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Radio Free Brooklyn •

The New Rap Language at World Literature and Arts Festival - Radio Free Brooklyn

Radio Free Brooklyn attended the festival’s opening event, “The New Rap Language: How Musicians Continue to Transform the Spoken Word,” and spoke with New York Public Library staff member Vadana Pawa about putting the festival together.  

Literature in the classic sense has a narrow connotation, referring to books, short stories, or other texts intended for reading. Those at the New York Public Library (NYPL), however, are expanding their definition of literature to encompass more modern prac...
Radio Free Brooklyn •

Book Bans and the Freedom to Read

Radio Free Brooklyn spoke with organizers from both the Brooklyn and New York Public Libraries about their contributions to the Freedom to Read Day of Action in October, the first nationwide rally against book bans.

Published in 2005, Justin Richardon’s children’s book “And Tango Makes Three” follows the story of Roy and Silo, two male penguins at the Central Park Zoo. The pair are inseparable, and when staff notice them attempting to build a nest together, they decide to help. Zookeepers pro...
Radio Free Brooklyn •

A Walk Through the Brooklyn Artists Exhibition at the Brooklyn Museum

As a staple of any tourist trip to the borough, the Brooklyn Museum has a history of holding artists and curators to a high standard of inclusion and excellence. For its 200th anniversary, museum staff decided to honor their roots with and display their most extensive collection of local artists to date. 215 unique artists, to be exact. Jennie Tang, the special exhibition coordinator at the Brooklyn Museum, spoke with Radio Free Brooklyn about her part in pulling the Brooklyn Artists Exhibition...
Radio Free Brooklyn •

Saidah Blount: The Face Behind the Music

Saidah Blount spoke with Radio Free Brooklyn about her first eight months as Executive Director of BRIC! Celebrate Brooklyn and what she’s looking forward to in seasons to come. 


For those that live near Prospect Park, the BRIC! Celebrate Brooklyn concert series is the highlight of the summer. Not only because it’s one of the rare free events in New York City, but because the atmosphere cultivated by the musicians and the crowd is electric. To find out how it all happens, Radio Free Brooklyn...
CT News Junkie •

Accidental Drug Overdoses Reach Record High In 2021

The number of Connecticut residents that died of accidental drug intoxication increased by 150 people from 2020 to 2021.

According to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, the percentage of accidental drug intoxication deaths that involved an opioid was 93%, and the percentage that included fentanyl was 86%. Fentanyl is involved with the most amount of deaths out of any other opioid, and the use of fentanyl and cocaine together is the most deadly combination. Heroin and fentanyl is another
CT News Junkie •

E-Bikes Make Their Way To the Capitol

HARTFORD — Hartford bike shops and e-bike advocates gathered at the state Capitol Wednesday to host an E-Bike demonstration day.

The event was created to “highlight the benefits of E-Bikes as a sustainable, reliable, and enjoyable mode of transportation” according to a press release.


The bikes are also part of SB 4, a bill that would reduce carbon emissions in the state by expanding public and private utilization of electric vehicles. In order to do this, the bill would give $500 vouchers to
CT News Junkie •

Climate Advocates Call for Action

Save the Sound, a nonprofit focused on fighting climate change, released their new climate action plan in order to show Connecticut legislators the importance of passing climate initiatives this session.

The action plan, written in partnership with The Yale Center on Climate Change and Health, says that Connecticut is falling behind in its efforts to meet the greenhouse gas emission, or GHG, goals the legislature set in 2008 through the Global Warming Solutions Act.

“As we backslide, very real
CT News Junkie •

New Initiative Allows Same Day COVID Testing And Treatment

Hundreds of pharmacies and federally qualified community health centers across Connecticut are now offering COVID testing and treatments to patients at the same time and place.

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, these test-to-treat sites provide antiviral medication to hundreds of locations across the U.S, who then distribute them to patients who test positive.

“People will be able to get tested, and – if they are positive and treatments are appropriate for them – r
CT News Junkie •

Free Bus Trips Free Up Commuters

HARTFORD, CT – “What’s not to like? The bus is free for the next few months,” Edwin Ovalles, said Wednesday.

Ovalles, a Hartford resident, said that he was surprised that the state was doing this, but is excited that he will now be able to ride the bus for free.

As the cost of transportation rises, Gov. Ned Lamont signed into law a gas tax holiday and free bus rides between April 1 and June 30. The legislation was unanimously passed by the General Assembly last week.

Another commuter, Dale fr
CT News Junkie •

'Pink Tax' Bill Dies In Committee

The ‘Pink Tax’ bill – legislation intended to ban businesses from pricing items or services differently based on the gender of a given customer – is dead this year, according to proponents of the bill.

Sen. Derek Slap, D-West Hartford, who was among the legislators who testified in favor of the bill during the initial public hearing, said Monday that a lot of good bills die during a short session. The General Law Committee, which is where the Pink Tax bill is now, has until March 30 to vote on
CT News Junkie •

Childcare Advocates Push for State Funding

HARTFORD – The cost of daycare for a family with two children can exceed a mortgage payment and many parents can’t keep up with the cost. Now, that the federal government has failed to step up, child care advocates are calling for the state to step in.

A bipartisan group of legislators and childcare workers met at the state Capitol Wednesday to address the need for financial support.

Wednesday’s press conference was a continuation of the statewide “Morning Without Childcare” protests. Parents
CT News Junkie •

Flavored Vape Conversation Continues

The Public Health Committee heard testimony Monday about a proposal to ban flavored vape products in Connecticut.

Efforts to ban flavored vape products began in February of 2020, but were halted due to government shutdowns at the beginning of the COVID pandemic. Proponents revived the ban last year, only to see it fall through the cracks late in the legislative session.

A group of state lawmakers and health advocates pressed Gov. Ned Lamont in early February to include language banning the sal
CT News Junkie •

Bill Seeks To End ‘Period Poverty’

The Public Health Committee heard testimony Wednesday on a proposed bill proposed that would make women’s menstrual products free at certain locations.

The bill would guarantee access to menstrual products at York Correctional Institution, in elementary, middle and highschools, at shelters, and at colleges and universities across the state.

Rep. Kate Farrar, D-West Hartford, said the legislation would require that the products were provided at no cost. The bill also allows for these facilities
CT News Junkie •

Connecticut Committee Considers ‘Pink Tax'

State legislators are pushing for a bill that bans businesses from pricing items or services differently based on gender. It’s often called the “pink tax.”

A 2010 Consumer Reports study on the pricing practice found that women often paid more for the same products. The same trend correlates to services. In a CBS News report in 2016, male and female reporters visited dry cleaners to have the same items cleaned, and they saw that the women were charged at least twice as much as what the men were
CT News Junkie •

CCM, Campaign School at Yale Partner on Training To Help Get More People of Color Elected

Residents of Connecticut will have another opportunity to complete a free, two-day Zoom training program in March aimed to teach people of color the fundamentals in running for state office.

Last year’s conference, which was also hosted by the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities, or CCM, along with the Campaign School at Yale University, brought over 100 Connecticut residents and focused on providing skills to run for local public office or serve on a local board or commission.

This year’
CT News Junkie •

Senate Democrats Prioritize Children Victims of Domestic Violence, Clean Air

Clean air and resources for child victims of domestic violence are close to the top of the Senate Democratic agenda for this legislative session.

Sen. Gary Winfield, D-New Haven, said there are currently few resources for children who through no fault of their own become victims of domestic violence. He said the legislation they plan to introduce will provide $1.44 million dollars of funding to community programs that provide professional support to children and young adults affected by domesti
CT News Junkie •

Gun Violence Prevention Advocates Push Creation of New Office

HARTFORD – Gun violence survivors and gun violence prevention advocates gathered at the state Capitol Monday to call on the state to create and fund an Office for Gun Violence Prevention.

Valentine’s Day marks the anniversary of the historic 2013 March For Change where over 5,000 Connecticut residents gathered to demand stronger gun laws from the state. February 14th is also the anniversary of the 2018 Parkland School shooting.

Janet Rice was one of the mothers who spoke at the rally. She told
CT News Junkie •

Child Care Providers Push For State Funding

A coalition of state child care providers are working towards a bill that would make childcare more affordable by ensuring that parents pay no more than 7% of their annual income on care.

That statewide effort follows a similar attempt at the federal level, which failed last month when Virginia Senator Joe Machin said he wouldn’t support the omnibus “Build Back Better” legislation.

Now, a group of over 400 educators came together to ask the state to put forth the funds necessary to improve the
CT News Junkie •

Banning Sale of Flavored Vapes Gains Support

A group of state lawmakers and health advocates pressed Gov. Ned Lamont Wednesday to include language banning the sale of flavored vaping products in his proposals to the legislature this year.

Lamont has proposed the ban in the past and has signaled in recent weeks he still supports the effort, which proponents believe will protect the health of minors.

The U.S. Surgeon General’s Office says youth use of nicotine in any form, including e-cigarettes, is unsafe. E-cigarettes deliver massive dos
CT News Junkie •

Connecticut Still Focused On Saving Afghan Allies

WATERBURY, CT — Dozens of Afghan allies are still trapped in Afghanistan after U.S. troops withdrew in 2020. U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, along with members of relief organizations across Connecticut, reiterated their commitment at a Waterbury press conference Monday.

This pledge is a continuation of efforts that have been in motion for months, but now a bipartisan bill named the Honor Our Commitment Act also has the support of Republican Senators Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Joni Erns
CT News Junkie •

Trinity College Goes Green

HARTFORD, CT — Composting has returned to a set of dorms on the Trinity College campus by the student let group called Green Campus.

Green Campus is a sustainability club that is dedicated to bringing issues of climate change, environmental protection, and now, composting to campus.

Green Campus began their composting initiative with the main dining hall. After collaborating with food service provider Chartwells, the student government, faculty leaders, and local composting company Blue Earth
CT News Junkie •

Trinity College To Quarantine Vaccinated Students

HARTFORD, CT — There are no students with COVID-19 at Trinity College. The college attributes the low number to its new protocols adopted a few weeks ago.

As of September 14, Trinity College students, even those who are vaccinated, are now required to be isolated for a 10 day period in the event of a positive COVID test.

It’s one of the new policies from the Trinity College COVID Steering Committee, which issued more stringent policies in response to the number of breakthrough cases.

Trinity
The Trinity Tripod •

Special Series of Female Revolutionaries: Coco Chanel

When you enter a college formal, a restaurant, a cocktail party, or any event where a dress is appropriate, the most common choice would be some form of little black dress. Dress it up or dress it down, the little black dress, abbreviated to “LBD”, is iconic for its simplicity and versatility. While so classic now, at one time, the LBD was a revolutionary idea, brought to life by Gabrielle ‘Coco’ Chanel in the 1920s. Her new design not only changed the fashion industry, but also allowed women to
The Martha's Vineyard Times •

Blue exhibit close to completion

Visitors to Owen Park can see a new 8- by 8-foot structure with a metal frame and wood accents adjacent to the town dock. The square metal frame provides a window to Vineyard Haven Harbor, and the structure will eventually include a QR code, providing information about the waterfront.

The interactive exhibit was installed by Expedition Blue in Owen Park through a $1 million grant from Gov. Charlie Baker’s Seaport Council, given to the Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce. It’s one of more than 30 acros
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