Stories
One of the biggest political debates about immigration is that it hurts the chances of American-born workers to succeed and damages the U.S. economy. But in New England, where the population is rapidly aging and the young replacement workers needed to sustain the workforce are leaving, immigration might be the answer. In this special live NEXT event we discussed whether or not immigration is good for the regional and national economy.
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Atlantic salmon used to live in rivers and streams across New England. But, the population of wild Atlantic salmon has essentially disappeared, except in Maine. And one man has witnessed the decline firsthand.
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With more empty storefronts than full ones, the 30-year-old Berkshire Mall in Lanesborough, Massachusetts, has seen better days. But near Spencer Gifts and a now-shuttered Hollister, something rather unexpected is alive and well: baseball.
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Now, tiny Isle au Haut is the laboratory with a big solution: islanders and engineers are using artificial intelligence, complex algorithms and a bootstrapping attitude in an urgent effort to design what they are calling the next, next electricity grid.
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A very old sewer system is still in use at about 800 wastewater treatment plants in the U.S., including along the Connecticut River. It’s called “combined sewer overflow,” or CSO. What overflows into waterways is a mix of storm water, street runoff and raw sewage.
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Members of Connecticut’s congressional delegation, including Representatives Rosa DeLauro, Elizabeth Esty, Jim Himes and Joe Courtney, and Senator Richard Blumenthal, spent the weekend visiting immigrant detention centers in McAllen and Port Isabel, Texas. Congresswomen DeLauro and Esty shared what they saw with psychologists at the Yale Child Study Center on Monday.
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Brownsville, Texas, lies along the Rio Grande and the border of Mexico, nearly 2,000 miles from New England. Still, Democratic members of Congress from Massachusetts, Connecticut, Maine and New Hampshire all traveled to the border city this weekend. They said their offices were being flooded with phone calls from constituents, distraught over reports of migrant children separated from families.
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A Harvard brain scientist who studies trauma in children is warning of lasting damage to the young migrants who’ve been separated from their parents at the border.
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The trees are dense, the path is narrow, and everywhere, there’s the sound of water. I hike to a clearing and hear a waterfall dashing against rocks below, sending clouds of mist wafting over my trail. This is my first stop on a journey down New England’s southernmost “wild and scenic” river, the Eightmile.
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In 2016, voters decided to legalize recreational weed. The state is now days away from licensing retail marijuana stores, and the question of whether to partake is back on many people’s minds.
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