There’s a collaboration with United Way of Connecticut to help make sure Connecticut families are not food insecure. It’s called the emergency grocery assistance fund. We got more detail on the fund from Eric Harrison, President and CEO of United Way of Central and Northeastern Connecticut.

For more information: https://unitedwayinc.org/grocery-assistance/

It’s going to cost you maybe a few nickels more a month, but your local firefighters are thanking you! We’re talking about House Bill 8004 that passed during special session this month. It included a consistent way to continue funding for the Firefighters' Cancer Relief Fund. We talked about this with Caitlyn Pereira of the Fairfield Firefighters Association IAFF local 1426 and Pete Brown, the President of the state association of firefighters.

Whether it’s the ride from the airport or train station back home or the safe way to get home after a celebration out that includes alcohol, rideshare options are a popular and smart option. And especially for Thanksgiving holiday week, a lot of people will choose rideshare programs to get around. But it comes with safety tips to be aware of before you get into a stranger’s car. Crime prevention expert, Jim Perez, shared tips.

Governor Ned Lamont today announced that Office of Policy and Management (OPM) Secretary Jeffrey Beckham will be stepping down from his position at OPM effective December 5, 2025. We talked to WTNH political reporter, Mike Cerulli, about the significance of this announcement. We also talked about former Mayor Erin Stewart officially running for Governor.

Image Credit: Eric Urbanowicz

The governor just signed a bill into law this week, that strengthens and improves resources in Connecticut for children’s behavioral health (HB 8004). We spoke with Dr. Manisha Juthani, Commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Public Health. DPH is involved in a part of this behavioral health bill, including the section regarding school-based health centers.

For the first time in over a decade, Connecticut’s 211 Infoline needs a funding hike. Why and what has happened in the last 15 years prompting this ask? We asked Lisa Tepper Bates, President and CEO, United Way of Connecticut. The United Way of Connecticut contracts with the state to run the 211 service.

Thursday's "Connecticut Today" featured host Paul Pacelli wondering if Connecticut should follow in the steps of some other cities and institute free municipal bus rides (00:45). GOP State Rep. Craig Fishbein joined us to talk about a new state audit on a massive backlog of state gun permit appeals cases (14:26). Former Bridgeport Democratic State Rep. Chris Caruso stopped by with his weekly update (23:13), while CBS News Military Analyst U.S. Army Col. (Ret.) Jeff McCausland offered his thoughts on U.S. military strikes being used against suspected drug smuggling boats in the Caribbean (32:15)

Ultra-processed food like fast food, ready-to-eat meals and protein bars are linked to harm in every major organ of the human body.  That's according to the world's largest review of ultra-processed foods and their impact on global health. We spoke about this with Dr. Fred Browne of Griffin Health. We also talked about a new study linking pregnancy stress with baby teeth, another study linking music as a healer to dementia and the latest access to more prescriptions.

IMAGE CREDIT: Dr. Fred Browne / Griffin Health

From travel to shopping, there’s a lot to prepare for and scams to avoid. We spoke with Commissioner Bryan Cafferelli from the CT Department of Consumer Protection.

Image Credit: Eric Urbanowicz

Senator Richard Blumenthal is advocating for a ban on AI companions for children called The Guard Act. This is a bi-partisan effort in Washington DC on top of the ongoing fight to pass the Kids Online Safety Act. We learned more about it with Senator Blumenthal.

IMAGE CREDIT: Melissa Sheketoff