Where We Live

If you own or rent a home that is older than 1978, you have to assume there is some lead in it. Lead is not be used in paint anymore, but the lead that exists in older homes can still be dangerous.

This hour, we talk about lead poisoning and the risks it poses to children. Coming up, we hear what homeowners and renters need to know about lead in their homes.

GUESTS:

• Jenifer Frank  - freelance writer associated with Connecticut Health Investigative Team
• Casey Merrill - Licensed Clinical Social Worker at Yale New Haven Children's Hospital
• Elizabeth Benton - a mother from West Hartford

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For years, Connecticut sent large portions of waste to the Materials Innovation and Recycling Authority (MIRA) trash-to-energy plant in Hartford. This, in spite of protests by Hartford residents, who say pollution from the plant has caused health problems. Now, the plant will close in 2022.

Today, we talk with Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) Commissioner Katie Dykes about the state's garbage.

The commissioner has said the state is facing a “waste crisis” in coming years. So what’s the solution?

We also ask her about the state’s energy future, including the role of fossil fuels like natural gas that the state currently relies on to keep the lights on.

What questions do you have for Commissioner Dykes?

GUESTS:

• Katie Dykes - Commissioner of the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP)
• Sharon Lewis - Executive Director of the Connecticut Coalition for Environmental Justice
• Adrian Huq - Cofounder of the New Haven Climate Movement's Youth Action Team

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Have you spotted a coyote in your neighborhood? These carnivores can live just about everywhere, from Canada to Central America, from California to -- just recently -- Long Island.

This hour, we talk with two researchers that study coyotes. We learn about how coyotes have expanded their range over the last 200 years to cover much of North America.

As other species have struggled to survive amidst human habitat destruction, why has the scrappy coyote been able to thrive?  We want to hear from you, too. Do you have coyotes in your town or city?

Do you like seeing them or do you worry they will snag your cat for supper?

GUEST:

• Dr. Christopher J. Schell - Assistant Professor of Urban Ecology at University of Washington Tacoma
• Dr. Carol Henger - Postdoctoral Fellow at the Wildlife Conservation Society at the Bronx Zoo; she studied New York city’s coyote population for her dissertation research

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While still just a law student, Brittany K. Barnett met Sharanda Jones, a single mother, business owner and a woman serving a life sentence without parole for a first time drug offense.

This hour, Brittany K. Barnett, author of A Knock at Midnight: A Story of Hope, Justice, and Freedom joins us to discuss her fight for Sharanda’s freedom and our country’s continued struggle with a racially challenged criminal justice system.

Coming up, we talk about the War on Drugs and the policies that resulted in the disproportionate mass incarceration of people of color.

GUEST:

• Brittany K. Barnett - author of A Knock at Midnight: A Story of Hope, Justice, and Freedom (@MsBKB)

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Pfizer may receive emergency approval from the FDA this week, but who’s in line to get the COVID-19 vaccine first?

This hour, we talk with members of Connecticut’s Vaccine Advisory Group, including co-chair Dr. Reginald Eadie. He’s one of the leaders who’s planning how COVID-19 vaccines will be stored and distributed in our state in the coming weeks and months.

We also talk with Tekisha Dwan Everette, a health equity expert who’s a member of the vaccine group. Given the disparate impact COVID has had on racial and socioeconomic groups, how will Connecticut give out the vaccine fairly?

Are you one of the people who may be eligible to be vaccinated later this month? Will you get it?

We want to hear from you. What questions do you have about the COVID vaccine?

GUESTS:

• Dr. Reginald Eadie, MD - President and CEO of Trinity Health of New England and the Co-Chair of Connecticut’s COVID-19 Vaccine Advisory Group
• Dr. Tekisha Dwan Everette, PhD - Executive Director of the nonprofit, Health Equity Solutions; she’s a member of Connecticut’s COVID-19 Vaccine Advisory Group

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Starting in January a new deduction will come out of your paycheck. The Connecticut Paid Leave program will go into effect in 2022 and can help workers get paid time off for a variety of situations.

This hour, Andrea Barton Reeves, the Chief Executive Officer of the Connecticut Paid Leave Authority joins us to answer our question and yours.

And how has the way we exercise has changed during this pandemic? If you are recovering from COVID, being physically active again can be a challenge. We want to hear from you. Are you zooming your favorite fitness class? Do you feel comfortable going back to the gym?

GUESTS:

• Andrea Barton Reeves - Chief Executive Officer at CT Paid Leave Authority (@CTPaidLeave)
• Heather Labbe - Membership and Wellness director at the YWCA in New Britain, Connecticut (@HeatherIVFY)
• Corey Podbielski - Physical Therapist at Gaylord Speciality Healthcare

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Restaurants are among the small businesses that are struggling. And even though the state hasn’t shut down many sectors this COVID wave, some small businesses are considering whether to close for good.

This hour, we talk with David Lehman, the Commissioner of the state Department of Economic and Community Development (DECD).

How does the state make decisions around its phased reopening rules like deciding which businesses should stay open?

And with a long winter ahead for the hospitality and retail sector, is the state doing enough to support local businesses?

We hear from local business owners, and we want to hear from you, too.

GUESTS:

• David Lehman - Commissioner of the Department of Economic and Community Development (DECD)
• Juliana Pisanzio - Co-owner and operator of La Marea restaurant in Old Saybrook, which she owns with her husband Nino
• Dan Meiser - Founder and owner of the 85th Day Food Community, a restaurant group in Mystic Connecticut; he’s also board chair for the Connecticut Restaurant Association

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10% of Americans are living with diabetes. Are you one of them? Managing a chronic illness can already be difficult, but managing it during a pandemic can be nearly impossible.

This hour, we talk about the stigma and challenges that come with a diabetes diagnosis. We talk to Connecticut Public health care reporter Nicole Leonard, and physicians across our state to discuss this illness and what can be done to prevent diabetes. Type II Diabetes is closely linked to obesity, but there are several factors that can put someone at risk for diabetes beyond a person’s weight.

We want to hear from you. Do you or someone in your family have diabetes? What has it been like managing it during a pandemic?

GUESTS:

• Nicole Leonard - health care reporter with Connecticut Public (@ACPressNLeonard)
• Dr. Laura Nally - physician at Yale Pediatric Diabetes Center (@drnallypants)
• Dr. Melissa Pensa - clinical lead of health equity at Fair Haven Community Health Care in New Haven
• Mari Montosa - Registered Nurse and Diabetes Prevention Program Coordinator at Fair Haven Community Health Care in New Haven

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Asma Rahimyar was the first person in her family to be born in the U.S. after her parents left Afghanistan fleeing conflict. This hour, the 20 year old Connecticut resident joins us to talk about another first. She’s Southern Connecticut State University’s first-ever Rhodes Scholar.

Later: President Trump still has nearly two months in the White House. We talk with a ProPublica reporter about “midnight regulations”, or last-minute changes to environmental protections, immigration rules and other policies that the Trump administration is attempting to rush through before January 20.

And many Connecticut residents heat their homes with natural gas. But a new study finds that old pipes are leaking methane. Connecticut Public Radio’s Patrick Skahill tells us more about this lesser known greenhouse gas.

GUESTS:

• Asma Rahimyar - Senior at Southern Connecticut State University, who will graduate with bachelors degrees in both political science and philosophy as well as a minor in English. She is the university’s first ever Rhodes Scholar
• Isaac Arnsdorf - Reporter for ProPublica
• Patrick Skahill - Reporter at Connecticut Public Radio, covering science and the environment

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Dogs are man’s best friend, but what’s really going on inside of their heads?

This hour, we talk with canine cognition researcher Brian Hare.

Hare runs Duke University’s Canine Cognition Center, and is the co-author of the new book: Survival of the Friendliest: Understanding Our Origins and Rediscovering Our Common Humanity.

Hare’s research says what makes our furry friends such great companions also gives them a unique cognitive edge: their social intelligence.

We learn more about the evolutionary history of how dogs became so attuned to our emotions and interactions. What can we learn from the success of our canine companions?

GUEST:

• Brian Hare - Professor of Evolutionary Anthropology at Duke University and co-director of the Duke Canine Cognition Center. He is co-author, along with Vanessa Woods, of the new book Survival of the Friendliest: Understanding Our Origins and Rediscovering Our Common Humanity

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