Where We Live

Connecticut Public has spent the past year investigating political dysfunction, allegations of absentee ballot misconduct, and machine politics in Bridgeport. The investigation has culminated in a four part series called “In Absentia.” Today, we hear episode 3 of this podcast and speak to members of The Accountability Project, Connecticut Public’s investigative team. You can listen to all the epis...

How do you listen to Connecticut Public or Where We Live ? Your cell phone, car radio or something else? This hour, we explore the many ways information can travel, and the history of how these devices were made. Hear Where We Live host Catherine Shen take a tour of the Vintage Radio and Communications Museum of Connecticut with Charles "Skip" Coulson, John Ramos, Peter Knight and Jeff Gross, some...

Growing up as a transracial adoptee, Angela Tucker's friends, family, and even strangers would make comments and assumptions about what her life would have been like if she hadn’t been adopted. Angela Tucker is the author of the book " You Should Be Grateful": Stories of Race, Identity, and Transracial Adoption and she is Executive Director of the Adoptee Mentoring Society. Today, we talk about th...

Colleges are spaces for open dialogue, debate, and even protest. Student protesters have called for universities to divest from Israel. Today, we hear from students who have participated in encampments at Yale University and Wesleyan University. We also speak with Davarian Baldwin, author of Shadow of the Ivory Tower and professor at Trinity college to get a better understanding on what divestment...

Heart disease has been the leading cause of death in the United States for decades, putting much of the focus squarely and rightly on cardiovascular disease. But what about congenital heart conditions, something affecting your heart since birth? There are 13 million adults living with congenital heart disease, and that number has grown as treatments advance; survival rates have improved by 75% sin...

More workers than ever are working a hybrid work schedule - part time in the office and part time at home. According to a Gallup Poll,  nearly 40% of hybrid workers can set their own schedule. Yet burnout feels more apparent than ever before. Many offices are searching to find solutions to provide better work-life balance including the  four day work week.  Today, we revisit this topic and explore...

The Venice Biennale is the art world's most prestigious exhibition. It’s sometimes even called the "Olympics of Art," held annually in Italy. Right now, Pablo Delano, a Puerto Rico-born, Hartford-based artist,  has an installation  called “The Museum of the Old Colony” located in its central pavilion. The installation collection is comprised largely of photographs and artifacts, all of which raise...

For this gardening hour, we’re talking about  ecological gardening and gardening for the environment. We’ll be touching on  planting natives,  using rain barrels, preparing your compost pile  and more . We’ll also learn what plants can make your garden a pollinator oasis. And we want to hear from you: what are you planting this year? GUESTS: Charlie Nardozzi:  horticulturist and host of the Connec...

You’re never too young to learn about climate change. Younger Americans are more likely to engage with the issue, according to research on Gen Z and Millennials from Pew. This hour, we hear from the authors of three children’s books about climate change, and taking action, including UConn sociologist Dr. Phoebe Godfrey, meteorologist Paul Douglas, environmental scientist Lena Champlin, and residen...

This week, reporters from the New England News Collaborative are recognizing Earth Day and focusing their reporting on the intersection of climate change and housing. 34% of the housing stock across New England is rented . Many solutions to making homes more climate friendly are mostly geared toward homeowners. But investing in energy efficient appliances and installing solar panels isn’t that fea...

The Environmental Protection Agency has finalized the first-ever federal limits on a class of chemicalled known as PFAS, or "forever chemicals," in drinking water. This hour, we discuss what these enforceable limits mean for how Connecticut monitors and regulates PFAS. Department of Public Health Commissioner Manisha Juthani joins us, plus Connecticut Mirror investigative reporter Andrew Brown. Pl...

During the last fiscal year, the army alone missed their recruiting goal by 25%. All branches of the military are struggling to recruit new cadets. With an all-volunteer service, the military relies on recruitment efforts to get more people to serve. But fewer Americans than ever are eligible to do so. And attracting the next generation of cadets has been a challenge. Today, we talk about the mili...

Nearly one in four adults who contracted COVID-19 have developed long COVID symptoms, according to the latest Census report. This hour, Dr. Akiko Iwasaki, an immunobiology expert at Yale who is focused on researching long COVID, joins us to share what we know and don't know about the illness, and the many ways it can manifest. The Patient-Led Research Collaborative has authored several seminal sur...

Although church attendance has dwindled across all faiths,  39% of Catholics say they attend services at least once a week. The Archdiocese of Hartford includes over 400,000 Catholics across the state of Connecticut, and is now being overseen by a new Archbishop. After years of service, Archbishop Leonard Paul Blair will be succeeded by the newly appointed Coadjutor Archbishop Christopher Coyne,  ...

Throughout history, our state has made some big contributions to aviation technology. Today, we’re talking about the history and future of aviation in our state. We hear from some aviation enthusiasts who’s love of all things plane is going to make you soar. The New England Air Museum houses some unbelievable vintage aircrafts. We hear from them. And we hear from someone with experience flying in...

For adults on the autism spectrum, getting services can be a challenging task to navigate. A new bill passed last year means that more autistic adults could receive services from the state from the Connecticut Autism Waiver. But services still remain limited. There is currently a ten year waiting list to receive the waiver leaving thousands scrambling for services. Today, we talk about the Connect...

In Connecticut, the Asian American and Pacific Islander community is vast and varied, with more than 170,000 AAPI people in the state. And with a diversity of AAPI cultures, there is also a diversity of New Year traditions and celebrations that span across months. We’re just days away from the Laotian New Year and Thai New Year, as well as a Khmer New Year event hosted by the Cambodian Buddhist So...

Starting with the class of 2027, all Connecticut high school students are now required to take a financial literacy course. April is National Financial Literacy Month, and today,  we hear from those that advocated to get this course work in schools. For many, personal finance is just that - it’s deeply  personal. Later, we hear about efforts to offer  financial literacy courses to adults,  and the...

Today, Connecticut is expected to enjoy a partial solar eclipse, the most intense since 1924. That’s according to local astronomer and Wesleyan professor Dr. Meredith Hughes. Still, the Federal Highway Administration says 5 million Americans could be traveling to the path of totality. This hour, we discuss the science of the eclipse, and how to safely enjoy it, with Dr. Hughes. Plus, "umbraphile"...

Five percent of bridges in Connecticut are in  “poor condition.” Today, we talk about what needs to be done to update the bridges and roads in our state, and we talk about the collapse of the  Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore.  We hear from The Accountability Project from right here at Connecticut Public. And later, we hear about the  infrastructure workforce  and the training needed to staff...

Author Garrard Conley published his first book in 2016,  "Boy Erased" .  The bestselling memoir, relaying Conley's experience undergoing conversion therapy at 19, inspired a major motion picture two years later. This hour, Conley discuss his newest book and his first foray into fiction.  "All the World Beside"   explores queerness in Puritan New England. Set in 1700s Massachusetts and inspired by...

Beloved Muppet Elmo recently asked social media a simple question, "How is everybody doing?" The answers ranged from incredulous to raging. The trauma-dumping on Elmo begged the question: Are we burnt out? Burnout has been reported in many industries: Connecticut Public has previously covered burnout in health care , and among early child care educators and teachers , for example. When Where We Li...

In a  2022 survey from CT Humanities , only 26% of Connecticut residents had said they had visited a museum in-person in the last two years. Some 83% of those museum-goers identified as white. There are many museums where we live working to open their doors to a broader public, and to engage their local community more meaningfully. We’ve covered some of those efforts on this program, including ove...

You’ve heard of Bigfoot and Nessie, but did you know Connecticut is home to a host of creatures, or "cryptids"? Cryptozoology is the study of animals whose existence is a matter of debate. While Bigfoot sightings have been reported where we live, sea serpents, the Glastonbury Glawackus, and plenty of others call Connecticut home. This hour, we hear from Patrick Scalisi and Valerie Ruby-Omen, the a...

Longtime U.S. Senator Joseph Lieberman has died at 82. His family said he died due to complications from a fall. His wife, Hadassah, and members of his family were with him when he passed. Lieberman represented Connecticut in the U.S. Senate for more than two decades. In 2000, he made history as the first Jewish American on a major party’s presidential ballot when he became Al Gore’s running mate....