Where We Live

Pay transparency is a growing movement across the United States. Connecticut adopted its own legislation in the form of “An Act Concerning the Disclosure of Salary Ranges,” which went into effect on October 1, 2021.Today we talk about the types of pay transparency, the challenges that come with it, and what companies are doing to lessen the anxiety of talking about pay. We hear from the VP of Comp...

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 prof...

he rate of deaths caused by domestic violence in Connecticut hasn't changes much over several decades, averaging 14 intimate partner homicides per year. What has changed is the  degree of lethality of these events.  When they do occur, they are more aggressive and have an increased risk of being fatal. This hour, we’ll hear from the Connecticut Coalition Against Domestic Violence. We’ll learn abou...

There have been more than 80 mass shootings in the U.S. so far this year, according to the  Gun Violence Archive . But gun violence isn’t just limited to mass shootings. Every day,  hundreds of Americans  are shot in murders, suicides, and more. In Connecticut, there are some of the strongest gun laws in the U.S. Yet gun violence continues to rock communities across the state. While Governor Ned L...

The Environmental Protection Agency recently launched  a new office  dedicated to environmental justice and civil rights. EPA administrator Michael Regan says the 200-person office was needed to elevate the fight for overlooked communities, who are too-often left vulnerable to pollution, contamination, or as one guest notes, "food apartheid." There are plans to distribute $3 billion in grant money...

We just passed the one marker of the war in Ukraine. President Biden’s recent trip abroad  signified the United States’ support of Ukraine, but experts are saying that the end of the war is not in sight.  Americans are divided on how involved our country should be in the war effort.  Would you like to see the United States increase military aid for Ukraine? Today, we talk to members of the Ukraini...

Of the millions of people working in STEM fields in the U.S., only 9% are Black,  according to the Pew Research Center.  Those numbers are "unchanged" since 2016. How can efforts around “inclusivity” in these fields go farther? Environmental scientist Dr. Nyeema Harris has written about the importance of Blackology. “Blackologists are not simply scholars that are Black but, rather, are scholars wh...

Artificial intelligence and the academic world is colliding  and challenging colleges to develop stronger policies around academic integrity. Today, we talk about how Chatgpt - a new AI app - is taking universities by storm. We’ll also learn about some of the  bigger conversations around AI and ethics . Many times, these applications are built with biases, sometimes leading to  devastating consequ...

For the first time under a new law, the state’s budget is required to justify how spending would help reduce socioeconomic and racial inequities where we live. The  budget law  was passed last spring, calling for a quote "explanation of how provisions further the governor’s efforts to ensure equity in the state," helping to "identify and remedy past and present patterns of discrimination." Accordi...

Governor Lamont recently signed legislation to extend Connecticut’s free school lunch program through the academic year, with a $60 million price tag. Today, we talk about what free lunches mean for students. How will they benefit, what are the costs? Marlene Schwarts of UConn joins us. She says  students should never have to worry about being hungry at school. The USDA recently announced  new sta...

Connecticut joined every other New England state in logging the warmest January on-record this year. Areas like Bridgeport are seeing record-low seasonal snowfall, while still logging more than five inches of rain  according to the National Weather Service . You may have already heard unusual bird calls, or noticed your crocuses have cropped up early. Still, there have been two arctic blasts betwe...

Emily Wicks with UConn's Ballard Institute and Museum of Puppetry noticed the pandemic-era disruptions to kids' social-emotional learning and development, and reached out to Sandy Chafouleas at the university's Neag School of Education. Together they developed Feel Your Best Self , a puppet-centered program aimed at helping "strengthen the emotional well-being of elementary-aged children."This hou...

It’s been almost four years since  Connecticut lawmakers required schools to offer students a Black and Latino studies class.  The requirement was signed into law in June of 2019 and it went into effect last fall. It’s required that every district offer Black and Latino studies, but that doesn’t mean every child in Connecticut takes the course. First, the class is an elective. And second, the Conn...

Elizabeth Nelson, a associate professor of history at University of Nevada Las Vegas, has examined the  "hidden history of Valentine’s Day."  Beyond the pressures of consumer culture, or any outsized emphasis on romantic love, she says there's been a yearning for something more sincere "from the very beginning." This hour, Nelson digs into the history of this holiday, helping distinguish tall tale...

Joan Donovan is the Research Director of the Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy and author of the book  Meme Wars: The Untold Story of the Online Battles Upending Democracy in America. Today, we talk about the evolution of memes as political devices, and how it shaped the far right. We hear from Joan and learn about her journey to mapping out the darkest corners of the world w...

In one episode of the docu-series  Reciprocity Project , Connecticut-based educator and member of the Passamaquoddy Tribe Chris Newell teaches acclaimed cellist Yo-Yo Ma a pow-wow song. Together, they play at sunrise, "singing up the sun" in the tradition of the Wabanaki or People of the Dawnland, a confederation of four tribes in Maine including Passamaquoddy. This hour, we hear about this film s...

We are hearing a lot more about hate crimes against members of the AAPI community - that’s the Asian American and Pacific Islander community. The recent shootings in California are only one of many acts of violence carried out against this population. Acts of physical violence aren’t the only thing we’re seeing. According to a study in the  Journal of Interpersonal Violence , “one-third of Asian r...

Ten states and Washington D.C. currently support medical aid in dying for terminally-ill patients. Advocates and lawmakers like Public Health Committee Co-Chair and State Sen. Dr. Saud Anwar are hoping Connecticut is closer than ever to becoming the eleventh state to adopt a medical aid-in-dying law. Connecticut Public health reporter Sujata Srinivasan spoke with Sen. Anwar about the plan to inclu...

The story of the American Oystercatcher in Connecticut is "one of success and hope; however, because of the increasing threat from climate change and habitat loss, its future is uncertain," writes Audubon Connecticut Coastal Program Coordinator Beth Amendola. Whether the Oystercatcher, the Piping Plover or the Semipalmated Sandpiper, beach-nesting birds in Connecticut require "continual vigilance...

On Monday, February 6, 2023, Where We Live officially welcomed Catherine Shen to the hosting seat of the show. Some of our listeners may be familiar with Catherine’s voice, having heard her guest host several episodes of Where We Live in the past two months or hearing her news reporting on Connecticut Public over the last two years. Where We Live producer Tess Terrible sat down with Catherine to l...

Did you pledge to be more grateful or practice more self care in the New Year? Journaling can help! The benefits of putting your thoughts, goals, and worries on paper cannot be understated. Today, we talk about the power of journaling and how to begin journaling even if you don’t know where to start. Bullet journaling, gratitude journaling, guided journaling! There are so many options and getting...

A new school for LGBTQ students and allies is set to open this fall in New Haven. This hour, we preview the plans for  PROUD Academy  with founder and executive director Patty Nicolari, and hear from Maddie and Tiffanie, a prospective student and their parent in Fairfield. Nicolari says this would be the first school for LGBTQ youth in Connecticut, and at least the fifth in the U.S. But first, the...

Willie Mae Brown is the author of a new book My Selma: True Stories of a Southern Childhood at the Height of the Civil Rights Movement . The book, written for young adults, reflects on her time growing up in Alabama and how the civil rights era shaped her coming of age. Today, we’ll hear her message for the next generation of activists. Brown lived in Selma, Alabama until she was 17, when she move...

A U.S. debt default could be detrimental to federal employees, those in the military, and beneficiaries of Social Security and other government programs. Connecticut currently has the  largest budget surplus in the state’s history.  How the surplus might be utilized is still unknown. Today on Where We Live, we talk about what we might see prioritized in this year’s state budget, and  how Congress...

At least three area theater companies in Connecticut are showcasing work by Latinx women playwrights this winter: "Water by the Spoonful" by Quiara Alegría Hudes at Capitol Classics from Jan. 25 to Jan. 29 "Queen of Basel" by Hilary Bettis at  TheaterWorks Feb. 3 to Feb. 26 "Espejos: Clean" by Christine Quintana at  Hartford Stage Jan. 12 to March 5 "Queen of Basel" boasts an all-Latinx cast and c...