Host Paul Pacelli opened a new week on "Connecticut Today" wondering - as state budget talks run up against another deadline - if Connecticut lawmakers should be in Hartford on a full-time basis to avoid bad lawmaking (01:08). Trumbull GOP State Rep. Dave Rutigliano dropped by to chat about the latest news regarding state budget talks in Hartford (14:47). Commuter advocate and columnist Jim Cameron talked about his latest column, detailing the state's potential loss of millions of dollars through vehicles being improperly registered out-of-state (21:09). CTNewsJunkie columnist and Substack.com blogger Terry Cowgill had some thoughts on the recent Trump White House pardon for former Gov. John Rowland (30:27). CBS News military analyst and U.S. Army Col. (Ret.) Jeff McCausland analyzed recent news of a major sneak attack by Ukraine on Russian military air forces (38:09)

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DMV officials across the country released advisories about scam texts that are attempting to manipulate drivers into paying a fake “outstanding toll.” Crime prevention expert, Jim Perez, gave us more details about this and how to prevent being duped.

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The FBI says it is investigating an attack on an outdoor mall in Boulder, Colorado, as an act of terrorism. Police say eight people are injured after a man used a makeshift flamethrower and threw Molotov cocktails at a group gathered to raise awareness about Israeli hostages held in Gaza. We spoke about the case and major takeaways with former FBI Agent, Ken Gray.

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A "bell-to-bell" ban on cellphones in Fairfield's schools has reached the Board of Education. Superintendent of Schools, Michael Testani, introduced three policies tackling cell phone rules in the district. We got more clarity from him on these policies and how soon they could go into effect.

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The Connecticut legislature is in its final push before adjournment of its regular session this Wednesday at midnight. Lawmakers need to approve a two-year budget with the fiscal period starting July first. Are we going to see enough money invested back into our K-12 public schools? We got perspective from Kate Dias, President of the Connecticut Education Association.

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The Senate passed a controversial housing bill 20 to 15 over the weekend. Lawmakers debated until 3 in the morning Saturday, and it now heads to the governor’s desk. Governor Lamont has already indicated that he will sign a significant housing bill into law. We got reaction from Alexis Harrison, co-founder of CT169Strong.

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Host Paul Pacelli opened Friday's "Connecticut Today" wondering when exactly the State of Connecticut took a lurch to the far left in how it operates and governs itself (00:50). Family Institute of Connecticut Director of Public Policy Leslie Wolfgang updated us regarding a controversial library bill being debated at the State Capitol (15:52). Former Bridgeport State Rep. Chris Caruso broke down the biggest local stories, including how a contentious housing bill in Hartford could affect Bridgeport (22:54). Yankee Institute blogger Andrew Fowler dropped by to chat about the state's continued difficulties in reducing electric bills (33:45)

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Connecticut launched a recent initiative to eliminate medical debt for 100,000 CT residents and low-income families. We got a better understanding about financial toxicity and how it impacts patients from Dr. Rachel Greenup. She is co-director at the Center for Breast Cancer, Yale Cancer Center and Smilow Cancer Hospital. 

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We are down to a few days left of the 2025 legislative session in Connecticut. We need a balanced budget before June 4th and a lot of other items including housing and crime addressed in some regard. We got an update from Governor Ned Lamont on all of this. 

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