Latest news with #AmandaGokee
Boston Globe
13-06-2025
- Politics
- Boston Globe
Globe New Hampshire wins 6 New Hampshire Press Association editorial awards
Steven Porter and Amanda Gokee earned second place for their comprehensive reporting on the issue of transgender student athletes playing on girls sports teams. They approached this difficult topic in a way that went far beyond simply reporting the news as it happened, and ended up writing nearly a dozen stories, from explainers about complex legislation, to news as Get N.H. Morning Report A weekday newsletter delivering the N.H. news you need to know right to your inbox. Enter Email Sign Up Spot News reporting Advertisement As protests roiled college campuses, students at Dartmouth and UNH set up tents and joined the fray. Steven Porter and Amanda Gokee Advertisement Health reporting The Northeast has the second highest percentage of hospital-owned practices in the country, with nearly 46 percent of physicians employed by hospitals, according to the Physicians Advocacy Institute. But unlike other New England states, lawmakers in New Hampshire haven't taken action to curtail facility fees by enacting consumer or public notice requirements. Amanda Gokee Political reporting Steven Porter won second place for his coverage of New Hampshire's Libertarian party and how, instead of supporting their official candidate for president, the party Steven Porter and Amanda Gokee spread out across New Hampshire in 2024 to regularly explore how the state's demographics and voting patterns have changed since 2020 and evaluate whether they might affect the 2024 elections, from the presidential race to down-ballot contests. Stories that earned them a first place award in this category included: Social Media Social media manager Sadie Layher won second place for her outstanding use of The New Hampshire Press Association Excellence in Journalism Awards celebrates exceptional work by New Hampshire journalists on all platforms, including print, digital, television, and radio. Advertisement Lylah Alphonse can be reached at
Boston Globe
12-06-2025
- Boston Globe
On the N.H. ice cream trail: Four standout spots for cooling summer treats
A scoop of chocolate ice cream in a waffle cone at Richardson's Farm in Boscawen. Amanda Gokee/Globe Staff Richardson's Farm in Boscawen This charming ice cream stand serves homemade ice cream and sherbet that's made on the premises. Their secret is making ice cream in small, 10-gallon batches, using New Hampshire heavy cream and milk, according to the farm's website. There's a covered area with picnic tables if you decide to eat at the farm. Be warned! They only accept cash. ( Get N.H. Morning Report A weekday newsletter delivering the N.H. news you need to know right to your inbox. Enter Email Sign Up While you're there: Just a few minutes down the road from Richardson's Farm is Avaloch Farm Music Institute, a hidden gem offering retreats for musicians and occasional performances that are open to the public on a gorgeous, bucolic property. ( Advertisement Jordan's Ice Creamery in Belmont This ice cream joint can draw a real crowd – patrons are drawn here for the homemade ice cream served in generous quantities. The extensive menu includes a dizzying array of frozen delicacies, such as brownie sundaes, frappes, banana splits, and malts. ( While you're there: The nearby Knowles Pond in Northfield, N.H., is a delightful spot for a dip on the hotter days of the summer. The water is accessible from a dock on Knowles Pond Road, and there are walking trails that also lead to the water from a parking lot on Rand Road. ( Advertisement Sawyer's Dairy Bar in Gilford When I got ice cream at Sawyer's last summer, my mother was served the biggest portion I have seen to date. It was an overwhelming, and delicious, amount of ice cream. For reference, I believe she ordered a 'small.' Do with that information what you will. ( While you're there: Weirs Beach in Laconia offers public beach access to Lake Winnipesaukee nearby. Be prepared to meet a lot of bikers if you go during Laconia Bike Week from June 14 through June 22. ( There's indoor and outdoor seating available at Super Secret Ice Cream in Bethlehem, a James Beard finalist in the Outstanding Bakery category. Amanda Gokee/Globe Staff Super Secret Ice Cream in Bethlehem Since rising to James Beard-level fame, this secret appears to be out. And for good reason – the ice cream makes it well worth the trip. The shop promises ice cream made in tiny batches from local dairy and whole ingredients. The website warns that the flavors on offer are changing constantly due to seasonality and direct those curious to their While you're there: Bethlehem is a very sweet town with an eminently walkable main street and a few gift shops. It's also home to Rek-Lis Brewing Company, which serves an assortment of locally-brewed beers, pub fare, and, sometimes, live music. A calendar of events is available Advertisement This article first appeared in Globe NH | Morning Report, our free newsletter focused on the news you need to know about New Hampshire, including great coverage from the Boston Globe and links to interesting articles from other places. If you'd like to receive it via e-mail Monday through Friday, Amanda Gokee can be reached at
Boston Globe
11-06-2025
- Health
- Boston Globe
May was a ‘particularly deadly' month for suspected opioid overdoses in N.H.
Medics from AMR responded to 43 suspected opioid overdoses in Nashua and Manchester in May. But Stawasz said because Narcan is now widely available for free, it's likely there are many overdoses that continue to occur without 9-1-1 intervention. Get N.H. Morning Report A weekday newsletter delivering the N.H. news you need to know right to your inbox. Enter Email Sign Up The increase in suspected opioid overdose deaths come after months of positive indicators, with overdoses trending down in recent months compared to last year in both cities. Advertisement But Stawasz said those improvements 'by no means signal that the opioid epidemic is 'under control' or close to elimination.' 'It is always possible that the trend of lower numbers could change quickly — as evidenced this month,' he said. New Hampshire isn't the only state to see the sudden increase in deaths in May. Stawasz said Connecticut also saw a surge in both fatal and non-fatal overdoses around the state, with 61 suspected fatal overdoses between May 16 and June 6. Advertisement A bulletin from the 'That CT surge seems to correlate to the surge in deaths we experienced here in Nashua & Manchester,' Stawasz said in an email. 'The bulletin suggests that polysubstance combinations and higher concentrations of fentanyl may be contributing factors to the current spike in overdose deaths.' While overdose deaths in Manchester are trending about 13 percent less than last year, in Nashua, they're up nearly 70 percent this year, according to AMR. There were 20 opioid deaths in 2024, and there's already been 14 so far this year in Nashua. Meanwhile, in Manchester, the percentage of overdoses that were fatal shot up to 26 percent in May, more than double the rolling 12-month average of 11 percent. Amanda Gokee can be reached at
Boston Globe
20-05-2025
- General
- Boston Globe
Forget the snacks and soda, this N.H. school installed a vending machine for books
Students in the elementary school earn gold coins from their teachers for exhibiting good behavior. Each month, the school focuses on a specific behavior that they're trying to promote: like collaboration, self-control, or being a good friend. Once they've won a coin, the students can cash it in at the vending machine for a book of their choice. 'It is wildly popular with students, teachers and parents,' said Thompson. 'It's really kind of created this hype at the elementary school.' Thompson said the school used federal Title IV funds for the initial purchase of the machine and for one refill of books. A Hampstead mothers' club has raised additional money for purchasing more books, and the school has an Amazon wish list where parents can buy books to restock the machine, according to Thompson. Get N.H. Morning Report A weekday newsletter delivering the N.H. news you need to know right to your inbox. Enter Email Sign Up Located by the school's main office, the vending machine for books looks much like the kind that distributes snacks or soda, with over 20 different colorful titles visible from behind a pane of glass. Advertisement Thompson said teachers and students weighed in on the most popular titles to make sure the selection of books is as irresistible as possible. 'It checks two boxes,' he said. 'One is it supports literacy and gets kids Advertisement This story first appeared in Globe NH | Morning Report, our free newsletter focused on the news you need to know about New Hampshire, including great coverage from the Boston Globe and links to interesting articles from other places. If you'd like to receive it via e-mail Monday through Friday, Amanda Gokee can be reached at
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
There's a word to describe Casella's recent PR blitz: greenwashing
"Casella's management and its directors may very well be committed to sustainability as a concept, but it is a huge stretch for the company to promote itself as being in the sustainability business." (File photo by Amanda Gokee/New Hampshire Bulletin) When we read or hear a claim repeated over and over again, we are more likely to think it is true even when it is not true. It's called the illusory truth effect, and it's why repetition is a fundamental tool used, yes, in politics, but especially in consumer product advertising. And more and more it's being used by corporations to highlight their sunny side whenever the corporation's reputation as a good corporate citizen comes into question. A case in point is Casella's recent campaign to convince New Hampshire that when it comes to the environment, Casella is one of the 'good guys.' The company has unleashed what amounts to a public relations blitz, emphasizing its commitment to environmental sustainability. Just in the last week Casella offered up a 'Special Advertising Section' in New Hampshire Magazine titled 'Casella Comes Full Circle for its Anniversary,' suggesting that though it started in the trash business it is now in the sustainability business. That comes on top of a number of other recent actions by the company, including a national press release announcing its '2024 Sustainability Report'; a mailer to residents of New Hampshire's North Country titled 'Driving Sustainability in NH'; and a $1.5 million donation to the University of Vermont for which the University gave it naming rights to establish the 'Casella Center for Circular Economy and Sustainability at UVM.' All this smacks of 'greenwashing,' a practice roughly defined as a company using corporate money and its public relations apparatus to mislead people into believing that it is more environmentally friendly than it actually is. Casella's management and its directors may very well be committed to sustainability as a concept, but it is a huge stretch for the company to promote itself as being in the sustainability business. Casella's core business is trash collection and landfilling, essentially the antithesis of sustainability. According to Casella's most recent filings to the Securities and Exchange Commission, only 20% of its revenues come from business activities (such as recycling) that are even remotely connected to sustainability. And there is little to no indication that going forward Casella will focus on sustainability. It tells its investors that its growth will be fueled by acquisitions of trash collection service territories, necessitating the need for construction and/or expansion of new landfills across the Northeast. Casella likes to talk about its origin story: It started in 1975 with one truck picking up trash in Rutland, Vermont. In 50 years it has grown to be a $7 billion corporation, with nearly $1.5 billion in annual revenue. What the company does not like to talk about is all of the environmental problems it has created, and all of the enemies it has made along the way to becoming a $7 billion corporation. Casella has trash operations all over the Northeast, but it is an especially big player in northern New England. In New Hampshire, it operates one of three major landfills — the NCES landfill in Bethlehem. The NCES landfill has been beset by environmental problems. It was only recently discovered that holes in the landfill liner were created during the construction of the landfill some 30 years ago; the consequences for contamination of nearby water supplies and groundwater are as yet unknown. And it took Casella two full days to discover that the largest leachate spill in New England (150,000-plus gallons) occurred at NCES in 2021. Now four years later, the extent of soil and groundwater contamination from the accident is still under investigation. These are not isolated incidents. New Hampshire's Department of Environmental Services (DES) notified NCES that it had found hundreds of permit violations for leachate management during a recent two-year period. In contrast, DES found only a few handfuls of similar violations at other New Hampshire landfills, including Mount Carberry and Turnkey, which other than management competence are similar to NCES. With that kind of record, it's little wonder that Casella would want to use its public relations apparatus to bill itself as in the sustainability business. This is especially true given the fact that it has been trying for six years to bully our state to approve permits for it to build a new mega-landfill (the GSL project) in Dalton. It has even suggested that it would not invest in a newly planned recycling center in downstate New Hampshire unless it gets permits to build GSL. It's to our great good luck that we now have a governor who is standing up to that bullying, a redirected DES that is more focused on environmental protection, and an educated populace that is able to recognize greenwashing for what it is.
