WICC The Voice of Connecticut

A new AAA study found Connecticut drivers admit to speeding more often than motorists nationwide. Eighteen percent of respondents called themselves frequent speeders, compared with 15 percent nationally. We discussed this further with Lauren Fabrizi from AAA Northeast.

Robin Williams’ children are bringing his Instagram account back to life — twelve years after his death. Zak, Zelda and Cody Williams say they want the page to be a safe, authentic home for real photos, videos and memories of their father, while pushing back against AI-generated versions of his voice and likeness. In an era of AI “slop,” they’re fighting to make sure Robin’s legacy stays unmistakably human. We spoke with our AI expert, Dr. Vahid Behzadan from the University of New Haven, about the situation and the importance of digital literacy.

We talked to Linda Ross with the Fairfield County Trauma Response Team. It is a nonprofit alliance of mental health professionals dedicated to helping first responders and the Connecticut community heal from trauma, tragedy, and stress. We learned about the work that they do for local first responders and an upcoming event tied to the 25th anniversary of 9/11.

For tickets to the September 13th event: Shilelagh Law (Half Way To St, Patrick’s Day) - Checkout | LineLeap Tickets

For more information: https://fctrt.org/

State leaders are taking aim at FEMA staffing cuts. Senator Richard Blumenthal is calling on the new FEMA Administrator to address staffing shortages they say could hinder the agency’s ability to respond to disasters. We spoke with Senator Blumenthal to learn more.

Connecticut is warning water utilities after cyberattacks disrupted systems in at least seven states. State officials say no Connecticut water system has reported an attack, but they acknowledge they don't know how many systems use the equipment targeted. To talk more about this, we chatted with Evan Allard, Director of the Connecticut Intelligence Center which is part of the state Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection.

More Connecticut students are making it to class. State data shows chronic absenteeism fell for the fourth straight year, with 16.4% of students missing at least 10% of the school year. That’s down from a pandemic peak of 23.7%. We got key takeaways from Ajit Gopalakrishnan, Chief Performance Officer for the Connecticut State Department of Education.

COVID infections are rising or likely rising in all 50 states, according to the CDC. Health experts say the latest summer wave could peak in early September. Wastewater data also shows COVID levels have more than doubled since July, with the South and West currently seeing some of the highest levels. We asked our infectious disease expert, Dr. Fred Browne, about the latest data and what that means with kids heading back to school soon.

Image Courtesy of Griffin Health

A deadly midair collision is under investigation in Pennsylvania. A small Cessna 150 struck a Pennsylvania State Police helicopter on Wednesday night near Carlisle Airport. The plane’s pilot was killed. Two state troopers aboard the helicopter were injured but are expected to recover. The FAA and NTSB are investigating what caused the crash. We checked in with retired commercial airline pilot from Connecticut, Paul Zielinski, to get perspective on the airport where this happened and more.

Child Psychologist and former school administrator Dr. Joe Schippa spoke with Jon about how to navigate your child's fears about back to school season, as well as your own!

15 year old Milford High School student has released his first game! Pixel Harvest is now available for download (link below) and Jon spoke with him about how he turned a hobby into a profit!

fischerboyyy.com

Today is National Aviation Day and Connecticut has a lot to celebrate. From Igor Sikorsky developing the world’s first practical helicopter in Stratford, to Pratt & Whitney engines powering commercial airliners and military aircraft, the state has helped shape the way the world flies. We spoke with Len Roberto Jr with the Connecticut Air and Space Center in Stratford about Connecticut’s rich aviation history and why it’s still such a prevalent industry in our state today.

For more information: https://www.ctairandspace.org/

Earlier this month, the Department of Consumer Protection released its Licensing Report for 2025. We spoke with DCP Commissioner Bryan Cafferelli about the significance of this report and some highlights from it. We also touched on the process to get licenses and whether penalties are strong enough for bad actors with important work-related licenses.  

For the full report: https://portal.ct.gov/dcp/news-releases-from-the-department-of-consumer-protection/2026-news-releases/dcp-releases-annual-licensing-report?language=en_US

Thousands of human-bear conflicts are reported each year and follow a long-term increasing trend. While greater numbers of conflicts take place in the western half of CT, residents report issues with bears across the state. Incidences of bears entering or breaking into homes occurred in 18 different municipalities statewide in 2025. We wanted to talk more about this with Jason Hawley, Supervising Wildlife Biologist for the Connecticut Black Bear Program. 

CT State of the Bears 2026 Report: https://portal.ct.gov/-/media/deep/wildlife/pdf_files/2026-state-of-the-bears.pdf?rev=a849aac72d5948af92a905ac1a574b27

Connecticut is expanding its guidance on technology use in schools. The State Board of Education now recommends bell-to-bell restrictions on students’ personal devices. The new guidance also addresses classroom screen time. We asked Milford Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Ana Cutaia, about how the district is researching tech instruction and learned about a new initiative called Log Off and Lock In.

About 2% of people worldwide will experience alopecia areata at some point in their lifetime. In the U.S., an estimated 700,000 people currently have alopecia areata, according to a large population study. We spoke with Julie Rachel who shared her story about being diagnosed with Alopecia as a teenager and the importance of learning more about the auto-immune disease. 

To register for The Walk for Alopecia: Walk For Alopecia® - National Alopecia Areata Foundation | NAAF

To contact Julia: julia.rachel02@gmail.com

The Lindsay Clancy murder trial is currently underway in Massachusetts, where the prosecution has just rested its case and the defense has begun presenting its arguments. The case centers on the tragic events of January 24, 2023, when 36-year-old Lindsay Clancy strangled her three young children. We got legal perspective from Marisa Bellair and Steven Errante at LTKE Law Firm.

Back-to-school photos are a fun tradition, but the Better Business Bureau says parents should think twice before posting. We spoke with Kristen Johnson of the BBB to learn more about this and better protect kids before they go back to school.

For more information: https://www.bbb.org/all/back-to-school

A deadly shooting in Hartford has left one person dead and four others wounded. Investigators are working to determine what led to the shooting, as they continue searching for answers and any possible suspects. But besides the alarming nature of this case, it also highlights a bigger issue with holding businesses more accountable and better supporting police across the state. We talked about it more with Senator Jason Perillo.

Today marks the two-year anniversary of the historic flooding event that devastated parts of Connecticut. On August 18th, 2024, torrential rain overwhelmed roads, homes and businesses, with some communities seeing record-breaking rainfall in just hours. The deadly storm left a lot of clean-up with the damage reaching an estimated 300 million dollars. We looked back at infrastructure impact from the storm with Josh Morgan of the Department of Transportation.

Milford is putting the brakes on plans to expand its network of Flock license-plate cameras. The city has enacted a moratorium while officials take a closer look at privacy concerns, data collection, and how the technology is being used. The pause gives the city time to consider what rules should govern the cameras moving forward. We spoke with Milford Alderman, Andy Fowler, about the ongoing debates around ALPR’s in the city.

Image Credit: Eric Urbanowicz

Opposition is growing for proposals surrounding Manresa Island in Norwalk. Some neighbors are pushing back on potential plans that could greatly impact traffic, noise and pollution. We spoke with Jess Vonashek, the executive director of Manresa Wilds, to address those concerns.

For more information: https://www.manresawilds.org/

Nine people had to be rescued from the breakwater at Bridgeport’s Seaside Park. This happened yesterday afternoon after the rising tide left them stranded. We spoke with Bridgeport acting Fire Chief Mark Cody about the situation and water safety in general.

A judge has cleared the way for a retrial of Raul Valle in the deadly stabbing of Fairfield Prep student James McGrath. Valle was acquitted of murder last year, but the jury deadlocked on four lesser charges. When you look back on the first trial, something still doesn't sit right with a lot of people...two other teens got immunity deals. How do immunity deals work, why are they offered, and how does it work when police have informants? 

Host Paul Pacelli opened Wednesday's "Connecticut Today" looking at the previous night's primary results, which included an easy win for incumbent Gov. Ned Lamont and an upset win for former Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin (00:34). ABC News Campaign Reporter Gaby Vinick dropped by to chat about some other key national primaries (14:16), while Hearst Connecticut Media's Dan Haar offered his thoughts on some of Tuesday's final numbers (17:16). He also talked about the death of former Connecticut Lt. Gov. Nancy Wyman

"Connecticut Today" host Paul Pacelli welcomed Connecticut's Primary Day 2026 by wondering why so many Connecticut residents constantly vote for candidates who get very little done (00:29). ABC News law enforcement contributor and retired Senior Secret Service Agent Don Mihalek dropped by (14:50), along with columnist and blogger Meghan Portfolio (19:48)

Monday's "Connecticut Today" with host Paul Pacelli rolled into a new week looking at a plea to cities and towns from Gov. Ned Lamont for a pause in installing new automated license plate reader systems (00:25). We also chatted with ABC's News Digital Health and Science reporter Mary Kekatos (13:25), as well as columnist and blogger Terry Cowgill (16:34)

Host Paul Pacelli wrapped up another busy week on "Connecticut Today" wondering about Hamden state Rep. Josh Elliott's promise to arrest ICE officers and set up a legal defense fund for immigrants facing deportation, if he's elected Governor (00:31). We also welcomed ABC News correspondent Chris Boccia (13:56), Southington GOP state Sen. Rob Sampson (17:23), and former Bridgeport Democratic state Rep. Chris Caruso (24:48) to the show as well

Host Paul Pacelli highlighted news concerning big national increases in regular, daily use of marijuana as the lead story on Thursday's edition of "Connecticut Today" (00:44). We checked in with Stonington GOP state Rep. Greg Howard - who's also an active-duty police officer - regarding a controversial bill that could put local law enforcement officers in legal jeopardy during the current election season (13:11). ABC News reporter Alex Stone dropped by to chat about another disturbing artificial intelligence story (21:08), while former state Senate GOP Leader John McKinney was on board with his weekly update (24:05)

Host Paul Pacelli opened Wednesday's "Connecticut Today" with word that a couple of high-ranking Democratic state lawmakers are contemplating further regulations on those controversial automated license plate readers, or ALPR's (00:35). GOP state Sen. Dr. Jeff Gordon also weighed in on the ALPR controversy (14:31), while ABC's Diana Paulsen dropped by the talk about the previous night's big primaries (21:25). Finally, we welcomed Hearst Connecticut Media's Dan Haar with his weekly update (25:38)

Tuesday's "Connecticut Today" featured host Paul Pacelli chatting about the reluctance of the state's big teachers' unions to get behind a federal voucher program sponsored by the White House that involved no state money (00:32). ABC News Digital Journalist Oren Oppenheim joined us to chat about some of the day's big primaries (16:24), while Yankee Institute blogger Meghan Portfolio dropped by with her weekly update (20:07)

Host Paul Pacelli opened a new week on "Connecticut Today" looking at some surprising statements from former Vice-President Kamala Harris, who's rumored to be considering another White House run for 2028 (00:35). Retired FBI agent Ken Gray joined us from the University of New Haven to chat about the growing controversy surrounding automated license plate readers (14:34), while blogger and columnist Terry Cowgill dropped by from the CT NewsJunkie (22:40)

Dr. Shea Gregg from Hartford Healthcare spoke with Jon about the rising number of e-bike and e-scooter accidents and what prospective riders need to know before hopping on one! 

Dr. Stephanie Sudikoff, Chief of Pediatrics at St. Vincents, spoke with Jon about what vaccines are needed for the upcoming school year, and how a recent executive order may shake up the schedule.

Despite Governor Lamont's decisive victory in the primary, Josh Elliot's impressive performance may be yet another sign of a coming generational shift in the modern Democratic Party. Bridgeport DTC member John Fitzpatrick spoke with Jon about the growth of progressive politics in CT.

Filling in on "Melissa in the Morning," host Paul Pacelli welcomed Quinnipiac University Sports Dietitian and Clinical Professor of Health and Exercise Dana White to discuss the newly published "National Athletic Trainers' Association Position Statement: Evaluation of Dietary Supplements for Athlete Safety and Performance."

Following the primary election results, we spoke with Senate Minority Leader Steve Harding. With a democratic majority in Hartford and the primary results now in the rearview mirror, what are the chances of having a Republican governor? We also spoke about a public forum tackling growing black bear populations in the state.

If you have questions or comments regarding bears, email: stephen.harding@cga.ct.gov

More and more communities in Connecticut are trying to navigate safer ways to deal with e-bikes in their neighborhoods. Recently, Norwalk had a serious crash between a juvenile rider and a truck. We spoke with Police Chief James Walsh from the Norwalk Police Department about the upward trend of young people riding these e-motorcycles and how families can help be part of the solution.

Connecticut’s primary results are in—and there’s a major shakeup in the First Congressional District. Former Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin defeated 14-term Congressman John Larson, marking a historic incumbent primary loss. Meanwhile, Governor Ned Lamont turned back a challenge from progressive state Representative Josh Elliott. For more key takeaways from the primary election, we checked in with Sacred Heart University political professor, Dr. Gary Rose.

The Connecticut Office of Higher Education formally launched its redesigned Connecticut Credential Registry. It’s a mobile-friendly public resource that allows users to search for Connecticut schools and explore education and training programs offered across the state. We got more details on this from Sean Seepersad, Division Director of Academic Affairs at the Connecticut Office of Higher Education.

For more information: p.veoci.com/CTCredentialRegistry

Connecticut’s Department of Children and Families is making changes following concerns raised after a child’s death. DCF says it’s strengthening case reviews and safety practices, including additional oversight of high-risk cases. The changes come after the Office of the Child Advocate raised concerns about whether DCF policies were being consistently followed. We spoke with Christina Ghio, the state’s child advocate.