Stories

Ralph Demicco, former owner of Riley's Gun Shop in Hooksett, has teamed up with public health experts to broaden suicide prevention efforts. Here, he's featured in a 2011 video about the launch of the "Gun Shop Project." Photo courtesy of Nami New Hampshire

Amid Debate Over Gun Policy, An Unlikely Team Finds Some Consensus in N.H.

May 23, 2018

When we think about gun deaths in the United States, we usually think about mass shootings. But in New Hampshire, most gun deaths are suicides

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John Broderick, a former chief justice of the New Hampshire Supreme Court, speaks to high school students in Salem, N.H., about mental health awareness. Photo by Jesse Costa for WBUR

He Wants To Encourage People To Talk About Mental Illness. So He Talks About His Son

May 7, 2018

A former New Hampshire Supreme Court chief justice is visiting schools in New England to talk about the darkest time in his life. Usually he ends up hearing from students about some of their dark times, too.

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Brandon Korona, an Army veteran whose left leg was injured in an IED explosion in Afghanistan, talks with Dr. Matthew Carty at Brigham and Women’s Faulkner Hospital in Boston. Photo by Robin Lubbock for WBUR

How The Marathon Bombing Helped Bring Innovation To Amputation

April 13, 2018

Army veteran Brandon Korona pulls up his pant leg, rearranges a protective sleeve, and twists off the plastic socket on top of his prosthetic left leg. It comes off with a suction cup-like pop.

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Steve Gagner fills one of the first barrels of bourbon from Danger Close Craft Distilling. Courtesy of Danger Close Craft Distilling

New Vermont Distillery Run By Veterans For Veterans

April 12, 2018

A new distillery in northern Vermont isn’t just manufacturing spirits. It’s raising the spirits of the community, especially when it comes to veterans.

 

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A Burlington Police Officer keeps watch outside a building. Photo by Taylor Dobbs for VPR

Beneath The Stoicism: Maine Police Face The Toll Trauma Takes On Their Ranks

March 30, 2018

Police officers have shorter life spans than the rest of us, are more prone to suicide, but for years, a stoic police culture has made it difficult for many to admit they may struggle with mental health issues.

 

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Arlington Police Chief Fred Ryan, right, and inspector Gina Bassett review toxicology reports on cocaine evidence, looking for the possibility of fentanyl. "Law enforcement tells us that the next wave of the addiction crisis is fentanyl-laced cocaine," Ryan says. Photo by Jesse Costa for WBUR

Fentanyl-Laced Cocaine Could Be ‘Next Wave’ Of Opioid Crisis, Some Warn

March 27, 2018

A pipe was the only sign of drug use near Chris Bennett’s body, in November. But it looked like the 32-year-old Taunton native had stopped breathing and died of an opioid overdose. Bennett’s mother Liisa couldn’t understand what happened. Then she saw the toxicology report.

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Opioid Crisis is Taking A Toll on Those On the Frontlines

March 22, 2018

The drug crisis in New Hampshire has left its mark on thousands of people – those struggling with addiction, their families, friends and co-workers.

 

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Six Months After Maria, Hurricane Relief Center in Hartford, Connecticut Closes

March 22, 2018

Hartford’s hurricane relief center was where evacuees from Puerto Rico could come to get help: help finding housing, jobs, winter clothing — whatever supplies or services they needed to restart their lives in Connecticut.

 

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Connecticut Has Given Private Schools Over $3M In Public Cash For Security Upgrades

March 12, 2018

Connecticut has spent over $50 million helping schools beef up security since 2013. Some of that money — $3.2 million — has gone to private schools, which are reimbursed at a higher rate than many public schools.

 

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After Threat at One N.H. School, Anxiety Takes Toll on Students, Parents, and Teachers

February 26, 2018

After the latest mass shooting at a school in Florida, there’s one idea most policy makers seem to agree on: If you see something, say something. But as NHPR’s Jason Moon reports, school officials and parents in one New Hampshire town are finding that’s a lot more complicated than it might seem.

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