Where We Live

A proposed bill would set limits on how warehouses track worker productivity where we live. Amazon – which currently employs more than 15,000 Connecticut residents across its 14 locations – was the focus of a recent hearing on the bill.

This hour, an Amazon spokesperson responds to the legislation. Kelly Nantel says they support the "goal of the bill" and look forward to working with state lawmakers, but clarifies that Amazon does not have "set quotas" for workers. "We assess our performance based on what we believe are safe and achievable expectations for all employees."

Plus, State Sen. Julie Kushner, Business Insider tech correspondent Katherine Long, and CBIA's Eric Gjede join the conversation.

GUESTS:

• Kelly Nantel: Spokesperson, Amazon
• Julie Kushner: Democratic State Senator; Chair, Labor and Public Employees Committee
• Katherine Long: Tech Correspondent, Business Insider
• Eric Gjede: VP of Public Policy, Connecticut Business and Industry Association

Where We Live is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode!

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Spring is here and it’s time for our annual spring gardening hour and we are going back to basics.

What’s a zone? How do you choose the right kind of soil? How to keep your succulents alive all year round?

If you’re a new or inspiring gardener, Charlie Nardozzi is joining us to answer our questions and yours about getting comfortable with the soil.

We want to hear from you, what questions do you have about making the most of your garden?

GUEST:

• Charlie Nardozzi: horticulturist and host of the Connecticut Garden Journal

Where We Live is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode.

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See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

the ripple, the wave that carried me home is a new play running at the Yale Repertory Theater, following a family of “aquatic activists” across decades, as they push for equity in access to pools.This hour, we hear from playwright Christina Anderson and director Tamilla Woodard, and we learn more about the history of racism at beaches and pool clubs where we live.

GUESTS:

• Christina Anderson: Playwright, the ripple, the wave that carried me home
• Tamilla Woodard: Director, the ripple, the wave that carried me home; Chair, Acting Program at David Geffen School of Drama at Yale University
• Andrew Kahrl: History Professor, University of Virginia; Author, Free the Beaches: The Story of Ned Coll and the Battle for America's Most Exclusive Shoreline
• Henry Fernandez: Executive Director, LEAP for Kids
• Ryan Rooks: Aquatic Director, LEAP for Kids

Where We Live is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode!

Support the show: http://wnpr.org/donate

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Connecticut residents have the highest average credit card in the nation.

Although personal finance courses are offered in high schools, they aren’t mandated to graduate. And often, these courses don’t address the complex financial challenges of their students.

Today, on Where We Live, we talk about giving more students access to financial literacy, and making that curriculum more inclusive.

We want to hear from you. Did you learn about credit cards, budgeting or taxes in school? How were you taught to manage your money?

GUESTS:

• Dana Miranda: Founder and Financial Educator of Healthy Rich
• Dr. Monette Ferguson: Executive Director of the Alliance for Community Empowerment in Bridgeport
• Nan J. Morrison: President and Chief Executive Officer of the Council for Economic Education

Where We Live is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode.

Support the show: http://wnpr.org/donate

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Of the millions of people working in STEM fields in the U.S., only 9% are Black, according to the Pew Research Center. Those numbers are "unchanged" since 2016.How can efforts around “inclusivity” in these fields go farther? Environmental scientist Dr. Nyeema Harris has written about the importance of Blackology.“Blackologists are not simply scholars that are Black but, rather, are scholars who deliberately leverage and intersect Blackness into advancing knowledge production," she writes.Dr. Harris joins us to discuss how this approach is applied to environmental science and so many other disciplines.Plus, public health professor Dr. Ijeoma Opara discusses her work to reduce racial health disparities, and to "strengthen the pipeline of Black youth to the field of public health research."GUESTS:

• Dr. Ijeoma Opara: Assistant Professor, Yale School of Public Health; Assistant Clinical Professor, Yale School of Nursing
• Dr. Nyeema Harris: Knobloch Family Associate Professor of Wildlife and Land Conservation, Yale School of the Environment

Cat Pastor contributed to this episode which originally aired February 24.

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Toys are occasionally marketed to "children of all ages." In recent years, market research has shown the number of toy-buyers over 12 years old is growing.

The demographic, sometimes called "kidults," now comprises a quarter of the annual toy retail market, and an impressive 60% of the market’s growth in the last year, according to market research company NPD Group.

Dr. Kathy Hirsh-Pasek, a professor of psychology at Temple University, discusses why familiar toys might appeal to us today, and the links between how we played as children and how we socialize now.

Plus, one California-based slime-maker is raking in millions from children and adults alike. There's even one slime product called "Clay-Doh."What toy from your childhood still sparks joy? Connecticut Public staffers and listeners respond.

GUESTS:

• Dr. Kathy Hirsh-Pasek: Professor of Psychology, Temple University; Senior Fellow, Brookings Institution
• Olivya Soth: Co-Owner, OG Slimes

Where We Live is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode!Cat Pastor contributed to this show which originally aired March 3, 2023.

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As of January 1, Connecticut children are eligible for Medicaid or HUSKY Health until the age of 12, regardless of their immigration status. A new bill would expand coverage to 15, and possibly to 18.This hour, we get the latest on the legislation from State Sen. Matt Lesser, and hear from organizers with the HUSKY 4 Immigrants campaign.

Werner Oyanadel, the Latino and Puerto Rican policy director at the Commission on Women, Children, Seniors, Equity and Opportunity, spoke in favor of expanding HUSKY access during a Human Services Committee hearing back in February. He noted that the Commission supported the "legislature's recent incremental approach to expand eligibility requirements for medical coverage to a broader range of families."

Plus, Politico’s Megan Messerly looks into how Connecticut coverage compares to other states.

GUESTS:

• Luis Luna: Coalition Manager, HUSKY 4 Immigrants
• Rosana Ferraro: Program Lead for Health Justice Policy Advocacy, Universal Health Care Foundation of Connecticut
• Matt Lesser: Democratic State Senator; Senate Chair, Human Services Committee
• Constanza Segovia: Founding Member, Hartford Deportation Defense
• Megan Messerly: Health Care Reporter, Politico

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Connecticut Department of Transportation Commissioner Garrett Eucalitto is a native of Torrington and a big proponent of transit oriented development. Today, he joins us to answer our questions and yours about Connecticut transportation.

From pedestrian safety to lowering the blood alcohol limit, we’ll hear about his office’s efforts to create safer roadways in our state. With transit oriented development and getting more EVs or electric vehicles, on the road, green energy remains part of the larger conversation when it comes to Connecticut transportation.

We want to hear from you and learn how you’d like to see our roads improve.

GUESTS:

• Connecticut Department of Transportation Commissioner Garrett Eucalitto
• Alec Slatky: Managing Director of Public Affairs at AAA Northeast

Where We Live is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode.

Support the show: http://wnpr.org/donate

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

While May Day may draw its roots from a pagan holiday pinned to spring's arrival, it has a more modern incarnation inspired by the fight for the eight-hour work day in Chicago, and later, in Connecticut.

This hour, Fairfield University history professor Cecelia Bucki discusses.

Plus, we check in on some of the recently-formed unions where we live, including Starbucks and student unions at Yale and Wesleyan Universities.

NPR labor and workplace correspondent Andrea Hsu responds.

GUESTS:

• Andrea Hsu: Labor and Workplace Correspondent, NPR
• Arita Acharya: Organizer, Local 33 at Yale University
• Travis Glenney-Tegtmeier: Union Member, Starbucks at Corbin's Corner in West Hartford
• Dr. Cecelia Bucki: Professor of History, Fairfield University

Where We Live is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode!

Support the show: http://wnpr.org/donate

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Last week, a 12-year old Se'Cret Pierce living in Hartford was killed in a drive-by shooting.

Gun violence is one of the leading causes of deaths in America, and the leading cause of death in children. According to the Kaiser Family Foundations, gun-related incidents are common among adults. Despite this, research around this issue remains limited and vastly underfunded.

There is several areas of research when it comes to better understanding gun violence including mass shootings, suicide and intimate partner violence.

Today, we talk about the intersection of gun violence and public health and the push to view gun violence as a public health issue. We’ll hear from Dr. Jennifer Dineen. Associate Director of the Arms Center for Gun Injury Prevention at UConn.

We’ll also talk with Connecticut musician Jimmy Greene. He is the father of Sandy Hook victim Ana Grace Marquez-Greene.

How has gun violence impacted your community?

GUESTS:

• Andrew Woods: Chief Executive Officer of Hartford Communities That Care
• Dr. Jennifer Dineen: Associate Professor in Residence in the School of Public Policy and Associate Director of the Arms Center for Gun Injury Prevention at UConn
• Jimmy Greene: Professor of Music at Western Connecticut State University

Where We Live is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode.

Support the show: http://wnpr.org/donate

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.