The Point with Mindy Todd

Cool rains have made our spring gardens extra lush. Horticulturist and entomologist Roberta Clark joins Mindy Todd in The Point studio to talk over favorite plant varieties, and lots of tips for getting the best results in the garden. Listeners from around the Cape and Islands join in with suggestions, questions and comments.

WCAI News Director Sean Corcoran hosts a discussion with area journalists about the top local news stories of the week.

Joining Sean this week are Cindy McCormick of the Cape Cod Times; Tim Wood of the Cape Cod Chronicle; Andy Tomolonis of the New Bedford Standard Times; Ed Miller of the Provincetown Banner; Joshua Balling of the Nantucket Inquirer and Mirror; and Nelson Sigelman of the Martha's Vineyard Times.

Cape Cod modern jazz guitarist Fred Fried has a sound that's at once bubbling and commanding.  One reviewer has said that Fried is "leagues apart from other players who haven't yet learned that guitarists should take a breath now and then."  Fried and flutist Bruce Abbott visit our studios to talk about the new CD Core Four & More.  They talk with WCAI's Mindy Todd, and we hear samples from the album.

Cape Cod writer Lauren Wolk created a story that she describes as terrifying challenges facing an eleven-year-old girl, but she says it’s laced through with what she learned as a child on the farm where her mother grew up.  Wolk talks with Mindy Todd about her writing, the book Wolf Hollow, and the process of bringing the story to l

The Hawthorne Barn, originally a space for artists in Provincetown to study and work, was renovated and reborn four years ago.  It now serves as a space, once a month, where classes and events are shared with the public and the world.

Kenyan singer-songwriter Maia von Lekow's music combines several genres.   She grew up in a musical background with a German/Italian mother, and a Kenyan father.  She talks to Mindy Todd about her influences and philosophy, and how she overcomes stage fright.  She also sings for us!  Maia von Lekow will be performing on Cape Cod this month.

Today we discuss the local candidates who are running for election in the primary in September with WCAI’s Kathryn Eident and Geoff Spillane of the Cape Cod Times.

Today we discuss the opening of the New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center and their efforts to digitize the cultural heritage of the fishing community. Host Mindy Todd speaks with Laura Orleans, Executive Director.  

 Mindy Todd hosts a discussion of the latest in Bird News with Mark Faherty, Science Coordinator at Mass Audubon's Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary.  The Spring Migration has brought some surprises to the shores of Cape Cod.

 Dr. Bill Thomas is traveling the country trying to change people's attitudes about aging, and he’s doing it in a rather unconventional way- through music, poetry, and interactive performance. Thomas talks to Mindy Todd.  His Life's Most Dangerous Game tour comes to the Cape Cinema in Dennis on May 16.  Click here for details.

 Mindy Todd speaks with author Michael Tougias.  His new book So Close to Home chronicles the harrowing story of a family onboard a freighter sunk by a German U Boat and their struggle to survive at sea. 

Crisis can come at any moment and to anyone- whether it’s the loss of a job or a spouse, bankruptcy, a divorce or illness.  Having a place to turn for assistance, support, and education can make all the difference.  The Women’s Empowerment Through Cape Area Networking -- or WE CAN -- has been providing this support for women on Cape Cod for 15 years through a variety of programs.

Many listeners might be surprised to learn that sex trafficking, including the trafficking of children, is taking place on the Cape and islands.   On The Point, host Mindy Todd talks with the director of Children's Cove, Stacy Gallagher, about the problem and what is known about the children involved.

Inspiration for poetry comes in many ways.  We hear from three poets: Jarita Davis, who talks about how her Cape Verdean culture has inspired her writing.  Her book is Return Flights;  Alica Kociemba reads from her book Bourne Bridge, a collection that pays tribute to the power of family, the influence of place, and the importance of relationships. 

Instilling a love of reading at an early age, and how to identify and help children who are struggling to read.  Host Mindy Todd talks with two guests.  Mary Cronin teaches early childhood education and children’s literature at a number of institutions including Cape Cod Community College and Bridgewater State University.

Those books that made huge impressions on you when you were younger.  Remember them?  What happens when you read them again?  Mindy Todd hosts a discussion on books you can't forget.  Guests are: Jill Erickson, reference librarian at Falmouth Public Library; and Dr. Janet Gardner, former English professor at U-Mass Dartmouth.

Here's a list of Janet's and Jill's books.

WCAI News Director Sean Corcoran hosts a discussion with area journalists about the top local news stories of the week.

WCAI News Director Sean Corcoran hosts a discussion with area journalists about the top local news stories of the week.

WCAI News Director Sean Corcoran hosts a discussion about the top local news stories of the week with area journalists. Joining Sean this week are Patrick Cassidy of the Cape Cod Times; Tim Wood of the Cape Cod Chronicle; Joshua Balling of the Nantucket Inquirer and Mirror; Sara Brown of the Vineyard Gazette; Ryan Bray of the Falmouth Enterprise; Jim DeArruda of the New Bedford Standard Times; and Nelson Sigelman of the Martha's Vineyard Times.

WCAI News Director Sean Corcoran hosts a discussion with journalists about the top local news stories of the week. Joining him this week are Patrick Cassidy of the Cape Cod Times; Andy Tomolonis of the New Bedford Standard-Times; Joshua Balling of the Nantucket Inquirer and Mirror; Caitlyn Russell of The Register (Dennis-Yarmouth); Nelson Sigelman of the Martha's Vineyard Times; and Tim Wood of the Cape Cod Chronicle.

WCAI News Director Sean Corcoran hosts a discussion about the top local news stories of the week. Joining him are Patrick Cassidy of the Cape Cod Times; Jim DeArruda at the New Bedford Standard-Times; Joshua Balling of the Nantucket Inquirer and Mirror; Tim Wood of the Cape Cod Chronicle; Caitlin Russell of The Register (Dennis-Yarmouth); and Barry Stringfellow with the Martha's Vineyard Times.

The Gay Head Lighthouse is an icon, both on Martha's Vineyard, and for the generations of seafarers who have referred to the light for safe passage in and out of Vineyard Sound. Due to coastal erosion the Light is now precipitously close to the edge of the Gay Head Cliffs and efforts are underway to raise money to move the light away from the brink.

Help say good-bye and good riddance to 2014 with the Capitol Steps and our annual year-end review. It's all in our hour-long radio special of "Politics Takes a Holiday!" This year will feature all-new awards, such as:

• "Is that guy jumping the White House fence, or is he just really into Michelle's 'Get Moving' campaign?"
• "You say ISIS, I say ISIL. Let's call the whole thing off."
• And of course, "I scream, you scream, we all scream EBOLA!"

Sean Corcoran, WCAI's news director, hosts a roundup of local and regional news stories. Joining Sean this week is Anne Brennan, digital editor at The Cape Cod Times and Cape Cod Online; Tim Wood, editor of The Cape Cod Chronicle; Joshua Balling, assistant editor of The Nantucket Inquirer and Mirror; Nelson Sigelman of the Martha's Vineyard Times; Jim DeArruda of the New Bedford Standard Times; and Geoff Spillane, a reporter at The Mashpee Enterprise.

WCAI News Director Sean Corcoran hosts a roundup of the top stories of the week in the Cape, Islands and Coast region.