WICC The Voice of Connecticut

Marissa Gillett has been confirmed by the state Senate to continue as chair of the Public Utility Regulatory Authority. All eleven Republican state senators walked out of the chamber before yesterday's vote, claiming the process is corrupt. We got the scoop from Senator Steve Harding about what happened and why.

Image Courtesy of Senator Steve Harding and the Senate Republicans 

Access Health is sounding the alarm about federal subsidies set to expire at the end of the year. It could mean Connecticut residents on exchange plans see their premiums skyrocket more than a thousand dollars than their prices now! We talked to Congressman Himes about the likelihood of extending the subsidies.

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State lawmakers are considering a bill that would add a new tax on sweetened beverages to raise enough money to cover the 110-million-dollars a year needed to provide free breakfast and lunch to all students. State Representative Moira Rader explained the proposal and addressed concerns people have surrounding the need for consistent revenue. Rep. Rader is the Vice Chair of the Finance, Revenue, & Bonding Committee and Assistant Majority Leader.

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Host Paul Pacelli kicked off "Connecticut Today" with his view that the $3.5 million spent yearly on text messaging for prison inmates is well worth it and should be maintained and not eliminated (00:43). Connecticut Inside Investigator reporter Marc Fitch dropped by to chat about a proposed "soda and sweetened beverage tax" being considered at the State Capitol (15:57). Yankee Institute blogger Meghan Portfolio talked about "Tax Day 2025" in Connecticut (24:28). We also heard from CBS News legal analyst Thane Rosenbaum on two key legal actions facing the Trump White House (34:16)

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Bridgeport may eliminate up to 40 teacher positions to close a projected 28-million-dollar budget shortfall. The city may also furlough all school employees for a week without pay to help address the massive budget deficit among other proposed cuts. We spoke about what we can expect next from Vice Chair of the city’s Board of Education, Joe Sokolovic.

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The Federal Aviation Administration has grounded the New York helicopter tour company that operated the sightseeing tour that crashed into the Hudson River last week, killing all six people aboard. And as the investigation into the crash continues, we wanted to get perspective on what went wrong in this situation. We spoke with former FBI Agent and pilot, Ken Gray, who also teaches at the University of New Haven.

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There’s a new cancer prevention program for hundreds of firefighters across Connecticut. Starting May 1, career firefighters who are enrolled on the state employee health plan or Partnership Plan will be eligible for a free preventative scan every two years. We got more details on this new program and its purpose from Comptroller Sean Scanlon. We also asked about firefighters not covered by these insurance plans, including volunteer firefighters, who need this service too.

IMAGE CREDIT: Melissa Sheketoff

State lawmakers are considering a bill that would add a new tax on soda and juice to pay for free meals in schools.  The proposal would add the tax on sweetened beverages, syrups and powders to fund free breakfasts and lunches for all public school students in Connecticut. What is the likelihood of this bill moving forward this session? We asked News 8 political reporter, Mike Cerulli.

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Host Paul Pacelli opened a new week on "Connecticut Today" talking about a proposed tax on sweetened beverages to help pay for universal school breakfasts and lunches in Connecticut (00:47). Commuter advocate and columnist Jim Cameron dropped by with his thoughts on the current Avelo Airlines controversy and the airline's agreement to fly some future deportation flights for the Trump White House (14:21). GOP State Sen. Eric Berthel also offered some thoughts on the criticism directed at Avelo Airlines from majority Democrats in Hartford (23:00). CBS News political reporter Taurean Small updated us on the latest Trump tariff news from the White House (30:28)

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Is it a business deal that people aren’t keen of or is it so unethical it’s worth pulling support and partnership? That’s the lingering question surrounding Avelo Airlines since we learned of the company’s agreement to work with the federal government in helping to facilitate deportation flights out of Arizona. One of the loudest critics of this decision is Attorney General William Tong who addressed the topic with us.

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