Where We Live

A judge in 17th century Connecticut ruled on the thorniest of problems. Some of these included ruling on a piglet’s paternity, who was to blame for faulty shoes, and whether illicit sex had occurred on a boat sailing to Stamford. 

While most of the rulings wouldn’t stand up in today’s court, our earliest settlers struggled to decide a fair price to pay under a harsh system. Connecticut Superior Court Judge Jon Blue shares some of the liveliest tales from our past, vividly described by court reporters not bound by modern day legalese.

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Connecticut is waking up on Thursday learning who the nominees are for important mayors’ jobs around the state. And it's a little bit of a surprise. All three Democratic incumbents in Bridgeport, Hartford, and New London lost their respective races.

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In many of Connecticut's strongly Democratic cities, the local primary IS the election. This hour, our weekly news roundtable The Wheelhouse brings you election coverage from across the state, including the close races for mayor in Hartford and Bridgeport.

Are you voting in this primary?

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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.

The New York Times reported last week that violent crime was rising sharply in cities like Milwaukee and St. Louis. In Hartford, homicides jumped to 25 so far this year, up from 19 in 2014.

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Neanderthals have long been recognized as humans’ closest relatives. They were highly intelligent, skilled hunters, with a rugged build, and a knack for toolmaking.

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Today we’ll talk with our exploration expert, Michael Robinson of the University of Hartford. He’s written about the great arctic explorers of the past, but his new book has him on his own voyage to the tops of giant mountains in Uganda, searching for a fabled “Lost White Tribe.” His book Lost White Tribe: Explorers, Scientists and a Theory of Race that Changed Africa will be out in 2015.    

Robinson will be speaking about his research Monday February 25th at 1:30PM. 

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President Obama has called on both parties in Congress to send him an immigration reform package - saying in his State of the Union address that “now is the time to get it done.” He’s vowed to let Congress do its work...but in the last few days, we learned that the President has crafted his own proposal. Many in Congress see it as a priority, too.

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America’s debate over guns was in Newtown High School last night - as hundreds gathered to give emotional testimony to state lawmakers. It was happening in Washington too, where Connecticut Senator Richard Blumenthal re-affirmed his support for tighter gun control, invoking the “Sandy Hook Promise” group formed by parents of the victims.

Today, we’ll take a look at what we’ve heard in this week of public hearings on guns, school safety and mental health. 

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Yesterday, President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden announced 23 executive orders and proposed laws in response to the horrific shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School.

"No one can know for certain if this senseless act could have been prevented, but we all know we have a moral obligation -- a moral obligation to do everything in our power to diminish the prospect that something like this could happen again," said Biden.

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Last month, on December 13, Governor Malloy appeared on our show for his monthly visit. We talked about the budget and the upcoming legislative session, and the issues he hoped to work on in the coming year.  

The next morning, everything changed.

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