WICC The Voice of Connecticut

The last time the New York Knicks won a national championship was in 1973. The NBA Commissioner at the time was a Stamford native and is the grandfather of PJ Kennedy of Hey Stamford! We spoke with PJ about the incredible family connection to the NBA during the NBA Finals taking place right now.

To connect with PJ: https://www.heystamford.com/

New Britain is demanding more than 240-thousand dollars in reimbursements from its former mayor.  A demand letter was written by the city's corporation counsel to embattled former Mayor Erin Stewart as an effort to collect restitution for the purchases she is accused of making on a city credit card during her tenure. We had Attorney Bill Bloss back on the show for legal advice on the case and predictions on what will happen next.  

The Department of Motor Vehicles and Travelers announced the winning high schools in their jointly sponsored 17th annual Teen Safe Driving Video Contest.  The contest, which saw a 28 percent increase in submissions from last year, puts Connecticut teens in the spotlight to create compelling safe driving messages to their peers. We spoke with DMV Commissioner Tony Guerrera about the impact of the contest and key takeaways from the winning entries.

To watch the winning videos: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDNaxJUBWjCjMshcZhCKFbYSIhgxdelGX

The “Pizza Capital of the U.S.” campaign won a Gold Effie Award. The brainchild of all the pizza advertising for our state was Anthony Anthony, former Chief Marketing Officer for the CT Office of Tourism. We talked to him about the new national recognition for this work.

https://ctvisit.com/articles/connecticut-pizza-trail

From a new Chick-fil-a to converting a vacant church into housing, we did a check in with Milford Mayor Rich Smith to tackle recent news headlines surrounding the city.

This month is PTSD Awareness Month and we wanted to talk about ways to better support first responders in Connecticut. We spoke with Bonnie Rumilly, a Certified EMDR Therapist for Fairfield County Trauma Response Team, Inc. The conversation started with changing PTSD to PTSI.

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

A recent article highlighted PCOS; a commonly misdiagnosed disease among women. We spoke with Hartford HealthCare's Dr. Dan Gottschall, OB-GYN Chair at St. Vincent's Medical Center, to learn more. 

As excitement builds around upcoming FIFA matches, the Better Business Bureau is encouraging both consumers and businesses to prepare for the rise in scams that too often accompany major global sporting events. We got more details from Kristen Johnson from the BBB.

Helpful Resources:
Official FIFA Website:https://www.fifa.com
FIFA Match Schedule and Tournament Information:https://www.fifa.com/en/tournaments
Official FIFA Ticket Information:https://www.fifa.com/tickets

The Connecticut Insurance Department proposed rate filings for four insurance companies that would mean double-digit rate increases for individuals and small businesses. We spoke with Comptroller Sean Scanlon about the ongoing fails to make insurance more affordable in our state and how we can address it sooner rather than later.

A dangerous online network has surfaced in Connecticut news again. It’s called 764 – the FBI calls it an online network of "Nihilistic Violent Extremists." We spoke to law enforcement expert, Gary MacNamara, about 764 and how parents can protect their kids from online threats.

The Blue-Ribbon Commission on K-12 Education Funding and Accountability had its first meeting. There’s a lot of variability to determine how school districts get state and federal dollars. We spoke to Rep. Tina Courpas, a member of the group, about what came out of the first meeting and the goal of the commission.

To watch the first meeting: CT-N Video Player: Governor’s Blue-Ribbon Commission on K-12 Education Funding and Accountability June 4th Meeting

Sometimes our kids can have quite the imagination. But if we don't lean in and listen, we may miss what could be the start to a great conversation about crime prevention. Find out how a simple kids' chapter book led to a second grader learning about some of the dangers in society and online. 

In continued coverage of the new social media and AI law for our state, we welcomed back Senator James Maroney. He led the effort in passing this legislation and we did a deeper dive into the artificial intelligence portion of the law.

The CSCU system has experienced multiple leadership controversies, resignations, and no-confidence votes. We spoke with Governor Lamont about the ongoing drama surrounding CSCU and whether the system is actually being prioritized. We also did a recap of bills passed in the session that now are law in Connecticut.

Image Courtesy of Melissa Sheketoff

Jon spoke with the Lt. Governor about a variety of topics, including what would happen if Gov. Lamont loses the primary!

A city charter reform that would create not only an Ethics Commission but also a Department of Ethics in the Park City, was passed overwhelmingly by voters this past November. But since then, the formation of those respective bodies has faced road block after road block. City Councilman Galen Murray spoke with Jon about the latest development.

Host Paul Pacelli jumped into Thursday's big show on "Connecticut Today" looking at different questions and answers from a new Quinnipiac University poll on the U.S., heading into the nation's 250th Birthday (00:37). Quinnipiac University Associate Teaching Professor of Criminal Justice Jenna Curren discussed recent injuries to corrections officers in Connecticut prisons and how tough that job really is (13:10). Finally, former State Senate GOP Leader John McKinney discussed a new poll on the August Democratic primary (23:01)

To wrap up the WICC Brown Roofing Melissa In The Morning Diner Tour stop at the Blue Sky Diner, Melissa welcomed her brother Matthew Sheketoff as well as Claudia Sheketoff, her mother, to the program

They're the title sponsor the WICC Brown Roofing Melissa In The Morning Diner Tour, Brown Roofing! Melissa welcomed Kevin on to talk about the company and their involvement with "The Voice of Connecticut!"

If you've ever had your picture taken in Stratford, chances are, it was at Boothe Park. Melissa welcomed the friends of Boothe Park to the WICC Brown Roofing Melissa In The Morning Diner Tour to talk about what's going on at Boothe Park.

The Sterling House Community Center always has something going on, and to give us an update, Melissa welcomed them to the WICC Brown Roofing Melissa In The Morning Diner Tour!

She's the new Stratford Police Chief and one of her first assignments, join Melissa Sheketoff at the Blue Sky Diner to take part in the WICC Brown Roofing Melissa In The Morning Diner Tour!

One of the biggest companies in Connecticut is located here in Stratford, that of course, is Sikorski and as such, we welcomed them back to the WICC Brown Roofing Melissa In The Morning Diner Tour!

Gerry Mucci joined Melissa at the Blue Sky Diner to talk about the Stratford Veterans Museum and some of the help they may need.

For More Information: https://stfdveteransmuseum.org/

Mayor David Chess joined Melissa at the Blue Sky Diner to take part in the WICC Brown Roofing Melissa In The Morning Diner Tour to give an update on what's going on in Stratford.

Ahead of this weekends Main Street Festival and Stratford Day, we welcomed Stephanie Philips, the festival organizer, to the WICC Brown Roofing Melissa In The Morning Diner Tour to talk about the event. "The Voice of Connecticut" WICC 600 AM and 95.9 FM will be there in attendance. 

For More Information: https://www.townofstratford.com/page/main-street-festival

This weekend, the Connecticut Air and Space Center is hosting Warbird Weekend and we had Len Roberto join the WICC Brown Roofing Melissa In The Morning Diner Tour to talk about it. 

For More Information: https://www.ctairandspace.org/events/warbirdweekend

Teachers aren't the only ones who the spotlight at the WICC Brown Roofing Melissa In The Morning Diner Tour. Heather Borges, the Superintendent of Schools for Stratford also took part in the diner tour!

Melissa welcomed a couple of teachers from Stratford to talk about the end of the year festivities for schools as well as some of the changes that are coming to schools from the legistlature. Thank you to the Connecticut Educators Association for letting them represent the teachers at the WICC Brown Roofing Melissa In The Morning Diner Tour!

We're back at the Blue Sky Diner in Stratford for the WICC Brown Roofing Melissa In The Morning Diner Tour and there's no better way to kick off the festivities (on the deck this year!) than by talking to one of the owners, Sissy!

Host Paul Pacelli opened Wednesday's "Connecticut Today" talking about thousands of Connecticut residents who are about to see their medical debts erased through a state partnership with a non-profit (00:32). The bigger question? When will we ever slow down ever-rising health care costs? We also got an update on a list of big state stories from Hearst Connecticut Media Senior Editor and Columnist Dan Haar (14:08)

Senator Jeff Gordon introduced a bill now signed into law that will mean a suspended license for repeat offenders passing school buses illegally. We spoke with Sen. Gordon about the legislation.

Documents indicate former New Britain Mayor Erin Stewart used taxpayer money to fund her master's degree.  An independent investigation launched by current Mayor Bobby Sanchez shows a 2021 memorandum of agreement was signed that allowed Stewart to be reimbursed 32-thousand dollars for graduate school tuition. Attorney Bill Bloss is our legal expert on the show, we asked him about the latest in the ongoing spending scandal for Stewart and what it implies for her.

There’s a new law in Connecticut to better protect youth from online dangers and create more regulations for artificial intelligence. The legislation includes the requirement for social media companies to take several actions protecting anyone under 18 from social media addiction and other harms. We spoke with Milford Senator James Maroney, who led the effort to pass legislation regarding online protections.

According to a new survey conducted by the American Red Cross, 8 out of 10 people believe it’s very important to know CPR and how to use an AED, yet only a quarter of Americans feel confident performing CPR or using an AED. We spoke to Richard Branigan, CEO of the American Red Cross Connecticut & Rhode Island Region, about the importance of CPR and AED Awareness Week. We also talked about prepping for hurricane season.

To get CPR & AED Training: https://www.redcross.org/take-a-class

We connected again with Stamford local, Mike Squires. You know him as "The Macy's Guy" for his work cleaning the outside of the store last year. Now, he has a new partnership opportunity to help people needing clean laundry!

Host Paul Pacelli used Tuesday's "Connecticut Today" to look at an upcoming Democratic gubernatorial primary later on this year and whether or not we could see a major upset (00:32). Former GOP state legislator Joe Markley also offered his thoughts on that race (15:03), and we wrapped up the show with Yankee Institute blogger Meghan Portfolio's report on Connecticut's teachers' unions (25:35)

Governor Ned Lamont has announced an additional $320 million investment in Connecticut’s Early Childhood Education Endowment! Jon covered the press conference yesterday, and you can find out more about how to qualify at http://www.ctoec.org/early-childhood-education-endowment

We checked in with receiver, Attorney Barry Knott, about the latest financial news surrounding Success Village in Bridgeport and Stratford.