WPKN Community Radio

PODCAST with Lauren Coakley Vincent | President + CEO, Bridgeport Downtown Special Services

WPKN’s GM Steve di Costanzo hosts his July ‘GM REPORT TO THE LISTENERS’ today at 12noon to 12:55.

His guests include: Suzanne Katchmar, director of City Lights Gallery and the Bridgeport Art Trail. Lauren Coakley Vincent | President + CEO, Bridgeport Downtown Special Services and Jason Coombes- Greater Bridgeport Pride (Bridgeport July 29-30), Bridgeport Film Fest and WPKN show ‘Jay in the City’.; Mike Roer, Director of Entrepreneur Foundation Inc. Owner of The Emporium; Vita Muir, Vita West Muir is the founder and executive/artistic director of Litchfield Jazz Festival (July 28-30, Washington, CT at Frederick Gunn School); Jim Faith, a founding member of the Long Island Hall of Fame and producer of the Great South Bay Music Festival in Patchogue (July 20-23)

In this episode of Mic Check, host Mike Merli speaks with Luis Lopez, a visual artist and leader in the newly formed Steering Committee for Greater Bridgeport Pride.

Luis provides an overview of the upcoming Greater Bridgeport Pride 2023, and offers deep, personal reflections on why Pride matters.

For more on Luis' art:

www.instagram.com/luis_lopez_art

For more on Greater Bridgeport Pride (taking place July 29 and 30):

https://www.bridgeportpride.com

https://www.facebook.com/GreaterBridgeportPrideCT

https://www.instagram.com/bridgeport_pride

The Resistance panel interviews Horace Campbell, professor of African American studies and political science at the University of Syracuse, about his recent Counterpunch article, "U.S. Military, White Supremacy and Affirmative Action," in the wake of the Supreme Court decision to end affirmative action in college admissions.

Panel: Scott Harris, Ruthanne Baumgartner and Richard Hill

-Devastating Flooding slams United States’ Northeast

-Spain ravaged by raging flash floods

-Deadly flooding ravaged parts of Europe

-The world must preserve 79% of remaining terrestrial vegetation

-The climate crisis has changed weather patterns

-Brazil's Amazon, deforestation dropped by 33.6 percent

-US has a new industry called "agri-solar."

-Chinese solar + salt + shrimp farm solar power station

Host: David Green

Our July "Spotlight" shined a light on 9 quite different organizations in our region who received the highly competitive "Good to Great" grant, jointly administered by the CT Office of the Arts and CT Humanities, designed to help transform the visitor experience at their institutions. The grant is awarded to "organizations of all sizes who demonstrate deep thinking about who they are as organizations, and what they could be if granted access to capital funding." We thought this was a great opportunity to spotlight these organizations, the work they do, and how they will be using their grants to transform their organizations. Our guests were: • Cybele Maylone, Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum, Ridgefield • Peter Gistelinck, Avon Theatre Film Center, Stamford • Kathy Maher, Barnum Museum, Bridgeport • Tracy Kay, Bartlett Arboretum & Gardens, Stamford • Howard Lasser, Brookfield Craft Center, Brookfield • Hilary Wittmann, Carriage Barn Arts Center, New Canaan • Clare Murray, cARTie, Shelton • Maggie Dimock, Greenwich Historical Society, Greenwich • Steve di Costanzo, WPKN, Bridgeport

* House Progressives Propose Measure to Block Biden's Transfer of Cluster Bombs to Ukraine; Daryl Kimball, Executive Director of the Arms Control Association; Producer: Scott Harris.

* Biden Believes Right Wing Extremist Supreme Court 'Not Normal,' But Resists Calls for Reform; Ben Burgis, Adjunct Philosophy Professor at Rutgers University and Jacobin magazine columnist; Producer: Scott Harris.

* After Supreme Court Rejects Biden Student Debt Relief Plan, Public Service Workers Have Another Option; Christina Ceballos, founder of the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program Support website; Producer: Scott Harris.

A discussion with Kim Stoner and Maya van Rossum, leaders, respectively, of the CT Environmental Rights Amendment and the national effort to get states to pass a Green Amendment, which would guarantee residents' right to clean air, water, soil and a safe climate. Kim is director of advocacy for the CT chapter of the Northeast Organic Farming Association and a leader of the CT Climate Crisis Mobilization. Maya is leader of For the Generations and author of The Green Amendment

A discussion with Kim Stoner and Maya van Rossum, leaders, respectively, in CT and nationally to get state legislatures to pass so-called Green Amendments, which guarantee residents the right to clean air, clean water, clean soil and climate protection. Kim is a leader of the CT Climate Crisis Mobilization and is director of advocacy for the CT Chapter of NOFA, the Northeast Organic Farming Association, working on the CT Environmental Rights Amendment. Maya is founder of For the Generations, a clearinghouse for the many state efforts, and author of the book, "The Green Amendment: Securing Our Right to a Healthy Environment."

Monday, July 3, was the hottest day ever recorded globally

U.S. is experiencing Extreme heat that exceeds the historical average

China’s experiencing severe flooding from extreme weather

rising temperatures are shifting snow to rain in the mountains

Iraq is experiencing reduced access to water.

Blue Ocean foods are vulnerable.

Biden earmarks Biden $7 billion grant for residential solar energy

Detroit to achieve 100% solar power for municipal buildings.

Gov. Ron DeSantis vetoes EV’s