Patrick O'Grady

Phoenix

Editor-in-Chief at Independent Newsmedia

Journalist. Musician. Tech geek. Computer tinkerer. Solar junkie. Sustainability follower. If only this keyboard could talk.

Articles

A Life: Abby Metcalf ‘just did everything’

2 months ago | vnews.com | Patrick O'Grady

Abby Metcalf feeds Mocha on the family farm in Piermont, N.H., on Feb. 1, 2017. (Valley News - Jennifer Hauck) Valley News - Jennifer Hauck Owner Abby Metcalf, of Piermont, N.H., waves to a customer as she drives past the greenhouses at Piermont Plant Pantry in Piermont, N.H., on Tuesday, June 2, 2015.
Demand for real estate remains strong

2 months ago | keenesentinel.com | Patrick O'Grady

Though the COVID buying frenzy has mostly abated, interest rates have doubled in the last two years on a 30-year fixed mortgage, single-family housing inventory remains below what is considered a healthy market, and agent commission structures are changing. In somewhat of a surprise, these factors, taken together, have not cooled the area’s residential real estate market to the extent some had predicted.
Colleges aim for easier, more affordable access

2 months ago | keenesentinel.com | Patrick O'Grady

A declining birth rate and aging population combined with concerns over significant debt after graduation have resulted in fewer high school students on the path to four-year college in recent years. But with those demographic changes and cost challenges, post-secondary education institutions in New Hampshire and Vermont have undertaken new approaches aimed at putting a college degree within reach of more residents, whether they are recent high school graduates or currently in the workforce.
The arts bring people and their money to the region

Sep 18, 2024 | sentinelsource.com | Patrick O'Grady

The strength of the arts culture and creative economy in the Monadnock Region and Windham County, Vt., is evidenced by the number of visitors to shows, exhibits and more who don't live locally. “A lot of people who visit this region that don't know it, for Apple Hill, they are actually surprised at the depth of the arts scene up here. Not only at Apple Hill, there are so many other organizations,” says Javier Caballero, departing executive director of Apple Hill Center for Chamber Music in Nelson.
Proactive communities take steps to address the housing crisis

Sep 18, 2024 | sentinelsource.com | Patrick O'Grady

The dismal data surrounding the lack of affordable housing have become well known to anyone looking for a place to call home and employers who cannot find enough workers because of the housing shortage. Low vacancy rates, increasing rents, fewer homes for sale, and rising home prices on top of a jump in the 30-year fixed mortgage rate have all combined to make it increasingly difficult for many to find affordable housing.
For three longtime local companies, making toys is serious business

Jul 15, 2024 | sentinelsource.com | Patrick O'Grady

Toy manufacturing has a long history in the region, going to back to the mid-1850s with companies that made popular toys of the era such as The Red Shed Co. of Peterborough, the Triumph Wringer Co. of Keene and Wilkins Toy Co. of Keene, which became Kingsbury. While many toymakers have come and gone, three have survived, even thrived, by following some basic rules in an ever-changing business landscape.
The funeral business adapts to changing attitudes

Jul 15, 2024 | sentinelsource.com | Patrick O'Grady

The traditional burial is no longer as traditional as it once was. An open-casket viewing, a funeral service in a place of worship followed by rites at a cemetery, with a name-and-date monument or stone marker later placed at the grave are not as common as they once were. For the last 30 or 40 years, there has been a significant shift toward cremation and with it simpler services that may be unique to the life of the deceased.
Demand for in-home care is expected to rise as boomers age

Jul 15, 2024 | sentinelsource.com | Patrick O'Grady

Statistics tell much of the story about the increase in demand nationwide for elder care services as the population ages. In 1950, 8 percent of U.S. citizens were age 65 or older. That number rose to more than 17 percent in 2022 and is expected to reach 22 percent by 2050, when the last of the baby boom generation, born between 1946 and 1964, will be 86. By 2030, it is estimated that more than one-third of New Hampshire’s population will be over 65.
Town Meeting: Newport rejects proposed $11.5 million operating budget

May 15, 2024 | vnews.com | Patrick O'Grady

NEWPORT — During all-day balloting Tuesday, voters elected Bert Spaulding Sr. to a three-year seat on the Selectboard, defeated the proposed budget and by just two votes, approved more than $1 million for the recreation facilities capital reserve fund.
Businesses in Charlestown and Springfield, Vt. Seek Alternative to Bridge Closure

Apr 19, 2024 | businessnhmagazine.com | Patrick O'Grady

CHARLESTOWN — At a meeting Tuesday morning, Charlestown and Springfield, Vt., business owners and public officials said the planned 34-week closure to repair the Cheshire Bridge linking the two communities will “kill” the area economy. About 50 people attended the meeting and discussed strategies to get the Legislature to amend its 10-year transportation plan and delay the bridge repairs for two years while an alternative to closing it is found.