Eight years ago, when the legislature approved casinos in the Bay State, opponents worried that more opportunities to gamble would be difficult for people with compulsive gambling habits. Everett’s Encore Boston Harbor resort is now set to open in just under two months. It’s the state's third casino, with more to come. How is this impacting people addicted to gambling? Do more casinos put others at risk of developing gambling addictions?

Guests:

Dr. Debi LaPlante - Director of Cambridge Health Alliance’s Division on Addiction

Marlene Warner - Executive Director of Massachusetts Council on Compulsive Gambling

Ed Talbot - Executive Director of the New Hampshire Council on Problem Gambling

If you or someone you know is struggling with a gambling addiction, a 24/7 help line and a list of other resources can be found at the Massachusetts Council on Compulsive Gambling's Get Help page:

https://masscompulsivegambling.org/get-help/

For listeners outside of Massachusett, National Problem Gambling Helpline:

https://www.ncpgambling.org/help-treatment/national-helpline-1-800-522-4700/

Later in the show…

Every family has an origin story. But chances are you haven’t seen one like playwright Qui Nguyen’s. Inspired by the lives of his parents who met in an Arkansas refugee camp after the fall of Saigon, Nguyen’s rap-infused romantic comedy "Vietgone" is an unexpected recounting of the realities faced by the Vietnamese refugees who came to the U.S. to make a new start.

Guests:

Michelle Aguillon — Director of Company One Theatre’s production of "Vietgone."

Quentin Nguyen-duy — Actor with Company One Theatre, playing the role of Quang in "Vietgone."

Former Massachusetts Governor Bill Weld is running for the Republican nomination but will President Trump’s hold on the GOP block his chances? Massachusetts Senator Ed Markey has declared it the era of the Green New Deal, so how will climate change play into the fates of the 2020 presidential candidates? And how does the 2019 Boston City Council election bode for the 2021 Mayoral race? Those stories and more during our full hour of political insight and analysis from the Mass Politics Profs.

Guests:

Erin O’Brien - Associate professor of political science at the University of Massachusetts Boston.

Rob DeLeo - Assistant professor of public policy at Bentley University.

Jerold Duquette - Associate professor of political science at Central Connecticut State University.

You can read more from the Mass Politics Profs at their blog: http://www.masspoliticsprofs.org/

Winter is coming for the last time as Game of Thrones kicks off its final season tonight. And it’s goodbye to Broad City and Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, shows that were fearless in their hilarious depictions of young, female adulthood. Plus when is a country song not country enough? Fans and critics are divided over “Old Town Road” by Lil Nas X. Also, a Burger King ad featuring diners with chopsticks sets off a controversy.

Guests:

Rachel Rubin - Professor of American studies at the University of Massachusetts Boston.

Michael Jeffries - Associate professor of American studies at Wellesley College.

Later in the show…

It makes sense that in an era of tweets, Instagram and push notifications, poetry would make a comeback. The art of packaging worlds of meaning into succinct turns of phrase is perfect for the age of ever-shortening attention spans. It could be one reason the number of adults - and young people - reading poetry is higher than it’s been in over 15 years. We’re celebrating National Poetry Month with Poetry Out Loud champion Rose Hanson and nationally acclaimed poet Kwame Alexander.

Guests:

Rose Hansen – Sophomore at Norwell High School and the 2019 Massachusetts State Poetry Out Loud Competition champion.

In the latest chapter of the conversation around sexual harassment and abuse, two Democratic politicians are now under fire: Former Vice President of the United State Joe Biden is addressing several women’s accusations that he inappropriately touched them, and Virginia’s Lt. Governor Justin Fairfax is denying allegations that he sexually assaulted two women.

Later in the show…

Jane Austen has more readers than many of the most popular novelists writing today. Which explains why legions of "Pride and Prejudice" fans can’t get enough of Austen’s original story, but also happily gobble up its many retellings. We’ve picked two of the latest versions for our April selection for "Bookmarked: The Under the Radar Book Club."

GUESTS:

Uzma Jalaluddin - Author of Ayesha at Last

Soniah Kamal - Author of Unmarriageable: Pride and Prejudice in Pakistan

All of the surveys reveal most Americans have few friends of another race. Even though most agree building friendships across racial lines can be greatly beneficial and enriching, most people rarely strike up meaningful relationships outside of their racial group.

At a time when racial relations in the country remain fraught, a new book suggests the thorny conversation about race and racism may be best achieved in one-on-one cross-racial relationships. In this special one hour show we examine cross-racial friendships drawing from the real-life friendships, data and surveys in the new book, Some of My Friends Are: The Daunting Challenges and Untapped Benefits of Cross-Racial Friendships by Dr. Deborah Plummer.

Guests:

Deborah Plummer - Vice Chancellor of diversity at University of Massachusetts Medical School and the author of Some of My Friends Are: The Daunting Challenges and Untapped Benefits of Cross-Racial Friendships.

Perpetua Charles - Associate Publicist at Beacon Press and friend of Clara Durrance.

Clara Durrance - Sales Assistant at Infinex Investment and friend of Perpetua Charles.

Later in the show:

Of the many things that can divide Americans — political beliefs, nationality, religion, age, gender identity — one of the most difficult to navigate is race. Even after decades of civil rights gains and positive diversity efforts, racial relations in the U.S. remain fraught. And the tension can be seen at every level of our society, from presidential to personal. But in small groups across the country, there is a quiet effort to develop authentic dialogue through cross-racial friendships.

Guests:

David Howse - Executive Director of ArtsEmerson, Senior Associate Vice President of the Office of the Arts at Emerson College and an organizer of Eggs and Social Justice.

Eve Bridburg - Founder and Executive Director of Grub Street and an organizer of Eggs and Social Justice.

Alyce Johnson - Interim Institute Community Equity Officer at MIT and a member of “The Club.”

Sharon Bridburg - Director of HR for the Office of the Vice Chancellor at MIT and a member of “The Club.”

Tagged:

Two dozen senators ask for temporary protective status for Venezuelans in the U.S. Can a Latino-oriented campaign for 2020 work in Julian Castro’s favor? And Netflix closes the curtain on Cuban-American family sitcom “One Day at a Time.”

Guests:

Julio Ricardo Varela — Co-host of the “In The Thick” podcast, Latino USA contributor and founder of Latino Rebels.

Maria Cramer — Reporter at The Boston Globe.

Later in the show…

From Rosalind Franklin, whose work led to the discovery of the DNA double-helix, to Katherine Johnson, whose math skills were critical to the success of NASA space flights, many women’s contributions to STEM fields have been downplayed or even erased from history. A new project by researchers at Brown University and San Francisco State University aims to write them back into the books.

Guests:

Emilia Huerta-Sanchez — Assistant Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at Brown University

The ABC hit show "The Good Doctor" follows a young surgeon with autism, Dr. Shaun Murphy (played by Freddie Highmore). Dr. Murphy’s disability presents him with many challenges, but he is also gifted with extraordinary medical talent.

The circumstances of "The Good Doctor" are fictional, but the series illustrates that people with all kinds of disabilities are capable of valuable work. And in real life, employers are hiring: Over the last few years, unemployment among disabled workers has fallen faster than among the general population and shows no sign of slowing down.

Guests:

Nicole Maestas - Associate professor at Harvard Medical School’s Department of Health Care Policy and the director of the National Bureau of Economic Research’s Retirement and Disability Research Center.

Toni Wolf – Commissioner of the Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commission.

Sonya Malloy – Pharmacy Technician at CVS living with Myasthenia Gravis

Later in the show…

Seaweed is central to Irish history and culture. The Irish have found multiple uses for it including in medicine and beer. Seaweed is also the link between Ireland and Scituate, Massachusetts — and it is part of the reason the coastal city is known as the most Irish town in America.

Guests:

Brenda O’Connor – Chairman of the Scituate/West Cork Sister City committee.

John Sullivan – Member of the Scituate/West Cork Sister city committee.

Bob Chessia – Scituate Historical Society Trustee.

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You can find our show, links to stories we discussed today and bonus content on the web at https://www.wgbh.org/news/under-the-radar-with-callie-crossley.

Please write to us at [email protected].

Follow me on Twitter @CallieCrossleu and like us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/UndertheRadarWGBH/

Our engineer is Doug Shugarts.

Franziska Monahan is our producer.

Under the Radar is a production of WGBH.

This week on Under the Radar with Callie Crossley – it's our pop-culture round table. Is #OscarsSoWhite still relevant? We deconstruct how this year’s awards did — and did not — break the mold. We also discuss "Leaving Neverland," a documentary from HBO that revives questions about Michael Jackson as a child predator, and a new documentary about black roller skating culture.

Guests:

Rachel Rubin - Professor of American studies at the University of Massachusetts Boston.

Michael Jeffries - Associate professor of American studies at Wellesley College.

Later in the show…

As a kid, author Bridgett M. Davis knew not to talk about what her mother did for a living. She knew not to reveal that her mother’s business was "running the numbers," an illegal underground game of chance. She shares her mother’s amazing story in her new memoir, "The World According to Fannie Davis: My Mother’s Life in the Detroit Numbers." It’s our March selection for Bookmarked: The Under the Radar Book Club.

Guest:

Bridgett M. Davis - Novelist, essayist, teacher filmmaker and curator. Her latest book, "The World According to Fannie Davis" is available for purchase in stores and online.

This week on Under the Radar with Callie Crossley – The Cape’s newest drug problem is marijuana poisoning and the victims are not who you'd expect - dogs. Also, Maine's first female governor, Janet Mills, continues to make history with her woman-majority cabinet. And a new program sponsored by the City of Providence is providing kids with free meals on snow days. Those stories and more on our regional news round table.

Guests:

Arnie Arnesen - Host of The Attitude with Arnie Arnesen from WNHN

Philip Eil - Providence-based free-lance journalist

Paul Pronovost - Executive editor of the Cape Cod Times

Later in the show…

We highlight woman-made wines in honor of Women’s History Month. Also, the Japanese have reinvented an American breakfast favorite — pancakes. And, is the sun setting on cheap wine?

Guests:

Amy Traverso – Food editor at Yankee Magazine, co-host of WGBH’s “Weekends With Yankee” and author of The Apple Lover’s Cookbook.

Jonathon Alsop - Founder and executive director of the Boston Wine School and author of The Wine Lover’s Devotional.

Visit us at our website for bonus content!

https://www.wgbh.org/news/under-the-radar-with-callie-crossley

Right now the political focus is on the 2020 presidential election and the charismatic new members of the 116th Congress. Meanwhile, here at home the current class of newly elected state legislators is settling in and already making waves. This full hour we’re getting to know three of the Bay State’s newest lawmakers — a small sample of the first-time members of the Massachusetts' House of Representatives who say they are ready to make a difference in their communities and for their constituents.

Guests:

Liz Miranda - State Representative from Massachusetts' 5th Suffolk District.

Tram Nguyen - State Representative from the 18th Essex District.

Patrick Kearney - State Representative from the 4th Plymouth District.

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You can find our show, links to stories we discussed today and bonus content on the web

Connect with us on social media:

Twitter: @CallieCrossley

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/UndertheRadarWGBH/

Our engineer is Doug Shugarts.

Franziska Monahan is our producer.

Under the Radar is a production of WGBH.