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 [email protected].

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.