What news mattered most to you this year? In Connecticut, many national headlines took a localized form in 2015.
But then, many topics popular with our audience were also unique to Connecticut; age-old institutions like the Hartford Symphony Orchestra or General Electric threatened to move or shut down — a drastic need for infrastructure improvements became a major focus for Connecticut Governor Dannel Malloy as he began his second term.
Here's a look back at some of WNPR's most popular stories from 2015.
An Aging State, an Aging Infrastructure
As the state looks to restore a crumbling transportation system that once built up the area, questions and controversy surround its feasibility — and of course, funding.
There’s no cheap option for a statewide infrastructure overhaul — including the reconstruction of a very expensive stretch of I-84 through Hartford — but there are plenty of ideas on the table (the governor has $100 billion worth of them) — and many advocacy groups are excited about new cycling legislation and several major additions to the state’s bus and rail infrastructure.
Our state has been aging too: a giant portion of the state’s work force is at or near retirement and that has repercussions for the housing market. Re-thinking housing in the state, however, involves challenging the stubborn foundation of New England zoning regulations, and while building around transit has proven to be beneficial in states surrounding, Connecticut hasn't quite gotten the hang of it yet.
Free Speech, Culture, and Racism
Yale University received national attention this fall when students called in mass for the resignation of a professor who spoke out against concern that Halloween costumes be culturally sensitive.
Earlier in the year, Yale was at the center of a debate over the protection of civil rights versus cultural history: should one of its colleges still bear the name of former Vice President John C. Calhoun, an unapologetic slaveholder in the 1800s?
Meanwhile in New London, a firestorm of controversy erupted at Connecticut College over a philosophy professor’s Facebook post that many claimed was racist towards Palestinians, resulting in broader conversations in Connecticut about the complications of racism and free speech -- and the press.
Connecticut in the Spotlight on National Issues
Nutmeggers watched from a distance when tragedy in Paris and San Bernardino and crisis in the Middle East transpired in 2015 — but the small state made headlines in its response to national controversy.
In the wake of the Sandy Hook shooting anniversary, Governor Malloy proposed an executive order to ban firearms for people on the federal no-fly list; against a background of police violence and protest, a new state law regulating the use of Tasers was passed; and a young Syrian family is now living in New Haven after Indiana officials objected to plans for the refugees to resettle in their state.
And amid the flurry of controversy, debate, violence, and racial tension of 2015, our audience was given a chance to smile when they saw scores of African American men line up on the sidewalk in Hartford to greet kids on the first day of school.
Which WNPR stories this past year made an impression on you? Let us know in the comments or tweet at us @WNPR.
