Stories
Governor Ned Lamont announced this week that he is moving forward without state lawmakers to address climate change — and perhaps for good reason. A study from Brown University shows most legislation proposed over the last decade that would keep Connecticut on track to take action on climate change was derailed by lobbyists from the energy industry.…
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Undocumented farmworkers face many barriers when seeking health care. The pandemic has widened this disparity and now many workers are hesitant to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, including in western Massachusetts. The air is cold and farmworkers in the region have to work through it. One undocumented worker, known as Flori, has dried leaves crunched beneath…
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Bruce Bemer made no secret of what his money could buy. The wealthy Connecticut businessman admitted to police and the FBI that he purchased sex from drug-addicted young men. But Bemer strenuously denied a far more serious charge: knowingly participating in a human trafficking operation. Three months ago, the Connecticut Supreme Court agreed with the…
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A New Hampshire teachers’ union is suing state officials over a law restricting certain teachings on race, racism, and other forms of oppression. The American Federation of Teachers – New Hampshire filed the lawsuit along with several parents and teachers in federal court. The lawsuit alleges the law prevents teachers from meeting certain state educational…
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Sara Harold describes her son, Finn, as a vibrant 3-year-old. “He loves running, jumping, exploring how things work and the intricacies,” said Harold, as she watched him play with a set of magnetic blocks. “While he has very few words, he can make his presence known.” Finn’s mom does most of the talking for him right…
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How some Northeast organizations are trying to return land, decision-making power to people of color
On a windy but warm day earlier this year, Judy Dow walked between rows of corn, beans, squash and sunflowers at Vermont’s Shelburne Farms. A sign explained how the different plants nourish one another. The purpose of this plot is both to educate visitors, and to produce seeds to share with Indigenous gardens across New…
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The Coast Guard Academy in New London, Connecticut, expelled a cadet in 2014 for becoming a father, due to a regulation that does not allow students to have children. Isaak Olson filed a federal lawsuit this week challenging the constitutionality of the ban. Olson became a father in 2013, right before the start of his senior year,…
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Depending on several factors, New England’s regional electricity grid operator could ask residents to turn down the heat, do less laundry and minimize cooking this winter. While forecasts predict a mild winter, the grid could be in a precarious position, ISO-New England says. ISO coordinates the flow of electricity through the transmission system, and plans…
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Deqa Dhalac was sworn in Monday as the new mayor of South Portland, Maine, making her one of the first Somali-American mayors in the country. Dhalac was first elected to the South Portland City Council three years ago, but has long worked in community-building roles: as an activist, social worker, and currently, as the family…
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Before smartphones, most people kept in touch using landline telephones. And before direct dialing was common, some calls were handled by switchboard operators. During the 1950’s, more than 220,000 operators were employed by the Bell System alone. Most were women who were expected to be courteous, quick-thinking and patient under pressure. And at a recent…
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