Podcasts about housatonic river

Stratford Point Light Station in 2015, photo by Jeremy D'Entremont David Wright Stratford, Connecticut, was an active port in coastal trade, shipbuilding and oystering in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. To mark the entrance to the harbor, the first Stratford Point Lighthouse was built on the west side of the dangerous mouth of the Housatonic River in 1822. The present tower, 35 feet tall, was built along with a new keeper's house in 1881. Theodore of "Theed" Judson was keeper from 1880 to 1921. In his more than 40 years at Stratford Point, Judson frequently made the local newspapers with sightings of sea monsters and mermaids. The light station is still owned by the Coast Guard, but the town of Stratford holds occasional open houses for the public. Our guest in this episode, David Wright, is the Stratford town historian. He gives walking tours and writes articles about local history. When the lighthouse is open, David takes on the identity of Keeper Theodore Judson while his wife portrays the keeper's wife, Kate.

Karl writes "Wes. I listened to the show #847. The subject was Matt in CT. I am from Sandy Hook CT. Part of Newtown. From Matt's description of the area he and his father saw the Bigfoot, I'm guessing it's Bridgewater, in Litchfield County along the Housatonic River . I live about 20 minutes from there and back in 1976 when I was 14. I'm 62 now and a former Newtown Police Officer and Retired State of CT Corrections Officer, I had an encounter with a Bigfoot on the RR tracks on the Monroe - Newtown Town line. I reported this sighting to the BFRO website Report #77112. I also have had a few interesting vocal. And footprints sightings and 2x my middle daughter said she saw a Hairy Man on the side of the yard staring at her at my in-laws house 2 miles away from my sighting."

Annea Lockwood's compositions range from sound art and environmental sound installations to concert music. Water has been a recurring focus of her work and her three installation sound maps of rivers: the Hudson River, the Danube, and the Housatonic River have been widely presented. She is a recipient of the SEAMUS Lifetime Achievement Award 2020 and was inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Letters in 2022. In the interview, we discuss two of her recent works which will be performed at the Other Minds Festival: Becoming Air, co-composed with Nate Wooley and Into the Vanishing Point, co-composed with Yarn/Wire. Also covered are Lockwood's practice of making sound maps and her upcoming project with Wooley sound mapping the Columbia River in the Pacific Northwest. Music: Becoming Air by Annea Lockwood and Nate Wooley, performed by Nate Wooley (Black Truffle); On Fractured Ground by Annea Lockwood and Yarn/Wire, performed by Yarn/Wire (Black Truffle) annealockwood.com Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. otherminds.org Contact us at otherminds@otherminds.org. The Other Minds Podcast is hosted and edited by Joseph Bohigian. Outro music is “Kings: Atahualpa” by Brian Baumbusch (Other Minds Records).

Join Julie "Jester" Gayheart in this episode as she hikes a section of the Appalachian Trail in Connecticut. Follow her journey from New York Route 22 to Hoyt Road, and later from Connecticut's Bulls Bridge to Shaghticoke Road, Caleb's Peak, St. John's Ledges, and the Housatonic River. Jester shares her passion for hiking, recounts encounters with trail maintenance teams and fellow hikers, and reflects on personal milestones.  Day 1 (Far Out):  NY Route 22 (1454.4) Hoyt Road (1461.3) 6.9 Miles Day 2 (Far Out):  Hoyt Road (1461.3) Schaghticoke Road (1465.8) 4.4 Miles Day 3 (Far Out): Schaghticoke Road (1465.8) CT Route 341 (1473.3) 7.5 Miles Day 4 (Far Out): CT Route 341 (1473.3) Dawn Hill Road (1482.9) 9.3 Miles Day 5 (Far Out):  Dawn Hill Road (1482.9) West Cornwall Rd (1489.5) 6.6 Miles 46 of 46 Podcast Episode With Jester: https://www.spreaker.com/episode/169-summit-sessions-60-when-the-appalachian-trails-meets-the-adirondack-park-with-julie-jester-gayheart--60712120?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR3yy7DtFoFhvh2oel3hibfbiJVaYpitgjVeedgOFvLGb--W2JDzwuM0l0g_aem_5GXjhOgxnJwqVPczt5Ra5Q  Watch The Allegheny Trail (Trailer): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RpggXI74Qec  Watch SAFE AND FOUND: https://safe-and-found.com Connect With Jester: Email: jester@jestersectionhiker.com Jester's Gear: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h5wx7IWX7G0  YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@JulieGayheart  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jestersectionhiker/ Music By: Victor Lundberg "Top of The Morning"

In this episode, we hear from thru-hiker founder, and soon to be triple-crowner, Cheer, as she continues her 2023 thru-hike on the Appalachian Trail! This episode covers weeks 15 and 16 on the AT starting in Kent, Connecticut and finishing in Manchester, Vermont. Week 15 begins following a nice overnight in Kent, CT near the New York border. This section included navigating some stream crossings and hitting the 1500 mile marker! Cheer celebrates with a well earned burger in town and beautiful views of the Great Falls along the Housatonic River. Cheer finishes the week with some beautiful mountain peaks including Bear Mountain, Mount Race and Mount Everett with plenty of trail magic to boot and a nice zero in Great Barrington, Massachusetts. (Shoutout SoCo Creamery!) Cheer begins week 16. A week with lots of mosquitoes and mud following several recent storms but finds solace meeting the 'Cookie Lady' and a nice stay in Dalton, Massachusetts in the yard of Tom Levardi, a trail angel offering donation only camping and breakfast in his yard. (hashtag Pub Trivia Night!) In addition to some rough days in the mud, Cheer enjoys beautiful views hiking up Stratton Mountain and finishes the week with a stay at the Green Mountain House Hiker Hostel in Manchester Center, Vermont, where Cheer finds of course, more ice cream! If you want to get the visual on this section, check out ⁠⁠Cheer's YouTube⁠⁠⁠, Week 15 and Week 16. Stay tuned for Cheer's next trail update! If you loved this episode and our thru-hiker spotlights, remember to subscribe, rate & review, and share this podcast! You can also follow Cheer's adventures using the links below: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Cheer's YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Cheer's Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠ Connect With Us / Join The THRU-r Community: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠THRU-r Website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠THRU-r Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠THRU-r Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠THRU-r Youtube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠THRU-r TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Episode Music: "Communicator" by Reed Mathis --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thru-r/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thru-r/support

Show Notes: https://wetflyswing.com/494  Presented by: Stonefly Nets, Yellowstone Teton Territory, Daiichi Sponsors: https://wetflyswing.com/sponsors       Get ready for some dry fly tips for the Farmington River as we dive into our latest podcast episode with Antoine Bissieux. In this episode, we'll be focusing on dry fly fishing. But that's not all! We'll also talk about the top rivers to fish in Connecticut, a hidden gem for fly fishing enthusiasts. Antoine will also share some gear recommendations to enhance your dry fly fishing experience. So kick back, grab your favorite beverage, and get ready for a laidback and informative conversation that will have you itching to hit the water with your dry flies at the ready! Farmington River Show Notes with Antoine Bissieux 1:34 - Antoine gives us an update since he guested on our podcast in episode 424. He talks about that time when he spent two weeks in the Farmington River with his old friend, Yannick Riviere, and some other anglers. When they were there, a tremendous storm came in. 8:20 - His season comes to an end after Christmas. He doesn't start fishing until mid-March. It varies from year to year depending on the weather. In his spare time, he usually ties flies and creates watches, which he finds relaxing. 11:07 - Antoine teaches us about Connecticut's best rivers. The Housatonic River is a beautiful river that offers excellent fishing in the fall and spring. Summer pike and bass fishing in Housatonic are fantastic. It's double the size of the Farmington. The Farmington is Connecticut's most well-known river. Click here for a list of the top 15 fly fishing locations in Connecticut. 15:14 - He explains why Farmington is the number one river to visit in Connecticut. To fish the Farmington, he advises starting from the section between New Hartford and Riverton. He mentions a guidebook to fishing the Farmington by the Farmington River Anglers Association. 20:02 - If you're going to hit dry flies in the Farmington River, the best month would be from the end of May to July. He also mentions the bugs present at this time. 22:53 - His off-season patterns are typically some form of crippled or handicapped bug. He mentions a fly that looks identical to it. A fly created by Yannick that he claims is hard to sink also works well for him. 29:00 - He gives more dry fly tips and tricks. He says that a good fly is nothing else but a good cast. 33:20 - We talk about his leader setup and other gear in detail. 40:44 - Antoine highly recommends Bestard boots for wading. 44:47 - He discusses the Magic CDC, a new CDC on the market that is not yet accessible in the United States. 46:37 - He uses a semi-automatic reel from Peux Fly Fishing, notably the Fulgor 01 which is also available at the Tactical Fly Fisher. He explains the difference between an automatic and semi-automatic reel. 51:40 - I ask him questions from our listeners about the rod and reel combo for fresh and saltwater and streamer fishing. 53:51 - He provides additional useful dry fly fishing tips and tricks. He recounts using a CDC fly called berzilleuse, which Yannick named for himself. 57:05 - He tells the secret of a good dry fly cast. 59:50 - He does fishing sessions with Orvis.   Show Notes: https://wetflyswing.com/494 

We look at foraging from two perspectives in this episode of Seasoned. What approach do chefs take when foraging? Chef Plum forages for fiddleheads in northwestern Connecticut along the Housatonic River with chef Chrissy Tracey. She explains why she believes foraging is sacred. After their harvest, the chefs head back to Chrissy's kitchen to sauté the fiddleheads in garlic and lemon. And, Seasoned contributor/producer Tagan Engel talks with Chris “Painted Turtle” Harris about how he, as an herbalist and elder in the Mohegan Tribe, approaches a forage in the forest.GUESTS: Chrissy Tracey: Forager, private chef, content creator, and recipe developer. Her first cookbook, Forage & Feast publishes spring 2024 Chris Harris Painted Turtle: Herbalist, Pipe Carrier and member of the Council of Elders for the Mohegan Tribe FEATURED RECIPE: Tagan Engel's Foraged Berry Hand Pies  LEARN MORE: Mohegan Medicine Woman Gladys Tantaquidgeon's book, Folk Medicine of the Delaware and Related Algonkian Indians influenced Chris's approach to foraging. Gladys co-founded the Tantaquidgeon Museum in Uncasville in 1931. Tour the museum to learn more about the Mohegan people.Chris also credits herbalist and educator Lupo Passero and the class he took at Twin Star with deepening his knowledge and understanding of wild plants and herbs. Follow along as Chris takes a walk in the woods with Regan Stacey of The Forest Therapy School, stopping along the Four Directions to offer prayers and explain the meanings behind the Four Directions.Want to become part of a foraging community? Listen back to our conversation with Amy Demers, founder of the Connecticut Foraging Club. Amy was recently featured in a CT Public story highlighting New England foragers. This show was produced by Robyn Doyon-Aitken, Catie Talarski, Meg Dalton, Tagan Engel, Katrice Claudio, Stephanie Stender, Meg Fitzgerald, and Sabrina Herrera.Join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and email: seasoned@ctpublic.org.Seasoned is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode!Support the show: https://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Housatonic River Initiative v. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Annea Lockwood thinks of rivers as “live phenomena” that are constantly changing and shifting. She's been drawn to the energy that rivers create, and the sound that energy makes, since she first started working with environmental recordings in the 1960s.One of her projects has been to create detailed “river maps” of the Hudson, Danube, and Housatonic rivers. Using stereo microphones and underwater hydrophones, she captures the gentle, powerful sounds of the water, along with the noises of insects, birds, and occasional humans she finds along the way.Lockwood's 2010 composition, “A Sound Map of the Housatonic River”, takes listeners on a 150-mile tour, from the headwaters in the Berkshire Mountains of Massachusetts, past sites of toxic PCB contamination, to the Connecticut Audubon sanctuary, where the river spills into Long Island Sound. You can also hear an excerpt of the full composition at Annea Lockwood's music portfolio.Universe of Art is hosted and produced by D Peterschmidt, who also wrote the theme music. Charles Bergquist and John Dankosky provided production assistance. The original segment was produced by John Dankosky, and hosted by Ira Flatow. Our show art was illustrated by Abelle Hayford. Support for Science Friday's science and arts coverage comes from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. Do you have an idea for a future episode of Universe of Art? Send us an email or a voice memo to universe@sciencefriday.com.You can read the transcript for this episode here.

We're circling back to the Wheeler Health network to help celebrate the recent CT Community Foundation grant supporting Wheeler's Walk With Me program -  creating a safe, affirming, and inclusive array of outpatient services for LGBTQ+ people and their loved ones. Then head back up the mighty Housatonic to catch up with the Housatonic River Commission - the decades-long driving force behind a recent federal 'Wild & Scenic' designation that was provided for one of the most pristine stretches of that western Connecticut waterway. Finally, we'll lead you from the river to the forest, to catch up with the Aspetuck Land Trust and invite you to explore the 2100-plus acres they manage in southwestern Connecticut — while learning more about their Green Corridor initiative and other cool activities for the spring and summer.

In this episode we WadeOutThere with Rich Strolis from Simsbury Connecticut.  Rich always had a love of fishing, but became a more devoted fly angler shortly after starting his career as a state trooper.  He started fly fishing after working the night shift to help him decompress, and eventually was getting over a hundred days a year on the Farmington River.  Rich began guiding and tying flies as a second career, until deciding he needed more time with family.  Now that he has retired from his job as a trooper, Rich is selling flies and fishing more for himself.  We discuss techniques for tying more durable flies, the Housatonic River, and streamer tactics centered around patterns for reading and fishing different waters.You can find out more about Rich, pick up some flies for your next fly fishing adventure, or purchase his book "Catching Shadows" at his website:Catching Shadows.comIf you want more information on some of the topics we discussed try reading these articles published at WadeOutThere.comDon't Buy a Fly Tying Kit! A Beginner's Guide on How to Start and Keep Tying Your Own FliesTen Fly Tying Techniques I Learned the Hard WayFor more fly fishing stories, lessons learned, and artwork check out my blog and online gallery at WadeOutThere.com

We've got exciting news for farmers, gardeners and those who love our land resources - The Northeast Organic Farming Association of Connecticut (NOFA-CT) is with us previewing the 41st Winter Conference coming up in March and culminating with an in-person gathering and celebration at Wesleyan University. Then, we'll tell you about CONNIE - the CT Health Exchange that's required to implement by May. There are more than a few serious concerns about it and a lot that consumers aren't aware of — so we'll call on the President of the CT Psychological Association to help unpack some of the key details you need to know. And we'll close with more good environmental news - a 41-mile section of the Housatonic River just received federal Wild and Scenic designation, which should lead to better protections for the waterway. So we'll chat up a leader from the Housatonic Valley Association - one of the two organizations that helped Connecticut earn this high profile national designation to learn more.

Advocates want Governor Kathy Hochul to tax New York's wealthiest. Businesses beware of government impostor scams. Power lines pose a threat to Ash Creek, and ‘Wild and Scenic' comes to mind along the Housatonic River.

Guided by respected journalistic standards, the principle of fairness, the quest for truth, a commitment to social, economic and environmental justice, and an abiding admiration for the independent spirit of the Berkshires, The Berkshire Edge offers in-depth local news reports and features, perspectives on the arts, wide-ranging commentary, and a comprehensive calendar of events – all written, illustrated, and, in some cases performed, with wit, intelligence, insight and humor. Here are a few stories from the Edge this week: 1. The Housatonic River has received a federal designation as a Wild and Scenic River, thereby further protecting the river and its immediate surroundings: https://theberkshireedge.com/housatonic-river-receives-wild-scenic-designation/- 2. True to its progressive credentials, Pittsfield hosted a demonstration commemorating the 50 year anniversary of Roe v. Wade, now that the court has reversed itself, allowing states to determine the legality of the procedure: https://theberkshireedge.com/pittsfield-residents-commemorate-the-50-year-anniversary-of-the-roe-v-wade-decision/ 3. In a review of the state of the Berkshire economy, 1Berkshire cited the introduction of east-west passenger rail service through Pittsfield … giving hope to the business community that a more robust rail service could be restored from Pittsfield south through Great Barrington and Connecticut to New York City: 4. In her “dateline Stockbridge” column Carol Owens has summoned the soul of Stockbridge, depicting the community as still governed by traditional but vanishing old-time values: https://theberkshireedge.com/dateline-stockbridge-in-stockbridge-history-still-informs-contemporary-decisions/ 5. And finally, what's in a name? The two southern Berkshire regional school districts are stalled in their effort to merge simply because school officials can't decide on a name for the enlarged district: https://theberkshireedge.com/regional-school-district-agreement-taking-longer-than-anticipated-committee-cant-agree-to-merged-districts-name/

Labor Day, 1969: Then 9-year old Thom and his family were driving through the Sheffield Covered Bridge, in Sheffield Massachusetts. They saw a sphere that rose from the Housatonic River, then another one, then a large disc-shaped object that looked a lot like a turtle shell... It had a reddish tint. Then there seemed to be a pressure change, some sounds, our car lit up, and there was what seemed like a "vacuum of silence," and that was the last that he remembered. The state of Massachusetts has recognized this as an actual historic incident. Interested? Listen in! This is Part I. Support the show

Violent crime has declined in Connecticut overall, other than a few cities. An effort to clean up the Housatonic River has some riverfront residents concerned. LIPA will reimburse some customers for extended power outages. And a Connecticut veteran sues the VA over racial bias.

Grassroots environmental activists in New York State have been fighting for decades to stop–and clean up–toxic waste dumping by General Electric and other industrial polluters. These local struggles against multinational corporations have global consequences, because the same business practices have contaminated the environment worldwide. One of those places is in Western Massachusetts, less than 50 miles from the NY State Capital. Hudson Mohawk Magazine correspondent Steve Pierce speaks to Tim Gray, executive director of the Housatonic River Initiative, about their ongoing struggle for environmental justice. https://cleanthehousatonic.com/

Celebrating Earth Day With Sustainable Action Today is Earth Day, when many people around the world are taking time to think about their relationship with the planet and to focus on activities helping to mitigate the existential problems our environment faces. And we will be doing the same: devoting our program to Earth Day stories, ideas, and issues. Sara Kiley Watson, assistant editor at Popular Science in charge of their sustainability coverage, joins Ira to talk about some challenges facing our planet—from air pollution in megacities to the tension between ethanol biofuels and food supplies. She also offers some tips for actions individuals can take to make a small difference on their own, such as improving home energy efficiency even if you're a renter, reducing the impact of your takeout order, or considering a neighborhood microgrid.   Can The Latest IPCC Report Pave The Way To Better Climate Policy? One of the best resources to understand the state of our climate crisis is the report developed by the United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), every six to seven years. The most recent installment of the IPCC report, compiled by Working Group III, was released earlier this month. It outlined ambitious steps needed to mitigate some of the worst possible climate futures. It's increasingly unlikely that we'll be able to keep the planet from warming by an average of 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. Yet, the report optimistically focuses on achieving that 1.5 degree benchmark. The report's recommendations include things like phasing out coal entirely, slashing methane emissions by a third, reducing our carbon output among all sectors of the global economy, and developing new technologies to help us do it. But how do governments make laws to reach these goals? That's not addressed in the IPCC report. Ira is joined by David Victor, professor of innovation and public policy in the School of Global Policy and Strategy at UC San Diego to discuss the difficulty in developing climate policy solutions and some that seem promising.   Can Carbon Removal Actually Make A Difference In Reducing Emissions? One of the technologies highlighted in the latest IPCC report is carbon removal. Not to be confused with carbon capture, CO2 removal is a process that absorbs CO2 already in the atmosphere and stores it elsewhere. Carbon capture, on the other hand, is removing CO2 from smokestacks, for example, before it gets into the air. CO2 removal technology has some climate scientists worried about pouring money into this new technology, in lieu of cutting back on our reliance on fossil fuels. Joining Ira is Amar Bhardwaj, energy technology policy fellow at the International Energy Agency, to talk about the pros and cons of carbon removal.   Composing A Sound Map Of An Ever-Changing River Annea Lockwood thinks of rivers as “live phenomena” that are constantly changing and shifting. She's been drawn to the energy that rivers create, and the sound that energy makes, since she first started working with environmental recordings in the 1960s. One of her projects has been to create detailed “river maps” of the Hudson, Danube, and Housatonic rivers. Using stereo microphones and underwater hydrophones, she captures the gentle, powerful sounds of the water, along with the noises of insects, birds, and occasional humans she finds along the way. Lockwood's composition, “A Sound Map of the Housatonic River”—a decade old, this year—takes listeners on a 150-mile tour, from the headwaters in the Berkshire Mountains of Massachusetts, past sites of toxic PCB contamination, to the Connecticut Audubon sanctuary, where the river spills into Long Island Sound.   Transcripts for each segment will be available the week after the show airs on sciencefriday.com.      

Sitting on a secure Bitcoin network is One and Only podcast version of 'Treasure Revealed' episodes https://tribes.sphinx.chat/t/treasurerevealed Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/TreasureRevealed1 Just east of the present day town of fairfield lies the site of a famous battle of 1637 1637. the colonists defeated the piqua and it was the final battle in the pequod war now the pequot war was an offensive war against the piqua tribe ordered by the general court in hartford on may 1st 1637 the pequots were originally from hudson valley in new york the mohawks also from new york and who were friendly with the pequot in earlier times sided with the colonists and i think this was the determine that determined the outcome because mohawks are very fierce warriors and they actually killed the uh sasukus which who is the chief descender the sahan during that time of piquants and um also over 600 uh members of the tribe from the fort fled but were overtaken in this town by the english this was a native american village site called ankaway this fertile valley was settled by the europeans who returned after the area was discovered by the military who went uh through here chasing the piquates to sasquatch swamp which was the final battle of the pique war this war ended in 1637. though there is a marker explaining this event the swamp uh is completely filled today but still the area is worth exploring in 1888 george hockley found five large caches of gold and silver coins all dating 1795 at the beach near penfield penfield reef this treasure is said to be from a pirate ship that landed or wrecked here in 1882 in 1931 documents were discovered that reported pirates did take cracks and buried them on the beach near penfield reef the penfield reef lighthouse constructed in 1874 is part of the national register of historic places this reef is considered one of the most treacherous areas of western long island sound and numerous shipwrecks have occurred there have have happened now so even though the chests were found there's always possibility for some spillovers for something else so do explore that area as well of course in 1658 this tag bridge tribe tribe attacked the tunxis tribes fort in farmington at little meadow on the east side on the farmington river many native american artifacts have been found here which include arrowheads war axes one pump beads and stone bottles if you enjoyed this program please subscribe like it and share it gulat fort is the site of a bloody bottle during king philip's world litis island is not really an island but during flood stages there is water all around the area creating an island so the ladies island is the side of that bottle in june 1777 the british were repulsed from the area by the colonists again i don't have to explain to you why this place is so valuable to explore blackbeard or a teach the famous pirate is said to have buried treasure in hampton in a granite wall in 1938 a man named katie c-a-d-y owned property in the horde's valley section called the jewett homestead a stranger came to his home named barney reynolds and told a strange tale he said that he was the direct descendant of the captain edward teach also known as blackbeard he said that he had a map that told of blackbeard's treasure buried here it was under a stone shaped like a horse head followed a southeast line across the road to a boulder that looked like a dog's head the map then pointed south across a brook to the fish carved on the stone which looked directly at the treasure side he would do all the work if caddy would pay for the equipment to dick carly agreed but all but all he saw was a pit dog and nothing else reynolds disappeared forever it is possible that blackbeard anchored off new london unloaded his ship and walked north on the nipmuck trail perhaps to evade pursuers cuddy's home was just off the mipmak trail a place where many paths intersected however if reynolds found the gold he certainly did not share it n --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/treasure-revealed/support

The Berkshire Edge LLC is a locally owned, regional publication. Our goal is to provide – regularly and in depth – content that truly reflects the life, interests and aspirations of this unusually rich and vibrant community. Guided by respected journalistic standards, the principle of fairness, the quest for truth, a commitment to social, economic and environmental justice, and an abiding admiration for the independent spirit of the Berkshires, The Berkshire Edge offers in-depth local news reports and features, perspectives on the arts, wide-ranging commentary, and a comprehensive calendar of events – all written, illustrated, and, in some cases performed, with wit, intelligence, insight and humor. 1. The iconic Cove Bowling Alley in Great Barrington is (finally) up for sale — and likely foreclosure unless a buyer can be found: https://theberkshireedge.com/foreclosure-auction-set-for-iconic-cove-lanes-owner-vows-to-get-out-of-the-situation/ 2. Berkshire Grown has assembled a network of nonprofits and farmers to create a network to bolster the local food network as we endure the uncertainties of the pandemic:https://theberkshireedge.com/building-a-better-web-berkshire-grown-and-local-partners-aim-to-strengthen-the-southern-berkshires-food-web/ 3. Climate change preparation comes to the Berkshires. The Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness program has engaged, among other groups, the youth group Greenagers to the Berkshire Regional Planning Commission, to assess the risk of Housatonic River flooding. This is termed “climate resilience”:https://theberkshireedge.com/a-regional-approach-to-climate-resilience/ 4. To follow up on a story we've reported previously, the town of Great Barrington has named a new assistant town treasurer, Jackie Dawson, as the town attempts to reorganized the treasurer's office after the resignation of Town Treasurer Deborah Ball who had been accused of embezzlement and has pleaded not guilty:https://theberkshireedge.com/great-barrington-names-assistant-town-treasurer/ 5. On a happier note, Great Barrington will be holding a special (virtual) meeting to review plans for upgrading the Lake Mansfield recreation area: https://theberkshireedge.com/town-to-host-december-6-update-on-lake-mansfield-improvement-plans/ 6. And here's an even happier note: $350,000 in cannabis revenues for Great Barrington, to be distributed to local agencies:https://theberkshireedge.com/cannabis-impact-panel-awards-350000-in-pot-revenue-to-eight-local-agencies/ 7. Finally, from our magazine, we have a roundup of seasonal light displays to celebrate the holidays: https://theberkshireedge.com/season-of-light/

Sources: Murderpedia.comThe Woodchipper Murder by Arthur HerzogWikipidia.comForensic FilesOxygen.com 

The Upper Housatonic Valley National Heritage Area's operational goal is to provide a management framework to foster a close working relationship with all levels of government, the private sector, and the local communities in the upper Housatonic Valley region to conserve the region's heritage while continuing to pursue compatible economic opportunities. To that end, we are to assist communities, organizations, and citizens in the State of Connecticut and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in identifying, preserving, interpreting, and developing the historical, cultural, scenic, and natural resources of the region for the educational and inspirational benefit of current and future generations. The heritage area is the watershed of the upper Housatonic River, extending 60 miles from Kent, CT, to Lanesboro, MA. The heritage area footprint was originally proposed to comprise 848 square miles, including eight towns in Connecticut and eighteen in Massachusetts. Three more communities were later included (Becket & Hinsdale, MA and Colebrook, CT), adding 116 square miles for a new total of 964 square miles. Experience the rich history, culture and nature in the Upper Housatonic Valley National Heritage Area through hiking, biking, historic homes, river experiences and more. What's Happening The Latest News About the Housatonic Heritage Area. Plan Your Visit Find what you need to know when planning your visit. Support Your donation allows us to continue important work. Thank you for supporting our mission! Events Upcoming events in the Upper Housatonic Valley National Heritage Area.

Helle Crafts went missing in 1986 on her way to her sister-in-law's house.  Why was her husband out that same night with a wood chipper next to the Housatonic River?Jason Fox was murdered in a hate crime just last year when he went over to a “friend's” house in Newport, Washington. Why was his sexuality such a threat to this group of young adults?Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/user?u=25398556)

What Would Happen If You Fell Into A Black Hole? A new book, Black Hole Survival Guide, explores different theories of what would happen if you jumped into a black hole. Most of them are grizzly. As the reader traverses one of the great mysteries of the universe, they meet different fates. Author Janna Levin, a physics and astronomy professor at Barnard College at Columbia University in New York, makes a convincing argument that black holes are unfairly maligned—and are actually perfect in their creation. Levin joins Ira to talk black hole physics and theories, and answer some SciFri listener questions along the way. The Case Of The Vanishing Scallops Over the last two years, Long Island's Peconic Bay has lost more than 90% of its scallops—bad news for a community where harvesting shellfish has long been an important part of the economy. Researchers are scrambling to discover why this is happening. Is it predation, climate change, illness—or maybe a combination of everything? Joining Ira to talk about his research with the Peconic Bay’s scallops is Stephen Tomasetti, PhD candidate in marine science at Stony Brook University in Southampton, New York. They talk about what could be causing this devastation, and how a “scallop FitBit” could shed light into how these shellfish are feeling. Composing A Sound Map Of An Ever-Changing River Annea Lockwood thinks of rivers as “live phenomena” that are constantly changing and shifting. She’s been drawn to the energy that rivers create, and the sound that energy makes, since she first started working with environmental recordings in the 1960s. One of her projects has been to create detailed “river maps” of the Hudson, Danube, and Housatonic rivers. Using stereo microphones and underwater hydrophones, she captures the gentle, powerful sounds of the water, along with the noises of insects, birds, and occasional humans she finds along the way. Lockwood’s composition, “A Sound Map of the Housatonic River”—a decade old, this year—takes listeners on a 150-mile tour, from the headwaters in the Berkshire Mountains of Massachusetts, past sites of toxic PCB contamination, to the Connecticut Audubon sanctuary, where the river spills into Long Island Sound.

Dwight Davis was born in Cedartown, Georgia. His father was a pastor and his mother took care of the home and family. They lived in the country, near both sets of grandparents. Dwight was influenced by his father and two grandfathers to guide him as he grew to be a man, husband, and father. Dwight learned to love the outdoors from his father. Dwight learned to garden as a small child from his grandfather. He started working at a business cleaning service when he was 12 and then, during his junior and senior years in high school, worked 40 hours a week for two years as a machinist. After high school, Dwight went to Shorter College, now Shorter University, where he met his wife on the first day. In college, Dwight worked several days a week at a men's clothing store, where he learned the importance of a professional appearance and how to dress for church.   Dwight graduated from Shorter College with a Natural Sciences degree in Biology and Chemistry. Dwight says if you follow the science, it will lead you to God. Dwight applied to several medical schools but changed his mind when he saw the many hours away from his family that being a doctor would take. Dwight married in 1985.   In Dwight's junior and senior year summers of college, he had worked for Georgia Power at Plant Bowen. That led to a career at Georgia Power.Dwight and his wife had twin girls. Dwight tells how he and his wife managed their work schedules to be with the twins. Dwight still found time to be in the woods, with his wife's support. On a week-long hike with friends in college, Dwight had crossed the Appalachian Trail or A.T. From that day, he had a dream to hike the A.T. from Georgia to Maine. Dwight receives physical, mental, and spiritual benefits from hiking.For 32 years, Dwight worked for Georgia Power, keeping in mind Colossians 3:23, “And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;” KJV. When he prepared to retire and hike the A.T., he prayed to do it for God's glory, and it all came together.   About 20 to 30 percent of those who start the through-hike on the A.T. complete it. It takes around eight months with a willingness to persevere. Dwight documented his walk on YouTube under the name Sleeves. Dwight started his through-hike right before he turned 55. He started in February 2018, at the terminus in North Georgia. Dwight had a great send-off crew to see him start. He didn't see any mountain views as it was pouring rain the entire time. The trail was a river. Sixty miles into the hike, Dwight was discouraged by his slow progress but he received an answer to prayer that he was exactly where he needed to be. Most days, Dwight hiked 15 to 20 miles with a full pack of about 35 pounds of provisions. Dwight wanted to finish before winter weather. Dwight didn't hike on Sundays but made sure to be at a place where he could rest and worship the Lord.Dwight shares experiences of 14 states, starting in Georgia with Springer Mountain in cold, miserable rain, and then walking through snow almost up to his waist in the Great Smoky Mountains, and temperatures below zero Fahrenheit. Dwight feared that he could die. Dwight describes the cold mountain “balds” in North Carolina and the lack of cell phone service in Virginia. He was isolated. The excitement of getting started on the hike had turned into the routine of a job.Dwight's wife sent pre-packed boxes of supplies to shelters along the way as he planned to reach them. He felt accountability toward his wife and the support team. It started raining in Virginia and continued through West Virginia. The bridge over the Potomac River was closed from high water. Dwight was wet and miserable. He was facing tremendous mental adversity.   In Maryland, Dwight slipped on a wet boulder and landed on his knee. The more he walked, the more it hurt. He took two ibuprofen every four hours and walked for twelve hours every day. He walked 150 miles after he fell and made it to Pennsylvania. He stopped to rest in a hotel for a few days, but the pain got worse. He hobbled to an urgent care clinic across the street. The doctor told him his hike was over and his left leg was broken. Dwight was devastated. He rented a car and drove home to see an orthopedic surgeon. After six weeks of elevating his leg, with the doctor's caution to listen to his body, he got a ride from his parents back to Pennsylvania and started walking. He walked 40 miles and could not go on from the pain. He called his parents; they were still in Pennsylvania, waiting to make sure he was doing well, so they picked him up. Dwight knows this setback didn't surprise God. God was protecting him and preparing him for something.The more Dwight thought about God's protection, the more peace he felt. Instead of completing the through-hike, he would finish the hike the next year from where he left, near Palmer, Pennsylvania. He stopped thinking about what he could do and started thinking about what God could do through him. Dwight kept off his leg and then started training again. The hardest thing was to be inactive. He continued posting his YouTube videos. His connection to the trail was that he kept his hair uncut. If he cut it, it would be saying, “It's over.”   After healing, Dwight conditioned for weeks by hiking 20 miles or more with a pack daily. His wife and daughter drove him back to Pennsylvania and he hiked again.Dwight shares highlights from the states on the A.T. New Jersey is beautiful. New York had horrible source water Dwight found but local people would set gallons of water at the side of the trail for hikers. He could see New York City from the trail. Connecticut was amazing, walking for miles next to the Housatonic River. In Massachusetts, Mount Graylock began the last chapter of the journey. Dwight felt better and moved faster than he had in 2018. On Mount Everett, Dwight was distracted picking blueberries and almost stepped on a huge rattlesnake! Massachusetts was also loaded with mosquitoes that choked him as he breathed. In Vermont, snowmelt made the trail muddy. Vermont trails also went straight up mountains instead of having switchbacks and the trail was eroded to the rocks. New Hampshire has epic mountains he climbed on his hands and knees. Dwight went slowly to experience the beauty of God's creation. There were huts above the treeline where hikers could work for lodging. Maine is rugged and beautiful. It has the toughest mile of the trail, the Mahoosuc Notch, a valley filled with massive boulders that can take four hours to get through. The day before Dwight arrived, a hiker with a broken had to be evacuated. There were windy, rocky mountain balds to climb. Dwight made it to Mount Katahdin in Baxter State Park and it hit him that he had made it almost to the terminus. He got a permit when he arrived and started up Mount Katahdin the next morning to the terminus.Dwight had a heart of thanksgiving, being able to fulfill his hiking dream the way God wanted. Some people hike the trail searching for answers. If you don't have a higher purpose in life, you can end in a bad place. The trail isn't the answer. God is the answer. Dwight lives by the motto “Keep hiking,” which means keep at it and don't give up. Keep living, keep dreaming.   Jim states that perseverance is part of God's plan to develop character. God has a purpose for you. We are not our own, but we are His, bought with a price. Jim affirms Dwight humbly accepting God's way to accomplish his goal and not destroying himself or his marriage by pushing on through his injury. Jim honors Dwight's wife for supporting and helping him accomplish this task.When Dwight felt low and wanted to quit, God showed up. Dwight has many stories about God's blessings that helped him persevere. He learned five life lessons from his trip: God's faithfulness is sufficient. God's appointments are intentional. God's thoughts are higher than my thoughts and His ways are higher than my ways. God's will is for me to walk with Him because He's always walking with me. God's plan is for me to lift Him up, not myself. Dwight concludes that no matter how hard life is, you can persevere by walking with God. Jim affirms these life lessons and honors, Dwight, for how he prepares for everything he does.   Call to Action: Jim invites listeners to get out of their chairs in October 2020 and walk 100 miles in 50 hours around Sam Smith Park in Cartersville, Georgia. Train for it and walk with Jim and Sleeves. Develop habits that will carry over. Find our podcast on Spotify or Apple Podcasts, rate it, subscribe, share it, and help us get this word out! Send Jim an email with your suggestions on guests.See our Website: MenBuildMen.comEmail: Info@MenBuildMen.com Marks of a Man on Facebook Jim Nicklas on InstagramSleeves — Dwight Davis on YouTube

Our Destination is Northwestern, Connecticut, and the upper Housatonic River.   And our guest is expert guide and speaker, Stephen Pogo-JEN-ski, or Pogo for short.  Pogo has a passion for fly angling for large predator fish such as Muskie and Pike and holds a world record for Walleye on the fly.   Listen while Pogo takes us into the mind of the Northern Pike and top techniques to take ‘em on the fly. Bonus:  Pogo's take on the perfect mix of water temps, barometric pressure and moon phases to maximize success.  With host, Steve Haigh. Pogo_Pike Pogo's picks: top flies for the Housatonic:  https://www.facebook.com/DestinationAnglerPodcast/ On Instagram:  @Pogo_Pike PogoPike YouTube Channel.  Here you will find a tremendous repository of teaching videos on Pike and Muskie fishing:  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMEjhOWmC12aPJrKvylInfQ  I particularly like this video – For the Love of Fishing:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tdLGhzA7AVI Contact info:  pogopike@gmail.com  (619) 518—8750 Destination Angler: The Destination Angler Website and Show Notes:   http://destinationangler.libsyn.com/ On Facebook Get updates and pictures of destinations covered on each podcast: https://www.facebook.com/DestinationAnglerPodcast Join in the conversation with the Destination Angler Connection group on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/984515755300748/ On Instagram: @DestinationAnglerPodcast Comments, suggestions, and guides interested in being on the show, contact host, Steve Haigh, email shaigh50@gmail.com Available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or where ever you get your podcasts Recorded Sep 24, 2020.  Episode 22. Music on the show by A Brother's Fountain, “Hitch Hike-Man”  on Spotify:  https://open.spotify.com/track/406xtacQIl0jIvWElyLRfC?si=KT8jSjpFTrSQORaJuvsGIA

Good morning, and welcome to your WTBU News Brunch. We take a look at the New Hampshire Primaries. WTBU reporter Katherine Swindells is up in Manchester this morning to talk to voters and candidates alike. Even before the snafu at the Iowa Caucus last week, many critics have argued that Iowa and New Hampshire are not the best places to open the presidential Election. Katherine has been looking into this, too. Climate change has finally made it to the big leagues this election season, with polling showing it has now become a top issue for Democratic voters. WTBU reporter Sofie Isenberg looks at how big an effect it is likely to have on candidates’ campaigns. The death toll for the coronavirus now outnumbers even SARS. As hospitals in China fill up, the disease is appearing worldwide. With up to 12 confirmed cases in the United States, including right here in Boston, fear is beginning to set in.  But WTBU reporter, Kendall Tamer, says that despite the World Health Organization declaring a global health emergency, the fear may not be warranted. The Boston Symphony Orchestra is holding a series of free pop-up concerts this month throughout the Greater Boston region. WTBU reporter Frank Hernandez says it's all thanks to the coronavirus. A bill allowing immigrants to get drivers licenses is moving forward in the Massachusetts legislature after making it past the first hurdles. WTBU's Hannah Harn says the new policy is also expected to improve public safety.  The Trump administration is proposing a new rule that would eliminate the duration of status component for students and exchange visitors studying in the U.S., and replace it with a maximum period of stay. WTBU reporter Emily Wilson says it would make it harder for international students to come to the U.S. for extended periods of time. Boston’s first retail marijuana dispensary will open next month, more than a year after the first shops opened elsewhere in Massachusetts. WTBU’s Hannah Harn says that this milestone also marks progress in encouraging some people to get into an industry that previously shut them out. Boston’s first retail marijuana dispensary will open next month, more than a year after the first shops opened elsewhere in Massachusetts. WTBU’s Hannah Harn says that this milestone also marks progress in encouraging some people to get into an industry that previously shut them out. Students at Boston University are honoring Black History Month in their new and improved Howard Thurman Center for Common Ground. WTBU reporter Ina Joseph takes us on a tour. WTBU reporter Frank Hernandez took a look at Cambridge’s ban on tree cutting, which has been controversial among city residents. WTBU reporter Kendall Tamer also takes a look at the Housatonic River. General Electric agreed to help clean up toxic sediments left by PCB dumping. Lastly, WTBU reporter David Johnian updates us on the Beanpot, where the Boston University Terriers lost to the Northeastern University Huskies in a heartbreaking double-overtime finale. This edition of WTBU News Brunch was produced by Kendall Tamer, Sofie Isenberg, Emily Wilson, Ina Joseph, David Johnian, Hannah Harn, Katherine Swindells, and Frank Hernandez. Our Technical Producer is Danny Roa.

On Feb 18 the Derby Planning and Zoning Commission approved the construction of 203 market-rate apartments in the Derby Downtown Redevelopment. Click play to listen to comments from public officials made at the meeting regarding the project. Please not the audio from the meeting is low, so either use headphones or get ready to straddle the volume button. The Derby Redevelopment Zone is mostly vacant land on the south side on Main Street between Main Street and the Housatonic River. The zone stretches roughly from the Derby-Shelton Bridge to the former Lifetouch building near the southbound entrance ramp to Route 8. The Feb. 18 decision marks the first time since The Valley Indy launched in 2009 that something actually happened in the redevelopment zone, other than the demolition of buildings.   This podcast is sponsored by ValleyGivesBack.org.

On this episode: a new cleanup plan for the PCB-polluted Housatonic River.

Searching for a majestic waterfall? There's no need to travel very far. Many are right here in Connecticut. There's gushers like Great Falls along the Housatonic River at Fall Village in the town of Canaan on the western side of the state. In the spring when it's at full power, it's been touted as the "Niagara of New England." Others, like Sages Ravine in Salisbury, are more pristine, but a little harder to get to. For those willing to trek through the woods a bit, they may have it all to themselves. Today we take a tour of the best cascading waters the state has to offer. How did these marvelous feats of nature take shape? There's new research challenging the longstanding premise that waterfalls only formed through external forces, such as techonic and glacial activity. We talk to the lead author of a newly published study on self-forming waterfalls. We also are joined by a hiking expert to get safety tips ahead of the nation's largest "Trails Day" celebration coming up in Connecticut in early June. And we want to hear from listeners. What waterfalls do you plan to explore as we head into warmer weather?Support the show: http://wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week host John Voket and the award-winning For the People introduces the Childbirth Center at Griffin Hospital, and touts their upcoming free annual Baby Fair and how Griffin offers high level physical and emotional care for babies and moms, long before — and after those babies are born. Then we explore the offices and programs of Family & Children's Aid, which serves thousands of youths and families in crises all over western and central Connecticut. We'll invite you to next weekend's Love, Hope, Yoga event, and several other ways to learn about and support the agency. And we'll close inviting you to get a little wet and dirty while helping keep the environment in and around the lower Housatonic River by participating in next weekend's Stratford Greensweep & Housatonic River Cleanup .

Dan Bagley, founder and co-owner of Village Marina in Milford, joins Broesder and Kleinhans to talk about the 72 brand new boat slips that are coming to the Housatonic River, the new brewpub and waterfront biergarten (Dockside Brewery) coming to the same location, and much more.

In this episode, I am excited to have Nefra MacDonald on to talk about how awareness of one's emotions can revolutionize your presence and how you communicate with others. Nefra MacDonald is the Business Development and Strategic Partnership Coordinator at Rocket Matter. After working in various capacities at law firms, corporations, and non-profit organizations, she decided to use her experience to help address the pain points that practicing lawyers feel every day. She currently co-chairs Rocket Matter's Product Advisory Committee, which serves as a source of targeted feedback for the company's product improvement strategy. Her passion for wellness has also led to heavy involvement in producing more wellness programming for lawyers, including Rocket Matter's Legal Wellness Retreat, where I will also be presenting.   Topics Covered Nefra talks on how personal hardships changed her path from being a law student working at a firm, to where she is now helping other lawyers balance their life with mindfulness. How Kundalini Yoga helped her to be more present, more aware of her emotions, and how she uses that awareness to better control her emotions rather than the opposite. She talks about how she expresses those negative emotions to others and allows herself to feel it rather than bury it deep down. Common pain points with lawyers, work/life balance issues, and wellness and mindfulness issues, such as the inability to disconnect from work without feeling anxiety and trying to manage staff. Find out more on Nefra at: Twitter Legal Productivity podcast Links mentioned: Rocket Matter's Legal Wellness Retreat- save $100 off registration for the conference with the discount code "JEENALWR18"     Questions? Comments? Email Jeena! hello@jeenacho.com. You can also connect with Jeena on Twitter: @Jeena_Cho For more information, visit: jeenacho.com Order The Anxious Lawyer book — Available in hardcover, Kindle and Audible Find Your Ease: Retreat for Lawyers I'm creating a retreat that will provide a perfect gift of relaxation and rejuvenation with an intimate group of lawyers. Interested? Please complete this form: https://jeena3.typeform.com/to/VXfIXq MINDFUL PAUSE: Bite-Sized Practices for Cultivating More Joy and Focus 31-day program. Spend just 6 minutes every day to practice mindfulness and meditation. Decrease stress/anxiety, increase focus and concentration. Interested? http://jeenacho.com/mindful-pause/ Transcript Nefra MacDonald: [00:00:12] I need to show up for myself first, every single day before I can be of service to anyone else. Intro: [00:00:18] Welcome to The Resilient Lawyer podcast. In this podcast, we have meaningful, in-depth conversations with lawyers, entrepreneurs, and change agents. We offer tools and strategies for creating a more joyful and satisfying life. And now your host, Jeena Cho. Jeena Cho: [00:00:43] Hello my friends, thanks for joining me for another episode of The Resilient Lawyer podcast. Today I have Nefra MacDonald, she is the business development and strategic partner coordinator at Rocket Matter, and she has worked in various capacities at law firms, corporations, and non-profit organizations, and she decided to use all of her experiences to help lawyers address their pain points that they feel every day. She is currently the co-chair at Rocket Matter's Product Advisory Committee, which serves as a source of targeted feedback for the company's product improvement strategy. Her passion for wellness has also led her to be heavily involved in producing more wellness programs for lawyers, including Rocket Matter's Legal Wellness retreat, where I will also be a presenter so I'm looking forward to talking about that. And with that, here's Nefra. Nefra, welcome to the podcast. Nefra MacDonald: [00:01:33] Thank you so much Jeena, it's great to be here. Jeena Cho: [00:01:36] So I want to just jump right in, one of the things that I've been thinking a lot about is how'd you decide to go from going to law school to be a lawyer, and to take a different path. So can you share your experience on how you went from going to law school with the intention of becoming a lawyer, to becoming a business development strategist at Rocket Matter. Nefra MacDonald: [00:02:03] Yeah, so when I decided to go to law school I was actually already working at a law firm; I was working at a local personal injury law firm in South Florida. And I started to see ways that I could benefit other people; I've got all these skills, I'm a really great people person, and being able to take my education and give people access to justice was something that really excited me. So I applied to law school, I got into the University of Miami, I got into their dual degree program for music business, because my dad was a musician. And I thought man, that would also be a great way to help with the family business. So it was so multi-faceted, really exciting time. And then I started my first year, and all of the lawyers that are listening to that, I'm sure you've got your favorite first year memories, probably the first time you got cold-called on or something like that, that sends a shudder through your spine. But for me, that wasn't the most traumatic thing about my first year. A few weeks into my first semester of law school, I found out that my father was diagnosed with lung cancer, pretty late stage. And it was really, really difficult. And his biggest ask of me was, "Just keep going, just keep going; focus on what you have to do there, and I'll focus on what I have to do here." And that worked for a few weeks, and then things started to get really bad as he started to go through treatment. [00:03:37] He had a heart attack one night after chemo, and it was just one thing after another that his health just continued to deteriorate, for the reasons of the cancer and other things. And it was very hard to stay focused at school, you know I'm getting updates from home in the middle of class. And of course emotions take over, and your classmates are interpreting that as, oh she can't handle law school. And really, in reality if I'm being completely honest, it was like I can't handle this and my life. But I didn't know what to do or what to reach for, I didn't have very good coping mechanisms at the time, and things just started to take their toll. I lost a ton of weight, I was completely anxious all the time, I was shaky and really just depressed. I was in complete auto-pilot, and I knew that if I'm going to make it here, nobody can see these emotions; nobody can see me struggling, I just have to keep going. And I know that a lot of people can empathize with that feeling, especially in this profession. Showing any sign of weakness, it's an opportunity for opposing counsel to prey on you; you feel like prey. And showing weakness doesn't exactly inspire confidence when you're dealing with clients and people that are paying you to get them a certain result. So how do we build up some of those skills and some of those coping mechanisms to combat that? Well I had no clue, and I didn't really have a whole lot of resources. [00:06:38] The only resource that was available to me at that time was our school counseling center. So I went to the counseling center and I was seeing a psychologist and a psychiatrist, we came up with a treatment plan and I was a guinea pig. I was on all sorts of medications that weren't really making me productive or focused, I was losing a lot of sleep, all sorts of fun stuff, and just trying to get through classes. So law school in general, those few years were actually really difficult for me. My dad passed away my second year, and things with my family did not get much better after that, things actually were just getting started. So I don't think I was ever fully present during that time. And it wasn't until after I walked across the stage that I realized, maybe this isn't for me; maybe I'm not cut out for this. Maybe this kind of lifestyle is demanding too much of me for where I am right now. And I started to get on the path of taking good care of myself, because I knew that no matter what I decided to do, I needed to just feel better to approach it from a place of clarity. And so I started to dive into some self-help books, I started to work with a life coach who pointed me in the direction of resources that could really help to shift the way that I was approaching getting control of my own life. I'd been living my life for other people for a really long time, and you take on other people's problems. [00:08:01] And that really distracts from you focusing on what might be coming up for you, and how you show up for yourself. So the biggest lesson I learned out of that time was: A. I never want to get back to that kind of dark place that I was in, and B. I need to show up for myself first every single day, before I can be of service to anyone else. So I just started to dive into tools that could really help me do that. And one thing that has totally changed the way that I live my life and the way that I am mindful and present in the moment is meditation. And I've experimented with all kinds of meditation over the years, most recently I've been diving into Kundalini meditation. Which is a little weird for some people, it was a little weird for me at first too. I mean, the first time I saw somebody doing Breath of Fire and teaching someone how to do it, they were sticking their tongue out of their mouth and panting like a dog, and I was like oh my God there's no way I can do this. But really, you start to feel shifts and it's kind of a great new addiction. It's the healthiest thing that I've done for myself, and I'm more aware now of my emotions than I've ever been. And that awareness helps me to manage them and control them, and not get sucked down the rabbit hole of negative thoughts, or experience periods of really high anxiety or stress. I can really bring myself back to center fairly quickly because I'm so aware of what's happening now. Jeena Cho: [00:09:32] Yeah, I love that point you made about being aware of your emotions, because I find that so many lawyers are afraid of their emotions. So they just think, oh if I just disconnect and not feel them.. of course you still feel them. It's not like the emotions disappear just because you go, oh it doesn't exist; I'm going to deny its existence. So when you're working on coming more in touch with your emotions through mindfulness and meditation, how did that help you to actually.. because I think one of the things people are afraid of is that they're going to react from that place of emotion. So if you feel anger you're going to react in anger, which is actually very different than allowing yourself to feel it. So how did mindfulness actually help you to become more familiar with your emotions? And then how did that change or shape how you manage and express your emotions to others? Nefra MacDonald: [00:10:26] Yeah, so when a negative emotion comes up there's a feeling in your body that happens. And when you're doing certain meditations, well most meditations actually, you're bringing awareness not only to your breath, but to the feelings that are coming up in your body. Whether it's pain or discomfort or tightness, or if you're taking really short breaths as opposed to deeper breaths, any sort of illness you might be feeling; you really become so aware of what is happening in your body. And because of that, you know that those things may have an influence on how you react. They may be making you more irritable, and having that time to not judge what's happening but just notice what's happening allows you to also in the day-to-day life notice what's happening without judging it. We're really quick to react because we're being forced to judge something and say this out of it. When you're just taking a step back, being fully present, seeing what might be triggering you in the moment to maybe be angry or upset or cry. And say I'm not going to judge this, but what is this? What is it bringing up for me, and how does this really make me feel? I know I feel angry, but what else could this be? Especially in the context of interpersonal relationships, like when you're dealing with a boss or a co-worker or opposing counsel or a judge or your client, what else could this be? What could they be going through that's causing them to express themselves in this way, and how can you react from a place of kindness and love? And the thought process seems really long, but actually when you're sitting in that place constantly, at some point in your day (whether it's for six-minute increments, I know Jeena trains her lawyers to do, or 10 minutes or 20 minutes or however long your practice is) when you're practicing, doing that every single day, it's easier to do it moment by moment. To temper those reactions, to not ignore how you're feeling but also just asking yourself to approach it in a different way, and to choose differently than you normally would. And it starts to feel really good, it becomes a part of your practice. [00:12:41] But getting back to how I got to Rocket Matter, after I started doing some of this deep work I started to ask myself what kind of work I wanted to do. And I fell into a job at a healthcare technology company, and I really loved tech. I loved still being able to do the legal side of things, as far as helping with forming the corporation and doing minutes for board meetings. I worked under an attorney to help with due diligence for acquisitions and all of that really fun stuff. And there were certain parts of it that I really enjoyed, but the environment was very high stress; it was still a lot of the same. And I was also working with people that were not very good for me, they were very toxic people. So those two things were not good, I was still attracting some of that chaotic environment into my life. And so I needed to figure out a way out of that. So I started to think about what I really wanted out of a work environment, what I really wanted out of a job, how I wanted to grow. And I wanted to work with like-minded people who were passionate about what they do, who really wanted to help people. I wanted to get the opportunity to lead and to teach, and to expand my skills in new ways. And some of my skills, I went to undergrad for broadcast journalism and I really loved public speaking, so I also wanted those kinds of opportunities. And I thought to myself, if it happens it happens, but you never know. And I was working with a temp agency that I used during law school to find those rare paying jobs, and Rocket Matter had a position open. And so I got the call and it was supposed to be a two-week assignment, and then it got extended to another four weeks, and then our CEO Larry created a position for me. And it was something that they never had before. But I basically get to play a little bit in our product world, where I take feedback from our lawyers and hearing some of the things that they're going through day to day that are super painful, and figuring out how we can take our technology and develop it in a way that it eases that pain point. So they have more time to build, to develop their business, to become more profitable. I also was working in our customer success department, so helping our customers and training them. And I got the really cool experience to go back to my home country (I'm from Trinidad, and I got to go to Trinidad) and train an all-female law firm how to use Rocket Matter. They also wanted to go paperless, so help them develop their paperless protocols. So that was a really cool experience. And then last year I transitioned to our marketing department, where I get to work on our strategic partnerships with integration partners, that can also be really helpful to our clients. And then I also teach our CLE's and webinars every month, I host our podcast occasionally. So I'm getting to use all of these skills that I really love, I've gotten the opportunity to grow, I DO work with like-minded people, and because of my own experience and the things that I've done, I get to bring some wellness aspects to what I do at work. [00:16:14] I'm the girl at work that's diffusing essential oils and doing meditations at 4:00, but that's who I am and I'm proud of it. And I work at a place that embraces that, so it's been pretty amazing. But there's a lot to be said about what you can do when you approach things from a place of being centered, and what you can actually manifest in your life once you focus on core qualities that you need more of in your life. I've been able to achieve that over time, and be patient and allow it to happen, as opposed to stressing about it. So it's been great, it's been really good. Jeena Cho: [00:17:00] What are some of the common pain points that you hear from lawyers? Nefra MacDonald: [00:17:06] Oh man, there are so many. Jeena Cho: [00:17:08] Maybe we can narrow in on some (and I hate this term) work-life balance issues, and sort of overall wellness or well-being issues that they struggle with. Nefra MacDonald: [00:17:24] Yeah, one of the biggest things that I hear all the time is feeling like they can't disconnect. That even if they're on vacation or they need to take a day off, they have to be tuned in to what's happening in the office. Otherwise they can't feel right about taking time off, especially if they're the only managing partner at the firm where they've got associates under them that aren't well-trained, or staff that's not as reliable as they should be, it makes those things a whole lot more stressful. And I know from your story, you couldn't take vacations either Jeena, without feeling super anxious. So it's something that isn't completely uncommon, but one of the things that we try to help our attorneys with is understanding some of the mechanics behind running a business, and how those things can help you disconnect. So if you have processes and procedures in place for how things should go, and you've got a way that you can check in on those things very quickly and from a bird's eye perspective, that might be one way that you can take a break and maybe set aside 20 minutes a day to check in and just take a look at your practice management software. And you can see how many outstanding tasks there are, how much time your associates have billed, or whether certain phone calls got made or certain e-mails got sent. It's all from one central location, and if you're utilizing the tools properly (like utilizing our project management features) you can see when things are past due or the statute of limitations is coming up, and all of those things can really help to give you peace of mind. If you're not going to be missing a deadline, it's totally okay for you to take a break for a week and spend time with your family, spend time with yourself, and not really worry about what's going on at the firm. Because you've done the hard work of making sure that things can run without you being there every second. The other thing that I hear a lot about too is trying to manage staff. When we're in law school, we don't learn how to manage others. Jeena Cho: [00:20:03] There are so many things we don't learn in law school! Nefra MacDonald: [00:20:04] Oh gosh, yes. But aside from not knowing how to track your time and what you can actually bill clients for and all of that good stuff, how to manage others. And it comes in two perspectives: one is having unrealistic expectations of your staff, how much work can they really handle and creating the opportunity to have a constructive conversation about it. So if you're delegating a ton of stuff to your support staff and they're not getting it done in a timely fashion, you may want to blame it on laziness or lack of skills or what have you, but a lot of the times it's because they don't have the support they need; in terms of training, in terms of processes, in terms of support, and they may not feel like communication is open to be able to come and tell you these things. So we also direct our users to really utilize the software to take a look at productivity reports, to take a look at task reports and see, okay if you've delegated something to someone, how long is it taking them to get things done? And how much do they really have on their plate? Is that reasonable? [00:21:24] And being able to look at those things and then have a conversation with someone to ask what it is they can handle and what they can't, that stuff's really important. And then mindfulness also comes into play here, because if you've got your own stuff going on, like you've got a sick child at home and a ton of deadlines and you've got trial in two weeks, you may be feeling a certain level of stress. And if you haven't checked in with that and somebody comes to you with a problem or there's a screw up that happens with one of your staff members and you need to address it, you may address it in a way that is not from a place of kindness or love. And that can really blow up and it can really affect the relationship and the dynamic in your office. If you're taking the time to be aware of where you are and then addressing the problem, you can address it from a place of compassion and also understanding what's happening with that. And it's more constructive that way, you can be a part of the solution as opposed to expressing anger and frustration, and not really getting things anywhere because now that person's upset. Jeena Cho: [00:22:39] It's like working on processes and streamlining everything, and utilizing technology but also working on actually developing some of these tools and to be able to manage stress and anxiety. And I think those two things actually sort of feed on each other, even though we may not necessarily think about it. Like if your mind is constantly going 150 mph and you're constantly distracted, having all of the processes in place probably won't help you because your mind is just not available to actually pay attention to those things, so it's almost like you... Nefra MacDonald: [00:32:41] Yeah, you don't have the bandwidth. Jeena Cho: [00:32:42] Right, yeah. And I love that point you made about knowing what your limitations are, and I think having a system where you can see exactly what your capacity is is really helpful. Because if you're going on feel or a memory, it's probably not going to be all that accurate because it's just going be how you're feeling in that moment. Nefra MacDonald: [00:32:57] Yeah, that's not real business intelligence. We're able to give people actual numbers and things that they can act on from a place of knowing what's actually going on. And if everyone is trained and using the system in the right way, you have the ability to make intelligent business decisions. Like hiring more staff or bringing in somebody twice a week to help with billing, or hiring a temporary file clerk; you can see where the bottlenecks are in your office and how it's putting stress on the system itself, and come up with solutions that can work temporarily, until you can figure out a more permanent way to tighten up those processes. Business is an iterative process; you're constantly looking at it and finding ways to improve. And I think it's also analogous to the way we should be living our lives. Like I am so comfortable always being a work in progress, because I just know how much more full my life is going to continue to be because I think that way. It should make you really hopeful for your business too, in knowing that there's always going to be a way for you improve. And it doesn't have to happen all at one time right now, but it can happen over time and you'll get to experience and see that growth and enjoy it. Jeena Cho: [00:34:07] Right, I think it's that ability to hold both. So being okay where you are right now and accepting things just as they are, and also being open to the possibility of something more, something better, being a slightly better version of yourself or even having your business be where it is now, but also recognizing that that's a temporary state. That's not how it's always going to be, and that you can actually work on improving it over time. [00:34:32] So as we mentioned before, Rocket Matter is hosting its first legal wellness retreat. Some people might be like, oh they're a technology company why are they doing a wellness retreat? So tell us about the idea behind the wellness retreat, and what your goals are. Nefra MacDonald: [00:34:46] Yeah, so Rocket Matter as a company, our values have always been aligned with health and wellness. It's actually one of our cultural pillars internally, so we do a lot of wellness programming for our employees. We have a gym upstairs on our second floor, we do company picnics with tons of sports, we had a meditation expert come in and train the entire company on meditation, and it opened a lot of people up to the practice that weren't familiar with it before. But it's really a company where people can try to find that balance for themselves, and we always want to provide those tools to our employees. [00:35:20] It ties into our attorneys as well and our customers, because they're a part of our extended Rocket Matter family. And when our firms are doing well, so are we. And there is this really big problem that we're aware of, in terms of depression and anxiety, suicide rates, substance abuse problems, and just people not really enjoying the practice of law anymore. And the Florida Bar has been doing so much this year, in terms of studies and surveys. And there are a significant portion of the attorney population that, if they could do anything else with their lives, they would not be practicing law. Hi, living example. So how do we shift the culture, how do we make a change? And we want to be a part of that, we want to give people ways to really reframe the way they look at lawyering and running their businesses and practicing law. And what is it like to be in the same room with someone who is highly stressed versus someone who brings a little bit more peace and centeredness? It really does shift the energy and the dynamic, in terms of negotiations, in terms of how you deal with clients, in terms of how you deal with your staff, and how things are with your family. And we see that with our own employees, and because our customers are our extended family, we want to bring some of that knowledge and awareness to them as well. So that was how the idea for the legal wellness retreat was born. [00:36:42] We want to bring aspects of wellness in terms of your mind, your body, financial wellness for your firm, practice management and processes; all of those things will be topics that we discuss at the retreat. So attendees will be able to get those hours of CLE's in the morning. But it's also going to be mixed in with programming to help you tune in, like in the morning you can run one of the trails or you can do yoga in the afternoon. We'll have activities that you can take part in in the beautiful mountains of western Massachusetts, which are just so stunning, stuff like ropes courses or hiking one of the trails, canoeing on the Housatonic River; there's so many beautiful, beautiful parts of nature that you can experience and connect with. So it's a really great chance to do a mix of both. You get those CLE credits, you get some time in nature, a lot of our attendees will be bringing their families so they can spend some time with them and extend the trip through the weekend. But there's gorgeous food and culture and views, and it's going to be a really awesome experience. We're really glad that Jeena is going to be there to share her tips for mindfulness and take our attendees through some practices they can take home with them. And that's what we want too; we want people to have action items to take home with them. We want to continue to be your accountability partner once you leave the retreat. So any insights that you get, any next steps that you come up with, we want to be able to check in with our attendees and see how it's going, offer support and make sure that the experience is actually transformative in one way or another for them. Jeena Cho: [00:38:17] I love it, and I'm really looking forward to it. So the dates are July 18 through the 20th. And for the listeners out there that want to learn more about the retreat, where's the best place for them to do that? Nefra MacDonald: [00:38:29] So they can go to legalwellnessretreat.com, and from there you can see a list of our speakers, our agenda, and be able to register for the conference. Jeena Cho: [00:38:38] Great. So once again, that's legalwellnessretreat.com. All of this information will be in the show notes. And for my listeners, there is a $100 discount code that you can use, it's "J-E-E-N-A-L-W-R-1-8." And again, all of this information will be in the show notes. Nefra, thank you so much for joining me today. I really appreciate you taking the time and sharing your wisdom with the listeners. Nefra MacDonald: [00:38:50] It's been my pleasure and honor, thank you guys so much. Closing: [00:38:52] Thanks for joining us on The Resilient Lawyer podcast. If you've enjoyed the show, please tell a friend. It's really the best way to grow the show. To leave us a review on iTunes, search for The Resilient Lawyer and give us your honest feedback. It goes a long way to help with our visibility when you do that, so we really appreciate it. As always, we'd love to hear from you. E-mail us at smile@theanxiouslawyer.com. Thanks, and look forward to seeing you next week.

This week host John Voket welcomes back the The Connecticut Partnership for Long-Term Care, for advice on protecting your long-term financial security with long-term care coverage through the partnership. Then we'll call on anyone with a boat, hip boots, or a willingness to help improve the health and appearance of one of the state's lesser known natural resources to the 30th Stratford To Shelton Housatonic River Cleanup. And we'll close looking for some special volunteers for this summer's Camp Kangaroo, a unique bereavement experience provided free of charge to children across Connecticut suffering after death of a loved one.

Alden tells us about how he became a SEAL and how SEAL teams develop such strong teamwork . . . hint be selfless! He also offers some great inspiration for life and growing your career Facebook Twitter   Instagram The Outdoor Biz Podcast   Please give us a rating and review HERE   Show Notes Alden tells us about how he became a SEAL and how SEAL teams develop such strong teamwork . . . hint . . . be selfless! He also offers some great inspiration for life and growing your career First Exposure to the Outdoors I discovered rowing because I pretty much discovered every other sport that I wasn't good at. You know everything that involved a ball and hand-eye coordination just didn't seem to get this kid to score any points for his team. Running was not a real fit for me. I'm a big guy, I was big kid then and the idea of sitting down and going backwards for long periods of time kind of worked. As for how I discovered it I still to this day remember it. My parents were driving me around I ended up going to boarding school and we were driving up the Housatonic River and I came around a corner and saw these two long sleek boats in the water. I'd grown up by the water and I was like that's it, that's cool. It literally was like an aha Wow and that I think I can do. I rowed through high school and rowing ended up getting me an invitation to the Naval Academy. I rowed through all four years at the Naval Academy. Things we talked about Navy SEALS from a "self ish" mindset to a "self less" mindset Perfect PushUp Perfect Pull Up Pentagon Alarm Presidio Natural Climbing Mt Rainier The Guardsmen Advice, tips The idea about being always on is the mindset of "all in all the time" and how do you pick yourself up when you've failed again and again or all your head wind seemed against you. The hack that I've always used and it came about at a young age when I got diagnosed with asthma was, and this is coming from my mom. She would just pull me aside and just read me the riot act about my limits are up to me. The hack that I started coming up with was what I call making an outcome movie. The outcome movies I ended up relying on, in particular going through different elements of SEAL training like hell week we're understanding the consequences or the outcomes of both the positive and the negative. Either succeeding or failing. The outcome movie that I usually made was not a positive one it was the negative one. I seem to find more power from the negative you know. Everyone talks about the positive piece, visualize yourself getting your diploma or during the trophy presentation or the bonus but it was the negative side that inspired me the most. And the negative side for me was creating a movie in my head where I would visualize myself going back to my hometown and hearing people that really weren't my friends saying I told you so, you wouldn't make it, quitter. That was kind of level one and then what made it worse is that I didn't visit my parents because I really cared about my life, and having them my son quit but we're so proud of him, like oh god you know I let them down right and then the final deepest level again was  someone I care about even more. Of course I wasn't married, I didn't have kids but I wanted to in the future. I visualized at some point later in life showing my future kids this is why dad quit and don't you do what I did. I created these movies and I would create these movies not just for kind of physical dark days but also the mental and emotional dark days, that's my hack. The other thing that I have for folks when they ask, I end up coaching some people from time to time. And you know they'll say hey you know how do I get to get into this seat or how do I go up the corporate ladder and the thing that I really tell them about is first connecting with their being their authentic selves. What they really are inspired about and you know when you go out and in the corporate world or the entrepreneurial world, whatever world that you want to go hike and play in it really comes down to your energy your attitude your inspiration and passion. There's plenty of apps out there to teach you everything under the Sun but but there isn't anything that's going to teach you about really being yourself and having the guts to say hey this is what I really love. I mean you're a great example Rick here's somebody that's gone out and created a podcast you have awesome photography you got all your hands in all kinds of different things. If somebody is like hey I love the outdoor space and I'm not sure what I want to do next and I know this probably isn't a job for me well I can tell you right now you better be an absolute rockstar and give it all you have and be all in all the time in the job you have so when the next opportunity comes along you created an option to make your pivot and go to the next place. You have to create those options through the excellence of your current work. Other Outdoor Activities Boating Mountain Biking Swimming Favorite Books Be Unstoppable by Alden Mills The Diamond Cutter by Geshe Michael Roche Apps, Tools, Podcasts Polar heart rate monitor  iTunes 60beat Heart Rate monitor   iTunes NPR Podcasts Freakonomics Connect with Alden alden-mills.com

Amy and Harley are taking a trip to picturesque Litchfield County, Connecticut and the quaint town of Cornwall. Known for its covered bridges and eco-conscious residents, Cornwall and the Housatonic River are a hiking and fly fishing hot spot. This calendar worthy quintessential New England town is perfect. But is it too perfect? Cornwall CT … Continue reading "95 – The Curse of Dudleytown – Cornwall, CT" The post 95 – The Curse of Dudleytown – Cornwall, CT appeared first on Travel Oddities Podcast.

In Pittsfield town hall meeting, Sen. Elizabeth Warren says, “We must persist.” Health care, student loan debt, President Trump’s conduct and the clean-up of PCBs in the Housatonic River were among the topics addressed by Warren, Democrat of Massachusetts, in a town hall meeting held at Berkshire Community College in Pittsfield on Saturday, July 8. In this edition of The Berkshire Eagle podcast, we present, in its entirety, Sen. Warren’s town hall meeting before a packed house at the college’s Robert Boland auditorium.

Heavily-trafficked Route 1 can be a headache for Connecticut drivers commuting to New York City, or turning into one of its many shopping plazas. But for pedestrians, it’s downright dangerous. WSHU reporter Cassandra Basler spoke with some who travel the highway by foot, sidewalk or no. We explore what it takes to transform a road system built for the car. This hour, we also finish our story about the Housatonic River: the battle between the company that polluted the river, and the people who live there, over how to clean it up. And finally, we hear about the New England accent that time forgot. Where the Sidewalk Ends According to preliminary data from the Connecticut Transportation Safety Research Center at the University of Connecticut, there were 74 accidents involving pedestrians on Route 1, also called the Boston Post Road, from January 2015 until now. A heat map showing pedestrian-involved crashes on Route 1 in Connecticut 2015-present, created by the Connecticut Transportation Safety Research center at UCONN. Data is preliminary. That means more than one pedestrian was hit for every two miles of road, although most of the accidents happened in the western half of the state. Earlier this summer, activist Ray Rauth walked all 117 Connecticut miles to call attention to safety issues, like sidewalks that appear and disappear, and lack of pedestrian signals. In this episode, reporter Cassandra Basler introduces us to Rauth, and to Jaelin McKenzie, a young man who walks a busy part of the road nearly every day out of necessity. We speak with Tom Maziarz at the Connecticut Department of Transportation, who said the state and towns are working together in new ways to create “complete streets.” And we consider what happened in Boston when the city set a goal of zero fatalities on the road. Find Cassandra’s original report here. Jaelin McKenzie takes a bus from his home in Bridgeport to a mall in Milford, then walks about a mile on Route 1 to reach the Jos A. Bank clothing store where he works. Here, he’s standing on a particularly confusing patch of sidewalk on Route 1. (Cassandra Basler/WSHU) The Rest of the River The Unkamet Brook, an area contaminated by General Electric's former Pittsfield plant is currently being restored. (Joe Difazio/WBUR) In last week’s episode, we heard about General Electric's legacy in the Berkshires. For about 80 years, the company operated a huge transformer plant in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. It was the biggest employer in the region, and when the jobs left in the 1990s — it left a big hole — and the Housatonic River contaminated with PCBs. GE remediated the two-mile stretch of the river that flows through downtown Pittsfield. But the company estimates that there could be up to 70,000 pounds of PCBs left in the Housatonic River today, and the EPA puts the number at 600,000 pounds. As WBUR's Meghna Chakrabarti from Radio Boston reports, there are a variety of deeply held opinions and disputes about how to clean up the mess downstream. And reporter Ryan Caron King takes us on a boat ride with a canoe builder who is working to bring people back to the Housatonic in Connecticut. The Green Mountain Accent  Brave Little State is the newest podcast from Vermont Public Radio Here at NEXT we’re big fans of the new podcast from Vermont Public Radio, Brave Little State. Producers Alex Keefe and Angela Evancie investigate questions that the people of that state want the answers to. One listener, a transplant from New Hampshire, was curious about why the Vermont accent sounds so different from the New England accents she was used to. We invited Alex Keefe on our show to learn more. Can’t get enough? Head over to vpr.net for the full story, and audio clips galore. About NEXT NEXT is produced at WNPR. Host: John Dankosky Producer: Andrea Muraskin Executive Producer: Catie Talarski Digital Content Manager/Editor: Heather Brandon Contributors to this episode: Cassandra Bassler, Meghna Chakrabarti, Ryan Caron King, Alex Keefe Music: Todd Merrell Get all the NEXT episodes. We appreciate your feedback! Send praise, critique, suggestions, questions, story leads, and pictures of your corner of New England to next@wnpr.org.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This hour, we talk with NHPR reporters Jack Rodolico and Natasha Haverty about what life is like for people like Gene Parker — who had trouble finding shelter after getting out of prison — and others living on the “edge” of homelessness in New Hampshire. We also hear WBUR’s Meghna Chakrabarti as she explores the history of a Western Massachusetts company town still recovering after decades of PCB pollution in its river, just as that company makes plans to move to Boston. And with a growing bald eagle population and fewer available fish, Maine Public Radio’s Fred Bever tells us how America’s mascot is threatening sea bird populations in Maine. Meanwhile, VPR reporter Kathleen Masterson learns how to train a hawk to hunt for her supper. Homelessness in New Hampshire Gene Parker (left) with his friend “Red” Glodgett. (Liza Urena/Submitted photo) Gene Parker had been living on the streets of Concord, New Hampshire for five years. In January, he was hit by a car and later died. For New Hampshire Public Radio reporters Jack Rodolico and Natasha Haverty, Gene's story led to a lot of questions about homelessness in that state, and they tried to find answers. They discovered friends who looked out for Parker, a social worker who struggled to find him housing, and the reasons that was nearly impossible. Liza Urena points to one of the places her friend Gene Parker slept. She brought him meals and gave him rides almost every day, and helped him find safe spots to sleep. (Jack Rodolico/NHPR) Digging into homelessness in their state, Rodolico and Haverty also took a trip to a small town motel, where they met people with incomes, but still without permanent homes. We hear stories from their excellent series, “No Place To Go, Homelessness In New Hampshire,”  and discuss possible solutions. “We look out for each other,” Ovi Charast (right) says. That night before he and three friends had slept on the floor of one room at the PK Motel. (Jack Rodolico/NHPR) Something Wasn’t Quite Right With the Water This past January, a corporate announcement rocked two New England States: General Electric announced it was pulling up stakes at its corporate headquarters in Fairfield, Connecticut, and moving to Boston.  In Boston, civic leaders cheered. In Connecticut, they pointed fingers. At WBUR's daily show, Radio Boston, they wondered about GE's history in Massachusetts. General Electric had a large plant in Pittsfield that polluted the Housatonic River, seen here, with PCBs. (Joe Difazio/ WBUR) Pittsfield, in far Western Massachusetts, was the ultimate company town, with life revolving around GE’s transformer plant. GE employed around 13,000 people during the plant’s heyday. But by the early 1990s, most of the jobs had left, and the town had to confront another problem – the decades of contamination to the Housatonic River, which winds through the Berkshires, into Connecticut, and finally into Long Island Sound. The contamination came from PCBs, polychlorinated biphenyls. The government declared them a probable human carcinogen in 1979, and the chemicals were banned. But in Pittsfield and downstream, the damange had already been done. In our next episode, we'll look at where the cleanup efforts stand. But listen to this episode to hear Radio Boston's Meghna Chakrabarti tell us a lesser-known story: about the people who worked at the GE plant in Pittsfield, and their complicated feelings about General Electric. You can find the original story and more photos on WBUR’s website here. When Eagles Come Home to Roost Watch this rare video of a Bald Eagle raiding our @exploreorg Osprey nest: https://t.co/cadkFVLEnB pic.twitter.com/7uROA6R9kV — Audubon Society (@audubonsociety) August 2, 2016 The bald eagle has made a remarkable resurgence in New England. The birds were driven nearly to extinction due to the pesticide DDT. In the 1970s, DDT was banned. Today, bald eagles are thriving on the Maine coast. But the osprey, cormorants and puffins they prey on? Not so much. Maine Public Broadcasting’s Fred Bever reports. You can find photos and a text version of Fred’s story here. “Your Hawk Was Really an Early Gun”  Master falconer Rob Waite (Kathleen Masterson/VPR) Imagine if that marauding eagle could be coaxed to land on your arm, and employed as a weapon to kill prey you can't even see. That sport — or art — is called falconry: using eagles, hawks, or falcons to hunt for game. It's been around for thousands of years. It originated in China, and is practiced widely across New England. Vermont Public Radio reporter Kathleen Masterson went to learn more at the Green Mountain Falconry School in Manchester, Vermont. Director Rob Waite took her on a walk through the woods with two of Harris's hawks, named Monty and Wallace. A Harris’s hawk outfitted with “jessies,” which allow falconers to locate the birds during a hunt. (Kathleen Masterson/VPR) About NEXT NEXT is produced at WNPR. Host: John Dankosky Producer: Andrea Muraskin Executive Producer: Catie Talarski Digital Content Manager/Editor: Heather Brandon Contributors to this episode: Jack Rodolico, Natasha Haverty, Meghna Chakrabarti, Fred Bever, Kathleen Masterson, Chion Wolf, Irwin Gratz, and Sarah Ashworth. Music: Todd Merrell, and Wes Hutchinson’s “One Down Dog” Get all the NEXT episodes. We appreciate your feedback! Send praise, critique, suggestions, questions, story leads, and pictures of your corner of New England to next@wnpr.org.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.