WICC The Voice of Connecticut

What kinds of conversations or questions should parents have with their kids' schools before junior starts class? We started our back to school series with the prep for the new school year. 

The legendary Dolly Parton has passed away at 80 years old. Besides being arguably one of the greatest country singers of all time, she also did a lot to give back to her community and the US. One thing in particular was closing the gap for literacy rates in America. She created Imagination Library aimed at giving children five and under free books. Stratford is one of only a handful of municipalities involved in the program. We spoke with Janet Lengel who brought the program to Stratford in 2019. 

Two Bridgeport Democrats accused of absentee ballot fraud rejected plea deals and are heading for trial. City Councilman Alfredo Castillo and former Democratic Party vice chair Wanda Geter-Pataky face dozens of charges tied to the city’s 2019 and 2023 mayoral primaries. Both could face years in prison if convicted. We got reaction from John Gomes who ran unsuccessfully against Mayor Joe Ganim in 2023 and released the video of alleged absentee ballot stuffing.

For the third year, sixteen products made by Connecticut manufacturers from across the state are competing in this head-to-head competition. It’s an opportunity to learn about local manufacturing companies but also to explore the industry for the next generation of workers. We spoke about this more with CBIA Foundation Director, Dustin Nord.

To vote: https://www.cbia.com/coolest-thing/

A new study is revealing how prevalent brain injuries are in football players. According to a new study in The British Medical Journal -- researchers analyzed 17-hundred former NFL players who died between 2008 and 2021 and found that 338 brains were donated for examination. Among those donors, 93.2% had evidence of CTE. We spoke with Glenn Lungarini, executive director of the CIAC, which oversees high school athletics across the state.

Right now, Connecticut residents can pay homage to distinguished veterans from across the state. Do you know a veteran who has continued making positive impacts in their communities after leaving military service? If so, you can nominate them for induction into the Connecticut Veterans Hall of Fame. For more on this statewide honor, we connected with Commissioner Ron Welch, Connecticut Department of Veterans Affairs.

To nominate a veteran: https://portal.ct.gov/dva/pages/ct-veterans-hall-of-fame?language=en_US

For more resources to support veterans: https://portal.ct.gov/dva?language=en_US

As kids head back to school, experts say sleep should be part of the routine. CDC data shows about three out of four high school students don’t get the recommended eight hours on a typical school night. We spoke with Dr. Lynelle Schneeberg, Yale Medicine sleep psychologist and associate professor at Yale School of Medicine, for advice to improve sleep for kids and adults.

A now-former Naugatuck teacher is facing a charge after police say he exchanged numerous personal text messages with a 15-year-old student over several months. The 54-year-old educator turned himself in on Friday and is due in Waterbury Superior Court September ninth. Police say he is no longer employed by the school district. It’s another reminder about conversations with your kids identifying “kinda-knows.” We broke down what a kinda-know is and how to talk about this with your kids.

Image Credit: Nicole Perelli

Why do some CEOs get second chances after misconduct? A new Wall Street Journal report points to a familiar pattern: executives accused of violating company rules can sometimes land top jobs elsewhere. We talked about company culture and consequences with career strategist, Julie Bauke.

A busy Friday edition of "Connecticut Today" wrapped up the week with host Paul Pacelli (00:30) and former Bridgeport Sound Tigers' play-by-play voice Phil Giubileo (13:29) chatting about a rumored offer from a hockey consultant that could bring professional hockey back to the city's downtown arena. ABC Campaign Reporter Jared Kofsky chatted about whether high grocery prices will impact the mid-terms (22:56), while former Democratic state Rep. Chris Caruso dropped by for his weekly chat (26:56)

Wednesday's "Connecticut Today" with host Paul Pacelli focused on a recent survey looking at how many Connecticut voters view MAGA Republicans versus the Democratic Socialists of America, and which camp most Connecticut voters would choose (00:27). Hearst Connecticut Media's Dan Haar also dropped by in the 5 p.m. hour with his views on the biggest state stories (13:57)

Host Paul Pacelli opened Tuesday's "Connecticut Today" wondering if moving the state's Primary Day from August to either June or September would cure anemic voter turnout (00:29). ABC News National Correspondent Jim Ryan chatted about the latest military recruiting numbers (13:20), while Yankee Institute analyst and blogger Meghan Portfolio dropped by with her weekly update (15:59)

Host Paul Pacelli jump-started a new week on "Connecticut Today" with a look at the possibility of returning a controversial statue of Christopher Columbus to Bridgeport's Seaside Park, which is already rekindling some local tensions (00:32). We were also joined by Southington GOP state Sen. Rob Sampson, who explained a situation he was made aware of regarding law enforcement and the state's controversial "Trust Act." (13:49)

A new AAA study found Connecticut drivers admit to speeding more often than motorists nationwide. Eighteen percent of respondents called themselves frequent speeders, compared with 15 percent nationally. We discussed this further with Lauren Fabrizi from AAA Northeast.

Robin Williams’ children are bringing his Instagram account back to life — twelve years after his death. Zak, Zelda and Cody Williams say they want the page to be a safe, authentic home for real photos, videos and memories of their father, while pushing back against AI-generated versions of his voice and likeness. In an era of AI “slop,” they’re fighting to make sure Robin’s legacy stays unmistakably human. We spoke with our AI expert, Dr. Vahid Behzadan from the University of New Haven, about the situation and the importance of digital literacy.

We talked to Linda Ross with the Fairfield County Trauma Response Team. It is a nonprofit alliance of mental health professionals dedicated to helping first responders and the Connecticut community heal from trauma, tragedy, and stress. We learned about the work that they do for local first responders and an upcoming event tied to the 25th anniversary of 9/11.

For tickets to the September 13th event: Shilelagh Law (Half Way To St, Patrick’s Day) - Checkout | LineLeap Tickets

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

State leaders are taking aim at FEMA staffing cuts. Senator Richard Blumenthal is calling on the new FEMA Administrator to address staffing shortages they say could hinder the agency’s ability to respond to disasters. We spoke with Senator Blumenthal to learn more.

Connecticut is warning water utilities after cyberattacks disrupted systems in at least seven states. State officials say no Connecticut water system has reported an attack, but they acknowledge they don't know how many systems use the equipment targeted. To talk more about this, we chatted with Evan Allard, Director of the Connecticut Intelligence Center which is part of the state Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection.

More Connecticut students are making it to class. State data shows chronic absenteeism fell for the fourth straight year, with 16.4% of students missing at least 10% of the school year. That’s down from a pandemic peak of 23.7%. We got key takeaways from Ajit Gopalakrishnan, Chief Performance Officer for the Connecticut State Department of Education.

COVID infections are rising or likely rising in all 50 states, according to the CDC. Health experts say the latest summer wave could peak in early September. Wastewater data also shows COVID levels have more than doubled since July, with the South and West currently seeing some of the highest levels. We asked our infectious disease expert, Dr. Fred Browne, about the latest data and what that means with kids heading back to school soon.

Image Courtesy of Griffin Health

A deadly midair collision is under investigation in Pennsylvania. A small Cessna 150 struck a Pennsylvania State Police helicopter on Wednesday night near Carlisle Airport. The plane’s pilot was killed. Two state troopers aboard the helicopter were injured but are expected to recover. The FAA and NTSB are investigating what caused the crash. We checked in with retired commercial airline pilot from Connecticut, Paul Zielinski, to get perspective on the airport where this happened and more.

Child Psychologist and former school administrator Dr. Joe Schippa spoke with Jon about how to navigate your child's fears about back to school season, as well as your own!

15 year old Milford High School student has released his first game! Pixel Harvest is now available for download (link below) and Jon spoke with him about how he turned a hobby into a profit!

fischerboyyy.com

Today is National Aviation Day and Connecticut has a lot to celebrate. From Igor Sikorsky developing the world’s first practical helicopter in Stratford, to Pratt & Whitney engines powering commercial airliners and military aircraft, the state has helped shape the way the world flies. We spoke with Len Roberto Jr with the Connecticut Air and Space Center in Stratford about Connecticut’s rich aviation history and why it’s still such a prevalent industry in our state today.

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

Earlier this month, the Department of Consumer Protection released its Licensing Report for 2025. We spoke with DCP Commissioner Bryan Cafferelli about the significance of this report and some highlights from it. We also touched on the process to get licenses and whether penalties are strong enough for bad actors with important work-related licenses.  

For the full report: https://portal.ct.gov/dcp/news-releases-from-the-department-of-consumer-protection/2026-news-releases/dcp-releases-annual-licensing-report?language=en_US

Thousands of human-bear conflicts are reported each year and follow a long-term increasing trend. While greater numbers of conflicts take place in the western half of CT, residents report issues with bears across the state. Incidences of bears entering or breaking into homes occurred in 18 different municipalities statewide in 2025. We wanted to talk more about this with Jason Hawley, Supervising Wildlife Biologist for the Connecticut Black Bear Program. 

CT State of the Bears 2026 Report: https://portal.ct.gov/-/media/deep/wildlife/pdf_files/2026-state-of-the-bears.pdf?rev=a849aac72d5948af92a905ac1a574b27

Connecticut is expanding its guidance on technology use in schools. The State Board of Education now recommends bell-to-bell restrictions on students’ personal devices. The new guidance also addresses classroom screen time. We asked Milford Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Ana Cutaia, about how the district is researching tech instruction and learned about a new initiative called Log Off and Lock In.

About 2% of people worldwide will experience alopecia areata at some point in their lifetime. In the U.S., an estimated 700,000 people currently have alopecia areata, according to a large population study. We spoke with Julie Rachel who shared her story about being diagnosed with Alopecia as a teenager and the importance of learning more about the auto-immune disease. 

To register for The Walk for Alopecia: Walk For Alopecia® - National Alopecia Areata Foundation | NAAF

To contact Julia: julia.rachel02@gmail.com

The Lindsay Clancy murder trial is currently underway in Massachusetts, where the prosecution has just rested its case and the defense has begun presenting its arguments. The case centers on the tragic events of January 24, 2023, when 36-year-old Lindsay Clancy strangled her three young children. We got legal perspective from Marisa Bellair and Steven Errante at LTKE Law Firm.

Back-to-school photos are a fun tradition, but the Better Business Bureau says parents should think twice before posting. We spoke with Kristen Johnson of the BBB to learn more about this and better protect kids before they go back to school.

For more information: https://www.bbb.org/all/back-to-school

A deadly shooting in Hartford has left one person dead and four others wounded. Investigators are working to determine what led to the shooting, as they continue searching for answers and any possible suspects. But besides the alarming nature of this case, it also highlights a bigger issue with holding businesses more accountable and better supporting police across the state. We talked about it more with Senator Jason Perillo.

Today marks the two-year anniversary of the historic flooding event that devastated parts of Connecticut. On August 18th, 2024, torrential rain overwhelmed roads, homes and businesses, with some communities seeing record-breaking rainfall in just hours. The deadly storm left a lot of clean-up with the damage reaching an estimated 300 million dollars. We looked back at infrastructure impact from the storm with Josh Morgan of the Department of Transportation.

Milford is putting the brakes on plans to expand its network of Flock license-plate cameras. The city has enacted a moratorium while officials take a closer look at privacy concerns, data collection, and how the technology is being used. The pause gives the city time to consider what rules should govern the cameras moving forward. We spoke with Milford Alderman, Andy Fowler, about the ongoing debates around ALPR’s in the city.

Image Credit: Eric Urbanowicz

Opposition is growing for proposals surrounding Manresa Island in Norwalk. Some neighbors are pushing back on potential plans that could greatly impact traffic, noise and pollution. We spoke with Jess Vonashek, the executive director of Manresa Wilds, to address those concerns.

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

Nine people had to be rescued from the breakwater at Bridgeport’s Seaside Park. This happened yesterday afternoon after the rising tide left them stranded. We spoke with Bridgeport acting Fire Chief Mark Cody about the situation and water safety in general.

A judge has cleared the way for a retrial of Raul Valle in the deadly stabbing of Fairfield Prep student James McGrath. Valle was acquitted of murder last year, but the jury deadlocked on four lesser charges. When you look back on the first trial, something still doesn't sit right with a lot of people...two other teens got immunity deals. How do immunity deals work, why are they offered, and how does it work when police have informants? 

Host Paul Pacelli opened Wednesday's "Connecticut Today" looking at the previous night's primary results, which included an easy win for incumbent Gov. Ned Lamont and an upset win for former Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin (00:34). ABC News Campaign Reporter Gaby Vinick dropped by to chat about some other key national primaries (14:16), while Hearst Connecticut Media's Dan Haar offered his thoughts on some of Tuesday's final numbers (17:16). He also talked about the death of former Connecticut Lt. Gov. Nancy Wyman

"Connecticut Today" host Paul Pacelli welcomed Connecticut's Primary Day 2026 by wondering why so many Connecticut residents constantly vote for candidates who get very little done (00:29). ABC News law enforcement contributor and retired Senior Secret Service Agent Don Mihalek dropped by (14:50), along with columnist and blogger Meghan Portfolio (19:48)

Monday's "Connecticut Today" with host Paul Pacelli rolled into a new week looking at a plea to cities and towns from Gov. Ned Lamont for a pause in installing new automated license plate reader systems (00:25). We also chatted with ABC's News Digital Health and Science reporter Mary Kekatos (13:25), as well as columnist and blogger Terry Cowgill (16:34)

Host Paul Pacelli wrapped up another busy week on "Connecticut Today" wondering about Hamden state Rep. Josh Elliott's promise to arrest ICE officers and set up a legal defense fund for immigrants facing deportation, if he's elected Governor (00:31). We also welcomed ABC News correspondent Chris Boccia (13:56), Southington GOP state Sen. Rob Sampson (17:23), and former Bridgeport Democratic state Rep. Chris Caruso (24:48) to the show as well