Health
‘They Immediately See Gangs’: From El Salvador To Boston, Helping Young People Shake Stigma And Feel Safe
President Trump has referred to members of the MS-13 gang as “animals.” Attorney General Jeff Sessions says the gang is infiltrating the U.S., calling unaccompanied minors from Central America “wolves in sheep’s clothing.” There’s been a strong focus by the administration on legal crack downs but less talk of how to prevent young people from joining gangs in the first place. For two organizations working thousands of miles apart, that is their shared goal: to show young people a vision of their futures beyond the gangs.
Read MoreFood Pantry In Pittsfield, Massachusetts, Tries To Ease Stigma Of Getting Help
Early on a Wednesday morning in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, a line of people perused boxes of fresh apples and green beans, frozen meat, and bags of bagels and biscuits at the South Congregational Church Community Food Pantry.
Read MoreResearchers Try To Build A Better Life Jacket To Keep Lobstermen Alive
Early on a July morning, Massachusetts lobsterman Steve Holler and his sternman Frank Lenardis haul lobster traps out of Boston Harbor over the edge of Holler’s boat, the November Gale, and dump the catch into a holding tray.
Read MoreIn Punta Santiago, It’s A Microcosm Of A Battered Puerto Rico
A middle-aged woman sat over a pail of water, a blue umbrella shielding her from the scorching sun. Surrounded by a wreckage of branches and twisted metal sheets, Angelina Arroyo Rivera salvaged what remained of her belongings — some silverware and some plastic containers, a blue tarp, a red purse, a white blouse.
Read MorePrayers, Canned Goods And ‘The Sounds That I Miss’: Adjusting To Life In Merrimack Valley
Since last Thursday, the House of Mercy has been busier than usual. The part shelter/part church/part donations center is among the places people affected by the Merrimack Valley gas explosions can go for help.
Read MoreA Year Later, Puerto Ricans Face Death In The Wake Of Maria
Candido Reyes and Luz María Muñiz found love late in life — she in her 50s, he in his 60s — but at least they had found what some people never find. He told her he loved her more than God, and he believed it to the point that he apologized for it in his prayers.
Read MoreAll The Players But Massachusetts Join Housatonic River Cleanup Mediation
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and General Electric Co. are funding a new approach to negotiating an agreement on the cleanup of the Housatonic River. Just last week, many of the stakeholders met with an independent mediator. But one key player is choosing not to participate.
Read More‘GameSense’ Aims To Help Gamblers Understand The Odds Stacked Against Them
As MGM opens in Springfield, regulators and casino operators are required to make sure problem gamblers have access to help. There’s a new program called GameSense they hope will fulfill that promise.
Read MoreNew Haven City Officials Call For State Help In Overdose Crisis
Over 100 people are now known have overdosed on the New Haven Green since Tuesday night, apparently as a result of using part of a bad batch of the synthetic cannabinoid K2. Officials say that the man-made drug and this particular batch was designed to have a more potent effect on the people who took it—so they could become addicted.
Read MoreAt Coakley Landfill Site, Government Assurances Meet Public Fear
The Coakley Landfill on New Hampshire’s Seacoast is back in the headlines, more than 30 years after it became a Superfund site. Neighbors are again worried the site could be poisoning their drinking water, after a rash of childhood cancer cases nearby and the discovery of dangerously high levels of PFAS chemicals at the landfill.
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