In Seaersmont, Maine a company called Ecocor uses European design principles and tools to build what are referred to as passive houses. These super energy efficient pre-fab homes are assembled on location from wall, floor and roof panels manufactured at the factory. WBGO’s Jon Kalish visited Ecocor and then watched as their team assembled a house near Woodstock, New York.

Ang Santos: Some experts say this is the worst flu season in a decade, and in New Jersey potentially on record when it’s all said and done. Joining us on the phone is Dr. Bill Miller, author of The Microcosm Within: Evolution and Extinction in the Hologenome . Dr. Miller is a veteran physician with special interest in infectious diseases, thanks for joining us. Dr. Bill Miller: Thanks very much for having me on. AS: First off, a professional opinion, is this one of the worst flu seasons in

A New Jersey lawmaker wants to speed the timetable for getting all of the state’s electricity from renewable energy sources. Assemblyman Tim Eustace says his bill would require 100 percent of the electric power sold in the state to be from clean energy sources by the year 2035. “This bill had originally been 2050. But as we see technology change and European countries have already reached these goals, there’s no reason why we can’t reach for the same goals.” New Jersey Sierra Club director Jeff

For more than 50-years, Cissy Houston has led the choir at the New Hope Baptist Church in Newark. The perfect place for a gathering to celebrate her life’s work. City officials say Houston’s big day in Newark was year’s in the making. Mayor Ras Baraka presented Cissy Houston a key to the city. “Her singing talent expresses our highest values, inspires audiences around the world and right here in our neighborhoods. She is a pioneer and advocate for the arts. One of the greatest legends in musical

Governor Phil Murphy is ordering the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities to fully implement a law enacted eight years ago to encourage the development of offshore wind projects. Regulations to implement the Offshore Wind Economic Development Act and provide financial aid and tax credits to attract windmill developers stalled during the Christie administration. At the site of an onshore wind farm in Atlantic City, Governor Murphy signed an executive order to move ahead with the program. “The

Lena Horne is remembered as an all-around entertainer, Hollywood actress, Grammy Award winning singer, and a Tony Award winning Broadway star. But equally important to her legacy was a willingness to use fame as a platform to promote Civil Rights in the 1960s.

Ain’t MIsbehavin’ The Fats Waller Musical is a celebration of the Harlem Renaissance and the music that made it a swingin’ time in American history. Andre De Shields, one of the show’s original five, recalls its climb from tiny off-Broadway musical, to Tony Award winning sensation. “When a show wants to go to Broadway [today] it first goes out of town. We moved from East 73 rd Street to West 48 th Street in a matter of four months. From December 1977 to May 1978 is that short period where Ain’t

John Lithgow earned a Tony award playing a badly injured rugby player in his Broadway debut 45 years ago. He’s starred in two dozen Broadway shows since then, and in his Roundabout Theatre debut he’s now playing himself. Theater critic Michael Bourne has a review.

American Hero , the latest production at the George Street Playhouse in New Brunswick, temporarily located at 103 College Farm Road, is sure to put audience members on an emotional rollercoaster. Two of the stars of the powerful play, Laiona Michelle and Armand Schultz, came to the WBGO studios in Newark to speak with News Director Doug Doyle. From the author of last season’s American Son , this probing drama shines a light on how America honors its veterans, the corrupting effect of awards and

The trumpeter, scholar and freedom fighter Hugh Masekela died this morning in Johannesburg, at 78. The Checkout has periodically checked in over the years with this South African jazz master — though he'd be the first to say that he wasn’t a jazz artist, nor is jazz an American art form.