Gov. Ned Lamont let it be known last week that most pandemic-induced venue capacity limits statewide would be a thing of the past as of March 19. Many are hailing this move as a harbinger of a return to normalcy after a year of dealing with the coronavirus. But not everyone is so sanguine. Nathan Grubaugh is an assistant professor of epidemiology at the Yale School of Public Health. He joined All Things Considered to talk about the Twitter thread he dropped on Thursday soon after the governor’s

One year ago, Chris Tillett became Connecticut’s COVID-19 patient zero. Living in Wilton at the time, he tested positive for the coronavirus on March 8, 2020, after having flown home from a professional conference in California. He ended up becoming gravely ill and spent weeks hospitalized.

Charlie Vega is the heroine of Crystal Maldonado’s debut young-adult novel, “Fat Chance, Charlie Vega.” When Charlie describes herself, she uses the word “fat.” She’s learning to celebrate who she is and how she looks -- although her weight still affects her relationships with crushes, her best friend and her mom. “My thing was, I never got to see a fat character, especially a fat brown girl, who gets to be that heroine, who gets to be desired and who gets to love herself,” Maldonado told NEXT .

When COVID shut down our newsroom, we, like many others, found ways to keep the radio on and the reporting going, all while working from our closets, basements, and spare rooms across the state. Everyone became a coronavirus reporter. No one was immune from coverage. What follows is a brief representation of the scope of our work -- and of the commitment of this team. More importantly, it's a chronicling of the issues and the people at the heart of the COVID-19 pandemic in Connecticut.

If you're looking for a good, native, evergreen shrub that's an alternative or compliment to your rhododendrons, don't forget the state flower, the mountain laurel or Kalmia latifolia .

Nicole Russo needs more employees. She’s the CEO and owner of Microboard Processing Inc. in Seymour. She said she lost close to 20% of her workforce amid the pandemic last summer.

New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker this week unveiled two city budget proposals: One assumes increased funding from the state and Yale. The other assumes no such additional support, instead balancing the budget with a big tax increase, layoffs and the closing of a library, firehouse and senior center. On All Things Considered , the mayor talked about how the budget pressures his city is facing has him imploring Yale and the state to help out.

A $1.9 trillion COVID-19 aid package facing a U.S. Senate vote includes funding for states and local communities to tackle behavioral health and addiction after record-level drug overdose deaths nationwide in 2020. At a virtual roundtable Monday with Connecticut addiction prevention and treatment providers, U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal said he hopes additional money will help boost on-the-ground efforts.

Gov. Ned Lamont’s decision to move to a purely age-based schedule for COVID-19 vaccine distribution has critics wondering how equitable that is for underserved communities. Also, it's been said frequently of late that people of color aren't getting the vaccine out of fear and mistrust. To talk about these issues, Camelo Communication founder Wilson Camelo joined All Things Considered . Camelo Communication is the Hispanic marketing agency for Hartford HealthCare.