WICC The Voice of Connecticut

Millions of people living across the eastern two-thirds of the country, including Connecticut, face hazardous extreme heat blasting their communities from now through the holiday weekend. We talked about heat and swimming safety with Richard Branigan, CEO of the American Red Cross Connecticut & Rhode Island Region, for tips to stay safe this summer.

For more information: redcross.org/apps

Following the story of the 2,000-page CSCU report last month incorporating a lot of artificial intelligence use, we wanted to talk to our AI expert, Dr. Vahid Behzadan, about the use of AI at work. Specifically, how can we tell how much AI is used; when is it appropriate to use it and do we need more AI literacy curriculum for students starting in elementary school?

There is a pitch to build a bridge over Long Island by Fairfield County developer, Steve Shapiro. We wanted to check back in with Shapiro with an update on the proposal, starting with the possibility of funding a study.

Host Paul Pacelli launched Tuesday's "Connecticut Today" looking at a few more U.S. Supreme Court decisions, including one taking on transgender athletes and another regarding "birthright" citizenship (00:31). Quinnipiac University Law School Professor Wayne Unger commented on that birthright citizenship decision (14:00), while Yankee Institute blogger Meghan Portfolio dropped by for her weekly update, including a look at "ERIN's Act" (19:59)

Host Paul Pacelli (00:34), Quinnipiac University Law School Prof. John Martin (14:03), and Landmark Legal Foundation Vice-President for Legal Affairs Mike O'Neill (20:44) all chimed in on Monday's "Connecticut Today" regarding a key decision handed down by the U.S. Supreme Court. Columnist and blogger Terry Cowgill also dropped by to discuss taxes and data centers (28:30)

Host Paul Pacelli opened Friday's "Connecticut Today" dissecting a bill in D.C. for a $25/hr. national minimum wage - supported by CT Democratic Sens. Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy (00:31). We also welcomed Town of Orange Fire Marshal Jamie Vincent on fireworks safety (13:49) and GOP State Sen. Dr. Jeff Gordon to chat about a new report regarding Connecticut state colleges (22:11)

Companies across many industries are requiring employees to use AI. But questions are starting to emerge where employees say that the use of AI conflicts with their religious beliefs. What could this mean for the workplace? We asked employment attorney, Gary Phelan, with Hurwitz Sagarin & Slossberg in Milford. Phelan is also a law professor at Quinnipiac University.

There’s been a rash of serious crashes involving motor scooters in Bridgeport and police aren’t happy about it. Police Chief Roderick Porter told us what’s going on and the rules surrounding these vehicles.

A new Bloomberg article highlighted how many US workers decided to work from home last year despite “return to office” mandates. Why did that happen and what does it mean for middle managers in the future? We asked career strategist, Julie Bauke.

Host Paul Pacelli opened Thursday's "Connecticut Today" looking at assertions from Fairfield town officials that six speed cameras put in school zones are doing their jobs (00:25). We were also joined by former state Senate GOP Leader John McKinney to analyze and break down the latest Connecticut politics buzz (13:37)

Host Paul Pacelli opened Wednesday's "Connecticut Today" looking at the previous night's Democratic primary results in New York City for any clues into what's next for Connecticut and national Democrats as well (00:27). Hearst Connecticut Media's Dan Haar dropped by for his weekly update on all the big stories (14:31)

‘Just One Word’ is a movie concept based on a true story of a local Connecticut student who could not speak and how music played a pivotal role in personal growth. We learned about the story from Chris Kalafus, long time middle school music teacher, and why he wants to create a movie after it.  

For more information: Just One Word - Film and Storytelling | Seed&Spark

A 2,000-page report was released by the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities system (CSCU). It was put together by former Chancellor Terrence Cheng. According to ChatGPT, the report was at least 80% was written by artificial intelligence. Some lawmakers are now calling for more accountability surrounding the initial P-Card misspending. We spoke with Senator Jason Perillo about this.

It may be summer vacation, but we are already looking ahead to the new school year and education spending. We wanted to focus on Bridgeport education spending. We spoke with State Representative Chris Rosario who represents the 128th district about spending as well as the latest on a permanent superintendent for Bridgeport.

Earlier this month, a man was electrocuted after climbing on top of a Metro North train car at the Southport train station. We spoke with Fairfield Police Chief Mike Paris about the case and security on trains. We also talked about the rollout of the speed enforcement cameras in town.

In a continued conversation stemming from our "delivery service concerns" episode, we talk more about vulnerability. When you have someone pull up in your driveway, how vulnerable are you to becoming a victim to crime? We break down what's called a crime triangle and how to apply it to really any case involving crime prevention. 

The latest massive donation to Feeding Families Foundation came from a local celebrity's phone number. We got the details from local artist, Michael Pollack, and FFF co-founder, Jeff Dorman. 

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

Thousands of drownings happen every year in the United States. During the summer months especially, it’s easy to take our focus off water safety especially in unfamiliar places or during occasions. That’s why we wanted to talk about getting our minds focused on swimming safety, not just for the adults but also the kids. We spoke with Karen Cohn, co-founder of the ZAC Foundation, an organization committed to creating a generational change in how water safety is viewed by parents and children.

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

Here in Connecticut, we have highlighted “the link” between animal cruelty and child abuse cases. Author Leslie Siegel wrote a book making a similar connection between exploitation of wildlife and fuel human trafficking cases. We learned more about the book The Animals Who Rescue Me.

Governor Lamont is donating $5 million to support Connecticut's Nonprofit Security Grant Program. What is the significance of these security grants for nonprofits and why aren’t federal funds enough to support security efforts? We asked Mike Butsch, regional director of Secure Community Network for the Northeast.

Governor Lamont proposed a new "fair share" healthcare policy aimed at large employers whose workers rely on Connecticut's Medicaid program. On the surface, this may sound like it makes sense, but from a business standpoint, is it actually UNfair and economically irresponsible? We asked CBIA president and CEO, Chris DiPentima.

Job hunters tricked into handing over thousands of dollars are being lured in with a new tactic: Task-based scams where they are offered high pay to “like” and “subscribe” to videos online. We got the details from Kristen Johnson of the Better Business Bureau and how to avoid being duped.

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

After two months off air, we had Dr. Browne back on air. But that means a lot of catching up on infectious disease news. We talked about stories regarding measles, bird flu, screwworm, Ebola and more.

Image Courtesy of Griffin Health

Fairfield county housing developer, Steve Shapiro, has been the latest person to pitch a bridge over Long Island Sound idea. But recently, Jim Cameron who write “Talking Transportation” for CTMirror, outlined why the idea is broken, starting with the money needed for a proper study.

To read Jim’s article: https://ctmirror.org/2026/06/21/shapiros-folly-part-deux-the-bridge-that-wont-die/ 

Host Paul Pacelli opened Tuesday's "Connecticut Today" highlighting a recent episode in New York City that illustrates just how fractured we've become as a society (00:29). Blogger and columnist Chris Powell joined us to talk about Gov. Ned Lamont's proposed "Medicaid Penalty" for large state employers (14:53), while Meghan Portfolio from the Yankee Institute discussed some new state EBT/SNAP card concerns (24:44)

Host Paul Pacelli cranked up a brand-new week on "Connecticut Today" breaking down Gov. Ned Lamont's controversial proposal to penalize large employers and non-profits whose workers may rely on Medicaid for the majority of their health care needs. Is that a step too far? (00:31) Mortgage and lending originator John DiIorio returned to the show after a few years to detail his ongoing legal battle with the State Department of Banking (13:59)

Dr. Goudarz Moleia returns to speak about an upcoming study on this new tick-borne illness. If you'd like to participate in the study, you can find more information below.

https://portal.ct.gov/caes

The fourth annual ShoulderCheck showcase is back in July. This year, it’s moving to Sacred Heart University Martire Family Arena. We got the details from Rob Thorsen of the HT40 Foundation about this year’s event and the significance of the Shoulder Check initiative.

For tickets to ShoulderCheck: https://www.shouldercheck.org/
For more information on the foundation: https://www.shouldercheck.org/ht40
To watch the ‘Lean on Me’ video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JjQGj9ba_j0

One school in Fairfield is getting some extra TLC thanks to the state. We spoke with Superintendent Michael Testani about Dwight Elementary School and its reconstruction plans.

Connecticut’s Department of Consumer Protection recovered a record-breaking $8.1 million in refunds and replacement vehicles for drivers in the latest DCP Lemon Law Program Annual Report. What is the Lemon Law report and how did Connecticut end up breaking records? We asked DCP Commissioner Bryan Cafferelli.

To read the full report: https://portal.ct.gov/dcp/lemon-law-program

The Tango Flight program has just completed its second airplane build in four years. The hands-on aviation education program is currently offered at Bassick High School in Bridgeport and AITE in Stamford. A group of Bridgeport students built this latest aircraft set to take off in a couple of weeks from Sikorsky Airport in Stratford. We got the details from Paul Zielinski, a mentor for Tango Flight.

A Bridgeport man is facing murder charges for stabbing a family member to death and injuring two others. It’s the latest case of domestic violence in our state and in Bridgeport specifically. We connected with Bridgeport Police Chief Roderick Porter to get the latest on the case and generally discuss combating domestic violence.

For help: https://centerforfamilyjustice.org/

Northwell Health’s Norwalk Hospital is the first in Connecticut to perform histotripsy for liver tumors, introducing a new noninvasive cancer treatment for patients with primary or metastatic disease. We got more details about the game changer treatment from Dr. Dan Labow, chair of surgical services and a surgical oncologist in the Conn. and Hudson Valley markets of Northwell.

New York just passed a bill aimed at cracking down on “ghost jobs.” Those are jobs that don’t exist or aren’t intended to be filled by a potential employer. We talked to career strategist, Julie Bauke, about why ghost jobs even exist and how to avoid them for your future employment endeavor.

With ticks and tick-borne illnesses reaching record breaking numbers, Jon spoke with Dr. Goudarz Moleia, director of CT's tick-testing program to find out more.

Is there new life coming to the Remington Arms site in Bridgeport and will there be new operational ownership of Pleasure Beach soon? We spoke with Tom Gaudett, the chief administrative officer for the city of Bridgeport, for the latest on both properties in the park city.

Three adolescent deaths in Connecticut from apparent Benadryl overdoses sparked widespread alarm. While the Office of Child Advocate said there is not a direct link between the deaths and the TikTok trend, the Benadryl Challenge, we felt it was worth looking at this and other deadly trends tied to social media. We spoke with Attorney General William Tong about the ongoing legal fights with social media giants.

From a deadly bungee jump accident in Brazil to a scathing report from a deadly flash flood at a Texas camp, we wanted to talk about having a vacation mindset. What can we take away from these tragic incidents and how can we apply them to ourselves before we go away? We asked law enforcement expert, Gary MacNamara.

Governor Lamont recently unveiled a comprehensive package of utility accountability reforms designed to lower energy costs and put ratepayers first. We also saw his opponent in the primary, Rep. Josh Elliott, propose giving controls over utilities back to municipalities. For our latest energy news, we spoke to Bryson Hull, the Deputy Northeast Director for the Consumer Energy Alliance.