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Romance on the Connecticut River: ‘Loquacious’ retirees nearly miss their moment

Ed Lomerson and Elsie Fetterman celebrate their 97th birthdays on a Connecticut River Cruise, launching from South Hadley, Massachusetts. They met 11 years ago after Elsie posted an ad on Match.com.
Ben James
Ed Lomerson and Elsie Fetterman celebrate their 97th birthdays on a Connecticut River Cruise, launching from South Hadley, Massachusetts. They met 11 years ago after Elsie posted an ad on Match.com.

All week we heard from people who reporter Ben James met on his bike ride down the Connecticut River. Stories of grieving, working, trying to make rent, watching things change for better and for worse along New England’s longest waterway.

Now we meet two more people – a couple. They’re 97 years old, and they celebrate their birthdays every summer with a cruise on the Connecticut River.

“Life on the Connecticut” was made possible through a partnership between NEPM, NHPR, Vermont Public and the New England News Collaborative.

Federal funding is gone.

Congress has eliminated all funding for public media.

That means $2.1 million per year that Connecticut Public relied on to deliver you news, information, and entertainment programs you enjoyed is gone.

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All donations are appreciated, but we ask in this moment you consider starting a monthly gift as a Sustainer to help replace what’s been lost.

SOMOS CONNECTICUT is an initiative from Connecticut Public, the state’s local NPR and PBS station, to elevate Latino stories and expand programming that uplifts and informs our Latino communities. Visit CTPublic.org/latino for more stories and resources. For updates, sign up for the SOMOS CONNECTICUT newsletter at ctpublic.org/newsletters.

SOMOS CONNECTICUT es una iniciativa de Connecticut Public, la emisora local de NPR y PBS del estado, que busca elevar nuestras historias latinas y expandir programación que alza y informa nuestras comunidades latinas locales. Visita CTPublic.org/latino para más reportajes y recursos. Para noticias, suscríbase a nuestro boletín informativo en ctpublic.org/newsletters.

Federal funding is gone.

Congress has eliminated all funding for public media.

That means $2.1 million per year that Connecticut Public relied on to deliver you news, information, and entertainment programs you enjoyed is gone.

The future of public media is in your hands.

All donations are appreciated, but we ask in this moment you consider starting a monthly gift as a Sustainer to help replace what’s been lost.

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