Where We Live

Maya Angelou, Harriet Tubman, Rosa Parks. These are three of the eight Black women whose experiences are recounted in Kimberly Wilson’s “A JOURNEY: Musical One-Woman Show”.

This hour, Wilson, a Westport, Connecticut resident, joins us to talk about her experience writing and performing the show. 

Later, we learn how a new project researched by local university students is drawing interest and attention to the slave history of Fairfield, Connecticut.

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Donald Collins first told his mom he was transgender when he was a senior in high school. His mother wasn’t totally sure what the word transgender even meant. From there, they began a difficult emotional journey as Donald began his transition.

This hour, we sit down with Donald and his mother, Mary Collins. They have written about their experience in the book At the Broken Places: A Mother and Trans Son Pick Up the Pieces. We ask them how they rebuilt their relationship and what lessons they hope to share with other families .

Have you or a loved one come out as transgender? We want to hear from you.

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Gilead, the biopharmaceutical company responsible for manufacturing Truvada, has come under scrutiny for its HIV drug pricing. This hour, we get the latest on this story. We also preview an upcoming Hartford rally, scheduled to coincide with AIDS Awareness Day.

Plus, for various reasons, a couple might decide to have their embryos frozen. But what happens to those embryos after the couple divorces? We learn about a state Supreme Court case, which centers on this very issue.

And finally, the SAT has a new score. An adversity score, to be more specific. We find out what this means and check in on Connecticut’s SAT requirements.

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Investigators say that a devastating fire at the Diyanet Mosque in New Haven was the result of arson. This hour, we hear reaction from members of that mosque community.

This fire took place during  Ramadan, a holy month of fasting that Muslims around the world are observing. Later, we talk with Connecticut Muslims about how they celebrate this religious tradition.

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Connecticut has parted ways with its "Still Revolutionary" slogan to the relief of some residents. Now many are left wondering: How will the state move forward marketing itself to tourists?

This hour, we take an in-depth look at this question and we also hear from you. What local attractions or attributes would you like to see highlighted as part of a campaign to draw visitors to our state? 

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The idea of what a college education should be has changed over the years. This hour: what’s the value of a liberal arts degree in the twenty-first century?

We hear why tech giant Infosys has teamed up with Trinity College in Hartford to train and recruit new hires. Later, we learn how some colleges are bringing together the best parts of a liberal arts program with a focus on the skills needed in today’s workforce.    

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In their heyday, Willimantic's Hooker and Nathan Hale Hotels were considered among the most lavish accomodations halfway between New York and Boston.

But they have long sat idle. Most residents know little about the Hooker's past other than that, by the 1980s and 1990s, the decaying structure turned into a notoriously gruesome boarding house for heroin addicts.

A settlement agreement reached between a developer, the state, and historic preservationists finally gives the community hope that the block on which they stand may soon be revived. Only it will be without the Hooker Hotel, which can be demolished under the agreement.

Today, we look at the compromise and what it means for blighted properties deemed historic in other Connecticut communities.

We also discuss a new report on school resource officers that finds Latino students are six times more likely to be arrested at schools where SROs have been assigned than at schools without them.

And we get an update on Gov. Ned Lamont's bid for a "global solution" in the state's ever-evolving casino expansion debate. Last week, Lamont hesitantly conceded that a deal between Connecticut's two tribal casino operators and MGM Resorts isn't likely to come before the end of this year's regular legislative session. What happens now?

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Two recent police shootings in Connecticut highlight, once again, tensions between police and the public.

As lawmakers debate ways to hold police accountable, residents wrestle with trusting law enforcement. What issues need be addressed to mend relationships and build stronger communities?

This hour, we listen back to a conversation we hosted with community members at the Arroyo Recreation Center at Pope Park in Hartford.

Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter.

GUESTS:

• Greg Brown - Friend of Anthony Jose "Chulo" Vega Cruz; founder of the Justice for Chulo Facebook group
• Rodney Williams - Uncle of Paul Witherspoon
• Anthony Campbell - State inspector with the New Haven State’s Attorney’s Office; former chief of the New Haven Police Department
• Joshua Fee - Student at Hartford’s Classical Magnet School; member of Hartford Communities That Care’s Youth Leadership Academy
• Sgt. Steven Austin - Sergeant with the Hartford Police Department
• Iran Nazario - Founder/CEO of the Peace Center of Connecticut

Carmen Baskauf and Catie Talarski helped produce this conversation, which was edited for time. 

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When Rabbi Philip Lazowski was just eleven years old, the Nazis invaded his hometown and began the mass slaughter of Jewish residents.

This hour we sit down with Rabbi Lazowski, a Holocaust survivor and longtime leader in the Greater Hartford Jewish community, to hear his story. After witnessing one of the worst sides of humanity, how did he maintain his faith and find the strength to help others?

And last year, Connecticut passed legislation requiring Holocaust and genocide education for students in the state. A professor from the University of Hartford will join us to talk about why it is important for young people to learn about this dark chapter in modern history.

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They live underground and gorge themselves in dumpsters. This hour, we’re taking a long, hard look at creatures you’d probably rather not think about: RATS!

We hear about how the city of Hartford is fighting these unwelcome rodent residents, and we ask a researcher why are these scurrying creatures so successful at living alongside humans?

And later, we take a look at another rodent's impact on our health, as we learn why scientists are trying a new strategy to fight Lyme Disease. Researchers in Connecticut have been vaccinating tiny white-footed mice against Lyme Disease in an effort to reduce the number of ticks carrying the illness. 

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