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Thursday's edition of "Connecticut Today" featured host Paul Pacelli (00:34) and Fairfield GOP State Sen. Tony Hwang (16:43) commenting on a vote earlier in the day by the Connecticut Siting Council on United Illuminating's controversial "monopole" plan through parts of Fairfield and Bridgeport. We also chatted with CBS News Washington reporter Linda Kenyon for the latest on the federal government shutdown (22:57)

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We spoke with Wakeman Boys and Girls Club, serving kids in Bridgeport and Fairfield, about their annual Over the Edge fundraising event on October 25th. 
For more information: https://www.wakemanclub.org/events

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The Connecticut Siting Council is supposed to vote on a major decision today at 1pm. United Illuminating has proposed installing monopoles impacting Southport, Fairfield and Bridgeport. And now leaders from the municipalities are urging the council to delay its vote. State Senator Tony Hwang, one of the leaders in that group, is calling for a delay of vote.

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Police revealed that the body of 12-year-old Jacqueline Torres-Garcia was discovered at an abandoned home in New Britain; but Jacqueline was killed a year ago. Now there are questions about how this could happen and a lot of pressure towards DCF and homeschooling laws in the state. Senator Jason Perillo, ranking senator for the Committee on Children, shared perspective on all entities under attack following this case.

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Measles cases continue to rise, adding to a record high count in the United States. The US Center for Disease Control and Prevention says there has been an average of 27 new cases each week since the end of August. We talked about where Connecticut falls with measles cases from Dr. Fred Browne of Griffin Health. We also talked about a new study linking weight loss drugs to curbing alcoholism and New York health officials sounding the alarm about the state's first locally acquired case of chikungunya virus.

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The ban on the use of cell phones and other smart devices during the academic day begins next month at Staples High School in Westport.  The bell-to-bell ban on devices begins November fifth and applies to devices that also include wireless headphones and Apple watches. We got more details from Thomas Scarice, superintendent of Westport schools.

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"Connecticut Today" host Paul Pacelli opened Wednesday's show looking at information being pieced together in connection with the death of a 12-year-old girl. Will her death result in calls for more homeschooling oversight (00:59)? GOP State Senate Leader Steve Harding, of Brookfield, weighed in on that case as well (15:19). Hearst Connecticut Media Senior Editor and Columnist Dan Haar looked at several big stories around the state (20:55), while CBS News Military Analyst U.S. Army Col. (Ret.) Jeff McCausland discussed the military and security aspects of the current and future situations in Gaza and the Middle East (33:56).  We also welcomed banking, real e...

There’s been a lot of controversy surrounding ballot question #2 in Bridgeport. It looks at the roles of town clerk, city clerk and municipal Sheriffs and how they will go from elected positions to selected positions. We got more perspective on this from Tom Gaudett, Chief Administrative Officer for the city of Bridgeport.  

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Ahead of Halloween, we checked in with Dept. of Consumer Protection Commissioner Bryan Cafferelli about costume, candles and candy safety.

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It’s official: a trash burning facility will NOT be part of the development future for the former Ansonia Copper and Brass site. It was decided last night in a Board of Alderman meeting to ditch the option of a burn pit as well as creating high-density housing projects at the site. We spoke all about it with Mayor David Cassetti.

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The Bridgeport Police Department arrested a 28-year-old city man today for violently sexually assaulting a teenage female student on her way to school this week. We spoke with Gary MacNamara about ways to discuss stranger danger with our kids.

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Host Paul Pacelli opened Tuesday's "Connecticut Today" wondering if Democrats have a plan to reinvigorate their party's prospects during the remaining Trump White House years (00:46). Yankee Institute blogger Meghan Portfolio talked about the current lack of details surrounding a rumored housing bill (15:11). CBS News White House reporter Olivia Rinaldi updated us on the ongoing government shutdown (24:22). Quinnipiac University Assistant Professor of Interactive Media and Design Dr. John Powers talked about Instagram's new changes aimed at protecting teens (28:05)

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Erika Eng, the Executive Director of Sacred Heart University Discovery Science Center & Planetarium, joined Melissa to talk about "Treasured Pages: A Fairytale Ball" their Annual Fundraising Gala and their biggest event of the year.

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Fiscal responsibility is a real sticking point for some candidates running for office in Oxford.

We met Amy Sarris, running for First Selectman challenging incumbent, George Temple, and Jessica Gernat, running for Board of Finance.

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Know before you go to the polls. In Bridgeport, there are two ballot questions that could have a great impact on all residents. We continued chatting about the ballot questions and understanding what the language means with Faith Sweeney and John Hozier, co-chairs of the charter revision commission for Bridgeport.

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

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There is a ballot question for Trumbull residents this election to potentially approve a new senior and community center in town. We got more clarity on the $27-million-dollar price tag and details on the project from Lori Hayes-O’Brien, the chairperson of the Community Facilities Building Committee in Trumbull. We also spoke with Paul McGary, part of the Trumbull Senior Community committee advocating for people to vote ‘yes’ on election day.

For more information on the project including virtual tour: https://trumbullseniorcommunity.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Forum-slides.mp4

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With today being Columbus Day, Paul Pacelli welcomed Andre’ DiMino, the President of the Italian American One Voice Coalition to talk about Columbus Day being designated a holiday again by President Donald Trump as well as why we celebrate Columbus Day.

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Paul Pacelli, while filling in on Melissa in the Morning, spoke to Dr. Matthew Restall, the author of, "The Nine Lives of Christopher Columbus" about his book, which chronicles the life, legacy and controversies of Christopher Columbus.

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While filling in on Melissa in the Morning, Paul Pacelli spoke to Sacred Heart Head Football Coach Mark Nofri about this season and their move to the Coastal Athletic Association Football Conference next season!

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Host Paul Pacelli wrapped up a busy week on "Connecticut Today" looking at the state of the Governor's race and wondering how prospective voters are feeling about one year from Election Day (00:31). Former Bridgeport State Rep. Chris Caruso dropped by with his weekly update, including his thoughts on recent revelations about alleged "sham marriages" taking place in Bridgeport (16:02). We also welcomed Dr. Nicholas Wright, author of, "Warhead: How the Brain Shapes War and War Shapes the Brain" (24:56)

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"Connecticut Today" host Paul Pacelli welcomed University of New Haven Professor of National Security Dr. Howard Stoffer to the program to talk about the White House peace plan aimed at ending the Israel-Hamas War and stabilizing the Middle East

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Milford school district is seeing a huge jump in education gains. We spoke with superintendent, Dr. Anna Cutaia, about the students’ results on the Smarter Balanced Assessments and SATs and understanding the growth across grade levels and subject areas.

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

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Republicans in the state Senate are calling for a new audit and other reviews of Connecticut’s Medicaid program to stem cost overruns that have plagued the program in recent years. Senator Heather Somers is Ranking Senator on the Appropriations Committee and shared more about why the GOP caucus sent a letter to state auditors of public accounts.

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We did a check-in with Lt. Governor Susan Bysiewicz to talk about the WIC program, support for local seniors and the CT Grown for CT Kids program.

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October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month and we had Suzette Debeatham-Brown in studio. She is the Deputy Commissioner at CT Aging and Disability Services and she shared resources for people to know about.

For more information: https://portal.ct.gov/ads/contact-us?language=en_US

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Host Paul Pacelli opened Thursday's "Connecticut Today" with his continued commentary on a Hearst Media series regarding some alleged sham marriages in the City of Bridgeport (00:41). GOP State Sen. Eric Berthel joined the show to chat about possible state-level remedies for marriage scams (16:32). Landmark Legal Foundation Vice-President of Legal Affairs Mike O'Neill detailed some key cases coming up for the U.S. Supreme Court (24:35). CBS News correspondent Linda Kenyon updated us on the White House peace plan for Israel and Hamas (33:37)

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We met Nick D’Addario, Democratic candidate for First Selectman in Easton.
For more information: https://www.daddarioforeaston.com

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We talked about the top health news stories this week including studies on creatine, fatty liver disease and listeria.

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Is there really a ballot question in Bridgeport suggesting the city clerk position should not be an elected person? It’s one of many questions I have about the two ballot questions voters will face this election. For clarity, we spoke with councilman Richard Ortiz representing the 135th district about both ballot questions.

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John Gomes, former Democratic candidate for mayor in Bridgeport, spoke to the media publicly for the first time in over a year. It comes after he wrote a letter to state lawmakers to tackle more election reform laws during a potential special session. We spoke with him on WICC.

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Plans of a flex lane on I-84 in Danbury could be in Fairfield County’s future. The Connecticut Department of Transportation announced the flex lane plan this week, which would open certain non-driveable lanes for cars for short periods to alleviate traffic. Josh Morgan says based on how it goes in Danbury, this is a plan the DOT is looking at for the I-95 corridor, specifically in Greenwich Stamford, Bridgeport and Fairfield.

For more information: https://portal.ct.gov/dot?language=en_US

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We spoke with Brian Turco of Port 5 National Association of Naval Veterans about the upcoming second annual Tunnel to Towers 5K run & walk. Find out about the event and how it will better support local homeless veterans. 

For more information: https://www.portfiveusa.com/

Host Paul Pacelli opened Wednesday's "Connecticut Today" highlighting a Hearst Connecticut Media story regarding allegations of questionable marriages in Bridgeport (00:40). GOP State Sen. Rob Sampson dropped by to address those same scam marriages allegations, as well as more calls for better oversight for state non-profit funding (17:18). Hearst Connecticut Media Senior Editor and Columnist Dan Haar joined us for his weekly update (26:14), while CBS News reporter Zak Hudak had the latest on legal challenges to sending National Guard troops to some U.S. cities (35:22)

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CNN Health shared this week the findings of an unpublished study out of the UK. It showed that drinking as little as one can of diet soda a day may increase the risk of nonalcohol fatty liver disease by 60%. We talked to wellness coach, Amy Llinas, about the data and what people can do to avoid fatty liver disease if they are frequent diet soda or sugary beverage drinkers.

For the full article: https://www.cnn.com/2025/10/06/health/diet-sugary-soda-fatty-liver-cancer-wellness

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There was a meeting for the city council's public safety committee regarding how to handle ICE agents in Bridgeport. What was in this resolution and what can really be done to limit actions of U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement? Tom Gaudett, Chief Administrative Officer for the City of Bridgeport, was in the meeting and gave us insight about the resolution.

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Every month, we partner with the American Red Cross Connecticut chapter on air because we have a critical need for blood donations. But did you know there is a real knowledge gap when it comes to blood donations? National statistics show a wide range of blood donation knowledge, with many people lacking basic information even though donors have positive attitudes toward donation. We got a breakdown of all the donation types from Jocelyn Hillard of the American Red Cross.

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

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The Attorney General’s Office announced it had reached a settlement with a group running a deceptive fundraising scam whose donors thought they were helping provide breast cancer screenings to save lives. We got the details from Attorney General William Tong.

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The government shutdown is continuing at the crux of the issue is health insurance subsidies. The deadline for those credits to make insurance a little more affordable expire December 31st and for many Connecticut residents, especially in Fairfield County, health insurance is about to get so unaffordable, many will probably forego paying for it. We got more perspective from Comptroller Sean Scanlon, who manages health insurance for state employees and retirees.

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State Republicans are sounding the alarm about what they call “a culture of corruption in state government.” Today senate and house Republicans are set to introduce proposals – that include efforts to increase transparency especially when it comes to abuse of taxpayer dollars. For more information on these proposals, we spoke with House Minority Leader, Representative Vin Candelora.

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