Where We Live

Hosted by Lucy Nalpathanchil and John Henry Smith Today Joe Biden became the forty-sixth president of the United States.  Will America heed President  Biden’s calls to end an 'uncivil war' in political debate that spilled over into violence at the capitol two weeks ago? A vice presidential swearing-in also makes history.  Now that Donald Trump has left Washington and been kick...

Inauguration Day is here. This hour, Connecticut’s 3rd District Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro joins us to talk about what this Inauguration Day is looking like, and how it has looked in years past.  Coming up, there won’t be any Inaugural Balls or other typical Inauguration activities in Washington. In fact, President Trump won’t even be in attendance! So how will the inaugurat...

Bridgeport has lost its top health official as the state battles COVID-19’s second wave. This hour, we talk with Connecticut Post reporter Brian Lockhart about the vacancy in the health department of the state’s largest city. And later, some Connecticut residents over the age of 75 will receive their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine this week. Does Connecticut have the right tools in...

We’re one semester into the 2020-2021 academic year. This hour, how are faculty at our Connecticut colleges and universities holding up?  Coming up, we'll talk about faculty burnout, the impending end of tenure, and what universities will invest in, in the future.  And later, the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities system is in the process of merging all 12 of our state com...

President Trump has been impeached by the House of Representatives again, making him the first president in U.S. history to be impeached twice. With just days before President-Elect Joe Biden’s inauguration, what happens next? We check in with impeachment legal expert Ross Garber. We also talk with  The New York Times Interpreter  columnist Amanda Taub. What lessons can we tak...

After President Trump egged on a crowd of supporters who later smashed their way into the US Capitol, Democrats are once again on the verge of impeaching the president. This time, they may have some Republican support.  To be successful, any such effort would have to pass both the House and the Senate.  On the Wednesday politics episode of Where We Live, we speak with Connecticut US Sena...

So far, tens of thousands of Connecticut residents have already received the COVID-19 vaccine. Yet nationally, vaccine rollout has been going slower than experts had hoped. This hour, we hear from reporters about how policies have shaped vaccine availability. And we get answers from a doctor about the science behind the shot. What questions do you have about the rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine? Fi...

Astronaut Kayla Barron was one of the first women commissioned as a submarine warfare officer in the US Navy. Now, she’s part of another groundbreaking group,  NASA’s Artemis Team . This hour, we talk with Barron about her training for the next set of missions to return to the moon.  The Artemis Program aims to put the first woman on the moon in coming years. Later, we hear f...

Connecticut 4th district Congressman Jim Himes joins us to talk about what happened at the U.S Capitol and how the country moves forward from here.  And later, we hear about efforts to pass recreational marijuana in our state. We also hear how the state might expunge the records of those with previous marijuana drug convictions, as well as hearing from marijuana cultivators themselv...

Last January, an estimated 2,500 young people experienced homelessness in Connecticut,  according to the Connecticut Coalition To End Homelessness annual Youth Count . And that was before the pandemic that overturned so many lives. Connecticut had made a goal to end youth homelessness by 2020. So what gaps remain? We hear from advocates, providers, and a young person about how the state can h...

With the ongoing pandemic, what do municipalities need to do to stay afloat?  This hour, we look at neighborhoods and towns in Connecticut working to keep their residents connected and businesses thriving during this pandemic. We hear from residents in Westville, a small thriving community in New Haven. We also hear from New London - a city looking to revitalize and create more resiliency.&nb...

What has your year looked like? What are you grateful for? In the last days of 2020 we reflect on our most memorable shows of the year. It’s been a hard one for so many and that’s why we took sometime to ask you--what you’re thankful for this year. Despite this chaotic, hard year, it’s important to stay grateful for what we have. GUESTS: Janice Kaplan  - author of&nbsp...

On May 1st, 1970, the eyes of the nation were on the Elm City. Students and others from around the country had gathered to protest the murder trial of Black Panther Party leaders Bobby Seale and Ericka Huggins. This hour, we take a look back at May Day in New Haven, 50 years ago this year. We talk with Huggins and hear from a former Baltimore mayor who was one of the Yale students who helped keep...

At the start of this year, Jericho Brown addressed the graduates of the Bennington Writing Seminars Class of January 2020.  He said, “If you can't imagine these last few days without trees, I know you can't imagine life without poetry. Literature fills needs we did not know we had. Poems and stories plant seeds for things we did not know we needed." Jericho Brown is this year’s Pu...

Faith can play an important role in times of uncertainty - offering comfort and hope.  Since COVID-19 hit Connecticut, many churches, synagogues and mosques have closed across the state.  Faith leaders have moved worship online - and found new ways to bring people together. It has not been easy.  Leaders across religious traditions are under tremendous pressure guiding their congreg...

2020 is finally almost over, and it’s time for a break. But if your holiday plans are looking different than normal, we’ve got you!  This hour, we talk with NPR TV Critic Eric Deggans, who gives us  his recommendations  on what to binge watch over the holidays. We also check in with Vox book critic Constance Grady about  her recommendations from the best books of 20...

If you’ve ever been to a dietician to lose weight, or just to get healthier, you’ve probably heard the same advice and been told to eat the same kind of food. But American dietitians often leave out room to eat diverse cuisines and food groups, largely leaving out a lot ethnic food.  This hour, we learn how some dietitians are trying to change that. Coming up we talk to Jessica Wi...

There’s not a lot that rhymes with pandemic.  This hour, Margaret Gibson, Connecticut’s poet laureate joins us for a conversation on poetry writing during the coronavirus. It’s our Pandemic Book Club - poetry hour!  Coming up, we talk about how she’s responding to the grief this pandemic has created. There are many poems on the natural beauty of the state, but ver...

COVID has changed the way we live, work, even move. This hour, we talk about the future of public transportation in Connecticut, with commuter advocate Jim Cameron. We also hear from the State Department of Transportation (DOT) public transit bureau chief. Ridership has plummeted on rains and buses as many residents continue to work from home. This, even as Connecticut’s often-overlooked bus...

If you own or rent a home that is older than 1978, you have to assume there is some lead in it. Lead is not be used in paint anymore, but the lead that exists in older homes can still be dangerous. This hour, we talk about lead poisoning and the risks it poses to children. Coming up, we hear what homeowners and renters need to know about lead in their homes. GUESTS: Jenifer Frank   - fre...

For years, Connecticut sent large portions of waste to the Materials Innovation and Recycling Authority (MIRA) trash-to-energy plant in Hartford. This, in spite of protests by Hartford residents, who say pollution from the plant has caused health problems. Now, the plant will close in 2022. Today, we talk with Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) Commissioner Katie Dykes about...

Have you spotted a coyote in your neighborhood? These carnivores can live just about everywhere, from Canada to Central America, from California to -- just recently -- Long Island. This hour, we talk with two researchers that study coyotes. We learn about how coyotes have expanded their range over the last 200 years to cover much of North America. As other species have struggled to survive amidst...

While still just a law student, Brittany K. Barnett met Sharanda Jones, a single mother, business owner and a woman serving a life sentence without parole for a first time drug offense. This hour, Brittany K. Barnett, author of  A Knock at Midnight: A Story of Hope, Justice, and Freedom  joins us to discuss her fight for Sharanda’s freedom and our country’s continued struggle...

Pfizer may receive emergency approval from the FDA this week, but who’s in line to get the COVID-19 vaccine first? This hour, we talk with members of Connecticut’s Vaccine Advisory Group, including co-chair Dr. Reginald Eadie. He’s one of the leaders who’s planning how COVID-19 vaccines will be stored and distributed in our state in the coming weeks and months. We also talk...

Starting in January a new deduction will come out of your paycheck. The Connecticut Paid Leave program will go into effect in 2022 and can help workers get paid time off for a variety of situations. This hour, Andrea Barton Reeves, the Chief Executive Officer of the Connecticut Paid Leave Authority joins us to answer our question and yours. And how has the way we exercise has changed during this p...