The Full Story

Vaccination rates are climbing in Connecticut and New York. COVID-19 restrictions are easing up. And summer is approaching. These are good signs for many local business owners. They anticipate the summer of 2021 will be dramatically better than last year. This week on The Full Story we check on local businesses in our region to find out how they’re recovering from the COVID economy and if the pandemic may have transformed how they do business in the future. A conversation with guests: Chris

Zoning! You can’t talk about affordable housing in Connecticut without it. Zoning laws set the rules for new housing development in the state. Some residents want to keep local control over zoning. But affordable housing advocates support legislation that would make it easier to develop more diverse housing for medium and low-income residents. Zoning! It’s undergoing a transformation in Connecticut. A conversation with guests: Jacqueline Rabe Thomas , Education and Housing Reporter Sarah Bronin,

In the first days of his new administration, President Joe Biden committed to expanding clean, renewable energy. His first move is to give a boost to offshore wind projects along the East Coast. That puts our region right at the heart of his plan. This week on The Full Story, we take a closer look at the wind power projects in Connecticut and on Long Island and how they can transform how we all get our energy for generations to come. A conversation with guests: JD Allen , WSHU Public Radio's

Housing in Connecticut is expensive. That’s one thing almost all residents of the Nutmeg state can agree on. Developing affordable housing in the state has always been a challenge, and the demand for it has grown during the pandemic. Now a change may be on the horizon. This week on The Full Story we take a look at what’s being done to develop more affordable housing units throughout Connecticut. That includes legislation to change zoning rules to building experimental housing units for public

Before COVID-19 transformed all of our lives, one of the main public health concerns was the opioid crisis. In Connecticut, overdoses from opioid use went up in 2020. And the Health Department says they’re still rising. This week on The Full Story, we begin a two-part series on the opioid crisis in our region. First, we check up on the state of opioid addiction in Connecticut and New York and find out what local health officials and lawmakers are going to decrease the number of overdoses. A

For the last 5 years, former President Donald Trump redefined the Republican Party on a national level. Now, after a tumultuous 2020 election and an insurrection on the US Capitol, the nation is heading in a different direction. So how have all these events defined the Republican Party on a local level? How did Republican leaders in Connecticut and on Long Island shape the GOP during the Trump era and where will they take the party under President Joe Biden? A conversation with guests: Jonathan

Should prisons be abolished? If they are, what would replace them? On the next Full Story, we conclude our two-part series on transforming criminal justice in our region by examining how people are incarcerated. Movements for racial and social equity are challenging conventional concepts of the prison system. And their efforts are having an impact. Transforming the prison system, a conversation with guests: Rahisha Bivens, LCSW, Justice Advocate and Digital Organizer at Stop Solitary Connecticut

Just seven months ago, people filled the streets of cities throughout the US and the world calling for racial justice. Now it’s a new year, and we’ve gone through an election, an insurrection and an inauguration of a new President and an historic Vice President. How does this national transformation impact the work Black Lives Matter groups are pushing for in Connecticut and Long Island? A conversation with guests: Chivona Renee Newsome , the Co-Founder of Black Lives Matter Greater NY Dr.

How do you preserve African American history? Connecticut author Jill Snyder started with her own family. Her book: "Dear Mary, Dear Luther" is a rare collection of 1930's love letters written by her parents. While researching the book, Snyder discovered a unique story of a Black family's journey through American history. On Long Island, the Town of Huntington is working to save the Crippen House, a significant relic of African American history. A conversation with guests: Jill Snyder, author

The moratoriums on rent and mortgages In Connecticut and New York set to end in December have been extended into the New Year. Does that help homeowners and renters and landlords, or does it just delay the impending evictions? What are lawmakers doing to keep people in their homes? And last year, local food banks struggled to meet the growing demand for their services. What are they doing this year to keep people fed? Housing and food security. A conversation with guests: Paule Pachter, CEO Long

2020 is behind us. And the new year has just begun. So what will 2021 bring us? First up, the state legislatures for Connecticut and New York started their sessions this week. Lawmakers have a lot of ground to cover, including distributing vaccines, balancing budgets, and legalizing recreational marijuana. We speak with reporters covering Hartford and Albany to get their take on the opening day. The Suffolk County Police Department members head to Ferguson, Missouri, to lead a training on

It’s our final show of the year. So we’re saying goodbye to 2020 with music and literature. But be warned, the culture we’re sharing is gritty. We’ll go on a song catching journey with a Connecticut based musician searching for a medieval European ballad in Appalachia. Then we head to Bridgeport, where a science fiction author imagines a world without guns or technology. Old European ballads and Urban Science Fiction, that’s next on The Full Story. A conversation with guests: Derek Pitor ,

While many businesses were forced to close their doors during the pandemic shut down earlier this year, farmers markets stayed open. Their produce was in demand, and they helped to keep the food supply chain flowing. Today on The Full Story, we’re checking in with farmers markets in Connecticut and New York to find out how they’re making it through the COVID-19 pandemic. A Conversation with Guests: Bryan P. Hurlburt - Connecticut’s Commissioner of Agriculture Jiff Martin - Sustainable Food

The holidays are here. And so are the scammers. They're out in full force to separate consumers from their hard-earned money. And the pandemic has opened the door to a unique form of fraud with fake testing kits and bogus cures. Today on The Full Story, we examine the consumer fraud scams in our region and what you can do to stop them. A conversation with guests: Luke Frey, Associate Director of Communications at Better Business Bureau Serving Connecticut Erica Michalowski, MSW, Community

What happens to the High School student-athletes looking for a path to college through sports but can’t play because of COVID-19? On the flip side, what happens to College athletic programs looking to recruit new talent? Today on The Full Story, we take a closer look at the impact the pandemic has on high school and college sports. A conversation with guests: Richard Hanley , Associate Professor of Journalism at Quinnipiac University, Sports journalist Glenn Lungarini, Executive Director CAS