Workforce & Skills: Concord Regional Technical Center added a welding course after student demand and staffing shifts, expanding career-tech options for teens from 30 towns. Public Health: A multi-state alfalfa sprout outbreak linked to Everything Sprouts has sickened people in 15 states, with CDC reporting 55 cases and hospitalizations tied to E. coli and Salmonella. Wildfire & Climate Resilience: New England firefighters are facing a hotter, drier fire season, with drought-driven spikes in recent years and new uncertainty from proposed federal Forest Service changes. Conservation & Species Protection: Vermont is alarmed by a Trump administration rule narrowing what counts as “harm” under the Endangered Species Act, potentially making habitat damage easier to approve; the rule is set to take effect Sept. 14. Energy Tech: Gov. Maura Healey will host New England governors to discuss advanced nuclear and fusion as a way to lower energy bills. Defense Tech: The U.S. approved Italy’s purchase of APKWS-II guidance kits, with BAE Systems in Nashua as prime contractor. STEM in the Community: An Eagle Scout project in Sippican Lands Trust uses smartphone photo posts to track environmental change at marsh sites.