WICC The Voice of Connecticut

Well this is certainly one way to start the WICC Brown Roofing Melissa In The Morning Diner Tour! Melissa started the tour in the van outside of the Southport Diner! She gave a rundown of the guests for today's show AND some of the behind the scenes for the diner tour!

Image Credit: Dee Ortiz

Host Paul Pacelli welcomed Stamford / Greenwich GOP State Rep. Tina Courpas, who's been named to Gov. Ned Lamont's Education Funding Commission. How do we re-vamp and / or update the formula that's used to determine how much state education funding goes to each municipality (00:53). Hearst Connecticut Media Senior Editor and Columnist Dan Haar dropped by to talk about the big state stories, including some good news for Bridgeport (08:21). CBS News Legal Analyst Thane Rosenbaum analyzed a new case being brought against former FBI chief James Comey, as well as action taken by the U.S. Supreme Court regarding the Voting Rights...

We spoke with Stacie Morgain Lewis and Julie Foldesi about their upcoming shows at the Bijou Theatre in Bridgeport. 2MotherPluckers The Musical is also benefiting local non-profits like Sterling House in Stratford.

For tickets and more information: Home | 2Motherpluckers ...a Musical

Image Credit: Eric Urbanowicz

National statistics show suicide touches more and more youth athletes in recent years. Here in Connecticut, we lost Hayden Thorsen, a Darien High School hockey player, who died by suicide in 2022. His legacy launched the HT40 Foundation and the Shoulder Chek showcase was born. We spoke with Rob Thorsen, Founder and Executive Director of the HT40 Foundation and the annual Shoulder Check showcase. The 4th annual Shoulder Check showcase is July 30th at Sacred Heart University Martire Family Arena.

For more information and to buy tickets: https://www.shouldercheck.org/

A recent article in CTMirror revealed more truth surrounding a non-profit scandal involving a state Senator. Doug McCrory is being investigated to learn how he helped direct millions of dollars in state grants to organizations in his district. CTMirror reviewed thousands of internal records from the nonprofit and interviewed seven former Blue Hills employees and contractors and we spoke with reporter, Andrew Brown, about what was learned.

For Andrew’s article: https://ctmirror.org/2026/04/26/doug-mccrory-blue-hills-civic-association/

The Stamford Board of Education unanimously chose Dr. Adrian Talley to take on the role as the new superintendent July first. Outgoing superintendent, Dr. Tamu Lucero, announced last summer she accepted an education role in Africa and is set to leave at the end of this school year in June. We asked John Corcoran, President of the Stamford Education Association, about this transition in power and how collaboration will be paramount with new leadership.

The Connecticut House passed a bill to have a fairer termination process for teachers across the state. We spoke with Kate Dias, President of the Connecticut Education Association, about HB 5003: An Act Concerning Workforce Development and Working Conditions in the State.

To read the bill: https://www.cga.ct.gov/asp/CGABillStatus/cgabillstatus.asp?selBillType=Bill&bill_num=HB5003

Host Paul Pacelli opened Tuesday's "Connecticut Today" with his thoughts on an overwhelming state House vote that ok'd a statewide "bell-to-bell" school cell phone ban, despite some criticism from Republicans (00:38). Connecticut Inside Investigator reporter Marc Fitch talked about the current controversy surrounding a Bridgeport special education teacher (15:07). Yankee Institute blogger Meghan Portfolio joined the show with her analysis of an omnibus labor bill at the State Capitol (22:29)

The state House is passing a bill to ban cellphones in public schools. It now moves on to the state Senate for a vote. Current law implements some limitations on cell phone use in schools but stops short of a bell-to-bell ban. Joslyn DeLancey, Connecticut Education Association Vice President. The CEA is the largest teachers’ union in the state.

To read the full bill: https://www.cga.ct.gov/asp/CGABillStatus/cgabillstatus.asp?selBillType=Bill&bill_num=HB5035

Affordability is the theme of this year’s session but how do we create more affordability; that’s the debate. Let’s look at the impact of a child tax credit in our state. Amy Casavina Hall is the Senior Vice President of Partnerships, Development and Communications for United Way of Connecticut. We spoke with her about new research from The Center on Poverty & Social Policy at Columbia University that found every $1 in CT Child Tax Credit generates $5 in economic benefits.

To read the Columbia study: The Benefits and Costs of a Connecticut Child Tax Credit | Center on Pov...

Host Paul Pacelli jump-started a new week on "Connecticut Today" saying - in his opinion - that the third apparent assassination attempt aimed at President Trump is a signal for Trump opponents to perhaps ease back on some of their rhetoric (00:34). University of New Haven criminal justice lecturer and former Supervisory Secret Service Agent Bobby McDonald dropped by to address security issues following Saturday night's shooting at the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner in Washington, D.C. (15:49)

House Bill 5468 impacting homeschooling families in Connecticut passed the House and is now headed to the Senate for a vote. Despite some changes to the bill, many still feel this is a direct attack on homeschooling families and a pass for DCF overhaul. We spoke with Senator Jason Perillo, ranking senator for the Committee on Children, about the bill.

Image Credit: Dee Ortiz

For the first time, Connecticut is implementing a citizen’s assembly to the state this summer. What is it and how will it impact our property taxes in the future? We asked Joe DeLong, executive director and CEO of the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities.

For more information: https://ct-citizens-assembly.org/

We are following the shooting that took place during the White House Correspondents’ Dinner and a connection to Connecticut. We spoke with former FBI Agent and UNH professor, Ken Gray.

House bill 5001 is waiting for approval from the Senate after passing the House last week. This is the universal absentee ballot bill championed by state Representative Matt Blumenthal. We spoke with Rep. Matt Blumenthal, who is also the House Chair for the Government Administration & Elections Committee.

11-year-old twins, Leonie and Lissette Kalra, created an app that uses everyday objects to spread kindness and spark connections. It’s called Westport Smiles utilizing programs, such as Streamlit and Open AI. We got a better understanding of how this unique tool works and what inspired the sisters to do this.

For more information: https://westportsmiles.streamlit.app/

Image Credit: Eric Urbanowicz

What's at the heart of a healthy relationship? Think about it...who in your life determined or showed you what a healthy relationship looks like? We dive into that question and the connection to domestic violence. 

Host Paul Pacelli welcomed Connecticut Conference of Municipalities head Joe DeLong to Friday's "Connecticut Today" to chat about a new upcoming "Citizens' Assembly" slated to look at local property tax issues around the state and possible solutions (00:38). Sixteenth District GOP State Sen. Rob Sampson dropped by to update pending bills at the State Capitol (09:13). Paul also talked about some surprising poll numbers from a new survey of Connecticut voters regarding the use of photo ID's at polling places (19:03)

77% of Americans report experiencing stress that affects their physical health, while 73% of adults say stress negatively impacts their mental health. Additionally, 43% of Americans struggle with stress-related sleep disorders. During National Stress Awareness Month, we spoke with Dr. Rashma Jhunja at Stamford Health about the impacts of stress and how to better manage it. Dr. Jhunja is a board-certified physician specializing in stress management and behavioral health at Stamford Health.

There is a group of bipartisan lawmakers in the U.S. Senate calls for hot rotisserie chicken to be covered under the government food assistance program known as SNAP. Why does this matter for people needing SNAP? We asked Jason Jakubowski, President & CEO of Connecticut Foodshare, the official Feeding America food bank serving the entire state of Connecticut.

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

Image Credit: Eric Urbanowicz

A recent investigative report from WFSB questions what exactly Terrence Cheng is doing. He is the former Connecticut State Colleges and Universities chancellor but is now a special advisor to the Board of Regents. No one is quite sure what that role entails but it does earn him $442,000. We talked about this investigative report and questions that follow with Senate Minority Leader, Steve Harding.

Here’s a link to the original I-Team report: I-Team: former chancellor Terrence Cheng’s emails reveal he’s searching for next job while students wait for his report

We discussed Connecticut House Bill 5283: “An Act Authorizing Municipalities To Prohibit the Sale of Dogs, Cats and Rabbits in Pet Shops. Right now, the bill is being discussed in Hartford with a section of the bill grandfathering current shops already selling puppies, kittens and rabbits. We discussed all of this with Annie Hornish, Connecticut State Director of Humane World for Animals.

To read HB 5283: https://www.cga.ct.gov/asp/CGABillStatus/cgabillstatus.asp?selBillType=Bill&bill_num=HB5283

A recent article highlighted the millions of dollars our towns and cities are losing on property taxes because people are registering their cars out of state. How is this being policed and why are some towns more aggressive than others in stopping these scofflaws? Jim Cameron who writes the "Talking Transportation" column for CTMirror tackled this story.

Jim’s article: Opinion: License plate fraud is costing CT towns a lot of money

This week, New Canaan was the latest Connecticut town impacted by a hoax threat online. Police found recent posts on TikTok targeting New Canaan High School were not credible. But the situation led to a conversation surrounding swatting calls and hoax online posts. We spoke to Evan Allard, Director of the Connecticut Intelligence Center.

Experts say new studies show the abuse of animals increases the likelihood of child abuse in the same household, and crimes against animals are showing a direct correlation to people. We spoke with Our Companions CEO Susan Linker about the importance of cross-reporting.

The Connecticut House is passing a bill requiring vaccinations for public school students.  Right now, the state Department of Public Health must consider guidance from the CDC when setting vaccine recommendations, but this bill would allow DPH to take recommendations from different medical associations. We spoke with State Rep. Cristin McCarthy Vahey, the leading Democratic representative on the Public Health Committee.

Host Paul Pacelli got Thursday's "Connecticut Today" underway with an update on a proposed state gun regulation targeting a certain make and model of handgun (00:31). Former state Senate GOP Leader John McKinney stopped by for his weekly update on a couple of major bills in Hartford targeting homeschooling and future, statewide absentee ballot use (15:00)

Today marks the 39th anniversary of the L’Ambiance Plaza collapse in Bridgeport. It involved a 16-story apartment building that was still under construction. The structure used an experimental technique called lift-slab construction, which failed, causing the structure to crumble. We lost 28 construction workers that day, and it remains one of the deadliest construction accidents in US history. We spoke with Dan McInerney of IBEW Local Union 488 about the anniversary and what has changed since the tragedy to better protect construction workers.

Image Credit: Eric Urbanowicz

The American Lung Association released its 27th annual “State of the Air” report, which finds that nearly half of the children in the U.S. are breathing unhealthy levels of air pollution, including more than 700,000 kids in Connecticut. We spoke with Ruth Canovy, Director of Advocacy of the American Lung Association, about the specific findings in our state and learned why Fairfield County is still getting a failing grade.

For more information: State of the Air | American Lung Association

Drug Take Back Day is coming up this weekend, but do people actually participate and understand the significance of discarding old medications? We talked about that with Bryan Cafferelli, commissioner of the CT Department of Consumer Protection.

For more information: https://www.dea.gov/takebackday

Wondering how you could lower your energy bills? Anne Weisberg, candidate for the State Rep. seat in the 108th district has some bright ideas! Listen to the podcast and check out Anne's article in the Ct Mirror.

https://ctmirror.org/2026/04/20/more-solar-not-gas-will-bring-down-your-electric-bill/

Host Paul Pacelli kicked off Wednesday's "Connecticut Today" talking about more controversy in Hartford over state vaccine mandates. Is this a lasting by-product of dishonesty during the COVID pandemic? (00:30). Hearst Connecticut Media's Dan Haar dropped by to chat about the major stories around the state, including the ongoing controversy over former New Britain Mayor Erin Stewart (17:21)

A proposal to lift some THC levels for legal marijuana products sold in Connecticut was the prime issue on Tuesday's "Connecticut Today" with host Paul Pacelli (00:37). New Canaan / Darien / Stamford GOP State Rep. Tom O'Dea dropped by to chat about his opposition to that proposal (14:18). In her regular Tuesday update, Yankee Institute blogger Meghan Portfolio took a look at the impact of recent state minimum wage increases (21:42)

The 14th annual Walk a Mile in her Shoes event is back in Fairfield Saturday April 25th. It's all run and benefitting The Center for Family Justice. We spoke with interim executive director, Mark Antonini about the center and upcoming event. 

For more information: https://centerforfamilyjustice.org/
To register for the walk: https://secure.qgiv.com/event/walkamile2026

The sixth annual Fashionably Westport event showcases locally-owned retailers while raising money for a Westport-based non-profit, Homes for Hope.

Helen, President and CEO of Homes for Hope, shared the mission of this organization addressing homelessness and food insecurity in Fairfield County. We also spoke with Annette, owner of Savvy + Grace, one of the stores being highlighted during the fashion show Saturday April 25th. 

For tickets: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/fashionably-westport-2026-tickets-1984196220308?utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=listing&utm-source=wsa&aff=ebdsshwebmobile
To support Homes for Hope: https://www.hwhct.org/

There is an important pesticide bill this year: House Bill 51-55 An Act Concerning Pesticide Reporting Modernization. What is it all about and what would the impact be on Connecticut if it doesn’t pass this session? We asked Joyce Leiz, executive director of The Connecticut Audubon Society.

To see the full context of the bill: AN ACT CONCERNING PESTICIDE REPORTING MODERNIZATION.

Can we just look at this headline: Connecticut lawmakers target AI-generated deepfakes in elections. Sounds alarming, doesn’t it? We spoke with our cybersecurity and artificial intelligence expert, Dr. Vahid Behzadan, about what deepfakes are and how this generated content can destroy people, especially politicians.

You do an interview…then a follow up…and then crickets. How do you handle the interview process for perspective jobs? We asked career strategist, Julie Bauke.

Host Paul Pacelli started a new week on "Connecticut Today" highlighting some controversial comments made by Connecticut Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy at a recent gathering of progressive activists in Spain (00:33). Connecticut State Republican Party Chairman Ben Proto offered his comments on those remarks (14:42). Finally, GOP State Sen. Eric Berthel gave us an update on a controversial homeschooling reform bill at the State Capitol (22:55)