Where We Live

Many Connecticut residents are used to spending a lot of time commuting, whether driving on a highway, riding on a train to the city or taking the bus across town. But the number of drivers and ridership across all modes of transportation have dropped dramatically with stay-at-home orders and the closing of non-essential businesses.

This hour, with Connecticut beginning to reopen, what will the “new commute” look like?

Telecommuting has grown. Will remote work likely continue to expand beyond the end of the pandemic?

And we look at the impact of the public health crisis on public transit, including on residents who don’t have a car to get to their job.

Were you able to telecommute and do you hope you will be able to continue as the pandemic eases?

GUESTS:

• Russell McDermott - Program Director for CT Rides, a free program of the state Department of Transportation to help commuters find other options beyond driving solo to get to work or school 
• David Lewis - CEO of Operations, Inc., a statewide human resources consulting firm *This note: Connecticut Public is CT Public Radio’s parent company. Its HR department has a contract with Operations Inc.
• David Dudley - Editor at Citylab

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This hour, we are rebroadcasting our new program, Connecticut Conversations where we’ll talk about education during a pandemic.  

Whether students return to the classroom or learn online, how should parents and schools weigh concerns around health, equity, and students?

Coming up we’ll hear from Connecticut’s Child Advocate, about the state’s responsibility to make sure each child receives an equitable education whether sitting inside a school or at home. We’ll also hear from an elementary school teacher in Bridgeport and a recent high school graduate. 

To learn more or watch the full broadcast visit Connecticut Conversations is School Safe? on CPTV.org

GUESTS:

• Deshawn Palmer - recent graduate at Pathways High School in Hartford Connecticut, incoming college freshman at Southern Connecticut State University

• Sheree Baldwin-Muhammad - Elementary School Teacher at New Beginnings Family Academy in Bridgeport

• Sarah Eagan - Child Advocate for the State of Connecticut

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How does a national teacher of the year - turned Congresswoman - view school reopening plans in Connecticut? This hour, we talk with Congresswoman Jahana Hayes, who represents Connecticut’s Fifth District in the U.S. House of Representatives.

The freshman lawmaker is nearing the end of her first term in Congress.

Hayes is a member of the House Education and Labor Committee--we ask her to weigh in what measures need to be in place for students and teachers to return to school safely.

And how should Congress take action nationally on police accountability?

We want to hear from you, too. Are you a resident in the fifth congressional district? What questions do you have for Congresswoman Hayes?

GUEST:

• Representative Jahana Hayes - U.S. Representative for Connecticut’s Fifth District. This November, Representative Hayes will be up for  re-election in the Fifth District against Republican David X. Sullivan

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When we talk about going back to school, we usually focus on what will happen when k-12 students return to the classroom. But what about the students coming from across the nation to return to campus? 

This hour, Carl W. Lejuez, the University of Connecticut Provost & Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs will join us to answer our questions and yours about what university life will look like this Fall. 

What does social distancing look like in a residence hall or in a cafeteria? What happens if there is a coronavirus outbreak on campus? And what activities just can’t take place this year? It’s hard to imagine hosting a homecoming rally or even sitting in a lecture hall, in the middle of the pandemic.

Are you a student or a faculty member? What questions do you have for the University of Connecticut Provost?

GUESTS:

• Carl W. Lejuez, the University of Connecticut Provost & Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs (@UConnProvostCL)

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The school year starts soon, and teachers and parents still ask: How will schools open safely?

This hour, we talk with Jeff Leake, the president of the state’s largest teachers union, the Connecticut Education Association.

The union says the state should only open school buildings if CDC and other safety guidelines are met. Some teachers worry that crowded classrooms won’t have sufficient measures to prevent COVID-19 outbreaks.

And if schools become fully remote, how can districts ensure that all students are able to access online learning? We, hear from a Columbia University researcher who is helping districts plan ahead for the possibility of returning to fully-remote education.

Are you a teacher or a parent? What fears or concerns do you have for this upcoming school year?

GUESTS:
Jeff Leake - President of the Connecticut Education Association (CEA), the largest teachers’ union in Connecticut

Elizabeth Chu - Executive Director of the Center for Public Research and Leadership at Columbia Law School

Join Where We Live host Lucy Nalpathanchil for a television and radio special about education during the pandemic on Thursday, August 6, from 8:00 - 9:00 p.m. Watch and listen on Connecticut Public Television and Connecticut Public Radio.

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This pandemic has caused a lot of interruptions in our lives. It has put people out of work, and it is also keeping some people from starting a career. This hour, we hear how recent law school graduates are preparing for the Connecticut Bar Exam amongst the pandemic. 

The Bar Exam is a two day exam, normally taken at a testing facility. But because of the pandemic, students will have to take the exam entirely online. Without passing the Connecticut Bar, they are unable to practice and in some cases, even receive a job offer. 

Coming up, we will hear how these students normally prepare for the Bar Exam, and their concerns for how it will be administered this year. 

Also what’s diploma privilege? Are you preparing for the Bar Exam? We want to hear from you.

GUESTS:

• Louanne Cooley - 2020 UConn Law School Graduate (@louanne_cooley)

• Daniel Byrd - 2020 UConn Law graduate and Organizer with Diploma Privilege for CT (@Dp4CT)

• Judge Anne Dranginis - Connecticut Appellate Court Judge (retired) serving as chair of the Connecticut Bar Examining Committee

• Ryan McKeen - partner and trial attorney at Connecticut Trial Firm, LLC (@ryanmckeen)

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Inside our genomes, we carry information about our recent ancestors as well as ancient human history. This hour, we talk with science writer Carl Zimmer about his book, She Has Her Mother's Laugh: The Powers, Perversions, and Potential of Heredity. We ask him what our DNA can—and can’t—tell us about where we’re from and who we are.

GUEST:

• Carl Zimmer - New York Times columnist and author of 13 books about science, including She Has Her Mother’s Laugh: The Powers, Perversions, and Potential of Heredity

Chion Wolf contributed to this show, which originally aired on June 8, 2018.

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It’s hard to believe that it has been nearly five months since Connecticut had it’s first coronavirus diagnosis in the state.

This hour, Connecticut Department of Public Health Acting Commissioner Deidre Gifford joins us to discuss where we are now.

Connecticut seems to be trending in the right direction, and steadily slowing the spread of coronavirus. One week ago, the Connecticut Department of Health announced that the Connecticut State Public Health Lab discovered false positive COVID-19 test results. But does the state have enough personal protective equipment and tests to prepare for a second peak?

What questions do you have for Commissioner Gifford? We want to hear from you.

Guests:

• Acting Commissioner Dr. Deidre S. Gifford - Connecticut Department of Public Health (@CTDPH)
• Nicole Leonard - reporter at Connecticut Public Radio (@ACPressNLeonard)

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State lawmakers in Connecticut’s House of Representatives have passed a major police accountability bill in the middle of a national conversation about police violence and racism.

This hour, we check in with CT Mirror reporter, Kelan Lyons to learn more, as the bill heads to the state Senate this week.

We also talk with poet and Connecticut resident Reginald Dwayne Betts, who is  leading a new project to bring books to prisons and juvenile detention centers across the US.

And later: millions of Americans are on probation or parole. They are alternatives to incarceration, but advocates say community supervision can become a major driver of incarceration. Have you experienced probation or parole?

GUESTS:

• Kelan Lyons - Reporter for CT Mirror covering the intersection of mental health and criminal justice
• Reginald Dwayne Betts - Poet and Director of the Million Book Project
• Michael Williams - Senior manager of policy at Pew Charitable Trusts

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On sweltering summer days, having a house or apartment with air conditioning is important not only for comfort, but also for safety.  The need to cool down will only grow as climate change makes our world  hotter.

But air conditioning itself also contributes to greenhouse gas emissions. This hour, we talk about how to make sure climate-friendly cooling options are available to everyone.

Here in Connecticut, not all residents can afford to run air conditioners in the heat of summer because of sky-high electricity costs. We talk about how energy efficient homes are important not only for our state’s carbon footprint, but also for racial and socioeconomic equity.

GUESTS:

• Gabrielle Dreyfus - Senior Scientist at the Institute for Governance and Sustainable Development, and Chief Scientific Advisor for the Kigali Cooling Efficiency Program; she was a co-author on a recent UN Environment Program report about cooling technology and climate change. (@getgabbyd)
• Leticia Colon de Mejias- Energy policy expert and co-chair of Efficiency For All Connecticut. She’s the co-owner of Energy Efficiency Solutions, and Co-Chair of the National Building Performance Association.
• Rep. Geraldo Reyes Jr. - State representative for Waterbury; Deputy Majority Leader and Vice Chair of the Black and Puerto Rican Caucus in the Connecticut General Assembly

Cat Pastor contributed to this show.

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