WICC The Voice of Connecticut

July 26 is the 36th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act. National data shows 1 in 4 people in the U.S. has some kind of disability or impairment that can impact their everyday lives, which includes the workplace. We wanted to acknowledge the ADA anniversary and talk about the legalities around it. We spoke with Gary Phelan, employment attorney with Hurwitz Sagarin & Slossberg in Milford and a law professor at Quinnipiac University.

Connecticut election officials are investigating how an undocumented West Hartford restaurant owner was registered to vote through the state's Department of Motor Vehicles in 2018, while emphasizing that they believe the case is an isolated anomaly rather than evidence of a broader system failure. The scrutiny follows reports that New Jersey mistakenly registered about 6,600 noncitizens because of a software error, prompting Connecticut Republicans to seek an audit of the state's "motor voter" registration system. We spoke more about this with House Minority Leader, Vincent Candelora.

The Beardsley Zoo has a new face on campus. During the flash flood storm earlier this week, a Chinese goral kid was born. The birth represents an important milestone not only for Connecticut’s only zoo but also for the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. Jim Wharton, Chief Executive Officer for The Beardsley Zoo, told us the story.

To learn more and check events at the zoo: https://beardsleyzoo.org/

Image Courtesy of the Beardsley Zoo

Host Paul Pacelli opened Wednesday's mid-week edition of "Connecticut Today" wondering if there's any big interest in the first one-on-one debate between incumbent Democratic Gov. Ned Lamont and his upcoming primary challenger, Hamden state Rep. Josh Elliott (00:30). Columnist and blogger Chris Powell (15:02) and Hearst Connecticut Media Senior Editor and Columnist Dan Haar previewed the big gubernatorial debate (23:42)

Host Paul Pacelli opened Tuesday's edition of "Connecticut Today" wondering if the state of Connecticut made a mistake a few years ago by legalizing adult-use, recreational marijuana (00:30). Some folks in Massachusetts want to rollback a portion of the Bay State's legal pot laws. Paul also welcomed blogger Meghan Portfolio from the Yankee Institute for Public Policy (08:56), and ABC News reporter Jordana Miller from the Middle East (16:49)

Could competitive gaming be coming to the Total Mortgage Arena? Joe Picavage is trying to bring the increasingly popular world of E-sports to Bridgeport!

Recent research continues to show that girls participate in sports at lower rates than boys and are more likely to drop out as they get older. That’s why Sterling Community Center in Stratford created an opportunity to begin closing that gap. It’s called Girls in the Game. We spoke with Amelia Overby, Program Coordinator and a Soccer Coach for the center’s Girl’s Travel Program.

To RSVP to Girls in the Game: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfpCPiQI1cFEsKQn-nCQLUKnse2mUgiqMtWamVntw7Tu6ziYA/viewform?usp=sharing&ouid=114421451825655680063

For more information on the Cent...

Newly released data from the Connecticut Department of Children and Families (DCF) is providing a closer look at child deaths and other critical incidents involving children across the state. News 8 investigative reporter and anchor, Kathryn Hauser, did a deep dive into this and joined us to break down the key takeaways.

To see her full story: https://www.wtnh.com/news/connecticut/dcf-database-details-63-child-deaths-in-connecticut-including-20-cases-with-prior-agency-involvement/

The most recent jobs report was released and honestly, we can’t tell when a jobs report is good news, bad news, or a little bit of both. We asked Chris DiPentima, CBIA President and CEO, for key takeaways from the report and where we need improvements. CBIA is the state’s largest business organization.

June Employment Report: Connecticut Labor Market Information - Office of Research

Bridgeport announced the opening of a BusPatrol Headquarters building; the first in New England! We wanted to talk about the growth of this program in Bridgeport and across the region to the point that a headquarters building is now a reality. We spoke with Justin Meyers, President and Chief Innovation Officer at BusPatrol. 

For more information: https://buspatrol.com/

Following the excitement surrounding the 2026 FIFA World Cup hosted in the US, we wanted to check in with CT United Football Club. For the first time on the show, we connected with CT United FC head coach, Shavar Thomas.

To keep up with the CT United FC: https://ctunited.com/

Host Paul Pacelli opened a new week on Monday's "Connecticut Today" talking about an issue that never fades - getting rid of the state's local property taxes on motor vehicles (00:28). Also dropping by - gasoline analyst Mike Fox (15:52), CTNewsJunkie columnist and Substack.com blogger Terry Cowgill (21:54), and GOP State Sen. Dr. Jeff Gordon, with an update on a battle one of his constituents had with a major health insurance company (28:49)

Host Paul Pacelli wrapped up the week on Friday's "Connecticut Today" talking about whether or not President Trump's address the night before was covered fairly by the national T.V. networks (00:28). We also welcomed GOP State Rep. Nicole Klarides-Ditria (15:19) and GOP State Sen. Dr. Jeff Gordon (20:08), with both offering updates on a pair of calls for help from the public

Thursday's "Connecticut Today" featured host Paul Pacelli asking Fairfield County residents to try and adopt a more measured, reasonable approach on the future of some controversial surveillance technology (00:24). Former State Senate GOP Leader John McKinney dropped by with his weekly report as well (14:25)

Host Paul Pacelli opened Wednesday's edition of "Connecticut Today" wondering if the state should eventually consider a buyout of Eversource and United Illuminating to set up a non-profit power company (00:23). Dan Haar also dropped by from Hearst Connecticut Media to discuss all the statewide big stories (14:11)

This month, we’ve already had two heat stretches in Connecticut as well as hazy, smoky skies tied to the Canadian wildfires. Besides the impact it had on whether we go outside or not, the weather events also had a huge impact on our trains, planes and automobiles, that’s worth remembering. And thankfully, Jim Cameron of Talking Transportation for CT Mirror did the remembering for us.

To read Jim’s article: https://ctmirror.org/2026/07/19/hot-bothered-summers-transportation-meltdown/

A recent Wall Street Journal article highlighted individuals retiring and then starting their own business in America. What does career strategist, Julie Bauke, think about this concept and how do can we potentially model it?

Read the full article: What It’s Like to Retire and Start a Business in America - WSJ

We are three weeks out from the Democratic primary election in Connecticut. Who will win: Governor Ned Lamont or Representative Josh Elliott? And after the victory, how do they measure up to Republican gubernatorial candidate, Senator Ryan Fazio? We did a deep dive with News 8 Chief Political Reporter, Mike Cerulli.

Image Credit: Eric Urbanowicz

A Connecticut-based development team has announced plans to create the Lake Success Energy Park, a landmark clean energy project in Bridgeport. The proposed clean energy park will be located on 51 acres of the historic Remington Arms facility, where ammunition was once manufactured and tested during the major wars of the 20th century. We got more information on the project from Paul Michaud, who is an attorney on the project and involved with the development of the property and Jhoni Ada of the Sierra Club CT chapter.

For more information: Lake Success

Starting today, bus service will temporarily replace trains on the Metro-North Waterbury Branch. The replacement will last until next spring as upgrades are made to the Derby-Shelton, Ansonia, Beacon Falls and Seymour stations. For all the details, we checked in with Josh Morgan from the Connecticut Department of Transportation.

For more information: https://www.mta.info/

The President is calling on Canada to "get the wildfires under control." President Trump said he told Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney that Canada needed to do more to contain the fires in Ontario, whose smoke has affected air quality across the US, including Connecticut. Does the Connecticut Republican party agree with the president to threaten Canada with tariffs because of the fires? We asked state Senator Tony Hwang representing parts of Fairfield County.

Image Credit: Eric Urbanowicz

Connecticut firefighters are helping to battle the Canadian wildfires. DEEP’s Forestry Division deployed a team of six people from the Connecticut Interstate Fire Crew to Quebec. Meanwhile, we still have questions about how wildfires in Canada can have such a major impact on us here in Connecticut. We got more clarity from Quinnipiac University chemistry professor, Robert Hansen.

This year marks 30 years since the creation of the Amber Alert. It made us want to dive into what started the Amber Alert, the effectiveness of it, what agencies are impacted nationally and what triggers an Amber Alert verses other missing persons cases? 

A new report shows at least 28 Connecticut children with DCF case histories have died since 2025. We spoke with State Senator Jason Perillo, Ranking Senator on the Committee on Children, about the report and what if any solutions are there to address DCF failures.

Image Credit: Dee Ortiz

We are coming up on the annual ShoulderCheck showcase on July 30th. We spoke with a new partner to ShoulderCheck, Scott Strode, ahead of the event. He is the founder of The Phoenix, a national sober-active recovery community for people healing from addiction. Scott's also helping to lead a national effort called Be The People, connecting organizations already solving problems in their communities with millions of Americans ready to do their part. 

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

For more information on The Phoenix & Be The People: https://thephoenix.org/ https://www.b...

Comptroller Sean Scanlon issued new guidance to all State of Connecticut purchase card (P-Card) users and coordinators requiring stronger reporting requirements and enforcement efforts for noncompliance. Changes are coming to oversight of P-Cards starting August 1st, and we got more information on this from the comptroller.

To check the OpenCT portal: OpenCT » Office of the State Comptroller » State of Connecticut

Image Credit: Eric Urbanowicz

More than 80 new laws took effect in Connecticut on July first. Major changes include new zoning rules for housing. We did a deeper dive into this with Renee Dobos of Connecticut Housing Partners.

Image Credit: Eric Urbanowicz

A new report highlights the consequences of infectious diseases extending beyond the acute phase of the illness. We spoke with Dr. Fred Browne of Griffin Health about illnesses like the flu, covid and pneumonia being linked to more long-term issues like stroke and how we can have more control over increasing our risk. We also talked about the latest with cyclospora cases in Connecticut.

Image Courtesy of Griffin Health and Dr. Fred Browne

The U.S. Department of Education released a warning to the Connecticut Technical Education and Career System, claiming that it responded inaccurately to assault allegations against school staff. We asked our legal expert, Attorney Bill Bloss, about the federal investigation and key takeaways in the case. *NOTE: Attorney Bloss has no connection to this case *

New research suggests a future where primary care physicians could use a highly accurate blood test to help diagnose—or rule out—Alzheimer's in people experiencing memory and thinking problems. We spoke with Kristen Cusato of Alzheimer's Association (Northeast chapter.)

For more information: https://www.alz.org/ct

What can we do about rising home prices in Connecticut? Are too many people being priced out of the market? That was the prime topic on Monday's "Connecticut Today" with host Paul Pacelli (00:22). We also welcomed Yankee Institute blogger Meghan Portfolio as well (14:51)

Host Paul Pacelli took a look at the crass, vile, and degenerative tone of our politics and debates on Monday's "Connecticut Today" (00:30). Stonington GOP State Rep. Greg Howard - an active-duty police officer - talked about an op-ed he penned for the Hartford Courant (15:50), while columnist and blogger Terry Cowgill dropped by as well (28:05)

The growing debate and discussion about the use of automatic license plate readers was at the core of Friday's "Connecticut Today" with host Paul Pacelli (00:26). Also joining the show, CT Inside Investigator reporter Marc Fitch (15:19) and International Affairs expert and University of New Haven Prof. Matthew Schmidt (25:02)

Host Paul Pacelli took a look at legal gambling on Thursday's "Connecticut Today," as we just passed the 40-year anniversary of the opening of the Mashantucket Pequot high-stakes bingo hall (00:29). GOP State Rep. Karen Reddington-Hughes talked about a recent bear encounter in the town of Warren (15:03), while former GOP state Senate Leader John McKinney dropped by for his weekly chat (24:26)

Host Paul Pacelli started Wednesday's "Connecticut Today" looking at a new University of New Hampshire poll on just how many state residents would leave Connecticut or are thinking about it (00:36). New Canaan / Darien / Stamford GOP State Rep. Tom O'Dea discussed coming efforts to change Connecticut's current regulations concerning transgender athletes (14:29). Hearst Connecticut Media Senior Editor and Columnist Dan Haar dropped by for his weekly chat (24:47)

Host Paul Pacelli opened Tuesday's "Connecticut Today" wondering if the growing buzz regarding Democratic socialist candidates around the U.S. will take root here in Connecticut (00:36). Financial expert, analyst, and regulator Gerson Gibbs explained those new "Trump accounts" that are now available. Are they worth it? (15:03). Yankee Institute blogger Meghan Portfolio dropped by for her weekly spot (22:55), while Quinnipiac University Civil Engineering Professor Ari Perez talked about a midtown building in New York City showing some instability (30:46)

It may be summer vacation time but teachers across Connecticut are very focused on a major decision that could impact public education in our state. The state’s teachers' unions are pressing Governor Lamont to reject a federal education tax credit. To understand this better, we checked in with Fran Rabinowitz, Executive Director at the Connecticut Association of Public School Superintendents.

There has been a lot of noise surrounding the emergence of an AI-generated actress starring in an upcoming film called Misaligned. We don’t know when that movie will be showing in theaters, but we have opinions already. We spoke to Bryan McElwee, AI Consultant and Technology Strategist, about this.

During our monthly check-in with Commissioner Bryan Cafferelli, we talked extensively about locksmith scams. How do they work and what can you do to avoid being duped? We also discussed Military Consumer Month and avoiding scams tied to the military this month. Cafferelli is the commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection.

For more information/verify a licensed professional: https://portal.ct.gov/dcp/verify-a-license?language=en_US

It's no secret that there is a lot of confusion and concern surrounding the conflict with Iran. Many people in America really don't know what the future looks like for our wallets and how long higher prices will stick around. We spoke to financial news expert, Keith Reed, to get a better perspective on what's happening now and predictions for the rest of 2026.