Stories

Building An Ark For New England’s Rare Plants, Seed By Seed

August 22, 2017

In New England, 22 percent of the region’s native plants are considered rare. Some of them are on the federal list of endangered species. Biologists worldwide and locally have been saving crop seeds, and seeds from other plants important to the ecosystem.

 

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Crucial, Century-Old, And Sometimes Stuck: Connecticut Bridge Is Key To Northeast Corridor

August 15, 2017

Every day nearly a million commuters travel on the Northeast Corridor — the vast rail network between Washington, D.C. and Boston.

Many of those passengers cross over a small river in the coastal city of Norwalk, Connecticut. But the only way for a train to get across that river is on the Walk Bridge — a 120-year-old “swing bridge.”

 

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New Hampshire Water Activists Hope Health Survey Will Push State To Act

August 7, 2017

Over a year ago, residents near Merrimack, New Hampshire learned their drinking water had been contaminated by emissions from a plastics plant owned by the multinational company, Saint-Gobain.

 

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‘Hit First And Worst’: Region’s Communities Of Color Brace For Climate Change Impacts

July 27, 2017

The consequences of climate change, experts say, will disproportionately affect low-income communities and communities of color.

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From ‘Sewer’ to Beautiful: Paddling 400 Miles on New England’s Longest River

July 27, 2017

The Connecticut River springs to life in Pittsburg, New Hampshire, just a few hundred yards from the Canadian border.

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For Farmers Looking To Make Ends Meet, The Sun Provides A Controversial Harvest

July 27, 2017

As Kevin Sullivan slowly rumbles his pickup truck across his 60 acres of property near the Connecticut-Massachusetts border, he leans in and asks a question: What’s farmland?

 

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As Vermont Solar Grows, National Companies Want In On The Market

July 27, 2017

After years of encouraging solar development, Vermont seems to be attracting the attention of national solar companies.

 

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To Preserve Rustic Way Of Life, Maine Islanders Clamor For Modern Internet Access

July 27, 2017

Maine is the most rural state in the nation and, also, one with some of the poorest internet access. Out on the coastal islands, internet service ranges from lousy to nonexistent.

 

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Ultra-Efficient Apartment Buildings In Portland And Boston Are Part Of “Big Wave”

July 19, 2017

A new type of energy-efficient construction is drawing attention in the U.S. It’s called “passive housing” — residences built to achieve ultra-low energy use. It’s so efficient that developers can eliminate central heating systems altogether.

 

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In Connecticut And Rhode Island, Federal Rail Decision Seen As Win For Preservationists

July 19, 2017

Residents in Connecticut and Rhode Island’s coastal communities are cheering the Federal Railroad Administration’s decision to back away from a controversial rail plan that would have re-routed a section of the Northeast Corridor through historic towns and important ecosystems along New England’s southern coast.

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