Where We Live

With the statewide school mask mandate expected to expire at the end of the month, local districts can determine their own policies. School boards and superintendents are facing continued public pressure according to Fran Rabinowitz, executive director of the Connecticut Association of Public School Superintendents.

The State Department of Public Health, along with the Department of Education, does have the authority to reinstate a statewide school mask mandate until June 30. This hour, get the latest from Connecticut Department of Public Health Commissioner Manisha Juthani.

Connecticut Mirror Capitol Bureau Chief Mark Pazniokas also joins to discuss the start of the legislative session, and the impact of the upcoming election.

GUESTS:

• Mark Pazniokas – Capitol Bureau Chief, Connecticut Mirror
• Fran Rabinowitz – Executive Director, Connecticut Association of Public School Superintendents
• Dr. Mark Conway – Superintendent, Derby Public Schools
• Dr. Manisha Juthani – Commissioner, Connecticut Department of Public Health

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Here in Connecticut, surviving long winters means getting plenty of sleep, extra vitamin D supplements and leaning into our favorite winter activities.

This hour, we talk with author Katherine May about her book Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times and the act of wintering. 

According to author Katherine May, the act of wintering goes beyond the season of winter. The act of wintering, retreating and resting, can come after difficult times. And we should “must learn to invite the winter in. We may never choose winter, but we can choose how.”

While we’re all in lockdown, awaiting vaccines, we are all wintering a lot more than usual. How are you wintering? 

We want to hear from you.

GUESTS:

• Katherine May - author of Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times 

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Valentine’s Day is coming up, but today, this show is for all the single ladies!

Today, Shani Silver, author of A Single Revolution: Don't look for a match. Light one, joins us today to talk about how we can love our time in singlehood, as much as we love the idea of a relationship.

Shani Silver asks, “We don’t have to hate being single. Has anyone ever told you that’s allowed?”

Are you single or remember the single life? We want to hear from you.

GUESTS:

• Shani Silver - author of A Single Revolution and podcaster

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Each year, Connecticut Magazine's 40 Under 40 celebrates up-and-coming innovators in our state. This hour, we meet some of this year's impactful honorees.

Watertown architect Omarys Vasquez is driven to "make great design more accessible and inclusive." She recently co-founded NOMAct, the Connecticut chapter of the National Organization of Minority Architects.

Shelby C. Davis is an educator, life coach and author in Waterbury, who founded the City Youth Theater in 2019. His latest book is titled Meet Wyatt Brown.

Miles Wilson-Toliver is an opera singer and voice teacher who began performing around the world at the age of 9. He recently launched Voices of Hartford, a premier young men's singing ensemble out of Hartford's North End.

GUESTS:

• Omarys Vasquez - Architect and Associate at Svigals & Partners
• Shelby C. Davis - Counselor, Crosby High School; Author, Everything My Parents Taught Me in 6 Steps: Life’s Guide; Founder, City Youth Theater
• Miles Wilson-Toliver - Opera singer and voice coach; Co-founder, Voices of Hartford

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Pulitzer-winning physician Siddhartha Mukherjee referred to cancer as “The Emperor of All Maladies.” Now, Mukherjee is one of many contributors to “A New Deal for Cancer – Lessons From A 50 Year War.”

This hour on Where We Live, we talk about the legacy and shortcomings of this war, including the lack of access to cancer care for some populations, a byzantine drug reimbursement system, the lack of incentives for preventive testing, and corporatization of physician-owned clinics. We also discuss the promise of President Joe Biden’s newly relaunched Cancer Moonshot program, and barriers to its liftoff.

The science of cancer has advanced significantly since the National Cancer Act was first signed in 1971. How will the country work towards fewer deaths and equitable treatment for all Americans over the next 50 years?

GUESTS: 

Abbe R. Gluck: Alfred M. Rankin Professor of Law and Faculty Director,

Solomon Center for Health Law and Policy, Yale Law School. Professor of Medicine, Yale School of Medicine. Editor of “A New Deal for Cancer – Lessons From A 50 Year War”

Dr. Charles S. Fuchs: Senior Vice President – Global Head of Hematology and Oncology Product Development, Genentech & Roche. Editor of “A New Deal for Cancer – Lessons From A 50 Year War”

Giselle Carlotta MacDonald: Executive Director, Project Access-New Haven

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Nearly two years since the start of the pandemic, Connecticut has begun granting commutations for incarcerated individuals.

Today, we hear more and learn how the pandemic has impacted the prison population in our state.

We hear from Connecticut Mirror reporter Kel Lyons. And we talk to a formerly incarcerated person, who recently received a commutation on his sentence.

And later, the COVID Prison Project says about 1 in 4 people in prison or jail has gotten COVID-19.

Do you have a family member who’s incarcerated?

GUESTS:

• Lauren Brinkley-Rubinstein - Founder of COVID Prison Project
• Kelan Lyons - Report For America Corps Member who covers the intersection of mental health and criminal justice for the Connecticut Mirror
• Michael Cox - resident of Connecticut and formerly incarcerated person 
• Alex Taubes - civil rights lawyer from New Haven Connecticut

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The American Library Association (ALA) reported an “unprecedented spike” in book removal requests last fall, tallying 330 from September 1 to December 1. The ALA noted "a focus on books that address the voices and lived experiences of Black, Indigenous, and people of color and LGBTQIA+ individuals."

How are local librarians responding to these challenges? Hear from school and public librarians in Connecticut. Plus, the ALA and the Connecticut Library Association’s Intellectual Freedom Office discuss the resources they offer local librarians.

GUESTS:

• Samantha Lee - Chair, Connecticut Library Association’s Intellectual Freedom Committee; Head of Reference Services at Enfield Public Library
• Deborah Caldwell Stone - Director, American Library Association Office for Intellectual Freedom
• Barbara Johnson - Library Media Specialist, Jack Jackter Intermediate School; Member, American Association of School Librarians; Former President, Connecticut Association of School Librarians
• Mary Richardson - Teen Librarian, Simsbury Public Library; Co-Host "Book Jam" Podcast

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Manufacturing jobs like industrial engineering and mechanical engineering technicians are projected to increase between 15% and nearly 30% by 2026, fetching an annual salary of around $65,000, according to the Connecticut Department of Labor.

These jobs don’t require a traditional four-year college degree. And there are opportunities for students to go to trade school while they’re finishing high school.

The drumbeat from employers and local leaders has been how to attract and train new workers to support a key sector in the state economy. There’s money pouring in to enable this.

This year, Connecticut was one of only five states to receive a U.S. Department of Labor $10 million State Apprenticeship grant.

The Connecticut Manufacturing Innovation Fund Advisory Board recently approved $8.3 million to support new and established programs in Connecticut’s manufacturing sector, including an advertising campaign to highlight career opportunities in manufacturing.

And, the Connecticut Small Business Development Center, hosted at the UConn School of Business, received one of four federal grants, to operate a national Advanced Manufacturing Center. The $2 million grant will give assistance to minority-owned businesses to help them expand.

This hour on Where We Live, we hear from a high-school student who’s earning college credits in manufacturing, a young woman who's working on the shop floor, a manufacturer, academia, and the state. And, we find out more about what’s being done to attract more women to the industry, including minority owned businesses.

• GUESTS:
  Anya Santa Lucia: Manufacturing Program Student at Goodwin University, and High School Student at the Connecticut River Academy
• Sara Langevin: CNC Machinist, Trumpf Inc.
• Matthew Dadona: Assistant Superintendent of Pathways and Partnerships, Goodwin University Magnet School Systems
• Keri Valente: Manufacturing Apprenticeship Representative at the Office of Apprenticeship Training, State of Connecticut
• Christine Benz: Head of Training Services, Trumpf Inc.

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Russia and Ukraine have a long, complicated history. If you’re confused about what's happening in Eastern Europe, you’re not alone.

Today, we explore the complex relationship between these two nations and get a better understanding of the conflict happening right now.

We hear from members of the Ukrainian American community in Connecticut.

And later, we talk about the Holodomor, where millions were killed by the Stalin regime in what was then-Soviet Ukraine.   

What questions do you have about what’s happening to Ukraine today? We want to hear from you.

GUESTS:

• Alex Kuzma - Chief Development Officer for the Ukrainian Catholic University Foundation
• Lana Babij - retired librarian and independent researcher from Manchester Connecticut.

Photo: Chris McGrath / Getty Images

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This hour on Where We Live, we look into strategies that build resilience in local bookstores and discuss pandemic book launches. Long-time indie bookshops continue to stay afloat and even thrive despite the ongoing pandemic. Amazon controls more than half of the market for print books and at least three-quarters of publishers’ ebook sales.

We also talk to booksellers about trends, including eliminating or reducing inventory-holding costs by selling on Bookstore.org –the Amazon for indies. 

The American Booksellers Association (ABA) lists the top five trends for indie bookstores in 2022. According to the ABA, nationally, 250 indie bookstores opened, and 98 closed in 2020 and 2021.

Here is a list of Connecticut's indie bookstores:

• Barrett Bookstore, Darien (since 1939)
• Hickory Stick Bookshop, Washington Depot (since 1951)
• Breakwater Books, Guilford (since 1972)
• Atticus Books, Middletown (since 1975)
• Bloodroot, Bridgeport (since 1977)
• Books on the Common, Ridgefield (since 1984)
• RJ Julia, Madison, (since 1990)
• Bank Square Books, Mystic (since 1998)
• Book Trader Cafe, New Haven (since 1998)
• Elm Street Books, New Canaan, (since 2003) 
• A New Page, Middletown (since 2003)
• Burgundy Books, Old Saybrook (since 2005)

New bookstore openings in Connecticut include: 

• Title IX: A Bookstore, a pop-up bookshop in New London 
• The Key Bookstore’s brick-and-mortar bookshop in Hartford 
• Athena Books in Old Greenwich
• Pink Wave Books & Cafe (online) 
• Wordsmith Bookshop, scheduled to open in Simsbury in May 
• Reader's Block, opened in Stratford
• Book Club on the Go (online, pop-ups, book delivery)
• New York’s Shakespeare & Co., expected to open its first Connecticut bookshop in Norwalk.
• Also, plans are underway to launch Next Chapter Books and More, an ELITE (Educating Learners In Transition Environment) Program’s student-run bookstore and coffee shop in Trumbull.

Several of the new bookshops sell to under-represented communities, and all are focussed on building a local third space. We discuss the ‘doing well by doing good’ indie business model. Will it endure?

We also look into store closures and fundraisers to keep indies open. That Book Store in Wethersfield and Elliot’s Bookstore in Northford are among those that shut down, while fundraisers are underway to reopen New Haven’s Never Ending Books, and to keep Bennett’s Books in Deep River open.

GUESTS:

• Khamani Harrison: Founder & Owner of The Key Bookstore – An AfroFuturistic Bookstore in Hartford
• Lauren Anderson: Co-founder & Co-owner, People Get Ready, New Haven
• Roxanne Coady: Founder of RJ Julia, and CEO and founder of Just the Right Book

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