Where We Live

Absentee ballot eligibility was expanded again in Connecticut in time for the the November election, but the changes are temporary. This hour, we discuss what voters need to know with News 12 reporter John Craven, and check in on the Secretary of the State race.

Voters can request an application for an absentee ballot from their town clerk or download an application here to return to their town clerk.

Plus, former Secretary of the State Denise Merrill discusses the Yes for Freedom to Vote Early campaign she’s leading. Voters can expect to answer the following question on the ballot this November: "Shall the Constitution of the State be amended to permit the General Assembly to provide for early voting?"

Common Cause in Connecticut executive director Cheri Quickmire also joins.

Common Cause was one of several advocacy organizations that has pushed for updates to Connecticut's voting protocols, signing a letter to Governor Lamont and legislators earlier this year.

They wrote, "Despite Connecticut’s progressive reputation, there are still discriminatory barriers to equal participation in our democracy for voters of color and people whose first language is not English, particularly at the local level. In fact, Connecticut has some of the most restrictive voting laws in the nation with Black and Latino voters facing limited access to absentee voting, no early voting, and longer voting lines."

GUESTS:

• John Craven: Reporter, News 12 Connecticut
• Denise Merrill: Former Connecticut Secretary of State
• Cheri Quickmire: Executive Director, Common Cause in Connecticut

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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In his new book, The Storm is Here: An American Crucible, longtime war correspondent Luke Mogelson explores the rise of right wing extremism in the U.S.

Today, Mogelson joins us to talk about the events leading up to the Jan 6 insurrection and what he saw firsthand at the U.S Capitol that day.

The Oath Keepers have been accused of having a large role in the Capitol riots, and are one of the far right extremist groups Mogelson has followed.

A recent report by the Anti-Defamation League shows 476 state residents are part of the Oath Keepers membership database, reports Hearst CT.

What does their influence look like today, a year and a half after the riots? How influential will these groups become after the midterm elections?

GUESTS:

• Luke Mogelson - author of The Storm is Here: An American Crucible
• Alex Friedfeld - Investigative Researcher with the Anti-Defamation League Center on Extremism

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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!

Who supports the mental health of teachers and paraeducators?

A Gallup poll in June found that four in 10 K-12 workers in the U.S. (44%) said they "always" or "very often" feel burned out at work, outpacing all other industries nationally.

According to a Rand Corporation survey, also in June, teachers and principals in the U.S. are experiencing frequent job-related stress at a rate about twice that of the general population of working adults.

This hour on Where We Live, we hear from paraeducators and a teacher trainer about resignations and mounting stress on the job.

Also, we spotlight ongoing, $8 million research under a federal grant by UConn Health, UConn School of Education, and UMass (Lowell) on ways to improve mental healthcare for teachers.

And, Catherine Shen, Connecticut Public Education reporter, weighs in.

GUESTS: 

Monique Revellese: Paraeducator, Canterbury. [Previously recorded comment.]

Cameo Thorne: Restorative Practice Trainer of Teachers & Students, New Haven. Former public school teacher.

Catherine Shen: Education Reporter, Connecticut Public Radio

Jenn Cavallari: Associate Professor, Department of Public Health Sciences, UConn School of Medicine

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Tenant unions are on the rise in our state. Camila Vallejo and Ginny Monk, housing reporters for Connecticut Public and the Connecticut Mirror, found that at least five tenant unions had formed with help from the Connecticut Tenants Union (CTTU).

This hour, we hear from Vallejo and Monk, plus organizers with CTTU.

As Vallejo and Monk reported, "Tenants unions form as collective bargaining organizations to address issues such as maintenance problems, rent raises and evictions, among other disputes. Tenant organizing grew in popularity during the pandemic, notably in New York City where tenants organized to fight for rent cancellations."

A new ordinance in New Haven is the first in the state to allow tenant unions to barter with the city's Fair Rent Commission. A similar resolution was passed in Hamden, where renters at Seramonte Estates recently unionized.

A Connecticut law passed last session now requires cities with at least 25,000 residents to establish fair rent commissions that, according to the New Haven Register, are "vested with the power to adjust rents if they find any single landlord is pursuing abusive practices in setting rates."

Hamden's Fair Rent Commission is set to meet this week to hear four cases.

Connecticut Public contacted North Point Management Corps., the owners of Seramonte Estates, but did not receive comment.

While the Connecticut Coalition of Property Owners does not have an official stance on tenant unions, we also hear from John Souza, the organization's president and a full-time landlord, about why he feels organizing is "unnecessary," especially under "smaller landlords."

"Everyone is being squeezed by rising prices and inflation including us. The solutions are simple but hard to do."

GUESTS:

• Camila Vallejo: Housing Reporter, Connecticut Public
• Ginny Monk: Children's Issues and Housing Reporter, Connecticut Mirror
• Luke Melonakos-Harrison: Organizer, Connecticut Tenants Union
• Paul Boudreau: Organizer, Seramonte Tenants Union

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In 2018, New London was designated a "site of memory" on the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization's slave route project, an effort launched in 1994 to "break the silence" around the history of slavery.New London Landmarks held a ceremony in July to recognize the designation, installing a plaque at Amistad Pier. The site is considered the sixteenth stop on the New London Black Heritage Trail, which was unveiled last year. UntitledThe "Middle Passage to New London" plaque explains that in 1761, the Speedwell, a large schooner, arrived in New London from the west coast of Africa transporting 74 captive people. 21 people had not survived the harrowing voyage.

"The Speedwell docked in New London for several days before sailing to Middletown." New London joins Middletown and 51 other ports, or "sites of memory," in North America.

The plaque, and the designation itself, are meant to honor those who died during the Middle Passage, "and the enslaved people whose forced labor created much of New London's early wealth and led to disparities which still exist today.

This hour, we hear from local historians about their research, showing the Speedwell represents a small part of the city’s links to slavery. Plus, the Hempsted Houses are prominently featured on the New London Black Heritage Trail. We'll hear from assistant site administrator Nicole Thomas.

Do you want to learn more about Connecticut's history with slavery? 

GUESTS:

• Tom Schuch: New London Historian; Researcher, New London Black Heritage Trail
• Lonnie Braxton II: Historian; Researcher, New London Black Heritage Trail
• Nicole D. Thomas: Historian; Researcher; Assistant Site Administrator, Hempsted Houses

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 August 12, 2022.

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When we hear about the climate crisis, it can often be framed as a future or somehow distant dilemma. But environmental justice advocates point to the many ways present-day discriminatory practices and policies have resulted in stark instances of environmental racism here in the U.S.

One acclaimed Connecticut author is using his latest work of science fiction to reframe the climate crisis as inherently local, all while confronting issues of race, class, and gentrification.

Tochi Onyebuchi’s Goliath envisions his home of New Haven in the not-to-distant future, ravaged by climate crisis and abandoned by the mostly-white class of people who can afford it. Like his previous work of fiction, Riot Baby, Goliath carries pressing real-world implications.

This hour, he joins us to discuss.

GUESTS:

• Tochi Onyebuchi: Author, Goliath; Winner, New England Book Award; Finalist, Hugo, Nebula, Locus, and NAACP Image Award

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The gubernatorial race in Connecticut is heating up.

Today, Governor Ned Lamont joins us to discuss his reelection campaign and what he wants to accomplish if elected to a second term.

Lamont has led the state through 2.5 years of a pandemic; what are his plans to help residents in the current economy, bogged down by inflation and in a state where employers are still struggling to hire workers?

We discuss evolving COVID-19 protocols, creating more affordable housing in our state, as well as parental rights and influence in education.

Governor Lamont also answers listener calls and questions posted to Where We Live's Facebook and Twitter accounts.

• Ned Lamont - Incumbent Democratic Gubernatorial Candidate
• Dr. Jonathan Wharton - Associate Professor of Political Science at Southern Connecticut State University

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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!

This hour on Where We Live, we hear from sickle cell disease experts at UConn Health and Yale on a successful transfusion therapy, and ongoing research that promises a full cure following a risk-reduced transplant.

And, we hear from a former pediatric patient, now 21,on her transplant and full cure.

Also, we discuss new drugs, gene therapy, and equitable access to care.

Sickle cell disease is an inherited disorder, causing red blood cells to contort into a sickle shape, resulting in severe bone pain and fatigue. Complications include anemia, blood clots, organ damage, pulmonary hypertension, vision loss, and stroke.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 100,000 Americans are affected, and 1 in every 365 Black or African-American babies is born with sickle cell disease. And, 1 in 13 Black or African-American babies are born with sickle cell trait.

GUESTS: 

Rehana Konate: Student at the University of Connecticut; fully cured of Sickle Cell Disease

Dr. Niketa Shah: Director, Pediatric Bone Marrow Transplant Program, and Director, Pediatric Cellular Therapy Program, Yale Medicine

Teresa Works: Sickle Cell Social Worker, UConn Health

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This hour, we sit down with Republican gubernatorial candidate Bob Stefanowski to discuss his plans for the final two months of the campaign, and to take your questions.

This is Stefanowski’s second time running against Ned Lamont, after losing to the incumbent in 2018 by 3% points or around 40,000 votes.

The former business executive has focused his platform on making Connecticut more affordable and safer; however in recent weeks, he has beginning to refine other campaign points. Later today he plans to unveil a "Parental Bill of Rights." How much is this modeled off of the controversial Florida and Texas bills by the same name?

GUESTS:

• Bob Stefanowski: Republican Candidate for Governor of Connecticut
• Christine Stuart: Editor-in-Chief, CT News Junkie

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Steve Roberts launched the Push to Start Skate Program in 2017, using skateboarding "to create community, teach creative thinking, collaboration and self-confidence to youth in the Dixwell and Newhallville area" every Saturday.

This hour, we hear from Roberts about his efforts to make skateboarding more accessible in his hometown, including the Scantlebury Park skate facility, which opened last summer.

Plus, Dr. Neftalie Williams teaches the first course on the action sport at the University of Southern California, and is the first "Ambassador of Skateboarding" and envoy for the U.S. Department of State, examining skateboarding as a tool of self-expression and cultural diplomacy. He discusses the growing importance of skate-friendly cities, his work in Connecticut, and the state's lesser-known status as a skateboarding "hub."

We also hear from local skateboarder and videographer Ethan Giorgetti about his process of skating, shooting and premiering videos, like his latest, "Keepsake."

Professional skateboarders Alexis Sablone and Trevor Thompson grew up together in Connecticut. Now they're launching a new core skate shop in New Haven, the city's first since 2015. We hear from Sablone about their plans for Plush at 96 Orange St.

GUESTS:

• Dr. Neftalie Williams: Sociologist; University of Southern California Provost’s Post-Doctoral Scholar, Annenberg School of Communication and Journalism; Yale Schwarzman Center Visiting Fellow in Race, Culture & Community
• Steve Roberts: Director, Push to Start Skate Program; Co-Founder, Scantlebury Park Skate Facility
• Ethan Giorgetti: Videographer; Owner, Social Hour
• Alexis Sablone: Professional Skateboarder; Partner, Plush

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