Where We Live

From self-driving cars to all-electric Teslas, Silicon Valley is imagining an automobile beyond the internal combustion engine and steering wheel we all grew up with. Meanwhile, app-based companies like Uber and Lyft are radically shifting the way we interact with cars. Support the show: http://wnpr.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When you put your recycling into those big blue bins on the curb for garbage night, do you ever think about where all that trash goes? Support the show: http://wnpr.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

From Charleston to Charlottesville, white supremacy still has roots in some communities. What draws some Americans to embrace extreme, hateful racist ideologies? We talk with Tim Parrish, a Connecticut resident with firsthand perspective. Now a college professor, Tim joined an extremely violent and racist crowd as a high school student in Louisiana. Support the show: http://wnpr.org/donate See omn...

Eleanor Roosevelt was a woman with a huge historical footprint -- First Lady, first U.S. delegate to the United Nations General Assembly. She was dubbed “The First Lady of the World” by Harry Truman.  But how much is known about Eleanor’s personal life beyond the politics and activism? This hour, we sit down with Connecticut author Amy Bloom. Her new book,  White Houses , is a fictional...

For interview highlights from this show, click here.   It’s been fifteen years since the death of Fred Rogers -- a man who, for decades, served as the cardigan-donning host and creator of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood . Rogers’ life is now the focus of a new Maxwell King biography -- aptly titled  The Good Neighbor . This hour, we sit down with King for a special preview of the book. ...

Each year, millions of Americans are evicted from their homes. This hour we talk with Princeton sociologist Matthew Desmond, whose Pulitzer Prize-winning book Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City started a national conversation about America’s eviction crisis. Support the show: http://wnpr.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With climate change come looming questions about the future of Connecticut's shoreline. Among them: How will sea level rise and extreme weather events alter the shape of the state's coast? And what will happen to the residents -- the people and native species -- who live there? Coming up, local experts join us to offer some insight and talk about the ways municipalities are planning for the challe...

Today, we take a look at a series of disturbing cases of alleged medical malpractice of inmates incarcerated in Connecticut. Support the show: http://wnpr.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A dishwasher at Whole Foods in West Hartford, Lhakpa Sherpa is also the only woman to complete nine... yes, nine ... expeditions to the summit of Mount Everest. This hour, the world record holder stops by our studios to share her remarkable journey as a climber, an immigrant, and a single mother. Later, we also sit down with former Connecticut resident Erik Weihenmayer who, in 2001, became the fir...

They can weigh over a hundred tons, live their entire lives underwater, and some even hunt using sound through a method known as echolocation. Yet, whales are also complex social creatures who share much in common with humans. This hour we talk with paleontologist Nick Pyenson about why he has dedicated his life to studying whales, or as he puts it, “Earth’s Most Awesome Creatures.” Pyenson’s new...

“Uprooting this culture of death.” That is how Pope Francis described the challenge in front of the Roman Catholic Church,  in a letter responding to the findings of  Pennsylvania grand jury investigation into widespread sexual abuse of children at the hands of priests. Support the show: http://wnpr.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New Haven, Connecticut was the site of more than 100 overdoses last week -- drawing national attention to the city and to a synthetic drug known as K2. But what exactly is this drug? And how did it wind up in the hands of so many here in Connecticut? This hour, an addiction psychiatrist from Silver Hill Hospital joins us to answer our questions. Support the show: http://wnpr.org/donate See omnystu...

From self-driving cars to all-electric Teslas, Silicon Valley is imagining an automobile beyond the internal combustion engine and steering wheel we all grew up with. Meanwhile, app-based companies like Uber and Lyft are radically shifting the way we interact with cars. Support the show: http://wnpr.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nekita Waller was recently named Connecticut's 17th State Troubadour. This hour, she joins us in our studios. We talk about her background as a performer and learn about the influence she hopes to have over the state’s arts and culture scene. Support the show: http://wnpr.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After months of candidate debates, interviews, and campaign ads, it’s time for Connecticut residents to cast their ballots in the state's primary elections. This hour, we take a look at what we can -- and cannot -- expect at the polls this Primary Day.  Support the show: http://wnpr.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Students from Parkland, Florida travelled to Newtown Connecticut—the site of the Sandy Hook massacre—to rally against gun violence this weekend.  But the problem of gun violence is not just confined to mass shootings. Support the show: http://wnpr.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Xhenet Aliu is a native of Waterbury, CT, a city that once hosted a strong brass manufacturing industry. Support the show: http://wnpr.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This hour, Save the Children U.S. President and CEO  Carolyn Miles  joins us. We talk about her decades-long career and learn about the unconventional journey that led her to the Fairfield-based NGO. It’s the latest conversation in Connecticut Public Radio's “ Making Her Story ” series, featuring prominent women with ties to the state.  Support the show: http://wnpr.org/donate See o...

This hour, we take you on an exclusive behind-the-scenes tour of Monrovia Nursery Company in Granby, Connecticut. We meet up with self-proclaimed 'plant geek' and Connecticut Garden Journal host Charlie Nardozzi, and get a lesson on the company's history and cultivation techniques. Support the show: http://wnpr.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Should streets be designed for cars? Some urban planners think we should be making our streets less efficient for automobiles, not more. This hour, can reimagining our streets create better communities? Support the show: http://wnpr.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s usually historians and scholars who get excited when a university acquires an ancient document. But in the 1960s, a map acquired by Yale University caused such a stir it divided the country. Support the show: http://wnpr.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Pregnancy is lifechanging, but for some women, that may come at the cost of their career. This hour: A  New York Times investigation looked at thousands of lawsuits by women and found that pregnancy discrimination is widespread in many American companies. We find out more from reporter Natalie Kitroeff. Support the show: http://wnpr.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy informati...

After an eight-year stint as Trumbull's first selectman, Republican Tim Herbst is campaigning to move up the political ladder... to the office of the governor of Connecticut. This hour, we sit down with the candidate. We ask about his decision to run and learn about the issues he would prioritize if elected to lead the state. Support the show: http://wnpr.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for...

What do Manny Santos , Rich DuPont , and Ruby Corby O’Neill have in common? Well, yes, they are Republicans… but more than that, they are all running for Connecticut’s 5th Congressional District seat. This hour, we meet the candidates. We learn about their backgrounds and talk about the issues central to their campaigns… and to the residents they hope to represent.  Support the show: http://w...

Mark Boughton is no stranger to Connecticut politics. He has been the mayor of Danbury since 2002, and also waded into the governor’s race the past two election cycles. This time, Boughton is coming into the race with the GOP party endorsement, though he’ll be on a crowded ballot with four other Republican hopefuls.   Support the show: http://wnpr.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener f...