Where We Live

Regional electric grid operator ISO New England has warned of a "vulnerable" winter, while homeowners are being charged higher rates for fuel, whether natural gas, oil or propane.

This hour, hear from POLITICO energy reporter Catherine Morehouse about the many factors at play, and get the latest from ISO New England.

Progressive consumer advocacy organization Public Citizen weighs in. Plus, hear from a Westport resident who recently switched to geothermal energy.

GUESTS:

• Catherine Morehouse - Energy reporter, POLITICO
• Anne George - Vice President of External Affairs, ISO New England
• Tyson Slocum - Director of Energy Program, Public Citizen
• Michael Sachse - CEO, Dandelion Energy
• Kaveh Ghahremani - Westport resident and new Dandelion customer

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Misinformation is a factor for anyone online, but research has shown false and misleading statements about COVID-19 that are in Spanish will linger longer on social media.

Hear more about the problem from Free Press Senior Counsel Nora Benavidez, and about the local efforts to help close the gap in vaccine distribution among Hispanic residents in our state. According to the Connecticut Department of Public Health, 74.6% of white residents have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, compared to 66.2% of Hispanic residents.

Hear from the Hispanic Health Council about their efforts to dispel viral misconceptions in their community; and from Fair Haven Community Health Care about their successful Vaccinate/Vacúnate Fair Haven! program. Plus, Junta for Progressive Action launched a video series on YouTube called "My Vaccination Story," featuring locals explaining why getting vaccinated was important to them.What can you do to combat COVID-19 misinformation?

GUESTS:

• Nora Benavidez - Senior Counsel and Director of Digital Justice and Civil Rights, Free Press
• Dionne Kotey - Director of Wellness and Health Management, Hispanic Health Council
• Dr. Suzanne Lagarde - CEO, Fair Haven Community Health Care
• Bruni Pizarro - Executive Director, Junta for Progressive Action

Cat Pastor contributed to this show which originally aired December 16, 2021.

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How can learning how to sew empower individuals and strengthen communities?

This hour, residents relay the power of learning to quilt, sew and stitch. Hear from Hartford Stitch, members of the Norwalk Community Quilt Project, and Tamanna Rahman, a New Haven local who sews her own clothes.

Plus, a recent study finds mask-making for front-line workers was a “means of control” for people at home.

GUESTS:

• Laura Kasowitz - Owner and lead teacher, Hartford Stitch
• Tamanna Rahman - Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner
• Lizzy Rockwell - Children’s book author and illustrator; founder, Peace by Piece: The Norwalk Community Quilt Project
• Viola Sears - Member, Peace by Piece: The Norwalk Community Quilt Project

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Bloomberg reported that a shorter work week experiment in Iceland found that workers maintained productivity and had improved well-being.

Today, Alex Pang, author of Shorter: Work Better, Smarter and Less - Here’s How, about how some companies are navigating a shorter work week, while paying workers the same salaries.

And later, we hear from Mike Melillo founder and CEO of the Wanderlust Group. He implemented the four day work week at his company at the start of the pandemic.

How would you spend your time if you only had to work four days, instead of five?

GUESTS:

• Alex Pang - author of books “Rest: Why You Get More Done When You Work Less” and “Shorter: Work Better, Smarter and Less - Here’s How”
• Mike Melillo - Founder and CEO of the Wanderlust Group

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Music schools in Philadelphia denied her admission because she was Black, and so did a segregated concert hall, leading to a spectacular performance at the Lincoln Memorial and a fight for Civil Rights.The opera legend Marian Anderson lived and sang in Danbury, Connecticut, for five decades.This hour, we’ll learn about her life, her studio in Danbury, and also discuss the lack of diversity in opera today – the year of Marian’s 125th birth anniversary.We’ll also take a listen to selected preview audio from Marian Anderson: The Whole World in Her Hands, an upcoming PBS documentary.Produced by Sujata Srinivasan Special thanks to Catie Talarski and Eugene Amatruda GUESTS: Brigid Guertin: Executive Director of the Danbury Museum, and Danbury City HistorianFrancesca Zambello: Artistic Director of the Washington National Opera at the Kennedy Center and General Director of the Glimmerglass Festival Alan Mann: Artistic Director, Opera Theater of Connecticut

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Connecticut leaders are pushing for more federal funding toward child care. Biden's Build Back Better Act, if passed, could mean millions for the industry.

We'll hear from local child care providers and Office of Early Childhood Commissioner Beth Bye, to discuss what's driving staffing issues and the prevalence of child care "deserts" in our state. Plus, AllOurKin President Erica Phillips touches on the importance of the family child care model.

GUESTS:

• Veronica Phelps - Owner/Operator, MySchool in East Hampton
• Beth Bye - Commissioner, Connecticut Office of Early Childhood
• Erica Phillips - President, AllOurKin

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After a 13 year old Hartford student overdosed in school and died days after taking fentanyl, there has been a push to get Naloxone, a life saving medication, into all schools.

Today, we talk to the superintendent of Hartford Schools, Dr. Leslie Torres-Rodriguez about these efforts and support for the community.

Later, we hear from a parent whose son died from an opioid overdose. We'll also hear from Dr. Craig Allen, Vice President of Addiction Services at Rushford, a substance prevention treatment center, about service for those struggling with addiction.

What questions do you have about opioid use in our state?

GUESTS:

• Dr. Leslie Torres-Rodriguez - Superintendent of Hartford Public Schools
• Dr. J. Craig Allen - Vice President of Addiction Services for the Behavior Health Medical Network at Rushford, Hartford Healthcare
• Kelly Fisher - founder of the Alex Fisher Foundation

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Hartford Seminary has a new name. It’s now the Hartford International University for Religion and Peace.

Today, we talk to its President Joel Lohr.

And we hear from other faculty members about their efforts to create a more inclusive, interreligious university focusing on peace studies.

There have been a lot of conversations about diversity and inclusion initiatives in the workplace - but often, talk of religious inclusivity is left out of those discussions.

How can we have more productive discussions about faith?

GUESTS:

• Joel Lohr - President of Hartford International University
• Aida Mansoor - Chaplain and Director of Field Education at Hartford International University
• Deena Grant Associate - Professor of Jewish Studies and Director of Global Community Partnerships at Hartford International University
• Fatima Basharat - a student in the inaugural MA in International Peacebuilding program at Hartford International University

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Almost 8,000 flights were cancelled over the holiday season, leaving many to reconsider how and why we travel. Are you dreaming of a vacation but dreading the hassle of learning to travel again with COVID still around?

Today, we talk about the future of travel by planes, trains and automobiles. Elisabeth Goodridge, deputy travel editor at the New York Times joins us with what you need to know.

And later, we hear from Ryan O’Connor, owner of “Live A Little Vans” here in Prospect, Connecticut to talk about #vanlife.

What have your travel experiences been like recently? We want to hear about you

GUESTS:

• Elisabeth Goodridge - Deputy Travel Editor at the New York Times
• Ryan O’Connor - Owner of Live A Little Vans in Prospect, Connecticut
• Isak Kvam - full time van-lifer currently residing in Colorado
• Maria Thompson - full time van-lifer currently residing in Colorado

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In Connecticut, the civil Statute of Limitations cut-off age for reporting child sexual abuse is 48. Connecticut in 2019 updated the law by extending the cut-off age to 51, but this change only applies to offenses committed after Oct. 1, 2019.

Now, advocates hope to persuade state legislators to eliminate or further extend the Statute of Limitations, something that 24 states, including New York and New Jersey, have done.

This hour on Where We Live, we hear from survivors of child sexual abuse and also a trauma expert. We discuss delayed disclosure – the phenomenon common to adult survivors of child sexual abuse who wait for decades before disclosing that they have been victims of abuse. Data show that the average disclosure age of child victims of sexual assualt is 52 – according to research cited by Child USAdvocacy.

Data from the Department of Justice suggests that 86% of child sexual abuse goes unreported altogether.

We also look into whether eliminating the statute of limitations can enable us, as a society, to keep children safe from hidden sexual predators.

Resources: 

CT Alliance Against Sexual Violence
1-888-999-5545 for English
1-888-568-8332 para Español

CT SNAP (Survivors Network for those Abused by Priests)
Co-Leaders Gail Howard, Lori Temple, Beth McCabe

GUESTS:

Lori Temple: Member and Co-Leader of CT SNAP – Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests 

Steven Marans, PhD.: Psychoanalyst and Professor of Psychiatry at Yale School of Medicine; Co-Director of the Yale Center for Traumatic Stress and Recovery

Kathyrn Robb: Executive Director, CHILD USAdvocacy; Survivor of child sexual abuse

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