Episode 108

This week we speak with WBUR’s Shannon Dooling who recently returned from a reporting trip from Honduras and El Salvador where she explored the effects that U.S. Immigration Policies are having on individuals in those countries. Plus, after a forum about diversifying New Hampshire’s workforce faces a backlash, we explore how hate groups are present in our region. In addition, the PawSox announce that they are moving to Worcester, and we hear reactions from Pawtucket. And, did you know that heavyweight boxing champion Rocky Marciano grew up in New England? Author Mike Stanton tells us about his roots in our region. Finally, we listen in on an annual moose calling competition.

It’s NEXT.

Separated Families Put Their Hope in a Stranger

The Trump administration estimates there are more than 500 children between the ages of 5 and 17 who were separated from their parents at the U.S.-Mexico border, and who still remain in the custody of the U.S. government. In many of these cases, their parents have already been deported back to their home countries.

Reporter Shannon Dooling introduces us to two families living in Honduras waiting for the return of their children and depending on help from a complete stranger who lives thousands of miles away in Boston.

You can read this story in Spanish here.

We also hear from Shannon about her recent travels in Central America, and how U.S. Immigration policies are affecting individuals in Honduras and El Salvador.

Read more of Shannon Dooling’s reporting from Honduras and El Salvador here. 

Forum on Diversity in New Hampshire Faces Backlash

New Hampshire is nearly 94 percent white. A group of New Hampshire leaders from the private and public sectors met recently to talk about this, and to discuss how to attract a more diverse workforce to the state.

But since that conference, some attendees have received hate-mail and threats. NHPR’s Robert Garrova reports on how this discussion of diversity has prompted criticism of diversity itself, both in New Hampshire and beyond.

But just how prevalent is organized violent extremism in our region?

An analysis by the Southern Poverty Law Center shows 33 organizations they consider “hate groups” in New England. We spoke with Jack McDevitt, the Director of the Institute on Race and Justice at Northeastern University and the co-author of two books on hate crimes, to learn more about how hate and extremism present themselves in our region. 

PawSox Announce Plans to Move to Worcester

The Pawtucket Red Sox, the AAA farm team of the Boston Red Sox, appear ready to move about an hour up the road to Worcester, where a new stadium is scheduled to be built by 2021. The minor league baseball team announced the deal on August 17, after failing to reach an agreement with Rhode Island officials.

Rhode Island didn’t want to pony up the $100 million or so needed to keep the PawSox due to the bad feelings left over from the failed 38 Studios deal. When former Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling’s video game company flopped, it left taxpayers on the hook. You can learn more about Curt Schilling’s deal with Rhode Island on NEXT Episode 50. 

Amid the excitement in Worcester, there are some of the same concerns about just how much it’ll cost the city. But when it comes to sports, emotion sometimes plays a bigger role than economics. And fans in Pawtucket are taking the news hard. Rhode Island Public Radio’s John Bender attended a PawSox game after the announcement and filed this report. 

To explore how massive stadium projects have affected cities across the country, listen to this piece from WBUR’s Callum Borchers.

Rocky Marciano’s New England Roots

Author Mike Stanton is another Rhode Island resident who is sad to see the PawSox leave. He even wrote an elegy for the team.

Stanton has spent a career chronicling the world of sports and organized crime. His latest book is about the man known by many as the greatest heavyweight champion of all time, and one of New England’s own sports legends.

Rocky Marciano was born Rocco Marchegiano, he grew up in Brockton, MA. His first professional fight was in Holyoke, MA. And most of his professional fights throughout his career were fought in Providence, RI.

Stanton, a journalism professor at the University of Connecticut, recently released his new book, Unbeaten: Rocky Marciano’s Fight for Perfection in a Crooked World. He joined us to discuss Marciano’s career and the history of boxing in New England. 

Mike Stanton will be signing his book at Barnes and Noble in Warwick, RI on Friday, Aug. 31 at 6:30 PM, and in  Manchester, CT at Barnes and Noble on Saturday, Sept. 1 from 1-3 PM.

You can read an excerpt of Unbeaten here. 

Listening in at the Annual Moose Calling Festival

Every year, the North Country Chamber of Commerce holds a Moose Festival in Colebrook, NH. The 27th annual festival will be held this weekend. Last year, Chris Jensen visited the festival and listened in one of the festival’s highlights: the moose calling competition.

Find out more about this year’s festival here. 

Photo at the top of the page: Rosa Lina Linder shows a photograph of her 16-year-old daughter on her cell phone, still being detained in the U.S. Photo by Jesse Costa for WBUR

About NEXT

NEXT is produced at Connecticut Public Radio
Host: John Dankosky
Producer: Lily Tyson
Digital Producer: Carlos Mejia
Executive Producer: Catie Talarski
Contributors to this episode: Shannon Dooling, Robert Garrova, John Bender, Chris Jensen
Music: Todd Merrell, “New England” by Goodnight Blue Moon, “The Truest Stars We Know” by Iron & Wine, “Butter and Eggs” by Julian Lage and Chris Eldridge, “Hookey with Sloane” by Bird Creek

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