Where We Live

Sheff v. O’Neill, the landmark desegregation case in Connecticut, has shaped school systems in the greater Hartford region for decades. The state of Connecticut has announced it reached a settlement with the plaintiffs. This hour, we hear more from CT Mirror education reporter Jacqueline Rabe Thomas.

Connecticut’s Open Choice program, where students from Hartford travel to suburban schools, has been part of the state’s desegregation solution under Sheff. Simsbury High School is one of those schools.

This weekend the high school will perform the musical, Hairspray. The production has opened up an opportunity for students and the larger Simsbury community to talk about race and privilege. We hear from student members of the cast and we want to hear from you.

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They might look like something out of science fiction, but star-nosed moles are real-life creatures that can be found across the East Coast, including in Connecticut. These small, furry mammals are a bit larger than a house mouse, and live underground in wetlands, digging tunnels with their enormous claws.

But their most distinctive feature is their pink, star-shaped nose.

Ken Catania, Stevenson Professor of Biological of Sciences at Vanderbilt University has studied the neurobiology of the star-nosed mole’s strange snout for decades. He told Where We Live about the science behind these incredible creatures.

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Scientists estimate bush fires in Southeastern Australia have killed hundreds of millions of animals. This hour, we talk about the fires’ impact on biodiversity.

And we learn about how climate change is shaping wildfire patterns around the globe. Are severe natural disasters becoming the “new normal”?

GUESTS:

• Rebecca Buchholz - Project Scientist with the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado
• Walter Jetz - Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at Yale University and Director of the Yale Center for Biodiversity and Global Change

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If your smartphone screen cracks, do you get it fixed or trade it in for the latest model? Repairing items can be less wasteful, but there are also growing legal challenges for people whose business is to repair technology from smartphones to tractors.

This hour, we talk about the “Right to Repair” movement. It's a debate that pits concerns about users’ ability to modify their own items against big companies’ concerns about intellectual property rights.

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Demand for social services in Connecticut has grown in the same decade that’s seen the state struggle to pass balanced budgets. The nonprofit sector has provided more and more of these services but now its facing more pressure, as Americans charitable donations decline and government cutbacks continue.

This hour, we talk with national and local experts about the role philanthropy plays in helping Connecticut residents today. How much of a role should the state government play in supporting Connecticut’s nonprofits?

Later, we look at a public-private partnership that aims to address educational disparities in Connecticut.  Dalio Philanthropies has promised $100 million dollars, money that will be matched by state funds and potentially, additional private donors.  It’s a major gift, but how effective will it be to help struggling schools?

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Deaths related to alcohol have been rising over the past two decades, especially among women.  Today, we look at the impact of alcohol on public health.

And on this day in 1920, Prohibition went into effect around the country, making it illegal to sell alcohol. 100 years after the beginning of this national experiment, we ask: what is a productive policy approach today to dealing with addiction?

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Most of us enjoy high-speed internet. But in some areas in Connecticut, residents still don’t have broadband access.  A recent court ruling may make it easier for municipalities to provide broadband services.  But is a city or town-run internet service the best way to bridge the ‘digital divide’?

Later, NPR TV critic Eric Deggans joins us with an update on the latest players to enter the streaming market, services like Disney Plus and Apple TV Plus. Just how many streaming services are you willing to pay for?

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More than 4 million people, around 1 out of 5 undergrads, are raising children today. That’s according to the U.S. Department of Education. These student parents tend to have higher GPAs than traditional students. They’re often older, single, and women of color. But more than half of them leave school without getting a degree. 

For them, access to affordable, reliable child care can mean the difference between graduating and dropping out.

This hour, we talk to two student parents about what it’s like balancing college, work, and kids. We also sit down with Fiona Pearson, an author and sociology professor at CCSU, to talk about ways policy makers, professors, and college administrators can better meet the needs of student parents.

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Leading Democratic presidential candidates meet once again on the debate stage this week.  The stakes are higher than ever for presidential hopefuls, because the first primaries are just around the corner. This hour, we check in with New Hampshire where voters will head to the polls in less than a month.

Is there a better way to narrow candidates for President than the state-by-state primary system? 

And later, a high-profile murder case in Connecticut has led to a proposal to reform the way domestic violence cases are treated in family courts.

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Spend just a few minutes with young children and you’ll marvel at their imagination. Maybe they’re pretending to be a dragon running a bakery, or they’re coloring the sky purple instead of blue. But somewhere along the way, most of those kids turn into adults who say, “I’m just not a creative person!”

This hour, we ask: how can we foster children’s imaginations? What is creativity, anyway? We talk with psychologists and art teachers to explore what we can do to keep our kids, families, and society inspired by a lifelong curiosity for the arts.

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