The latest New England stories on topics like climate change and the environment, the economy, health, racial equity, culture and politics — as reported by newsrooms of the New England News Collaborative, a nine-station consortium of the region's top public media organizations.
For Native Americans, an enduring spiritual connection to the land
For more than 10,000 years before Europeans arrived, the Northeast was home to many tribes with organized leadership and governance; it was among the most prosperous parts of North America. A connection with the land endures — and you care for it like it's a member of the family.
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As towns around Quabbin Reservoir face challenges, state lawmakers propose more financial help
In the early 1900s, four western Massachusetts towns disappeared from the map. They were flooded to build the Quabbin Reservoir. But those towns closest to the Quabbin don't have access to the water supply. And several are now experiencing significant water quality issues. -
Seiji Ozawa dies at 88. In Berkshire County, some say 'he was one of ours'
The acclaimed conductor Seiji Ozawa died Tuesday. For 29 years he was the music director for the Boston Symphony Orchestra. His tenure brought global attention to both the orchestra and to Tanglewood, where Ozawa was once a student. -
The long entanglement and short life of right whale 5120
By the time Brian Sharp saw the whale dead on an Edgartown beach, her jet black skin was pockmarked by hungry seagulls, her baleen had been dislodged from her mouth, and thick rope was wrapped tightly — as it had been for the last 17 months — around the most narrow part of her tail. -
From frost fans to hayrides, wild weather is forcing CT farmers to adapt to a changing climate
Last year was a tough one for Connecticut farmers. From late-spring frosts to devastating summer floods, 2023 was the latest in a string of wild weather. And it’s forcing farmers to rethink what they grow and how they do it. -
Climate Superfund Act would make oil companies pay for climate damages in Vermont
After a year of historic flooding, some Vermont lawmakers and environmental advocates are pushing for the state to create a new program similar to the federal Superfund program to pay for climate damages with money from big oil companies.