WICC The Voice of Connecticut

A bill being discussed in Hartford would use IQ tests to determine eligibility for Connecticut state benefits. The measure already passed unanimously out of the Human Services Committee and allows more people to qualifies for services. But ranking senator on the committee, Jason Perillo, says it doesn’t necessarily make the impact it should. We also talked about a bill regarding state sales tax breaks got bipartisan support and now heads to the Senate for a vote and how it doesn’t financially go far enough.

Picture Credit: Dee Ortiz

State Senator Tony Hwang announced his retirement at the end of his term this year. The Fairfield-based Senator has been in the legislature representing the 28th district for five terms. We got an exclusive in-studio interview with Senator Hwang about his decision and what his future political plans are.

To read his recent Op-ed: https://www.ctpost.com/opinion/article/hwang-washington-kings-democracy-22157159.php

Image Credit: Eric Urbanowicz

Last week, a jury awarded $375 million against Meta for violating New Mexico’s unfair trade practices law by failing to safeguard users of its apps from Child predators. Also, an LA jury just awarded a single plaintiff $3 million in compensatory damages and $3 million in punitive damages against Meta and YouTube following allegations that the design features were intended to be addictive. We spoke with Attorney David Slossberg of Hurwitz Sagarin & Slossberg in Milford about these cases. Attorney Slossberg is the leading authority in CT on our state’s unfair trade practices law.

We spoke with career strategist, Julie Bauke, about the concept of living your career in chapters like we do in our lives. How do we adjust our thinking on our workplace chapters, identify transferable skills and other jobs that would work for us besides “the obvious?”

A bill that would commission a study on building a bridge between Long Island and Bridgeport may not become a reality this year. Developer Stephen Shapiro spoke with Jon about why this project is not only worth the time and money, but could also have massive long-term gains. 

A man accused of murdering a Bridgeport firefighter over the weekend is expected to appear in court Monday. When police responded to Feeley Street in Stratford, where they found 41-year-old Bridgeport firefighter, Terrence Cramer, bleeding heavily from a gunshot wound. Hours later, police arrested Jabari Bush in Derby after a brief chase. We spoke with Stratford Police Captain Jerry Pinto about the investigation and suspect involved.

Bridgeport is mourning the loss of a dedicated city firefighter. Terrence Cramer served the City of Bridgeport for 9.5 years. Chief Lance Edwards says Cramer demonstrated an unwavering commitment to protecting the lives and safety of others. The investigation around Firefighter Cramer’s passing is underway. We spoke to Fire Chief Lance Edwards about Cramer’s legacy.

A man allegedly killed his girlfriend and two kids before turning the gun on himself in Plainville. What can we take away from this case of domestic violence and how can we tackle this ongoing issue in our state? We spoke with former police chief Gary MacNamara who is on the board for the Center for Family Justice, protecting survivors and their children in domestic violence situations. He is also the White Ribbon Committee Chairperson to end violence against women by engaging men in the process of personal, relational and social change.

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At last check, the Save America Act, which tackles voter registration and absentee ballots, has passed in the US House but is still being debated in the US Senate. If it passes, there are a lot of polar opposite policies in the act compared to our election laws on the books here in Connecticut. We spoke with Secretary of the State Stephanie Thomas about the confusion surrounding the Save America Act and its impact on Connecticut if approved.  

House Republican Leader Vincent Candelora and members of the House Republican Caucus will hold a news conference today to discuss a proposal on property tax relief. We got the scoop ahead of the announcement what a tax break entails.

After the case of a Darien teacher allegedly touching a student inappropriately, a state representative worked with the district to create a bill to better protect kids. Rep. Tracy Marra shared the details of House Bill 5327: An Act Authorizing the Disclosure of an Open Investigation of Abuse or Neglect or Sexual Misconduct in the Hiring Process of School Employees.

For the full bill: https://www.cga.ct.gov/2026/TOB/H/PDF/2026HB-05327-R00-HB.PDF

Connecticut lawmakers are demanding financial relief for local farmers. State Republicans are highlighting how Connecticut farmers face an unsustainable crisis due to low milk prices and high production costs with two bills. We got insight from Seth Bayler, owner of Oakridge Dairy in Ellington, a fifth-generation farmer in our state.

New research was published in JAMA Internal Medicine revealing how physical therapy costs vary substantially based on state/location in the U.S. and insurance status. So, how does Connecticut fare? We asked Dr. Josh Skydel, co-author of this study and part of the Yale School of Medicine, for more.

For more on the study: https://news.yale.edu/2026/03/05/cost-physical-therapy-varies-widely-state-state

The trial is underway for former State Senator Dennis Bradley of Bridgeport. Bradley was charged with campaign finance fraud connected to his winning 2018 run for legislative office. We spoke with Bradley’s attorney, Darnell Crosland, about the case and what we can expect next.

The Public Utilities Regulatory Authority approved the sale of Aquarion Water Company.  Parent company Eversource is selling Aquarion to the South Central Connecticut Regional Water Authority, paving the way for the state's largest water utility to become a public entity. We checked back in with Senator Ryan Fazio about what, if anything, lawmakers could do moving forward with this deal.

A new police chief is nominated in New Haven. Mayor Justin Elicker nominated David Zannelli as the city's next police chief. Zannelli has served as acting police chief since the departure of former Police Chief Karl Jacobsen amid an embezzlement scandal earlier this year. We got to know Chief Zannelli and his vision for the department moving forward.  

Pfizer is working on a Lyme Disease vaccine, and many Connecticut residents are eager to have more tools in the toolbox to take on ticks in our state and tick-borne illnesses. But is this actually the answer? Our infectious disease expert, Dr. Fred Browne of Griffin Health, says he’s not convinced it’s a good idea, yet.

Image Courtesy of Griffin Health System and Dr. Fred Browne

A revised bill would adopt new cardiac screening requirements for all Connecticut high school athletes, including possibly mandating electrocardiogram tests in some cases. But are rules like these already in place? We asked Glenn Lungarini, executive director of the CIAC.

Hundreds of Stamford students are protesting involuntary transfers of local principals. Why would the superintendent make these switch-ups near the end of this school year? We spoke with Stamford Education Association President John Corcoran.

In an update, the nursing supervisor on duty when a 93-year-old woman died outside the nursing home, has multiple sexual assault charges against him. The death of this woman led the state to order the closure of Bickford Health Care Center in Windsor Locks and requiring patients to be transferred to other facilities by April 10th. It leads to a bigger conversation about how people handling our most vulnerable populations are able to slip through the cracks for employers. We spoke about this with Senator Paul Cicarella, the leading Republican on the legislature’s General Law, Judiciary, and Public Sa...

Host Paul Pacelli welcomed GOP State Sen. Rob Sampson (00:26) and Yankee Institute blogger Meghan Portfolio (10:49) to Tuesday's edition of "Connecticut Today" with the latest from the State Capitol. Paul also had a few thoughts on the honesty of many Connecticut state lawmakers (19:36)

A new, state-of-the-art active shooter training facility is coming to Bristol. It would be the first of its kind in New England. And it’s no coincidence that the location is in Bristol. In 2022, we lost two of our own, Lt. Dustin Demonte and Sgt. Alex Hamzy in an ambush attack. A third officer on scene, Alec Iurato, who was injured during the incident, took out the shooter with a single shot. He joined us in studio with Bristol Fire Chief Richard Hart, to talk about the facility idea born after that tragedy and its potential impact on our st...

The Wall Street Journal highlighted how more and more people want to start their own business over joining Corporate America. We spoke with career strategist, Julie Bauke, about the good and bad of going the entrepreneurial route and are there ways companies can compromise to avoid people jumping ship.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers were reportedly sent to more than a dozen airports, including New York’s JFK airport. About 50,000 TSA officers have not been paid due to the partial US government shutdown, after Congress failed to pass funding legislation. What does this mean for airport activity and is there political jargon being irresponsibly used around this situation? We asked Former FBI Agent, Ken Gray.

Image Credit: Reuters

Host Paul Pacelli started a fresh week on "Connecticut Today" by welcoming University of New Haven Department of Sports, Tourism, and Hospitality Prof. Rob Holub to chat about the future of the Total Mortgage Arena in Bridgeport (00:45). Paul opened the show wondering if course material from taxpayer-supported state colleges should be exempt from Freedom of Information Commission action (11:20). CBS News Legal Analyst Thane Rosenbaum explained a key Mississippi absentee ballot case at the Supreme Court that could affect Connecticut (26:17)

An Air Canada Express jet collided with a fire truck while ​landing at New York's LaGuardia airport late on Sunday. Both pilots on board died, dozens of people got hurt and the facility needed to ground flights until Monday afternoon. We spoke with retired airline pilot, Paul Zielinski, about the situation and he addressed passenger fears following tragic events like this.

Image Credit: Reuters

It’s officially spring and the annual Norwalk Oyster Festival will be here before you know it. Already, a scammer is trying to dupe people ahead of the event. We talked to Kristen Johnson of the Better Business Bureau Connecticut to learn about the scam and how vendors can avoid a double whammy!

To report a scam: Find and Report a Scam | Better Business Bureau

The new season of ABC's reality TV series The Bachelorette was all filmed and set to premiere on Sunday. But parent company Disney now says it will not air as planned. The decision to shelve the show's 22nd season came on Thursday, after TMZ posted a video showing would-be bachelorette Taylor Frankie Paul physically attacking her then-boyfriend in 2023. What can we take away from this situation and how important is it to frequently talk about healthy relationships with your kids? We asked Gary MacNamara, board member for The Center for Family Justice.

For more information: https://centerforfamilyjustice...

With the announced departure of the American Hockey League's Bridgeport Islanders, host Paul Pacelli discussed what re-purposing could be in the future for the Total Mortgage Arena (00:46). Former Bridgeport Islanders play-by-play announcer Phil Giubileo talked about the team's announced move to Ontario, Canada (15:55). Former Bridgeport Democratic State Rep. Chris Caruso joined us for his weekly update (26:58), while we wrapped up the show talking to Cindy Cohn, author of, "Privacy's Defender: My Thirty-Year Fight Against Digital Surveillance" (36:17)

Senate Bill 452 proposes to ban helium sales for balloon inflation. Lawmakers are targeting balloon releases because they are a known source of litter and environmental damage, especially to birds and marine life. However, business owners who rely on helium for their sales say this legislation can run them out of business.

For more information on SB 452: https://www.cga.ct.gov/asp/CGABillStatus/cgabillstatus.asp?selBillType=Bill&bill_num=SB452

Image Credit: Eric Urbanowicz

The American Heart Association’s updated guidance calls for people as young as 30 (and particularly men) who are at risk for heart disease to take steps to lower their cholesterol. We learned more about this from Dr. Erica Spatz, Associate Professor of Cardiology and Associate Professor of Epidemiology at Yale School of Medicine.

The Bridgeport Police Department provided an update Wednesday to the nearly 25-year-old cold case regarding the disappearance of 10-year-old Bianca Lebron. We spoke with Detective Jeffrey Holtz for the latest on this case.

For more information: https://www.missingkids.org/blog/2026/released-today-new-age-progression-of-bianca-lebron

Many Milford residents wanted to hear from Mayor Rich Smith about revaluations and property taxes. He came in studio to address his plan to phase in revaluations for residents, use a spending freeze for city departments and handle the uptick in labor contracts.

Image Credit: Eric Urbanowicz

Host Paul Pacelli opened Thursday's "Connecticut Today" with news of a committee vote in Hartford that might pave the way for higher-potency marijuana products to be sold in the state (00:33).  Bethany / Waterbury / Cheshire / Prospect GOP State Rep. Lezlye Zupkus talked about this week's committee vote on a controversial homeschooling bill (14:49). Former State Senate GOP leader John McKinney also offered his thoughts on that bill, as well as other news out of Hartford (23:44)

Two bills regarding online privacy and safety passed out of General Law Committee and move on to the full legislature for approval. We learned about Senate Bills 4 and 5 from Senator James Maroney, Chair of the General Law and Deputy Majority Leader of the Senate.

For more on Senate Bill 4: https://www.cga.ct.gov/asp/CGABillStatus/cgabillstatus.asp?selBillType=Bill&bill_num=sb4

For more on Senate Bill 5: https://www.cga.ct.gov/asp/CGABillStatus/cgabillstatus.asp?selBillType=Bill&bill_num=SB5

There’s a bill to potentially help parents have a better understanding of what goes on in their kids’ classrooms. But what would it mean for educators now needing to constantly post curriculum and does it really actually address the issue some parents have with their schools? We asked Kate Dias of the Connecticut Education Association.

For more on Senate Bill 308: https://www.cga.ct.gov/asp/cgabillstatus/cgabillstatus.asp?selBillType=Bill&which_year=2026&bill_num=sb+308

Milford Public Schools announced which two elementary schools may eventually close. It’s part of the district's long-range facilities plan which includes consolidating eight elementary schools to six. We talked more about this with superintendent, Dr. Anna Cutaia.

For more information: https://www.milforded.org/page/long-range-facilities-plan
UPCOMING MEETINGS / PUBLIC HEARINGS:

A new study says the heart benefits from GLP-1 drugs begin to fade soon after patients stop taking the medication. Dr. Browne explained why those findings are NOT that shocking. Plus, New research shows belly fat may be a stronger indicator of heart failure than body mass index. Dr. Browne talked about the failures of BMI and how to test belly fat internally.

Image Courtesy of Griffin Health and Dr. Fred Browne