Podcasts about wnpr

Thanksgiving is a week away…you ready? Maybe you're brushing up on those cooking skills for a Friendsgiving this weekend. If the holiday is just one big excuse to gather friends and family around a table, we have a treat for you. Lidia Bastianich, the award-winning chef and host of “Lidia's Kitchen” on PBS is our guest. Lidia talks about her journey to becoming an American, and her latest book - which is all about family recipes. She also shares tips for cooking a turkey and all the fixins'. We invite listeners to share their family food traditions with us on our social platforms and on air: 888-720-WNPR. GUEST: Lidia Bastianich: Host of Lidia's Kitchen on PBS for more than 25 years, she's the author of a memoir, My American Dream, and many cookbooks. Her latest is Lidia's From Our Family Table to Yours, which she wrote with her daughter, Tanya Bastianich Manuali. RECIPES BY LIDIA BASTIANICH: Apple Cranberry CrumbleBeer Braised Short RibsMezzi Rigatoni with Raw Tomato Sauce Plus, find even more recipes from Lidia's PBS shows on our dedicated food page. Where We Live is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, TuneIn, Listen Notes, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode.Support the show: http://wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The annual World Nuclear Performance Report has all the statistics and numbers anyone interested in the nuclear energy sector could possibly want. It breaks down the performance of reactors across the world by type, by age and by country. The author behind it is World Nuclear Association's Jonathan Cobb, who joins us to discuss this year's findings.As well as explaining the reason why some parts of the world saw a small decline in nuclear energy output in 2022, he has a bundle of fascinating stats - including those which suggest the oldest reactors, ie over 50 years old,  are more than matching the performance of the newer and younger ones. In the July World Nuclear News round-up Claire Maden covers a bundle of good news stories from Canada, Warwick Pipe reports on developments in France and Poland, while host Alex Hunt hears from UK Energy Security and Net Zero Secretary Grant Shapps as he launched Great British Nuclear, the arms-length organisation intended to help the country hit its target of 24 GW of nuclear by 2050. Key links to find out more:World Nuclear NewsWorld Nuclear Performance Report 2023Great British NuclearEmail newsletter:Sign up to the World Nuclear News daily or weekly news round-upsContact info:alex.hunt@world-nuclear.orgEpisode credit:  Presenter Alex Hunt. Co-produced and mixed by Pixelkisser Production 

Priestess Stephanie Rose Bird is the author of numerous books of magic including the COVR award-winning Sticks, Stones, Roots and Bones, as well as The Healing Power of African American Spirituality, A Healing Grove, Four Seasons of Mojo, 365 Days of Hoodoo, and her most recent book, African American Magick: A Modern Grimoire for the Natural Home. She also illustrated two of her published books and is illustrator for the upcoming book, Motherland Herbal.Priestess Stephanie is a Black magick maker and healer, and her writing brings to the fore her eclectic practices, combined with her passion for mythology, folklore, and fairytales from around the world, but especially of her ancestry - the African diaspora. She is an accomplished fine artist with works in major collections. Bird has exhibited in numerous galleries, universities, libraries, institutions, and programs such as the Arts-in-the-Embassies program where she is being exhibited at the US Malaysian Embassy, Kuala Lumpur. A Fulbright Senior Scholar, Bird did her fieldwork in anthropology and art in Australia, studying in various Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities in the Outback. She holds a BFA cum laude from Temple University, Tyler School of Art, and a MFA from University of California at San Diego, where she was a San Diego Opportunity Fellow. A former Professor of Fine Art at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, she has been interviewed on PBS Madison WI, ABC-7 news, BBC London, Urban Gardener, WNPR, WBEZ, in the Smithsonian, and many other venues.On this episode, Priestess Stephanie discusses the magic of the African diaspora, the gifts of intuitive gardening, and why seasonal living can make spiritual practice more potent. Pam also talks about getting to know her new garden, and answers a listener question about a feline altar-cation. Our sponsors for this episode are Feline, VVITCH Digital, On Venus Botanica, Ritual+Shelter, BetterHelp, and Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab We also have brand new print-on-demand merch like Witch Wave shirts, sweatshirts, totes, stickers, and mugs available now here.And if you want more Witch Wave, please consider supporting us on Patreon to get access to bonus Witch Wave Plus episodes, Pam's monthly online rituals, and more! That's patreon.com/witchwave

Jestin Pieper is a New York City based pianist, vocal coach, organist, conductor, and educator. As a performer, Mr. Pieper has appeared in major venues across the country and abroad including guest appearances on the Discovery Channel, WNYC and WNPR and performances across the country including Carnegie Hall and The Bruno Walter Auditorium. He has a solo piano album titled “Humoreske” and is a pianist and conductor for many opera companies and festivals. Jestin is a member of the Washington Heights based Luminae Trio, and is currently the music director and principal organist at Holy Trinity Episcopal church in Inwood. In addition, he is on faculty as an Associate Adjunct Professor of Music at LIU Brooklyn RocNation School of Music, Sports and Entertainment. Find out more at www.jestinpieper.com

I am joined by Meghan Freed, Managing Co-Partner of Freed Marcroft, a law firm in CT. Meghan shares her experience with the different types of legal support available to couples seeking divorce. She discusses the many benefits of mediation and the opportunities that come along with pursuing a partnership through a divorce. Meghan gives some wonderful mindset shifts during this episode, so tune in or share the episode with someone who could benefit from viewing divorce in a more empowering way.  In this episode: [1:50] What brought Meghan to family law? [7:05] Meghan describes her law firm and the services she provides in CT? [10:57] What are the benefits of mediation? [14:04] Different definitions of divorce - it's not always bad. [19:45] What is it like to be in divorce practice with her spouse? Key Takeaways:  Benefits of mediation: privacy, flexibility around unpredictable schedules, beneficial for children if both parents can agree, powerful to look back on the divorce in the future and see positives, can be cost-effective, you can be creative in designing things how you want them. Mediation is about acknowledging the situation around us. We control how we handle the circumstance, which is where you take back the power of the situation. Focus on how you can respond but not react to circumstances. Quotes:  “A mediation takes both people agreeing to opt into it. Even though we often have clients who are interested in it themselves, if their spouse doesn't come around to it, we just give them the best litigative support we can.” - Meghan Freed  “The life change can be incredibly transformative. It is an opportunity for both the leaning-in spouse, the person who wants to stay in the relationship, and the leaning-out space. It's not just transformative for the person who wants to leave the marriage; it can be really transformative for the person who doesn't want it.” - Meghan Freed Bio: Meghan is Managing Co-Partner of Freed Marcroft, a Connecticut law firm that devotes its practice exclusively to divorce and family law. Meghan is experienced with alternative dispute resolution, including arbitration and mediation; she is a graduate of Harvard Law School's Program on Negotiation and has supplemented her formal legal education with advanced training in mediation. She is a member of the Connecticut Council for Non-Adversarial Divorce. Meghan is widely recognized for her leadership in the legal community. She was included on the New England Super Lawyers® Rising Star list in 2013 for general litigation, in 2014 for her estate planning work, and again from 2015-2020 for family law. In 2013, she was named a Hartford Business Journal 40 Under Forty winner, and a Connecticut Law TribuneNew Leader of the Law. In 2014 the Connecticut Women's Education and Legal Fund (CWEALF) named her one of 40 Women for the Next 40 Years. Meghan is particularly proud of her practice within the LGBT community. Her name appears in the Connecticut Supreme Court's groundbreaking decision on marriage equality, Kerrigan v. Commissioner of Public Health, for which she co-authored an amicus curiae brief on behalf of the Human Rights Campaign. She has appeared on WNPR's Colin McEnroe Show speaking about the state of divorce – same sex or otherwise, WNPR's Where We Live, discussing the impact of the United States Supreme Court's decisions in the same sex marriage cases, United States v. Windsor and Hollingsworth v. Perry, and on Lite 100.5 FM WRCH discussing the impact of divorce on clients' emotional health. She is a founding executive board member of the Connecticut Bar Association's LGBT Section and previously served as its Chair. In 2015 she was named one of the National LGBT Bar Association‘s Best LGBT Lawyers Under 40. Resources:  Freed Marcroft Website Lesa Koski Website   Lesa's Online Courses  The Onward app was made for divorced parents to help track, share, and split their children's expenses. Download The Onward App today for iOS or Android!

This week's guest on Next Steps Forward is Rob Morris, CEO and co-founder of Love146, an international human rights organization working to end child trafficking and exploitation. Before co-founding Love146, Rob worked with Mercy Ships International where he directed training schools at the International Operations Center. He has lectured and taught in more than 20 countries on issues of justice, compassion, and human rights. He has been featured in the Huffington Post, the CNN Freedom Project, Forbes, WNPR, Alec Baldwin's “Here's the Thing” podcast on WNYC, Fox News, and more. In 2002, Rob traveled to Southeast Asia to learn more about the then-growing human trafficking movement and to take a dramatic step to expand his already established humanitarian background. Throughout the hour Rob will speak about what sparked that trip, how he was able to learn what he was hoping to while there, and how it eventually lead him to co-found Love146, in addition to the current work that Love146 is carrying out and the difference that the organization is making in the lives of others.

This week's guest on Next Steps Forward is Rob Morris, CEO and co-founder of Love146, an international human rights organization working to end child trafficking and exploitation. Before co-founding Love146, Rob worked with Mercy Ships International where he directed training schools at the International Operations Center. He has lectured and taught in more than 20 countries on issues of justice, compassion, and human rights. He has been featured in the Huffington Post, the CNN Freedom Project, Forbes, WNPR, Alec Baldwin's “Here's the Thing” podcast on WNYC, Fox News, and more. In 2002, Rob traveled to Southeast Asia to learn more about the then-growing human trafficking movement and to take a dramatic step to expand his already established humanitarian background. Throughout the hour Rob will speak about what sparked that trip, how he was able to learn what he was hoping to while there, and how it eventually lead him to co-found Love146, in addition to the current work that Love146 is carrying out and the difference that the organization is making in the lives of others.

On this episode we talk with one of the most electric humans on earth Chion Wolf. Chion is the host of Audacious on WNPR and the show realluy makes you think about odd topics. Plus Chion is obsessed with onions, and says her chili is the best in the world! check out Audacious: https://www.ctpublic.org/show/audacious-with-chion-wolf

The World According to Garp changes John Irving's life, turning him into a full-time writer and best-selling author. This book was, perhaps, ahead of its time, even if Irving worried that his novel about "sexual hatred" (or the politics of sex, sexuality, and gender) would be outdated by the time it came out. Sadly, it's more relevant than ever, but that doesn't mean Garp didn't have an impact on the world. Tune in to hear from Colin McEnroe, host of WNPR's Colin McEnroe Show, and rockstar Jim Chapdelaine, to hear about how they felt about Garp when the book came out and how they feel about it now. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/midlit/support

As our show starts today, the U.S. Congress will begin the process of officially tallying the Electoral College votes in the 2020 elections for president and vice president. President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris received 306 votes, President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence received 232 votes, and this should be a pretty pro forma exercise. Should be. Instead, scores of congressional Republicans are expected to object to the certified votes from a number of swing states. The president thinks the vice president has the power to pick and choose which votes to count. The vice president reportedly disagrees. In any case, the objections are expected to gum up the works -- probably for hours. All this while House Democrats consider censuring the president, while there are rumors the president is planning to travel to Scotland on the eve of Inauguration Day, while the countdown to Inauguration Day has ticked down to t-minus just two weeks. Oh. And there were two runoff elections in Georgia yesterday to decide control of the U.S. Senate. In other words, all kinds of craziness going on all at once. And so: We want your calls. Join us during the 1 p.m. ET hour. 888-720-WNPR. 888-720-9677. GUEST: Ross Garber - A lawyer specializing in political investigations and impeachment and a legal analyst for CNN Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What is yodeling, anyway? Some consider it singing, some say it's an ululation, and still others consider it merely a means to herd animals. Whatever yodeling is, one's thing clear: Yodeling has been around for thousands of years and shows no signs of disappearing. This hour we speak with a musicologist, a DJ, and a professional singer about this age-old vocal practice. We'll trace yodeling's history from its humble, utilitarian roots to its place in modern day pop music and beyond. GUESTS: Bart Plantenga - Amsterdam based writer, radio DJ, and expert on yodeling; author of several books including Yodel in Hi-Fi: From Kitsch Folk to Contemporary Electronica Timothy Wise - Senior lecturer in musicology at the University of Salford, England; author of Yodeling and Meaning in American Music Roger Tincknell - Massachusetts-based cowboy yodeler, musician, and traveling performer Chion Wolf - Host of WNPR's Audacious with Chion Wolf Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe contributed to this show, which originally aired October 10, 2017.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Most of us are approaching Election Day with a mix of excitement, hope, and fear, as we live with surging numbers of coronavirus cases, threats of civil unrest, and uncertainty over when the election will be decided -- and who will get to decide. We want to hear from you. Call us at 888-720-9677 or 888-720-WNPR to share your hopes and concerns about Election Day and for a post-election America. GUEST: Alan Greenblatt - Senior staff writer covering politics and policy issues for Governing magazine; his work has been published in the New Republic, Vox, and American Conservative, among other publications (@alangreenblatt) Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe and Cat Pastor contributed to this show. Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's our annual Halloween special! For this year, the script kind of wrote itself. We look at the way our current, actual horror is likely to affect our future fictional horror through the lens of the genre's past distinct historical eras. Plus: A new study that seems to say that horror fans were better prepared for the pandemic than the wimpy rest of us were. And: Every year on this show, for no particular reason, we look specifically at some classic horror movie that's celebrating its 40th anniversary. Two years ago, it was Halloween. Last year, it was Alien. This year, it's Stanley Kubrick's The Shining. And finally: The always-spooky staff endorsements. Note: This podcast version of the show is nearly four full minutes longer than the show as it's airing on WNPR. We couldn't fit all the good stuff into the constraints of radio, so we present to you here the show as we really wanted to make it. GUESTS: Carmen Baskauf - A producer for Where We Live on Connecticut Public Radio James Hanley - Co-founder of Cinestudio at Trinity College Betsy Kaplan - Our senior producer Ryan Caron King - Visuals journalist for Connecticut Public Megan McCluskey - A reporter for Time magazine Carlos Mejia - Digital audience manager for Connecticut Public David Mikics - The author of Stanley Kubrick: American Filmmaker Ali Oshinskie - A reporter covering the Naugatuck River Valley for Connecticut Public Radio Coltan Scrivner - A PhD candidate in the Department of Comparative Human Development at The University of Chicago Catie Talarski - Senior director of storytelling and radio programming for Connecticut Public Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe and Cat Pastor contributed to this show.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There was no Wheelhouse this week because of live coverage of Amy Coney Barrett's Supreme Court confirmation hearing. In place of the Wheelhouse, here is a new program on Connecticut Public Radio called Disrupted. It's hosted by Khalilah Brown-Dean. She's a professor at Quinnipiac University and a panelist on the Wheelhouse. Disrupted looks at how the pandemic and the Black Lives Matter movement have changed the United States. Khalilah and her guests make sense of it all. Check out Disrupted's web page!Support the show: http://wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Something different is happening in America at this moment. Do you feel it? We want to hear from you. Call us during our live show Tuesday, from 1 to 2 p.m., at 888-720-9677 or 888-720-WNPR. People across America are protesting the same police brutality against black Americans that never seems to stop. America has suffered more deaths from COVID-19 than any other nation, and we still don't have a federal plan to deal with it, despite the efforts of health care workers and scientists. President Trump had threatened to deploy the military if the state officials he first felt the need to denigrate couldn't control the looting in their locales. He proceeded to order the police to use tear gas and flash grenades to disperse peaceful protesters so that he could pose in front of a burned church with a Bible in his hand. Let's not forget the President's efforts to disenfranchise the same voters he's gassing by trying to prevent them from voting in November. Are we finally at a turning point where we can no longer tolerate the lies and cruelty of the last three years? GUEST: Lawrence Douglas - Author of Will He Go? Trump and the Looming Electoral Meltdown in 2020 Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe, Cat Pastor, and Catie Talarski contributed to this show.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Connecticut will reopen some businesses on May 20, as coronavirus-related hospitalizations continue to decrease. This may be good news for business owners and unemployed workers, and for those looking for a glimmer of light at the end of a long tunnel. It may be scary for people with greater risk for having severe illness from COVID-19 and front-line workers with greater exposure. The bottom line is that we still don't fully understand this virus. And, not all of the 40 states set to reopen are prepared to scale up the testing, tracing, and isolating necessary to prevent a spike in the curve. We must remain vigilant in the absence of a vaccine, and the lag time it will take for a spike to emerge. We talk with a virologist about the search for a vaccine and an emergency doctor about the risks of reopening too early. We want to hear from you too. Call us at 888-720-9677 or 888-720-WNPR. GUESTS: Brianne Barker - Associate professor of biology at Drew University and a co-host of the podcast This Week in Virology (@bioprofbarker) Leana Wen - An emergency physician and public health professor at George Washington University; she previously served as Baltimore's health commissioner and is a contributing columnist for The Washington Post (@DrLeanaWen) Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe and Cat Pastor contributed to this show.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

One can't help but wonder if the President understands that getting through this pandemic will not be a quick sprint. On Thursday, the Trump Administration announced guidelines for states to begin reopening the economy, with a goal to begin by May 1. On Friday, the President personally encouraged protesters in Michigan, Minnesota, and Virginia, to "liberate" their states from onerous social-distancing guidelines imposed by their Democratic governors. On Saturday, protesters from other states joined the fray. Social distancing seems to be flattening the curve but we haven’t yet turned a corner. The U.S. averaged 30,000 new cases of Covid-19 during the five days leading up to Friday, April 17. Yet, there’s a good chance the Trump Administration will encourage a partial reopening before we’ve significantly increased testing or set up the infrastructure needed to trace the contacts of the infected. How do we continue in the shadow of Coronavirus? We want to hear from you. Call us at (888)-720-9677 or (888)-720-WNPR. What have you learned you can live without? How has your life changed? What do you envision life will be like this time next year? GUEST: Ed Yong covers science for The Atlantic. He’s that author of I Contain Multitudes: The Microbes Within Us and a Grander Way of Life (@edyong209) Martha Gulati is the Chief of Cardiology and Physician Executive Director, Banner Health Institute, at the University of Arizona-Phoenix. She is the Editor-in-Chief of CardioSmart, a patient education website by the American College of Cardiology. @DrMarthaGulati Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We like to open the phones and hear what's on your minds. We never know what you're going to say but we love that you call us to say it. Colin would like to start with the Oscar nominations. You let us know where you want to go from there. Maybe you want to stay there. Call us at (888) 720-9677, which is also (888) 720-WNPR. You can also tweet us @wnprcolin or leave us a message on Facebook. Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We had intended to run the debut episode of our new other show, Pardon Me (Another Damn Impeachment Show?), in our hour today. But then the Democrats unveiled two articles of impeachment against President Trump. And so suddenly airing a show from last weekend seemed like a bad idea. So instead, we take to the airwaves with you as our only guest. Call in and let Colin know what you're thinking: 888-720-WNPR (888-720-9677). Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe, Eugene Amatruda, Robyn Doyon-Aitken, and Catie Talarski contributed to this show.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Are there countries where harmonica players are BIG stars? Why don't more women play it? How many different musical styles can you squeeze out of one of these things? Guests include a lot of the pros: Howard Levy, Don DeStefano and Chris DePino whose odd career arc has taken him from railroad conductor to chairman of the Connecticut Republican Party to professional harmonica player. Also, Wolfie gets an on-air harmonica lesson from these gods of the harp.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Watchmen is a limited series of comic books that became a graphic novel in 1987 and a feature film in 2009. And now it's an HBO series from Damon Lindelof that acts as a kind of sequel to the original comics, set 34 years later. And: Today is John Dankosky's last day at Connecticut Public after 25 years. There is just no denying that WNPR wouldn't be what it is -- and The Colin McEnroe Show wouldn't be at all -- if it weren't for Mr. Dankosky. The Nose tries to begin to come to terms. Some other stuff that happened this week, give or take: I Showed My 7-Year-Old 'Jaws' and I Regret NothingSure, horror movies can horrify children. But they can also heighten the senses and awaken the analytical mind. The Mainstream Media Is Not Playing GamesWith its new vertical Launcher, The Washington Post is the latest big outlet to dedicate resources to covering video games in a comprehensive manner. But past efforts have failed at publications like Rolling Stone and Variety -- so why is this time going to be different? Game of Thrones Creators Chose a Weird Time to Confirm They Had No Idea What They Were DoingAs David Benioff and D.B. Weiss put it during a fan panel over the weekend, during the show's early days, "Everything we could make a mistake in, we did." Kickball Umpire Sues South Carolina Mayor, Saying He Was Fired Over a CallA lawyer for the umpire is calling for the governor and the state attorney general to open a misconduct investigation into Michael A. Lockliear, the mayor of Moncks Corner. Peter Luger Used to Sizzle. Now It Sputters. G/O Media Tells Deadspin Staff in Leaked Memo: Stick to SportsSports—and sports alone—must be "the sole focus" of the website, new management said Monday in a memo obtained by The Daily Beast. Let's All Stop Mindlessly Clicking and Sharing Zombie Links Ten Years Ago, I Called Out David Letterman. This Month, We Sat Down to Talk.It's not often that you speak truth to power and power responds, "Oops, sorry," writes former Letterman writer Nell Scovell. 'Baby, It's Cold Outside' Gets Update for the #MeToo EraJohn Legend and Kelly Clarkson replaced lyrics that some considered an allusion to date rape. Gone: "Say, what's in this drink?" New: "It's your body, and your choice." GUESTS: John Dankosky - Namesake of The Dankosky Building on heartbroken Asylum Hill in Hartford Jeff Cohen - Connecticut Public Radio's news director, which Mr. Dankosky used to be Sam Hatch - Co-hosts The Culture Dogs on Sunday nights on WWUH Ned Lamont - The 89th governor of Connecticut Dannel Malloy - The 13th chancellor of the University of Maine system; was, until this January, the 88th governor of Connecticut Ralph Nader - Mr. Dankosky's neighbor, among other things Lucy Nalpathanchil - Hosts Where We Live on WNPR, which Mr. Dankosky used to do Carolyn Paine - An actress, comedian, and dancer; founder, director, and choreographer of CONNetic Dance Chion Wolf - Our technical producer and announcer Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe and Tucker Ives contributed to this show.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You responded so enthusiastically to our all-call show last Monday, we decided to try it again this week. What's on your mind? The world is you oyster, at least from 1-2 pm this afternoon. Not sure what you want to talk about? Worried about the economy? Trump's 'loyalty' test for Jewish Democrats? Who's in and who's out of the next Democratic debate? No debate on climate change? The president taking a toll on our national psyche? How about 29-year-old NFL star Andrew Luck retiring over health concerns? These are suggestions. We're more interested in what you want to talk about. (We even had a proctologist call in last week to remind people to get their colonoscopy) And we're (still) excited about our new toll-free call-in number. So, give us a call at 888-720-WNPR. That's 888-720-9677. Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We've got no guests today. So much of the burden of making today's show any good at all rests with, well: you. We can talk about pretty much whatever you want. The economy. Plastic bags. Greenland. The Little League Classic. 2020. Or 2020. Or 2020. Or 2020. Oh! And we've got a brand new (and toll-free) call-in line that we're pretty excited about: 888-720-WNPR. That's 888-720-9677. Call in, today at 1:00 pm.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Last fall, after United Technologies Corp. announced it would spin off its Otis Elevator and Carrier divisions, then Governor-elect Ned Lamont vowed he would watch the Farmington-based conglomerate "like a hawk" to retain its workforce in Connecticut. But this weekend's news that UTC would merge with Raytheon Co., and move its headquarters to Waltham, MA., came with little advanced notice to the Lamont administration. But should it have been all that surprising? Especially given the draw of major economic hubs like Boston, and what some see as a lack of priority by the General Assembly to adequately address the state's relatively stagnant job growth over the past decade? Today, with Lucy Nalpathanchil from WNPR's Where We Live in the host seat, we assess the political and economic ramifications of UTC's plans. What lessons can the state learn from this latest hit? We also grade the governor on his ability to herd the General Assembly during the regular legislative session. And we preview the special session likely to be gaveled in later this summer.Support the show: http://wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tang was born and raised in Hartford, CT and the Greater Hartford area. He has been involved in the Tri- State arts scene for years involved in productions like "Afropunk Battle of the Bands", "Under the curtain (A Hip- Hop cultural exchange between Russia and USA)", and WNPR's "Where we live" show. He has hosted the Trinity International Hip Hop Festival, has his own pandora.com station, and has been featured on the cover of Connecticut newspaper CTNOW. Tang brings various Hip-Hop flows with a cultured perspective, with which he spreads peace, love, and positivity. To appropriately stalk Tang: @bangdollatang all social media. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/thecreativealchemist/support

Road Trip! We're coming to you from Newman’s Own in Westport, CT, where we talk to the kid chefs who won Newman’s Own Super Snack Challenge and talk to chef Michel Nischan about the future of farming (it’s vertical!). Plus, we sip two food-friendly $10 Napa-style wines, and talk to Newman’s Own President and CEO Bob Forrester about the legacy of Paul Newman and the company’s truly unique approach to business. It’s an uplifting hour of food, wine, and friendship! Disclosure: Newman’s Own Foundation is an underwriter with WNPR, NPR, and other public radio stations.Support the show: https://foodschmooze.org/donate/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Lewiston Blue Devils huddle before a game. (Amy Bass) An unusual asylum case in Massachusetts has a woman suing the federal government. A program in Maine is providing mental health to police. In Vermont, a group of war veterans are helping their colleagues by getting into the whiskey business. Also a new book, One Goal, tells the story of Lewiston, Maine, a divided town with an influx of refugees which finds common ground through soccer. And we’ll reflect on the Boston Marathon bombings, which happened five years ago this week. It’s NEXT. The Future Of Asylum-Seekers In a February 2017 photo, ICE officials arrest a foreign national during a targeted enforcement operation. (Charles Reed/U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement via AP) Recently, a Central American woman applying for Asylum in Boston showed up to an appointment and answered questions for an hour. But the official marked her as absent from the appointment. WBUR’s Shannon Dooling reports on what happened, and what it means for the future of asylum-seekers in Massachusetts. The Mental Trauma Facing Maine Police A Burlington Police Officer keeps watch outside a building. (Taylor Dobbs for VPR) Police officers have shorter lifespans than average citizens and are more prone to commit suicide. For years, a stoic police culture has made it difficult for many to admit they may struggle with mental health issues. Maine Public Radio’s Fred Bever reports first responders around Maine are getting some new tools to help improve their psychological well-being. Vermont Veterans Open Distillery Zac Fike (L) and Matt Kehaya (R) work on a batch of beer at 14th Star Brewing Company. 14th Star donates proceeds from every batch to local nonprofits. Courtesy of Danger Close Craft Distilling A group of Vermont veterans is joining the craft distilling business. They’re using it as an opportunity to give back to others who have served. Rebecca Sheir tells the story of this Vermont distillery. How A Soccer Team Saved A Changing New England Town Coach Mike McGraw and the Lewiston Blue Devils during practice. (Amy Bass) In the late 1990s, Lewiston, Maine was in the midst of an economic downturn. But that all changed in 2001 when thousands of Somali refugees began arriving in the city. Over the decade, 7,000 African immigrants moved to the city of 36,000. And Lewiston was not always welcoming. In 2002 the mayor wrote a letter to the Somali community urging them to tell their friends and families to stop coming. One student wrote “Go back to Africa” on a mirror at a Lewiston high school. But attitudes towards the refugee community began to change when Coach Mike McGraw discovered that many of the young immigrants had a talent for soccer. As these students began to join the team and win more games, the city began to accept the new population. Amy Bass tells the story of this team changed the town in her new book, One Goal: A Coach, A Team, And the Game that Brought a Divided Town Together. She joins us this week to tell us how the team is on a quest for their first state championship. Click here for an excerpt from Amy’s book and more photos of the Lewiston soccer team. 122nd Boston Marathon Runners pour over the Mass Pike overpass at mile 25 in the 2014 Boston Marathon. (Jesse Costa for WBUR) This weekend, the greater Boston area will compete in the 122nd Boston Marathon. This race marks five years since two bombs exploded at the finish line, killing 3 people and injuring many more. We speak with WBUR’s Alex Ashlock, who has been covering the race for 20 years to hear what we can expect from this year’s Marathon. While the bombing will always be remembered for the tragedy on Boylston Street, it has created an unexpected legacy for one survivor and an army veteran. WBUR’s Shira Springer tells the story of how the bombing changed their lives and created innovation in trauma medicine. About NEXT NEXT is produced at Connecticut Public Radio. Host: John Dankosky Produced with help this week from Lily Tyson, Ali Oshinskie Special thanks to Carlos Mejia Executive Producer: Catie Talarski Contributors to this episode: Shannon Dooling, Fred Bever, Rebecca Sheir, Alex Ashlock, Shira Springer Music: Todd Merrell, “New England” by Goodnight Blue Moon, “Green Mountain State” by Corinna Rose & The Rusty Horse Band, “Kala” by Ali Farka Touré and Toumani Diabaté, “A Million Reasons” by Lady Gaga, “Homeless California” by Monplaisir Stream every episode of NEXT. We appreciate your feedback! Send critiques, suggestions, questions, and ideas to next@wnpr.org. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter. Next time on NEXT… we’ll discuss why so many young people are leaving New England. We'd like to hear from you. Are you planning on leaving the region? Or maybe you just got settled? Tell us your story. Send a voice recording to NEXT at WNPR dot org. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

View of the March for Our Lives rally at the N.H. State House on March 24, 2018. (Sean Hurley/NHPR) This week, we look into what’s next for clean energy in Massachusetts since the rejection of the Northern Pass project. We hear from reporters around the region about a new project that was selected in late March. Students around the country marched for increased gun control measures and we discuss some actions states can take to reduce gun-related deaths. Plus, have you ever heard of the “Northeast Kingdom”? A small section of Vermont has earned the nickname, but how? Finally, we look into how colonial Americans created the system of weights and measurements that define our world today. It’s NEXT. Hydroelectric Power to Massachusetts  Map of the New England Clean Energy Connect line. Massachusetts energy officials have decided on a new project to bring Canadian hydroelectric power to the state. The project is the New England Clean Energy Connect and will run transmission lines through Maine to the Bay State. This comes after regulators in New Hampshire refused the Northern Pass project to run through their state. We check-in with WBUR’s Bruce Gellerman, MPR’s Fred Bever, and NHPR’s Annie Ropiek to hear how this decision was reached, and what’s next. To read more about the history of this energy endeavor, and other energy-related news from New England, visit “The Big Switch: New England’s Energy Moment.” Students March for School Safety  Two marchers outside the State House. (Sean Hurley/NHPR) Students around the country marched for increased gun control measures in March for Our Lives events last weekend. NHPR’s Sean Hurley spoke with students, teachers, and protesters at one march in New Hampshire. And, the debate continues: how can states reduce the number of gun-related deaths? The Boston Globe has laid out the steps Massachusetts has taken to reduce deaths and highlights how the country can follow their lead in their editorial, “7 Steps. 27,000 Lives.” We speak to their Editorial Editor, Ellen Clegg, on why the Globe chose to wrap their newspaper in shocking statistics to highlight this hotly debated topic. Welcome to The Northeast Kingdom  Cross Street in Island Pond. This month on ‘Brave Little State,’ we answer just how “different” the Northeast Kingdom is from the rest of Vermont. (Angela Evancie / VPR) Have you ever heard of the Northeast Kingdom? One Vermonter asked VPR’s “Brave Little State” podcast about whether the Northeast Kingdom is really so different from the rest of the state. We hear about the surprising ways the region differs from the rest of the state while also maintaining its unique Vermont character. Weights and Measures Why was standardizing weights and measures such a priority for colonial Americans? WNPR’s Patrick Skahill finds the method behind the measurements. Minor League Singers  Hartford Yard Goats Home Opener in 2017. (Ryan Caron King / Connecticut Public) This week, minor and major league baseball teams will have their opening days. But it’s not just the players who are warming up for their first day out on the field. NEPR’s Tema Silk visits singers who are having tryouts in the hopes of performing the national anthem at Dunkin Donuts Park for the Hartford Yard Goats. About NEXT NEXT is produced at WNPR. Host: John Dankosky Produced with help this week from Lily Tyson and Ali Oshinskie Executive Producer: Catie Talarski Contributors to this episode: Bruce Gellerman, Fred Bevers, Annie Ropiek, Sean Hurley, Angela Evancie, Patrick Skahill, Tema Silk Music: Todd Merrell, “New England” by Goodnight Blue Moon, “Sunrise Blues” by Samuel James, “Johnny Appleseed” by Dar Williams Stream every episode of NEXT. We appreciate your feedback! Send critiques, suggestions, questions, and ideas to next@wnpr.org.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

President Donald Trump has declared opioid abuse a national health emergency. But that’s not news to the people of New Hampshire where the death rate from addiction is twice the national average. That’s why President Trump chose Manchester, New Hampshire to deliver a speech about the national epidemic this week. We check-in on two groups affected by this crisis, who are often overlooked: the recovery community and first responders, many of whom are suffering from “compassion fatigue.” Plus, six months after Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico, we re-visit Connecticut’s efforts to help evacuees resettle in the state. President Trump Speaks in New Hampshire Director John Burns of SOS Recovery teaches a training on “compassion fatigue” in Dover.(Paige Sutherland/NHPR) NHPR’s Paige Sutherland reports on how first responders and those working in the recovery field in New Hampshire are dealing with the pressures of responding to drug overdoses in the state. It’s a phenomenon called “compassion fatigue,” and experts are working to provide resources to help groups deal with it. In President Trump’s New Hampshire speech, he focused on his administration’s efforts to curb the opioid epidemic. Trump also took the opportunity to call-out, once again, the MS-13 gang. The gang was started in California by immigrants from El Salvador, and Trump has mentioned them in the past to promote his immigration policies. WBUR’s Shannon Dooling reports how citizens of West Brookfield suspect the gang is taking hold of their small Massachusetts town after a family of four was murdered. Six Months After Hurricane Maria, Evacuees Remain in Connecticut Aura Alvarado helped run the relief center in Hartford. She says there’s still a need for services for hurricane evacuees.(Ryan Caron King/Connecticut Public Radio) In the six months since Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico, hundreds of families from the island have found new homes in Connecticut. When they arrived in the state, many of these families were greeted by Hartford’s Hurricane Relief Center. Last week, the Relief Center closed. WNPR’s Ryan Caron King reports on how future evacuees will be able to find help without the aid of the city’s Relief Center. Meanwhile, nearly 1,800 Puerto Rican students have entered the Connecticut public school system. One Connecticut university has opened its doors to evacuees who wanted to take classes in the short term. WNPR’s Vanessa de la Torre reports that six months after the storm students are facing questions about their future. For more stories about Puerto Rico and Connecticut after Hurricane Maria, visit “The Island Next Door.” Whales versus…Lobsters? The North Atlantic right whale is an endangered animal, but last year the species suffered a record number of deaths due to fishing gear entanglements and ship strikes. MPR’s Fred Bever discusses how the lobster industry is posing a serious threat to the future of the North Atlantic right whale. Concerns Over Oversight as Vermont’s Agriculture Industry Grows As Vermont’s agriculture industry is growing, VPR’s John Dillon speaks with a local activist who is worried about lax state oversight over large-scale dairy farming. Will Dowd’s Areas of Fog The weather in New England never makes any sense. It’s a fact we’re reminded of after our fourth consecutive Nor’easter in less than eight weeks. In his book, Areas of Fog, poet Will Dowd begins each essay with a weather report. We speak with Dowd about his collection and discuss how New England residents’ beliefs and relationship with the weather have changed over the centuries. New England’s Town Meetings Zeb Towne, of Duxbury, is reportedly the only elected dogcatcher in the United States. Last week he was reelected without opposition. (Amy Kolb Noyes/VPR) Town meetings are often considered to be the pinnacle of old-school New England democracy, but in Amherst, Massachusetts, the merit of a town meeting is up for debate. NEPR’s Ben James spoke to residents about why the tradition is up for a vote next month and why some are passionate about saving it. Finally, during a break in one Vermont town meeting, VPR’s Amy Kolb Noyes introduces us to one of the only elected dogcatchers in the country. About NEXT NEXT is produced at WNPR. Host: John Dankosky Produced with help this week from Lily Tyson Executive Producer: Catie Talarski Contributors to this episode: Paige Sutherland, Shannon Dooling, Ryan Caron King, Vanessa de la Torre, Fred Bever, John Dillon, Ben James, Amy Noyes Music: Todd Merrell, “New England” by Goodnight Blue Moon, “Homeless California” by Monplaisir, “Fireflies” by Lionel Cohen, “Stories We Build, Stories We Tell” by José González, “Tristane” by Oskar Schuseter Stream every episode of NEXT. We appreciate your feedback! Send critiques, suggestions, questions, and ideas to next@wnpr.org.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Students around New England participated in a national school walkout this past Wednesday, calling on Congress to pass stricter gun control laws. We look at efforts to keep students safe, through state models for gun control reforms, and Connecticut’s efforts to increase school security. Plus, we visit New Englanders touched by immigration: one New Hampshire man who is being deported, and a Rhode Island man who is in training to become a Customs and Border Protection officer. Student Safety A month after 17 people were killed in Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Flordia students across the country walked out of classrooms to protest gun laws. While these groups are calling for stricter gun control regulations nationally, some states are taking action into their own hands. WBUR's Anthony Brooks reports that states should use Connecticut's gun control success as a model for future reforms. Students in Hartford join the national walkout over gun violence. (Ryan Caron King/Connecticut Public Radio) While the effort has prioritized student safety, Connecticut has spent over $50 million on school security since 2013. But WNPR’s David DesRoches reports that private schools may be getting preferential treatment. Immigration in New England Top row (L) Ageth Okeny (R) Haitham Bol; Bottom row L-R: Sagda Bol, Magda Bol and Atka Bol. (Courtesy the Okeny Family.) One New Hampshire woman, Ageth Okeny, is trying to get her son help as he faces deportation. She brought her four kids, including her son, Haitham Bol, to America after fleeing war in Sudan eighteen years ago. Now Haitham has been told by ICE officers that he will be sent to South Sudan, a war-torn country that he has never visited. NHPR’s Robert Garrova tells the story of Ageth and Haitham. Meanwhile, WBUR’s Shannon Dooling traveled Brunswick, Georgia to a facility that trains U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers (CBP), including a 26-year-old from Rhode Island. Maple Syrup Industry Sees Rise in Investors Maple sugar collection. (CC/USDA). Around the world, demand for one of New England’s most famous commodities, maple syrup, is growing. But due to the increase in demand, investors are traveling to Vermont to get into the syrup business, creating tension between price and production. VPR’s Lorne Matalon reports on how outside investors are affecting Vermont’s maple syrup industry. New England’s “New” Culture The last three issues of Take Magazine. Take Magazine‘s tagline is “New England’s New Culture”. Instead of focusing on traditional New England images, like lighthouses, lobsters, and Plymouth Rock, the magazine cataloged New England’s art scene. Despite their unique mission, the magazine has just released its final issue (archived issues are still available online). We revisit a conversation with the magazine’s publisher, Michael Kusek, on where New England has been, and what direction it is moving towards. About NEXT NEXT is produced at WNPR. Host: John Dankosky Producer: Andrea Muraskin, with help this week from Lily Tyson Executive Producer: Catie Talarski Contributors to this episode: Anthony Brooks, David DesRoches, Robert Garrova, Shannon Dooling, Lorne Matalon Music: Todd Merrell, “New England” by Goodnight Blue Moon, “Unsquare Dance” by Dave Brubeck Get all the NEXT episodes. We appreciate your feedback! Send critiques, suggestions, questions, and ideas to next@wnpr.org.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A Guatemalan family living in Massachusetts faces a painful separation. Organic dairy farmers feel the squeeze of low prices and production quotas. And we talk to two communities on opposite sides of the political spectrum who are opting for dialogue over division. Plus, we hear the true story behind the legend of a notorious Rhode Island shipwreck; and learn how artists make a living in New England and beyond. WBUR's Shannon Dooling fills in for John Dankosky this week. Isidro Macario waits at security as his travel documents are processed by ICE officers before boarding his flight. (Jesse Costa/WBUR) “They're Taking Them One-By-One” Isidro Macario, right, hugs his younger brother Erwin goodbye before being escorted by ICE officers to the boarding gate at Logan Airport. (Jesse Costa/WBUR) Saying goodbye at Boston's Logan Airport is a familiar, and painful scene for the four Macario brothers. Two years ago they said goodbye to their father when he was deported back to his native Guatemala after losing an asylum case. This week, the oldest brother, Isidro, faced the same fate. Accompanied by federal immigration officers through airport security, Isidro was bound for deportation back to Guatemala, where he was born. Shannon Dooling met with the family in Lynn, Massachusetts just a few days before Isidro was deported. Too Much Milk Randolph Center, Vt. farmer David Silloway offers free milk samples at the annual Farm Show. An oversupply of organic milk has stalled Silloway’s plans to earn a higher price for his product. (John Dillon/VPR) Organic dairy farmers are getting paid less because of an oversupply of their milk.The overabundance was enough to keep one major organic buyer from signing up with new farmers. For years, organic farming was a bright spot in the regional dairy economy. But as Vermont Public Radio’s John Dillon reports, organic milk sales are falling down, and so are the wages that farmers are paid. Reaching Out The election of President Donald Trump in 2016 left much of the country divided along strict partisan lines. But residents in Leverett, Massachusetts, a small, liberal town just north of Amherst, wanted to know more about the people who voted for Mr. Trump. To do that, they had to look outside of their own community. Paula Green, a professional conflict facilitator and co-founder of the Leverett Peace Commission led the charge. Her group reached out to conservative communities throughout the country, and they connected with one in Letcher County, Kentucky after reading an article written by a Connecticut native. Soon enough, the Leverett group was emailing back and forth with a community in the heart of coal country, many of whom were Trump voters. Last October, community members from Letcher County visited Leverett for a three-day workshop, facilitated by Green. In April, the Massachusetts residents will visit Kentucky. They call the project “Hands Across the Hills.” We got a group of women together on the phone– Paula Green and Danielle Barshak from Leverett, and Gwen Johnson and Nell Fields of Letcher County– to talk about finding common ground, gaining an understanding of divergent positions, and forging friendships. Ghost Ship In 1738, a British merchant ship carrying immigrants from southwest Germany was grounded in a post-Christmas blizzard on the tip of Block Island. The storm and on-board sickness wiped out 200 passengers and crew members leaving, only 100 alive. The incident grew to a local legend as tales of murder, mutiny, and theft began swirling. Over centuries, islanders have reported seeing an apparition of a flaming ship off the coast of Block Island. Writer Jill Farinelli uncovers the true story of that shipwreck and its passengers in the new book The Palatine Wreck: The Legend of the New England Ghost Ship. The Business of Culture New England is often seen as a destination for history and natural beauty, but not necessarily as a hub for the arts. But New Englanders are known for being hard-working, thrifty, and ingenious. And consultant-turned-podcaster Lucas Spivey says those qualities are just as important for artists as a creative spark. Spivey travels the country interviewing artists about how they make a living from their art. He does that inside the “Mobile Incubator” – a retrofitted 1957 Shasta Trailer. Then he publishes those interviews on his podcast, Culture Hustlers. Mobile Incubator for Arts & Culture (LONG) from Mobile Incubator on Vimeo. Spivey spent part of last summer and fall as the public-artist-in-residence at the Boston Center for the Arts, where he interviewed local creators of different stripes. Now he's back at the BCA with a gallery show featuring works by artists from around the country. NEXT producer Andrea Muraskin met up with Spivey for a tour of the exhibition and for an insight into the hustle of creating culture in New England. Got a question about the business of the arts? Leave a voicemail for Lucas Spivey on the Culture Hustlers Hotline at 978- 712-8858. You just might get the answer in the form of a podcast. About NEXT NEXT is produced at WNPR. Guest Host this Week: Shannon Dooling Host: John Dankosky Producer: Andrea Muraskin Executive Producer: Catie Talarski Contributors to this episode: John Dillon, Shannon Dooling and Andrea Muraskin Special thanks this week to Ben Fink Music: Todd Merrell, “New England” by Goodnight Blue Moon, “Not for Nothing” by Otis McDonald, “Down the Line” by Romare Get all the NEXT episodes. We appreciate your feedback! Send critique, suggestions, praise, questions, story ideas, and stories about your hustle to next@wnpr.org.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, some favorites from the archive: From north of the border comes a fascinating story of land disputes, French Canadian pride, and massive dams that are set to supply more power to the New England grid. We also tour an old Hartford factory that's preparing for a new life as a food and jobs hub for a struggling neighborhood. And we get a taste of what's new about New England food. Hydro-Quebec’s Daniel-Johnson Dam and Manicoucagan Reservoir seen from a helicopter. Photo by Hannah McCarthy for NHPR The Power Up North New England has aggressive goals for renewable energy, but high energy costs here push us towards a balance between the cleanest sources, and the least expensive. Nuclear and natural gas account for the biggest chunk of our energy production currently. As we’ve reported, Massachusetts is reviewing proposals for offshore wind energy projects that could be the first of their size in the country.  But increasingly, policymakers and utilities are looking at our neighbors to the north. A map provided by Hydro-Quebec shows existing dams, transmission lines, and projects under construction. A vast network of hydroelectric dams powers the province of Quebec, with plenty of inexpensive energy to spare. These dams belong to Hydro-Quebec, an electric company owned by the Quebec government. They supply about ten percent of the power used by the New England grid. Several of these proposals for new transmission lines that would connect New England with Canadian hydro were among the bids for a twenty-year renewable energy contract with the state of Massachusetts. At the end of January Massachusetts picked just one project – the Northern Pass – a power line that would cut north to south across much of New Hampshire, owned and operated by Eversource. Dedicated listeners know what happened next. A week later, an early decision by New Hampshire Site Evaluation Committee brought those plans to a halt (and delayed the release of Episode 79 by a day as we scrambled to produce an update!) The committee denied Eversource a permit for the project because it would “unduly affect the orderly development of the region.” A famous 1962 campaign poster of the Quebec Liberal Party With Eversource about to head into an extensive appeals process, Massachusetts announced last week that the state will begin negotiations on another project to connect to Quebec's hydro power- this time in Maine. So it seems very likely, sooner or later, New England will be doing more business with Hydro-Quebec. But that company’s story includes a struggle over economic power, ancestral lands, and cultural pride that cuts deep in Quebec. Reporters Sam Evans-Brown and Hannah McCarthy traveled up north to bring that extraordinary tale back. If you haven’t listened yet, now is a great time to catch up on “Powerline,” a special series from the NHPR podcast Outside/In that dives deep into the history Hydro-Quebec and its clashes with native tribes. Sam and Hannah joined us to discuss what they learned. Turning Over a New Leaf Many New England cities used to be manufacturing hubs. Workers lived near where they worked and supported the other businesses that sprung up around them. Today, old factories are puzzles to solve. Some retain a bit of small manufacturing — others are converted into high-end lofts, artists' studios, and even world-class art museums, like MassMoCA in North Adams, Massachusetts. The Swift Factory building is tucked into a residential section of Hartford's Northeast neighborhood. Gold leaf. Photo via Pixabay Gold leaf, a thin, paper-like gold product, was manufactured there for over 100 years. Leaf produced at Swift adorned the dome atop the Connecticut capitol building and decorated the lettering on the sides of local fire trucks. The company was owned by a white family, the Swifts. And the neighborhood, which had mostly white immigrant residents early in the 1900s, gradually became African-American and West Indian. It still is today. The Swift Factory closed in 2005. A nonprofit called Community Solutions took ownership in 2010 and surveyed the neighborhood to figure out what to do with the site. Sometimes, a factory renovation can be an early sign of gentrification. But the plans for this particular building are a response to the needs and desires of the people already living here, representatives say. On a factory tour last summer, we learned about what’s to come. We also got a sense of what factory life was like from a woman who experienced it firsthand. Fresh Perspectives on New England Cuisine “Local” has become the most important word in the world of New England food. “Local” grass-fed beef, locally-made sheep's milk cheese, or restaurants that proudly list the names of local farmers that grow their food are all a growing part of this movement. Amy Traverso is senior food editor for Yankee Magazine and NewEngland.com, and she's been watching these trends. She's an expert in New England food, and an advocate for it. Traverso is also in charge of giving out Yankee Magazine's annual Editor's Choice Food Awards. Below: the 2017 winners. Traverso says chefs and food producers are challenging the notion of New England's traditional foods. She’s covering new spins on classic dishes: lobster on black rice with brown butter aioli and baked beans with pomegranate molasses. We spoke with her last fall. About NEXT NEXT is produced at WNPR. Host: John Dankosky Producer: Andrea Muraskin Executive Producer: Catie Talarski Contributors to this episode: Sam Evans-Brown, Hannah McCarthy Music: Todd Merrell, “New England” by Goodnight Blue Moon, “Like a Ship” by T.L. Barnett and the Youth for Christ Choir, “Adapt and Prosper” by Akrobatic Get all the NEXT episodes. We appreciate your feedback! Send critique, suggestions, praise, questions, story ideas, and flakes of gold leaf to next@wnpr.org.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New Bedford, Massachusetts is known for its profitable fishing port. It even draws visitors by celebrating Moby Dick, a novel inspired by whalers there. But facing a crackdown on fishing by regulators, the city is starting to look at another source of revenue – offshore wind. We take a look inside the hidden, often lucrative world of Vermont sheriffs, and mourn (or celebrate??) the end of L.L. Bean's lifetime return policy. Plus: responding to racism on campus through art, and Palestinian storytellers in Boston. A man looks at a harpoon display at the New Bedford Whaling Museum (John Bender/RIPR) Keeping Tabs on the Sheriff When Attorney General Jeff Sessions at a speech to the National Sheriffs Association said “The office of sheriff is a critical part of the Anglo-American heritage of law enforcement,” he prompted many shocked observers to wonder where that leaves people of color within that heritage. It's also thrown a pretty harsh spotlight on the job of sheriff. But do you even know who your sheriff is? In 2006, an anonymous whistleblower tipped the Vermont state auditor off to financial misdeeds in the Windham County Sheriff’s Department, which was led by Sheila Prue. If you live in Connecticut, that’s a trick question! County government is nonexistent in the Nutmeg State — that’s why there are no sheriffs — but it’s not very strong in other New England states either. While Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Massachusetts have elected sheriffs, their elections don’t get much attention. That lead a listener to the Vermont Public Radio podcast Brave Little State to ask: if voters aren't holding these elected officials accountable, then who is? VPR investigative reporter Emily Corwin dug in and joins us to share some surprising tales of sheriffs going bad — and virtually getting away with it. So, did that dog bed you purchased from LL Bean five years ago get chewed by its occupant? Up until last week, you could just take it back and get a replacement for no charge. But the iconic Maine company is changing its famous unconditional return policy — one that has been a part of the brand since it started more than a century ago. The change comes as a response to the growing number of customers who have been taking advantage of the policy. Maine Public Radio’s Patty Wight reports. “The Last Arrow,” by Thomas Moran, is one of the works slated for sale by the Berkshire Museum. Image courtesy of Sotheby’s And there are plenty of complaints about a deal the Massachusetts attorney general struck with Berkshire Museum. The deal allows, with some conditions, the museum to sell up to 40 works of art — including two Norman Rockwell paintings — to fund renovations and boost its endowment. A group of the museum’s members said it will press forward in a lawsuit attempting to block the sale. New England Public Radio’s Adam Frenier has more. A Maritime Past and Future in New Bedford Boats docked at the Port of New Bedford. (Lynn Arditi/RIPR) New Bedford, Massachusetts was on the front page of the New York Times this week. The headline: “A Famed Fishing Port Shudders as Its Codfather Goes to Jail.” Back in October, fishing magnate Carlos Rafael, also known as “the Codfather,” was sentenced to 46 months in federal prison for mislabeling his catch and money-laundering. But with Rafael behind bars, the men who worked for him are barred from catching groundfish with his boats. Some of Rafael's boats and permits have even been seized by regulators. And as the Times reports, the ripple effects can be felt across the usually bustling port of New Bedford, which has gone eerily quiet. Visitors listen to Moby Dick read aloud, during the annual Moby Dick Marathon at the New Bedford Whaling Museum. (John Bender/RIPR) Yet while the fishing sector sits in limbo, another industry is just gearing up off Massachusetts' South Shore — offshore wind. Right now, the Commonwealth is developing what could be the nation's first large-scale offshore wind project, and New Bedford wants to be a big part of it. Rhode Island Public Radio's environmental reporter Avory Brookins takes a look at that city's bet on offshore wind energy. In the mid 19th Century, New Bedford was one of the world’s whaling capitals. The whaling industry is long gone, but New Bedford is drawing in fans of the world most famous leviathan. RIPR’s John Bender has the story. The RIPR newsroom has been exploring New Bedford for their series “One Square Mile,” and there’s lot’s more at ripr.org. RIPR and the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth are holding a public forum on Wednesday, February 21 called “After the Codfather: The Future of New Bedford’s Fishing Industry.” Admission is free, registration required. Cultural Catharsis A painting of Trayvon Martin was part of a performance piece by Imo Nse Imeh at Westfield State University. (Jill Kaufman) NEPR An art professor recently spent four days painting a six-foot-tall portrait of Trayvon Martin, while spectators came and went. The performance took place at Westfield State University, near Springfield, Massachusetts, where last semester there were numerous reports of racist messages left around campus. New England Public Radio’s Jill Kaufman reports. Nadia Abuelezam performs on stage at “Palestinians, Live!” a night of storytelling in Cambridge, Mass, on January 28. Photo by Annie Sinsabaugh When we hear about Palestinians in the news, it's usually in the context of conflicts or negotiations with Israel. With their stories being so highly politicized, the personal narratives of Palestinians don't often make it to American ears. Nadia Abuelezam, a Palestinian-American living in the Boston area, wants to change that. In 2015, she launched an event series called Palestinians, Live! featuring true stories told on stage. The stories are later released on Palestinians Podcast, which Nadia also created. Reporter Annie Sinsabaugh went to a recent Palestinians, Live! event at the Oberon Theater in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where she found not only entertainment but a community. About NEXT NEXT is produced at WNPR. Host: John Dankosky Producer: Andrea Muraskin Executive Producer: Catie Talarski Contributors to this episode: Emily Corwin, Patty Wight, Adam Frenier, Patrick Skahill, Avory Brookins, John Bender, Jill Kaufman and Annie Sinsabaugh Music: Todd Merrell, Ben Cosgrove, “New England” by Goodnight Blue Moon, “Sama’i” and “Julnar” by Huda Asfour, “September Mountains” by “DrumTamTam” Get all the NEXT episodes. We appreciate your feedback! Send critique, suggestions, questions, story leads, and diaspora stories to next@wnpr.org. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The world of renewable energy doesn't seem like one that would be filled with drama. But that's just what we had this week, when a New Hampshire governing body decided to deny a permit for a massive transmission project. We talk to our panel of energy reporters about what it will take to get green power to New England. Plus, Maine’s lobster population has been booming, and new research points to some reasons why. And we sit down with the man behind Take Magazine – an ambitious, but ultimately unsustainable magazine that attempted to tell a story about New England’s arts and culture. “Black Madonna.” Public artwork created by Cedric “Vise” Douglas and Julz Roth for the Beyond Walls Mural Festival in Lynn, Mass. Featured in the final issue of Take Magazine. Photo courtesy of Beyond Walls and Christopher Gaines of the Littlest Astronaut Northern Pass Wins in Mass, Loses at Home Massachusetts has been looking to increase the amount of renewable energy it gets to serve its growing population. As we've reported, there are many suitors to try and serve that need, from small-scale solar farms to big transmission projects. After a lot of lobbying dollars spent, the Commonwealth picked one big power line to cover a sizable portion of its energy needs for the next 20 years, to the surprise of many observers. A sign protesting Northern Pass stood in the parking lot Wednesday outside the building where the New Hampshire Site Evaluation Committee met to discuss whether to greenlight the project. (Annie Ropeik/NHPR) That power line is known as Northern Pass – a  controversial project which would transmit Canadian hydro-electric power by cutting through nearly 200 miles, traversing New Hampshire from north to south. The drama came Thursday, when the New Hampshire Site Evaluation Committee voted unanimously to deny a permit to Eversource to build Northern Pass, citing concerns that the power line would harm the state’s economy. Eversource has promised to appeal the decision in court. So what does this decision mean for Northern Pass, and for other projects that hope to bring renewable energy to the New England grid? We speak with New Hampshire Public Radio energy reporter Annie Ropeik, Vermont Public Radio’s John Dillon and Connecticut Public Radio’s Patrick Skahill. Hydro-Quebec’s Daniel-Johnson Dam seen from a helicopter. (Hannah McCarthy/NHPR) There’s another story behind this one: about the massive Canadian hydro-electric dams that would provide inexpensive, reliable power to Northern Pass and other proposed transmission lines from Quebec to New England. To hear that fascinating tale, we highly recommend the series “Powerline” from the NHPR podcast Outside/In. Or for a condensed treatment, check out Episode 72 of the NEXT podcast. Lobster Tails A female lobster bearing eggs. When Maine lobster harvesters find a lobster like this, they put a notch in its tail and throw it back. That way, other fishermen will know not to harvest a fertile female. (Gulf of Maine Research Institute) It's either boom or bust for New England's lobster industry, depending on where you're looking. The southern lobster fishery — in Long Island Sound and off the coasts of Rhode Island and Massachusetts — is in trouble. Climate Change has contributed to die-offs, and the lobster population has largely moved North. That's great news for Maine fishermen, who've seen record lobster landings this century. New research concludes that the conservation techniques pioneered in Maine have helped drive that boom. And as Maine Public Radio's Fred Bever reports, researchers say those same techniques could have slowed the collapse of the Southern New England lobster fishery. The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, which regulates interstate fishing, has started an effort to better gauge the East Coast lobster population. The commission says their assessment of lobsters will be complete by  2020. The goal is to evaluate the health of the lobster population, and to improve management of the species. We called Megan Ware, Fishery Management Plan Coordinator for the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, to learn more. Reflections on “New England’s New Culture” The last three issues of Take. What are some of the first things you think when you hear the words “New England?” Lighthouses? Pilgrims? Paul Revere? Autumn leaves? Lobster? That list – filled with history and nature – helps form our perceptions of the place; even though New England is also filled with world class museums, galleries and performing arts. Michael Kusek is the publisher of Take, based in Holyoke, Mass. (Courtesy Michael Kusek) That's the perception that a magazine called Take fought against when it launched in 2015. It's tagline: “New England's New Culture.” Operating out of Holyoke, Massachusetts with a staff of ten, Take puts out beautiful print issues bimonthly. The magazine is filled with profiles of artists all over our region, and there's also a website highlighting things to do. But last week, Take published their final issue. Our guest, publisher Michael Kusek, says he learned a lot about the arts in New England – and the challenges of spreading the word. Visit our Facebook page to view a gallery of photographs from Take‘s reporting around the region. While you're there, leave a note about something going on in the arts in your corner of New England, and we'll be sure to share with our followers. About NEXT NEXT is produced at WNPR. Host: John Dankosky Producer: Andrea Muraskin Executive Producer: Catie Talarski Contributors to this episode: Annie Ropeik, John Dillon, Patrick Skahill and Fred Bever Music: Todd Merrell, “New England” by Goodnight Blue Moon Get all the NEXT episodes. We appreciate your feedback! Send critique, suggestions, questions, story leads, and fan art to next@wnpr.org.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, some interviews and stories from the archive. We look at the data on gun deaths in Vermont, and think through ways to prevent suicides in places where gun ownership is part of life for many. Plus, Orange is the New Black actress Yael Stone reveals the thinking behind her character’s blend of Boston and Brookyln accents, and we talk with a linguist about how the way New Englanders talk is changing. Also, wicked powda, wicked cheap: a visit to a down-home mountain where skiing is affordable for the masses. Can you spot the dialect difference in this bagel shop menu? From the (now closed) Bagel Basement in Hanover, New Hampshire. Courtesy of James Stanford Under the Gun For many people in Vermont, guns are a way of life. Unlike more populous, more urban states in our region, Vermonters own guns at a higher rate, and fiercely protect their gun rights. That means looser gun laws than in Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island; but also a higher per capita rate of gun deaths than in those states. Reporters at Vermont Public Radio looked into the numbers behind this reality, and found some surprising data and personal stories.  They learned that 420 people died from gunshot wounds in Vermont between 2011 and 2016. Eighty-nine percent of those deaths were suicides. Data visualization by Taylor Dobbs for Vermont Public Radio Cragin’s Gun Shop in Rutland, Vt. primarily serves hunters. Owner John Cragin said suicide is a tricky issue – but if he has any doubts about selling someone a gun, he won’t make the sale. Photo by Liam Elder-Connors for VPR Our guest Taylor Dobbs produced the reporting project “Gunshots: Vermont Gun Deaths, 2011-2016″ last summer, when he was digital reporter at Vermont Public Radio. (Dobbs is now an investigative and statehouse reporter for Seven Days.) We were also joined by Matthew Miller, M.D., a professor of health sciences and Epidemiology at Northeastern University and co-director of the Harvard Injury Control Research Center. VPR has made the death certificate data gathered for the project public. You can find a spreadsheet here. The Shifting New England Accent The Netflix prison drama “Orange is the New Black” features a woman with a Boston-flavored accent. Bit this character's way of talking is complicated, and so is her story. Developing that sound brought actress Yael Stone to Boston. There, she she met up with WBUR’s Sarah Rose Brenner, who has this report. A linguistic map based on 626 recent recordings collected by James Stanford and others from speakers around New England. Speakers in the red areas tend to pronounce the vowels in the words “lot” and “thought” the same way. Speakers in blue areas tend to pronounce the vowels in each word differently. Dropped Rs and long As can be heard, of course, not only in Boston, but across much of New England. Yet in a 2012 paper published in the Journal of American Speech, Dartmouth College linguist James Stanford and his colleagues made the case that a classic New England accent is receding. In a recent study, Stanford and his partners used an online crowd-sourcing tool to reach over 600 speakers around the region. This big data set allowed them to tease out subtle differences in the way people from different parts of New England talk. Their results will be published this year in American Speech. James Stanford joined us to discuss some of his team’s findings. Chaeyoon Kim, Sravana Reddy, Ezra Wyschogrod, and Jack Grieve are co-authors on the study. For a deep dive into the Vermont accent, we highly recommend the very first episode of Vermont Public Radio’s podcast Brave Little State. Are you proud of your accent? A little embarrassed? Or maybe you don't have an accent at all (or you don't think you do!) Tell us about it on Twitter or Facebook. You can also record yourself –or your loved one– on your phone’s voice recorder/ voice memo app. Send a clip to next@wnpr.org. Powder to the People A hand-painted sign hangs on the wall at the Veterans Memorial Recreation Area in Franklin, New Hampshire. Photo courtesy of NHPR. Here in New England, downhill skiing comes with a high price tag and a ritzy reputation. A lift ticket at Sugarloaf in Maine will run you $95, and at Jay Peak in Vermont, the price is $84. Even at Ski Sundown, a small mountain in Connecticut, getting on the slopes on a Saturday or Sunday costs $60. But at Veterans Memorial Ski Area in Franklin, New Hampshire, admission is just $20. Instead of a chair lift, there's a metal bar that goes behind the thighs, attached to a rope that pulls skiers up the 230-foot hill. Once upon a time, these no-frills ski areas were the rule in New England, rather than the exception. So what happened? The team at New Hampshire Public Radio’s podcast Outside/In went to Franklin to figure out how skiing “got fancy.” For more, listen to the full Outside/In episode, “Gnar Pow.” Connecticut is not known for big mountains. But if you travel to the far northwest corner, the Berkshires rise to nearly 2400 feet in the tiny town of Salisbury. It's there that you find a little piece of Nordic sporting history. For 92 years, Salisbury has been hosting “Jumpfest,” a celebration of ski jumping. During the main event, skiers in brightly colored suits fly off a snow-covered ramp, on top of a 220-foot hill. Spectators ring cowbells and drink hot toddies, but this isn't just for fun. The competition is a qualifier for the junior nationals, and most of the jumpers on the big hill are between 12 and 16. NEXT producer Andrea Muraskin paid a visit to last year’s festival and brought back this audio postcard. The 2018 Jumpfest runs February 9 through 11, and is open to the public. About NEXT NEXT is produced at WNPR. Host: John Dankosky Producer: Andrea Muraskin Executive Producer: Catie Talarski Contributors to this episode: Taylor Dobbs, Sarah Rose Brenner, Sam Evans-Brown, Jimmy Gutierrez, and Maureen McMurray Music: Todd Merrell, “New England” by Goodnight Blue Moon Get all the NEXT episodes. We appreciate your feedback! Send praise, critique, suggestions, questions, story leads, and recordings of your uncle’s accent to next@wnpr.org.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A woman who's widely referred to as the “original Dreamer” weighs in on the current moment in immigration. A young man shares a tale of rising above poverty, homelessness, and undocumented status. Plus, does Boston deserve its racist reputation, and what's being done to move beyond it? We discuss takeaways from the Boston Globe's series on racism with columnist Adrian Walker. We get a critical look at offshore wind from across the pond, and rethink a potato-focused school break. Tereza Lee, center, protests in New York City on Wednesday. Lee – whose parents brought her to the U.S. as a child without documents – reached out to Sen. Richard Durbin about her family’s status as a teenager. Durbin would go on to introduce the DREAM Act in Congress.  (Courtesy Tereza Lee) They Had a Dream This week, the fate of young immigrants across New England has been at the center of a Washington political debate over DACA — or Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals. And, they've been a chip in a bigger political fight over keeping the government open. At stake is whether these so-called “Dreamers” – who were brought to the country illegally by their parents years ago – will be allowed to stay, or be forced to return to countries many of them don’t consider home. The movement behind the DREAM Act began nearly 20 years ago when an undocumented teenager in Chicago wrote to her senator. WBUR’s Shannon Dooling sat down with Tereza Lee, the woman  known as the original “Dreamer.” Saul Grullon, a native of the Dominican Republic, was abused by his parents because of his sexuality. (Beth Reynolds|Joyce Showyra/ NEPR) While Tereza Lee grew up with the fear of being separated from her family, Dominican-born Saul Grullon sought refuge from his family in the immigration system. Grullon come out to his family as gay when he was a teenager living in New Jersey, and he encountered such hostility that it felt dangerous to stay at home. Grullon was undocumented, but he was able to apply for a temporary visa through VAWA — the Violence Against Women Act. He told his moving story for New England Public Radio's “Words in Transit” project. Is Boston Racist? About a year ago, Boston Mayor Marty Walsh took a staunchly pro-immigrant stand in the face of President Trump's executive order pledging to strip funding from so-called “sanctuary cities.” Walsh said that people fearing deportation could live at city hall, if they wanted. Other cities in the greater Boston metropolitan area also promised to do what they could to protect immigrants. But there's another group whose members don't always feel welcome in Boston: African Americans. Saturday Night Live cast member Michael Che brought up this sentiment before last year's Superbowl — when the Patriots played against the Atlanta Falcons. Sport and race have long been a sore spot in the city, but the history goes much deeper. Protests and riots around court-ordered school desegregation in the 1970s were a particularly ugly time for African Americans in Boston — one that's left lasting scars. “I remember riding the buses to protect the kids going up to South Boston High School. And the bricks through the window. Signs hanging out those buildings, ‘Nigger Go Home.’ Pictures of monkeys. The words. The spit. People just felt it was all right to attack children.” – bus safety monitor Jean McGuire, a speaking with WBUR in 2014. Bill Russell experienced discrimination as the only black member of the Boston Celtics during the 1956-1957 season, his rookie year. The Boston Globe’s Spotlight Team is known for investigations into issues like political corruption and sex abuse in the Catholic Church. Last fall the investigative unit took on what they call their most difficult question yet: Does Boston deserve its reputation as a racist city –and a place that's unfriendly to blacks in particular? Their reporting series “Boston. Racism. Image. Reality” was published in print and online in December. Our guest Adrian Walker is a columnist for the Metro section of the Boston Globe. Walker is part of the team behind the Spotlight series, where he wrote about professional sports and fan culture. Winds of Change Fisherman Steve Barratt is aboard his boat Razorbill in the Ramsgate harbor in southeast England. Barratt says he’s lost valuable fishing ground to a wind farm in the Thames Estuary. (Chris Bentley/WBUR) We've reported on plans to build wind farms in the waters off Massachusetts’ South Shore and in the Atlantic south of Long Island, and the opposition by some fishermen to those plans. But right now, aside from a small array of turbines off the coast of Rhode Island, the worries are theoretical. To get a sense of how big wind farms might affect fishing in New England’s future, WBUR reporter Chris Bentley visited fishermen working near giant wind farms in the United Kingdom. If jobs in the new energy economy are seen as part of a growth industry, many in traditional farming communities have seen their way of life shrinking. Carson (left) and Kyle Flewelling, pictured in 2014, worked 12-hour days on their family farm in Easton during harvest break, spading up about 700 acres of russets for the fry and chip markets. (Jennifer Mitchell/ Maine Public In Maine's northern Aroostook County the acreage for potato farming has shrunk over the last 50 years, and technology has reduced the demand for labor. That's a big deal for high school students there, who have traditionally taken a three-week break from classes each fall to harvest potatoes. With far fewer teenagers now working in the fields, the school board in the town of Presque Isle is looking at a new approach that could end the tradition of the October break, and bring the harvest into the classroom. Maine Public Radio’s Robbie Feinberg reports. About NEXT NEXT is produced at WNPR. Host: John Dankosky Producer: Andrea Muraskin Executive Producer: Catie Talarski Contributors to this episode: Shannon Dooling, Saul Grullon, John Voci, Tema Silk, Chris Bentley, and Robbie Feinberg Music: Todd Merrell, “New England” by Goodnight Blue Moon, “Adapt and Prosper” by Akrobatic Get all the NEXT episodes. We appreciate your feedback! Send praise, critique, suggestions, questions, story leads, and potato harvest selfies to next@wnpr.org.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This was a big week in weed: we catch up on the news around New England, and hear the story of a puzzled cancer patient trying to figure out how to manage the side effects of chemo with cannabis. Also, an investigation into water contamination in Vermont wells near farms reveals a shocking shortage of oversight by the government agency in charge of agricultural pollution. In the wake of a cold snap and flood-inducing “bomb cyclone,” we parse the difference between climate and weather. Plus, we'll visit a driving school designed for New England winter, and explore the legacy of the first American woman to write a symphony. A Jersey heifer peers through a door used to push manure into a manure pit. (Emily Corwin/VPR) Even the Weather is Political Vermont Governor Phil Scott, a Republican, has said he will sign new marijuana legislation, calling it a “libertarian approach” to legalization. (Angela Evancie/VPR) There was big news this week about marijuana — both here in New England and in Washington. On Wednesday, Vermont became the first state to legalize recreational marijuana through the legislative process. Other states including Massachusetts and Maine have legalized cannabis through ballot questions. Both of those states have been slowly working on legislative fixes to their laws that will allow for retail sales and taxation. In Connecticut, where medical marijuana is legal, the Department of Consumer Protection announced this week that it will award three new licenses to dispensaries. But marijuana is still illegal under federal law. And hanging over all of this news is United States Attorney General Jeff Sessions’s announcement that he will rescind an Obama-era policy against enforcing the federal law criminalizing the drug. Sessions has given prosecutors in those states discretion to prosecute violators, and the top federal prosecutor in Massachusetts said that he can’t promise to take a hands-off approach to legalized marijuana. New England Treatment Access, in a former branch of Brookline Bank, is seen in February 2016. (Jesse Costa/WBUR) So, where does this leave people who want to use the drug legally, either for recreation or for medicine? Kate Murphy felt frustrated by what she sees as a lack of guidance from doctors on how to use medical marijuana to mitigate the impact of side effects related to her cancer treatment. (Jesse Costa/WBUR) A 2017 study in Washington State, where cannabis is legal even without a prescription, found that a quarter of cancer patients use pot to help with physical and psychological symptoms. As WBUR’s Karen Weintraub reports, large numbers of cancer patients in Massachusetts are also turning to cannabis. Weintraub introduces us to Kate Murphy, a breast cancer patient who found relief from the nausea of chemotherapy in medical marijuana for more than four years. But her story reveals a stunning lack of medical supervision over the type and dosage of the drug that patients are using. As all of New England was gripped with record setting cold temperatures over the last few weeks, you may have been wondering: “will it ever be warm again?” But that cold snap also prompted a flood of social media posts from climate-change doubters, including the president. The reply below others like it included an image from a visualization tool called the Climate Reanalyzer, which was created at the University of Maine's Climate Change Institute. It shows much of the eastern U.S. and Canada blanketed with colder than normal temperatures, and the rest, alight with red, showing temperatures above normal. Actually I'm pretty sure Antarctica shouldn't be warmer than us soooooo pic.twitter.com/YwQeC9h4KW — Nate Heroux (@nateherouxmusic) January 2, 2018 We wanted to learn more about this tool and what it can tell us about the realities of climate. So we turned to its creator, Sean Birkel, Maine State Climatologist and Research Assistant Professor at the Climate Change Institute, University of Maine. Not Your Grandmother’s Dairy (Samantha van Gerbig/VPR) We've reported here on how nutrients like phosphorus and nitrogen run off from farms into bodies of water — causing algae to bloom and fish to die from lack of oxygen. But these chemicals can also cause problems for humans when they leech into our drinking water. One such contaminant is nitrate — a nitrogen compound found in manure and fertilizer. Nitrate in drinking water can be fatal for babies who drink it and may be carcinogenic. When nitrate is found in public drinking water, federal law requires state regulators to notify residents. But in Vermont, 40 percent of residents have private drinking wells. And when farm runoff contaminates those wells with nitrate, the government body tasked with enforcement — in this case the Agency of Agriculture – says it can't notify the community. Our guest, Vermont Public Radio investigative reporter Emily Corwin, uncovered inconsistent, often undocumented state response to nitrate contamination in private wells. It’s a complex issue, and we highly recommend reading Corwin’s report. John Laggis stands beside a new manure storage pit on his dairy farm in East Hardwick, Vermont. Though Laggis’ farm is in compliance with environmental regulations, his neighbors believe manure from the dairy is the source of nitrate contamination in their well. (Emily Corwin/VPR) Much of the hard work on Vermont’s dairy farms is done by migrant farmworkers — many of them undocumented. There's been a new anxiety among those workers and the farmers who employ them, since sweeping changes to immigration policy made by President Trump a year ago. For the first time since 2010, arrests and detentions by the United States Border Patrol increased in Vermont, New Hampshire, and northeastern New York last year. VPR’s John Dillon went to a recent gathering of Mexican workers in Middlebury, to find out how life has changed in the first year of the Trump Administration. Be Safe Out There A student drives with an instructor during a one-day winter driving course at the Team O’Neil Rally School in Dalton, Nh. (Chris Jensen/NEXT) You’ve probably said it to yourself this winter: “It’s New England — why can’t anyone drive in the snow?” In Dalton, New Hampshire, racer Tim O’Neil converts his 600-acre rally driving school into a place where everyday drivers can learn to maneuver on snow and ice. Reporter Chris Jensen went for a ride. Composer Amy Beach was born in Henniker, New Hampshire in 1867. By the time she was 29 she was famous the world over for being the first American woman to write a symphony. To celebrate the 150th anniversary of her birth, the University of New Hampshire has been honoring Amy Beach with a series of special performances. New Hampshire Public Radio's Sean Hurley recently visited the school to learn more about the composer and her music. Amy Beach About NEXT NEXT is produced at WNPR. Host: John Dankosky Producer: Andrea Muraskin Executive Producer: Catie Talarski Contributors to this episode: Karen Weintraub, Emily Corwin, John Dillon, Chris Jensen, Sean Hurley Music: Todd Merrell, “New England” by Goodnight Blue Moon. Get all the NEXT episodes. We appreciate your feedback! Send praise, critique, suggestions, questions, story leads, and winter driving tips to next@wnpr.org.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What happens when a company leaves a company town? We talk to an ethnographer who charts the story of a New Hampshire paper mill that closed, leaving hard feelings and few jobs behind. We also track water quality in two New England Bays, and examine the source of some of our water pollution problems — the lightly regulated residential septic system. Finally, we visit a Boston laboratory for creating new beats. Dryers on the Number 3 paper machine at the now-demolished paper mill in Groveton, Nh. From a 1955 Vanity Fair sales catalog. (Courtesy GREAT) State of the Bays Bangs Island Mussels worker Jon Gorman sets juvenile mussells onto rope that will be their home for the next year as they grow to market size. (Fred Bever/ Maine Public) When it comes to water quality, there's a lot that scientists have to monitor. Pollution, invasive species, and climate change are just a few of their concerns. And these problems are often linked together, so it can be hard to pinpoint the cause of unhealthy waterways. We go first to Maine's Casco Bay, where a new threat to New England’s shellfish industry seems to be establishing itself more firmly. Regulators are trying to stay ahead of potentially deadly blooms of toxic algae — blooms that may be driven by climate change. An unprecedented bloom in Casco Bay recently forced regulators to close off a large area to shellfish harvesting. Maine Public Radio's Fred Bever reports. New Hampshire’s Great Bay. (Annie Ropeik/NHPR) “Did you ever know anybody who looked really good, like, physically you just look at him or her and say, ‘Wow, they’re in real shape,’ and then you find out they’re struggling with a tough health problem? That’s our bay. Look how beautiful it is, right? Doesn’t it look great? Under the surface, there’s some issues.” – Kalle Matso, Coastal Science Program Manager, University of New Hampshire New Hampshire’s Great Bay and its estuary have suffered from nitrogen loading and other problems for years. And the latest data doesn’t show much improvement. But scientists say there’s still hope for the watershed.  As New Hampshire Public Radio’s Annie Ropeik reports, they’re trying to hone in on things people can control. Septic system installation underway for a home on steep slopes. (Soil Science/Flickr) But New England is an especially difficult place to control the flow of nitrogen.  That’s because half of homes here rely on septic systems — the highest proportion in the country. For decades, most conventional septic systems have done well removing pollutants and pathogens. But they’re not very good at removing nitrogen, which is in human waste. And too much nitrogen can wreak havoc on coastal ecosystems. As New England Public Radio’s Jill Kaufman reports, recent research indicates even the best septic equipment won’t do the job, if it’s ignored. Post-Industrial In a recent episode, we shared a series of stories from NHPR about the surge in off-road vehicle recreation in New Hampshire's woodsy North Country. State and local tourism officials there have made efforts to draw ATV riders to the area in hopes of boosting the economy — after the closure of paper mills that provided a livelihood for so many. Meanwhile, communities in northern Vermont and Maine are also trying to figure out an economic future without the paper industry. A new book, You Had a Job for Life: Story of a Company Town, chronicles the history of a mill that sustained the town of Groveton, New Hampshire through the 20th Century, and closed for good in 2007. The memories of the mill's workers and managers drive the narrative. Author Jamie Sayen is a writer and environmentalist who calls the North Country home. We’re also joined by Joan Breault, who worked at the Groveton mill for 43 years. Sharing Skis and Beats Rory Gawler stands in a storage room of a Lebanon, Nh. house he bought in a foreclosure sale. Without electricity, he uses a flashlight to illuminate the hundreds of skis he found inside. (Britta Greene/NHPR) This weekend's big snowstorm is good news for New England skiers. In New Hampshire, one man recently stumbled across an appropriately timed, ski-season mystery in the remains of an old, falling down house. NHPR's Britta Greene went to investigate. (Plus, the Valley News covered the story’s ending.)  We finish off the episode with some sounds from Boston, where hip-hop producers are getting out of their bedroom studios, where they've got all the equipment to create their own beats — .but none of the community they need to make them better. From WBUR, Amelia Mason reports. Producers sit at Wonder Bar during October’s Stew Beat Showcase, a semi-monthly beats battle in Boston. (Courtesy Bryan Trench) About NEXT NEXT is produced at WNPR. Host: John Dankosky Producer: Andrea Muraskin Executive Producer: Catie Talarski Contributors to this episode: Fred Bever, Annie Ropeik, Jill Kaufman, Britta Greene, Amelia Mason, and Evan Sobol Music: Todd Merrell, “New England” by Goodnight Blue Moon. Get all the NEXT episodes. We appreciate your feedback! Send praise, critique, suggestions, questions, story leads, and fresh beats to next@wnpr.org.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What does a state owe to people serving time in prison? And what does it owe those who should never have been locked up in the first place? We speak with a man who went to prison in Massachusetts for 32 years for a crime he didn't commit. And we travel back over 300 years to a war on New England soil where women leaders played a major role. Plus, elm trees make a comeback, and a New Hampshire bagpipe business bumps up against global trade rules. Released on bail after serving 32 years on a murder charge after doubts about his guilt surfaced, Darrell Jones speaks to the media in front of the Brockton, Mass. Superior Courthouse. Photo by Jesse Costa for WBUR Behind Bars On December 21, Darrell Jones walked out of a courthouse in Brockton, Massachusetts, 32 years after being convicted for a murder he always maintained he didn't commit. Jones – who is African American – was released based on suspicions that police tampered with video evidence, and allegations of racial bias among jurors. Standing on the courthouse steps, Jones made a plea for others like him. “I stayed in prison a long time, not just for something I did not do,” He told reporters. “But it was hard to get people to hear you, so I’m trying to get everybody here to understand one point: There is somebody else back at that jail that nobody is listening to that’s probably innocent, and been trying to fight like I’ve been trying to fight, and I’m just asking all the reporters and all the people that do this, to sometimes just give them a chance.” Now imagine yourself in that situation: walking out of court, your innocence finally proven. Would you expect the state to compensate you for your time behind bars? 37 states have some sort of law that allows the wrongfully convicted to file for compensation, including every New England state except Rhode Island. The dollar amount ranges widely from state to state. For example, Vermont awards exonerees between $30,000 and $60,000 for each year in prison, while New Hampshire caps the total lifetime award at $20,000. It can be difficult to get any money at all from the state. Advocates say that's the case in Massachusetts, where a rewrite of the wrongful convictions compensation law is moving through the legislature. Victor Rosario, on Sept 8, with wife Beverly, following a hearing in which he was formerly exonerated. Photo by Debora Becker for WBUR In light of the news about Darrell Jones, we've decided to revisit our November conversation with Jenifer McKim and Victor Rosario. Jenifer McKim is a senior investigative reporter at the New England Center for Investigative Reporting, where she's been covering wrongful convictions – including the Darrell Jones case – and the legislative push.  Rosario was convicted for starting a fatal apartment fire in Lowell, Massachusetts in 1982 – but his sentence was overturned  in 2014. A 2010 report from the New England Center for Investigative Reporting pointed to his innocence.  Rosario was formally exonerated on September 8, 2017.  Ordained while in prison, he now works as an outreach pastor at the Tremont Temple Baptist Church in Boston, where runs a program to help former prisoners readjust to society. Further reading: “Should state change compensation law for wrongfully convicted?” – recent reporting from the NECIR and WGBH about efforts to amend the Massachusetts law governing compensation for the wrongfully convicted “Reasonable Doubts” – NECIR investigation into the case of Darrell Jones, a  Massachusetts man who has spent 32 years in prison on a questionable murder charge “Wrongful incarceration. Moral debt?” – Jenifer McKim tells the story of Kevin O’Loughlin, a man falsley convicted for child rape, who is struggling to obtain compensation from Massachusetts Roger Brown’s prison diary mentions repeated trips to pick up medications that weren’t in stock. There have been rumors and allegations coming out of Vermont’s prison system for years about inmates requesting medical care, and not getting the help they needed. But getting the full story can be challenging: the inmates involved are behind bars, or dead, and officials are bound from giving their account by privacy rules. But Roger Brown, an inmate at a prison in Camp Hill, Pennsylvania, kept a diary. Brown was one of more than 200 Vermont inmates sent to state prison in Pennsylvania due to a shortage of beds in Vermont. Taylor Dobbs reported this story for Vermont Public Radio. Revisiting King Philip’s War Here on NEXT, we've shared the stories of refugees from countries like Syria and Iraq- people who escaped war to start over in a peaceful New England. But during the early years of European colonization, New England was a war zone too – where colonists fought indigenous people over land, resources, and the rights to self-government. Native homelands of the Northeast, highlighting places mentioned in Our Beloved Kin: A New History of King Philip’s War. Courtesy Yale University Press King Philip's War, fought from 1675 to 1678, was perhaps the most devastating of those conflicts for both sides. The Wampanoag leader Metacom, known by the the colonists as King Philip, organized attacks on 12 settlements before the colonists gained control of Southern New England. This meadow abutting the Connecticut River in Vernon, Vermont is illustrative of the fertile fields and floodplains that indigenous women used to plant crops in the 1600s. Photo courtesy Lisa Brooks. Since then, as it often happens, the colonial perspective has dominated the historical narrative. In her upcoming book Our Beloved Kin: A New History of King Philip's War, historian Lisa Brooks flips the script, focusing on the stories of Native American leaders. Lisa Brooks is Associate Professor of English and American Studies at Amherst College. Our Beloved Kin is out from Yale University Press on January 9, 2018.  At the same time, Brooks will also be launching ourbelovedkin.com, a website with maps, historical documents, and images from her journeys through New England's indigenous geography. Brooks will speak about the book at the Massachusetts Historical Society in Boston on February 7, and at Harvard on February 14.  Acorns, Elm Trees and Bagpipes It's nearing the end of mating season for deer in our region, and deer hunting season wrapped up a few weeks ago. This time of year, a more likely encounter with a deer would be on the road, with a bad outcome for both you and the animal. New England states rank right around the national average for likelihood of a car strike, but the danger increases in rural areas during mating season. WNPR's science reporter Patrick Skahill spoke with a biologist to find out more. And he uncovered an interesting connection between roadkills and acorns. An American elm tree in 2012 at Spring Grove Cemetery in Hartford, Connecticut. Photo via Wikimedia Commons No matter where you live in New England, you probably know of an Elm Street; but if you go there, you probably won't find many surviving elm trees. In the mid 20th century  Dutch Elm disease killed off millions of the species. Towns and forests were notably changed. Decades later, new invasive pests and disease are attacking other species of trees. Watching this, ecologists have been engineering a comeback for the American elm, as New England Public Radio’s Jill Kaufman reports. Richard Spaulding runs Gibson Bagpipes in Nashua, Nh. Photo by Todd Bookman for NHPR Newly made bagpipe parts await assembly inside Gibson’s Nashua factory. Photo by Todd Bookman for NHPR Think bagpipes, and you likely think Scotland. But one of the world's largest bagpipe manufacturers happens to call Nashua, New Hampshire home. That company, however, recently faced an unexpected wrinkle in its international supply chain. New Hampshire Public Radio’s Todd Bookman reports. About NEXT NEXT is produced at WNPR. Host: John Dankosky Producer: Andrea Muraskin Executive Producer: Catie Talarski Contributors to this episode: Taylor Dobbs, Patrick Skahill, Jill Kaufman, Todd Bookman, Bruce Gellerman Music: Todd Merrell, “New England” by Goodnight Blue Moon, bagpipe music by Eric Bean Get all the NEXT episodes. We appreciate your feedback! Send praise, critique, suggestions, questions, story leads, and bagpipe music recommendations to next@wnpr.org.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Immigrants from Central America will soon find out if their Temporary Protected Status will end. It's allowed them to live here legally for decades. This episode, we take a look back at a big year in immigration policy, and look ahead. We also consider what some states are doing about widespread waste of prescription drugs. Also, we'll meet a man who's got a place to call home for the first time in decades – thanks to an effort to eliminate chronic homelessness. And, Oh Christmas tree, how lovely are your tiny…little…branches. Francisco Rodriguez in ICE custody at the Suffolk County House of Corrections (Jesse Costa/WBUR) Immigration, Deportation As we look back on 2017, the issue of immigration has become one of the most contentious in our region. New policies by the Trump administration have New Englanders from all over the world wondering about their status, and whether they'll be able to stay. WBUR’s Shannon Dooling joins us to talk about her reporting, including the story of Francisco Rodriguez. He’s a native of El Salvador who entered the country illegally in 2006 – but he’s been living in Chelsea, Massachusetts with federal authorization for several years.  This year he was put in detention as the government tried to deport him. Rodriguez’s lawyers say his removal is now stayed while an appeal to re-open his asylum case plays out. Natives of Honduras with temporary protected status will find out soon about whether they'll be allowed to stay in the U.S. – or face possible deportation. Hundreds of Honduran immigrants in Connecticut and Massachusetts are waiting for word. Meanwhile, as WNPR's Diane Orson reports, violent protests continue in Honduras following a contested presidential election, and the state department has advised Americans not to travel there. Unused medical supplies sit in storage at a Partners for World Health facility in Portland, Maine. (Tristan Spinski, special to ProPublica ) Drug costs are an issue for millions of Americans – both in their personal lives, and in the amount of money government spends on drugs for elderly Americans through Medicare. But, as ProPublica's Marshall Allen found out, there's a big problem with drug waste in America's nursing homes. Now – prompted by his reporting – some states, including New Hampshire and Vermont, are taking steps to salvage medications that are literally being flushed down the toilet. Ending Homelessness Advocates for the homeless across New England have made it a goal to end chronic homelessness for good. It's a tall order, especially in a big city like Boston – where officials have said they want to end it by this time next year. Every night, about 1500 people sleep in Boston’s emergency homeless shelters. Many others sleep on the streets. About 30 percent of them are considered chronically homeless. The city is trying to tackle the problem one person at a time. WBUR’s Lynn Jolicoeur introduces us to one man, Lenny Higgenbottom, who was recently housed through those efforts. Higginbottom unpacks in his new apartment. (Robin Lubbock/WBUR)  Oh Christmas Tree The pine tree is an icon of New England. It's on our flag, after all. And this time of year, they're big business. But, as we'll hear – pine trees aren't all alike. Patrick Skahill takes us on a search for the increasingly uncommon “pitch pine.” Dana Graves, co-owner of G&S Christmas Tree Farm, supplies Sprague’s Nursery in Bangor with a range of tree sizes, but he says it’s rare these days for people ask for a tree that reaches the ceiling. Photo by Jennifer Mitchell/Maine Public A much more common pine this time of year can be found at the roadside Christmas tree stand – all perfectly sized to scrape your living room ceiling. Jennifer Mitchell reports from Maine Public Radio, growers are seeing a new trend: the tiny tree. A musical group playing traditional Puerto Rican bomba music performs at a parranda in Hartford, Conn. In Puerto Rico, Christmas is a really big deal. But, for the thousands who've been forced to leave the island after Hurricane Maria, that means celebrating Christmas in an unfamiliar place.  WNPR’s Ryan Caron King has this story of how the Puerto Rican community in Hartford, Connecticut welcomed new arrivals with a holiday tradition to remind them of home. About NEXT NEXT is produced at WNPR Host: John Dankosky Producer: Andrea Muraskin Executive Producer: Catie Talarski Contributors to this episode: Shannon Dooling, Diane Orson, Marshall Allen, Lynn Jolicoeur, Patrick Skahill, Jennifer Mitchell, Ryan Caron King Music: Todd Merrell, “New England” by Goodnight Blue Moon Get all the NEXT episodes. We appreciate your feedback! Send praise, critique, suggestions, questions, story leads, and holiday wishes to next@wnpr.org.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When a local sheriff in northern Vermont pulled over two Mexican farmworkers last August for a traffic violation, he immediately called for the U.S. Border Patrol. Immigrant rights advocates say more detentions and deportations are likely under a new Vermont policy that governs cooperation between state and federal law enforcement. And north of the border, a fascinating story of land disputes, Quebecois pride, and massive dams that are set to supply more power to the New England grid. Plus, a tale of survival on the high seas. NHPR reporter Sam Evans-Brown (left) tours the Daniel-Johnson Dam on the Manicouagan River in Central Quebec. The mile-long dam is one of 62 owned by the provincial utility Hydro-Quebec. New England currently gets about 10 percent of its electricity from Hydro-Quebec dams. Utilities in Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine are hoping to build transmission projects to bring down more of this power to the New England grid. Photo by Hannah McCarthy for NHPR Stops Last August and September, the U.S. Border Patrol set up checkpoints on the southbound lanes of I-93 near Woodstock, NH. Photo courtesy of U.S. Customs and Border Protection The United States Border Patrol’s jurisdiction extends 100 miles from any border, and we've been covering interactions between local police, federal border officials, and immigrant communities in the area south of the border between Quebec and New England. During multi-day checkpoints in August, and then again in September, Border Patrol agents, in collaboration with local and State Police, stopped vehicles on I-93 near Woodstock, New Hampshire, about 75 miles as the crow flies from the Canadian border. Along with the detention of more than two-dozen undocumented immigrants, Border Patrol and local law enforcement also made arrests for drug charges. But this week, the ACLU of New Hampshire is challenging those checkpoints, saying the stops violated the state's constitution. New Hampshire Public Radio’s Todd Bookman reports. When a sheriff in northern Vermont  pulled over two Mexican farmworkers last August for a traffic violation, he immediately called for Border Patrol. Now, the two men will soon be deported. And immigrant rights advocates say more detentions and deportations are likely under a new Vermont policy that governs cooperation between state and federal law enforcement. Fueling the debate is body cam video of the August traffic stop, as Vermont Public Radio’s John Dillon reports. Catherine Violet Hubbard in a school picture, left, and a welcome tent on the grounds of the future animal sanctuary being built in her honor in Newtown, Conn. Courtesy of Catherine Violet Hubbard Animal Sanctuary This week marks five years since the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. Catherine Violet Hubbard was one of 20 children killed, along with six educators. Her family has spent the past three years planning an animal sanctuary in her memory. WSHU's Davis Dunavin visited the land in Newtown that will serve as the grounds for the sanctuary. The Power Up North Hydro-Quebec’s Daniel-Johnson Dam and Manicoucagan Reservoir seen from a helicopter. Photo by Hannah McCarthy for NHPR Imagine a massive dam cutting a line a mile long across a pristine pine forest, 900 miles north of the Canadian border. Then picture yourself coming home and switching the lights on after a long winter day. A map provided by Hydro-Quebec shows existing dams, transmission lines, and projects under construction. These two things are, increasingly, connected. First, there's a vast network of hydroelectric dams, all part of Hydro-Quebec, the electric company owned by the province. Hydro-Quebec has powered Quebec for decades, and it has plenty of electricity left over to sell outside the province. The big utility already supplies about ten percent of the power used by the New England grid. Electric companies in northern New England are competing to build new transmission projects — which would result in our region getting about 17 percent of its power from Quebec’s dams. The most well known of these proposals is the Northern Pass, a hotly debated transmission line that would cut north to south across much of New Hampshire. A famous 1962 campaign poster of the Quebec Liberal Party reads “NOW OR NEVER!” “MASTERS IN OUR OWN HOME.” The results of the election enabled the government to nationalize the province’s hydroelectric dams. Part of what's up for debate is whether hydroelectric power can be considered a renewable resource. While damming rivers impacts local ecosystems, carbon emissions from these dams are quite low — all together, they actually give off less carbon than solar power. And in a region where energy costs are high, Canadian hydro is appealingly inexpensive. But north of the border, hydroelectric power tells another story. It's a story of a struggle over economic power, ancestral lands, and cultural pride that cuts deep in Quebec — and it's totally fascinating. Reporters Sam Evans-Brown and Hannah McCarthy traveled up north to bring that story back. They co-host Powerline, a new series all about Hydro-Quebec from the podcast Outside/In. (There’s a trove of visuals for the series on the Outside/In website – it’s not to be missed!) The One That Came Back Howard Blackburn. Courtesy Cape Ann Museum Before you could get farmed salmon at every grocery store in America, all of our fish had to be caught in the wild. For thousands of men drawn to Gloucester, Massachusetts to work in the fishing industry, that meant long and dangerous journeys into the North Atlantic. It's still a very dangerous job, but imagine what it was like more than 100 years ago. Every year, hundreds of fishermen were lost at sea. Howard Blackburn should have been one of those statistics. But instead, he became a hero. Independent producer Matt Frassica has Blackburn's story. It comes to us from The Briny, a new podcast about our relationship with the sea. About NEXT NEXT is produced at WNPR. Host: John Dankosky Producer: Andrea Muraskin Executive Producer: Catie Talarski Contributors to this episode: Todd Bookman, John Dillon, Davis Dunavin, Sam Evans-Brown, Hannah McCarthy, and Matt Frassica Music: Todd Merrell, “New England” by Goodnight Blue Moon, “Freezing” by David Szesztay, “Celadon” by Podington Bear, “In My Head” by Podington Bear, “Sad Cyclops” by Podington Bear, “Skeptic” by Podington Bear Get all the NEXT episodes. We appreciate your feedback! Send praise, critique, suggestions, questions, story leads, and holiday wishes to next@wnpr.org.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If like us, you crave comforting bowls of soup all winter long, we’ve got a cookbook for you. In fact, we’ve got a new kind of PARTY for you! Soup Swap by Kathy Gunst is not only full of soul-warming soup, stew, and chowder recipes, you’ll also learn everything you need to know to start a soup swap party of your own. Imagine making ONE pot of soup for friends and neighbors, and going home with MANY soups to eat now or freeze for later. That’s our kind of party! And Kathy’s are our kind of recipes: real ingredients, loads (and loads) of vegetables, nourishing stocks, rich broths, and garnishes that take a simple soups over the top (Grilled Cheese Croutons, anyone?). Grab a copy of Soup Swap and help support The Faith Middleton Food Schmooze® and WNPR—YOUR local public radio station—at the same time. Swap a monthly contribution to WNPR of $8 a for a book that fosters community and inspires the most delicious parties. (Or skip the party and fill your freezer with these must-make soup recipes). CONTRIBUTORS AND GUESTS:• Chris Prosperi — chef/owner, Métro Bis in Simsbury, Conn.• Kathy Gunst — author of Soup Swap MUSIC:• “Can’t Stop the Feeling,” Justin Timberlake• “Beans and Cornbread,” Louis Jordan and The Tympany Five• “Come on Over,” Christina AguileraSupport the show: https://foodschmooze.org/donate/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, we get an update the flow of migrants leaving the US to go to Quebec, and meet Puerto Ricans deciding whether to stay on the island or come back to New England. We’ll talk about housing for a rapidly aging population in Vermont, and learn how a the settlement dollars from a Volkswagen lawsuit could help spur electric vehicle use in Maine. Finally, we get a taste of what’s new about New England food. Flight Fearing the Trump administration’s stricter immigration policies, thousands have been fleeing the United States for Canada. One policy change is the end of a temporary residency program for 59,000 Haitians allowed to legally enter the United States following an earthquake in 2010. The Haitians will have to leave the country by July 2019, or face deportation. That program has also ended for two thousand Nicaraguans. It's unclear if other groups including 300,000 Salvadorans will be allowed to remain. A man from Congo speaks with Royal Canadian Mounted Police officers after illegally entering Canada. The man from Congo was then frisked before being processed in the white trailer. Photo by Lorne Matalon for VPR The net result is a continued flow of people crossing the border into Canada by foot. They take advantage of a Canadian law that says those who cross by foot won’t be turned back until their case is heard. Reporter Lorne Matalon takes us back to the site of earlier reporting: the illegal boarder crossing at Roxham Road north of Champlain, New York. Puerto Ricans have been facing similar questions about whether to relocate following the devastation of Hurricane Maria. Of course, Puerto Ricans who choose to leave the island to come to New England aren't immigrants, they're US citizens. WNPR's Jeff Cohen reports on the lack of power and water across much of the island is causing a growing number of people to make hard choices. A Few Years Down the Road… Jan Belville decided to sell her large house in Brandon, Vt. to move into a senior affordable apartment. Bellville was on a a waiting list for almost five years. Photo by Howard Weiss-Tisman for VPR In the 18 years after World War II, birth rates across America hit unprecedented levels. Demographers named that sizable generation the Baby Boom. Today’s baby boomers make up about 25 percent of the United States population. As boomers head into retirement they’re rewriting the expectations we have about where and how senior citizens want to live. As we've reported previously, New England's population is older than most of the country. Given that Vermont is expected to have the oldest population in the nation by 2030, many baby boomers there are facing tough decisions about housing. Vermont Public Radio’s Howard Weiss-Tisman reports. For more, check out “Aging Well,” a special VPR series exploring how the Baby Boom generation is viewing retirement and changing the future makeup of Vermont. ReVision Energy’s Barry Woods charges up his company car in Brunswick, Maine. Photo by Fred Bever for Maine Public Electric vehicles make up a fraction of the cars sold in New England. But new state policies – and a cash infusion from the settlement of Volkswagen’s pollution scandal – could speed the build-out of electric vehicle charging stations, and jump-start the region’s EV market. Maine Public Radio's Fred Bever reports. The Best Food in New England “Local” has become the most important word in the world of New England food. “Local” grass-fed beef, locally-made sheep's milk cheese, or restaurants that proudly list the names of local farmers that grow their food are all a growing part of this movement. Amy Traverso is senior food editor for Yankee Magazine and NewEngland.com, and she's been watching these trends. She's an expert in New England food, and an advocate for it. She says chefs and food producers are challenging the notion that New England's traditional foods are stodgy and boring. Think dishes like lobster on black rice with brown butter aioli, or baked beans with pomegranate molasses. Traverso is also in charge of giving out Yankee Magazine's annual Editor's Choice Food Awards – now five years in the running. About NEXT NEXT is produced at WNPR. Host: John Dankosky Producer: Andrea Muraskin Executive Producer: Catie Talarski Contributors to this episode: Lorne Matalon, Jeff Cohen, Patrick Skahill, Howard Weiss-Tisman, Fred Bever Music: Todd Merrell, “New England” by Goodnight Blue Moon Get all the NEXT episodes. We appreciate your feedback! Send praise, critique, suggestions, questions, story leads, and artisanal chocolate bars to next@wnpr.org.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What does a state owe to people serving time in prison? And what does it owe those who should never have been locked up in the first place? We speak with a man who went to prison in Massachusetts for 32 years for a crime he didn't commit. And we travel back over 300 years to a war on New England soil where women leaders played a major role. Plus, elm trees make a comeback, and a New Hampshire bagpipe business bumps up against global trade rules. Victor Rosario, right, with wife Beverly on Sept. 8, following a hearing in which he was formerly exonerated. Rosario spend 32 years in a Massachusetts prison after being convicted for homicide and arson. Photo by Deborah Becker for WBUR. Behind Bars Imagine that you've been convicted and locked up for a crime you didn't commit. After years appealing your case, you finally prove your innocence and are set free. Would you expect the government to compensate you for that time behind bars? 37 states have laws that allow the wrongfully convicted to file for compensation, including every New England state except Rhode Island. The amount of that compensation ranges widely from state to state. For example, Vermont awards exonerees between $30,000 and $60,000 for each year in prison, while New Hampshire caps the total lifetime award at $20,000. And it can be difficult to get any money at all from the state. Advocates say that's the case in Massachusetts, where they're pushing for a rewrite of the state's wrongful conviction compensation law. Our guest Jenifer McKim is a senior investigative reporter at the New England Center for Investigative Reporting (NECIR), where she's been covering wrongful convictions and the legislative push. We're also joined by Victor Rosario, an outreach pastor at the Tremont Temple Baptist Church in Boston, where runs a program to help former prisoners readjust to society. Rosario was convicted for starting a fatal apartment fire in Lowell, Massachusetts in 1982 – but his sentence was overturned  in 2014. A 2010 report from the New England Center for Investigative Reporting pointed to his innocence.  Rosario was formally exonerated on September 8, 2017.  Further reading: “Should state change compensation law for wrongfully convicted?” – recent reporting from the NECIR and WGBH about efforts to amend the Massachusetts law governing compensation for the wrongfully convicted “Reasonable Doubts” – NECIR investigation into the case of Darrell Jones, a  Massachusetts man who has spent 32 years in prison on a questionable murder charge “Wrongful incarceration. Moral debt?” – Jenifer McKim tells the story of Kevin O’Loughlin, a man falsley convicted for child rape, who is struggling to obtain compensation from Massachusetts Roger Brown’s prison diary mentions repeated trips to pick up medications that weren’t in stock. There have been rumors and allegations coming out of Vermont’s prison system for years about inmates requesting medical care, and not getting the help they needed. But getting the full story can be challenging: the inmates involved are behind bars, or dead, and officials are bound from giving their account by privacy rules. But Roger Brown, an inmate at a prison in Camp Hill, Pennsylvania, kept a diary. Brown was one of more than 200 Vermont inmates sent to state prison in Pennsylvania due to a shortage of beds in Vermont. Taylor Dobbs reported this story for Vermont Public Radio. Revisiting King Philip’s War Here on NEXT, we've shared the stories of refugees from countries like Syria and Iraq- people who escaped war to start over in a peaceful New England. But during the early years of European colonization, New England was a war zone too – where colonists fought indigenous people over land, resources, and the rights to self-government. Native homelands of the Northeast, highlighting places mentioned in Our Beloved Kin: A New History of King Philip’s War. Courtesy Yale University Press King Philip's War, fought from 1675 to 1678, was perhaps the most devastating of those conflicts for both sides. The Wampanoag leader Metacom, known by the the colonists as King Philip, organized attacks on 12 settlements before the colonists gained control of Southern New England. Native and colonial settlements it what is now Rhode Island and southeast Massachusetts at the time of King Philip’s War. Courtesy Yale University Press Since then, as it often happens, the colonial perspective has dominated the historical narrative. In her upcoming book Our Beloved Kin: A New History of King Philip's War, historian Lisa Brooks flips the script, focusing on the stories of Native American leaders. Lisa Brooks is Associate Professor of English and American Studies at Amherst College. Our Beloved Kin is out from Yale University Press on January 9, 2018.  At the same time, Brooks will also be launching ourbelovedkin.com, a website with maps, historical documents, and images from her journeys through New England's indigenous geography. Acorns, Elm Trees and Bagpipes It's peak mating time for deer in our region. And, depending on the state, it's also deer hunting season. If you're not a hunter this time of year, a more likely encounter with a deer would be on the road, with a bad outcome for both you and the animal. New England states rank right around the national average for likelihood of a car strike, but the danger increases in rural areas during mating season. WNPR's science reporter Patrick Skahill spoke with a biologist to find out more. And he uncovered an interesting connection… between roadkills and acorns. In the mid 20th century  Dutch Elm disease killed off millions of the species. Towns and forests were notably changed. Decades later, new invasive pests and disease are attacking other species of trees. Watching this, ecologists have been engineering a comeback for the American elm, as New England Public Radio’s Jill Kaufman reports. Richard Spaulding runs Gibson Bagpipes in Nashua, Nh. Photo by Todd Bookman for NHPR Newly made bagpipe parts await assembly inside Gibson’s Nashua factory. Photo by Todd Bookman for NHPR Think bagpipes, and you likely think Scotland. But one of the world's largest bagpipe manufacturers happens to call Nashua, New Hampshire home. That company, however, is facing an unexpected wrinkle in its international supply chain. New Hampshire Public Radio’s Todd Bookman reports. About NEXT NEXT is produced at WNPR. Host: John Dankosky Producer: Andrea Muraskin Executive Producer: Catie Talarski Contributors to this episode: Taylor Dobbs, Patrick Skahill, Jill Kaufman, Todd Bookman Music: Todd Merrell, “New England” by Goodnight Blue Moon, bagpipe music by Eric Bean Get all the NEXT episodes. We appreciate your feedback! Send praise, critique, suggestions, questions, story leads, and acorns to next@wnpr.org.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this Thanksgiving week, we’re presenting a few favorite segments from our archives. We dig into our energy series “The Big Switch” with stories about solar power on homes and farms, and profile a new large-scale passive housing movement. And singer-songwriter Dar Williams tells us what she’s learned about making a vibrant community while writing a new book. Plus, the craft beer industry is exploding in New England, but another time-honored trade is in danger of disappearing. A pedestrian street in the Old Port in Portland, Maine, a neighborhood popular with tourists. Musician and author Dar Williams says towns thrive when they achieve a balance between places of interest to visitors and those of interest to residents. Photo by PhilipC via Flickr Building More, to Burn Less New England is at a time of big change in the way we get our energy. Aggressive goals to cut carbon emissions have meant a move toward more renewable sources of power. But the shift from burning fossil fuels to harvesting sun and wind power comes with challenges in a region where it's not always easy to find space for big energy projects. The New England News Collaborative is covering these changes in a project we call The Big Switch. Randolph-based Catamount Solar is installing an 8.7 kilowatt system in a homeowner’s yard in East Montpelier, Vermont. Kestrel Marcel is connecting the optimizers, which are a converter technology that helps maximize the energy harvested from the panels. Photo by Kathleen Masterson for VPR Farmer Kevin Sullivan rents a portion of his Suffield, Connecticut farmland to a solar company. “The money that comes off that acreage exceeds anything else I could do out there,” he says. Photo by Patrick Skahill for WNPR Vermont has been leading the way on solar energy for years. It's got a small population, but big goals for renewable energy. That's meant more competition in the solar installation field — with big national companies coming in to fight local companies for customers. As VPR's Kathleen Masterson reports, that competition comes at a tricky time. While Vermont has been pushing more residential solar, other states see the promise of solar panels helping to preserve dwindling farmland. As WNPR's Patrick Skahill reports, solar energy is providing many farmers – particularly in southern New England – with new opportunities, and questions. Bayside Anchor is an affordable passive housing development in Portland, Maine. Photo by Fred Bever for Maine Public And there's innovation on the other side of the power equation, too. A new type of energy-efficient construction is drawing attention in the U.S.  So-called “passive housing” residences are built to achieve ultra-low energy use. In fact, passive housing is so efficient that developers can eliminate central heating systems altogether. Imported from Germany, it’s been a boutique building style until recently, with eco-minded home owners making costly upfront investments to downsize their carbon footprints. But now, New England is joining a surge in large-scale passive housing development. Maine Public Radio’s Fred Bever reports. Fred Gordon opens a panel in the wall of his unit at the Distillery North Apartments in Boston to show the heat recovery ventilator. It provides fresh air, transferring 95 percent of the heat collected from the apartment and recirculating it with cold air from outside. Photo by Jesse Costa for WBUR. Building a Better Place to Call Home Have you ever revisited a town you hadn't seen in years and thought “This place has really changed!”? Suddenly, there’s a new row of restaurants; or a boarded-up mill building has come back to life. Maybe you’ve witnessed the opposite: a hollowed-out shell of a once-busy main street. As a touring musician, singer-songwriter Dar Williams has a front seat to the changes happening in American towns large and small. Her new book is What I Found in a Thousand Towns: A Traveling Musician’s Guide to Rebuilding America’s Communities – One Coffee Shop, Dog Run, & Open-Mike Night at a Time. In her writing, Williams theorizes about why some towns thrive, and others can't seem to get out of their post-industrial slump. The book is peppered with references to New England towns, and Williams has personal history here. She lived and worked in Boston, and Western Massachusetts, and spent her undergrad years at Wesleyan University  in Middletown, Connecticut in the 1980s.  All About Craft Selection of beers on tap at Grey Sail Brewing, Westerly, RI. Photo by Tom Verde for NENC. The craft beer industry in New England has plenty to raise a glass to. Craft beer is growing faster here than anywhere in the country. But is growing too fast? Is it possible to have too much craft beer? Tom Verde went to find out. In the mid-1800s, New England was a global center for the clockmaking industry. Today, the region is filled with antique, often centuries-old clocks — in church steeples, libraries, courthouses, and homes. That industry, of course, is long gone. And slowly, the people who preserve its artifacts are disappearing, too. Dan Richards reports. Master clockmaker James Roberts examines a churchtower clock in Redding, Mass. The timepiece in the center connects to four transparent glass dials, one on each wall. View of the clocktower room from above. Photo by Dan Richards for NEXT. David Roberts with a clock face and dial that he and his brother James restored. Photo by Dan Richards for NEXT. About NEXT NEXT is produced at WNPR. Host: John Dankosky Producer: Andrea Muraskin Executive Producer: Catie Talarski Contributors to this episode: Kathleen Masterson, Patrick Skahill, Fred Bever, Tom Verde, and Dan Richards Music: Todd Merrell, “New England” by Goodnight Blue Moon Get all the NEXT episodes. We appreciate your feedback! Send praise, critique, suggestions, questions, story leads, and raves about your favorite brewery to next@wnpr.org.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, we're talking ballot questions. Why are more of them showing up in voting booths in states like Maine and Massachusetts, and how much power do elected officials have to tinker with citizen-passed laws? Plus, a Puerto Rican family is reunited in Holyoke, Mass., and a Vermont veteran with PTSD finds a way to heal, through farming. Listen to the end, and we’ll take you to the most peaceful place in the universe. Marijuana plants are harvested and hung in a processing facility in Franklin, Mass. Currently only medical cannabis sales are legal in Massachusetts. A referendum passed in 2016 set the date for legal recreational sales to begin at January 1, 2018. But a law passed this summer by the state legislature pushed the date to July 1, 2018. Photo by Jesse Costa for WBUR Power to the People? Mainer Kathleen Phelps speaks in favor of expanding Medicaid at a news conference in Portland. Me. on Oct. 13, 2016. Photo by Patti Wight for Maine Public Maine voters earlier this month approved a ballot measure that would expand the Medicaid program, making it available to more than 70,000 Mainers. But Governor Paul LePage — who used his veto power to block past legislative attempts to expand Medicaid — has said he won't implement Medicaid expansion until the statehouse appropriates funds to pay for the state's share of the program. Last year, Maine and Massachusetts voters approved legalizing recreational marijuana through a referendum — but in both states, lawmakers have altered the legislation, raising taxes and pushing back the start date for legal weed sales. Looking forward to 2018, Boston public radio station WBUR recently polled Massachusetts residents on three questions proposed for next year’s election. Respondents showed overwhelming support for initiatives to institute paid family leave, raise taxes on millionaires, and lower the sales tax. All this left us thinking: how powerful are ballot questions when the will of the people is later overhauled by their legislators? And why are they showing up  more frequently in states like Maine and Massachusetts in recent years? Joining us to help answer those questions are Steve Mistler, chief political corespondent for Maine Public Radio, and Colin A. Young, Massachusetts statehouse reporter for the Statehouse News Service. Trying to Find Stability Kristin, an active drug user, finds a syringe and a mirror from the tent she once lived in that other drug users took over. She says methamphetamine users use the mirror as an aid to inject themselves in their neck. Photo by Jesse Costa for WBUR According to Massachusetts Department of Health data, homeless individuals who use heroin or fentanyl experience an overdose-related death rate 30 times higher than people with stable housing. The finding is no surprise to drug users who live on the streets or in the woods, as WBUR's Martha Bebinger discovered on a visit to an urban tent community in Greater Boston. Solimari Alicea hands baby Yedriel to German Santini to hold. Photo by Jesse Costa for WBUR WBUR reporter Simón Rios has been charting the influx of Puerto Ricans into Massachusetts since Hurricane Maria left much of the island without power, water, or infrastructure. He went to Holyoke, and introduces us to two young parents who are trying to get their feet on the ground. Next we travel a bit further west on the Mass. Pike to the bucolic Berkshires. Those hills are alive with art — museums, galleries, theater and dance companies, and the summer home of the Boston Pops, Tanglewood. “La Fete,” by Raoul Dufy, is one of the works slated for sale by the Berkshire Museum. Image courtesy of Sotheby’s But the arts community has been in turmoil over a plan by the Berkshire Museum to sell off some of its artwork — including two Norman Rockwell paintings — to fund an expansion. The plan angered many in the art world, and got the attention of the state's Attorney General, who's working to stop the sale. Our guest Adam Frenier, Berkshire County reporter for New England Public Radio, has been following the story closely. Finally at Peace Pigs grub for food on a veteran-owned farm in Norwich, Vt. Photo by Peter Hirschfeld for VPR Nearly 4,000 Vermont veterans have served in Iraq and Afghanistan since 9/11, and many are still dealing with the invisible wounds of the nation's longest-running war. Some of them, however, have begun to find healing through farming. Vermont Public Radio’s Peter Hirschfeld brings us the story of Brett, an army vet who says learning to raise livestock saved his life. Read and listen to more stories of veterans-turned-farmers in Vermont. Life on a farm may sound peaceful enough to you. But New Hampshire Public Radio's Sean Hurley says he's found the most peaceful place in the universe. It's a spot he calls Moose Painting Pond. Sean Hurley looks out over “Moose Painting Pond.” Photo by Sean Hurley for NHPR Do you have a question about New England you’d like NEXT to investigate? Tell us about it here. About NEXT NEXT is produced at WNPR. Host: John Dankosky Producer: Andrea Muraskin Executive Producer: Catie Talarski Contributors to this episode: Martha Bebinger, Simón Rios, Peter Hirschfeld, Sean Hurley Music: Todd Merrell, “New England” by Goodnight Blue Moon, “Hotline Bling” by Drake, “Unsquare Dance” by David Brubeck, “Shameless” by Ani DiFranco Get all the NEXT episodes. We appreciate your feedback! Send praise, critique, suggestions, questions, and sound recordings of the most peaceful place in your personal universe to next@wnpr.org.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We’ve got lots for you this week. Fishermen clash with offshore wind developers, once-depleted bluefin tuna experience a resurgence, and 3D printing helps bring manufacturing back to Massachusetts. Meanwhile, off-road vehicles bring money and grumbles to White Mountain towns. Plus, the fascinating story of when “Live Free or Die” bumped heads with the First Amendment — and why it could prove relevant in an upcoming Supreme Court case.  Last, an appreciation of the sticky sweet snack of many a New England childhood. ATVs have become a frequent sight in New Hampshire’s Coos county. Photo by Chris Jensen for NHPR Up and Down the Coast The bluefin tuna can reach lengths of almost 10 feet. They can swim from the Bahamas to Norway in 54 days. Photo credit: NOAA Fishermen say it’s been decades since they’ve been able to catch so many Atlantic bluefin tuna so fast. Once severely depleted, populations of the prized sushi fish appear to be rebuilding. Now the industry and some scientists say the international commission that regulates the fishery can allow a much bigger catch. But some conservation groups disagree. From Portland, Maine Public Radio’s Fred Bever reports. Crew members sort through scallops and discard bycatch on a fishing boat in the Atlantic 14 miles from Long Island’s Montauk Point. Photo by Jon Kalish for NENC On the easternmost tip of Long Island, Montauk is the largest commercial fishing port in New York State. The nation’s first offshore wind farm is only a few miles away, off of Block Island, and many more such wind farms are in the works along the eastern seaboard. These plans have Montauk fisherman worried about the impact on their livelihoods. Independent producer Jon Kalish reports. Mike Twombly uses a sophisticated tool to precisely measure the diameter of a part that has been recently fabricated at Custom Machine Group in Woburn, Mass. Photo by Jesse Costa for WBUR Alexander Gomenik, Professor of Engineering at Indiana University plays a plastic fiddle produced from a 3D printer at the Digital Factory Conference at the MIT Media Lab . (Photo by Bruce Gellerman for WBUR) You don’t often see the label “Made in Massachusetts,” but manufacturing plays an outsized role in the economy of the Bay State. WBUR’s Bruce Gellerman takes us to factories on the front line of a new industrial revolution. It’s one that promises to transform how things are made, and the roles of workers. Read and listen to more from WBUR’s Future of Work series. Living Free Three year-old Everly Lavertu enjoys riding ATV trails with her parents. But leading health and safety groups say young children should not be riding in ATVs. Photo by Casey McDermott for NHPR These days in New Hampshire's North Country, it's not unusual to see caravans of all-terrain vehicles — or ATVs — all over. This region of the state has long been defined by the loss of its paper mill industry and high unemployment rate. But the surge in ATVs may be changing the North Country's image. While some see promise in this growing group of tourists, others worry that the region might be losing something else along the way. Others raise safety concerns. Reporters Casey McDermott and Todd Bookman looked into the  ATV phenomenon in a three-part series for New Hampshire Public Radio. Casey McDermott joins us to talk about what they learned. Below: take a virtual ride on an ATV trail in New Hampshire’s Jericho Mountain State Park. The adventurous off-road spirit is certainly in step with New Hampshire's celebrated motto: “Live Free or Die.” Image via Plateshack.com The slogan, taken from a 1809 toast given by Granite State Revolutionary War general John Stark, has been a part of the New Hampshire license plate since 1971. But not long after it became standard, a man made the case that the requirement to display the motto on his car violated his freedoms. And his case made it all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. Next month, the court will hear arguments in a controversial free speech case out of Colorado, where a baker refused to make a wedding cake for a same-sex couple. The baker's attorneys say they're resting their arguments on a precedent set during the decades-old legal battle over “Live Free or Die.” NHPR's Lauren Chooljian  tells the story of one determined New Hampshire couple, and how their battle with state's famous motto continues to have an impact. Creepy and Sweet Left: A daguerreotype portrait of brain-injury survivor Phineas P. Gage, holding the tamping iron which injured him. Right: Gage’s skull on display at Harvard Medical School. Photos courtst of Jack and Beverly Wilgus/Wikimedia Commons A grisly construction accident in New England in 1848 left railroad worker Phineas Gage with severe brain damage — but gave scientists valuable clues about how the brain functions. Gage survived the metal spike that went clear through his head, and has since become an icon of both science and pop culture. His skull is on display at Harvard Medical School in Cambridge, Massachusetts. WSHU’s Davis Dunavin brings us the story from his new podcast Off the Path from New York to Boston. Festival founder Mimi Graney sells copies of her book “What the Fluff: The Sticky Sweet Story of an American Icon” Autumn in New England is festival season. You can find fairs celebrating chrysanthemums, pumpkins, cranberries, or oysters. But the “What the Fluff” Festival in Somerville, Massachusetts is unique. Freelance reporter Carol Vassar paid a visit this year, and brings us an appreciation of a signature New England confection: Marshmallow Fluff. Do you have a question about New England you’d like NEXT to investigate? Tell us about it here. About NEXT NEXT is produced at WNPR. Host: John Dankosky Producer: Andrea Muraskin Executive Producer: Catie Talarski Contributors to this episode: Fred Bever, John Kalish, Bruce Gellerman, Casey McDermott, Todd Bookman, Lauren Chooljian, David Dunavin, Carol Vassar Music: Todd Merrell, “New England” by Goodnight Blue Moon. Get all the NEXT episodes. We appreciate your feedback! Send praise, critique, suggestions, questions, and photos of your own medical anomalies to next@wnpr.org.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New England is recovering this week after a big storm knocked out power for days in some places. How do we keep the power on today, and make our communities more resilient in the long term? We also ruminate lyrically on fickle New England weather with writer Will Dowd. A story from Texas puts the idea of “sanctuary hospitals” in the spotlight. How are New England’s hospitals responding? And, our friends from Brave Little State separate myth from fact when it comes to the Underground Railroad in Vermont. Workers in Stowe, Vermont tend to damage from a fallen tree Tuesday. Photo by Amy Kolb Noyes for VPR Hard Rains In late October, 2011 there were still multi-colored leaves clinging to New England's trees when a freak Nor'easter hit, dumping record snow, snapping trees, and cutting off power to millions. One year later, Super Storm Sandy battered the shoreline and caused tens of billions of dollars in damage. And then this week, a prolonged rainstorm, with winds up to 70 miles an hour, knocked out power for days in Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Vermont and New Hampshire, with more than 400,000 outages in Maine. Damage to Route 302 in Crawford Notch, New Hampshire. Photo by Chris Jensen Our first guest is David Littell, principal with the Regulatory Assistance Project, based in Montpelier, Vermont, and a former commissioner with the Maine Public Utilities Commission. Littell has been looking at the response from utility companies. With climate change bringing more frequent, bigger storms to our region, how do we plan for these new weather realities? We’re joined by Alexander Felson, an urban ecologist, architect and assistant professor at Yale University; and David Kooris, Director of the National Disaster Resilience program for the State of Connecticut. Shelter from the Storm For immigrants in the country illegally, the fear of running into U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, agents has made some public places appear threatening. In the current environment, that can include a visit to the emergency room. A recent opinion piece in the Journal of the American Medical Association called for the establishment of so-called ‘sanctuary hospital’ policies. But some New England health care providers say they only have so much power. WBUR reporter Shannon Dooling has our story. In Brandon, Vt., the 1853 Marsh House mansion is rumored to have had a tunnel entrance in its basement. The owner of the house, Rodney Marsh, was a high-profile abolitionist in Vermont, but there’s no hard evidence of Underground Railroad activity at this site. Photo by Angela Evancie for VPR Historian Ray Zirbllis conducted an exhaustive study of Underground Railroad activity in Vermont. He found hard evidence of activity at the 25 sites marked on this map. Courtesy Vermont Division for Historic Preservation The idea of providing “sanctuary” is part of the New England mindset. Yankees are proud of New Englanders’ participation in the Underground Railroad, providing aid and shelter to runaway slaves en route to Canada. But like a lot of history we think we know, there are parts of the story that turn out to be a bit more complicated. Vermonter Carlie Krolick wanted to know more, so she asked Vermont Public radio’s people-powered podcast Brave Little State.  “Was there an Underground Railroad in Vermont? What do we know about the existence of a system to help slaves escape toward Canada? And were escaped slaves able to settle and live here openly?” – Carlie Krolick, Charlotte, Vt. Host Angela Evancie went in search of answers. Weather We Like it or Not The nights were cold this week, and so were the days; the sun, when it appeared, flashed like a coin at the bottom of a well, and the rain fell whenever it felt like it. It was really and truly November, though I couldn’t quite accept it. Those lines open the essay “Paper Allegories” in a new collection of essays by Boston area writer William Dowd, entitled Areas of Fog. Dowd wrote the collection over the course of a year in the tradition of Thoreau’s . Each essay opens with a weather report. Many pay homage to great New England writers like Thoreau, Frost, and Dickinson – writers who helped shape our spiritual understanding of a region where the weather can feel like the work of a fickle god.Walden Areas of Fog is out on November 14 from Etruscan Press. Will Dowd will be reading and signing books at the Thayer Public Library in Braintree, Mass., on November 30, and at the Emily Dickinson Museum in Amherst, Mass. on Dec 7. Do you have a question about New England you’d like NEXT to investigate? Tell us about it here. About NEXT NEXT is produced at WNPR. Host: John Dankosky Producer: Andrea Muraskin Executive Producer: Catie Talarski Contributors to this episode: Shannon Dooling and Angela Evancie Music: Todd Merrell, “New England” by Goodnight Blue Moon. Music for Brave Little State by Blue Dot Sessions and Podington Bear Get all the NEXT episodes. We appreciate your feedback! Send praise, critique, suggestions, questions, and complaints about the weather to next@wnpr.org.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, we talk Amazon HQ2: whether Boston has a good shot at becoming the home of the corporation’s second headquarters, and why New Hampshire slings so much dirt at Beantown in its bid. We'll also get an update on how Puerto Ricans with Connecticut connections are coping with hurricane recovery on the island. Plus, we'll learn how Massachusetts volunteers help keep wild sea turtles alive when the seas turn cold. And in time for Halloween, we visit a haunted tavern to hear tales from New England's spookiest places. A rendering of the primary site Boston is proposing in its bid for Amazon to create its second headquarters in the city. The site straddles Boston and Revere (Courtesy City of Boston) From Over the Sea We've been tracking the recovery efforts in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria. The island is about four hours away by plane from Hartford and Boston. Yet in many ways, it's the island next door for New England's more than 600,000 Puerto Rican residents. Below: Boston community organizer and former Hartford City Councilman Luis Cotto has been distributing water filters and solar lamps in Puerto Rico. Video by Ryan Caron King. We speak with WNPR news director Jeff Cohen, who returned this week from a reporting trip to the island. He met with Connecticut residents who were providing supplies, fresh water,  and hope — and in some cases, bringing people back to New England to escape tough conditions. Explore Puerto Rico coverage by Jeff Cohen and Ryan Caron King. Below: volunteers from Connecticut and Puerto Rico bring water purification systems to remote towns. Video by Ryan Caron King. Menhaden, also called bunker, spill across the deck of a boat in Long Island Sound. This vital fish is now the subject of a new fisheries management decision. Photo by Patrick Skahill for WNPR Oily and smelly, Atlantic menhaden are one of the least sexy fish imaginable. But this humble fish, also called “bunker” or “pogie,” has deep roots off the coast of New England. It's believed Native Americans taught the Pilgrims to fertilize their crops with the fish. And for decades, millions of tons of menhaden were pulled out of the ocean. Now, there's a movement to preserve this vital species, not just for the fishermen who catch it, but for animals that eat it. WNPR’s Patrick Skahill reports. Menhaden may suffer from not being very loveable, but there's another creature in our waters that everyone loves: the sea turtle. And for sea turtles in New England, fall is a dangerous time. Rhode Island Public Radio's environmental reporter Avory Brookins went to the New England Aquarium's Hospital in Quincy, Massachusetts to find out why hundreds of sea turtles end up there once ocean temperatures drop. It’s a Jungle Out There A screengrab from the front page of New Hampshire’s Amazon proposal. The state is proposing the site of a former orchard in Londonderry, a Manchester suburb. October 19th was the deadline for states and cities to submit their bids to online giant Amazon. The company says it's received 238 proposals from places hoping to become home to its second North American headquarters, or HQ2. Amazon promises to employ up to 50,000 full-time workers at this future campus, with average salaries upwards of $100,000. Bids have come in from 44 states, including every New England state except for Vermont. New Hampshire's proposal is as much about what the state has to offer as what it doesn't have, while throwing shade on its conspicuous neighbor to the south. Governor Chris Sununu took the same tone at a press conference announcing the bid last week. Mr. Sununu said New Hampshire “has all the benefits of Boston, without the traffic, without the taxes, without the bureaucracy, but still being able to draw off the most talented workforce pool in the world.” Boston has of course thrown its hat in the ring. along with 25 other sites in Massachusetts. Below: a video from Boston’s Amazon proposal asserts “We are that shining city on a hill.” Joining us to discuss this cross-border kerfuffle and the politics behind the bids in both states is Asma Khalid, Bostonomix reporter at WBUR. We're also joined by Todd Bookman, who covers business and economics for New Hampshire Public Radio. Into the Woods C.J. Fusco, pictured at Abigail’s Grille in Simsbury, Conn., is the author of Old Ghosts of New England: A Traveler’s Guide to the Spookiest Sites in the Northeast. Photo by Andrea Muraskin for NEXT. New England this time of year is a leaf-peeper's paradise, but it's also a great place to get a good scare.  If you know where to look, it’s not hard to find haunted houses, haunted cemeteries, and even haunted restaurants. NEXT producer Andrea Muraskin found an old Connecticut tavern that's been the subject of ghost stories all the way back to the American Revolution. She sat down there with the author of Old Ghosts of New England: A Traveler's Guide to the Spookiest Sites in the Northeast. A scene from the film “Forrest Gump” was shot at Marshall Point Lighthouse in Port Clyde, Maine. The lighthouse is also said to be haunted by the ghost of a young boy, who was murdered by bootleggers. Photo by Gianina Lindsey via Flickr Do you have a question about New England you’d like NEXT to investigate? Tell us about it here. About NEXT NEXT is produced at WNPR. Host: John Dankosky Producer: Andrea Muraskin Executive Producer: Catie Talarski Contributors to this episode: Jeff Cohen, Patrick Skahill, Avory Brookins, Asma Khalid, Todd Bookman Music: Todd Merrell, “New England” by Goodnight Blue Moon Get all the NEXT episodes. We appreciate your feedback! Send praise, critique, suggestions, questions, and tales of the undead to next@wnpr.org.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Colin, along with WNPR's John Dankosky and former FBI special agent Michael Clark, will react to the testimony of former FBI Director James Comey, at Thursday morning's hearing before the Senate Intelligence Committee. Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.