With the weather getting hotter and many indoor activities limited because of the pandemic, a trip to the water is a great way to cool off.

But not every Connecticut community has a beachfront or river in town, and many wealthy communities with waterfronts have a history of limiting water access to residents only.  Some of those restrictions have reappeared this summer in response to COVID-19.

This hour, we talk about the implications of excluding access to our state’s natural waters, especially during a pandemic.

First, have you been hit by quarantine fatigue? Many residents have limited their social interactions for months but that level of isolation can take a toll. We talk with an epidemiologist taking a “harm reduction” approach to social interactions during COVID-19.

Are you wondering how to minimize your risk while trying to see family and friends?

GUESTS:

• Julia Marcus- Epidemiologist and assistant professor at Harvard Medical School. She wrote the essay "Quarantine Fatigue Is Real" for The Atlantic
• Andrew Kahrl - Professor of History and African American Studies at University of Virginia, and author of Free the Beaches: The Story of Ned Coll and the Battle for America’s Most Exclusive Shoreline
• Fred Camillo - First Selectman of Greenwich, CT, which has recently returned to making a limited number of daily beach passes available to out-of-town visitors.
• Lindsay Larson - A conservation projects manager at the Housatonic Valley Association

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Governor Lamont promised free coronavirus testing for all Connecticut residents who want one. This hour, who’s footing the bill for coronavirus testing and how much does it really cost? Connecticut Public Reporter Patrick Skahill joins us to talk about his reporting on this.

Later, how do University of Connecticut students feel about returning to college in the fall?  A University professor and psychologist tells us what she learned after holding a focus group with students---their questions, concerns and their ideas for having a successful campus reopening. 

And later, we hear how the Hartford History Center at the Hartford Public Library is working to update the traditional historical narrative of the capital city.

GUESTS

• Patrick Skahill - reporter for Connecticut Public Radio (@ptskahill)
• Sherry Pagoto - Professor in the department of allied health sciences and clinical psychologist (@DrSherryPagoto)
• Jasmin Agosto - Education and Community Outreach Manager, Hartford History Center at Hartford Public Library (@sageseeker)

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We’re reaching the middle of the summer here in Connecticut. Although many of our favorite summer activities aren’t feasible this year, there are lots of ways to get outside.

Connecticut has plenty of public gardens to explore. This hour, we talk with New England gardeners about places to explore here in our home state, and ways to make your backyard an oasis. 

How is your backyard looking this summer? Are you working on your victory garden? What questions do you have about making the most of your backyard landscape? 

We want to hear from you.

GUESTS:

• Jana Milbocker, garden designer and author of The Garden Tourist's New England: A Guide to 140 Outstanding Gardens and Nurseries

• Bill Noble - garden designer and author of Spirit of Place: The Making of a New England Garden

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It’s summer reading time! After spending the last four months quarantined indoors, it might be hard to find fun activities for your kids. 

Summer reading can be fun and it’s important for children, especially when you consider learning loss.

This hour, join us for our next installment of our Pandemic Book Club to talk about making reading your new favorite family activity.

Coming up we talk about some of our new and old favorite young adult and children’s books. Wondering how to connect with your local library this summer? One of Connecticut’s local children’s librarians joins us to discuss how to connect, get books and stay reading all summer long! 

What are you reading this summer? We want to hear from you.

GUESTS:

• Kate Capshaw - past president of Children’s Literature Association. She is also a professor at University of Connecticut (@katcapshaw)
• Chandra Prasad - an author based here in Connecticut, and writer of the young adult novel Damselfly (@chandrabooks)
• Caragh M. O’Brien - a young adult author based here in Connecticut, best known for the Birthmarked Trilogy (@CaraghMOBrien)
• Carol Waxman - Children's Services Librarian at the West Hartford Libraries (@whpl)

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COVID 19 cases have dropped in Connecticut, but it’s still important for residents to stay home when possible to slow the spread of the disease. But what about residents who don’t have a home?

This hour, we look at homelessness during the pandemic.

We check in with Richard Cho, CEO of the Connecticut Coalition to End Homelessness to learn how the state has avoided outbreaks in shelters that have plagued other cities and states. We also hear from Columbus House, one of the local homelessness organizations that put many clients in hotels to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Later in the hour, we talk with Secretary of the State Denise Merrill about the upcoming Aug 11 primary. By now, many residents have received absentee ballot applications from her office.

Do you have questions about voting by mail? We want to hear from you.

GUESTS:

• Richard Cho - CEO of Connecticut Coalition to End Homelessness (@Richard_S_Cho)
• Margaret Middeton - CEO of Columbus House
• Denise Merrill - Secretary of the State for the state of Connecticut (@SOTSMerrill)

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Do you see bats where you live? These flying creatures play important roles in ecosystems around the world, from pest control to pollination.

But bats in Connecticut are in big trouble. This hour: bats in our state have been devastated by White-Nose Syndrome. We learn more about this deadly disease and talk about why we should be concerned that populations in Connecticut have been so hard hit.

Bats in China have made news because of the COVID-19 pandemic. We hear why scientists have looked to these flying creatures to understand the origins of a number of deadly diseases.

And we talk with bat researchers about why--amid fears of a pandemic--bats need our support, not our fear, more than ever.

GUESTS:

• Jenny Dickson - Director of the Wildlife Division for the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection
• Dr. Kate Langwig - Assistant Professor at Virginia Tech; she’s a disease ecologist who studies bat diseases

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College campuses across the country are preparing to reopen in the fall. But with the potential for a second wave of coronavirus infections, students and staff are being asked to be flexible. This hour, we’re speaking with students, faculty and leaders throughout the Connecticut State Colleges & Universities system on what it will take to reopen campus in the fall. 

What will a hybrid online/in person college class look like? How do you practice social distancing in a college dorm room?

If you are a student or staff member at one of the state colleges or universities, we want to hear from you.

GUESTS:

• Alex Rooney - a rising junior at Eastern Connecticut State University
• Asma Rahimyar - a rising senior at Southern Connecticut State University 
• President Zulma Toro - Central Connecticut State University 
• Professor Christopher Douçot - professor of sociology and peace studies at Central Connecticut State University and University of Hartford.
• Dr. G. Duncan Harris -  Chief Executive Officer Capital Community College

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COVID-19 has shown the Internet is more important than ever. From Google Classrooms for distance learning to endless Zoom meetings for some professionals, the Internet has become even more essential during the pandemic.

But how many Connecticut residents still don’t have access to a high-speed connection? This hour, we look at Connecticut’s digital divide.

How does the lack of broadband in communities exacerbate existing disparities in education and economic opportunity? We talk with experts and hear how some communities want to address the issue.

We want to hear from you, too.  Have your children struggled to access remote learning?

GUESTS:

• Janice Flemming-Butler - Owner and founder of Voices of Women of Color in Hartford, a social justice firm that works with the public and private sector to address issues around voting, housing, and public health
• Dr. Nicol Turner Lee - Senior Fellow and the Director of the Center for Technology Innovation at the Brookings Institution; she’s the author of the forthcoming book The Digitally Invisible: How the Internet is Creating the New Underclass
• Michael Gormany - Budget Director and Acting Controller for the City of New Haven, CT

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Do you know how to make an Election Cake? What about the history of the Connecticut Witch Hunters

This hour, state historian Walt Woodward joins us to talk about his new book Creating Connecticut: Critical Moments That Shaped a Great State and answer all your questions about the Nutmeg state, starting with why do we call Connecticut the Nutmeg State? 

We’ll talk about the origins of the Pequot War, Connecticut’s long history of immigration, and Walt might just give us the recipe for the Connecticut Election Cake - it only requires 10 pounds of butter! 

What questions do you have about the Connecticut State Historian?  We want to hear from you.

GUESTS:

• Walt Woodward - State Historian of Connecticut (@waltwould)
• John Lyman - Executive Vice President of Lyman Orchards (@LymanOrchards)

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What would it have been like to see a huge, elephant-like mastodon roaming our state? 

The earth has been home to some spectacularly large animals. A few of them still roam or swim our world today. This hour, we take a look at the biology of these giants. 

From chunky island-dwelling birds to the enormous blue whale, what do we know about why these creatures evolved to be so big? And why don’t we see more of them today? 

Plus, with a UN report warning that a million species are at risk of extinction in coming years, are we at risk of losing those big creatures we still have?

Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter.

GUESTS:

• Dr. Nick Pyenson - Paleontologist at the at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History and author of Spying on Whales: The Past, Present and Future of Earth’s Most Awesome Creatures (@PyensonLab)
• David Quammen - Science journalist and autho; his book Song of the Dodo: Island Biogeography in the Age of Extinction explores the phenomenon of island gigantism. He is also the author of many other books, including most recently The Tangled Tree: A Radical New History of Life (@DavidQuammen)
• Dr. Emily Lindsey - Paleontologist at the La Brea Tar Pits in Los Angeles

Chion Wolf contributed to this show.

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