Good to Know

WBUR

Restoration of old ‘ghost signs’ shows off Boston's fading West End history

Amanda Beland

A West End resident saw a trio of ghost signs and wondered how to bring them to back to life. He tracked down a local business that one of the old signs belonged to and convinced them and the West End Museum to partner and pay sign painters to restore them.

Reza Jawidan, Rauf Rostami and Orfan Hussain Zada stand in the kitchen of their new restaurant in West Brattleboro.

Vermont Public

Despite setback, 3 Afghan refugees in Brattleboro pursue their dream of opening a restaurant

Howard Weiss-Tisman

Three Afghan refugees opened a restaurant in Brattleboro, but it had to close after the landlord failed to pay his utility bills. Now, with support from the community, they are reopening in a new location.

Collector Mark Rankin holds a game jersey worn by Ron Francis of the Hartford Whalers. Among his peers in the Hartford Whalers Booster Club, Rankin is considered to have the largest collection of Whalers artifacts including a number of sticks used by the Whalers that line the ceiling of his basement.

Connecticut Public

Whale of a fanbase: Die-hard Hartford Whalers fans still bleed green after nearly 30 years

Abigail Brone

Nearly 30 years ago a beloved NHL team rebranded and moved hundreds of miles away. The Carolina Hurricanes are now a favorite for the Stanley Cup. But, the Whalers fanbase is still getting over their loss.

WBUR

In Boston, doctors try a dose of nature as medicine

Martha Bebinger

Doctors spend years becoming experts in how the body works, how it can break down and how to recognize and treat various illnesses. Their training rarely involves what’s known as “nature-based medicine.” Dr. Susan Abookire has made it her mission to change that.

Kevin Fife, a professional stone mason, leads students at Canterbury Shaker Village through the basics of building an old-fashioned dry stack stone wall. The class is part of the New Hampshire Preservation Alliance's Career Exploration in the Old Building Trades program.

NHPR

Building back history: Program trains young people to help preserve NH's landmarks

Jackie Harris

New Hampshire is full of historic homes, barns and churches that are at risk of falling apart, but there's a shortage of people who know how to fix them.

FILE: Headshots of NASA Astronauts Jack Hathaway (left) and Jessica Meir (right).

Connecticut Public

New England astronauts phone home from the International Space Station

John Henry Smith

Connecticut astronaut Jack Hathaway and Maine astronaut Jessica Meir describe life aboard the International Space Station and the future of space travel.

Paul Ramunni sits for a portrait in the New England Accordion Connection & Museum Company in Canaan, Connecticut on May 4, 2026. Ramunni learned to play the accordion when he was 10, and started collecting them over 40 years later. He’s now 78, and has accrued a collection of over 500. Ramunni, who’s a CPA by profession, repairs and restores antique accordions to display and sell at the museum housed in North Canaan’s historic railroad station. He keeps a box of tissues by the entrance because many people have an emotional connection to accordions. “Memories are packed in these things. They only wanted to take them out when they wanted to make everyone happy,” he said.

Connecticut Public

A CT man set out to collect accordions — and ended up saving stories

Lori Mack

At a museum in North Canaan, Paul Ramunni preserves the history and unexpected connections behind an often overlooked and misunderstood instrument.

NEPM

Merriam-Webster publishes a new print dictionary in the digital age

John Voci

Publication of Merriam-Webster's 12th Collegiate Dictionary was informed by their online dictionary and is unlike any previous dictionary they had produced..

Shepherd Izzy Hoffman of Foster and her Navajo Churro lamb, Cadbury

Ocean State Media

11-year-old Rhode Island girl helps save rare Navajo-Churro sheep breed

Pamela Watts

At her family’s farm in Foster, Izzy Hoffman is raising endangered lambs and preserving a centuries-old Indigenous farming tradition

Maine Public

May in Maine: 10 ways to get outside this month

Tulley Hescock

The temperatures are warming and the outdoor recreation season is ramping up. Get to know Maine’s trails, animals, plants and more by getting outside.