Where We Live

Sixteen years after the U.S. entered into war with Afghanistan -- a look at one woman's efforts to inform and inspire young Afghan girls. This hour, Shabana Basij-Rasikh talks about her upbringing under the Taliban in Kabul and about her experience co-founding SOLA -- the School of Leadership, Afghanistan .  Support the show: http://wnpr.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy info...

Sleep. We all need it. Yet, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , roughly one in three U.S. adults do not get enough of it. Coming up, we consider the impact of this and other sleep-related trends with Dr. Meir Kryger. His new book is called The Mystery of Sleep . Support the show: http://wnpr.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

During the 1920’s, some Connecticut women took jobs painting watch dials with radium-laced paint. At the time, they didn’t know it was toxic. As these so-called “Radium Girls” began to die, their stories became part of a rallying cry for industrial regulation. Support the show: http://wnpr.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Russian hacking, fake news--if the last election  taught us anything, it’s that your vote is a valuable commodity. Support the show: http://wnpr.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

More than 50 are dead and more than 500 injured in the deadliest mass shooting in modern American history. On Sunday night, a gunman in a Las Vegas high rise hotel fired hundreds of rounds of ammunition on thousands of  concertgoers. Support the show: http://wnpr.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With the threat of nuclear weapons from North Korea, questions about the future of the Iran nuclear deal, and more aggressive, nationalistic rhetoric coming from the U.S president -- could we see nukes being used again? Support the show: http://wnpr.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Most of Puerto Rico still has no power or running water one week after Hurricane Maria devastated the island. Support the show: http://wnpr.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Six years ago she became the first female to lead the Hartford Symphony Orchestra. This hour, Carolyn Kuan talks about her intricate journey to the Connecticut stage. It's the latest in WNPR's "Making Her Story" series, recorded live at the Warner Theatre in Torrington, Connecticut.  Support the show: http://wnpr.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Within the shadow of P.T. Barnum lies a much quieter tale of Bridgeport prosperity -- a tale involving two nineteenth-century sisters, Mary and Eliza Freeman. While neither achieved the same level of recognition as Barnum, both established a significant place within the history of Connecticut’s Park City.  Support the show: http://wnpr.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy inform...

In his first address to the United Nations, President Trump used fighting words to respond to North Korea . Support the show: http://wnpr.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

“ Still Revolutionary ”… or stuck in a rut ? This hour -- in the midst of budget woes and major business losses -- we find out what Connecticut can and should be doing to bolster its image on the national stage.  Support the show: http://wnpr.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In a dramatic turn of events this weekend, several Democratic lawmakers crossed party lines and allowed the Connecticut General Assembly to approve the Republicans budget plan. Yet Governor Malloy has vowed to veto the GOP budget -- so what happens now? Support the show: http://wnpr.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's National Suicide Prevention Week -- a time to reflect on and raise awareness about an issue that touches thousands of Americans each year. Support the show: http://wnpr.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nine mental health workers at Whiting Forensic Division, the maximum security facility at Connecticut’s only state psychiatric hospital, have been arrested for the abuse of a patient.  Support the show: http://wnpr.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Unearthing family history -- one saliva sample at a time. This hour: how low-cost DNA testing helped spawn an industry and, with it, a new wave of genealogical sleuthing. Support the show: http://wnpr.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Millions sought refuge as Irma charged its way through Florida over the weekend. This hour, we get an update on the storm’s impact. Support the show: http://wnpr.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The FBI still doesn’t know what happened to $500 million dollars worth of  paintings stolen from Boston’s Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in 1990. Support the show: http://wnpr.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sunday’s nuclear test out of Pyongyang, North Korea triggered a high-profile response from U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley. Support the show: http://wnpr.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Juvenile justice reform often focuses on changing a system in which the majority of delinquents are boys. But how do courts and community providers address the needs of girls? This hour, we find out what advocates have learned from a new report on girls in Connecticut's juvenile justice system.  Support the show: http://wnpr.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hartford schools are back in session -- though, this time, there’s a new superintendent in town . Coming up, Dr. Leslie Torres-Rodriguez stops by our studios. We talk about her vision for the district and answer your calls, tweets, and emails. Do you have child in the Hartford Public School system? What questions do you have for its newest leader?  Support the show: http://wnpr.org/donate See...

While Harvey ravages the Gulf Coast, some in Connecticut are stepping up to provide relief . This hour, we hear about their efforts and find out how you, too, can support the storm’s victims .  Support the show: http://wnpr.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Priya Natarajan has what some might call an affinity for the impalpable. Black holes. Galaxies. The intricacies of the universe. This hour, the Yale-based astrophysicist talks about the experiences that triggered her curiosity and zeal for "exotica." It's the latest in WNPR's " Making Her Story " series, recorded live at the Warner Theatre in Torrington, Connecticut.  Support the show: http:/...

During World War II the Nazis experimented on Polish women among others at Ravensbrück concentration camp outside of Berlin. After the war, socialite and Connecticut resident Caroline Ferriday helped bring dozens of these women to the U.S. for medical treatment.  Support the show: http://wnpr.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the midst of the Great Depression more than 80 years ago, President Franklin D. Roosevelt created the Civilian Conservation Corps — giving jobs to young men to support their families, while conserving the country’s wild lands and upgrading our state parks. This hour, we revisit our show on the CCC’s impact in Connecticut and we hear from one “CCC boy” who is now 102 years old. Support the...

Crashing waves, cawing gulls, the cutting scent of a falling tide -- there's nothing quite as invigorating as the experience of summer along the New England coastline. For writer Jonathan White, however, it was not the East but the West Coast that fueled a lifelong passion for the water.  Support the show: http://wnpr.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.