Where We Live

Fall is officially here, and the days are getting shorter, but hopefully you’re still finding some time to be outside. Fall gardening is well on its way.  This is a great season to harvest squash and other root vegetables,  and  prepare your garden for next year.  Whether you are expanding your gardening space or perhaps getting ready to plant bulbs for the first time,  there’s a lot of factors to...

Local advocates and experts in early childcare education say funding and staffing shortfalls were only deepened during the pandemic. With federal relief funding set to expire at the end of the month, posing another short-term hurdle, or "cliff," what are the long-term solutions? Connecticut Senator Richard Blumenthal is  pushing Congress for $16 billion  in federal funding through the Child Care S...

In 2015, journalist  Elise Hu  moved to South Korea to open the NPR Seoul bureau. During her time in South Korea, she witnessed the rise of K-beauty culture or “Korean beauty.” K-beauty encompasses a multitude of beauty treatments.  It doesn’t just include luxury skincare lines, and expensive facemasks; there's also LED light therapy, injections, fillers, and a myriad of options for plastic surger...

Approximately half of U.S. adults reported experiencing loneliness, even prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. The issue recently moved U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy to  issue an advisory  around the "loneliness epidemic" in America. Soon after, Connecticut Senator Chris Murphy  introduced a bill  that would launch an Office of Social Connection Policy, and fund CDC research to "better understand th...

There have been a lot of things that have revolutionized how educators teach in the classrooms. Things like  Wikipedia, Google and even calculators  have caused temporary panic in the education space.  Now that ChatGPT and other artificial intelligence tools are becoming a central part of our everyday lives,  some educators are scrambling to rethink their curriculum.  If you ask the artificial int...

Before baking powder became a kitchen staple, there was a state-level showdown over the rights to produce and sell it, and food historian Linda Civitello says Connecticut played a central role. This hour, she joins us to dig into her book,  Baking Powder Wars: The Cutthroat Food Fight that Revolutionized Cooking. Plus, Darien First Selectman Monica McNally previews the town’s $85 million purchase...

It’s Primary Day here in Connecticut . We have closed primaries here in Connecticut, meaning only voters registered in either political party can participate in this election. Historically, voter turnout tends to be pretty low on Primary Day, especially on years where we don’t have a big presidential election. According to the Associated Press, turnout for the  2019 Democratic mayoral primaries in...

The Yale Program on Climate Change Communication found that  the majority of Americans  are either "alarmed" or "concerned" about climate change. They also  discovered links  between distress about climate change and a desire to take action. This hour, Dr. Anthony Leiserowitz digs into this study, and the Six Americas Super Short Survey (SASSY).  You can take the SASSY Survey here. Plus, NBC Conne...

There’s a stereotypical depiction of concussions in movies and TV shows: someone - often an athlete, gets hit in the head, falls down, and everyone crowds around them and asks them if they know what day it is. Then, the patient, spends the next two weeks lying alone in the dark. But in recent years we have developed a new understanding about concussions -- how they happen, their severity, and how...

The writers and actors strike has frozen film and TV productions across the country, and left many creatives to go back to their quote, "civilian jobs," as Mystic-based actress Callie Beaulieu  recently shared with Connecticut Public . "We're at a tipping point with the survival of our profession," she says. This hour, local studios, actors and crew members join us. Plus, NPR correspondent Mandali...

What do you think about getting older? Is it an exciting new chapter, or something you’re dreading? And when you think about seniors or elders, do you see reverence or irrelevance? Eventually, we all get older.  But one of the last acceptable forms of discrimination is ageism. Today on Where We Live, we talk about age discrimination. We hear from Jeff Hamaoui. He’s the Co-founder of the  Modern El...

Ashley Hamel discovered her love of music while growing up in Connecticut. The singer-songwriter eventually left New England behind to build her music career in Indonesia. This hour, she joins us from Jakarta to talk about her new single, "New England Baby…” Plus, earlier this year, U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal introduced a bill that he hopes will rein in the role of online, third-party ticket...

Once, receiving an A meant that a student had excelled in their coursework. But now, receiving an A means access to advanced classes, scholarships and of course, college admissions. No two school districts, or even two teachers grade in the exact same way. Which means that grade bias is a real problem. So two students that might have the exact same academic performance, could receive two very diff...

When you don’t feel well, and don’t know why, the last thing you want to be is dismissed by your doctor. More and more patients are taking it on themselves to research their own symptoms, and looking for answers and diagnoses through online forums. What’s happening at the doctor’s office that is causing a disconnect and distrust between patients and their doctors? Today, we’re talking about the re...

In 1999 the Columbine shooting shook the country and made everyone aware of the threat of gun violence in schools. As a result, schools made an effort to implement lockdown procedures as a way to keep students and staff safe. But with the rates of shootings only continuing to rise, these threats of mass shootings are feeling too real, and the lockdowns that were meant to keep students safe are ins...

The number of people who became unhoused in Connecticut increased by 13 percent between 2021 and last year. And in most places around the country, cities rely on shelters to accommodate people who are unhoused. But those who’ve lived there say this model isn’t working. Families are separated. There’s a 90-day stay limit. There’s little to no security for personal belongings. And at dawn, everyone’...

23% of the adult U.S. population cannot read above a third-grade level.  Literacy isn’t limited to reading and writing, it can also refer to basic math, comprehension and critical thinking skills. According to  ProLiteracy, bringing reading levels up “would generate an additional $2.2 trillion in annual income.  Today, we get a deeper understanding of adult literacy in our country and across our s...

Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh have estimated that  more than half  of wheelchairs break down in a typical six-month period. Many Connecticut residents say those repairs can take months. This hour, we hear from local advocates with the  Connecticut Wheelchair Reform Coalition  about a recently-formed legislative task force and their goals for next session. In particular, they hope to...

Virtually all Connecticut residents engage in the arts, culture and humanities, either formally or informally,  a recent survey found . But attendance rates at many cultural organizations haven't quite returned to pre-pandemic levels. This hour, we get the latest from Connecticut Humanities executive director Jason Mancini, and hear about a recent push for a  "roadmap"  that would better fund and...

Across Connecticut's thousands of farms, spanning nearly 400,000 acres, the average age of farmers is 58, just under the national average. Over 90% of senior Connecticut farmers don’t have a younger person tapped to take the reins, according to an American Farmland Trust study. This hour, we dig into local and federal efforts to support new and young farmers with New Connecticut Farmers Alliance P...

Connecticut rolled out a Black and Latino history elective this past school year, the first of several recent curricular updates and mandates to go live statewide. This hour, we hear from social studies teachers Daisha Brabham and Julian Shafer about how they worked with the curriculum offered by the state. Plus, their students share their experiences. Students in Windsor recently led a push to of...

Since the start of the war in Ukraine, more than 280,000 Ukrainians have resettled in the United States. According to Integrated Refugee Immigrant Services , there is roughly 1500 Ukrainian refugees settled in Connecticut. Elected officials here in Connecticut have shown their support for Ukraine. Connecticut Senator Richard Blumenthal has traveled several times since the start of the war to meet...

Toys are occasionally marketed to "children of all ages." In recent years, market research has shown the number of toy-buyers over 12 years old is growing. The demographic, sometimes called "kidults," now comprises a quarter of the annual toy retail market, and an impressive 60% of the market’s growth in the last year, according to market research company NPD Group . Dr. Kathy Hirsh-Pasek, a profe...

A Pew survey from 2018 estimated 13% of adults consult tarot card readers, astrologers or "fortune-tellers." But more recent market research shows sales for tarot card decks and psychic services are growing. This hour, we explore the art of divination and "card-pulling" in Connecticut. Hear from professional tarot reader Afton Jacobs-Williams, AKA Monty's Tarot Child. Plus, Chelsea Granger is a mu...

Since the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan nearly two years ago, roughly 80,000 refugees have resettled in the country. According to the Connecticut Department of Social Services, "over 1,300 parolees, refugees, and Special Immigrant Visa Holders from Afghanistan have resettled in Connecticut since 2021." The New Haven-based non-profit, Integrated Refugee & Immigrant Services, or IRIS, recentl...