WICC The Voice of Connecticut

Dr. Joanne Passalaqua from Hartford Healthcare spoke with Jon about the reality of Measles in CT, after the State see's it's third diagnosis this year.

We continued our back to school series focusing on other emergencies and unexpected events that could happen during the school day. We talked about swatting incidents, medical emergencies, evacuations and reunification so families feel more "in the know" while their kids are at school.

We met the 2027 Barnum Festival Ringmaster: Nick D'Addario. Find out about the Easton Selectman and local business leader's deep connections to the festival and P.T. Barnum. 

To keep tabs on the Barnum Festival: https://www.barnumfestival.org/

Image Credit: Elaine K. Ficarra

Florida’s privately run Brightline railroad was supposed to prove passenger rail could turn a profit. Instead, in 2025, it carried less than half its projected ridership and lost $127 million — plus another $114 million in interest. Now, with billions in debt and possible bankruptcy ahead, Connecticut’s rail advocates are asking: is privatization really the answer? That’s what Jim Cameron discussed in his latest article of Talking Transportation in CT Mirror.

To read his article: https://ctmirror.org/2026/08/30/floridas-failing-for-profit-railroad/

Swatting incidents are becoming more common during the school year. We spoke with Special Agent In-Charge, PJ O’Brien, and Public Affairs Specialist, Christine Jeltema, both from the FBI New Haven office, about the source of swatting calls and how to best combat them.

Image Credit: Eric Urbanowicz

Today is International Overdose Awareness Day. The state is reaffirming its commitment to combating the overdose crisis and bringing attention to addiction, recovery, and overdose prevention resources. We spoke with Luiza Barnat and Christopher McClure from the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services to talk more about overdose statistics in the state and resources to better support addicts.

For more information:
https://ctaddictionservices.com/
https://liveloud.org/

Connecticut is getting ten million dollars in federal funding to help young students improve their reading. The money will expand small-group instruction, train teachers, and provide new literacy materials and assessments. The program will focus on students in kindergarten through third grade, with a pilot launching in select schools. We spoke with Fran Rabinowitz, executive director of Connecticut Association of Public School Superintendents, about improving reading rates in our state.

Ryan Piper with an 18.49lb bluefish is the unofficial winner of The Surfside Hotel Greatest Bluefish Tournament on Earth. He weighed in at Cow Harbor Bait & Tackle in Northport, NY. 

Lanternflies have been a scourge of CT and much of the Northeast for the past few years, and experts advise you to kill them on sight! One man, Steve Dailey from Woodbridge, has created a website with his son that helps you track your kills and even compete against other users! Link below if you want to play!

https://lanternflygame.com/

Immigration attorney Dana Bucin returns to speak about the work she is doing with some of the people who were detained by ICE this week in Danbury.

A federal judge is weighing whether Yale New Haven Hospital’s cognitive testing policy for doctors over 70 violates age and disability discrimination laws. The EEOC argues there’s no evidence the testing improves patient safety. Yale says the test helps identify potential cognitive decline and protect patients. No ruling was issued Thursday. Attorney Gary Phelan is here with Hurwitz Sagarin & Slossberg in Milford and is also a law professor at Quinnipiac University.

Meta has agreed to pay up to 18 billion dollars to settle a landmark case over teen social media addiction. The deal with 48 states, including Connecticut, includes new protections for kids on Instagram and Facebook, including two-hour daily limits, stronger age checks and overnight restrictions. We spoke with John Powers, assistant professor and director of the graduate digital content create and strategy program at Quinnipiac University, following the news.

Was social distancing necessary? Are the masks even effective? Did we take the right actions with lockdowns during the pandemic or were we too delayed in responding appropriately? We continued the conversation dissecting the concerns drawn from Anthony Fauci's journal and getting medical facts now from our infectious disease expert, Dr. Fred Browne. 

Image Credit: Griffin Health

It is National Water Quality Month, and we got to speak with Emily Bulmer, Environmental Analyst at Save the Sound about the significance of this and learn more about bacteria monitoring programs in the Sound.

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

The mayor of Milford is proposing a pause in the city’s speed and red-light cameras and limiting the use of Flock cameras. We asked Milford Police Chief Keith Mello his thoughts on the cameras and how it impacts local law enforcement.

Image Credit: Eric Urbanowicz

What kinds of conversations or questions should parents have with their kids' schools before junior starts class? We started our back to school series with the prep for the new school year. 

The legendary Dolly Parton has passed away at 80 years old. Besides being arguably one of the greatest country singers of all time, she also did a lot to give back to her community and the US. One thing in particular was closing the gap for literacy rates in America. She created Imagination Library aimed at giving children five and under free books. Stratford is one of only a handful of municipalities involved in the program. We spoke with Janet Lengel who brought the program to Stratford in 2019. 

Two Bridgeport Democrats accused of absentee ballot fraud rejected plea deals and are heading for trial. City Councilman Alfredo Castillo and former Democratic Party vice chair Wanda Geter-Pataky face dozens of charges tied to the city’s 2019 and 2023 mayoral primaries. Both could face years in prison if convicted. We got reaction from John Gomes who ran unsuccessfully against Mayor Joe Ganim in 2023 and released the video of alleged absentee ballot stuffing.

For the third year, sixteen products made by Connecticut manufacturers from across the state are competing in this head-to-head competition. It’s an opportunity to learn about local manufacturing companies but also to explore the industry for the next generation of workers. We spoke about this more with CBIA Foundation Director, Dustin Nord.

To vote: https://www.cbia.com/coolest-thing/

A new study is revealing how prevalent brain injuries are in football players. According to a new study in The British Medical Journal -- researchers analyzed 17-hundred former NFL players who died between 2008 and 2021 and found that 338 brains were donated for examination. Among those donors, 93.2% had evidence of CTE. We spoke with Glenn Lungarini, executive director of the CIAC, which oversees high school athletics across the state.

Right now, Connecticut residents can pay homage to distinguished veterans from across the state. Do you know a veteran who has continued making positive impacts in their communities after leaving military service? If so, you can nominate them for induction into the Connecticut Veterans Hall of Fame. For more on this statewide honor, we connected with Commissioner Ron Welch, Connecticut Department of Veterans Affairs.

To nominate a veteran: https://portal.ct.gov/dva/pages/ct-veterans-hall-of-fame?language=en_US

For more resources to support veterans: https://portal.ct.gov/dva?language=en_US

As kids head back to school, experts say sleep should be part of the routine. CDC data shows about three out of four high school students don’t get the recommended eight hours on a typical school night. We spoke with Dr. Lynelle Schneeberg, Yale Medicine sleep psychologist and associate professor at Yale School of Medicine, for advice to improve sleep for kids and adults.

A now-former Naugatuck teacher is facing a charge after police say he exchanged numerous personal text messages with a 15-year-old student over several months. The 54-year-old educator turned himself in on Friday and is due in Waterbury Superior Court September ninth. Police say he is no longer employed by the school district. It’s another reminder about conversations with your kids identifying “kinda-knows.” We broke down what a kinda-know is and how to talk about this with your kids.

Image Credit: Nicole Perelli

Why do some CEOs get second chances after misconduct? A new Wall Street Journal report points to a familiar pattern: executives accused of violating company rules can sometimes land top jobs elsewhere. We talked about company culture and consequences with career strategist, Julie Bauke.

A busy Friday edition of "Connecticut Today" wrapped up the week with host Paul Pacelli (00:30) and former Bridgeport Sound Tigers' play-by-play voice Phil Giubileo (13:29) chatting about a rumored offer from a hockey consultant that could bring professional hockey back to the city's downtown arena. ABC Campaign Reporter Jared Kofsky chatted about whether high grocery prices will impact the mid-terms (22:56), while former Democratic state Rep. Chris Caruso dropped by for his weekly chat (26:56)

Wednesday's "Connecticut Today" with host Paul Pacelli focused on a recent survey looking at how many Connecticut voters view MAGA Republicans versus the Democratic Socialists of America, and which camp most Connecticut voters would choose (00:27). Hearst Connecticut Media's Dan Haar also dropped by in the 5 p.m. hour with his views on the biggest state stories (13:57)

Host Paul Pacelli opened Tuesday's "Connecticut Today" wondering if moving the state's Primary Day from August to either June or September would cure anemic voter turnout (00:29). ABC News National Correspondent Jim Ryan chatted about the latest military recruiting numbers (13:20), while Yankee Institute analyst and blogger Meghan Portfolio dropped by with her weekly update (15:59)

Host Paul Pacelli jump-started a new week on "Connecticut Today" with a look at the possibility of returning a controversial statue of Christopher Columbus to Bridgeport's Seaside Park, which is already rekindling some local tensions (00:32). We were also joined by Southington GOP state Sen. Rob Sampson, who explained a situation he was made aware of regarding law enforcement and the state's controversial "Trust Act." (13:49)

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