Connecticut

Tom Kania is working with a community co-sponsorship group and IRIS to welcome an Afghan refugee family of up to six. The Middletown apartment has been fully furnished by IRIS and is ready for the family when they arrive.

‘It’s the American spirit’: These Connecticut landlords are stepping up to help Afghan refugees arriving in the US

As military bases temporarily hosting refugees reach capacity, states are being asked to help, according to resettlement agencies. Connecticut alone is expecting more than 500 refugees — a jump since the initial 300 estimated in September. And the number could see another increase. But as Connecticut prepares for the influx, affordable housing has become a challenge.

‘It’s the American spirit’: These Connecticut landlords are stepping up to help Afghan refugees arriving in the US
A black-and-white section of a painting of a woman surrounded by men in Puritan garb.

Most witches are women, because witch hunts were all about persecuting the powerless

Most witches are women, because witch hunts were all about persecuting the powerless
man hugging woman pastor in front of tall altar

They took sanctuary in a Connecticut church — but did not hide from immigration officers

They took sanctuary in a Connecticut church — but did not hide from immigration officers
Ilhan Omar clasps her husband’s mother's face in her hands as she smiles

These are the women who made history in this year's midterm elections

These are the women who made history in this year's midterm elections
The overall catch from lobstering in Maine was down 16.4 percent in 2017 from the year before. Those who catch lobsters for a living in the state are hoping that downfall does not continue in 2018.

The feast-or-famine life of lobstering in Maine

The feast-or-famine life of lobstering in Maine
Free the beaches

A new book chronicles efforts to desegregate Connecticut's beaches in the 1960s

The US civil rights movement to end racial segregation may have been most intense in the South, but there were also battles in the North, including in affluent beach communities in the state of Connecticut.

A new book chronicles efforts to desegregate Connecticut's beaches in the 1960s
Agent in uniform stands on bridge looking over green river

This is what the ‘zero-tolerance’ policy on the border means for people fleeing violence

A pregnant woman from Honduras and her young daughter broke away from a caravan and crossed the Rio Grande to get to the US. Had she done so just a few weeks later, she would have been arrested and separated from her child under a new DHS policy.

This is what the ‘zero-tolerance’ policy on the border means for people fleeing violence
Before the school shooting in Parkland, Florida, five states had "red flag" statutes called gun violence restraining orders. Recently, Florida became the six state to add the statute.

Researchers still struggle to get funding to study gun violence

Any potential money is barred by a congressional act known as the Dickey Amendment, which mandates that none of the funds available for injury prevention and control at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) would be “used to advocate or promote gun control."

Researchers still struggle to get funding to study gun violence
Democratic Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro at a rally in February 2017. DeLauro has become one of the most outspoken critics of NAFTA in Congress.

Progressives in Congress side with Trump on trade

NAFTA has governed the rules of trade between the US, Mexico and Canada since 1994. Today, many progressives who dislike NAFTA say President Trump is giving them the best chance in a generation to rewrite the rules of trade.

Progressives in Congress side with Trump on trade
Christmas lights decorations are lit at the Halliwell family home in Roseville Terrace in Fairfield, Connecticut, on Dec. 20, 2017.

Peace on Earth? Not during New York suburbs' Christmas light wars

Elaborate Christmas displays have turned some neighborhoods into tourist destinations, and not all the neighbors are pleased.

Peace on Earth? Not during New York suburbs' Christmas light wars
Roughly 220 guests came to the Mashantucket Pequot Museum for this year’s annual Thanksgiving FEAST. It was the second time the event was both held and sold out.

Culture, history and cuisine come together at this Native Thanksgiving dinner

The dinner is a chance for people to break bread together and hear a narrative that inspires critical thinking about Native life and legacy.

Culture, history and cuisine come together at this Native Thanksgiving dinner
OxyContin

The family that helped start the opioid crisis

The Sacklers have made billions of dollars off of opioids.

The family that helped start the opioid crisis
Church groups take part in a protest against President Barack Obama's immigration enforcement policies outside the White House in Washington July 31, 2014. The White House has indicated it will announce a plan to prevent an estimates 5 million from being

An undocumented mother of two US citizens hopes Obama will follow through on his immigration pledge

Ahead of a major announcement next week, one undocumented immigrant in Connecticut hopes she can finally live the American dream.

An undocumented mother of two US citizens hopes Obama will follow through on his immigration pledge
Lilian Chen goes by the gaming name "milktea"

This woman's gaming career took off in the back of her parents' Chinese restaurant

Lilian Chen grew up playing video games in the back of her parent's Chinese restaurant. She navigates between her life Chinese heritage at home and her American lifestyle at school. But it was in the world of gaming where Chen found home.

This woman's gaming career took off in the back of her parents' Chinese restaurant
The World

A Touch of India in North Carolina

What do you do when you're yearning for the familiar sights and smells of home? One Indian immigrant in North Carolina has opened a nursery that specializes in the plants of his native India.

A Touch of India in North Carolina