For some, m aple sugaring is a perennial ritual, painstakingly completed as we usher out the bitter wisps of winter, and embrace balmier, brighter days of early spring. And whether you’re producing maple syrup with just a few buckets, or if you’ve expanded operations with a full-blown sugar shack … you know this much to be true: 1) S ugaring is an art 2) Sugaring is a science 3) And a great excuse to be outdoors, with family and friends. This week on Something Wild, we check in with novice maple-sugar farmer Phil Brown, Director of Land Management for New Hampshire Audubon, to discuss the unexpected joys of maple season. Most maple seasons last about 4 to 6 weeks, and b ecause sugaring is so dependent on the weather—we never know just how long optimal conditions will last. B y optimal conditions, we’re talking daytime temperatures that reach into the 40’s and overnight lows that land in the 20’s. This “goldilocks zone” is juuust right for maple sap runs, because temperature fluctuation

It’s an unmistakable sound. One that elicits memories, sights and scents of events long ago. It recalls the joy of youth, the possibility of a spring evening. But it can also incite insomnia and the blind rage that accompanies it.

Here at Something Wild, we love all things wild (even blackflies !) but sometimes it can be helpful to look beyond a single species and consider how many species interact within a given environment. In our periodic series, New Hampshire’s Wild Neighborhoods, we endeavor to do just that and this time we’re looking at peatlands.

We know…we’ve been remiss, and it’s time to talk about the elephant in the room. Something Wild, as you know, is a chance to take a closer look at the wildlife, ecosystems and marvelous phenomena you can find in and around New Hampshire. But over the years there is one species in New Hampshire that we haven’t spent much time examining. A species, I think that has been conspicuous in its absence. Humans.

President-elect Donald Trump won the election by flipping Georgia, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin after President Biden won them in 2020. Looking at how Democratic counties voted explains how he did it.

Since the start of the #MeToo movement, many accused abusers have filed defamation charges against their accusers in retaliation, advocates say. Law professor Victoria Burke wants to change that.

Black and Latino voters moved toward Republican Donald Trump in this year's presidential election, and some of the biggest shifts were among men under age 45, and that helped expand his margin over Democrat Kamala Harris. 

More people are getting cancer in their 20s, 30s, and 40s, and surviving, thanks to rapid advancement in care. Many will have decades of life ahead of them, which means they face greater and more complex challenges in survivorship. Lourdes Monje is navigating these waters at age 29.

Homan was the acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement from January 2017 to June 2018, where he was a key architect of the Trump administration's controversial family separation policy.

President-elect Donald Trump has promised to reverse the Biden administration’s actions blocking copper-nickel mining near the Boundary Waters. But there is a lot that would need to happen before any mine could open.

Did the election leave you feeling numb? Or maybe you’re hopeful, relieved, angry or feeling something else entirely. Coming at 9 a.m. on Wednesday, MPR News host Angela Davis talks with two therapists about our complicated postelection emotions.

The second-term DFLer says he’ll challenge Trump if Republicans push politics that contradict Minnesota laws.

Recounts are expected in two Minnesota House races. The election results could determine control of that legislative body. The upcoming recounts are expected soon and come after initial ballot totals changed when election officials discovered technical glitches.

The Exchange presents a special broadcast of Writers on a New England Stage with Kevin Kwan. Host Peter Biello talks with the author of the bestselling Crazy Rich Asians about his new book Sex and Vanity.

In her final appearance, Laura Knoy is on the other side of The Exchange mic, as Peter Biello interviews her about her 25 years as host. We discuss the show's origins, moments that have stood out over the years, and hear her observations on how New Hampshire has changed.

The Exchange presents a special broadcast of Writers on a New England Stage with Rebecca Carroll. Carroll is an award-winning author, podcast host and Black culture critic.

The Exchange presents a special broadcast of Writers on a New England Stage with Diane Rehm.

The Exchange presents a special broadcast of Writers on a New England Stage with economist and New York Times columnist Paul Krugman.

The Exchange presents a special broadcast of Writers on a New England Stage with environmental activist Erin Brockovich.

The Exchange presents a special broadcast of Writers on a New England Stage with Kevin Kwan. Host Peter Biello talks with the author of the bestselling Crazy Rich Asians about his latest book, Sex and Vanity.

Schools will remain closed; a new coronavirus testing plan

State leaders say they have a new plan to fight COVID-19 in nursing homes.

Partisan differences over the best way to fight the pandemic; state workers may lose a pay raise

Gov. Walz to lay out next steps on reopening; remembering Steve Anderson

Trying to make nursing home safer from COVID-19

The legislative session ends, but a special session is coming; Ellison goes to court to try to stop bar owner from reopening

Walz takes heat from those saying he’s moving too slowly on reopening businesses and churches

Six months after Gov. Tim Walz first declared the peacetime emergency, where is Minnesota in the response to the pandemic and what will the next few months bring? On this week’s Politics Friday, MPR News host Mike Mulcahy talked with Walz, discussing some of the pressing issues in Minnesota and taking listener questions from around the state. 

What’s being done to confront the coronavirus and stem the economic fallout from the pandemic are central to this year’s election campaigns. That was clear when the candidates in Minnesota’s 2nd and 6th Congressional Districts met in separate MPR News debates Friday.

The front-runners in Minnesota’s 1st and 3rd Congressional Districts took part in telephone debates on Politics Friday.

The candidates for Congress in Minnesota’s 7th and 8th districts debated the major issues, on Politics Friday with host Mike Mulcahy.

Is there really such a thing as a "shy Trump voter"? Who is contacted to take part in pre-election polls? And are they reliable or not?

Striking machinists voted to reject an agreement that would have boosted wages by 35 percent. It’s another blow for Boeing, which reported a $6 billion quarterly loss on Wednesday.

The mayoral race is highlighting some of St. Cloud’s most pressing challenges, including a housing crunch, a struggle to revive its downtown and a perception that the city is less safe. Both candidates talk about addressing those problems, but they differ — sometimes subtly — on how to do so.

Many middle-income families are frustrated by the cost of higher education, feeling they earn too much for financial aid, but not enough to pay for it themselves.

The Borealis route is Amtrak’s second daily train from St. Paul to Chicago and hit a ridership milestone on Oct. 24.

Pensions are a major sticking point between Boeing and its striking machinists union. Many workers want the company to restore the pension plan they lost a decade ago, but Boeing hasn’t budged.

Over 200,000 people canceled their subscriptions in the first few days following news that The Washington Post would not endorse any presidential candidate.

Don't be surprised if you see fewer chocolate treats in your trick-or-treating loot. Customers are souring on costly chocolate, resulting from a few disappointing cocoa crop years.

Shoppers complain that Starbucks isn’t fancy enough — but they also say it’s too expensive. The new CEO, Brian Niccol, is ordering up big changes.

Older homes are the only ones many Americans can afford, but they are costly to fix and maintain, especially for seniors. A patchwork of programs to help are underfunded and have years-long waitlists.

Boeing overcharged the Air Force nearly $1 million for spare parts on C-17 cargo planes, including an 8,000 percent markup for simple lavatory soap dispensers, according to the Pentagon’s inspector general.

Warren Buffett is now sitting on more than $325 billion cash after continuing to unload billions of dollars worth of Apple and Bank of America shares this year and continuing to collect a steady stream of profits from all of Berkshire Hathaway’s assorted businesses without finding any major acquisitions.

A strike by 33,000 Boeing factory workers is coming to an end after more than seven weeks. The aerospace giant's unionized machinists voted on Monday to accept a company contract offer that includes a 38 percent wage increase over four years.

Many veterans who’ve started small businesses tell a similar story: Their military service prepared them mentally for the task, but they were at a disadvantage when it came to the financial part.

Eleven Israelis were wounded by a Hezbollah rocket impact in the central town of Tira on Saturday, as the terror group shot some 160 rockets and 10 drones at Israel over the past 24 hours.

Buffer zones around abortion facilities went into effect in England and Wales, a development that pro-life advocates contend criminalizes silent prayer and offering pregnancy help information to women and families in need of resources. 

Muslim vigilante groups are working with federal authorities to lure young people into sharing blasphemous content on social media in order to put them behind bars, according to an investigation by Pakistan’s National Commission for Human Rights

Messages of congratulations from world leaders began pouring in after former President Donald Trump’s historic political comeback and election victory. Here's a list of five reactions from around the world.

Rioters in the same city where Anne Frank hid during the Holocaust hunted down Israeli soccer fans, beating them and forcing them to say “Free Palestine” in an outbreak of violence that many have likened to Kristallnacht during the Nazi regime in Germany.