Episode 111
This week on NEXT: we hear from Salvadorans who are in the region on Temporary Protected Status, but might soon be forced to leave the country. And we visit the detention center where deported Salvadorans are welcomed back into El Salvador. Plus, a unique program teaches students how to play squash, and helps them gain admission to competitive schools. We also listen to the first episode of VPR’s new podcast, “JOLTED,” which explores a school shooting that didn’t happen, and the repercussions of the event. Finally, we discuss the link between mental illness and creativity and learn about the lives of a neurologist and a famous author.
It’s NEXT.
With TPS Ending, Families Face an Uncertain Future
Jose Zabala and his daughters. Photo by Ryan Caron King for Connecticut Public Radio
More than seven thousand Salvadorans living in Massachusetts and Connecticut with temporary immigration status face potential deportation next year when the humanitarian program allowing them to live in this country expires.
Connecticut Public Radio’s Diane Orson reports on two state residents who must decide whether to return to El Salvador or prepare to become untraceable.
Visiting the Government Center Where Deported Salvadorans Re-Enter El Salvador
A 21-year-old man deported from Boston is reunited with his mother at the Centro de Atención Integral a Migrante (Comprehensive Migrant Care Center) in San Salvador. Photo by Jesse Costa for WBUR
When Salvadorans are deported, many of them re-enter El Salvador at a government center in San Salvador. WBUR’s Shannon Dooling was recently in El Salvador and visited the processing center known as “La Chacra.”
View photos of Shannon Dooling’s and photographer Jesse Costa’s trip to Honduras and El Salvador.
Unique Program Makes Squash Accessible
Hartford teens Ku Paw, left, and Julissa Mota celebrates after getting accepted to Connecticut boarding schools. Opportunities came after they began playing squash a few years ago through the Capitol Squash program hosted at Trinity College in Hartford. Photo by Vanessa de la Torre for Connecticut Public Radio
Across the country, urban squash programs are teaching the sport of squash to low-income kids from the cities. There’s also academic tutoring mixed in, with the ultimate goal of getting students to college. Hartford’s urban squash program started in 2014, and the first recruits are just entering high school now. Connecticut Public Radio’s Vanessa de la Torre tells us about how Capitol Squash is already making an impact.
New Podcast Explores A Shooting That Didn’t Happen
Gov. Phil Scott signs three pieces of gun control legislation amid boos and cheers on the front steps of the statehouse Wednesday, April 11, 2018. Photo by Emily Alfin Johnson for VPR.
VPR’s new podcast, Jolted. Image by Aaron Shrewsbury for VPR
Back in February, the day after the school shooting in Parkland Florida, an 18-year old named Jack Sawyer was arrested in Vermont for allegedly planning a similar attack. The arrest motivated Vermont’s Republican Governor to reverse his position on gun control, ushering in the most sweeping gun control legislation in Vermont history, which was previously one of the most gun-friendly states in the nation.
But at the same time, the case against the young man fell apart.
Vermont Public Radio’s new podcast – “JOLTED” -is a five-part podcast about a school shooting that didn’t happen, the line between thought and crime, and a Republican governor in a rural state who changed his mind about gun laws. In this first episode,- we’ll hear how police found out about Jack Sawyer’s plot, and how they decided to arrest him.
Listen to the rest of the series here.
How the ‘Great God of Depression’ Changed the Conversation about Mental Illness
Dr. Alice Flaherty, afflicted with hypergraphia. Photo courtesy of Karen Brown
Showcase from Radiotopia’s new podcast, The Great God of Depression, produced with support from New England Public Radio
In the early 2000s, a Boston neurologist named Alice Flaherty was going through a bout of manic depression. She turned to a memoir by the famous author William Styron, who wrote about his own struggle with depression. Within a few years, Styron would fall into another depression, show up in Flaherty’s office, and beg her for help.
Their story is explored in a new podcast out of Showcase at Radiotopia, called “The Great God of Depression.” We speak with Karen Brown, who co-produced the podcast along with Pagan Kennedy, a Senior Reporter at NEPR.
Radiotopia and NEPR are hosting a podcast listening night for “The Great God of Depression” on Thursday, September 13 at 7 PM. You can find more information and get tickets here.
Photo at the top of the page: Shortly after being released, deportees purchase snacks and other various items from a woman set up outside of the Centro de Atención Integral a Migrante (Comprehensive Migrant Care Center) in San Salvador. Photo by Jesse Costa for WBUR
About NEXT
NEXT is produced at Connecticut Public Radio
Host: John Dankosky
Producer: Lily Tyson
Digital Producer: Carlos Mejia
Executive Producer: Catie Talarski
Contributors to this episode: Diane Orson, Shannon Dooling, Vanessa de la Torre, Nina Keck, Liam Elder-Connors, Emily Corwin, Karen Brown
Music: Todd Merrell, “New England” by Goodnight Blue Moon, “Proof of Love” by Paul Simon, “New Slang” by the Shins, “Everest” by Ani DiFranco
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