WICC The Voice of Connecticut

Host Paul Pacelli welcomed Connecticut Mirror reporter Mark Pazniokas to Friday's edition of "Connecticut Today" to break down the weekend nominating conventions for state Democrats and Republicans (00:39). Paul also had a few of his own thoughts for Connecticut's registered Republican voters (09:25). CBS News Capitol Hill reporter Taurean Small joined us to talk about the ongoing redistricting battles across the U.S. (24:07), while University of New Haven Associate Professor of National Security and Political Science Dr. Matthew Schmidt dropped by to chat about numerous world hotspots (28:40)

Mar Jennings One-Man Show is a riveting journey from hardship to triumph. Jenning’s debut show is happening Friday May 22nd at the Sacred Heart University Community Theatre and proceeds to benefit the Center for Family Justice. We spoke with Mar Jennings ahead of his show. 

For tickets and more information: Tickets | Mar Jennings One-Man Show | Sacred Heart University Community Theatre

Just days after graduating college, we had Norwalk native, Jack Pavia, in studio. Pavia is running for the 142nd district state representative seat, representing Norwalk and New Canaan. We got to know his political background and goals if voted into office.

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

Image Credit: Eric Urbanowicz

Fairfield is celebrating an aviation milestone. The town announced that Penfield Reef will be officially designated a Vertical Flight Society Heritage site. It recognizes the location of the world’s first successful helicopter hoist water rescue. We spoke with Angelo Collins, Executive Director of the Vertical Flight Society for more on the historic event dating back to 1945.

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

Former New Britain Mayor Erin Stewart has suspended her campaign for governor. The Republican frontrunner made the announcement following a report accusing Stewart of misusing a city-issued credit card while in office. We asked our legal expert, Attorney Bill Bloss, what if anything will come out of this criminal investigation.

 *Attorney Bloss has no connection to this case.*

Dr. Joanne Passalacqua join's Jon to speak about the bacteria that could ruin not only your trip to the beach, but also your local raw bar! 

Former New Britain Mayor Erin Stewart's decision to suspend her 2026 gubernatorial campaign was the big story on Thursday's edition of "Connecticut Today," with analysis of the situation from host Paul Pacelli (00:27), blogger / columnist Chris Powell (15:13), and WTNH "Capitol Report" panelist Liz Kurantowicz (24:53)

To wrap up the Orem's Diner leg of the WICC Brown Roofing Melissa In The Morning Diner Tour, Melissa welcomed Jennifer Angerame from Wilton Kneads to the program to talk about their special needs baking program. 

For More Information: https://www.wiltonkneads.org/

Andrea Gartner from the Norwalk River Valley Trial took part in the WICC Brown Roofing Melissa In The Morning Diner to talk about the trail and their conservation efforts!

Melissa welcomed Heather Borden Herve to Orem's Diner for the WICC Brown Roofing Melissa In The Morning Diner Tour to talk about the history of Good Morning Wilton and just talk generally about the connection to Wilton.

Caroline Mandler, the Executive Director of the Wilton Library, joined Melissa to talk about all the events coming up at the library on the WICC Brown Roofing Melissa In The Morning Diner Tour.

Samantha Nestor, the Weston First Selectwoman, took the short drive over to Orem's Diner to take part in the WICC Brown Roofing Melissa In The Morning Diner Tour.

Melissa welcomed the Director of the Wilton Historical Society, Nick Foster, to the WICC Brown Roofing Melissa In The Morning Diner Tour. They talked about what's going on with the socitey and some events going on.

We always love to talk to the local police chiefs on the WICC Brown Roofing Melissa in the Morning Diner Tours and Tom Conlan was no different as he sat down with Melissa for a few minutes to talk about life as a chief.

Melissa welcomed Wilton's First Selectwoman Toni Boucher to the WICC Brown Roofing Melissa In The Morning Diner Tour to talk about everything from her public service to her memoir!

Wilton Fire Chief Jim Blanchfield took sometime to visit Orem's Diner for the WICC Brown Roofing Melissa In The Morning Diner Tour!

One of the most requested places to talk to during the WICC Brown Roofing Melissa In The Morning Diner Tour is right here in Wilton! We welcomed Kevin Meehan from Ambler Farm to come on and talk everything with the farm!

Do you live in Wilton and have a teen that needs something to do after school? The WICC Brown Roofing Melissa In The Morning Diner Tour has the perfect place for you! We welcomed Lori Fields and John Priest from the Trackside Teen Center to Orem's Diner to talk about it!

Are you ready to kiss the girl? Melissa welcomed Wilton High School students Hayden and Kathryn to the WICC Brown Roofing Melissa In The Morning Diner Tour to talk about their upcoming productions of "The Little Mermaid."

You never know who will show up as part of the WICC Brown Roofing Melissa In The Morning Diner Tour...This morning, it was WICC's own Lisa Wexler!

During the WICC Brown Roofing Melissa In The Morning Diner Tour, we welcome teachers from the CEA to talk about the school year, that includes Peggy who joined Melissa to talk about the end of year stuff.

To kickoff our debut at the Orem's Diner in Wilton as part of the WICC Brown Roofing Melissa In The Morning Diner Tour, Melissa spoke to Demetris Papanikolaou, the owner of Orem's!

On Wednesday's "Connecticut Today," host Paul Pacelli welcomed Hearst Connecticut Media Senior Columnist and Editor Dan Haar to chat about all the political twists and turns surrounding the Republican and Democratic nominating conventions (00:35). Paul also had a few thoughts regarding the renewed controversy surrounding flavored vaping products and e-cigarettes in Connecticut (10:29). CBS News White House reporter Linda Kenyon joined us to chat about President Trump's trip to China (25:11)

Infectious disease expert Dr. Joanne Passalaqua joins Jon to talk about what you should and should *not* be worried about 

Erin Stewart is under fire again, this time for spending reports dating back to her time as New Britain’s mayor. It looked at a decade of charges on the city credit card she had access to. It’s clear the Republican Party is trying to navigate this, just days ahead of the Republican State Convention. We spoke with Ben Proto, chair of Connecticut’s Republican Party, about this and the health of the Republican party’s candidates before the general election in November.

The Milford Board of Education has said this was not an easy and lightly made decision, but the master long range facilities plan was approved. The plan does include closing down two elementary schools and a lot of construction work for the remaining schools across the district. We spoke with Sue Glennon, Chair of the Milford Board of Education and superintendent of schools, Dr. Anna Cutaia, for more details.

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

Stamford’s Board of Education postponed a vote on the 2026-27 school budget. The board will now hold a special meeting on May 19th to discuss and possibly vote on a final budget. A big concern is the number of job cuts in the superintendent's proposed budget: 60 full-time teaching positions and 12 paraeducators. We spoke with John Corcoran, president of the Stamford Education Association about what’s happening.

Host Paul Pacelli welcomed former New York Lieutenant Gov. Betsy McCaughey to Tuesday's "Connecticut Today" to chat about her candidacy for Connecticut Governor and the upcoming GOP convention (00:33). Yankee Institute blogger Meghan Portfolio dropped by to talk about energy policy (11:00), while Paul offered some of his thoughts on the state's Republican party voters looking ahead to a likely gubernatorial primary (20:38)

The General Aseembly just made it easier to get portable solar energy devices in your home! NYU Professor and State Rep candidate Anne Weisberg spoke with Jon about how they can lower your energy costs!

Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni reached a settlement in early May 2026 to end their legal battle over the production of It Ends With Us, avoiding a trial scheduled for two weeks later. What are some lessons we can take away from this high-profile case? We asked employment attorney, Gary Phelan, with Hurwitz Sagarin & Slossberg in Milford and is also law professor at Quinnipiac University.

The man acquitted last summer of murder in the fatal stabbing of Jimmy McGrath at a Shelton house party made a brief appearance in court Friday morning. We spoke with Attorney Darnell Crosland who represents Raul Valle about the latest in the case and the possibility of a second trial.

This session, the Connecticut legislature passed House Bill 5468, tightening homeschooling regulations to introduce state oversight for the first time. Instead of hearing from lawmakers, we wanted to know what this legislation really means for a homeschooling families in Connecticut. Sylvia Duarte is known as the "former TV news reporter turned homeschooling mom." She also works in outreach for the National Hybrid Schools Project," since that's how I've connected with homeschoolers in Connecticut and across the country.

May is National Foster Care Month recognizing all those involved with foster care from the child in care, to the foster families and all the professionals and organizations that are part of the village that provides support and care. We spoke with a longtime foster parent, James Higgins, to learn about the impact of foster families in our state.

For more information about foster care: https://www.anniec.org/ & https://www.fcaweb.org/
Hotline for the Connecticut Alliance of Foster and Adoptive Families: 1-800-KID-HERO

Host Paul Pacelli (00:49) and Sacred Heart University Professor of Politics and Scholar-in-Residence Dr. Gary Rose (16:10) both chimed in on Monday's "Connecticut Today" regarding the latest controversy surrounding former New Britain Mayor Erin Stewart's gubernatorial campaign, centering on her use of a city-issued purchasing card for years. CTNewsJunkie columnist and Substack.com blogger Terry Cowgill offered his thoughts on today's major stories, including the Erin Stewart controversy (26:02)

The online education platform Canvas went offline after a data breach last week, temporarily leaving students and faculty at thousands of U.S. colleges without access to course materials and communications during finals period. Here in Connecticut, we learned University of New Haven and Yale uses Canvas. Whenever anything goes haywire in the news, we check in with our cybersecurity and AI expert, Dr. Vahid Behzadan.

It doesn’t take a genius to tell you things are really expensive today. From gas prices to groceries, we need financial relief not just in Connecticut but across the country. Have you ever thought about the impact of ending the can tax? A recent op-ed discusses that in USA Today, written by Phil Kerpen. Kerpen is the president of American Commitment and a leading free-market policy analyst, nationally syndicated columnist and author.

To read the op-ed: https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2026/04/09/iran-war-steel-trump-tariffs-cost-groceries/89451506007/

Connecticut just wrapped up its legislative session where the budget was the priority. A recent headline touts how much work got done in a short session. This news headline reads “the Connecticut legislature is celebrating the passage of 218 bills this session. It matches the amount of bills passed in 2025, despite being a shorter session than last year.” That may be true, but what actually passed to bring long term affordability to Connecticut residents? We asked Senate Minority Leader, Steve Harding, who gave us the key takeaways from this legislative session.

Image Courtesy of Senator Steve Harding and the...

Amanda Harmon, LCSW, MSW, is a licensed clinical social worker and Program Director of the Master of Social Work program at Sacred Heart University and she joined Melissa to talk about the growing demand for social workers.

Image Courtesy of Sacred Heart University 

Child sexual abuse is unfortunately common. In the U.S., the CDC says at least 1 in 4 girls and 1 in 20 boys experience sexual abuse before age 18. In about 90% of cases, the child knows the perpetrator (a family member, family friend, older child, coach, or other trusted person.) We talked about the unknowns about sleepovers and what to think about if your kid wants to attend one.