WICC The Voice of Connecticut

Another legislative session, another year of debating how to handle bears in our state. This year's "bear bill" is now on the Senate floor, Senate Bill 146: “An Act Concerning the Protection of Crops and Livestock from Certain Wildlife.” What is this version of bear legislation in Connecticut and what would it mean for homeowners, specifically farmers in the state? We spoke with Annie Hornish, Connecticut State Director for the Humane World for Animals.

To read the bill: https://www.cga.ct.gov/asp/CGABillStatus/cgabillstatus.asp?selBillType=Bill&bill_num=SB146

A change of plea hearing has been scheduled in the second corruption trial of former Connecticut school construction chief Konstantinos Diamantis. It comes months after Diamantis was convicted of bribery and extortion in a separate case. We spoke to our legal expert on the show, Attorney Bill Bloss, who is not connected to this case but can give us predictions as to what will happen next.

A heads-up world travelers: the BBB is warning people about passport scams. Apparently, the scam tracker has received more than 750 cases this year – including ones from Connecticut. We spoke with Kristen Johnson of the Better Business Bureau CT to learn how this scam works and how to avoid it!

A Louisiana father fatally shot eight children, including seven of his own, in an attack on his family Sunday morning that stretched across two houses. It is considered one of the deadliest mass shootings in recent years, and it stemmed from a domestic disturbance. What can we take away from this case and how do we combat domestic violence in America? We spoke with former chief of police, Gary MacNamara, who is also on the board for the Center for Family Justice, advocating and helping families in Connecticut impacted by domestic violence.

According to a new survey just conducted, the number 1 reason people call in sick to work is conflicts with colleagues. Here in Connecticut, what are the primary complaints from workers and are there any legal claims people can make? We spoke with Gary Phelan, employment attorney with Hurwitz Sagarin & Slossberg, LLC in Milford and law professor at Quinnipiac University.

You've heard of 'stranger danger' but maybe in your mind, that sounds like the classic boogey man in the woods. However, that's not really the person your kids should be aware of in abduction or sexual assault cases today. We do a deeper dive into what a 'kinda-know' really means, how to identify kinda-know's and then discuss them with your children. 

Host Paul Pacelli kicked off Friday's "Connecticut Today" talking about a new Blue-Ribbon Commission announced by Gov. Ned Lamont to look at how the state's public education is funded (00:29). Blogger and columnist Chris Powell joined us to chat about the Governor's proposal (15:31), while CBS News White House reporter Linda Kenyon dropped by with the latest news regarding the U.S. and Iran (25:58)

'She Cries Murder' is a new murder mystery film with a lot of ties to Connecticut. It premieres tonight at The Strand in Seymour. We spoke with the director, Tony Capes, and actor, Joey Ambrosini, about the film and what viewers can expect. 
Photo credit: Joey Ambrosini

MLB reporter, author, and Fairfield native Mike Clair spoke with Jon about his first hand experience with one of the greatest underdog stories in the history of sports...

The Beat and The Badge will air Sundays at noon, hosted by weekday morning personality Melissa Sheketoff of Melissa in the Morning alongside retired Fairfield Police Chief Gary MacNamara.

The show will cover both local and national crime stories, while also giving listeners practical information on how to stay informed, prevent crime, and make a difference in their own communities.

Learn why the pair decided to launch this show and what you can expect each week from the show. 

Governor Lamont signed an executive order (Executive Order No. 26-3) calling for the development of a strategic plan to reform the funding streams used to support the operations of Connecticut’s K-12 public schools. While there’s bipartisan support for this, is the effort too little too late and delaying a financial crisis we’re facing? We spoke more about this with Kate Dias, president of the Connecticut Education Association.

Picture Courtesy of the Connecticut Education Association

It is Distracted Driving Awareness Month and we checked in with DMV Commissioner Tony Guererra. We spoke about issues with the phones, technology advancements in cars and different envelope programs available to Connecticut residents.
For more information:

Get the blue envelope for autism awareness | CT.gov

Get the green envelope | CT.gov

Get the yellow envelope for empowering safe interactions for individuals with cognitive impairments and physical disabilities | CT.gov

Recent federal data confirms that 71% of schools are currently overwhelmed by a record-breaking spike in "acting out" and student anxiety. One author is addressing this issue after completing her career as an educator. We spoke with Joy Berry, known as “The Inventor of Self Help Books for Kids,” with more than 200 titles and over 85 million copies sold worldwide.  

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

Allegations aimed at the administration of former New Britain Mayor and current GOP Gubernatorial candidate Erin Stewart were at the top of host Paul Pacelli's mind on Thursday's "Connecticut Today" - wondering about possible political damage to her campaign (00:37). Former State Senate GOP Leader John McKinney commented on that report and more (15:17), while Connecticut Catholic Public Affairs Council Executive Director Chris Healy discussed a pair of pending bills at the State Capitol (26:03)

Last week, a proposed expansion of a program that treats Connecticut veterans suffering from PTSD received bi-partisan support. That program uses psilocybin, the active ingredient in "magic mushrooms", and Dr. Craig Allen from Hartford Healthcare spoke with Jon about how this staple of the psychedelic movement can help improve lives.

We checked in with Dr. Browne about top health stories from measles outbreaks, to superbugs and even illnesses that could travel back from outer space! 

Image Courtesy of Griffin Health and Dr. Fred Browne

The FAA is working to address the ongoing critical shortage of air traffic controllers across the country. And apparently, the agency is considering video gamers to fill jobs. We talked more about this with Mark Kilpatrick, co-founder of Affinity Esports. We also talked generally about misconceptions surrounding gaming.

For more information: https://www.affinityesports.gg/

Image Credit: Eric Urbanowicz

A New Britain city employee who was on administrative leave has been fired after an investigation into her conduct and alleged backdating of taxes. Ironically, the announcement came as former New Britain Mayor Erin Stewart announced her running mate for the gubernatorial race. We spoke with Mayor Stewart about all of this.

Image Courtesy of Erin Stewart

Governor Lamont is announcing his proposal to help with healthcare coverage costs. He is calling it the Individual Coverage Health Reimbursement Arrangements plan that would provide tax credits for small businesses that reimburse employees for purchasing health insurance. It’s separate from the proposed association health plans that already failed to get through committee this session. We got perspective on this from Grace Brangwynne, Policy Director covering healthcare and insurance for CBIA, Connecticut’s largest business organization, with thousands of member companies.

Wednesday's "Connecticut Today" with host Paul Pacelli opened with Paul's look at a couple of committee votes in Hartford earlier in the week on proposals to give businesses the ability to pool their employees for better health insurance rates (00:49). GOP Gubernatorial candidate and Greenwich State Senator Ryan Fazio joined us to chat about those committee votes (16:11). Hearst Connecticut Media Senior Columnist and Editor Dan Haar dropped by to talk about the Governor's race (21:28), while Sacred Heart University Sports Communication & Media Graduate Program Director Dr. Andrew Miller talked about a new SHU poll regarding the public's trust in sports (30:59)

The U.S. Department of Justice is filing a lawsuit against Connecticut, the city of New Haven and government leaders over the state and city's sanctuary policies.  The federal government claims that the state and city's policies interfere with the enforcement of federal immigration laws. What, if anything, would this mean for Connecticut and the Trust Act? We asked our legal expert, Attorney Bill Bloss.

Today is Tax Day. The IRS recently warned about an increase in AI-powered tax scams. Fake agents may call, text or even reach out to people on social media and use AI-generated voices that sound authoritative and convincing. We spoke with Commissioner Bryan Cafferelli from the CT Department of Consumer Protection about spotting red flags.

The latest street takeover in the Connecticut happened in Trumbull earlier this week. We spoke with Lt. Brian Falkenstein who leads the detective division about the incident and concerns surrounding street takeovers generally.

We had Stratford Mayor David Chess in studio to talk about the ongoing complaints about revaluations and the impact on homeowners. He discussed a possible financial break through the Homestead Act being considered right now in town.

Picture Credit: Eric Urbanowicz

Despite this week's rain, the brush fire danger in Connecticut remains high! DEEP Forestry Chief Chris Martin spoke to Jon about how to help prevent brush fires!

Check today's brush fire risk here! https://portal.ct.gov/DEEP/Forestry/Forest-Fire/Forest-Fire-Danger-Report

Host Paul Pacelli ruffled a few feathers on Tuesday's "Connecticut Today" with his support for a proposal to spend $12 million dollars to extend free school breakfasts to every state school district (00:55). Active-duty police officer and GOP State Rep. Greg Howard talked about being featured in a recent Hartford Courant article as a member of law enforcement, trying to make many of the laws that he's charged with enforcing (15:43). Sacred Heart University Associate Professor of Catholic Studies Dr. Daniel Rober discussed the current war of words between President Trump and Pope Leo XIV (22:52), while Yankee Institute blogger Meghan Portfolio explained the...

The Milford School Board was presented with two draft master plans for the district’s public schools. The consultants’ plans are both 20-year proposals that include closing one middle school and two elementary schools, but each plan comes with much different timelines and costs for the district. We did a deeper dive into the plans and timelines with superintendent of Milford Schools, Dr. Anna Cutaia. 

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

The CT House of Representatives unanimously passed an earmark reform piece of legislation last week and it is now in front of the Senate where it will most likely pass. We spoke with State Senator Steve Harding to learn why the bill is not necessarily something to write home about.

To read the bill: https://www.cga.ct.gov/asp/cgabillstatus/cgabillstatus.asp?selBillType=Bill&which_year=2026&bill_num=5039

We are diving into the mysterious death of 12-year-old Eve Rogers in Enfield. She was found dead in her home in March and now police are releasing more information. We spoke with our law enforcement expert on the show, Gary MacNamara is here. He is also on the board for the Center for Family Justice.

Filling in on "Melissa in the Morning," host Paul Pacelli welcomed University of New Haven Professor of Practice of Criminal Justice Ken Gray to talk about the school's annual Mass Casualty Drill.

Host Paul Pacelli kicked off a new week on "Connecticut Today" wondering if state Democrats will make Trump White House policies their central message in November's statewide election (00:20)

Recently, there were two robberies tied to Facebook Marketplace in New Haven now being investigated by police. We spoke with Kristen Johnson of the Better Business Bureau serving Connecticut about how to best protect yourself physically and financially if you are going to make a deal online. 

The Bridgeport Islanders held their last regular season game in the city last night. The AHL affiliate team for the New York Islanders is moving to Hamilton, Ontario, Canada next season after 25 seasons in the park city. We took a walk down memory lane with Alan Fuering, one of the voices of the New York Islanders for MSG Networks. He is also the team's lead radio play-by-play broadcaster and was the former voice of the Bridgeport Islanders.

We checked in with Governor Lamont for the latest on his proposals for this legislative session. We talked about a possible energy rebate, ECS funding, a free school breakfast program, the earmarking process and more.

A substitute teacher in the Hamden and Branford school districts has been arrested on multiple counts of sexually assaulting a student. Jon, who has a personal connection to this story, spoke with child psychologist and former school administrator Dr. Joe Schippa about how to speak with your children about these terrifying situations.

Former Republican Senate and Senate Minority Leader John McKinney joined Paul Pacelli as he filled in on Melissa in the Morning. They talked about what the latest with the Connecticut Republican Party is. 

In a follow up to last week's story, State Rep. and Gubernatorial candidate Josh Elliot spoke with Jon about his experience at a particularly contentious DTC meeting.

While filling in on Melissa in the Morning, Paul Pacelli welcomed Pam Pillo, the Assistant Vice President for Undergraduate Admissions at Sacred Heart University. Pam talked about what high school seniors should look for when it comes to deciding their future when it comes to education and what parents should do to help encourage their kids while still giving them the space to make their own decisions.

Image Credit: Sacred Heart University