The Point

Now in its 14th year, the Provincetown Jazz Festival is known for bringing jazz musicians from around the world to venues on the Cape. This year, the festival highlights three musicians from the Bay State. We talk with the festival’s founder and jazz musician Bart Weisman about this year’s line up and the year round opportunities for hearing, performing and learning about jazz and jazz musicians.

WCAI News Director Steve Junker hosts a roundup of some of the top local and regional news of the week, including: an indictment is issued in the slaying of Sergeant Sean Gannon; the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe looks to a bill in congress to secure its reservation land, and as recreational marijuana rolls out, local police are get training to handle drivers using drugs.

On The Point, an interview with a pioneer in Nantucket conservation. Jim Lentowski has been at the Nantucket Conservation Foundation for over 45 years, and was instrumental in protecting nearly one third of the island from development. On the eve of his retirement, we talk with him about his conservation ethic and lasting contribution to Nantucket. Mindy Todd hosts.

On The Point, we talk with ornithologist Rob Bierregard about his osprey research, and a new children’s book: it's the story of a young osprey tagged with a radio transmitter that allows scientists to track his first 4,000 mile solo migration journey from Martha's Vineyard to South America and back.

This month on our Books program, we talk travel with Jill Erickson of Falmouth public library , and Kellie Porter of Woods Hole public library . From novels to travel guides, k id's books and space exploration, we go on a journey, through literature, to every place imaginable! Mindy Todd hosts.

Opioid addiction is a nationwide public health crisis: the Center for Disease Control estimates sixty-four thousand people in the U.S. died from drug overdose in 2016. Tens of thousands more suffer from opioid addiction. We’ve been tackling opioid addiction on many fronts, but there’s one approach nine other countries are using that the United States hasn’t adopted: Supervised or Safe Injection Facilities. After looking into Safe Injection Facilities in Canada and Australia, the Massachusetts

WCAI News Director Steve Junker hosts a roundup of some of the top local and regional news of the week, including: Yarmouth residents raise concerns about plans to bring a power line ashore through Lewis Bay; Gosnold will look for a new site for its proposed drug rehab facility—one that’s not next to a school; and Cape Cod sees a decline in opioid prescription rates.

As much as we try to prevent or slow it down, aging is a reality of life. Many will find themselves in the position of helping parents through the later stages of life, or being helped by their adult children. We talk with Melanie Merriman about some of the challenges, joys and resources available for families who are managing a loved one's later stages of life. Her book is titled Holding the Net, Caring for my mother on the tightrope of aging.

On The Point, we discuss the impacts of childhood trauma or adverse childhood experiences. Research shows that childhood adversity has short and longterm consequences on physical and behavioral health. Not only does the stress from aversity impact childhood health, but it puts people at risk for heart disease, cancer and other chronic disease later in life. Guests on the program are psychiatrists Dr. Marc Whaley and Dr. Jonathan Schwartz.

On The Point, horticulturist Roberta Clark joins our host Mindy Todd for our gardening program. Plants are growing very fast in the heat of summer, and so are insects; some beneficial and some that are bothersome to our garden plants. Roberta gives us tips on all garden questions, from watering, weeding, harvesting, and fertilizing, to how to controll powdery mildew and other plant problems.