pulled hamstring opened the door for Stevenson and he ran through it. However, given how solid Harris is and smart it is to play two backs he won’t get totally pipped but the biggest minutes now go to Stevenson.

Most Idiotic Media Story, So Far At Least: The one where SI.com disscussed, after the Bears loss, the pros and cons of trading Mac Jones. No wonder they’re going out of business.

Better Than Expected: I was wrong and Coach B was right for playing the J.C. Jackson departure correctly. I said he should’ve signed him early after 2021 when handing out all that free agent money. Instead, the now out for the season Jackson has not been missed at all. Jalen Mills has outperformed expectations and the rookie Jack Jones has been solid, while the entire group back there has been a major plus, in part for their third-best 11 interceptions.

Worse Than Expected — Toss-up: It goes to the O-line because their shortcomings are having a negative impact on the unexpected struggles of Mac Jones. The pass protection has been inconsistent at best, shoddy at worst, they are constantly being penalized to put the O behind in down and distance, Trent Brown is a couple of time zones shy of the dominant guy he was in 2018 before going to the Raiders and Isaiah Wynn has been downright awful.

So What’s The Story With Mac? He has not played close to what he did a year ago. Especially when throwing downfield. We could point to his protection, but Bailey Zappe looked far more comfortable and was better doing it in his time with the same line in his three-game stint. So the question I have is what is the root cause for the regression? Some say he’s locking on receivers. That could be a part of it, but it seems deeper than just that. I thought the media yakking about his issues in camp was an overreaction. But they started on Day 1 and given where we are now, it seems they were right. Which points to the possible reasons: (1) instilling a new offense; (2) losing the guidance of Josh McDaniels and QB coach Mick Lombardi; (3) the decision to put the offense’s development and play calling in the offensively inexperienced hands of Matt Patricia and Joe Judge; (4) an inability by Mac to adapt to change; (5) the disappearance of the play action passing game; (6) he’s developed bad habits like the locking-on thing.

It’s likely all of it, along with the o-line and receiving corps (outside of Meyers and Stevenson) inconsistency. But again Zappe played with the same guys and was better. But having said that I wonder if the problems would be as deep if a more experienced offensive teacher/mentor was here.

Going Forward

The Schedule: It is a bear the rest of the way with the opposition having a combined record of 40-30. Four of their eight games are against teams ahead of them in the playoff fight along with 8-1 Minnesota on the road. They start with the Jets, Vikings and Buffalo, then close with the Bengals and vs. Miami and Buffalo at home. They probably need to go 5-3, which won’t be easy.

Loss That Could Bite Them — Da Bears: Given that Chicago’s one win in the last seven was that Monday night debacle in Foxborough, it’s safe to say the spotlight will be on that if the Pats fall a game short of a playoff berth. And while the suddenly blossoming Bears offense has scored 29, it should be particularly galling for Patriot Nation for how lethargic the defense was from the first snap to the last. I rarely boo, but I did for that non-effort. BOOOO!

What To Expect: The unacceptable non-effort vs. Chicago aside, I think the defense will be solid going forward. But they will not beat Buffalo or Miami scoring 17 points against them. So it comes down to can the offensive line get it together and what they get from Mac, or Zappe in the unlikely event a change is made, at QB. The good news is, with four games left vs. division opponents, their fate is in their hands in the suddenly wide open AFC East.

Email Dave Long at [email protected].

A different kind of care

New program for mental illness, substance use disorder

WestBridge, a mental illness and substance use disorder treatment service in Manchester, has announced a new intensive outpatient program (IOP) set to open the first week of January. Stacie Lucius, chief of clinical services, talked about the program and how it addresses the need for varying levels of mental illness and substance use disorder treatment in the state.

What is WestBridge?

Our mission is to compassionately provide mental health and substance use treatment to individuals and their families. … We are a family-founded nonprofit, and the “family-founded” part is definitely important because it really speaks to who we are; we were actually started by a family who experienced the need for truly integrated co-occurring disorder treatment, meaning treatment for mental illness and substance use done simultaneously. They couldn’t find a treatment center like that for their loved one, so WestBridge was born out of that need. They also wanted an experience where family was involved in the treatment. They had experienced being left out of — or sometimes even blamed for, unfortunately — the experience that their son was going through. Having a family involved in treatment became a really essential part of our foundation. … We have our flagship services — residential and outpatient programs — in Manchester. … We incorporate evidence-based practices to promote resiliency and lifelong recovery. Historically, our outpatient model has been ACT, which stands for assertive community treatment. It’s an evidence-based practice that works with participants primarily in their own homes and communities instead of having the participants come into an office for the majority of their services. There’s a multidisciplinary team that works with participants to provide wraparound services and is available 24/7. There’s a lot of research on this model that shows that people are able to reduce or avoid hospitalization when they receive this wraparound, community-based care.

What is the concept behind the new program?

The new program is an intensive outpatient program, or IOP, which is an intermediate level of care for people who live in the community but need more structure and support than traditional outpatient therapy can provide. It’s not the same level of intensity as a hospital or residential program, but it’s more intensive than traditional outpatient therapy and psychiatry. … IOP often allows people to maintain other obligations in their lives, whether it be family, work or other things, while still receiving treatment, and, hopefully, that will prevent them from needing a higher level of care.

Who will this program serve?

It’s going to serve both men and women [age] 18 and up who are experiencing mental illness with or without a co-occuring substance use disorder. … We anticipate that we will get some people who just identify with the mental illness but not the substance use, but if they do [have a substance use disorder] then we are certainly equipped to treat that. … This is the first time we’ve formally expanded our services to include women as well as men. We initially only served men [age] 18 and over [in WestBridge’s existing programs]. We put a lot of dedication into really excelling at gender-specific treatment for men over the years, but it’s always been our goal to reach more people who can benefit from our services, and we’re really excited to expand our services to include women in this IOP.

Do mental illness and substance use disorders often co-occur?

There’s a very high correspondence. Many people who have mental health disorders also have a co-occurring substance use disorder and vice versa. People who don’t have a substance use disorder but have a mental health disorder are at a higher risk for developing a substance use disorder. A preventative approach is really important, to provide people who don’t have a substance use disorder with preventative education, resources and support.

What will IOP treatment look like?

First, we would do an intake assessment to determine what their needs are. … It’s typically three hours a day, three days a week, and the length of treatment ranges from 12 to 16 weeks on average. It offers primarily group therapy … with different groups geared toward topics like recovery and coping skills … but also [offers] individual therapy and case management. Family therapy and psychiatric consultations are available for those who need those services. … Some people may also need additional support in their community as far as housing and benefits and those types of things, or [assistance with] getting connected to additional resources in their community.

What need is this program helping to address in New Hampshire?

There’s always a need for different levels of care. Recovery is not linear and is not one-size-fits-all. It’s an individualized process. It’s really important to have varying levels of intensity of care to meet the varying needs of those seeking recovery, and we believe that our mission and core values can be applied to this different level of care.

Featured photo: Stacie Lucius. Courtesy photo.

News & Notes 22/11/17

School projects

The State Board of Education has approved a list of 17 New Hampshire school districts seeking funding for construction projects for the fiscal years 2024 and 2025, ranked according to priority. According to a press release, the top five districts are Rochester (Nancy Loud School and School Street School), Colebrook (Colebrook Academy & Elementary School), Monadnock Regional (Emerson Elementary, Gilsum STEAM Academy, Mt. Caesar Elementary, Troy Elementary and Cutler Elementary), Concord (Rundlett Middle School) and Litchfield (Griffin Memorial School). The proposed projects include new school buildings as well as additions, consolidations and renovations for existing school buildings. Priority was determined by various criteria, including school security, unsafe conditions, obsolete or inefficient conditions, operation efficiency and more. The total estimated funding sought for all 17 projects is about $227.7 million. NHDOE will present the list to the state legislature for consideration as part of its proposed overall budget; it is not yet known how many projects will be funded, and some of the projects would require local approval from voters before construction can begin.

Restoring Chandler House

Merrimack County Savings Bank has supported the Currier Museum of Art’s Chandler House Restoration Fund with a purchase of $10,000 in tax credits, facilitated through the Community Development Finance Authority. According to a press release, CDFA tax credits allow New Hampshire businesses to fund qualifying economic or community development projects in exchange for a tax credit worth 75 percent of their contribution that can be applied against state business tax payments. The Currier Museum of Art worked with the City of Manchester’s Planning and Community Development Department and supporters from the community to acquire the George Byron Chandler House, a 19th-century architectural landmark located across the street, completing the sale in February 2021. It is the third architectural landmark to be purchased by the museum, joining two houses designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. The contribution from Merrimack County Savings Bank will be used to restore the Chandler House into a gallery, ceramic studio, art classrooms and office spaces. “We’re grateful for The Merrimack’s support as we restore this architectural treasure from the late 19th century to its original glory,” Alan Chong, director of the Currier Museum of Art, said in the release. “Saved by the community, we look forward to making the historic property accessible for everyone to enjoy.”

More historic spots

The State Historical Resources Council has added eight historic properties to the New Hampshire State Register of Historic Places, representing 150 years of New Hampshire history, according to a press release from the New Hampshire Division of Historical Resources. The properties include Brown School, one of eight public schools built in Berlin in the early 20th century; Academy Hall in Henniker, which was built in 1836 and alternated as the town’s high school, event venue and grange hall for more than a century; First Congregational Church, built in 1766 in Hopkinton; First Congregational Church and Parish House built in Milford in 1834; Eagle Hall in Milford, used as a meetinghouse and town hall in the late 18th century; the 1798 New Hampton Town House; Captain Smith Emerson Farm in Lee, dating to circa 1765; and Goodell Company Mill in Antrim, which includes five adjoining brick structures built between 1867 and 1895. Visit nh.gov/nhdhr for more information about the historic properties.

Planning help

The New Hampshire Alliance for End of Life Options, in collaboration with the Alzheimer’s Association and Gibson Center, will host an online workshop, “Before You Lose Your Mind … Take Control and Start Planning,” on Wednesday, Dec. 7, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. via Zoom, for people who are concerned about developing or a loved one developing Alzheimer’s or another form of dementia in their future. According to a press release, the workshop will address how people can specify what they want and don’t want for life-prolonging medical treatments and interventions should they not be able to speak for themselves due to Alzheimer’s or another form of dementia in the future. It will include sample documents and real-life scenarios raising essential questions of life and death, and health care practitioners and an elder law attorney will guide the discussion and answer questions. The free workshop will be recorded and made available to people who register but are unable to attend. Visit nhendoflifeoptions.org/events-2.

The New Hampshire Liquor Commission and DHL Supply Chain celebrate the 27,000-square-foot expansion of the DHL distribution center in Bow with a groundbreaking ceremony on Thursday, Nov. 10. According to a press release, the facility houses products sold by New Hampshire’s 67 Liquor & Wine Outlets and more than 6,200 licensed sellers in the state, and the expansion will allow it to hold more products, aligning with NHLC’s continued sales growth.

Families in Transition will host its 29th annual Breakfast Fundraiser on Tuesday, Nov. 22, at the DoubleTree by Hilton in Manchester. The event, which is FIT’s largest yearly fundraiser, will be held in person for the first time in three years. Funds raised support various FIT programs, including emergency shelters, affordable and supportive housing, food programs and essential supportive services for individuals and families who are homeless or in need. See fitnh.org.

A new temporary traffic pattern is being implemented on Route 101 in Bedford as part of the red-listed bridge replacement at Pulpit Brook, the New Hampshire Department of Transportation announced. Daytime paving was scheduled to begin on Wednesday, Nov. 16, with the configuration expected to be functional by the end of the day on Tuesday, Nov. 22. On the days that road work is in progress, traffic will be directed through a single lane of alternating two-way traffic between 8:30 a.m. and 3 p.m. Once implemented, the new pattern will be in use until further notice.

Post-election thoughts

Like most Americans, I am ready to move beyond the 2022 midterm elections. Votes are still being counted, with the Democrats projected to have a slim majority in the Senate and Republicans projected to have a slim majority in the House. The forecasted red wave failed to materialize.

While I am ready to move on, I am intrigued by what happened across America on Nov. 8. Being a very moderate Republican (some would call me a RINO), I have struggled with the direction of the party. The extremism on both the left and right have prevented meaningful progress on major issues facing our country.

After poring through post-election news, I found something that resonated with me. Tim Alberta of The Atlanticsuggests that Trumpism is toxic to the middle of the electorate, and yes, I agree with that. Here’s an interesting quote from Alberta: “In each of the three states that saw major Democratic victories — Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin — 25 to 30 percent of voters said they had cast their vote in opposition to Trump.” This sentiment carried out across the country. In state after state, and county after county, voters rejected Trump-endorsed candidates.

We also learned that the quality of the candidate mattered. The party can’t put up candidates simply because Trump endorsed them. The voters expect some level of experience and a vision for the future of our country and for problem-solving the many issues we face. This drove so much of the split-ticket voting across the nation. We saw that right here in New Hampshire. Gov. Sununu, a moderate Republican, sailed to victory, a result of his leadership over his past three terms and ability to connect with the voters. Other key races in New Hampshire were won by the Democratic incumbents.

At the end of the day, New Hampshire is a purple state, and voters are not so aligned with one party versus another, but rather with the specific candidates who understand the issues facing our state. As I am known to say about many issues, in terms of voting, New Hampshire tends to get it right. Is it possible the rest of the country is following suit?

Stay in the loop!

Get FREE weekly briefs on local food, music,

arts, and more across southern New Hampshire!