WICC The Voice of Connecticut

There was plenty of discussion on Thursday's "Connecticut Today" with host Paul Pacelli (00:40), CBS News White House reporter Aaron Navarro (15:03), and Quinnipiac University Associate Professor of Law Wayne Unger (17:51) all talking about the previous day's deadly ICE-involved shooting in Minnesota. We also welcomed GOP State Sen. Rob Sampson to talk about a request from the Department of Justice to examine Connecticut's voter registration lists (26:05)

Some major health news has come out of Washington DC this week that has a direct impact on Connecticut. We spoke with Dr. Fred Browne about the new food pyramid and the CDC’s new list of recommended childhood vaccines.

Image Courtesy of Griffin Health System

Raul Valle, who was found not guilty of murder in the fatal stabbing of Fairfield Prep student, Jimmy McGrath, has a new attorney. We spoke with Attorney Darnell Crosland about the case, his client and plans to file motions and potentially avoid a second trial.

The Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division has filed a federal lawsuit against the State of Connecticut for failure to produce their full voter registration lists upon request. What does this mean and how are some lawmakers reacting to this? We spoke with State Representative Gale Mastrofrancesco, House Ranking Member of the Government Administration and Elections Committee.

Wednesday's "Connecticut Today" featured a discussion from host Paul Pacelli on the latest figures regarding state worker pay (00:49). Hearst Connecticut Media Senior Columnist and Editor Dan Haar dropped by with his weekly update, including reaction from Connecticut's Congressional delegation on the recent capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro and his wife (16:24). CBS News Washington reporter Linda Kenyon updated us on White House reaction to Venezuela and new Trump threats being made regarding Greenland (26:22). Sacred Heart University Political Science Professor and Scholar-in-Residence Dr. Gary Rose commented on latest developments in the 2026 Connecticut Governor's race (29:35)

The city of Bridgeport unveiled its new drone program, Flock. We spoke with Chief Roderick Porter about how this program is a tool to help with better policing and emergency response in the park city.

New year, same goal: progress for the Bridgeport school district. We did a check in with interim superintendent, Dr. Royce Avery, about the 2026-27 budget and the latest on the superintendent search. There is also an upcoming Budget Community Forum January 10 at 10:00 AM at Central High School, located at 1 Lincoln Boulevard in Bridgeport.

To attend or share feedback on the budget: https://tejoin.com/scroll/243384083

The Connecticut State Police launched an investigation into the allegations surrounding former New Haven Police Chief Karl Jacobson following his confession to stealing from a city fund used for confidential informants. What charges could Jacobsen face and are other officers compromised in this case too? We asked our legal expert on the show, Attorney Bill Bloss. 

*NOTE: Attorney Bloss is not connected to this case professionally or representing any parties involved*

January is Blood Donor Month and we spoke with the CEO of our American Red Cross Connecticut chapter about our latest blood supply and shortage risk. We also learned about the current Super Bowl giveaway incentive happening right now for donors.

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

In his most recent column Talking Transportation, Jim Cameron touched on the entities that handle all train-related matters in our state. From parking, to tracks, the train cars and much more; it’s complicated who’s in charge of what, to say the least. We did a deep dive into this and recapped the new rules for Metro North ticketing in effect for 2026.

How do police department funds specific to confidential informants work? That fund is at the center of a state police investigation looking at now retired New Haven Police Chief Karl Jacobson. We got perspective from former Fairfield Police Chief Gary MacNamara.

Host Paul Pacelli opened Tuesday's "Connecticut Today" with the results of a new survey on just how many people are moving into and out of Connecticut. Why does the state consistently do poorly in these types of studies and others as well? (00:49) Former FBI counterterrorism and counterintelligence operative Eric O'Neill talked about the weekend operation to capture Nicolas Maduro and his wife from Venezuela (16:38). CBS News Chief White House Correspondent Nancy Cordes dropped by to discuss the White House's defense of last weekend's military action in Venezuela (25:12). Yankee Institute blogger Meghan Portfolio gave us her weekly update (28:25), while New Haven...

Host Paul Pacelli opened a new week on "Connecticut Today" with analysis and opinion on the previous weekend's U.S. military raid that captured former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife (00:51). We also heard from CBS News legal analyst Thane Rosenbaum (16:36), University of New Haven Associate Professor of Homeland and National Security and International Affairs Dr. Matthew Schmidt (23:47), Connecticut State Republican Party Chairman Ben Proto (31:57), CBS News Military Analyst U.S. Army Col. (Ret.) Jeff McCausland (37:07), and CTNewsJunkie columnist and Substack.com blogger Terry Cowgill (42:04)

Host Paul Pacelli kicked off a new year on "Connecticut Today" by chatting with former Fairfield GOP State Sen. John McKinney about the 2026 Connecticut Governor's race and races in the General Assembly (00:35). CBS News White House reporter Aaron Navarro joined us from Washington, D.C. on President Trump's health and the continuing U.S. military attacks on alleged drug boats in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific (11:11). Former Bridgeport Democratic State Rep. Chris Caruso dropped by with his weekly update (15:09)

Michelle Troconis, convicted for her role in the 2019 disappearance and death of Jennifer Farber Dulos, was back in front of a judge for a habeas corpus hearing. We got the latest from investigative reporter Jeff Derderian.

Image Credit: Eric Urbanowicz

The Wegovy pill just launched and the starting dose is now available at pharmacies around the country including here in Connecticut. Hartford HealthCare’s medical and surgical weight loss specialist, Dr. Danielle Friedman, with St. Vincent’s Medical Center talked to us about the significance about this medical treatment and compared it to the injectable weight loss drugs.

Add another to the list! Stamford was just approved for its red light and speed cameras. The department of Transportation gave the green light to the city’s 135-page plan, highlighting the need for several cameras, mostly in school zones. We got more details from Josh Morgan of the DOT.

For more on approved camera plans: https://portal.ct.gov/dot/programs/automated-traffic-enforcement-safety-device/approved-plans?language=en_US

To vote for the snowplow naming contest: https://forms.office.com/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=-nyLEd2juUiwJjH_abtziwwsSPGQLy1EiXUlyKOrSGxUOVNTWUhROUtSRkdEU1NBRTRGNklQSEQzNC4u&route=shorturl

A scammer pretending to be associated with a well-known financial institution is inundating Connecticut residents with “too good to be true” loan offers. We spoke with Kristen Johnson of the Better Business Bureau serving Connecticut to get more information about the “J Morgan” underwriting scam.

For more information: bbb.org/scamtracker

New year, same problem: housing. Part of the new housing law that passed in special session in 2025 included the creation of a Council on Housing Development to advise and assist in reviewing regulations, developing guidelines and establishing programs concerning the growth of housing in the state. The council was supposed to have its first meeting January first; it did not happen and apparently, not everyone has been appointed to the council. We spoke with Senate Minority Leader, Steve Harding, about the implications for our housing crisis and whether the recently passed law was just ‘checkmark’ legislation.

To read the...

New year, same problem. Do you have nightmares about your electric bills? Of course you do! Our bills, already among the highest in the country, are set to go up again as a set of new utility regulators try to grapple with the mess left behind from their predecessors, including former Chair Marissa Gillett. To keep tabs on all things energy in Connecticut, we check in with Bryson Hull, Deputy Northeast Director for Consumer Energy Alliance.

Image Credit: Eric Urbanowicz

The Bridgeport Police Department released its 2025 crime statistics and the numbers look really good in every category. We got a breakdown from Police Chief Roderick Porter.

For full report details: file:///C:/Users/msheketoff/AppData/Local/Microsoft/Olk/Attachments/ooa-98ba9037-c260-4fdb-bef9-e8c6a3aab31a/3d43cda763cd9a1faad0a3199a17661fdcf5dbfcd40c6c5e2ddf21a1005f694c/Bridgeport%20PD%202025%20Crime%20Review.pdf

There's a call for state lawmakers to put forward a bill that would prevent people on probation from being sent back to prison for minor technical violations. What are the laws on the books and how would provisions impact Connecticut? We asked State Senator Paul Cicarella, ranking senator on the Public Safety and Security Committee and also serves on the Judiciary Committee.

Provisions of 22 new laws will go into effect in the new year. We got the breakdown about House Bill 8002 and what it means for 2026 from News 8’s political reporter, Mike Cerulli.

In 2026, the United States will commemorate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence and the founding of the country. Despite the significance of this anniversary, there are questions about whether our state is investing enough energy and money into marking this milestone. We spoke with Cyndi Tolosa, the Deputy Director of Advancement at Connecticut Humanities and the project manager of America 250 CT chapter.

For more information: https://ct250.org/

A local salon was destroyed by fire and it’s a good reminder to check your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. The Black Swan Nail and Spa Salon is temporarily closed due to fire damage. But what’s more concerning is what volunteer firefighters detected inside -- potentially lethal levels of carbon monoxide. We spoke with Bridgeport Fire Chief Lance Edwards about the dangers of carbon monoxide poisoning and how to check that all detectors are functioning.

Minnesota is under fire for large-scale alleged Medicaid fraud, with over $350 million proven in fraudulent claims out of $18 billion spent on high-risk programs since 2018. It begs the question whether this could be an issue in our state. Here in Connecticut, lawmakers requested an audit in our state about 3 months ago. Did anything come of it? Joining us back on the show is doctor and state Senator, Jeff Gordon, who serves on the Appropriations Committee and is on the lookout for fraud and government misspending in Medicaid and general health care.

As we get ready to close the 2025 chapter and welcome 2026, let’s take a look back at the top five transportation-related news stories in our state. Jim Cameron, author of the "Talking Transportation" column runs in CTMirror, recently highlighted these stories and broke them down for us on the show.

For the full article: https://ctmirror.org/2025/12/28/talking-transportation-2025/

It’s any parent’s nightmare: waiting for your kid to return home but they never do. Thank God for modern technology and the ability to track your children. Recently, a father in Texas rescued his daughter all thanks to tracking her cell phone. What can we take away from this story? We invited law enforcement expert, Gary MacNamara, back to the show.

Trumbull Police are still looking for the teens involved in a shooting that happened at the Trumbull Mall. For the latest on the investigation we spoke to Lt. Brian Falkenstein with Trumbull Police Department.

That “out-of-the-office” reply may be doing more than letting people know you’re away. Could auto-messages quietly share more information than people realize? We spoke with Dr. Vahid Behzadon, cybersecurity and AI expert on the show, as well as Associate Professor at the University of New Haven. 

There are a lot of nonprofits in Connecticut that rely on government funding to survive. But with tax dollars supporting some of these groups, do we do a good enough job checking financial reports and knowing where the dollars are actually going?

New Opportunities Incorporated has been suspended by the state as a vendor administering the Low Income Heating Assistance Program (LIHEAP) because it used federal energy assistance money to cover operating expenses. To talk more about this story and generally about financial oversight for non-profits utilizing government funding, we spoke with State Representative Jay Case, House Ranking...

Connecticut has a real problem with impaired driving. A new report was released by The Connecticut Forensic Lab and shows many drivers tested for drinking and driving earlier this year, also had drugs detected in those tests. We spoke with Dr. Jessica Gleba, Director of forensic laboratory operations with the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection’s Division of Scientific Services, about the latest statistics.

Governor Lamont recently announced using money to help offset the costs of health insurance if you are someone not getting your subsidies once they expire December 31st. While there was a lot of bi-partisan support around some of the state spending, there was a hard stop when it came to the millions being given to Planned Parenthood. Some of the loudest opponents to this includes Catholics. We talked about this with Chris Healy, Executive Director of the Connecticut Catholic Conference.

“Some people may need a hand, and we all have a hand to give.” That’s the mission of the Shoulder Check initiative created through the HT40 Foundation. The nonprofit based in Fairfield County was made in honor of the late Hayden Thorsen and what started as a simple hockey showcase has caught the attention of even the NHL. We spoke with Rob Thorsen, Founder and Executive Director of Shoulder Check.

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

Image Credit: Melissa Sheketoff

Major announcements coming from CT United FC: a new coach, details on the club’s inaugural 2026 season AND a more definitive timeline for the Bridgeport MLS stadium! Founded in 2024 and owned by Connecticut Sports Group, Connecticut United Football Club (CT United FC) is the fifth independent professional men’s soccer club in MLS NEXT Pro. We got the details from André Swanston, CEO of CT Sports Group.

For more information on the pro-team: https://www.ctunited.com/

Image Credit: Eric Urbanowicz

Thursday's "Connecticut Today" featured host Paul Pacelli talking about the message President Trump may or may not be sending by re-classifying marijuana from a "Schedule One" drug to a "Schedule Three" drug in the federal government's drug hierarchy (00:41). Former Bridgeport Democratic state Rep. Chris Caruso dropped by with his weekly update, including some year-end thoughts regarding the City of Bridgeport (15:09). CBS News Congressional Correspondent Nikole Killion joined us from Washington, D.C. regarding a controversial House vote connected to Affordable Care Act subsidies (23:04)

After an egregious case of elder abuse in Griswold, CT, we spoke with Dorian Long, the Social Services Program Administration Manager with the Department of Social Services about detecting elder abuse and reporting it correctly.

The Department of Veterans Affairs had a recent audit done reflecting issues with overpaid workers and a lack of necessary reporting. For the first time on the show, we had two of our state auditors, John Geragosian and Craig Miner, about this latest audit. We also got a better understanding of the auditing process and what happens after the results are public.

There’s already a lot of stress this time of year especially financially. And if you are focused on your career unhappiness or unemployment, career strategist, Julie Bauke, shared advice on how to reinvigorate/restart your search in January.