Jeff Cohen
Jeff Cohen started in newspapers in 2001 and joined Connecticut Public in 2010, where he worked as a reporter and fill-in host. In 2017, he was named news director.
In addition to covering state and Hartford city politics, Jeff covered the December 2012 Newtown shootings and the stories that followed. In 2012, Jeff was selected by NPR and Kaiser Health News for their jointHealth Care In The Statesproject. Much of his reporting has aired nationally on NPR. As news director, Jeff beganThe Island Next Door -- Puerto Rico and Connecticut After Hurricane Maria,which has won several awards, including one national and two regional Edward R. Murrow awards.
Jeff began as a reporter forThe Record-Journalin Meriden, Conn. before moving toThe Hartford Courant, where he won a National Headliner Award for a story about the ostracized widow of the state's first casualty in Iraq; wrote about his post-Katrina home in New Orleans; and was part of a team that broke stories of alleged corruption at Hartford City Hall that led to the arrest of the city’s mayor. His work has also appeared inThe New York Times.
Jeff lives with his wife andtwo daughters, whose haircutting incident brought the family more notoriety than journalism ever will.He's written two children's books, and he likes hiking, whitewater kayaking, napping outside, and making bread and wine.
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The problems facing the mainland in the aftermath of hurricanes Irma and Maria didn't skip this remote Puerto Rican island. But tourists still come and houses continue to sell. -
Because her chief of staff allegedly abused one of her other employees and wasn't immediately fired, Democratic Rep. Elizabeth Esty of Connecticut has announced she won't run for re-election.
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Puerto Rico is officially declaring itself open for tourism, three months after Hurricane Maria. The island needs the tourism dollars, but some visitors worry about vacationing amid the destruction.
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Many Puerto Ricans are still without electricity and basic services three months after Hurricane Maria. Some are prioritizing song, dance and celebration to feel more at home again. -
Alejandro La Luz Rivera misses his patio, his wife and his old life in Puerto Rico. He went to the mainland briefly, but says he won't leave his home. -
The stress of living in Puerto Rico without running water, electricity or Internet is especially affecting children. But they are slowly finding a new normal. -
Bridgeport is giving residents a bonus on entrance tests to recruit more local officers. It could be good for community relations, but it could also mean that city officials are lowering the bar. -
In Hamden, Conn., minority drivers were pulled over more often than whites for defective equipment, such as broken taillights. So the police changed their strategy. -
Deaths from opioid overdoses are on the rise, and we know that because of data on death certificates. States determine who fills them out and what information they record. And that can vary widely. -
When a woman addicted to opioids gives birth, she is too often dismissed as an obstacle to her infant's health. A Connecticut hospital is challenging that attitude — and the culture of care.
