Where We Live

The results from the first statewide  LGBTQ+ needs assessment survey  are in. More than 3,000 residents weighed in, informing the first-of-its-kind report for Connecticut's LGBTQ+ Health and Human Services Network. This hour, we focus on health care for transgender and nonbinary residents. "Transgender respondents were 11 times more likely than cisgender respondents to have been refused...

Hartford Seminary has a new name. It’s now the Hartford International University for Religion and Peace. Today, we talk to its President Joel Lohr. And we hear from other faculty members about their efforts to create a more inclusive, interreligious university focusing on peace studies. There have been a lot of conversations about diversity and inclusion initiatives in the workplace - but of...

Could that pandemic puppy you adopted last year be welcome at your workplace? More public spaces, such as restaurants, grocery stores and even offices, have become more welcoming to pets. This hour, we talk about how pets are changing the way we work and play and how they’re making us much healthier! We hear from Mark Cushing, author of  Pet Nation: The Inside Story of How Companion Ani...

Phil Klay's works of fiction and nonfiction have confronted the sometimes dissonant or disconnected public understanding about how America’s wars are waged — and its veterans. The Fairfield University MFA professor and Marine Corps veteran joins Where We Live to reflect on how some public perceptions have shifted in recent months. Klay revisits his debut book,  Redeployment , and...

This hour on Where We Live, a look at climate change and health. Physicians turned climate activists see worsening asthma, COPD, and seasonal shifts in vector-borne diseases, plus higher ER visits for heat stress. Hartford and New Haven have the unfortunate distinction of being in the list of  Top 20 Asthma Capitals  in the country, according to the 2021 report from the Asthma and Allerg...

Deciding to quit your job often takes time and consideration. But more and more people are saying, “I quit” with or without two weeks’ notice. This hour, we talk about why Americans are leaving the workplace. Some have dubbed it “The Great Resignation” The labor shortage goes beyond people quitting; it includes those that won’t return to low wage jobs with bad m...

Without adding any frills or frights, the Mark Twain House & Museum spotlights the home’s history with spiritualism, and maybe some spirits along the way. Hear from staffers there, and the restoration experts who help bring historic homes like it back to life. Plus, learn about the "ghost signs" from the 1800s being delicately unearthed in Old Saybrook. Mallory Howard  - Mark Twain...

A new  two-year, $500,000 grant program  can help Connecticut schools improve on child nutrition through "farm-to-school" programming. Overseen by the Department of Agriculture and with funding through the American Rescue Plan Act, schools can tailor the grant to address infrastructural needs, whether a stove or a new greenhouse; to buy local farm fresh food; or to integrate experiential...

President Biden has met with Pope Francis in Rome. The President later sharing that the Pope told him he was a good Catholic and should continue to receive communion. This hour, we talk about what it means to be Catholic in the 21st century. Although the Vatican has not changed much of its doctrine, lay Catholics viewpoints and opinions have changed and evolved with the times. We hear from Celia V...

The  American Academy of Pediatrics declared  a national emergency in children’s mental health in October.  Data  from the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows that in 2020, mental health–related emergency department (ED) visits among adolescents aged 12–17 years increased 31% compared to 2019. During February 21–March 20, 2021, ED visit...

How can journalists address issues of trust and representation in order to better serve their audiences? Some newsrooms and journalism schools are addressing how the idea of objectivity or neutrality has been misapplied. Hear from Poynter's Director of Training & Diversity Doris Truong and UConn Professor Amanda Crawford. Plus, Southern California Public Radio's Chief Content Officer Kristen M...

How would you describe the pandemic in just six words? Today, we talk to Larry Smith, the founder of “six word memoirs” and hear about his new book “A Terrible, Horrible, No Good Year.” It features six word memoirs from students, teachers and parents navigating the pandemic. And later, we hear from Dr. Ulysses Shawdee Wu, Chief Epidemiologist at Hartford Healthcare to answe...

Losing someone you love is one of the most devastating experiences in life. Today, we talk about how we grieve as we approach All Souls Day and Dia de los Muertos or Day of the Dead. We talk with the co founder of Farewelling. The company transforms funerals, believing they should be as unique as weddings and birthday parties. And later, bereavement periods in the US can be quite short, with the e...

Riot Baby  is author Tochi Onyebuchi’s first foray into adult fiction, a “fiery” response to the “horrifically regular death” of unarmed black men and the non-indictments of officers responsible. It has been heralded by critics as “searing" and "devastating,” garnering a long list of awards and nominations. Although  Riot Baby  has also been...

Bobby Valentine, an unaffiliated candidate for Stamford mayor, has drawn big-name Republican donors – former president George W. Bush, and Anthony Scaramucci and Linda McMahon, former president Donald Trump appointees. In  a debate Oct. 21 on News 12 , hosted by the Stamford Chamber of Commerce, Valentine summed up his motivation for the upcoming Nov. 2 election: “I want to be the...

Slowly and surely, live theater has come back to life but that doesn’t mean theater is completely back to normal. Today, we check in with theaters in Connecticut and hear about what’s coming to the stage this fall, all while keeping actors and theater patrons safe. We learn how the types of performances that you see might have changed as well. Are you going to see a show?  GUESTS:...

First, a new series from The Accountability Project at Connecticut Public Radio shines a spotlight on juvenile justice in the state. Walter Smith Randolph and Jacqueline Rabe-Thomas preview their findings. Then, with staffing shortages and supply chain snags impacting eateries across the state, a new social media campaign reminds you to #BEKINDtoRestaurants. Hear from Connecticut restaurant owners...

Sex ed curriculum varies greatly across our state and our country. Today, please be advised we’re talking about sex specifically, sex education. Although schools are required to teach human development and disease prevention, Connecticut schools are  not  required to teach sexual health education. It’s often a short curriculum taught in high school. And conversations about co...

Harvard grad and Yale School of Medicine policy advisor Caroline Simmons, State Representative for the 144th District since 2014, has won an endorsement from fellow Democrats Gov. Ned Lamont and former President Barack Obama for  her candidacy  as mayor of Stamford, one of the wealthiest and  fastest growing cities  in Connecticut. The Greenwich native is up against baseball le...

In 1831, Simeon Jocelyn, a New Haven abolitionist, tried to establish a Black college near  Yale . Now Adam Harris, the author of  The State Must Provide: Why America’s Colleges Have Always Been Unequal — And How To Set Them Right ,  documents this ill-fated attempt — and others nationally — to establish institutions of learning for African-Americans against...

With a General Election just around the corner, the so-called “sleepy” town of Guilford has made national headlines, gripped by a polarizing debate over what’s being taught in schools. Guilford High School English Chair George Cooksey and Superintendent Paul Freeman explain that while critical race theory is not itself taught in the K-12 environment in Guilford, “dimension&...

Republican state representative, Anne Dauphinais  recently criticized  Governor Lamont over his vaccine and mask mandates comparing him to Adolf Hitler. She’s not the first politician to reference Nazi Germany and the Holocaust to criticize public health rules in the pandemic. Today, we talk about why these analogies are harmful. Avinoam Patt, Director of the Center for Judaic Stud...

You’ve heard about the global supply chain crisis, from manufacturing snags abroad, to clogged ports on the West Coast and staffing shortages across the country. But how is that playing out in Connecticut? While the crisis is not as acute at Connecticut’s ports, there are some strong signals of supply chain issues in the local retail industry, along with staffing shortages. Hear from t...

An estimated   two million adults have a gambling disorder, that’s according to the National Council on Problem Gambling. And studies show that as many as 7 percent of young people struggle with problem gambling. This hour, we hear the story of a Connecticut man in recovery for his gambling addiction and learn about treatment. With sports betting and online gambling now available in Con...

The ongoing pandemic is driving the demand for online  negotiation courses  designed for female physicians. Data  shows that the wage gap between male and female physicians was 28%, with male doctors earning over $116,000 more annually than their female counterparts. The 2020 Physician Compensation Report from Doximity shows that female physicians in Hartford earned among the least...