Where We Live

Republican presidential hopefuls debate for the first time since the Paris attacks and San Bernardino shootings and national security is on the forefront of national discussion. This hour on our weekly news roundtable The Wheelhouse, we discuss the latest debate in the long road to the White House. There was more of a clear divide between some candidates, especially surrounding military spending and intelligence gathering.

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This hour, Food Foolish co-author John Mandyck tells us how reducing global food waste could help mitigate the stresses of hunger, water shortages, and climate change. 

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Faculty at Connecticut's state universities are negotiating with the Board of Regents over a new three-year contract. Last month the new president of the Board, Mark Ojakian joined us to discuss the negotiations from his perspective. This hour, we hear from several of the professors pushing back against cuts and other changes in the public higher education system.

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When was the last time you sent a letter? Not an email, but a real, tangible piece of mail? If your answer is "not recently," you’re not alone.

Except for the occasional birthday or holiday card, most of us haven’t sent -- or received -- good, old-fashioned snail mail in a very long time. 

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It’s been three years since saxophonist Jimmy Greene lost his six-year-old daughter, Ana, in the tragic shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School. On his album, Beautiful Life, Greene memorializes his little girl. It was recently nominated for two Grammy Awards.

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The national political conversation has shifted to a focus on security, guns, and terrorism. Our weekly political news roundtable The Wheelhouse will discuss the shift and the role Connecticut's congressional delegation has played in the national dialogue.

How does this resonate among Connecticut voters, and how might it affect next year's elections?

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Violent crime in America has been dropping for years, reaching a point in 2012 that was roughly half of what it was in 1993. But that may be changing.

While there are a lot of reasons why violence is spiking, police officers note a growing willingness to use violence to settle minor disputes.

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Access to health care has improved significantly since Obamacare, with big gains for previously uninsured minorities who were unable to gain access before the law took effect. But insurance isn’t the only barrier to overcome. Entrenched cultural beliefs and the way we deliver care can also limit access.

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Sanctuary cities have become a focus in the national debate on immigration reform. But what are they? Where are they? And how do they affect communities around the country? 

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On Monday, the first police officer went to trial for the death of Freddie Gray in Baltimore. Just a few days earlier, video was released of a white police officer in Chicago shooting a black man 16 times.

This hour, we talk about race and racism with three people including Hartford resident Gareth Weston, a black man whose own daughter thought he looked like a "bad guy" when wearing a dark hooded sweatshirt. 

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