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People of Northwest Public Radio

Sueann Ramella

Morning Edition Host & Producer

Thom Kokenge

All Things Considered Host & Producer

Robin Rilette

Music Director & Classical Music Host

Kerry Swanson

Station Manager

Gillian Coldsnow

Assistant Manager of Programming and Operations

John Paxson

News Director

Steve Reeder

Classical Music Host

National Security

12:04 am

Tue May 1, 2012

After Bin Laden, Al-Qaida Still Present As Movement

Credit AP

Thousands of Somalis gathered at a militant-organized demonstration on the outskirts of Mogadishu, Somalia, in support of the merger of the Somali militant group al-Shabab with al-Qaida, which was announced in February by al-Qaida leader Ayman al-Zawahiri.

By Dina Temple-Raston

Originally published on Tue May 1, 2012 5:16 am

A year ago Tuesday, Navy SEALs attacked Osama bin Laden's secret compound in Pakistan and may have fundamentally changed al-Qaida as we know it.

The Obama administration's top counterterrorism chief, John Brennan, spoke Monday in Washington, D.C., and seemed on the precipice of talking about the terrorist group in the past tense.

Sheryl Rich-Kern has been contributing stories for NHPR since 2006, covering education, social services, business, health care and an occasional quirky yarn that epitomizes life in New Hampshire. Sheryl’s Challenges of Autism series won the first place award for a feature story from the New Hampshire Association of Broadcasters.

In addition to producing news for NHPR, Sheryl has filed stories for Word of Mouth, as well the nationally-syndicated Environment Report, All Things Considered and Marketplace. She also writes for several business magazines.

Prior to her endeavors with radio, Sheryl worked as a public relations specialist and an adjunct college professor. She graduated Boston University with a bachelor’s degree in broadcasting and film, and earned a master’s degree in management from Lesley College in Cambridge.

Sheryl has lived in Nashua for more than 20 years.

Business

11:59 pm

Mon April 30, 2012

N.H. To The Unemployed: Try An Unpaid Internship

Credit Sheryl Rich-Kern / for NPR

Electropac in Manchester, N.H., is among the companies participating in the state's unpaid internship program.

By Sheryl Rich-Kern

Originally published on Tue May 1, 2012 3:47 am

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Electropac, a firm that makes printed circuit boards in New Hampshire, once had 500 paid employees. Today, it has 34. But thanks to a state program for the unemployed, it also now offers unpaid internships.

Across the country, unpaid internships are on the rise for older adults looking to change careers or rebound from layoffs. In New Hampshire, a state-run program encourages the unemployed to take six-week internships at companies with the hope of getting a permanent job.

11:57 pm

Mon April 30, 2012

Discovering The True Cost Of At-Home Caregiving

Next image Previous image

Credit Kainaz Amaria / NPR

Maryland resident Ida Christian, 89, began showing symptoms of Alzheimer's disease in 2009. Her condition demands around-the-clock care.

Credit Kainaz Amaria / NPR

Ida's husband of 42 years, Frank Christian Jr., passed away in 1990. "He was a man of few words, with no enemies, and she was a woman of a thousand words, with no enemies," says her son, Frank Christian III. "She lost her good buddy."

Credit Kainaz Amaria / NPR

Geneva Hunter (left) and her daughter, Yolanda, decided to take a hands-on approach to Ida's care. Ida lives with Geneva, and Yolanda quit her job to become Ida's daytime caregiver.

Credit Kainaz Amaria / NPR

Yolanda, 43, helps Ida color at the family's kitchen table. She has been taking care of her grandmother daily for over two years and insists it is the best care for Ida.

Credit Kainaz Amaria / NPR

Yolanda waits as Ida gingerly walks into the bathroom during their morning routine. According to Yolanda, some days Ida argues with her and refuses to get out of bed.

Credit Kainaz Amaria / NPR

Yolanda remembers crying the first time she bathed Ida and saw how frail she had become.

Credit Kainaz Amaria / NPR

Yolanda treats her caregiving responsibilities like a full-time job, keeping a daily record of what Ida eats, her activities, moods and doctors' appointments.

Credit Kainaz Amaria / NPR

"I've been watching her deteriorate since 2009. ... Back then we could still play chess and talk," Yolanda says. "It's the regression that is the hardest part."

Credit Kainaz Amaria / NPR

Yolanda zips up Ida's coat after taking her out to breakfast on her 89th birthday.

Credit Kainaz Amaria / NPR

Although daily caregiving has been difficult on Yolanda, she and her mother agree that moving Ida into an assisted living facility will never be an option.

Credit Kainaz Amaria / NPR

Yolanda speaks to a specialist during one of the many routine doctors' appointments.

Credit Kainaz Amaria / NPR

Yolanda takes a business call in the parking lot outside Geneva's home. She had only planned to take a year off from her lucrative career in human resources, and is now trying to get back into the workforce.

Credit Kainaz Amaria / NPR

Ida Christian, 89, was diagnosed with dementia in 2008. Her condition demands around-the-clock care.

Credit Kainaz Amaria / NPR

Ida Christian gets help from her granddaughter, Yolanda Hunter (left), in blowing out the candles on the cake celebrating her 89th birthday.

By Marilyn Geewax

Originally published on Wed May 23, 2012 7:51 am

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Walk through any nursing home, and your first thought might be: "I need to take care of Mom myself."

Few people want to turn over a loved one to institutional care. No matter how good the nursing home, it may seem cold and impersonal — and very expensive. But making the choice to provide care yourself is fraught with financial risks and personal sacrifices.

Those who become full-time caregivers often look back and wish they had taken the time to better understand the financial position they would be getting themselves into.

5:13 pm

Mon April 30, 2012

Human Error Blamed In JBLM Midair Collision That Killed 4 In December

Credit Photo credit: Austin Jenkins / Northwest News Network

Army vehicles leave the crash site near Rainier, Washington.

By Austin Jenkins

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Pilot negligence - not a mechanical failure- led to a deadly midair crash last December of two Army helicopters from Joint Base Lewis-McChord . But poor communication and moonlight might also have been factors in the nighttime accident. Correspondent Austin Jenkins has details on an internal investigation released Monday.

4:46 pm

Mon April 30, 2012

Oregon Governor Seeks Federal Health Care Waiver

Credit Photo credit: CDC / Northwest News Network

Gov. Kitzhaber is hoping changes to Medicaid billing codes would pay for a community health worker to visit the patient's home rather than rely on visits to the ER.

By Colin Fogarty

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This week, Oregon is looking to get federal permission to move ahead with a key cost-cutting strategy for health care. It’s part of what Governor John Kitzhaber calls his health care "transformation."

4:33 pm

Mon April 30, 2012

University Of Idaho Goes Public With $225 Million Campaign

Credit Photo courtesty UI

Graphic of the proposed science center at the University of Idaho.

By Glenn Mosley

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The University of Idaho has entered into the public phase of the largest fundraising campaign in its history.

4:18 pm

Mon April 30, 2012

Officials Prepare To Dismantle North Bend Bunker

By Patricia Murphy

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Officials say a fortified bunker built by a man suspected of killing his wife and teenage daughter will be destroyed.

4:02 pm

Mon April 30, 2012

How To Break Up With Attitude, According To Norah Jones

Credit Frank Ockenfels / Courtesy of the artist

Norah Jones' latest album is called Little Broken Hearts.

By editor

Originally published on Tue May 1, 2012 5:38 am

More than 10 years ago, Norah Jones hit the national stage with her melancholic love song "Don't Know Why," in the process selling millions of copies of her debut album and becoming a Grammy winner.

But Jones' new album is different. She may sound like a fragile performer, but don't get her wrong: At 33, she's recorded a breakup album with attitude.

4:01 pm

Mon April 30, 2012

Army Investigation: Midair Crash Killed Four Helicopter Pilots In December

Credit Photo courtesy of US Army

OH58 Kiowa Warrior

By Austin Jenkins

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For the first time, the U.S. Army is confirming it was a midair collision that brought down two helicopters last December at Joint Base Lewis-McChord. The results of an internal investigation into the crash that killed four pilots was released Monday. It blames pilot error, not a mechanical failure.

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