Stories

Rosa Lina Linder shows a photograph of her 16-year-old daughter on her cellphone, still being detained in the U.S. Photo by Jesse Costa for WBUR

Desperate To Be Reunited With Their Children, Parents Place Their Hope In A Stranger

August 16, 2018

The Trump administration estimates there are more than 500 children between the ages of 5 and 17 who were separated from their parents at the U.S.-Mexico border, and who remain in the custody of the U.S. government.

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Vermont Gov. Phil Scott, left, and New Brunswick Premier Brian Gallant sign resolutions at Monday's annual conference of New England governors and eastern Canadian premiers. Gallant will host next year's meeting in St. John, New Brunswick. Photo by John Dillon for VPR

New England Governors, Eastern Canadian Premiers Seek Truce On Trade War

August 14, 2018

New England governors and the premiers of eastern Canadian provinces say the ties that bind the region transcend the trade war between Washington and Ottawa. At their annual meeting held in Stowe, the leaders called for a truce in the trade war.

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A sign next to this section of Berry's Brook, at the edge of the Coakley Landfill Superfund site, warns the water is contaminated with high levels of PFAS. Photo by Annie Ropeik for NHPR

At Coakley Landfill Site, Government Assurances Meet Public Fear

August 14, 2018

The Coakley Landfill on New Hampshire’s Seacoast is back in the headlines, more than 30 years after it became a Superfund site. Neighbors are again worried the site could be poisoning their drinking water, after a rash of childhood cancer cases nearby and the discovery of dangerously high levels of PFAS chemicals at the landfill.

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Shiru Cafe. Photo by Chaiel Schaffel for RIPR

Want Free Coffee? Personal Data Is The Way To Pay

August 14, 2018

Shiru Cafe looks like a regular coffee shop. Inside, machines whir, baristas dispense caffeine and customers hammer away on laptops. All of the customers are students, and there’s a reason for that. At Shiru Cafe, no college ID means no caffeine.

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Lucas Campbell keeps his landing craft docked at Burton Island State Park for much of the summer. Photo by Henry Epp for VPR

Lake Champlain: Carrying On The Tradition Of Working Boats

August 13, 2018

Lake Champlain has a long history as a commercial waterway. In the 1800s, it was a crowded passage for boats hauling lumber and other goods between New York City and Montreal and points in between.

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Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard, left, and Vermont Gov. Phil Scott Sunday signed a bilateral agreement pledging continuing cooperation on a host of cross-border issues. Photo by John Dillon for VPR

As Trade Tensions Build, New England Governors And Canadian Premiers Stress Regional Ties

August 12, 2018

New England governors and premiers from eastern Canadian provinces plan to stress cross-border cooperation, not confrontation when they gather this week in Stowe.

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Solar panels at Shaker Woods Farm. Photo by Keith Shields for NHPR

Sam Evans-Brown Talks Behind-The-Meter Solar’s Impact On The Region’s Grid

August 9, 2018

Our growing need for energy – and our desire to make more of it renewable – has set up other tensions, beyond where to put big power lines. There’s long been a dispute over how to account for so called “Behind-the-Meter” solar – the kind you might put on your home or business to try and get “off the grid.” Energy analysts are seeing that – especially during heat waves like the one that’s gripped New England for much of the summer – this rooftop solar can actually have a big impact on our energy needs.

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Vermont has lost 66 dairy farms this year, and that has prompted farmers to consider news ways to stay in business by controlling the over-supply of milk. Photo courtesy of Butterworks Farm

As Crisis Rocks Dairy Industry, Farmers Focus On How To Manage Milk Supply

August 9, 2018

Dairy farmers in the Northeast say they’re ready to talk about something that’s been almost off limits for decades: how to manage the milk supply to stop overproduction.

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A college fair. Photo by COD Newsroom, Flickr, Creative Commons

More Competition For College Admissions Means Room To Haggle On Tuition

August 8, 2018

You may not realize this, but when you get that financial aid letter from a college, nothing is set in stone.

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Students at Busche Academy enjoy recess on their campus in Chester, N.H. Photo by Todd Bookman for NHPR

For an Authentic American Experience, Chinese Kids Spend Summer in a Small N.H. Town

August 7, 2018

Around 80 students from China have spent the summer in Chester, New Hampshire, practicing their English and learning more about American culture.

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