Stories
Agricultural and environmental groups are calling on state lawmakers to pass a bill prohibiting sludge spreading in Maine as additional farmers come forward to disclose PFAS contamination on their land or in their water. Click here to listen to the audio version from MainePublic.org. Standing outside of the Maine State House on Wednesday, Brendan Holmes…
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Lakes across the world are getting saltier. New Hampshire is no exception. In New Hampshire, road de-icing salt is the main culprit – that’s the salt we sprinkle on highways in the winter. And climate change is exacerbating salinization – more rain and snow in the winter, along with an increase in freeze and thaw…
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Outside of Macy’s department store on the lower level of the mall in Holyoke, Massachusetts, several temporary walls are set up to display portraits of people of different ages. The exhibit is called “I Am More.” Over the next few months, it will travel around the state. It’s not going to galleries or museums, but…
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As climate change causes winters to warm in the Northeast, the town of Hanover, N.H., has decided to end a yearly winter tradition for good due to unpredictable weather. Hanover’s annual Occum Pond Party was a keystone event in the town, with ice castles and snow sculptures drawing thousands of participants to celebrate winter on…
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The temperature had finally crept above zero on a recent morning as Johanna Davis and Adam Nordell walked along the snowy path leading to one of three greenhouses on their organic farm in Unity, Maine. The unheated, 3,000-square-foot greenhouse was less frigid, but still cold. Adam sang the praises of spinach as Johanna pulled back…
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Faced with being removed from office, Rich Colangelo — Connecticut’s top prosecutor — has informed the state’s Criminal Justice Commission that he will retire from the job March 31. Commission member Scott Murphy said the panel planned to fire Colangelo had he not stepped down. “We found the conduct of the chief state’s attorney to…
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A popular seafood ranking guide is considering “red listing” American lobster and other New England fisheries for the danger they pose to endangered North Atlantic right whales. The Monterey Bay Aquarium’s “Seafood Watch” list is used by grocery stores and restaurants like Whole Foods, Red Lobster and Aramark to inform their purchases. But Massachusetts lobstermen are pushing…
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In Vermont, programs that help older residents get around when they can no longer drive are primarily paid for with Medicaid and federal grants. But funding is limited, and most of these door-to-door ride services are only possible because of volunteer drivers — usually older Vermonters themselves. The pandemic has strained this model, but many…
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Gissela Yanez arrived pregnant from Peru in New Hampshire in 2020. She has a college degree and was a physical therapist back in Peru. But here she cleans houses. She found the job quickly, and she said it makes her feel disappointed in her abilities. She knows she can do more. Like many new immigrants,…
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Health care workers in Maine have been besieged by the COVID-19 pandemic. The latest surge in hospitalizations has pushed an already overextended workforce to the brink. To get a better sense of what hospital workers are facing, we asked frontline staff to record audio diaries. The first audio diary was submitted by ICU nurse Cynthia…
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