Where We Live

Riot Baby is author Tochi Onyebuchi’s first foray into adult fiction, a “fiery” response to the “horrifically regular death” of unarmed black men and the non-indictments of officers responsible. It has been heralded by critics as “searing" and "devastating,” garnering a long list of awards and nominations.

Although Riot Baby has also been called "dystopian," Onyebuchi explains why that isn’t exactly the case when it comes to this work of speculative fiction.

Plus, hear from nurse practitioner and poet Cortney Davis about her book, “I Hear Their Voices Singing.” How can genres like science fiction and poetry help us to better understand - or cope with - our world?

Guests:

• Tochi Onyebuchi - Author, Riot Baby
• Cortney Davis - Nurse Practitioner and Poet Laureate of Bethel (2019-2022)

Where We Live

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Bobby Valentine, an unaffiliated candidate for Stamford mayor, has drawn big-name Republican donors – former president George W. Bush, and Anthony Scaramucci and Linda McMahon, former president Donald Trump appointees.

In a debate Oct. 21 on News 12, hosted by the Stamford Chamber of Commerce, Valentine summed up his motivation for the upcoming Nov. 2 election:
“I want to be the mayor of this city for one reason and one reason only. I’m not going to Hartford from here, I’m not going to D.C. from here. I’m staying here till the end. I have my plot here, and I want to make the city of Stamford proud.”

Valentine is under fire for recent comments including referring to Stamford voters as “dumb” and “lazy,” calling his opponent Rep. Caroline Simmons a “35-year-old girl,” and in a 28 second video clip, stating, “If you’re not owning, you’re not caring,” and Stamford renters are “not leaving the community better than when they got here.”

As per the Oct. 12 filing with the Stamford Town Clerk’s office, Valentine’s campaign raised $520,645.21. Combined, the candidates have raised more than $1 million in one of the most high-profile, divisive, and closely contested mayoral races in Stamford’s history.

Guests:

• Bobby Valentine - Mayoral candidate, (unaffiliated), Stamford. Former Director of Public Health and Safety, city of Stamford. Former professional baseball player – L.A. Dodgers, California Angels, New York Mets, and the Seattle Mariners. Former manager – the Texas Rangers, New York Mets, Boston Red Sox.
• Brianna Gurciulo - Politics Reporter, Stamford Advocate

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Slowly and surely, live theater has come back to life but that doesn’t mean theater is completely back to normal.

Today, we check in with theaters in Connecticut and hear about what’s coming to the stage this fall, all while keeping actors and theater patrons safe.

We learn how the types of performances that you see might have changed as well.

Are you going to see a show? 

GUESTS:

• Jacqui Hubbard - Executive artistic director at Ivoryton Playhouse in Ivoryton, Connecticut
• Kit Ingui - Managing Director of Long Wharf Theater in New Haven, Connecticut
• Melia Bensussen - Artistic Director at Hartford Stage

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First, a new series from The Accountability Project at Connecticut Public Radio shines a spotlight on juvenile justice in the state. Walter Smith Randolph and Jacqueline Rabe-Thomas preview their findings.

Then, with staffing shortages and supply chain snags impacting eateries across the state, a new social media campaign reminds you to #BEKINDtoRestaurants. Hear from Connecticut restaurant owners, chefs and managers, plus the folks behind this much needed PSA. Are you being kind when you dine?

• Walter Smith Randolph - Investigative Editor and Lead Reporter for The Accountability Project
• Jacqueline Rabe-Thomas - Investigative Reporter for The Accountability Project at Connecticut Public Radio
• April Gibson - Executive Chef, The North House in Avon
• Dylan Reis - General Manager, The North House in Avon
• Jared Schulefand - Chef, Owner and Operator, Home Restaurant in Branford

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Sex ed curriculum varies greatly across our state and our country.

Today, please be advised we’re talking about sex specifically, sex education.

Although schools are required to teach human development and disease prevention, Connecticut schools are not required to teach sexual health education.

It’s often a short curriculum taught in high school. And conversations about consent, and LGBTQ inclusivity are left out.

We want to hear from you. What do you wish you had learned from your sex ed class in school?

GUESTS:

• Michelle Rawcliffe - Comprehensive School Health Educator at Woodstock Middle School
• Taz Weisgerber  - Training and Technical Assistance Manager at Answer

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Harvard grad and Yale School of Medicine policy advisor Caroline Simmons, State Representative for the 144th District since 2014, has won an endorsement from fellow Democrats Gov. Ned Lamont and former President Barack Obama for her candidacy as mayor of Stamford, one of the wealthiest and fastest growing cities in Connecticut.

The Greenwich native is up against baseball legend Bobby Valentine, 71, who’s running unaffiliated.

Former Homeland Secretary Janet Napolitano, former Secretary of the Treasury Lawrence Summers, and Speaker of the House Matt Ritter are a few high profile donors to Simmons’ campaign, which has raised $503,122 to date.

So what’s at stake?

The unemployment rate at Stamford is at 6.2%, and the city’s labor force contracted by 4,096, from 68,698 to 64,698 in the second quarter of 2021, compared to the same period the prior year.

Also, mold in schools, housing affordability, and urban planning as the city continues to grow.

GUESTS: 

• Rep. Caroline Simmons: Democratic Mayoral Candidate, Stamford. Co-Chair, Commerce Committee; Member, Committee on Human Services, and Member, Higher Education and Employment advancement Committee, Connecticut General Assembly. Senior Specialist, Policy Innovation and Impact, Yale School of Medicine.
• Brianna Gurciullo - Politics Reporter, Stamford Advocate

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In 1831, Simeon Jocelyn, a New Haven abolitionist, tried to establish a Black college near Yale.

Now Adam Harris, the author of The State Must Provide: Why America’s Colleges Have Always Been Unequal — And How To Set Them Right, documents this ill-fated attempt — and others nationally — to establish institutions of learning for African-Americans against the tide of public and legislative opposition.

Harris also examines a long history of underfunding Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), established before the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and how Black students are affected, to this day, by a lack of investment and equity in higher education.

What’s next? Harris explains.

GUESTS:

• Adam Harris - Author of The State Must Provide: Why America’s Colleges Have Always Been Unequal — And How To Set Them Right; Staff Writer, The Atlantic
• Jane Gates - Provost and Senior Vice President, Academic and Student Affairs, Connecticut State Colleges and Universities (CSCU)
• Orsella Hughes - Executive Director, Prosperity Foundation

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With a General Election just around the corner, the so-called “sleepy” town of Guilford has made national headlines, gripped by a polarizing debate over what’s being taught in schools.

Guilford High School English Chair George Cooksey and Superintendent Paul Freeman explain that while critical race theory is not itself taught in the K-12 environment in Guilford, “dimension” and diversity of source material is still a priority.

Plus, a new Black and Latino Studies elective is rolling out in Connecticut high schools next fall, following the first mandate of its kind in the country. A Windsor High School teacher and student who are piloting the course weigh in.

How are educators and curricula adapting to reflect our world? And how can they be caught in the political crossfire?

• Dr. Paul Freeman - Superintendent, Guilford Public Schools
• George Cooksey - English Chair, Guilford High School
• Daisha Brabham - Windsor High School Social Studies Teacher
• Shakila Campbell - Windsor High School Student
• Dr. Saran Stewart - Associate Professor of Higher Education and Student Affairs; Director of Global Education at UConn’s Neag School of Education

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Republican state representative, Anne Dauphinais recently criticized Governor Lamont over his vaccine and mask mandates comparing him to Adolf Hitler.

She’s not the first politician to reference Nazi Germany and the Holocaust to criticize public health rules in the pandemic.

Today, we talk about why these analogies are harmful. Avinoam Patt, Director of the Center for Judaic Studies and Contemporary Jewish Life at the University of Connecticut joins us.

Do these references and jokes in popular culture point to the need for better Holocaust education?

Later, we’re going to talk about a really interesting story that brought an anthropologist and an archaeologist together after Superstorm Sandy. To learn more about this story, register for this free virtual event “Forensic Analysis of the Lincoln Oak Skeletal Remains,” hosted by the New Haven Museum.

GUESTS:

• Avinoam Patt - Director for the Center of Judaic Studies at the University of Connecticut. He is also the Doris and Simon Konover Chair of Judaic Studies
• Dr. Nick Bellantoni - emeritus, Connecticut State Archaeologist
• Dr. Gary Aronsen - research associate and manager at Yale University Biological Anthropology Laboratories

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You’ve heard about the global supply chain crisis, from manufacturing snags abroad, to clogged ports on the West Coast and staffing shortages across the country. But how is that playing out in Connecticut?

While the crisis is not as acute at Connecticut’s ports, there are some strong signals of supply chain issues in the local retail industry, along with staffing shortages. Hear from the Connecticut Retail Merchants Association and local business owners.

• Lori Hershman - Owner, Evan's, Jesse's and Jordie's Toy Shoppes
• Tim Phelan - President, Connecticut Retail Merchants Association
• Scott Preston - Owner, Preston Market
• Fred Carstensen - UConn Finance Professor; Director at Connecticut Center for Economic Analysis at UConn

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