WICC The Voice of Connecticut

We take a look at a tragic story involving a Penn State student. A 22-year-old had his cell phone stolen and after the pursuit to get it back, things turned deadly. We talked about "taking off our blinders" to see what threats could lie ahead when something is taken from you. 

An amazing event providing clean-up services for Success Village in Bridgeport still rubbed some residents the wrong way. We did a little digging and realized one of the financial backers of the incredible event was a source of anger for some residents. Melissa replayed a conversation with former Senator Dennis Bradley to shed light on why some residents boycotted the event meant to do good for the complex. 

A report released last month showed a troubling decline in student test scores dating back to 2015, with performance falling most notably in children’s reading ability. Researchers say that kids and adults who have trouble reading have traditionally relied on family members for help but are now turning to artificial intelligence. We spoke with Fran Rabinowitz, Executive Director at the Connecticut Association of Public School Superintendents, about the findings and what we can do to combat the problem.

Jimmy McGrath was a young man whose life was taken far too soon. McGrath was fatally stabbed at a Shelton house party in May of 2022. There is an attempt right now to have a second trial for his killer, Raul Valle. This is the first time we spoke publicly about the case and the trial of Valle with Kevin McGrath, Jimmy’s dad. We also talked about the Jimmy McGrath Foundation and their upcoming golf outing on June 15th.

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

Three Connecticut children have died in the past two months from overdoses of a common, over-the-counter medication. There are now concerns that “the Benadryl challenge" could be resurging online. The Office of Child Advocate has not confirmed the deaths are linked to the deadly trend. We spoke with Dr. Kirsten Bechtel with the Center for Injury and Violence Prevention and Professor of Pediatrics and Emergency Medicine at Yale School of Medicine about locking up medications and getting ahead of kids consuming dangerous content online.

**Help is available through https://www.connectingtocarect.org; by dialing 211 or 988; and through th...

We officially have a team! There was a long statewide process ending with an independent lottery drawing to determine 110 people to make up the Connecticut Citizens’ Assembly. The group is tasked with tackling one of Connecticut's most challenging affordability issues: property taxes. We spoke with CCM Executive Director and CEO, Joe DeLong, about this and what we can expect.

Host Paul Pacelli (00:34) and CT NewsJunkie columnist Terry Cowgill (11:46) both weighed in on a recent verbal confrontation between NBC "Meet the Press" host Kristen Welker and President Trump, concerning election fraud claims. Hearst Connecticut Media's Dan Haar also dropped by with his usual list of big stories, including the latest on the First District Congressional race (21:31)

On Friday's "Connecticut Today," host Paul Pacelli delved into how much it might cost some out-of-towners to go to the beach of their choice this summer and whether or not the state should regulate beach access (00:30). Quinnipiac University Frank H. Netter School of Medicine Clinical Professor of Family Medicine Dr.  Khuram Ghumman talked about millions of dollars of medical debt being eliminated for thousands of Connecticut folks (09:19)

Penfield Beach is one of several beaches that have seen their water quality grades go down! Jon spoke with Peter from Save The Sound to find out why.

To close out the WICC Brown Roofing Melissa In The Morning Diner Tour, Melissa welcomed Dan Onofrio, the President and CEO of the Bridgeport Regional Business Council, to talk about business in Bridgeport.

The son of "The Ice Man" and "Mr. Bridgeport," Melissa welcomed Genarro Piccirillo to the WICC Brown Roofing Melissa In The Morning Diner Tour to talk about the reopening of Micalizzi Italian Ice, the latest with the Mr. Bridgeport documentary and his wrestling debut!

Chief Roderick Porter and Chief Lance Edwards joined the WICC Brown Roofing Melissa In The Morning Diner Tour, despite a late night for one them who was at the New York Knicks NBA Finals win!

CT Renaissance is CARF-accredited organization known for providing comprehensive behavioral health services for adolescents and adults living with addiction and/or mental health disorders. With such an important mission, we had to welcome them to the WICC Brown Roofing Melissa In The Morning Diner Tour.

Melissa welcomed Laurence Caso, the executive director of The Klein, to the WICC Brown Roofing Melissa In The Morning Diner Tour where he talked about what's going on at the theatre and dropped a bit of news towards the end!

Colorful Bridgeport is a vibrant urban placemaking and public art initiative led by the City of Bridgeport and the Downtown Special Services District (DSSD). Leading the charge is Lauren Coakley Vincent and she sat down at Frankie's Diner for the WICC Brown Roofing Melissa In The Morning Diner Tour.

We welcomed Steve Gaines to the WICC Brown Roofing Melissa In The Morning Diner Tour.

Established in 2009 and Incorporated in 2010, nOURish Bridgeport's mission is to bring hope to our city through direct service programs. The Reverend Sarah Smith joined Melissa to talk about what their doing to help the community!

It's time for Frankie's Diner to get WILD! Jim Wharton from the Beardsley Zoo joined Melissa to take part in the WICC Brown Roofing Melissa In The Morning Diner Tour!

"This isn’t just another market, it’s a full celebration of the strange, the rare, the beautiful, and the macabre." If this interests you, then you should check out the Oddities Flea Market, and to talk about it, we welcomed Ryan Matthew Cohn to the WICC Brown Roofing Melissa In The Morning Diner Tour.

For More Information: https://theodditiesfleamarket.com/events/ofm-ct2026

You see them in studio, we always take part in their annual "Step Up For The Brave" event (August 15th at Martire Family Arena at Sacred Heart University), and now, Vin Santilli from Homes For The Brave, takes part in the WICC Brown Roofing Melissa In The Morning Diner Tour!

One of the most synonymous names with the City of Bridgeport is P.T. Barnum, so when the WICC Brown Roofing Melissa In The Morning Diner Tour rolls into town, we always make sure that we roll out the red carpet for them.

Catalyst CT works restoratively alongside our neighbors to tackle the toughest challenges — eliminating gun violence, reducing mental health stigma, combatting addiction disorders, and smashing the school-to-prison pipeline. With such an important mission, we welcomed them to the WICC Brown Roofing Melissa In The Morning Diner Tour!

Elaine Braithwaite, the librarian for the City of Bridgeport, joined Melissa for the WICC Brown Roofing Melissa In The Morning Diner Tour to talk about what's coming up at the library!

Port Five raises awareness of Veteran and Naval affairs and is based in Bridgeport, so naturally, when the WICC Brown Roofing Melissa In The Morning Diner Tour, we had to invite them on to talk about what's going on with them.

For More Information: https://www.portfiveusa.com/

The final WICC Brown Roofing Melissa in the Morning Diner Tour kicked off with Nick Roussas, the owner of Frankie's Diner and the host of today's show for the third straight year!

The last time the New York Knicks won a national championship was in 1973. The NBA Commissioner at the time was a Stamford native and is the grandfather of PJ Kennedy of Hey Stamford! We spoke with PJ about the incredible family connection to the NBA during the NBA Finals taking place right now.

To connect with PJ: https://www.heystamford.com/

New Britain is demanding more than 240-thousand dollars in reimbursements from its former mayor.  A demand letter was written by the city's corporation counsel to embattled former Mayor Erin Stewart as an effort to collect restitution for the purchases she is accused of making on a city credit card during her tenure. We had Attorney Bill Bloss back on the show for legal advice on the case and predictions on what will happen next.  

The Department of Motor Vehicles and Travelers announced the winning high schools in their jointly sponsored 17th annual Teen Safe Driving Video Contest.  The contest, which saw a 28 percent increase in submissions from last year, puts Connecticut teens in the spotlight to create compelling safe driving messages to their peers. We spoke with DMV Commissioner Tony Guerrera about the impact of the contest and key takeaways from the winning entries.

To watch the winning videos: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDNaxJUBWjCjMshcZhCKFbYSIhgxdelGX

The “Pizza Capital of the U.S.” campaign won a Gold Effie Award. The brainchild of all the pizza advertising for our state was Anthony Anthony, former Chief Marketing Officer for the CT Office of Tourism. We talked to him about the new national recognition for this work.

https://ctvisit.com/articles/connecticut-pizza-trail

From a new Chick-fil-a to converting a vacant church into housing, we did a check in with Milford Mayor Rich Smith to tackle recent news headlines surrounding the city.

This month is PTSD Awareness Month and we wanted to talk about ways to better support first responders in Connecticut. We spoke with Bonnie Rumilly, a Certified EMDR Therapist for Fairfield County Trauma Response Team, Inc. The conversation started with changing PTSD to PTSI.

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

A recent article highlighted PCOS; a commonly misdiagnosed disease among women. We spoke with Hartford HealthCare's Dr. Dan Gottschall, OB-GYN Chair at St. Vincent's Medical Center, to learn more. 

As excitement builds around upcoming FIFA matches, the Better Business Bureau is encouraging both consumers and businesses to prepare for the rise in scams that too often accompany major global sporting events. We got more details from Kristen Johnson from the BBB.

Helpful Resources:
Official FIFA Website:https://www.fifa.com
FIFA Match Schedule and Tournament Information:https://www.fifa.com/en/tournaments
Official FIFA Ticket Information:https://www.fifa.com/tickets

The Connecticut Insurance Department proposed rate filings for four insurance companies that would mean double-digit rate increases for individuals and small businesses. We spoke with Comptroller Sean Scanlon about the ongoing fails to make insurance more affordable in our state and how we can address it sooner rather than later.

A dangerous online network has surfaced in Connecticut news again. It’s called 764 – the FBI calls it an online network of "Nihilistic Violent Extremists." We spoke to law enforcement expert, Gary MacNamara, about 764 and how parents can protect their kids from online threats.

The Blue-Ribbon Commission on K-12 Education Funding and Accountability had its first meeting. There’s a lot of variability to determine how school districts get state and federal dollars. We spoke to Rep. Tina Courpas, a member of the group, about what came out of the first meeting and the goal of the commission.

To watch the first meeting: CT-N Video Player: Governor’s Blue-Ribbon Commission on K-12 Education Funding and Accountability June 4th Meeting

Sometimes our kids can have quite the imagination. But if we don't lean in and listen, we may miss what could be the start to a great conversation about crime prevention. Find out how a simple kids' chapter book led to a second grader learning about some of the dangers in society and online. 

In continued coverage of the new social media and AI law for our state, we welcomed back Senator James Maroney. He led the effort in passing this legislation and we did a deeper dive into the artificial intelligence portion of the law.