Stories
A trio of churches in Hartford’s North End have teamed up to provide dinner six days a week to anyone in need. The partnership is one way faith communities are working together to meet basic needs in the midst of the coronavirus. Fried chicken and biscuits were hot and ready to go every night at…
Read MoreA few months ago, Providence restaurateur James Mark was feeling more comfortable about his business than he ever had before. He’d finished building a bar at his highly regarded restaurant North and successfully launched a second restaurant, Big King. The lucrative Spring graduation season was approaching, and Mark was expecting to see his investments pay…
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From small business to big employers — from family farms to fishermen — New England’s economy is taking a hit from the coronavirus. Join us for an America Amplified special from the New England News Collaborative. We’ll bring together voices from across the region, and we want to hear yours.
Read MoreA Limousine Driver Is Idled But Not Defeated By COVID-19
Karl Bright picked me up at home last week in a brand new black Cadillac. Bright is a limousine driver and also the owner of his company, Transportation Initiative of Norwood. But he had not been doing much driving. We were heading to the airport at a time when just about no one else was,…
Read MoreMaine’s Marine Economies Face Rough Waters
There are an estimated 30,000 Mainers who, one way or another, depend on the state’s marine economies, and it seems every one of them is contending with some sort of hit right now, as the COVID-19 pandemic has upset the long-established systems of seasonal seafood supply and demand. Jeff Augur says that when famed Boston…
Read MoreMaine Family-Owned Factory Cranks Out Rolls Of ‘White Gold’ As Demand For Toilet Paper Soars
The COVID-19 pandemic has led to the panic-buying of certain items, notably paper products – and toilet paper in particular. Some stores have sold out, others have resorted to rationing – in some cases to just one roll per customer. The sudden demand for what some are calling “white gold” is proving to be a challenge – and an opportunity…
Read MoreIt’s a busy time of year for Vermont’s vegetable and fruit farmers. Spring is coming, and farmers across the state will soon be turning their soil and starting another growing season. Even though the new coronavirus is raising a lot of questions about how they’ll market the vegetables and flowers they grow, farmers are plowing…
Read MoreWelcome To Rhode Island, Now Go Quarantine
Corey Williams says he knew earlier on in the COVID-19 crisis that he couldn’t stay in Brooklyn. He and his wife have a four-month-old daughter, and they’re worried her heart condition puts her at increased risk. So, earlier this month, they decided to leave. “We had to come to terms with the fact that we…
Read MoreHow do you get ready for something when you don’t exactly know what it is? That’s been the recent scenario in many communities, as people learn more about the new coronavirus and try to prepare for a potential quarantine at home. In the last few weeks in western Massachusetts, like elsewhere, shoppers have packed the…
Read MoreIce harvesting was a thriving industry in 19th century New England. Using large, jagged-toothed saws, workers would cut heavy blocks from frozen rivers, lakes and ponds, pack it in sawdust and sell it around the world. Then came electric refrigeration, and ice-cutting became all but obsolete. But there are still a few places where the…
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