WICC The Voice of Connecticut

A scammer pretending to be associated with a well-known financial institution is inundating Connecticut residents with “too good to be true” loan offers. We spoke with Kristen Johnson of the Better Business Bureau serving Connecticut to get more information about the “J Morgan” underwriting scam.

For more information: bbb.org/scamtracker

New year, same problem: housing. Part of the new housing law that passed in special session in 2025 included the creation of a Council on Housing Development to advise and assist in reviewing regulations, developing guidelines and establishing programs concerning the growth of housing in the state. The council was supposed to have its first meeting January first; it did not happen and apparently, not everyone has been appointed to the council. We spoke with Senate Minority Leader, Steve Harding, about the implications for our housing crisis and whether the recently passed law was just ‘checkmark’ legislation.

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New year, same problem. Do you have nightmares about your electric bills? Of course you do! Our bills, already among the highest in the country, are set to go up again as a set of new utility regulators try to grapple with the mess left behind from their predecessors, including former Chair Marissa Gillett. To keep tabs on all things energy in Connecticut, we check in with Bryson Hull, Deputy Northeast Director for Consumer Energy Alliance.

Image Credit: Eric Urbanowicz

The Bridgeport Police Department released its 2025 crime statistics and the numbers look really good in every category. We got a breakdown from Police Chief Roderick Porter.

For full report details: file:///C:/Users/msheketoff/AppData/Local/Microsoft/Olk/Attachments/ooa-98ba9037-c260-4fdb-bef9-e8c6a3aab31a/3d43cda763cd9a1faad0a3199a17661fdcf5dbfcd40c6c5e2ddf21a1005f694c/Bridgeport%20PD%202025%20Crime%20Review.pdf

There's a call for state lawmakers to put forward a bill that would prevent people on probation from being sent back to prison for minor technical violations. What are the laws on the books and how would provisions impact Connecticut? We asked State Senator Paul Cicarella, ranking senator on the Public Safety and Security Committee and also serves on the Judiciary Committee.

Provisions of 22 new laws will go into effect in the new year. We got the breakdown about House Bill 8002 and what it means for 2026 from News 8’s political reporter, Mike Cerulli.

In 2026, the United States will commemorate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence and the founding of the country. Despite the significance of this anniversary, there are questions about whether our state is investing enough energy and money into marking this milestone. We spoke with Cyndi Tolosa, the Deputy Director of Advancement at Connecticut Humanities and the project manager of America 250 CT chapter.

For more information: https://ct250.org/

A local salon was destroyed by fire and it’s a good reminder to check your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. The Black Swan Nail and Spa Salon is temporarily closed due to fire damage. But what’s more concerning is what volunteer firefighters detected inside -- potentially lethal levels of carbon monoxide. We spoke with Bridgeport Fire Chief Lance Edwards about the dangers of carbon monoxide poisoning and how to check that all detectors are functioning.

Minnesota is under fire for large-scale alleged Medicaid fraud, with over $350 million proven in fraudulent claims out of $18 billion spent on high-risk programs since 2018. It begs the question whether this could be an issue in our state. Here in Connecticut, lawmakers requested an audit in our state about 3 months ago. Did anything come of it? Joining us back on the show is doctor and state Senator, Jeff Gordon, who serves on the Appropriations Committee and is on the lookout for fraud and government misspending in Medicaid and general health care.

As we get ready to close the 2025 chapter and welcome 2026, let’s take a look back at the top five transportation-related news stories in our state. Jim Cameron, author of the "Talking Transportation" column runs in CTMirror, recently highlighted these stories and broke them down for us on the show.

For the full article: https://ctmirror.org/2025/12/28/talking-transportation-2025/

It’s any parent’s nightmare: waiting for your kid to return home but they never do. Thank God for modern technology and the ability to track your children. Recently, a father in Texas rescued his daughter all thanks to tracking her cell phone. What can we take away from this story? We invited law enforcement expert, Gary MacNamara, back to the show.

Trumbull Police are still looking for the teens involved in a shooting that happened at the Trumbull Mall. For the latest on the investigation we spoke to Lt. Brian Falkenstein with Trumbull Police Department.

That “out-of-the-office” reply may be doing more than letting people know you’re away. Could auto-messages quietly share more information than people realize? We spoke with Dr. Vahid Behzadon, cybersecurity and AI expert on the show, as well as Associate Professor at the University of New Haven. 

There are a lot of nonprofits in Connecticut that rely on government funding to survive. But with tax dollars supporting some of these groups, do we do a good enough job checking financial reports and knowing where the dollars are actually going?

New Opportunities Incorporated has been suspended by the state as a vendor administering the Low Income Heating Assistance Program (LIHEAP) because it used federal energy assistance money to cover operating expenses. To talk more about this story and generally about financial oversight for non-profits utilizing government funding, we spoke with State Representative Jay Case, House Ranking...

Connecticut has a real problem with impaired driving. A new report was released by The Connecticut Forensic Lab and shows many drivers tested for drinking and driving earlier this year, also had drugs detected in those tests. We spoke with Dr. Jessica Gleba, Director of forensic laboratory operations with the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection’s Division of Scientific Services, about the latest statistics.

Governor Lamont recently announced using money to help offset the costs of health insurance if you are someone not getting your subsidies once they expire December 31st. While there was a lot of bi-partisan support around some of the state spending, there was a hard stop when it came to the millions being given to Planned Parenthood. Some of the loudest opponents to this includes Catholics. We talked about this with Chris Healy, Executive Director of the Connecticut Catholic Conference.

“Some people may need a hand, and we all have a hand to give.” That’s the mission of the Shoulder Check initiative created through the HT40 Foundation. The nonprofit based in Fairfield County was made in honor of the late Hayden Thorsen and what started as a simple hockey showcase has caught the attention of even the NHL. We spoke with Rob Thorsen, Founder and Executive Director of Shoulder Check.

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

Image Credit: Melissa Sheketoff

Major announcements coming from CT United FC: a new coach, details on the club’s inaugural 2026 season AND a more definitive timeline for the Bridgeport MLS stadium! Founded in 2024 and owned by Connecticut Sports Group, Connecticut United Football Club (CT United FC) is the fifth independent professional men’s soccer club in MLS NEXT Pro. We got the details from André Swanston, CEO of CT Sports Group.

For more information on the pro-team: https://www.ctunited.com/

Image Credit: Eric Urbanowicz

Thursday's "Connecticut Today" featured host Paul Pacelli talking about the message President Trump may or may not be sending by re-classifying marijuana from a "Schedule One" drug to a "Schedule Three" drug in the federal government's drug hierarchy (00:41). Former Bridgeport Democratic state Rep. Chris Caruso dropped by with his weekly update, including some year-end thoughts regarding the City of Bridgeport (15:09). CBS News Congressional Correspondent Nikole Killion joined us from Washington, D.C. regarding a controversial House vote connected to Affordable Care Act subsidies (23:04)

After an egregious case of elder abuse in Griswold, CT, we spoke with Dorian Long, the Social Services Program Administration Manager with the Department of Social Services about detecting elder abuse and reporting it correctly.

The Department of Veterans Affairs had a recent audit done reflecting issues with overpaid workers and a lack of necessary reporting. For the first time on the show, we had two of our state auditors, John Geragosian and Craig Miner, about this latest audit. We also got a better understanding of the auditing process and what happens after the results are public.

There’s already a lot of stress this time of year especially financially. And if you are focused on your career unhappiness or unemployment, career strategist, Julie Bauke, shared advice on how to reinvigorate/restart your search in January.

It's dubbed "the most wonderful time of the year" but is it actually the most stressful? The holiday season may bring out the sadness in some and the mental health challenges in others. How do we detect if we or loved ones are struggling this holiday? And what can we do to better support them or ourselves? We asked Dr. Raviv Berlin, Chair of Psychiatry at Stamford Health.

New York signed an act into law that has a great environmental impact, including here in Connecticut. We spoke with Dr. Sarah Crosby, Vice President of Conservation at the Maritime Aquarium in Norwalk, about the Horseshoe Crab Protection Act.

The estate of Jacqueline “Mimi” Torres i preparing to sue the state of Connecticut for $100 million dollars. We asked Ranking Senator on the Committee on Children, Senator Jason Perillo, about this and the latest with his DCF communications.

Image Credit: Eric Urbanowicz

We asked Stew Leonard Jr. about his plans to hand over the reigns to the next generation as the next CEO and president of Stew Leonard’s. We also asked about the latest moves to bring a new storefront to lower New Haven County.

Image Credit: Dee Ortiz

Bird lovers, we have good news about the piping plovers at Milford Point; more babies fledged there this year than on any beach in the state in the 40 years that records have been kept. For more information, Tom Anderson is here, Director of Communications for Connecticut Audubon Society and Editor of Connecticut State of the Birds.

For the full report: https://ctaudubon.org/2025/12/40-piping-plovers-nested-and-38-babies-fledged-at-milford-point-in-2025-no-beach-in-connecticut-has-had-more-in-at-least-four-decades/

Disability Rights Connecticut released a report following an investigation into sexual misconduct at Connecticut's only prison for women. It’s a 27-page report highlighting alarming problems if not corrected will only allow the problem to continue at a high rate, according to the civil rights agency. To discuss the report, we spoke with state Senator John Kissel, Ranking Senator on the Judiciary Committee.

Full report: https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5952983059cc68ff83ce3153/t/694167170bf5da1efebdebd6/1765893912027/DRCT+Report+on+Sexual+Abuse+at+York+Correctional+Institution+Dec+16+2025.pdf

The Norwalk City Council adopted an ordinance to use school bus cameras and ticket people who illegally pass them. Shelton launched its school bus camera enforcement program this school year and last year, Bridgeport launch its program too. Norwalk’s cameras are set to be up and running by the 2026-27 school year. For more on this, we checked in with Norwalk Police Chief James Walsh.

Are we shooting ourselves in the foot when it comes to attracting and retaining people to teach in Connecticut? A new survey conducted by the Connecticut Education Association, Connecticut largest teachers’ union, shows 90% of student teachers in Connecticut are deeply concerned about affording groceries and other necessities, and more than 80% say unpaid student teaching makes them feel exploited. That’s why there’s a renewed call for paid student teaching in Connecticut. To talk more about this, we spoke with Hannah Spinner, a graduate student at UConn pursuing a teaching career. She also chairs the CEA‘s statewide Aspiring Educators Program...

Have you heard of benefits trafficking? It’s a crime that is on the rise apparently here and across the country. It’s basically using an elderly relative for financial gain and abusing them in the process. A Griswold couple is now facing multiple charges after police say they were housing an elderly family member in their home. They reportedly starved and abused her while exploiting her for financial benefits.

We spoke with Paul Greenwood, a career prosecutor with the San Diego district attorney’s office, now retired, but after 40 years of prosecuting elder abuse cases, he’s a public...

There is a national shortage of fire trucks and we are seeing that impact even at our local departments. Senator Richard Blumenthal has demanded an investigation by the FTC into the three companies behind the truck manufacturing.  We spoke with him about the problem.

A lawsuit claims Central Connecticut State University terminated an employee over her tuberculosis diagnosis. The woman in this case says she contracted the bacterial infection from a student while working as a specialist at the university. The complaint claims, the school violated federal law banning discrimination against people with disabilities. Her attorney representing her happens to be a contributor to the show. Attorney Gary Phelan is here with Hurwitz Sagarin & Slossberg in Milford and is also law professor at Quinnipiac University.

We’re not talking price hikes…but we are talking about a total rewire of how Metro North train tickets will work starting in January. Jim Cameron, author of the "Talking Transportation" column runs in CTMirror gave us the details.

Original article: https://ctmirror.org/2025/12/14/metro-north-ticket-turmoil/

There are more and more reports about flu cases in Connecticut and it seems the flu symptoms are worse than usual. We spoke with Dr. Fred Browne from Griffin Health about this year's flu season and why it's so aggressive. 

Image Courtesy of Griffin Health

After a very impactful three years, Chief Marketing Officer of the State, Anthony Anthony, has decided to leave his position, effective in February 2026. We spoke with him about the decision and his biggest accomplishments in this role. 

"Connecticut Today" host Paul Pacelli discussed news that Fairfield is now the tenth state municipality to announce the coming use of automated traffic cameras. Many folks consider the cameras necessary, while others consider such systems a "big-government" intrusion on civil liberties (01:01). Connecticut Inside Investigator reporter Marc Fitch talked about the latest controversy surrounding the state's Public Utilities Regulatory Authority under former chair Marissa Gillett (14:18). Hearst Connecticut Media Senior Editor and Columnist Dan Haar updated us on the state employment picture and the departure of a key state marketing official (20:04). CBS News White House reporter Aaron Navarro also weighed in on...

These devices can be controversial, but another town is on board with adding speed and red-light cameras to the municipality. Orange town officials voted unanimously to incorporate them. For the latest on this, we checked in with Orange First Selectman Jim Zeoli. (00:00) We then spoke with DOT spokesperson, Josh Morgan, about the process of approval for cameras in any town or city. (9:03)

To see a list of the approved plans: https://portal.ct.gov/dot/programs/automated-traffic-enforcement-safety-device/approved-plans?language=en_US