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A push to exonerate victims of Connecticut's early witch trials

A memorial brick for Alse Young, the first known American victim of witch hangings.
Davis Dunavin
/
WSHU Public Radio
A memorial brick for Alse Young, the first known American victim of witch hangings.

Descendants of accused witches in Connecticut are pushing for exoneration 375 years later, hoping our state will follow others in clearing their ancestors' names.

This hour, we hear from Beth Caruso and Sarah Jack, two of the five founders of the Connecticut Witch Trial Exoneration Project. Their goal is to "clear the names of those wrongfully accused of witchcraft in Connecticut through legislation and establishing a permanent memorial to the victims of the witch trials."

We'll learn about a plan to propose exoneration legislation from Jane Garibay, State Representative for the 60th District, including Windsor. In 2017, the town voted to clear the names of Alice Young and Lydia Gilbert, both of whom were hanged in our state.

But first, the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection is closing out Bat Week, highlighting "astonishing losses" to populations of cave bats in Connecticut and across North America.

"White-nose syndrome has killed over 90% of northern long-eared, little brown, and tri-colored bats in North America in fewer than 10 years." A wildlife biologist joins us.

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Katie is a producer for Connecticut Public Radio's news-talk show 'Where We Live.' She has previously worked for CNN and News 8-WTNH.
Lucy leads Connecticut Public's strategies to deeply connect and build collaborations with community-focused organizations across the state.