Stories
Vermont’s ski industry lost an estimated $100 million last winter due to COVID-19. That means this year is critical. With travel restrictions loosened, many in the ski industry hoped this season would be easier. But a housing crunch and worker shortage — problems that have been simmering for years — have gotten even worse since…
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Cities and towns across Connecticut are applying for millions of dollars in state aid to help them reduce the amount of trash residents put out on the curb. The push for funding comes as price pressures for waste disposal continue to mount, spurred by the imminent closure of a major trash plant in Hartford next…
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Biologists say that puffin chicks that hatched on several of Maine’s offshore islands this year struggled with storms, predation and food shortages, and most were unlikely to survive. After near-extirpation from the U.S. during the 1800s, Maine’s puffin population is the only one that’s been re-established in the continental U.S. Linda Welch, a wildlife biologist…
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Outside a mobile home in Vermont’s Franklin County, large white chickens patrol the yard. Green fields roll out in every direction. Big sky stretches overhead. This is where several dairy workers live. Among them is Eva. We’re using first names to protect worker identity and avoid employment or legal repercussions. Eva is 30, and has…
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A group of teen climate activists gathered in Concord, N.H., Friday to take a stand against climate change, as part of an international movement of youth climate strikes. Packed into a building on Main Street on a rainy afternoon, the young strikers carried signs opposing the Merrimack Generation Station in Bow, the largest coal burning…
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The city of Hartford is looking for a new company to handle its trash and recycling. The search comes as a major trash plant that takes in around one-quarter of the state’s garbage is slated to close. The Materials Innovation and Recycling Authority (MIRA) says it will close its trash-to-energy plant next year, citing financial…
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With less than a year to go before a major trash plant in Hartford is scheduled to close, officials are scrambling to figure out what to do with hundreds of thousands of tons of garbage a year. Katie Dykes, head of the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, said she’s optimistic that a new $5…
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As Maine schools enter their third pandemic-affected year, they have a new tool that officials are hoping will lead to fewer interruptions. It’s called “pooled testing” and is designed to identify COVID-19 cases early, and keep more students in the classroom. But in some districts, a shortage of labor and supplies has already challenged…
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For homeowners looking to put solar panels on their roofs, the main goal is usually pretty clear: saving money on electric bills. But installing solar can sometimes come with complications. On a corner lot in Enfield, Conn., George St. Amand has a two-story house with a pretty flat roof in the back. Not great…
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