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Tolland and Windham Region

Our Tolland and Windham Region coverage includes stories about all the towns in the Tolland and Windham Counties, ranging from Somers and Hebron to Thompson and Sterling.

The Last Wolf in Connecticut

By Emily Dunnack • Nov 29, 2013
Connecticut Historical Society

Israel Putnam is a name that stands out in the colonial history of Connecticut as a war hero of the French and Indian War and the American Revolution. Prior to his wartime glory, he earned the nickname “Wolf Putnam” by killing what was believed to be the last wolf in Connecticut when he was a young farmer in the eastern Connecticut town of Pomfret.

End of Bilingual Education in Windham Forces English Language Learners to Cope

By • Nov 21, 2013
carlosbezz/iStock / Thinkstock

As the number of Hispanic students in Connecticut's schools continues to rise, the achievement gap between these students and their white classmates remains. Gaps can be found in every grade, in every subject, in just about every school district in the state. The highest percentage of English language learners can be found in the town of Windham. In the past year, there have been big changes there to the way Hispanic students are being taught.

Film Sheds Light on Hidden World of Supermax Prisons

By • Oct 28, 2013
Visual Law Project

Yale Law School’s Visual Law Project has created a film about Northern Correctional Institution in Somers, Connecticut. The documentary film sheds light on the hidden world of supermax prisons, where inmates may be held in solitary confinement for weeks, months, and even years at a time. The film is called "The Worst of the Worst."

Putnam Bans Non-Essential Water Use

By Heather Brandon • Oct 1, 2013

Putnam has banned non-essential water use as of today because the water level in the Little River is low. Residents may not water lawns and gardens or wash cars, and they are urged to conserve water for showers and household cleaning. No rain is expected for several days, which means the ban could last a week or longer.

Small Business After Hours: The Not-So-Quiet Corner

By , & Heather Brandon • Sep 20, 2013
Tucker Ives / WNPR

Have you visited the Quiet Corner lately? In nighttime satellite imagery, it shows up as a swath of darkness in a field of twinkling lights. This rural area is larger than you might think - it’s about half the size of Arizona’s Grand Canyon, and about ten times the size of Acadia National Park in Maine. And it’s almost 80 percent forest and farmland.

Live from UConn: One-on-One with Susan Herbst

By , , Heather Brandon & • Sep 6, 2013
Jillian Ives

We’re at the Student Union on the Storrs campus as a new school year is underway, and the state’s flagship school is back in the news once again. They’re planning new facilities, like a $100-million recreation center for students, and they're preparing for an even bigger rebuild that will require a new flow of water onto campus.

There’s also a "flow" of money for top administrators at the school, as some students worry about what this means for the rising cost of college.

Agriculture Chief Hopes Grants Boost "Locally Grown"

By Sujata Srinivasan • May 13, 2013
Sujata Srinivasan

The recent growth in farmer's markets in Connecticut speaks to the increasing popularity of locally grown food. Now the state's Department of Agriculture has big plans for Connecticut-grown produce to fuel the economy and create jobs. 

Storrs Downtown Supermarket Plans Hit A Snag

By Neena Satija • Dec 10, 2012

The new Storrs Center just down the road from the University of Connecticut is buzzing with activity. But that project is only partly finished, and the developers have had to make some very big changes to what’s left of it. Critics say those changes could undo the attempt to create a college downtown atmosphere where none existed before.

Sam Pickering "Doesn't Have An Answer"

By • Sep 14, 2012
Wikimedia Commons

Remember the 1989 Robin Williams movie “Dead Poet’s society?” An unorthodox and inspirational teacher takes on the establishment culture of a prestigious boy’s school.

The real-life teacher who helped inspire that character has been teaching literature at UConn since 1978. Sam Pickering told us that he doesn’t really think much about the movie. He told us that he “only saw it once” and even missed parts of it.

Beating the Downturn Together

By Lori Ann Brass • Jun 30, 2012

The economic downturn has hit many of the small towns in Connecticut ’s Northwest corner hard.   As WNPR’s Lori Ann Brass reports, these “ Main Street ” business districts think they have a much better chance of surviving the economic downturn if they work together.  

 

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