Stories
One year ago this week, the first adult-use marijuana stores opened in Massachusetts. One of the state’s goals was to move cannabis off the black market. But illegal sales haven’t stopped — and licensed stores are having a tough time getting enough marijuana to meet demand.
Read More‘Nu’? A Software Program That Reads Yiddish
New software for searching words in digitized Yiddish books — many originally written in the 19th and early 20th centuries — is about to be unveiled. The search tool will be available via the Yiddish Book Center in Amherst, Massachusetts.
Read MoreAfter Bradley B-17 Crash, Lasting Impact of PFAS Firefighting Foam Remains A Question
Christopher Albani was at home when he heard the call that a B-17 crashed at Bradley International Airport, killing seven people. He’s a firefighter, one of several who responded to the Oct. 2 crash. Albani was put on a hose line, dumping firefighting foam onto burning wreckage. “So in that moment, being exposed to it,…
Read MoreWhat’s Next For New Hampshire Timber As Biomass Power Plants Close?
For the past few decades, New Hampshire’s logging industry has been selling its wood scraps to be burned for energy. But now, after two years of failed subsidies, the state’s small biomass power plants are shutting down. It’s left the forest products sector with few in-state markets for a lot of low-grade timber — even…
Read MorePoll: Dirty Politics And Gridlock Among Reasons People Don’t Vote
In 2018, the Suffolk University Political Research Center in Boston polled people who were unlikely to vote. They found out that unlikely voters are often politically aware, but they’re fed up with what they perceive as a corrupt political system. NEXT spoke with David Paleologos, director of the center, about the poll results.
Read MoreVermont Farmers Can Legally Kill Bears Eating Their Corn, But Debate Over Practice Persists
Vermonters pride themselves on their connection to the land, but sometimes how one person values the natural world clashes with another’s belief. Such a tension has been playing out in Huntington, a small valley town in Chittenden County where one dairy farmer has been accused of needlessly killing bears. The farmer, however, said if he…
Read MoreFor Meggie Noel, the high school experience could be an isolating one. Noel went to Boston Latin School (BLS), where black students like her made up just 9% of the student body. “When you’re in the minority at school, it’s this constant environment of self-doubt,” she said. “You don’t have teachers who look like you.…
Read MoreBlack bears are adapting their behavior in New England to meet seasonal food needs — they’re becoming more suburbanized. New research shows the bear population in Massachusetts is expanding, even while the state’s human population is the third-most dense among U.S. states. Kathy Zeller is a conservation researcher at UMass and co-authored the study. She said the…
Read MoreDebate Over Science and Risks Shapes 3M’s Lawsuit Against N.H.’s PFAS Water Standards
New Hampshire’s strict new limits on PFAS chemicals have been in effect for more than a month now. Officials say the regulations are based on sound science. But the court battle against them is only just beginning. It’s spearheaded by 3M, the chemical company that helped invent PFAS. Their partners in New Hampshire include a cattle farmer, a fertilizer company and a town water utility.
Read MoreKids in foster care are often coping with the aftermath of abuse or neglect, along with the added trauma of being removed from their home. They’re grappling with this past, while living in the shadow of an uncertain future. The Public’s Radio is telling their stories in our series, Living In Limbo: Foster Families And…
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