CT Mirror State Policy Editor Erica E. Phillips sat down with Bill Shufelt and John Walker of Milford’s Athletic Brewing Company on March 19, 2025 at Stamford’s Ferguson Library. Driven by a mission to make non-alcoholic beer mainstream, Bill and John first began test-brewing in a garage in Connecticut. One hundred home-brewed batches later, they had perfected their process and refined their flavors. Then they built an entire business around it; within a few short years it’s become the world’s l...
Mar 22, 2025•58 min
Join CT Mirror Policy Editor Erica E. Phillips as she sits down with Connecticut’s most successful entrepreneurs to explore their origin stories, how they turned their first dollar, and why Connecticut was the place to make it happen. UConn graduate and serial entrepreneur André Swanston achieved a historic nine-figure exit with the sale of his data company, Tru Optik, to TransUnion—making him one of the few Black Americans to reach such a milestone. Now, he’s channeling that success into ground...
Jan 30, 2025•1 hr 6 min
In The Room is an in-person, monthly interview series with Connecticut’s top elected officials and political experts. Host John Dankosky brings a new approach to political interviews, exploring the policy and the people behind the policy. In this episode Dankosky interviews former Supreme Court Reporter Linda Greenhouse. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Jul 26, 2024•44 min
In The Room is an in-person, monthly interview series with Connecticut’s top elected officials. Host John Dankosky brings a new approach to political interviews, exploring the policy and the people behind the policy. In the fourth event of the series, Dankosky interviews State Treasurer Erick Russell at the International Festival of Arts and Ideas. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Jul 10, 2024•50 min
In The Room is an in-person, monthly interview series with Connecticut’s top elected officials. Host John Dankosky brings a new approach to political interviews, exploring the policy and the people behind the policy. In the third event of the series, Dankosky interviews Attorney General William Tong, at UConn Stamford. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Jun 05, 2024•1 hr 3 min
In The Room is a new, in-person, monthly interview series with Connecticut’s top elected officials. Host John Dankosky brings a new approach to political interviews, exploring the policy and the people behind the policy. In the second event of the series, Dankosky interviews Gov. Ned Lamont at Mohegan Sun. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
May 16, 2024•58 min
In The Room is a monthly, in-person interview series with top elected officials at locations throughout the state. In this series , host John Dankosky bring a new approach to political interviews — exploring both the policy and the people behind the policy. This episode, Senator Chris Murphy spoke with John at the Mark Twain House & Museum. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Apr 09, 2024•1 hr 2 min
Community Editorial Board Editor Mercy Quaye hosts an in-depth conversation on probation, parole and commutations with State Sen. Heather Somers, Community Editorial Board member Marisol Garcia and victims advocate Audrey Carlson. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Aug 04, 2023•1 hr 5 min
Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter Linda Greenhouse joins CT Mirror’s John Dankosky to discuss the end of another consequential U.S. Supreme Court term. Greenhouse, who has covered the Court for nearly three decades at The New York Times, offers her unique perspective on what the court’s recent major decisions mean, their impact across the country, and their impact on the court itself. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Jul 13, 2023•58 min
CT Mirror Capitol Bureau Chief Mark Pazniokas sits down with Steady Habits host John Dankosky to review the Connecticut General Assembly’s 2023 legislative session and answer audience questions. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Jun 27, 2023•59 min
Gov. Ned Lamont sits down with CT Mirror Capitol Bureau Chief Mark Pazniokas to talk about the current budget process and his vision for his second term. Lamont won a convincing reelection last year as a defender of the fiscal guardrails that have capped spending and pushed the state to use its historic run of budget surpluses to fill the rainy day fund and begin paying down Connecticut’s considerable pension debt. Is that what the governor sees as his mandate and mission for the next four years...
May 09, 2023•58 min
Break down Gov. Ned Lamont's proposed biennial budget with CT Mirror's budget guru Keith Phaneuf, and look ahead to how those priorities might inform the ongoing 2023 legislative session. Hosted by John Dankosky. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Feb 22, 2023•58 min
As the 2023 Connecticut legislative session gets underway, John Dankosky sits down with a group of CT Mirror reporters to talk about potential bills to look out for this year. Guests on this episode: Jaden Edison, CT Mirror Justice Reporter Ginny Monk, CT Mirror Housing & Children’s Issues Reporter Erica Phillips, CT Mirror Economic Development Reporter See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Feb 09, 2023•54 min
What can we expect from the upcoming Connecticut legislative session and Gov. Ned Lamont’s second term? CT Mirror Capitol Bureau Chief Mark Pazniokas joins host John Dankosky to break it down. This special event was recorded live at the University of Hartford's Wilde Auditorium. It's the first of a three-part series discussing the legislative session now underway. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Feb 03, 2023•1 hr 3 min
Business leaders, policy-makers and research organizations are exploring innovative economic development strategies rooted in Connecticut’s strength in science and technology. Hear an outstanding panel of thinkers debate how the state should move forward in the post-pandemic economy. Guests in this episode: Margaret Keane , Synchrony, Co-Chair, Advance CT Jim Smith , JCSmithAdvisors, former Co-Chair, CT Econ Growth Commission Jeff Sonnenfeld , Yale, Co-Chair, Advance CT Glendowlyn Thames , forme...
Nov 03, 2022•58 min
There are 95,000 housekeepers working in hospitals across the country -- greater than the number of doctors. Housekeepers are among the health care workers who spend the most time with patients and their families, often talking to and forming relationships with people as they clean. Despite the crucial role they played, housekeepers reported feeling unseen and undervalued throughout the pandemic. Investigative reporter Katy Golvala tells host Ebong Udoma housekeepers feel they're being left out ...
Sep 07, 2022•8 min
Connecticut is home to tens of thousands of three-unit dwellings, many of which are three-story homes in cities. The state mandates they be inspected for fire safety each year, but chronic understaffing at fire marshals' offices means some of the oldest and potentially most dangerous houses are not getting timely inspections. Two fatal blazes in Waterbury this year highlighted the problem. CT Mirror's investigative reporter Dave Altimari joined host Ebong Udoma to explain what he found when he e...
Aug 30, 2022•8 min
Despite rising rents, skyrocketing home prices and pleas from the Biden administration, Connecticut towns have budgeted just $15 million in federal ARPA funds for housing-related projects. That represents only around 1% of the $1.5 billion in federal stimulus funding they've received over the past year to help people recover from the pandemic and to allow local leaders to make transformational investments in their communities. Investigative reporter Andrew Brown joins host Ebong Udoma to explain...
Aug 23, 2022•8 min
Connecticut's Republican primary voters heeded former President Donald Trump’s call to nominate Leora Levy to run for U.S. Senate, and rejected their party’s convention-endorsed candidate, former house minority leader Themis Klarides. In the aftermath of that vote, CT GOP Chairman Ben Proto’s response to questions about Trump’s influence on the GOP’s identity was to ignore them, repeatedly. Proto declined to acknowledge even the slightest complication of a win that puts Levy on the same ticket w...
Aug 15, 2022•8 min
One of the states that has scrapped cash bail is New Jersey. The legislature, with the backing of then-Republican Gov. Chris Christie, passed a bill in 2014 that largely eliminated the state’s money bail system. The result: thousands fewer people are held in jail who otherwise might not have been able to purchase their freedom. Connecticut has been touted as a leader in criminal justice reform, but unlike in New Jersey and several other states, Connecticut has not eliminated its cash bail system...
Aug 08, 2022•8 min
According to a CT Mirror analysis, people who are accused but not yet convicted made up about a quarter of those behind bars in June 2013. In January 2022, they made up 42% of those locked up. Many are only awaiting trial in prison because they couldn't afford bail. Research suggests being jailed pretrial makes people more likely to be convicted and receive harsher sentences than those who remain free until their case is resolved in court. Reporter Kelan Lyons joins host Ebong Udoma to describe ...
Aug 01, 2022•8 min
A televised debate Tuesday night will provide the first and only opportunity for a broad audience to see Themis Klarides, the CT GOP’s socially moderate convention choice, engage two Trump loyalists, Leora Levy and Peter Lumaj. But Republicans say they see little evidence their voters are closely following the mid-summer fight for a spot on the November ballot opposing Sen. Richard Blumenthal, a Democrat seeking a third term. The primary is Aug. 9. Capitol Bureau Chief and CT Mirror co-founder M...
Jul 25, 2022•8 min
In April, when Connecticut's free fare program began, bus ridership was back to 70-75% of pre-COVID levels in Hartford, New Haven and Stamford. By the end of May, weekday ridership in the three cities reached nearly 90% of pre-COVID levels, with weekend numbers even higher, in part due to additional weekend service. CT Transit officials hope that means more people are now leaving their cars at home, as reporter Tom Condon tells host Ebong Udoma. You can read Tom's story here. See omnystudio.com/...
Jul 20, 2022•8 min
Join Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter Linda Greenhouse in conversation with CT Mirror's John Dankosky as they review an historic and consequential U.S. Supreme Court term. Greenhouse, who covered the Court for nearly three decades at The New York Times, weighs in on the ramifications of the decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, as well as cases on gun rights and the environment. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Jul 18, 2022•57 min
As of January, hospitals owned 26% of physician practices nationwide, up from 14% a decade ago. An additional 27% of practices were owned by a corporation, such as a health insurer or a private equity firm, leaving fewer than half of physician practices under independent ownership. As the health care industry becomes more and more concentrated, some small private practices find it difficult to compete with big health care systems. So, instead, they’re joining them. And research shows, that leads...
Jul 12, 2022•8 min
In the fledgling cannabis industry, large companies have quickly risen to dominate the market in states where pot is now legal. But as regulators begin awarding licenses to select adult-use operators and businesses scramble to build out capacity, cannabis entrepreneurs, customers and communities are increasingly concerned about equity — whether there really is room for everyone. Massachusetts is ahead of Connecticut -- retail sales began in 2018. CT Mirror's economic development reporter Erica P...
Jul 05, 2022•8 min
Connecticut lawmakers have agreed to provide a legal “safe harbor” to women from states with restrictive abortion laws who get abortions in Connecticut, as well as the clinicians who provide them. The law was passed earlier this year, before the Supreme Court voted to overturn the landmark Roe v. Wade ruling. CT Mirror's Mark Pazniokas spoke with host Ebong Udoma about the reaction to the Roe decision in a strongly pro-choice state like Connecticut. You can read his stories here and here . See o...
Jun 29, 2022•8 min
If state officials order tax cuts, campaign on them, then repeal them after Election Day but before taxpayers ever benefit, is that a tax hike? Is it merely annoying but not harmful? That's the debate underway in this year’s state elections. CT Mirror budget guru Keith Phaneuf joins host Ebong Udoma to explain what's at stake in the Connecticut governor's race. You can read his story here, See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Jun 27, 2022•8 min
Public records show that at least five municipalities in Connecticut have allocated millions of dollars provided through the American Rescue Plan Act to equip local police departments with a variety of surveillance technology, which has raised concerns about privacy and civil liberties in the past. Investigative reporter Dave Altimari tells host Ebong Udoma what supporters and detractors are saying about the tactic. You can read his story, co-reported with Andrew Brown, here. See omnystudio.com/...
Jun 20, 2022•8 min
During the pandemic, mid-career and older nurses have experienced burnout, left emergency departments and intensive care units for less stressful positions or retired early. Many younger nurses opted for lucrative traveling assignments. Nurses periodically fell ill with COVID and had to stay home, placing further stress on health care facilities. The approximately 2,000 nurses graduating from Connecticut institutions this year can't fill those gaps in the workforce. CT MIrror's economic developm...
Jun 13, 2022•7 min
