Episode 95
This week on NEXT: We discuss security concerns on the Northern border of the United States. A Vermont Supreme Court ruling touches on when an action can be construed as a threat, and when it falls under a person’s right to free speech. Plus, while the Steamship Authority is performing an audit of the Martha’s Vineyard Ferry, we discuss the history and the future of the shipping industry in New England. We also hear about the “living memorial” to Holocaust survivors created by one Massachusetts man. We tour the Mark Twain house with a group of Puerto Rican evacuees. Finally, Maine-based L.L. Bean is finding unlikely success in Japan. It’s NEXT.
Northern Border Security
U.S. Border Patrol agent Richard Ross near the international border along Lake Memphremagog. Photo by Lorne Matalon for VPR
When we discuss U.S. border security, the conversation often focuses in on our Southern border with Mexico. But in just the first weekend of April alone, U.S. Border Patrol agents arrested 20 people for illegally crossing the Northern border from Canada into Vermont, New Hampshire, and New York. This week, we listen to a two-part special series on Northern border security from Lorne Matalon.
Vermont Supreme Court Flyer Case
The Vermont Supreme Court overturned the conviction of a man who left KKK recruitment flyers at the Burlington homes of two women of color. The court said the state failed to prove the action constituted an immediate threat. Photo by John Dillon for VPR
The Vermont Supreme Court overturned the conviction of a man who put Ku Klux Klan flyers on the homes of two women of color in Burlington, Vermont, claiming that the incident didn’t qualify as “threatening behavior.” VPR’s Liam Elder-Connors reports on the decision and reflects on what it will mean in the future.
Vandalism at Arlington High School
After graffiti with anti-gay and anti-Semitic messages were found at Arlington High School, students wrote messages of inclusion in chalk on the building’s front brick archways. Photo by Jess Voas for WBUR
When anti-gay and anti-Semitic graffiti was found at Arlington High School in early May, administrators and students got creative about how to handle it. WBUR’s Carrie Jung reports on how the school responded.
Steamship Authority Audit
A 2015 photo of the vessel Martha’s Vineyard. The ship lost power the night of Saturday, March 17, 2018, but the cause is still under investigation. Photo by Sharon Brody for WBUR
After the Martha’s Vineyard ferry canceled hundreds of trips this year, the Steamship Authority announced that they will hire an outside firm to conduct an independent audit of their operation. WBUR’s Simón Rios attended a recent meeting on the island and spoke to residents about how the canceled trips have effected their lives.
The Shipping Industry in New England
The container ship, El Morro, the nearly-identical sister ship of El Faro. Photo courtesy of Paul Haley and Rachel Slade
In our day and age, we don’t often hear about shipwrecks. But in 2015, a huge container ship sank between Florida and Puerto Rico on a routine route, during Hurricane Joaquin. From the wreck, 33 mariners died, eight of whom were from New England. How, in the age of advanced technology, did this happen? Boston-based journalist Rachel Slade digs into the factors behind the wreck, as well as the history and the future of this massive industry, in her new book: Into the Raging Sea: Thirty-Three Mariners, One Megastorm and the Sinking of El Faro.
“Living Memorial”
Harvey Bravman is the director and producer of “Soul Witness: The Brookline Holocaust Witness Project.” The film is playing in New Haven, Connecticut. Photo by Patrick Skahill for Connecticut Public Radio
For years, hours of videotaped interviews with survivors of the Holocaust sat packed away in a closet in Brookline, Massachusetts. Now, as Connecticut Public Radio’s Patrick Skahill reports, a filmmaker recently rescued those old tapes, weaving the dozens of interviews together into a “living memorial” for survivors.
Mark Twain House Tour
Sanchez School employee Sally Vazquez, right, takes a photo of Hartford students in the lobby of the Mark Twain House & Museum. Families displaced from Puerto Rico were invited to the American landmark. Photo by Vanessa de la Torre for Connecticut Public Radio
In Hartford, Puerto Rican families displaced by Hurricane Maria are adjusting to their new city. Some haven’t had a chance to visit the local landmarks, so recently, a group of evacuees were invited on a private tour of the Mark Twain House & Museum. Connecticut Public Radio’s Vanessa de la Torre takes us to the historic house.
L.L. Bean in Japan
Zane Shatzer (front), managing director of Japan and Asia Pacific for L.L.Bean International, with his marketing team and the Japanese L.L.Bean Bootmobile, in the Kichioji section of Tokyo, where the L.L.Bean Japan branch office is headquartered. Courtesy of L.L. Bean
In the United States, L.L. Bean’s sales have been largely stagnant. But that’s not the case in Japan, where the store has found some unlikely success. Lori Valigra of the Bangor Daily News discusses the trend in her recent article.
Photo at the top of the page: “The international border between Quebec, on the right, and the U.S. in Derby Line, Vermont. As the nation focuses on the southern border with Mexico, some people are concerned about the potential for terrorism coming to the U.S. from the northern border.” Photo by Lorne Matalon for VPR
About NEXT
NEXT is produced at Connecticut Public Radio
Host: John Dankosky
Produced with help this week from Lily Tyson and Ali Oshinskie
Digital Producer: Carlos Mejia
Executive Producer: Catie Talarski
Contributors to this episode: Lorne Matalon, Liam Elder-Connors, Carrie Jung, Simón Rios, Patrick Skahill, Vanessa de la Torre
Music: Todd Merrell, “New England” by Goodnight Blue Moon, “The Soft Glow” by Will Bangs, “Without You” by Junip, “A Million Reasons” by Lady Gaga, “Shameless” by Ani DiFranco
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