Where We Live

Bicycles helped inspire modern cars, paved roads...even airplanes! But did you know they were also an inspiration for the women's movement? This hour we take a look back in time at the origins of the bicycle, including innovation that happened right here in Connecticut. We find out the history of how this vehicle spurred social change and helped empower women to break through gender barriers a lit...

This hour, on the last day of the legislative session we speak with a Connecticut state senator who has played a key role in issues of race and criminal justice, including a proposal to legalize recreational cannabis. Did this session bring more fairness to people of color involved in the justice system? Guests: Connecticut State Senator Gary Winfield --  General Assembly Judiciary Committee...

Did you know 75 percent of animals in the ocean glow? From single-celled organisms to terrifying creatures like the anglerfish in the Pixar movie “Finding Nemo ,” living things bring light to the darkest depths of our world. This hour—why do so many creatures create their own light? We’ll learn the differences between bioluminescence and biofluorescence. And what happens wh...

Dogs are man’s best friend, but what’s really going on inside of their heads? This hour, we talk with canine cognition researcher Brian Hare. Hare runs Duke University’s Canine Cognition Center, and is the co-author of the new book:  Survival of the Friendliest: Understanding Our Origins and Rediscovering Our Common Humanity . Hare’s research says what makes our furry...

F. Scott Fitzgerald’s  The Great Gatsby  has dazzled readers for nearly a century. This year, 96 years after publication,  The Great Gatsby  has entered the public domain. This hour, we talk with  Gatsby  expert Maureen Corrigan about the novel’s legacy. The Great Gatsby  entering the public domain has opened a world of possibilities for adaptations a...

Love is what most people are looking for in a spouse or life partner. But this hour, we take a look at marriage, an institution that for much of history had very little to do with love at all. We also talk about the right to end a marriage by divorce. And we want to hear from you, too. Join the conversation on  Facebook  and  Twitter . GUESTS: Stephanie Coontz - Author of Marriage,...

This hour, a member of Congress from Connecticut now holds a key post as House Chairwoman of the Appropriations Committee.  Rosa DeLauro will play a significant role in approving a federal budget, released by the president Friday. And she oversees earmarks. Those are spending perks for lawmakers that some see as wasteful, but that others see as necessary to the legislative process.  DeLa...

Some see State Senator Dennis Bradley as a rising star in Bridgeport-area politics. Now,  he faces federal conspiracy and wire fraud charges . Several politicians from Bridgeport have faced corruption charges in recent years. We talk with a community leader about the political culture in Connecticut’s ’s largest city. We want to hear from you. Are you a Bridgeport resident? What&r...

The world of craft beer is having its own #MeToo moment. A wave of women working in the beer industry have shared stories of misogyny and sexual harassment in the workplace .  This hour, we talk with women working in Connecticut’s craft beer industry and hear about the systemic changes needed to address these issues. Do you work at or own a brewery in our state? We want to hear from you...

When the preview for musical artist Sia’s debut film Music was released---- it received backlash from individuals on the autism spectrum. But it also sparked a conversation about neurodiversity. This hour, we talk about how the mainstream portrays autism. In the film Music, the central character “Music” is played by Maddie Ziegler, a neurotypical actress leading many to ask, why...

This hour, State Senator Dennis Bradley is indicted in a campaign finance case and removed from his leadership post on the Public Safety Committee.  That committee had handled a major proposal to allow online gambling and sports betting. The bill was approved by the state senate last night. It heads to the governor's desk. Meanwhile, negotiations are underway on a 2-year state budget. With De...

In 1884, a young Hartford woman named Ada Brown was murdered in her home.  It made national news, but Ada’s story faded into obscurity. This hour, we learn why a history class at University of Saint Joseph spent the past semester digging into her story, 136 years later. And we learn what it meant to one of Ada’s descendants.   GUESTS: Jennifer Cote -  Associate Professor...

Have you spotted a coyote in your neighborhood? These carnivores can live just about everywhere, from Canada to Central America, from California to -- just recently -- Long Island. This hour, we talk with two researchers that study coyotes. We learn about how coyotes have expanded their range over the last 200 years to cover much of North America. As other species have struggled to survive amidst...

How should we remember painful events in our history? There are more than 70 Witness Stones installed throughout our state. The markers commemorate the lives of the enslaved people that lived in Connecticut.  This hour, we talk to the founder of this project and hear about a potential Witness Stone to remember an enslaved woman who spent 18 years of her life in Suffield, Connecticut. Her name...

They are giants who live their whole lives underwater. In many ways, a whale’s life is completely alien to the human experience. Yet these ocean giants share some surprising similarities with us. This hour, we talk with National Geographic underwater photographer Brian Skerry. His newest  cover story for the magazine  looks at the growing body of research on whale culture.  An...

The General Assembly's Public Health Committee has handled some of the most emotional and hotly contested issues of the session.  Lawmakers held a 24-hour public hearing filled by parents opposed to vaccines.  Some of those same parents rallied outside the state capitol as lawmakers voted to end religious exemptions to school vaccine requirements . Some legislators on the panel choked up...

You’ve been working late and you just finished a big report that you sent off to your boss. And you received a one word reply back - "Thanks (period)." How does that make you feel?  More and more of our communication takes place online - but our online language is not something we’ve learned. It’s still a new medium. Today, we talk about digital body language with author, Er...

Roya Hakakian came to the US as a refugee from Iran when she was just a teenager. Now, the Connecticut author and poet has drawn on her life story to create a “guidebook” about the immigrant experience. This hour, Hakakian joins us to talk about her new book,  A Beginner’s Guide To America . We want to hear from you, too. How has the history and experience of immigration in...

Read the transcript of this interview here . We all communicate in our daily lives, but how do languages actually work? This hour, we talk with linguist Nicole Holliday about the science behind language. We learn about the socio-linguistic cues that we all rely on everyday. And we talk about how much of what we learned about “good grammar” is actually wrong. Are you a stickler for...

When you think back to your childhood, what was your favorite thing to do? Did you have a favorite stuffed animal or did you spend a lot of time outside? Today, we talk about the importance of play. There are lots of conversations about learning loss in the pandemic but learning through play is as important as classroom learning. What does playtime look like in your household?  We want to hea...

This hour, a look into a future that might be for the city of Hartford.  Some planners want to bury I-91 along its path between the Connecticut River and downtown Hartford.   They would reimagine the levee underneath the highway as a green hill overlooking the river.  They envision extensive development in nearby parts of Hartford with restored water views. Connecticut First Di...

More than 7 in 10 adults over the age of 18 in Connecticut have received at least one dose of the COVID vaccine. And on Monday, the FDA approved the Pfizer vaccine for children age 12-15 under its Emergency Use Authorization. This will expand the pool of residents eligible to be vaccinated to an even younger cohort--starting later this week. But as more workers come back to in-person offices, can...

Universal Basic Income, a program popularized --by presidential candidate Andrew Yang, might be coming to a Connecticut city.  This hour, we talk with members of a task force that are working to create a pilot program in Hartford, providing UBI to a select group of single parents. Universal Basic Income test programs have popped up in California and other parts of the globe - we talk about wh...

Connecticut's unemployment rate has hovered above 8 percent, more than double the rate pre- pandemic. But now that the job market is picking up, why are business owners having such a hard time hiring?  This hour, we talk about what employers are doing to get people back to work. We hear from a local landscaper who is navigating hiring during the pandemic.  What will the job market look l...

Women, on average,  make 82 cents for every dollar earned by men . And women of color make even less than that. This hour, we take a look at the role  greater pay transparency can play to address the wage gap  in our country. Advocates in Connecticut say that  listing starting salaries publicly  for open positions is a step towards evening the playing field. We want t...