Where We Live

An effort is underway to bring high-speed internet to residents across Connecticut and create competition for the existing cable and broadband companies. The CT Gig Project includes public officials who say it is needed for economic development, competition, and innovation. Opponents don't think the government should get involved in the internet business. Support the show: http://wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In The Slave's Cause, author and scholar Manisha Sinha writes a history of abolition -- a history more complex than the one taught in most American classrooms. This hour, Sinha takes us inside her book for a look at abolition's lesser known past.  Support the show: http://wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In Nevada, Donald Trump cruised to an easy victory in the state’s caucuses. This hour, our weekly news roundtable, The Wheelhouse spends some time wondering whether the Trump juggernaut and the resurgent Hillary Clinton campaign might render our little state’s primary moot (again). Support the show: http://wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In 2013, the unexpected departure of NPR CEO Gary Knell left the network, once again, in desperate need of a leader. So the board tapped Jarl Mohn -- a long-time philanthropist and media executive -- to step in and take the reins.Support the show: http://wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Paul Gionfriddo leads Mental Health America but he has deep roots in Connecticut. He’s a former state representative and mayor of Middletown who now advocates for people with mental illness. During his time in the legislature, he worked on laws and policies that contributed to the nation's current mental health crisis. His book Losing Tim explores his own son’s struggle with schizophrenia and the mental health system that failed him.Support the show: http://wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This hour, Kristina Newman-Scott sits down with us for the first time since becoming Connecticut's director of culture in 2015. We find out how things are going in her new position, and take your questions about local arts and culture. Support the show: http://wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Before delivering his "State of the State Address" two weeks ago, Gov. Dan Malloy said his budget proposal would be "austere" and that's what he delivered. His proposals include sweeping cuts across state government and he has heard from some critics of those cuts during town hall meetings. This hour, the governor stops by WNPR to discuss the state budget and other issues facing Connecticut.Support the show: http://wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The political ramifications of Antonin Scalia's death became immediately apparent on Saturday. President Barack Obama said he will make his Supreme Court appointment and Senate Republicans said they will block confirmation. Our weekly news roundtable The Wheelhouse considers this political puzzle in Washington. Meanwhile, lawmakers in Hartford are working on what has become their annual puzzle: the state budget.Support the show: http://wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This hour -- from Holocaust survivor to iconic twentieth-century inventor -- we hear about the life and career of Hartford's own H. Joseph Gerber. His story is chronicled in the new biography, The Inventor's Dilemma.Also, urbanist Richard Florida gives us his take on GE's move from Fairfield to Boston. Support the show: http://wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The 2016 presidential race has been loaded with rhetoric about a so-called “ISIS caliphate." But what exactly is a caliphate? And what does it mean to say that ISIS has one? This hour, local Islamic scholar Dr. Feryal Salem fills us in. Support the show: http://wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This hour, New Yorker editor David Remnick takes us for a behind-the-scenes look at his new radio show and podcast The New Yorker Radio Hour. We also chat with some of the creators of WNPR's new Radius Project. They're mapping Hartford in a new way -- we find out how. Support the show: http://wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As the electoral circus leaves New Hampshire, our weekly news roundtable The Wheelhouse will recap the results and news from the first primary of 2016. This early in the process, the losers may be as interesting as the winners. Which candidates will call it quits after Tuesday?Support the show: http://wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The eyes of the political world are on New Hampshire as candidates, supporters, and reporters descend upon the Granite State for Primary Day.Do Democratic voters #FeelTheBern? Will Trump triumph on the Republican side? Fortunately, these questions will be answered in a few hours. But in the mean time, we check-in with reporters and various campaign supporters from Connecticut who have been making the drive to our neighbors in the north.Support the show: http://wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When was the last time you sent a letter? Not an email, but a real, tangible piece of mail? If your answer is "not recently," you’re not alone.Except for the occasional birthday or holiday card, most of us haven’t sent -- or received -- good, old-fashioned snail mail in a very long time. Support the show: http://wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

More trains! Wider roads! Fixed bridges! The governor’s big plan to fix our transportation system has a lot in it but the state is still figuring out how to pay for it. Department of Transportation Commissioner James Redeker stops by for an update on the state of Connecticut’s current transportation infrastructure and plans to overhaul the system.Support the show: http://wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Paul Gionfriddo leads Mental Health America but he has deep roots in Connecticut. He’s a former state representative and mayor of Middletown who now advocates for people with mental illness. During his time in the legislature, he worked on laws and policies that contributed to the nation's current mental health crisis. His book Losing Tim explores his own son’s struggle with schizophrenia and the mental health system that failed him.Support the show: http://wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Governor Dan Malloy delivers his "State of the State" address Wednesday as the legislature reconvenes for this year's regular session. The state budget deficit looms large over the capitol and deep cuts throughout government are expected. The session also starts in the wake of high-profile corporations testing the waters of relocation to other states.Support the show: http://wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For his latest book, Michael Robinson journeyed to the mountains of East Africa with a particular mission in mind: to search for explorer Henry Morton Stanley's so-called "white tribe." This hour, Robinson talks about his experience, and how it helped inform The Lost White Tribe: Explorers, Scientists, and the Theory that Changed a Continent. Support the show: http://wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Michigan Civil Rights Commission announced it will hold hearings to see whether discrimination played a role in the handling of Flint’s water crisis. The decision came early last week, amid allegations of environmental racism against the city’s largely black community.This hour -- from Flint, Michigan to New Haven, Connecticut -- we learn about the environmental justice issues affecting America's low-income communities of color. Support the show: http://wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

From a land use standoff in Oregon, to a gun rights standoff looming in Washington, the U.S. constitution is under daily scrutiny in American life. This hour, we'll explore the foundational but outdated document called the Constitution. The system to amend the "living document" has only been utilized twice since 1970. Does new life need to be breathed into the Constitution and how politically feasible would that be in 2016?Support the show: http://wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.