Capitol Watch

Tolls or no tolls: it's the seemingly endless Connecticut argument, right up there leaving or staying in the state. Well, some sort of end is coming: the 2020 legislative session convenes on Feb. 5. If left unsettled, the toll debate risks being lost in the white-out of sports betting, vaping, recreational marijuana, the budget and other likely issues up for discussion. Capitol bureau chief Christopher Keating talks about transportation's last gasp on the latest podcast.

Michael Vigeant (GreatBlue Research) and Lesley DeNardis, Ph.D. (Sacred Heart University) discuss a new Hartford Courant/Sacred Heart University poll.

You might have parked in a metered parking space to pick up your dry cleaning (you want to look good when you meet your new interior designer). Hopefully, you also just snagged some new safety goggles, for when all that dust is flying around your house. Time to peek at your bank account: yikes. On Jan. 1, a new wave of taxes, fees and laws took effect in Connecticut. We're not talking break-the-bank amounts, but for many Connecticut residents, every dollar matters. Content editor Russell Blair talks new Jan. 1 taxes and fees on the latest podcast.

We covered a lot of ground in 2019. The government shutdown. The seemingly endless toll debate. The Stop and Shop strike, opioid epidemic, the hottest month in Connecticut history, PFAS chemical spills ... on and on. Along the way, we set up microphones in bars, restaurants, breweries and markets, places like Tangiers International Market, Story and Soil Coffee, Spectra Wired, the Bushnell Park Beer Garden, Know Good Market, Hanging Hill Brewing Company and the short-lived Royal nightclub, and interviewed as many people as we could find. For the final podcast of the year, we put together clips featuring some of the folks we interviewed. Thanks for listening to Capitol Watch.

Connecticut’s defense industry will likely receive a sizable chunk of the $738 billion defense spending bill winding its way through Congress, and that means high-paying jobs. Reporter Stephen Singer talks helicopters, jet engines and submarines on the latest Capitol Watch podcast.

Highway tolls, restaurant workers’ wages and more could be voted on in a special session between now and the end of December, if Gov. Ned Lamont gets his way. Lamont wants to convene a special legislative session on four contentious issues, and he believes he can go four for four. Capitol bureau chief Christopher Keating weighs in on the latest podcast.

Should I leave Connecticut? Should I stay in Connecticut? It's the conversation that never quits. Arianna Basche wrote her own take on it for the Courant's opinion pages a few weeks ago. On this week's Capitol Watch podcast, Basche and opinion editor Leslie Cory dive deeper into Basche's decision to stay put (for now) and what that means for her life and career going forward.

October was anti-bullying month, but there's really no bad time to talk about the dangers of bullying. Stamford teacher Danielle Waring's life was forever changed by it. And when one of her tormentors later tried to apologize, Waring found it hard to forgive and forget. How would you respond? On the latest Capitol Watch podcast, opinion editor Leslie Cory explores that topic in a conversation with Waring, who reads an essay published in the Courant back in October.

Going home for the holidays is stressful, particularly in the Trump Era. The wine is flowing. Uncle Matt and aunt Trish are ginned up to pounce on every social media missive you’ve posted since the midterm elections. (Their posts frighten you.) Meanwhile, in the back of your mind, there’s the Big Announcement you’ve been meaning to spring on everyone: you quit school, you’re coming out, you’re pregnant, you’re getting a divorce. “I think we are in a more divisive time,” says Dr. Laura Saunders, assistant director of psychology at the Institute of Living in Hartford. “I do see [stress] in a lot of the clients that I work with, but I see it in family and friends as well. No one's immune to it right now.” Talking about politics at holiday gatherings, Saunders says, often causes conflict. That’s nothing new. “What we know from a variety of different experiences is that a holiday meal is not the time you're going to change someone's mind,” Saunders says. “So if your goal is to convert someone's viewpoint over to your own, that's not going to happen.” Saunders and Watson discuss establishing boundaries, family dynamics around the dinner table, and how to handle that one relative who just won’t let it go on the latest podcast.

Eco-anxiety is real. Harry Zehner, a junior at the University of Connecticut, feels the effects of climate-related dread every day. It's mixed with anger at older generations for what he perceives as complacency. If the number of environmental protests in recent months is any indication, he's not alone. Zehner sits down with Opinion editor Leslie Cory to talk climate change, eco-anxiety and generational differences on a special Capitol Watch podcast.

Gov. Ned Lamont's revised transportation plan still relies on tolls for part of its funding. Not surprisingly, Republican lawmakers (and some Democrats) are still less than enthused about supporting it. Of course, there's lots more in there besides tolls -- fixing bridges and adding commuter rail cars, for example -- and most of the work would be funded by borrowing from the federal government. Courant Capitol bureau chief Christopher Keating goes off the rails on the latest Capitol Watch podcast.

Connecticut is often referred to as the “Nutmeg State.” We’re all nutmeggers. It’s weird, it’s different, but it’s us. Natalie Belanger, adult programs manager at the Connecticut Historical Society, talks tin plates, peddling and soccer in the Land of Steady Habits on this bonus podcast.

Tuesday was Election Day. There are new mayors in New Haven and Middletown. Hartford, Bridgeport and Danbury reelected their mayors. All across the state, Dems flipped seats, Republicans flipped seats, and both sides rejoiced. Was there a Trump Factor? A generational divide? How to make sense of it all? Courant reporter Daniela Altimari recaps Election Day 2019 in Connecticut on the latest Capitol Watch podcast.

Connecticut recently pledged $500,000 to boost participation in the 2020 Census. Philanthropic foundations, including the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, will tack on more than $900,000 in additional funding. “Today, this is not a question about whether Connecticut can afford to invest,” Melissa McCaw, Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management, said at an Oct. 31 press conference. “We cannot afford to not invest to ensure that the important work we do for the taxpayers and the residents of Connecticut can continue next year and the years beyond.” What exactly is at stake for Connecticut -- or any state -- in getting its population count right, and what happens to all that data? Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz and Courant reporter Stephen Singer discuss the 2020 Census -- what information is collected, how it’s used, and where it ends up -- on the latest Capitol Watch podcast.

In the life of a train commuter, what difference does 15 minutes make? Rosanna Karabetsos, a graduate of the Greater Hartford Academy of the Arts, is a Brooklynette -- a professional dancer for the Brooklyn Nets NBA basketball team. It’s a dream job. Still, she says, a faster train ride from Hartford to New York might have made her career goals attainable even sooner. “I wouldn’t change any part of my journey,” says Karabetsos. “But I do know that if there was an express train from Union Station to Grand Central that got me there in an hour and a half for a decent amount of money, it would have changed everything.” Ridership is steady on the Hartford Line, a commuter rail service linking New Haven with Springfield that debuted in 2018. Maybe too steady. “We’re victims of our own success,” says DOT commissioner Joseph Giulietti. “We don’t have enough cars to handle all the demand that’s coming at us. We’re desperate to go get some more cars. … It’s one of the healthiest complaints you can get, that people are not only asking but demanding for more service." Giulietti and Karabetsos, along with musician Bill Carbone (Max Creek, Rock and Roll Forever Foundation) and William Thomsen (Urban Engineers, Inc., APTA), talk Metro-North and the value of 15 minutes on the latest Capitol Watch podcast.

The Mixmaster in Waterbury. The Hartford viaduct. I-95 in Stamford. Anyone who frequently drives on Connecticut highways knows these spots as the stuff of traffic nightmares. A 2019 study by the American Transportation Research Institute shows six Connecticut “chokepoints” ranking among the 100 worst in the entire country. How does Gov. Ned Lamont plan to address them? Courant Capitol bureau chief (and resident traffic expert) Chris Keating talks bottlenecks and chokepoints on the latest Capitol Watch podcast.

All Connecticut residents, regardless of political affiliation, have one thing in common: death. When the fateful day comes (waaaay in the distant future, hopefully), some choose 'green' burials and cremation options that don't hurt the environment. "It's a pretty popular concept," says Katie S. Gagnon, a board member at the Connecticut Green Burial Grounds. "Really, it's just for there to be an option for people like me who don't want to be embalmed, who don't want to go into an exotic hardwood casket." The Green Burial Council, a national organization, estimates that 4.3 million gallons of embalming fluids, 64,500 tons of steel, 1.6 million tons of reinforced concrete, 17,000 tons of copper and bronze, and 20 million feet of wood enter the ground in the U.S. every year. Greenwich resident Tessa Pascarella, who passed away in 2018, opted for a green burial on her family's 1000-acre forest in Sherman. It took more than a year, but it finally happened. "It's always fun to see the way humanity grows more human, or more civilized, from generation to generation," says Tessa's son, Aldo Pascarella, a Greenwich lawyer, "and I see this green burial movement as one such iteration." Gagnon, Pascarella and Courant reporter Greg Hladky dig deep into green burials on the latest Capitol Watch podcast.

Median sales prices for Connecticut single-family homes peaked in 2007 -- more than a decade ago. That's not good. "I drive around, and I'm amazed to see new construction in Connecticut," says Fred Carstensen, director of the Connecticut Center for Economic Analysis at UConn. "Who's buying houses?" Courant reporter Ken Gosselin recently read data provided by The Warren Group, a New England real estate watchdog, and crunched the numbers: median prices in only 10 towns and cities exceeded or matched pre-recession values. Gosselin, Carstensen and West Hartford realtor Carl Lantz (RE/MAX Premier) talk over Connecticut's glacial housing recovery on the latest Capitol Watch podcast.

Most of us see video games as harmless, inter-generational fun: play Fortnite with the kids (or parents) for a few hours, have some laughs, and get ready for bed. Others can't seem to break away. "For some gamers, they develop this excessive pattern of uncontrollable behavior," says Dr. Paul Weigle, a child and adolescent psychiatrist and the Associate Medical Director of Outpatient Programs at Natchaug Hospital. "They really lose control over their use. That ends up causing big problems in their lives." Earlier this year, the World Health Organization included "gaming disorder" in its International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11). For some in the video game industry, including Kenneth Thompson, an assistant professor-in-residence of game design at the University of Connecticut, the WHO classification is premature. "Research is ongoing for video games as classification as disorder or addiction," Thompson says. "I think it does a real disservice to people who are going through substance abuse issues and are going through addiction programs to use the same terminology for something that isn't the same." Weigle, Thompson and UConn Gaming Club member Ryan Marsh discuss video games and addiction on the latest Capitol Watch podcast.

The vaping illness outbreak has exploded over the last few months, with 1,299 cases and 29 deaths reported nationwide (and counting). According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), roughly three quarters of patients reported using THC-containing products. Unlike Massachusetts, Connecticut has not yet enacted a ban on the sale of all vaping products. Still, some adult vapers are wondering: is there any safe and responsible way to vape? "I think we are really not able to answer that question at this time until we are able to identify exactly which substance, what combination it is that's causing this illness," says Barbara Walsh, Tobacco Control Program manager. "We really can't give a statement on what is safe versus what's not safe." Walsh, Yale University School of Medicine research postdoctoral fellow Jonas Schupp and Courant reporter Josh Kovner discuss (un)safe vaping on the latest Capitol Watch podcast. (Bonus content: what exactly is "fire breather's pneumonia?")

A new California law allows college athletes to sign endorsement deals starting in 2023, a move that inspires hope in some Connecticut lawmakers that a similar measure might pass here at home. “What really struck me was that it passed unanimously, which of course means bipartisan as well,” says state Sen. Derek Slap (D-West Hartford). “When you have something that is this significant, this important, and both parties come together overwhelmingly to support it, that really caught my eye.” Is a future in which a UConn women’s basketball star, for example, signs a deal with Under Armour or Nike be too far off? Slap and Courant Capitol bureau chief Christopher Keating talk money and college sports on the latest podcast.

Rhode Island resident Ellen Lenox Smith lives with two rare, painful, incurable conditions: Ehler-Danlos Syndrome (EDS), which affects her body’s connective tissue (joints, skin and blood vessel walls), and sarcoidosis, an inflammatory chest disease. Smith has had 24 surgeries; she’ll likely need number 25 soon. What’s more, her body can’t metabolize Tylenol, aspirin, opioids or other common pain medications. Some time ago, Smith’s primary care doctor referred her to a pain clinic specialist, who suggested she try black market cannabis. “It turned my life around,” Smith says. “It gave me a life back.” On Sept. 27, the Medical Marijuana Program Board of Physicians voted to add chronic pain to the list of qualifying symptoms in Connecticut, along with Ehler-Danlos Syndrome. The board voted not to add night terrors, a common symptom of PTSD, which itself is an approved condition. Smith, who volunteers for the non-profit U.S. Pain Foundation in Middletown, Conn., traces her path to medical cannabis on the latest podcast, and Courant reporter Amanda Blanco takes us through the approval process for qualifying conditions.

Did you know: in Connecticut, the flat fee for trading in a car for credit toward a new one used to be $35. As of Oct. 1, it's now $100. And apparently enough people will trade in cars to pump a cool $9.8 into the state's coffers. When the General Assembly passed the state budget in June, a number of other tax and fee increases, intended primarily to promote fairness between brick-and-mortar stores and e-commerce operations, were similarly baked in. On the latest podcast, Courant content editor Russell Blair details six goods and services that just became more expensive for Connecticut residents.

Imagine, late in your career, creating a LinkedIn profile, chopping your extensive resume down to two pages, and peppering your cover letter with algorithm-friendly keywords. After months of trying, you finally land the elusive phone or in-person interview with a hiring manager. And then: crickets. Computer programmer Mark Kirschblum has been looking for work since December 2018. "It's more of a science, almost an art," Kirschblum says. "I'm somewhat introverted, so to do the networking gets me out of my comfort zone. But you do what you have to do." Kirschblum met former Manchester Historical Society executive director Eileen Jacobs Sweeney and Michael Renaud, a personalized marketing solutions expert, at Pathways to Employment, a five-week job-search training program. "To be part of the program with other people who are in the same general age category," Renaud says, "we can all say, 'You know what? We're not the only ones.'" All three job seekers, along with Courant reporter Stephen Singer, discuss what it's like to be older and unemployed in Connecticut on the latest Capitol Watch podcast.

One, two, five... nine... So many Democrats running for president in 2020, and even though Connecticut's primary isn't until April, some state leaders have already chimed in on who they're backing. Content editor Russell Blair discusses Democratic presidential candidates and early Connecticut endorsements on this bonus podcast.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called for impeachment hearings against President Trump on Tuesday afternoon. On Wednesday, the White House released a transcript of Trump's phone call with the Ukrainian president. Meanwhile, most of Connecticut's congressional delegation -- U.S. Senators Chris Murphy and Richard Blumenthal and Reps. John Larson, Joe Courtney and Jahana Hayes -- joined Rep. Jim Himes in calling for impeachment. (Himes came out in favor of impeachment in June.) Only Rep. Rosa DeLauro remained on the fence. Capitol bureau chief Christopher Keating traces the evolution of each delegation members' position on impeachment on the latest podcast.

Much has happened since our last PFAS podcast (July 11). The Home Depot, a chain of more than 2,000 home improvement stores in North America, announced it would stop selling rugs and carpets containing per- and poly-fluorinated (aka PFAS) chemicals, which are commonly added to resist stains. A 62-year-old Ellington man's drinking water well tested positive for PFAS chemicals, prompting the state to start sending bottled water to his house. And the Connecticut Interagency PFAS Task Force, formed shortly after a huge June 8 firefighting foam spill at Bradley International Airport in Windsor Locks, is expected to deliver its initial recommendations to Gov. Ned Lamont on Oct. 1. Courant reporter Gregory Hladky pours over the latest PFAS findings on the latest Capitol Watch podcast.

Hot dogs, served on a bun, or heated. Meal replacement bars. Five or fewer donuts. The list goes on and on. According to State of Connecticut Department of Revenue guidelines, popular food items including ice cream (sold in containers smaller than a pint), pizza (whole or slices), rotisserie chickens and more, will be taxed at 7.35% beginning on Oct. 1, at grocery stores, convenience stores, big-box retailers and elsewhere. There's also an extensive list of taxable drinks: take-out coffee, beer, wine, distilled spirits, kombucha and milkshakes. And BYOB restaurant diners will have to pay a 7.35% corkage fee on their bottles of wine. How did we get here? Courant Capitol bureau chief Chris Keating shares recent developments, which seem to pop up almost daily, on Connecticut's so-called Sales and Use Taxes on Meals.

Hemp farming in Connecticut is kind of a hot new thing. Fueled by demand for CBD oil, CBD inhalers, CBD gummies -- essentially anything with the letters C, B and D -- licensed hemp growers like Luis Vega are turning their first outdoor plants over to processors and manufacturers, before quickly gearing up for indoor growing season. Earlier this year, Vega obtained a permit to grow hemp under Connecticut's new pilot program. He now looks after roughly 5,000 plants spread across five acres of land on four different sites. Today, Capitol Watch visits one of Vega's hemp hoop-houses -- it's sort of like a greenhouse -- located on O'Hara's Nursery in Monroe.

A race that grew more contentious over time came to a close on Tuesday, as incumbent Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin won the Hartford Democratic primary. He won handily, defeating former Mayor Eddie Perez and State Rep. Brandon McGee Jr. by a comfortable margin. How do we make sense of the numbers? And if Bronin wins re-election in November, how does he take the city out of what he’s referred to as “fragile stability?” Hartford metro reporter Rebecca Lurye gives us the lowdown on the latest Capitol Watch podcast.

Marijuana or cannabis? What should we call that leafy green stuff, or maybe it doesn’t matter all that much? The bigger story for Connecticut residents is likely that cannabis (marijuana?) legalization eluded lawmakers in 2019. Meanwhile, hemp farmers across the state are about to harvest their first legal crop, the medical marijuana program is as robust as ever, and mysterious lung illnesses attributed to vaping are on the rise. On the latest podcast, we catch up with cannabis/marijuana activist-entrepreneurs Jason Ortiz (CURE CT, MCBA) and Kebra Smith-Bolden (Cannabis Consultants of CT, CannaHealth) and gain some perspective on the state of … whatever it is we’re talking about.

Hartford mayor candidate Eddie Perez wants to return to the office he held from 2001 until 2010, when a corruption scandal forced him to resign. (He eventually pleaded guilty to two felony charges.) Perez now faces incumbent Mayor Luke Bronin and State Rep. Brandon McGee Jr. in the Sept. 10 Democratic primary. After the final primary debate on Thursday (hosted by The Hartford Courant and News Channel 8), Perez spoke with Courant publisher/editor in chief Andrew Julien, senior content editor Leslie Cory and editorial writer Stephen Busemeyer, about restoring the public’s trust, his previous accomplishments in office, policing the city, and more. The editorial board conducted a similar interview with Mayor Bronin and extended an invitation to Mr. McGee.

The lights were blazing, the cameras were rolling, and things got a little personal, as incumbent Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin, former Mayor Eddie Perez and State Rep. Brandon McGee Jr. squared off for the last time before Tuesday's primary. The live television debate was hosted by News Channel 8 at The Hartford Courant. The Democratic primary takes place on Tuesday, Sept. 10.

Tea drinkers, take note: President Trump's trade war with China may have spiked the cost of your most recent cup. Fairfield-based Bigelow Tea Co. -- the green tea itself, and aluminum components of the packaging, come from China -- is one of many Connecticut businesses impacted by tariffs, and there's little state lawmakers can do to soften the blow. While some costs are passed along to customers, others simply eat into a company's profits. Earlier this year, a 25 percent tariff imposed on seafood forced Garbo's Lobster in Groton to shut down. Courant capitol bureau chief Christopher Keating talks lobsters, green tea and tariffs on the latest podcast.

Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin is seeking a second term. He faces challengers Brandon McGee Jr. and Eddie Perez in the Sept. 10 Democratic primary. Last week, Bronin sat down with Courant publisher/editor in chief Andrew Julien, content director Rick Green, senior content editor Leslie Cory and editorial writer Stephen Busemeyer. Over the course of an hour, he discussed downtown development, city finances, education, crime, and much more. Capitol Watch was there, with a ton of microphones. We hope to present similar extended interviews with Mr. McGee and Mr. Perez in the near future. The editorial board has already invited both candidates to 285 Broad Street.

It sold out. Many of us went. It felt historic. Farm Aid stalwarts Willie Nelson, Neil Young, John Mellencamp and Dave Matthews. Rising superstars Kacey Musgraves, Margo Price, Sturgill Simpson and Chris Stapleton. A talented undercard -- Lukas Nelson, Particle Kid, Jamey Johnson -- of Americana up-and-comers. Farm Aid, which landed in Connecticut a year ago, raised awareness of the many hardships facing family farmers nationwide. But one year later, things are just as bad -- if not worse -- for dairy farmers. On the latest Capitol Watch podcast, dairy farmer Jim Smith (Cushman Farms, Franklin, Conn.), CT Farm Bureau executive director Joan Nichols and reporter Greg Hladky discuss rising input costs, shifting consumer tastes, and the legacy of Farm Aid 2018.

On the first day of the fall semester, new UConn president Thomas Katsouleas sat down to talk about funding for new research, affordability, athletics, and much more, with Courant publisher/editor-in-chief Andrew Julien, audience engagement director Megan Merrigan, content director Rick Green, senior content editor Leslie Cory, editorial writer Stephen Busemeyer, metro content editor Russell Blair, and reporter Amanda Blanco. Capitol Watch was there to capture the conversation.

We've heard the same old refrain for years: young people aren't interested in local politics. Arguably, 2018 -- when Connecticut residents between 18 to 25 saw the biggest increase in voter registration leading up to the midterm election, and when 26th Senate District voters elected Will Haskell, a 22-year-old Georgetown University graduate, to the general assembly -- disproved that theory. Still, something about that refrain *feels* right. On the latest podcast, Courant intern Tyra McClung spoke to state representative Brandon McGee Jr. and New Britain mayor Erin Stewart about why some Connecticut millennials don't engage with local politics.

As Democratic candidates running for president are being asked to weigh in on reparations for slavery -- the idea that the United States would give restitution, in some form or another, to African-American descendants of slaves -- a few questions keep popping up. Why now? How would it work? Who thinks it's appropriate, and who doesn't? Thomas Craemer, an associate professor of public policy at UConn, stops by Capitol Watch to talk about his research into reparations and how growing up in Germany shaped his thinking.

July 2019 was hot. Like, record-breaking hot. Facing an average temperature of 78.2 degrees across 31 days, and with more days at 90 degrees or higher than ever before, Hartford residents weathered heat strokes, electric bill spikes and overall crabbiness. Is this the new normal? On the latest podcast, meteorologist Gary Lessor (WCSU) and marine science professor James O'Donnell (UConn) weigh in on climate change, catastrophic weather events and the future of life in Hartford.

Attorney General William Tong recently targeted Juul Labs over claims the company markets its popular vaping device as a smoking cessation tool. Tong’s investigation arrives on the heels of a Yale study, which highlights some of the unknown dangers of vanillin, a popular e-liquid flavoring. Tong also credits Fairfield resident Nancy Lefkowitz, whose son discovered a Juul device on his elementary school teacher’s desk, for raising awareness of the school vaping issue. On the latest podcast, we discuss vanillin with Yale postdoctoral associate (and lead author of the study) Hanno Erythopel, Ph.D., Juuls in schools with Nancy Lefkowitz, and vaping youth culture with Courant intern Abigail Brone.

Connecticut, West Virginia and Wyoming are the only three states in the U.S. that haven't regained the number of jobs lost during the Great Recession. Massachusetts and New York, meanwhile, are growing jobs left and right. Nationally, the workforce increased by 9%. How does that happen? On the latest Capitol Watch podcast, Courant reporter Stephen Singer, economist Don Klepper-Smith (Datacore Partners LLC) and job-seeker Carolyn Martin-Taylor weigh in on Connecticut's workforce woes.

Earlier this summer, we asked six Hartford mayoral candidates to address 11 concerns posed by Hartford residents. And last week, at our second Courantly community event (at Hartford's Hanging Hills Brewery), we boiled those responses in six of those categories (jobs, retail space, neighborhoods, education, youth activities and the arts) down to just THREE sentences -- not enough to choose who you might vote for, of course. While our friends at Free Wifi USA cranked some tunes, we asked four contestants to play a sort of candi-dating game. It was fun, loud, chaotic, and a little confusing. Feel free to play along at home.

Among the three vetoes Gov. Lamont issued last week, one has Connecticut restaurant owners and lawmakers from both parties fuming. It's complicated: a provision of HB 5001, which passed in the waning hours of the 2019 legislative session, would have officially allowed restaurant owners to pay servers at a lower rate (the so-called "tipped" rate) for all hours worked, and also would have negated ongoing lawsuits filed over unpaid back wages. Now, at least some of that likely won't happen. On the latest podcast, Capitol bureau chief Christopher Keating wraps his head around wages, legislation, lawsuits and vetoes, while restaurant owner Brian Jessurun (Vanilla Bean Cafe, 85 Main) shares his frustrations over Lamont's decision. Like we said: it's complicated.

Last week, Gov. Ned Lamont heralded the arrival of 5G wireless technology in Connecticut, promising innovation and internet speeds up to 100 times faster than what we're used to. Meanwhile, U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal and others have expressed concerns about the potential health risks of 5G and the need for more information. On the latest podcast, Capitol bureau chief Chris Keating and Blake Levitt (Berkshire-Litchfield Environmental Council) discuss Connecticut's big push into all things 5G.

Fifty years ago, the Apollo 11 mission -- commanded by Neil Armstrong, along with lunar module pilot Buzz Aldrin and command module pilot Michael Collins -- landed on the moon. Back in Connecticut, however, project engineer Tom Gilmartin anxiously watched the landing unfold, hoping breathlessly that the fuel cells he helped design wouldn't mimic the failures he'd witnessed during testing. On the latest podcast, Gilmartin, now 78, talks about working on the Apollo 11 mission and gives insight into the past and future of the U.S. space program.

On Saturday, the Hartford Athletic soccer team played its first home game at Dillon Stadium. Across town, the Hartford Yard Goats were beating up on the New Hampshire Fisher Cats in front of a packed house. In the absence of Whalers and Patriots, has Hartford become the ideal minor-league city? Sports reporter Shawn McFarland talks Yard Goats, strikers and American Outlaws on the latest Capitol Watch Podcast. We also chat with patrons of the Friday night beer garden in Bushnell Park about Hartford's minor-league prospects.

PFAS chemicals have people across Connecticut spooked, after a June 8 malfunction at Bradley Airport released thousands of gallons of firefighting foam into the Farmington River. So what exactly are PFAS compounds? What do they do to people, to fish, and to drinking water, and what is the state doing to help? On the latest Capitol Watch podcast, reporter Greg Hladky and Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) analyst Shannon Pociu tackle those questions and more.

For two weeks, we've been talking about political corruption, and I think today we're ready to wrap it all up. In doing so, we asked a bunch of Connecticut residents: is it a deal-breaker for you if a political candidate has been previously convicted of a felony, or do you believe in second chances? Welcome to Corrupticut. This is part five.

A six-term Democratic mayor. A three-term Republic governor. Two ambitious politicians who embodied Connecticut's scrappy underdog spirit, flamed out in scandal and crawled back -- partially, anyway -- into the statewide spotlight. Today we examine the rise and fall of Bridgeport mayor Joseph Ganim and governor John Rowland. Welcome to Corrupticut. This is part four.

Paul Silvester ran the state treasury from 1997 to the beginning of 2000. During that time, he made questionable investment decisions with public money, took kickbacks and ultimately wound up in prison. Meanwhile, yet another Waterbury mayor was indicted, convicted and sent to jail, this time for crimes way darker than anyone could have imagined. Welcome to Corrupticut. This is part three.