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The Wheelhouse

Connecticut Public Radio

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Weekly
 
If you’re a news junkie — or maybe just news curious, we’ve got your weekly dose of Connecticut politics, tackling everything from tax cuts to human composting. Amplifying important local and national voices, The Wheelhouse walks listeners through the most important political stories of the week. You’ll hear from well-known political reporters, academics, and local journalists across Connecticut’s 169 cities and towns.
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The Colin McEnroe Show

Connecticut Public Radio

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The Colin McEnroe Show is public radio’s most eclectic, eccentric weekday program. The best way to understand us is through the subjects we tackle: Neanderthals, tambourines, handshakes, the Iliad, snacks, ringtones, punk rock, Occam’s razor, Rasputin, houseflies, zippers. Are you sensing a pattern? If so, you should probably be in treatment. On Fridays, we try to stop thinking about what kind of ringtones Neanderthals would want to have and convene a panel called The Nose for an informal ro ...
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Extra Credit

Connecticut Public Radio

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Monthly
 
As non-profit journalism organizations, Connecticut Public Radio and the Connecticut Mirror share an objective — to educate the people of our state about how their government works, what it means to function in a democratic society, and the importance of understanding both their rights — and their responsibilities — as citizens.
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As we have every year for at least the last 12 years, to round out the year, we round up the best jazz of the year. GUESTS: Jen Allen: A pianist, composer, arranger, and educator; her new album is Possibilities Noah Baerman: A pianist, composer, and educator; in 2025, he has released a four-volume series of albums called Right Now Gene Seymour: A f…
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Lists feel especially suited to the digital age, but humans have been creating lists for a long time. So why are we drawn to lists? This hour, the art and the utility of the list. GUESTS: Matthew Dicks: A West Hartford elementary school teacher and the author of Twenty-One Truths About Love Dan Kois: Editor and writer at Slate, where he recently wr…
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On the night of December 4, we went to Watkinson School in Hartford, put 11 performers together on the stage there, and let them rock their way through 27 holiday- and holiday-adjacent classics. We’re turning that two-hour performance into two radio shows over the two holiday weeks. Part onepremiered on Christmas Eve. And this hour, live from the F…
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On the night of December 4, we went to Watkinson School in Hartford, put 11 performers together on the stage there, and let them rock their way through 27 holiday- and holiday-adjacent classics. Our plan is to turn that two-hour performance into two radio shows over the two holiday weeks. This hour, live from the Foisie Family Amphitheater at Watki…
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How did Connecticut earn the moniker “Constitution State”? Hint – it’s not the Constitution you learned about in history class! We’ll travel back to the 1600s to explore how history, conflict and big aspirations helped shape the state’s identity. GUESTS: Thomas Balcerski, professor of history at Eastern Connecticut State University and director of …
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This hour is about self-checkout technology and its impacts. We'll debate its pros and cons, look at the history of self-service at grocery stores, and talk about the future of technology in stores. Plus, we'll learn about the psychology of "weak ties," and the value of talking to strangers in places like the checkout aisle. GUESTS: Christopher And…
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We’ve been doing these shows where we don’t book any guests, where we fill the hour with your calls. And your calls have been interesting and surprising and amusing. This hour, the conversation winds around to vultures and sky burials, President Trump’s post about Rob Reiner’s death, our show with Paul Winter, Colin as chicken salad, the multiverse…
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Josh O’Connor is having a bit of a moment. He’s been in four movies this year. On December 12, two of them became available to watch at home, including the biggest movie of his career so far, the new Knives Out mystery, Wake Up Dead Man. On December 13, O’Connor hosted Saturday Night Live. On December 16, the first trailer dropped for the soon-to-b…
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This hour we talk about the history of the Second Red Scare, a period also known as McCarthyism. We learn about why the Scare took off in the United States, its impact, and how it eventually fizzled out. Plus, we look at the parallels and throughlines between that time period and our current moment. And, a look at how the Second Red Scare impacted …
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You may know the Schuyler sisters, Angelica and Elizabeth (and Peggy!), from Hamilton. But the musical just scratches the surface of their fascinating lives. This hour, Amanda Vaill joins us to talk about her new book, Pride and Pleasure: The Schuyler Sisters in an Age of Revolution. GUEST: Amanda Vaill: Author, journalist and screenwriter. Her new…
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Free speech is in focus at this year’s Wheelhouse LIVE event amid significant shifts in the world of broadcast media. If free press is the cornerstone of American Democracy, what do the Trump administration’s attacks on late night TV hosts – and Congress’ claw back of funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting – tell us about the future of…
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This year marks 100 years since F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel The Great Gatsby was first published. And it turns out that it took a while for the novel to catch on in the United States, where it is now considered a classic. This hour, we revisit the novel and its cultural impact. GUESTS: Rob Kyff: Teacher and author of Gatsby’s Secrets. He also write…
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We’ve been doing these shows where we don’t book any guests, where we fill the hour with your calls. And your calls have been interesting and surprising and amusing. This hour, the conversation winds around to domesticated cats, interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS, real Christmas trees vs. artificial Christmas trees, the primary system in Connecticut and e…
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Stevie Wonder turned 75 this year. Also this year, our friend the jazz pianist Noah Baerman put out an album of covers of Wonder’s “message music.” This hour, a look at Stevie Wonder as musical icon, as important civil rights figure, as utterly timeless songsmith. Plus: some in-studio performances of Stevie Wonder classics. GUESTS: Noah Baerman: A …
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What counts as a robot? This hour, a look at what robots are and the latest in robot technology. Plus, how robots were used and thought about in medieval times and Ancient Greece and the role of robots in science fiction. GUESTS: Chris Atkeson: Professor at the Robotics Institute and the Human-Computer Interaction Institute at Carnegie Mellon Unive…
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This hour, we look at the political erasure of history, and its impacts. Plus, we talk about why artists destroy their own work or the works of others. And, the history and evolution of erasers. GUESTS: Jason Stanley: Bissell-Heyd-Associates Chair in American Studies at the Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy at the University of Toronto.…
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Trad wives, short for “traditional wives,” are taking social media by storm. Clips of women, dressing up in 1950s-style dresses, homesteading and making food from scratch, are receiving a lot of likes and lots of criticism on the web. This hour, we peek behind the apron and ask: What does social media's trad wife phenomenon tell us about politics t…
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President Donald Trump has found inspiration for tariffs and more in the 25th President of the United States: William McKinley. This hour, we look at the life and legacy of McKinley, and why Trump is drawn to him. Plus, we'll learn about the Gilded Age and its parallels to today. GUESTS: Kevin Kern: Associate Professor of History at The University …
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We’ve been doing these shows where we don’t book any guests, where we fill the hour with your calls. And your calls have been interesting and surprising and amusing — calls about grammar, gardening, long-distance dialing, autotune. Anything. Everything. These shows are fun for us, and they seem to be fun for you, too. So we’re doing another one. In…
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This week’s Nose — guest hosted by writer and journalist Lindsay Lee Wallace — looks at: PLUR1BUS is a new post-apocalyptic sci-fi thriller series created by Vince Gilligan. Apple TV describes its premise like this: “The most miserable person on Earth must save the world from happiness.” Rhea Seehorn stars as Carol, one of the few people on the pla…
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From fueling some of mankind's most violent events to inspiring your daughter's latest pop star obsession, mania has become an indispensable force in shaping our collective story. This hour we explore a centuries-long flower frenzy and modern-day fanaticism to uncover why we are so drawn to being "totally obsessed." GUESTS: Daniel Durbin: Professor…
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This hour, Daniel G. Lugo, the new president of Trinity College in Hartford, joins us to talk about the value of higher education, his background, the challenges of leading a college at this time, and more. GUEST: Daniel G. Lugo: Trinity College’s 23rd President Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy in…
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From toys to turkeys, holiday purchases and their price tags are being shaped by politics. President Donald Trump’s tariffs and years of persistent inflation are leaving many Americans with sticker shock. Higher prices are hitting not just for big importers, but also at your favorite local shops and restaurants. Many Americans tell Consumer Reports…
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We’ve been doing these shows where we don’t book any guests, where we fill the hour with your calls, calls about anything, everything. These shows are fun for us, and they seem to be fun for you, too. So we did another one. This hour, the conversation winds around to whether less is more or better, birds, the Governor's residence, Sweden, tariffs, …
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In 2014, Colin McEnroe and the playwright and screenwriter Tom Stoppard recorded a live conversation at The Study in New Haven. Stoppard, whom Colin considers “quite possibly the most dizzyingly proficient writer of the English tongue (who) did not grow up speaking English,” has died at the age of 88. In appreciation of Stoppard and his work, we’re…
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What if you just don’t really enjoy food very much? What if you’re totally fine eating the same thing every single day? What if you think food is an inefficient way to get what you need to survive? What if, rather than eating “food,” you just mixed a white powder (that is definitely not made of peoplebecause it’s made of soy protein isolate instead…
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This hour: recipes. We talk with someone who makes recipes found on gravestones, and we consider what makes an effective recipe, the history of the modern recipe, and the art of the recipe introduction. Plus, a look at the phenomenon of pop culture cookbooks. GUESTS: Dinah Bucholz: Author of The Unofficial Harry Potter Cookbook and The Unofficial N…
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Snacking on snacks, savory or sweet, has become a way of life. This hour, we sink our teeth into our snack-food obsessions. GUESTS: Andrea Hernández: Founder of Snaxshot Julia Pistell: Freelance writer and co-founder of SeaTea Improv Chris Prosperi: Chef and owner of Metro Bis Mark Schatzker: Author of The Dorito Effect The Colin McEnroe Show is av…
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This hour, we’re joined in studio by seven-time Grammy Award-winning local musician Paul Winter. His new album, Horn of Plenty, is out today. Winter is known for his annual solstice concerts and his “earth music," which features music from around the world, as well as the sounds of animals like wolves, whales, or wood thrushes. You can find details…
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Should people use the Oxford comma? Is there a correct number of exclamation points per email? If someone ends a casual text with a period, does that mean they’re mad at you? This hour: punctuation and how we use it. We talk about the history of punctuation marks, timeless punctuation debates, and how writing for texts and emails has changed the wa…
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What's it like being a nun in 2025? Sister Monica Clare joins us to explain her path to the Community of St. John Baptist and why she is sharing her story on TikTok and in a new memoir. Plus, scholars Ana Garriga and Carmen Urbita explore the lessons about friendship, money, work, and more that we can learn from Sixteenth-century nuns in their podc…
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Connecticut lawmakers had a lot to do during the latest special session. On top of unfinished housing business, lawmakers had only two days to authorize a $500 million dollar relief package to address federal cuts. They also voted on the purchase of a major hospital and worked to curb increased federal law enforcement efforts in Connecticut. And wh…
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It's been over 30 years since Bob Ross's The Joy of Painting went off the air, but the painter is still a household name. This hour: a look at the undying force for permed hair and puffy little clouds and happy little trees that is Bob Ross. Plus: Could we do a show about Bob Ross without also talking Thomas Kinkade? No we could not. And so no we d…
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We’ve been doing these shows where we don’t book any guests, where we fill the hour with your calls, calls about anything, everything. These shows are fun for us, and they seem to be fun for you, too. So we did another one. This hour, the conversation winds around to a local landmark, stomping, poetry, firewood, music, sprickets, bibliographies. … …
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This week’s Nose looks at the way Saturday Night Live is using its cold opens to deal with the never-ending firehose of news each week — and the way James Austin Johnson’s recurring impression of President Trump is central to that strategy. Plus: Pope Leo XIV announced his four favorite movies this week ahead of a “World of Cinema” event at the Vat…
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This hour, it’s our show on the relationship and chemistry between Burt Bacharach and Dionne Warwick (and the lyricist Hal David) recorded live onstage at Watkinson School in Hartford. It’s an hour of music, conversation, and demonstrations of how GPS can help you find the way to San Jose. GUESTS: Lou Bocciarelli: Bass Atla DeChamplain: Vocals, Atl…
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In late October, thieves broke into the Louvre and stole priceless jewels. It’s a story that feels familiar in large part because of countless heist movies. This hour we look at heists, from real museums to our screens, and we discuss why they capture our attention. GUESTS: Leila Amineddoleh: Teaches Art Crime at New York University and Cultural He…
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A recent NPR/PBS News/Marist University poll indicated Americans’ displeasure with their government. It found 62% of Americans surveyed believed the country is heading in the wrong direction, while 79 % say the country is going too far to restrict free speech. So, what are people doing with their frustrations? Today on The Wheelhouse, we’re talking…
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We’ve been doing these shows where we don’t book any guests, where we fill the hour with your calls, calls about anything, everything. These shows are fun for us, and they seem to be fun for you, too. So we did another one. This hour, the conversation winds around to spiders, healthcare, conspiracy theories, walking, election results, and more spid…
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Blue Moon is the ninth movie directed by Richard Linklater and starring Ethan Hawke. It is written by Robert Kaplow and “inspired by” the letters of Lorenz Hart and Elizabeth Weiland. Hawke plays Hart on the night that the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical Oklahoma! opens on Broadway. And: Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere is written and directed …
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Why do we dance? The answer is more complicated than you might think. Dancing has served a multitude of functions for various cultures throughout history, and there is even evidence to suggest that we, as a species, are biologically hard-wired to dance. Whether it’s for social, spiritual, or even psychological reasons (yes, dance therapy is a thing…
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Revenge is as old as humanity itself. And new research shows that revenge functions in our brains like a type of addiction. This hour a look at revenge in politics, literature, and everyday life — and what it would mean if we treated revenge differently. GUESTS: James Kimmel Jr.: Lawyer, author, Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at the Yal…
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It’s the morning after Election Day 2025 in Connecticut and we’re breaking down the latest results from municipal races across the state. How did an election to name a new mayor in New Britain turn out? What races commanded local attention in your community? And what issues – from education to zoning – motivated you to get out to the polls? Secreta…
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