Tag: 251016

Quality of Life 25/10/16

More bad news about water

As reported by WMUR in an Oct. 9 online article, New Hampshire’s drought has reached record levels. “Officials said one gauge on the Ammonoosuc River shows water levels are the lowest they’ve been in nearly 80 years,” the article read.

QOL score: -2

Comment: “As temperatures begin to drop,” the WMUR story read, “officials are concerned about how the state will replenish water levels before next year if dry weather persists. ”

Clothing to pack in your carrion luggage

The winning design from New Hampshire Audubon’s 2025 Turkey Vulture Art Contest has been released on a limited-edition T-shirt. The graphic, designed by New Hampshire artist Lane Lloyd, features the silhouette of a turkey vulture across the back of the shirt. According to a Sept. 30 Facebook post from NH Audubon, more than 600 participants voted in the final round of the contest.

QOL score: +1

Comment: The contest and the resulting T-shirts were inspired by New Hampshire Audubon’s newest animal ambassador, a male juvenile turkey vulture. Visit nhaudubon.org/soar-into-style-new-turkey-vulture-t-shirt.

Avian malaria

In its October newsletter the Loon Preservation Committee announced that a cause of death has been determined for a New Hampshire loon who had achieved notoriety on a popular webcam livestream. “In late September,” the announcement read, “histopathology results from the New Hampshire Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory confirmed that avian malaria was the cause of death for our Loon Cam 1 Male. Upon microscopic examination, malaria parasites were found throughout multiple tissues, including his heart, kidneys, liver, and lung. This confirmation makes him the first documented New Hampshire male loon (and the second male loon overall) to have died from avian malaria.”

QOL score: -1

Comment: According to the U.S. Geological Survey, like the human variant of malaria, “Avian malaria is a mosquito-borne disease of birds caused by a protozoan parasite. If the parasite load is sufficiently high, the bird loses red blood cells (anemia).” Avian malaria has devastated bird populations in Hawaii. Visit usgs.gov/diseases-of-terrestrial-wildlife/avian-malaria.

QOL score last week: 73

Net change: -2

QOL this week: 71

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

Let us know at news@hippopress.com.

Three straight wins for Pats

The Big Story – Pats Are Back: The clearest sign they’re headed in the right direction is that the sense of anticipation has returned to game day.

And it’s going to be worse next week after another Drake Maye beauty in Sunday’s 25-19 win in New Orleans, one that included three long TD passes, two of which were dropped in so perfectly they made me say W-O-W!

Then, while it’s best to take it one game at a time, with the Titans (1-5) up next, followed by two at home vs. the Falcons (2-2) and Browns (1-5), it’s conceivable the Pats could be 7-3 when they meet Tampa Bay on Nov. 9.

That’s conceivable, not probable. It’ll be interesting to see if this young team can take advantage of that soft spot in their schedule. If they can, it’ll put them in solid playoff position after nine games.

Sports 101: Name the only person to win the MVP in his first two seasons in the NFL.

News Item – Patriots Game Ball: There were major contenders like Maye and Kayshon Boutte (six catches, 93 yards, two TDs) but it goes to HC Mike Vrabel, whose use of the replay challenge rule was better than anything I ever saw Coach B do. First by passing on a sure win based on game circumstances. He then turned a Saints reception into a key fumble recovery, and the other reversed that Boutte stepped out of bounds on a late reception to retain possession and let them run out of the clock. Excellent in-game coaching.

News Item – Hit of the Week: It wasn’t quite Bobby Thomson’s dramatic walk-off homer over arch-rival Brooklyn for the playoff win that gave the NY Giants the 1951 NL pennant and didn’t make big market-hungry TV execs happy. But it punched Jorge Polanco’s ticket to Seattle Mariners immortality with his RBI single to right in the epic winner-take-all 15-inning 3-2 instant classic over big-market Detroit, sending Seattle to their first ALCS since 2001.

The Numbers:

40 – tickets the New Orleans-bred Boutte had to buy for family for Sunday’s game at the Super Dome.

53 – second most NFL penalties, committed by your NE Patriots.

603 – after running for 123 in a 31-27 win over the Jacoby Brissett’s Cardinals, NFL-leading rushing yards for the Colts’ Jonathan Taylor.

… Of the Week Awards

Thumbs Up – Drake Maye: He’s coming faster than most thought. He’s led the Pats to three straight wins by completing 73.9% of his passes with five TD passes and no picks. For the year it’s 73.2%, 1,522 passing yards, 10 TD passes, just two picks and a QB rating of 112.5.

A Little History – Tom Brady: Brady’s QB rating in his Year 2 was 86.5 and the only time in his 20 years here he exceeded a 112 QB rating was 117.2 when he threw 50 TD passes and was league MVP in the 16-0 season of 2007.

Thumbs Down – Mike Greenwell RIP: He was a collision waiting to happen on every fly ball toward left for sure, but he could hit, going over .300 in each of his first five seasons, seven times overall in a 12-year career, with the peak being his .325-22-118 submission in 1988, when he should have been MVP because he finished second to steroid-stained Jose Canseco. He sadly succumbed to pancreatic cancer last week at 62.

Feeling The Heat Quote of the Week – Jets HC Aaron Glenn: Said as the first-year coach scolded a reporter for having the audacity to ask if he was considering a change at QB: “…what kind of question is that?” Well, with his team 0-6 after his QB Justin Fields threw for a franchise worst ever -10 yards passing in a loss to Denver (yup, I said minus 10), it seems like a good one to me.

Sports 101 Answer: The great Jimmy Brown was MVP in his first NFL season of 1957 and then again in 1958.

Final Thought – NLCS Spending Disparity: Few local media folks will mention this because it conflicts with their “John Henry should spend, spend, spend” mantra. But in case you missed it, the NLCS is the ultimate “it’s not how much you spend, it’s how you spend it” series showcase. The Dodgers payroll is a highest-in-baseball $350 million with an astonishing $1 billion (with a b) in deferred payments owed. The Brewers on the other hand had the best record in the majors with just the 21st highest payroll at $121 million. Half of what the $246 million “cheap” Red Sox spent in 2025. Showing immense spending can be overcome, because it still comes down to judging talent and putting the pieces together.

Email Dave Long at dlong@hippopress.com.

News & Notes 25/10/16

Arts awards

Gov. Kelly Ayotte handed out the 2025 New Hampshire Governor’s Arts Awards at the Executive Council chambers, according to a press release from the State Council on the Arts. The awards are handed out every two years to acknowledge contributions of individuals and organizations, the release said. This year’s winners are Dan and Beverly Wolf of Newbury for the Arts Champion category; Robyn Allen of Northfield for Arts Education; Derek Lucci in Amherst for Arts in Health; Rochester Museum of Fine Arts for Creative Communities; Deanna Hoying of Symphony NH in Nashua for Distinguished Arts Leadership; Regina Delaney of Exeter for Folk Heritage, and Tom Rush of Kittery, Maine, for the Lotte Jacobi Living Treasure award, the release said. “The 2025 N.H. Governor’s Arts Awards are non-monetary and the event is supported entirely through private funding,” the release said. See nh.gov/nharts.

Energy expo

Learn about solar energy and other renewable energy technology at the NH Energy Expo on Saturday, Oct. 18, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Bow Memorial High School in Bow. Admission is free to this event which will feature workshops, exhibitors, refreshments, raffles and more, according to nhenergyexpo.org.

Attn fiddlers

The New England Fiddle Ensemble is taking registrations for the 2025-2026 season, which will feature rehearsals in New Hampshire and southern Maine (as well as Zoom options) and the option to participate in six concerts, according to nefiddleensemble.org.

Seven to save

The New Hampshire Preservation Alliance announced its “Seven to Save” — a program that calls attention to state landmarks that are underused or threatened — for 2025 on Oct. 2. These sites are Anna Hunt Marsh and Charles Dana Metal Truss Bridges in Hinsdale; Ware Family House in Alstead; Sunset Hill Golf Course Clubhouse in Sugar Hill; Abbie Greenleaf Library in Franconia; schoolhouses in Farmington and Madison; Merrill C. Dodge House in Greenville, and Golden Rod Grange #114 in Swanzey, according to nhpreservation.org.

Story update

In the “29 Reasons to Love Your Library” story in the Oct. 2 issue of the Hippo, the name and address for the Salem library were inadvertently omitted. The Kelley Library is at 234 Main St. in Salem, kelleylibrary.org, 898-7064. Coming up at Kelley: an Art Club for kids ages 7 to 10 featuring a yarn pumpkin project will take place Tuesday, Oct. 21, 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. and, for grownups, the library’s “Not a Book Club” will take place Wednesday, Oct. 22, at 6 p.m. and is described as “The Book Group For Those Who Just Want to Read! ‘Read in Peace, Together,” according to the website.

Anne Hand will discuss her book Austrian Again: Reclaiming a Lost Legacy, about the author’s decision to apply for Austrian citizenship decades after her family fled the Nazis, with New Hampshire author Dena Rueb Romero (All for You: A World War II Family Memoir of Love, Separation and Loss) on Thursday, Oct. 23, at 6:30 p.m. at Gibson’s Bookstore, 45 S. Main St. in Concord.

The Women’s Caucus for Art/NH Chapter, NH Craft Club, Concord Makerspace and Kimball Jenkins in Concord, kimballjenkins.com, will hold an “I Am Grateful for You” community postcard project at Kimball Jenkins on Saturday, Oct. 18, from 1 to 3 p.m. The free, drop-in event invites the public to decorate and send a handmade postcard, with all supplies and postage included, according to a Kimball Jenkins newsletter.

“Come Together,” an exhibition featuring the art of six women who graduated from Colby-Sawyer College in New London, is on display at the college’s William H. and Sonja Carlson Davidow ‘56 Fine Art Gallery through Dec. 3, according to a press release. See colby-sawyer.edu/community/gallery.

The Holly Berry Fair at First Congregational Church, 508 Union St. in Manchester, will be Saturday, Oct. 18, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., according to an email from organizers. The fair will feature “handmade items, silent auction, attic treasures, baked goods including cookies and candy, handmade jewelry, children’s games and crafts, lunch counter and much more,” the email said.

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