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WCAI's award-winning public affairs program. Tuesday through Thursday, Mindy Todd hosts a lively and informative discussion on critical issues for Cape Cod, the Islands and the South Coast. Every Friday is the News Roundup, as CAI News Director Steve Junk

Mindy Todd , Steve Junker


    • May 30, 2025 LATEST EPISODE
    • weekdays NEW EPISODES
    • 46m AVG DURATION
    • 485 EPISODES


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    Latest episodes from The Point

    News Roundup: ICE sweeps up 40 on Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket; businesses brace for uncertain summer

    Play Episode Listen Later May 30, 2025 49:33


    This week: Federal agents in masks and unmarked cars arrest some 40 people accused of immigration violations on Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket, jarring the local community. And, the summer business outlook right now? Uncertainty.

    The cicadas are back!

    Play Episode Listen Later May 29, 2025 49:40


    Get ready for the cicada emergence!

    Books on swimming

    Play Episode Listen Later May 28, 2025 48:07


    We dive into books on swimming.

    Live Theatre in our region

    Play Episode Listen Later May 27, 2025 49:48


    Members of our creative community share their live performance schedule for the season.

    Gardens in May

    Play Episode Listen Later May 21, 2025 48:41


    May gardens with Roberta Clark.

    News Roundup: 'No' to Bourne Bridge funding; arts organizations face federal 'clawback'

    Play Episode Listen Later May 16, 2025 48:14


    This week: The state loses out on two $634 million grants to replace the Bourne bridge. Funding for the arts is drying up across the region with cuts coming from the Trump administration. And the Cape needs foster homes for children.

    Wildlife Rehabilitation

    Play Episode Listen Later May 14, 2025 23:26


    An interview with wildlife rehabilitation experts.

    Updates on North Atlantic right whales

    Play Episode Listen Later May 14, 2025 24:45


    An interview with Dr. Michael Moore, whale expert.

    Bird news in May

    Play Episode Listen Later May 13, 2025 49:28


    Bird news with Mark Faherty

    News Roundup: Wind lawsuits going and coming; more than a quarter of NE Fisheries staff gone

    Play Episode Listen Later May 9, 2025 49:32


    This week: Wind energy continues to spin with lawsuits—the Supreme Court dismissed two against Vineyard Wind, and now 17 states are suing on behalf of wind farms. More than a quarter of employees are now gone from the Northeast Fisheries Science center under Trump administration cutbacks. And boaters protest a plan to remove local navigation buoys.

    Restoring bog habitat

    Play Episode Listen Later May 8, 2025 49:35


    Restoring New England's coastline: it once had vast salt marshes and unobstructed riparian habitats.

    Planning for our final stage of life

    Play Episode Listen Later May 7, 2025 48:28


    Have plans in place for finances, estate, and health care.

    Edible Native Plants

    Play Episode Listen Later May 6, 2025 49:01


    An interview with foraging expert and author Russ Cohen

    News Roundup: Joint Base brush fire; towns vote on stopping Pilgrim wastewater evaporation

    Play Episode Listen Later May 2, 2025 48:56


    This week: Local fire departments join to battle a brush fire at Joint Base Cape Cod. And, should the Pilgrim Nuclear Plant be allowed to continue evaporating contaminated wastewater — local towns will get to vote their opinions. Also: AmeriCorps Cape Cod faces the funding axe.

    The changing media landscape

    Play Episode Listen Later May 1, 2025 49:33


    We talk with former CBS News President Andrew Heyward about the changing media landscape.

    Peculiar and superior

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 29, 2025 16:10


    Writer, naturalist and Cape Cod Notebook contributor Dennis Minsky joins us to discuss his latest collection of essays, Peculiar and Superior, A Year Rounder in Provincetown.

    The Wampanoag Story

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 29, 2025 33:19


    We are the Land is a community devised play that shares the Wampanoag Experience through story, dance and spoken word.

    News Roundup: Tributes to a Vineyard Icon; Fishermen Concerned at Start of Season

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 25, 2025 46:16


    A busy week in local and regional news

    Changing the Perception of Incarcerated People

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 24, 2025 49:28


    A look at the Frederick Douglass Project for Justice

    The Guatemala Aid Fund

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 24, 2025 24:16


    Joining us to talk about the work of the Guatemala Aid Fund and how a Massachusetts family started it all we welcome Bethany Zeeb Eisenberg and Pedro de Leon, Director of Fatimas Children's Home and the Association to Eradicate Poverty, organizations that partner with Guatemala Aid Fund.

    A moving portrait of loss

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 24, 2025 25:13


    We talk with artist, poet and novelist Lauren Wolk about her latest book Candle Island. Set on a small island off the coast of Maine it's a moving portrait of loss and the restorative power of art.http://www.laurenwolk.com/

    Board games are more popular than ever

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 22, 2025 49:07


    A look at the popularity of board games, new and traditional.

    The legacy of conservation land on the Cape and Islands

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 18, 2025 49:37


    Enjoying thousands of acres of open space on The Cape and Islands.

    News Roundup: Flanagan pressured to step down; Sagamore Bridge neighbors speak out

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 18, 2025 49:04


    This week: State representative Chris Flanagan from Cape Cod has been indicted, but will he step down from office? Neighbors of the Sagamore Bridge speak out on the pain of being in the path of new construction. And: a chilling video from New Bedford raises questions about federal immigration enforcement.

    The psychology of happiness

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 16, 2025 49:28


    Our panel of behavior health experts look at ways we can change our behavior to feel happier.

    Gardens in April

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 15, 2025 48:59


    Spring garden advice with Roberta Clark.

    News Roundup: 'Hands Off' rallies draw thousands across Cape region; new public meetings on Cape bridges

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 11, 2025 49:31


    This week: A rally in Hyannis drew more than a thousand people protesting a range of actions by the Trump administration, joining other rallies around the region. Also: a new round of public meetings is planned for the replacement of The Cape bridges. And, the new Department of Education is taking back millions of dollars from New Bedford schools.

    The Cape Cod Climate Change Collaborative

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 10, 2025 48:01


    An interview with Dan Wolf and Paul Niedzwiecki.

    The New Bedford Film Festival

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 9, 2025 49:29


    And interview with The New Bedford Film Festival's founder and 3 filmmakers

    Bird news in April

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 8, 2025 49:16


    The Point's monthly bird news with Mark Faherty.

    News Roundup: Nantucket's wind farm pushback; MV vets service cut

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 4, 2025 49:12


    This week: Nantucket says wind turbines 20 miles offshore will damage the town's historic character and violate federal law. Also, veterans on Martha's Vineyard could be losing services. And New Bedford is planning for disasters, just to stay on the safe side.

    Stories of love, longing, and New England history

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 3, 2025 49:30


    An interview with writer and artist Ben Shattuck.

    Blind spots: what it means for our health when Medicine gets it wrong

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 3, 2025 48:58


    An interview with Dr. Marty Makary.

    Three author interviews

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 1, 2025 49:29


    Interviews with three authors on The Point

    News Roundup: Riding South Coast Rail; behind closed doors on the machine gun range

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 28, 2025 48:33


    This week: The train has left the station — South Coast rail starts running, and dignitaries crowd the platform to celebrate. And, we find out what happened behind closed doors when the EPA met the National Guard about its proposed machine gun range. Also: the summer rental market is looking slow right now on Martha's Vineyard.

    Pollinator conservation

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 27, 2025 49:30


    Efforts to conserve pollinators

    Books about Books

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 27, 2025 49:34


    The monthly Books program on The Point.

    Trump's DEI rollback impacts local science education

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 25, 2025 49:34


    We discuss the discontinuation of "P.E.P", a marine and ocean sciences internship program for underrepresented groups.

    News Roundup: South Coast Rail chugs into view; right whale mothers and calves in CC Bay

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 21, 2025 49:30


    This week: South Coast Rail is set to roll next Monday, changing the way the region connects to Boston. And, right whales return to Cape Cod Bay — including a couple of calves.

    Commercial fishing on the Cape and Islands

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 20, 2025 49:28


    Fishing for a sustainable harvest in our region.

    Emotional heath

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 19, 2025 48:10


    Taking care of our emotional health.

    Close to Home

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 18, 2025 48:36


    Tthe wonders of nature are right in our own backyards.

    News Roundup: Land takings for new Sagamore Bridge; Stand Up for Science

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 14, 2025 49:29


    This week: Sagamore Bridge neighbors receive notice: their homes will be taken by eminent domain. And, a big crowd with some prominent names “Stands Up for Science” in a public rally. Also: Representative Bill Keating gets national attention for his defense of a fellow Congress member.

    The cicadas are coming!

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 13, 2025 47:51


    Cicadas: their lifecycle and place in the larger ecosystem.

    Indigenous strategies and wisdom for the climate crisis

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 12, 2025 48:39


    Climate challenges from a Citizens of Tribal Nations perspective.

    Bird news in March

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 11, 2025 49:36


    Signs of spring in our region: increased bird song and nesting activity.

    Abandoned at birth

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 6, 2025 48:40


    Memoir explores issues experienced by many adoptees.

    Creating and supporting local food systems

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 5, 2025 48:43


    The numerous benefits of growing our food locally.

    Green crabs damage local ecosystems

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 4, 2025 49:29


    We discuss the problem of green crabs, and a new film on the topic.

    News Roundup: Reprieve for Pocasset Mental Health Ctr; Wellfleet house flattened

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 28, 2025 49:07


    This week: A controversial house in Wellfleet, threatening to fall into Cape Cod Bay, gets demolished. Pocasset Mental Health Center is spared for now, as Governor Healey acknowledges a Cape community outcry. And the rising cost of homeowners insurance is making for some painful choices.

    Fire risk and prevention

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 27, 2025 49:35


    Leaders from our Fire Department talk about our regions risk, and strategies that can reduce it.

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