0684-Radi0

This week, we share some exciting news from New Canaan’s public works director, Tiger Mann, about a long-planned “swap shop” coming to the New Canaan Transfer Station. The swap shop could launch as early as May or June, Mann said, in partnership with Planet New Canaan.

This week, we talk to Leon Krolikowski, chief of the New Canaan Police Department. From April 1 to 20, police officers on patrol in both marked and unmarked vehicles will conduct a campaign designed to take enforcement action against distracted driving. Made possible through a state DOT grant, the campaign has a goal ensuring compliance with traffic laws and providing for safer passage on the roads for motorists, bicyclists and pedestrians

This week, we talk to Bill Flynn, executive director of the wonderful New Canaan Nature Center. Days away from the official start of spring, we talk to Bill about what the Nature Center has to offer local residents and families, what it’s been like navigating these past two years and what sort of activity the Nature Center’s popular outdoor spaces and trails have seen during the pandemic.

This week we talk to David Shea, who serves as co-chair of May Fair (see video embedded below), along with “Holy Smoker” George Wright. After two years of cancellations due to the pandemic, the hugely popular May Fair is back on—scheduled for Friday, May 6th (4 to 9 p.m.) and Saturday May 7th (9 a.m. to 6 p.m.). We talk to David about what May Fair’s all about, including the organizations that benefit from it, what goes into organizing May Fair, what’s on offer this year and also, ways that organizers are introducing new features for New Canaan’s growing community of young families. 

This week, we talk to Catherine Barden from ‘A Culture of Change,’ a Connecticut-based partnership that educates people on vaping among youth. We talk about trends in vaping, “discreet” home deliveries of vaping gear, and how parents can address use of the tobacco products with their kids.

This week, we talk to two people who work at Silver Hill Hospital—Jazmin Maldonado, a senior clinician in the residential outreach program, and Director of Community Relations Susannah Lewis—about a rise in behavioral health issues, including anxiety and depression, especially among girls during the pandemic. We also talk specifically about what’s been involved in training “mentors” among the staff and volunteers who run programs for LiveGirl, a locally based nonprofit organization whose founder, Sheri West, was our podcast interviewee last week.

This week, we talk to New Canaan’s Sheri West, founder of LiveGirl, about the nonprofit organization’s efforts to address a growing mental health crisis among young people and especially girls. An important part of LiveGirl’s plan includes a new partnership with Silver Hill Hospital to help train mentors. 

This week, we talk to New Canaan Police Officer Nicole Vartuli, who recently stepped into the role of Community Impact Officer for the department.

This week, we talk to Patricia Spugani, a board member and fundraising chair for the Town Players of New Canaan, a community theater organization that operates out of the Powerhouse Performance Arts Center in Waveny. We talk about the history of the Town Players, some of the locals who are most involved in it, how the pandemic affected the organization and what it is planning now, both in terms of programming and for its physical facility. 

This week on 0684-Radi0, our free podcast (subscribe here in the iTunes Store), we talk to First Selectman Kevin Moynihan about the major developments in town in 2021, and what New Canaanites can expect in 2022.