Last week’s apple variety crossword had a clear winner: Christy Roberts, with a time of 3:17. Congratulations!

This week’s puzzle theme is bird species! Good luck. Be sure to report your time by replying to this email after you solve it.

Here’s what’s inside today’s newsletter:

📰 What we’re reading, including: What happens when Portsmouth workers can’t afford to live there?

🍎 Granite Post readers share their favorite apple varieties

📢 Question of the week: If you could make one change to New Hampshire’s property tax system, what would it be? Sound off!

🔠 Solve our crossword. The theme? Bird species!

📚 Jodi Picoult is kicking off the New Hampshire Book Festival …

 The Hanover author will headline the festival Oct. 2 and discuss her newest novel, “Hollow Bones,” which was inspired by an anonymous secret about someone using 9/11 to disappear. Valley News

🏠 Portsmouth workers increasingly can’t afford to live in the city they serve …

Just six of 45 rank-and-file police officers and five of 48 union firefighters live in Portsmouth, where the median home sold for $895,000 last year. Some city employees now commute 45 minutes or more to work. NHPR

⚡ New Hampshire electric bills are climbing …

Utilities raised supply rates this summer, while delivery costs have also been rising. The average Unitil customer is paying about $13 more per month than four years ago, while Eversource transmission and delivery costs hit record highs in August. NHPR

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(Courtesy Ryan Arnst/Unsplash)

I got so many responses last week when I asked about everyone’s favorite apple variety that I had to put them together and share. Turns out everybody has an opinion!

Here’s our readers’ favorite kinds of apples:

🍎 “No debate: the Cortland is the king of apples! PS—the main reason we are able to enjoy so many varieties of apples in our supermarkets is because 35 years ago, the EPA and 60 Minutes publicized that a ‘pesticide’ (actually a growth hormone) used on apples was carcinogenic. The chemical “Alar” (daminozide) was most needed to allow Red Delicious apples to be harvested economically. When Alar was pulled from the market, Red Delicious supplies plummeted for a year or two—allowing stores to buy better-tasting varieties and expose consumers to them. I was the scientific expert witness for 60 Minutes defending their broadcast against a bogus defamation lawsuit by the pesticide industry.” —
Adam Finkel

🍎 “Mutsu!” — Ellen Roos-Unger

🍎 “Macoun.” — Jane Duggan

🍎 “Macoun, Cortland, Honeycrisp.” — Thomas Vanicek

🍎 “Nothing like the crisp, sweet taste of a Macoun! Simply the best eating apple under the big blue sky. Second is the McIntosh” — Jonathan Rutley

🍎 “McIntosh!” — Thea Crawford

New Hampshire has no sales or income tax but it has one of the highest property tax rates in the country.

So this week’s question is:

If you could make one change to New Hampshire’s property tax system, what would it be?

Here’s what you’re saying:

“Stop needless spending. Your checkbook does not have never ending funds. They need to stay within their budget, same as we do.” — Roger Gosselin 

Think you’ve got what it takes to crack this crossword? Tell us how long it takes you to finish it by emailing us at info@granitepostnews.com! This week’s topic? Bird species.

Thanks for reading. This newsletter was written by Katy Savage. It was edited by Crystal Niforos.

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