Where We Live

Native American studies is a new requirement for Connecticut schools, with resources being prepared in time for the 2023-2024 school year. What kind of guidance will teachers get? Plus, with the launch of  Land Grab CT , we look at UConn’s status as a land-grant institution and the links to the expropriation of Indigenous lands. Chris Newell  - Director of Education, Akomawt Educat...

Is it possible to quantify the actual cost of racism on individuals and on our country? Economist Dana Peterson has looked at the racial gaps in housing, employment, and credit among others. She says racism has cost the US economy $16 trillion dollars over the last two decades. Peterson’s report is the focus of a recent panel discussion moderated by Where We Live host, Lucy Nalpathanchil. To...

In 1985, Robert Ballard discovered the Titanic wreckage off the coast of Newfoundland. But his explorations didn’t stop there! This hour, Robert Ballard joins us to discuss his new book  Into The Deep: A Memoir From The Man Who Found Titanic.  We talk about the Titanic and all of Ballard’s amazing adventures including discovering the Bismarck, a German battleship. We’ll...

In what ways do we misunderstand or misremember Connecticut’s past with witches? And how are local witches working to take back the term today? Where We Live looks at the common misconceptions around Connecticut's witch trials; and speaks with two local witches about the communities they've built. Also, what can the source material about the witch trials, however scarce, tell us today? The C...

Gov. Ned Lamont’s administration is under mounting pressure from divergent stakeholders to fund school ventilation upgrades. Jacqueline Rabe Thomas of Connecticut Public Radio’s investigative unit, The Accountability Project,  reported  that the state’s largest teachers’ union claimed that each year, more educators were filing workers' compensation cases related t...

October is Infertility Awareness Month. Unless you have directly dealt with infertility, it’s hard to understand how difficult this can be on couples and potential mothers. This hour, we talk about infertility and pregnancy loss. We hear from experts supporting women and couples. If you have struggled with infertility, we want to hear from you. What options have you explored to overcome fert...

Set to retire in May, Connecticut State Historian Walter Woodward reflects on the history of his role. UConn's Draper Chair in American History Manisha Sinha describes the scope of search she's leading. Plus, hear from City Councilor Curtis Goodwin, whose love of one historical figure sparked the Black Heritage Trail, soon to be unveiled in New London. Historian Lonnie Braxton II joins to discuss...

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...

The COVID-19 pandemic  has magnified health disparities in the U.S. , from high blood pressure in under-resourced communities to sharp declines in breast and cervical cancer screenings among Hispanic, American Indian, Black, and Asian Pacific Islander women  through the CDC’s National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program . The deeply-entrenched inequities have continu...

Women-founded or co-founded firms in the U.S. raised $25.12 billion in venture capital in the first half of 2021, more than in any prior year, according to  PitchBook . The reason? Women founders are raising a greater share through late-stage deals and high-value sectors. More women are writing checks at VC firms. And networks of female founders are thriving in cities like New York. Yet the i...

Gabby Petito has been laid to rest, a few weeks after attention on the missing 22 year old from Long Island exploded in traditional news outlets and on social media.  She’s just one of many Americans who go missing.   4 out of 10 of them are people of color according to the  Federal Bureau of Investigation . Today, Derrica Wilson, cofounder of the  Black & Missin...

With Connecticut facing a waste crisis, there’s a new incentive for cities and towns interested in more sustainable ways of managing trash. A new $5 million grant program means municipalities can apply to implement food scrap collection or "pay-as-you-throw" programs. Where We Live hears from DEEP Commissioner Katie Dykes, and two municipalities applying for food scrap collection programs. W...

The endless Instagram scroll; we know it’s impacting our lives but what do we really know about how it’s impacting kids? The Wall Street Journal recently reported that researchers inside Instagram know that their app is making teenage girls feel worse about themselves. This hour, we talk about the real implications of social media use among adolescents and how influencers are affecting...

In Connecticut, residents are more likely to die from unintentional drug overdose than a motor vehicle accident, according to the state  Department of Public Health . Last year, more than 1,300 people died of accidental drug overdose – a 14.6% increase from 2019, and an  88.5% increase from 2015 . Through January to June this year, 547 lives were lost to overdose, with additional d...

This hour, Connecticut residents with different views of the world are coming together to help Afghans flee the Taliban, and to help people targeted by the Taliban start new lives in the Nutmeg state. And and update from Connecticut Public’s Accountability Project on their recent investigative reporting on education. Guests: Deidre Gifford --  Department of Social Services Commissioner...

America's roughly 40 million acres of well-mowed, privately-owned lawns are taking the place of native plants that could be helping local ecosystems thrive. There are at least two initiatives aimed at replacing American lawns with native plants, to provide homes for pollinators, migrating birds, and a whole lot more. The process is sometimes called "delawning" or "rewilding." Do you want to be on...

A new study  by the National Institutes of Health and the Research Triangle Institute, found alcohol consumption by women with children younger than age 5, surged 323% during the pandemic. Researchers compared alcohol consumption rates in February 2020 to April of 2020, when stay-at-home guidelines were in effect, and further along into the pandemic year in November. More women than men excee...

The Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art ’s upcoming exhibit  By Her ­Hand: Artemisia Gentileschi and Women Artists in Italy: 1500-1800  (Sept. 30, 2021 through Jan. 9, 2022) brings to Connecticut paintings by Italian women in a male-dominated art world. Who do you think of when you think of Italian art? Michelangelo? Botticelli? Caravaggio? Bernini? And in contemporary times, Modi...

After 25 seasons, the beloved children’s TV series  Arthur  will end in 2022. Today, we talk about this groundbreaking animated series about an aardvark and his friends. We learn about the impact of children's programs. Arthur has tackled a number of   challenging issues like bullying, cancer, and even the importance of mask wearing! Coming up, we hear from one of the voice ac...

This hour, efforts to get people out of Afghanistan continue, after the Taliban takeover. You’ll hear from Southwestern Connecticut Congressman Jim Himes about what his office is doing to help, and on his thoughts about the American withdrawal. What should happen next in the country now ruled by a fundamentalist Islamic militia? ...And we’ll look at the results of yesterday’s top...

Six athletes with disabilities — and with ties to Connecticut —  represented  the U.S. at the Tokyo  Paralympics 2020 , bringing home four medals. Fairfield University  trained two medaling para swimmers,  Colleen Young  and  Matthew Torres ,  while Laura Goodkind,10th in the trunk and arms mixed double sculls in the 2016 Paralympics, most recent...

Hurricane Ida brought 3-8 inches of rain to Connecticut causing flooding and damage to our coast. Scientists say New Englanders should expect more extreme weather events in the future due to climate change. Today, we hear what Connecticut can do to prepare for an increasing number of strong storms. Save the Sound joins us. The organization focuses on ways to make our shoreline more resilient. How...

This weekend the nation marks the 20th anniversary of the September 11th terrorist attacks. Nearly 3000 people died, 161 of them had connections to Connecticut. Today , we hear from New Canaan resident, Mary Fetchet, co-founder of an advocacy group for families impacted by 9-11. First we talk with Connecticut Public’s Diane Orson about her reporting on that day and her recent documentary. An...

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...

This hour, what could a key decision from the Bureau of Indian Affairs mean for Connecticut’s gambling expansion plans? We look at the future of online sports betting and other forms of gambling in the state and how they could affect young people. Cathy Osten --  Connecticut State Senator and General Assembly Public Safety Committee Co-chair Yoga Kammili --  UConn Fourth Year Medic...