New England News Collaborative

Stories published by WBUR in partnership with members of the New England News Collaborative.

A crowd protests outside the New Hampshire Statehouse on Sunday, July 21, after Gov. Chris Sununu signed a bill banning trans girls from playing girls sports. Two families of transgender girls are now suing over the law. (Paul Cuno-Booth/NHPR)

Families of trans athletes sue over N.H. law banning them from girls’ sports

The families of two transgender girls are suing the state of New Hampshire over a new state law barring them from playing girls sports.

Vermont town to close popular leaf-peeping road to tourist traffic

For the second year in a row, a Vermont town is will close a popular leaf-peeping road as hordes of fall visitors have become too much for residents.

New military recruits to undergo baseline 'cognitive assessments' to detect later brain injuries

An analysis released earlier this year suggested that the gunman in last October's mass shooting in Lewiston had traumatic brain injuries that could have been caused by repeated exposures to...

This new trail network is the first in Vermont that's fully accessible to adaptive mountain bikes

Nestled in the Green Mountains, the Driving Range features 4 miles of gnarly climbs, twisting curves and adrenaline-pumping drops. And with the help of volunteers, several nonprofits and 256 acres...

Mountain lions in N.H.? Some locals believe the big cats still roam the Granite State

Dozens of mountain lion sighting reports are filed each year in New Hampshire. Fish and Game officials say none of them have proven the presence of the animal in the...

A pilot program wants to make it easier for N.H. doctors to talk about climate change

For the past year, one team of Dartmouth Health pediatricians in Lebanon has helped inform patients about five local climate concerns: air quality, extreme heat, extreme weather, ticks, mosquitos and...

Local Coverage

Aug 8, 2024

New Hampshire law aims to speed up insurance pre-approvals

Medical treatments often need to be pre-approved by insurance – what’s known as “prior authorization.” But many doctors and patients complain the process can be burdensome, causes delays and sometimes...

Local Coverage

Aug 6, 2024

Sarah Leiter, who leads the visual survey program for the Maine Department of Marine Resources, scans the water for signs of North Atlantic right whales and other marine life during a recent research cruise in July. (Courtesy of Jeff Nichols, Maine Department of Marine Resources via Maine Public)

Researchers are on a summer mission to learn more about right whales in the Gulf of Maine

This summer, the state of Maine launched a research program to learn more about the whereabouts of North Atlantic right whales. The findings could be critical for the future of...

Environment

05:02Aug 6, 2024

The new North Adams Regional Hospital has been designated a "Critical Access Hospital" which provides long-term financial stability for hospitals in rural, sparsely-populated areas. (Nancy Eve Cohen/NEPM)

North Adams hospital gets federal designation which pays for health care in rural areas

The North Adams Regional Hospital received a federal designation as a "Critical Access Hospital" that helps pay for medical care in sparsely-populated rural areas. The designation pays for staffing regardless...

Health

Aug 5, 2024

Maria Lurdes Coutinho Peixoto, 87, third from left, is the daughter go one of the four founders of the Feast of the Blessed Sacrament in New Bedford. She was barred from serving on the honored Feast committee until now. (Jennette Barnes/CAI)

After more than a century, women take formal role in New Bedford's massive Madeiran Feast

New Bedford’s Feast of the Blessed Sacrament, a cultural festival with religious roots, is billed as the largest Portuguese feast in the world. It’s more than a century old, but...

Local Coverage

Aug 2, 2024

Governor Maura Healey speaks at a temporary overflow shelter at the Melena Cass Recreation Complex, Jan. 31, 2024. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)

Healey extends overflow shelter stay for families who meet certain criteria

Just before a new policy limiting some stays at overflow shelters to five days went into effect, the Healey administration released new guidelines, granting those running shelters the authority to...

Local Coverage

Aug 2, 2024

Trees on Mt. Chocorua, near the Liberty Trail. (Zoey Knox/NHPR)

'National forests are not national parks': Logging debate in White Mountains divides forestry experts, environmentalists

A newly-approved project will log more than 600 acres, a relatively tiny portion of the Sandwich Range’s more than 35,000 acreage. But it will cut trees near spots popular for...

Environment

Jul 31, 2024

Flooding at Severance Hill in St. Johnsbury Tuesday morning. (Courtesy of Lisa Schartner Call via Vermont Public)

Parts of Vermont's Northeast Kingdom hit by flash flooding again

The National Weather Service is reporting life-threatening flooding in Vermont's Northeast Kingdom. Rainfall of over 7 and 8 inches was reported in the region. This is the second flood event...

Local Coverage

Jul 30, 2024

Many community nurse programs were modeled off parish nurses working in Lyme, New London and Hanover, New Hampshire in the early 2000s. Now, more than a dozen towns in New Hampshire and Vermont have a community nurse. (Lexi Krupp/Vermont Public)

More Vermont towns are turning to community nurses, offering free health care

“Sometimes there are real medical needs, but more than anything you keep hearing about people who were isolated in rural Vermont — boy, are they isolated,” nurse Sunny Martinson said.

Local Coverage

04:35Jul 30, 2024

Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell. (Michael Dwyer/AP)

To reduce racist bullying, Mass. attorney general steps in with action plan for Southwick schools

Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell announced an action plan for the Southwick-Tolland-Granville Regional School District following complaints of racist bullying, including a mock slave auction on Snapchat in February. The...

Local Coverage

Jul 29, 2024

Vice President Kamala Harris delivers remarks at a campaign event in Pittsfield, Mass., Saturday, July 27, 2024. (Stephanie Scarbrough/AP)

In western Mass., Harris raises about $1.5M at first fundraiser of her presidential campaign

Supporters gathered inside and out of Pittsfield's Colonial Theatre for Vice President Kamala Harris' first fundraiser since becoming the likely Democratic presidential nominee.

Local Coverage

Jul 29, 2024

Democratic Gov. Janet Mills delivers her State of the State address on Jan. 30 at the State House in Augusta. (Robert F. Bukaty/AP)

Gov. Mills urges Maine 'not to be complacent' in responding to opioid epidemic

Fatal overdoses declined 16% last year in Maine. And according to preliminary data, overdose deaths dropped by nearly 15% during the first seven months of this year.

Health

Jul 26, 2024

The Sununu Youth Services Center in Manchester, N.H., stands among trees in 2020. Payouts continue over abuse allegations at the state's youth detention center. (Charles Krupa/AP file photo)

Settlement payouts for abuse at former N.H. youth detention center top $95 million

One hundred and thirty-four new claims were filed from April through the end of June, bringing the total number of claims to 552, according to a newly released report by...

Local Coverage

Jul 26, 2024

Members of the Army National Guard. (Eve Zuckoff/WCAI)

Guard seeks bids to build Cape Cod machine gun range as funding deadline looms

For the second time, the Massachusetts Army National Guard is seeking contractor bids to build a scaled-back machine gun range at Joint Base Cape Cod — though the controversial project...

Local Coverage

Jul 24, 2024

Vice President Kamala Harris speaks on Tuesday, April 25, 2023, in Washington. (Nathan Howard/AP)

Democratic fundraisers confirm Harris will attend Pittsfield event this Saturday

Less than a week ago, Vice President Kamala Harris had top billing at a private fundraiser in the Berkshires for the Biden-Harris campaign. Now she's going as the head of...

Local Coverage

Jul 24, 2024