This week, reporters from the New England News Collaborative are recognizing Earth Day and focusing their reporting on the intersection of climate change and housing. 34% of the housing stock across New England is rented. Many solutions to making homes more climate friendly are mostly geared toward homeowners. But investing in energy efficient appliances and installing solar panels isn’t that feasible for renters. We learn what you can do to make your home more energy efficient as a renter. Most homes are built with a few central materials: mainly steel and concrete. But as new buildings are c ..read more

The Environmental Protection Agency has finalized the first-ever federal limits on a class of chemicalled known as PFAS, or "forever chemicals," in drinking water. This hour, we discuss what these enforceable limits mean for how Connecticut monitors and regulates PFAS. Department of Public Health Commissioner Manisha Juthani joins us, plus Connecticut Mirror investigative reporter Andrew Brown. Plus, Attorney General William Tong touches on the lawsuits he filed against chemical manufacturers of PFAS. GUESTS: William Tong: Connecticut Attorney General Dr. Manisha Juthani: Commissioner, Con ..read more

During the last fiscal year, the army alone missed their recruiting goal by 25%. All branches of the military are struggling to recruit new cadets. With an all-volunteer service, the military relies on recruitment efforts to get more people to serve. But fewer Americans than ever are eligible to do so. And attracting the next generation of cadets has been a challenge. Today, we talk about the military recruiting crisis. We will hear from Captain Benjamin Keffer, Commanding Officer of Coast Guard Recruiting Command. Later, we hear how some extremist groups are working to get veterans and others ..read more

Nearly one in four adults who contracted COVID-19 have developed long COVID symptoms, according to the latest Census report. This hour, Dr. Akiko Iwasaki, an immunobiology expert at Yale who is focused on researching long COVID, joins us to share what we know and don't know about the illness, and the many ways it can manifest. The Patient-Led Research Collaborative has authored several seminal surveys and studies. We also hear from co-founder Lisa McCorkell about this bank of patient-led research. She says, "We need a moonshot for long COVID: at least a billion dollars a year in research fundi ..read more

Although church attendance has dwindled across all faiths, 39% of Catholics say they attend services at least once a week. The Archdiocese of Hartford includes over 400,000 Catholics across the state of Connecticut, and is now being overseen by a new Archbishop. After years of service, Archbishop Leonard Paul Blair will be succeeded by the newly appointedCoadjutor Archbishop Christopher Coyne, who recently served as a Bishop in Burlington, Vermont. Today, we talk about the future of the Catholic Church, serving the Catholic population in Connecticut and a recent document publish ..read more

Throughout history, our state has made some big contributions to aviation technology. Today, we’re talking about the history and future of aviation in our state. We hear from some aviation enthusiasts who’s love of all things plane is going to make you soar. The New England Air Museum houses some unbelievable vintage aircrafts. We hear from them. And we hear from someone with experience flying in some of these vintage aircrafts. If flying in a vintage plane is not your speed, there are more ways you can tap into your inner pilot. There are many model plane clubs here in all four corners of Con ..read more

For adults on the autism spectrum, getting services can be a challenging task to navigate. A new bill passed last year means that more autistic adults could receive services from the state from the Connecticut Autism Waiver. But services still remain limited. There is currently a ten year waiting list to receive the waiver leaving thousands scrambling for services. Today, we talk about the Connecticut Autism Waiver program. Later, we hear about businesses working to make their establishments more accommodating to neurodiverse clientele. GUESTS: Jimna Miller: Co-Chair of Autism Advisory Counc ..read more

In Connecticut, the Asian American and Pacific Islander community is vast and varied, with more than 170,000 AAPI people in the state. And with a diversity of AAPI cultures, there is also a diversity of New Year traditions and celebrations that span across months. We’re just days away from the Laotian New Year and Thai New Year, as well as a Khmer New Year event hosted by the Cambodian Buddhist Society of Connecticut in Bristol. This hour, we’ll discuss the diversity of Lunar New Year celebrations where we live, and unpack some of the debate around terminology. GUESTS: Quan Tran: Co-chair, A ..read more

Today, Connecticut is expected to enjoy a partial solar eclipse, the most intense since 1924. That’s according to local astronomer and Wesleyan professor Dr. Meredith Hughes. Still, the Federal Highway Administration says 5 million Americans could be traveling to the path of totality. This hour, we discuss the science of the eclipse, and how to safely enjoy it, with Dr. Hughes. Plus, "umbraphile" or eclipse-chaser Kate Russo explains why these natural phenomena are such a unifying social event. Wesleyan University is prepared to host hundreds of onlookers, with four solar telescopes in operati ..read more

Five percent of bridges in Connecticut are in “poor condition.” Today, we talk about what needs to be done to update the bridges and roads in our state, and we talk about the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore. We hear from The Accountability Project from right here at Connecticut Public. And later, we hear about the infrastructure workforce and the training needed to staff these jobs. We’ll also talk about the future of green infrastructure, a small solution to increased rainfall and subsequent flooding. GUESTS: Jim Haddadin: Editor for t ..read more