Connecticut Public

📝 Another week in Connecticut news! Did you catch all these stories? ⁠ ⁠ Make sure to follow @ctpublic for local stories curated weekly for your feed.⁠ ⁠ #Connecticut #CTPublic #PublicMedia #CTNews⁠

Tayari Jones has built quite the literary career. Her 2018 novel "An American Marriage" was a New York Times best seller and an Oprah's Bookclub Pick.⁠ ⁠ Kin tells the story of two Black girls— best friends who grow up in the Jim Crow era in a town called Honeysuckle, Louisiana. Neither one of them knows their mom, a fact that looms large in their lives. They both leave Honeysuckle— one for college and the other in search of her mom. They go on very different, sometimes heartbreaking journeys. But their shared childhood always binds them together.⁠ ⁠ Tayari Jones is the bestselling author of five novels, including "An American Marriage" and "Kin," both of which were selected for Oprah's Book Club. She is Charles Howard Candler Professor of English and Creative Writing at Emory University and the Andrew D. White Professor-at-Large at Cornell University. She was recently named one of Time Magazine’s 100 most influential people of 2026.⁠ ⁠ Listen to the full conversation from the link in our bio.

Erin Stewart suspended her campaign for governor Thursday after an investigative report concluded that her personal use of a city credit card as mayor of New Britain was a “repeated and deliberate circumvention of the city’s purchase order system to benefit herself, members of her family, and her political campaigns.”⁠ ⁠ The “great majority” of the $207,076 in purchases charged to Stewart’s city-issued credit card over nearly a decade were unrelated to city business, and they warrant a criminal investigation by state and federal criminal authorities, concluded a law firm hired by her Democratic successor, Mayor Bobby Sanchez.⁠ ⁠ Sanchez, who took office in November as Stewart left to launch her campaign for governor, said the report produced by the Crumbie Law Group will be referred to the U.S. Attorney and Chief State’s Attorney. The city also is pursuing “all appropriate legal avenues to recover taxpayer funds,” including suing Stewart, he said.⁠ ⁠ Stewart’s city credit card records, which are public documents, have been the subject of news stories since Sunday. What’s new in Crumbie’s report are summaries of other evidence showing the degree to which the spending benefitted Stewart — and the conclusion that she may have criminal liability.⁠ ⁠ Ben Proto, chair of the Connecticut Republican Party, released this statement:⁠ ⁠ "After conversations earlier today, I applaud Mayor Erin Stewart’s decision to withdraw from the race for Governor of Connecticut and to put her family first and foremost, as well as the interests, principles, and beliefs of the Connecticut Republican Party. This was undoubtedly a difficult decision, but one made after thoughtful and candid discussions about what is best for her family, her children, and our party moving forward. Erin Stewart has been a dedicated public servant, a strong voice for Republican values, and a tireless advocate for the people of Connecticut. On behalf of the Connecticut Republican Party, I thank her for her commitment, her service, and her continued dedication to improving our state. I wish Erin and her family nothing but the very best in the days ahead."⁠ ⁠ 📝: CT Mirror / CT Public⁠ 📸: Joe Amon, Mark Mirko

Even if you live in an urban area, you don’t have to go far to find interesting birds. That idea is key for Boston-area birder Kat Hepburn (@katbirder ). Hepburn says to her, accessibility in birding means “accessibility for people with various needs but also the urban city living person.” “So like I, myself, don’t drive,” she said. “So if it’s outside of the train system, it’s already not accessible to me.” That, in addition to making sure there is a welcoming environment, is at the core of the way she plans birding outings with others. Raquel Zaldívar (@raqzal ) of @ournewengland went on a spring quest near Boston with Hepburn, who is a board member of the Brookline Bird Club (@thebrooklinebirdclub ) and a volunteer trip leader for the group. 🎤 Hosted & edited by Raquel C. Zaldívar • @raqzal @ournewengland 📹 Visuals by Raquel C. Zaldívar & Zydalis Bauer @ournewengland

In collaboration with our partner @ctmirror Connecticut’s 2026 legislative session ended on Wednesday night with lawmakers passing 218 bills concerning homeschooling, federal immigration actions, absentee voting, AI regulation and more. But many bills never made it out of their committees — or, if they did, were never voted on by the full legislature. That’s in part because legislative sessions in even-numbered years are shorter and because it can be politically difficult to pass contentious bills in an election year. Here’s a look at some of the bills that didn’t make it to final passage this year. Read a longer list at the link in our bio. 📝: CT Mirror 📸 : Getty Images, @trussell.ct

Do you have any New Haven recommendations for the happy couple?⁠ ⁠ A nationwide search to get into the same residency program led two newly-wed doctors to find their perfect match in Connecticut.⁠ ⁠ Dr. Robert Blakes and Dr. MopeninuJesu Oluyinka met at medical school at Emory University during COVID. It was love at first sight.⁠ ⁠ “When we first came in, everyone had their masks on,” Oluyinka said. “I was like, ‘This guy’s really cute! Whatever I could see from the nose up, I really liked!’”⁠ ⁠ The two got married in a legal ceremony this March and signed up with a medical couples matching program for their residency called Couples in the Match. They had 200 possible permutations for ways to stay together.⁠ ⁠ “[In] the Couples Match process, we can say ‘I’m going to tie my number one ranking to my wife’s number one ranking – they’re going to be at the same program,’” Blakes said.⁠ ⁠ Blakes and Oluyinka were accepted into the anesthesiology residency program at the Yale School of Medicine. They’re excited to be moving to New Haven and say they’re inundated with recommendations.⁠ ⁠ Let them know your favorite New Haven spots in the comments!⁠ ⁠ 📝: Sujata Srinivasan⁠ 📸: Alem A. Yirgu / Brightpics Studio⁠ ⁠ #Connecticut #CTPublic #NewHavenCT #Yale #PublicMedia

🚀 Connecticut astronaut Jack Hathaway and Maine astronaut Jessica Meir joined our All Things Considered host John Henry Smith (from space) to describe life aboard the International Space Station and the future of space travel. The South Windsor native and veteran astronaut from northern Maine are now living and working together aboard the International Space Station in part of a growing new era of public-private space exploration. Head to the link in the bio to hear the full interview! 📝+🔊: John Henry Smith 🎨: Sam Hockaday #Connecticut #NASA #NewEngland #PublicMedia #allthingsconsidered

State lawmakers are pushing to declare University of Connecticut basketball legend Sue Bird the state bird. At least part time.⁠ ⁠ Bird won two championships at UConn, four WNBA championships, and five Olympic gold medals in basketball.⁠ ⁠ One month per year, during NCAA March Madness tournaments, the title of state bird would be shared between Bird and an actual bird, the American robin, Turdus migratorius.⁠ ⁠ The provision honoring Sue Bird was added to a larger piece of legislation in the final days of the session.⁠ ⁠ It passed the Senate and the House in the closing days of the legislative session. The proposal next goes to the governor for his signature.⁠ ⁠ The measure comes as Connecticut is set to lose its WNBA basketball team, The Connecticut Sun, and after UConn men’s and women’s basketball teams made it to the final four in the 2026 NCAA tournaments.⁠ ⁠ 📝: Matt Dwyer⁠ 📸: Getty Images

April showers bring May flowers! And plant sales, fresh vegetables, hungry critters and a whole lot of weeds.⁠ ⁠ What goes into starting a garden? And how do you create sustainable, productive and beautiful landscapes? On Where We Live, horticulturist and Vermont Public’s "All Things Gardening" host Charlie Nardozzi joins us to answer these questions and more! ⁠ ⁠ Do you have leggy plants? Let us know what's going on in your garden in the comments! Also, be sure to head to the link in the bio to listen to our full gardening hour. ⁠ ⁠ #Connecticut #CTPublic #WhereWeLive #PublicMedia #Gardening ⁠ ⁠ 🎨: Sam Hockaday

Red dresses hung throughout the south lobby of Connecticut’s State Capitol.⁠ ⁠ “Red dresses are supposedly a color that spirits can see,” said Darlene Kascak of the Schaghticoke Tribal Nation. “By hanging red dresses, we’re welcoming those spirits into this space.”⁠ ⁠ May 5 is known nationwide as Red Dress Day, aimed at calling attention to high rates of violence against Indigenous women and girls. Now, the scope of the observance has expanded. The annual event is now also called Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons Awareness Day.⁠ ⁠ A special ceremony was held Friday at the State Capitol. Citizens of Connecticut’s state-recognized tribes spoke out about the disproportionate number of Native people who are murdered or go missing each year.⁠ ⁠ Dawnrae Rocha, secretary of the Eastern Pequot Tribal Nation, said: “Too many cases are never fully investigated, never properly recorded and never resolved. This is not an oversight. This is a failure in the system.”⁠ ⁠ The National Indigenous Women’s Resource Center reports Native women are murdered at rates 10 times the national average. Homicide is roughly the third leading cause of death among Indigenous women ages 10-24.⁠ ⁠ “All over the United States, tribes have been pushed into these big reservations … People are missing and murdered and they don’t have the help of the police," said Linda McCarthy, a member of the Council of Elders of the Mohegan Tribe.⁠ ⁠ Read more at the link in our bio.⁠ ⁠ 📝: Diane Orson⁠ 📸: @trussell.ct ⁠ ⁠ #CTPublic #Connecticut #PublicMedia #RedDressDay #IndigenousVoices

Cinco de Mayo is a day when many people will drink and dine with friends at a Mexican restaurant, but Stamford-based dance studio Ballet Folklórico de las Américas (BFA) brought Mexican dance, garments, and fun to the mall of Stamford Town Center on Sunday.⁠ ⁠ The holiday commemorates a battle on May 5, 1862 in the city of Puebla.⁠ ⁠ Allied with Mexico’s conservative party, the French army was set to take Mexico City and establish Austrian Archduke Maximilian as Emperor of Mexico, in hopes that the Mexican people would greet them as liberators.⁠ ⁠ Instead, the French met their match in Puebla. Their defeat marked a turning point in Mexican identity as a nation, Rodolfo Fernández of UConn’s El Instituto said.⁠ ⁠ “It's one thing to not like your government, but it's another thing to see your country being invaded by somebody else,” Fernández said, even for those of the conservative party who wanted to establish a monarchy.⁠ ⁠ The French took Mexico City almost a year later, so Cinco de Mayo does not mark Mexican independence day, although the two holidays are often confused. Mexico celebrates its independence on Sept. 16.⁠ ⁠ “Cinco de Mayo was this pivotal moment in which Mexicans really did come together and say, ‘We don't want a king,’” Fernández said.⁠ ⁠ Click the link in our bio for the full story. ⁠ ⁠ 📝 + 🎥 Daniela Doncel⁠ ⁠ #Connecticut #CTPublic #StamfordCT #CincodeMayo #SomosCT

Tomás Gutiérrez says he first learned about biodiversity in sixth grade.⁠ ⁠ Now part of the Natural Resources Conservation Academy at UConn (@UConnNRCA ), Gutiérrez has spent several months carrying out his environmental action project, where he leads activities with students teaching them about biodiversity.⁠ ⁠ Laura Cisneros directs the academy. ⁠ ⁠ Cisneros says that while the program is open to all students, she values connecting with Latino students and providing opportunities she didn’t necessarily have growing up. Her grandparents immigrated from Oaxaca, Mexico, where they spent a lot of time outdoors, but when they moved to Chicago, that connection was severed.⁠ ⁠ “I think those opportunities to engage in environmental programs were probably present, but I just didn't see myself as belonging in them,” she said.⁠ ⁠ Now, Cisneros is intentional about how she presents the program and supports students who need it.⁠ ⁠ ———⁠ ⁠ Tomás Gutiérrez dice que aprendió por primera vez sobre la biodiversidad en sexto grado. ⁠ ⁠ Ahora, como parte de la Natural Resources Conservation Academy en UConn, Gutiérrez ha pasado varios meses llevando a cabo su proyecto de acción ambiental, donde ha trabajado con estudiantes realizando actividades para enseñarles sobre la biodiversidad.⁠ ⁠ Laura Cisneros dirige la academia.⁠ ⁠ Cisneros dice que, aunque el programa está abierto a todos los estudiantes, valora mucho poder conectar con estudiantes latinos y brindarles oportunidades que ella no necesariamente tuvo al crecer. Sus abuelos emigraron de Oaxaca, México, donde pasaban mucho tiempo al aire libre, pero cuando se mudaron a Chicago, esa conexión se perdió.⁠ ⁠ “Creo que esas oportunidades para participar en programas ambientales probablemente existían, pero yo simplemente no me veía perteneciendo a ellos”, dijo.⁠ ⁠ Ahora, Cisneros es muy intencional en la manera en que presenta el programa y en cómo apoya a sus estudiantes.⁠ ⁠ 📷Visuals, Editing and Caption by Martha Castillo @ctpublic ⁠ ⁠