WICC The Voice of Connecticut

The average Connecticut resident doesn’t expect human or sex trafficking to be a problem in our state. But it is! We got concrete data highlighting the problem from Jamie Manirakiza from PEHT and Stamford Lt. Jerry Junes.

Image Credit: Getty Images

Are you worried about ICE raids in your kids’ school district? Many school districts have released statements reassuring parents that they will protect kids who could be targeted. We got some perspective on this thanks to officials in Bridgeport. We spoke with Carli Rocha-Reaes with the district, Susan Schnitzer with CIRI and immigration attorney Alicia Kinsman.

Image Credit: Reuters

When you are experiencing an emergency; they are there to support you and care for you. EMS workers are essential and yet, more and more recent studies have highlighted a significant EMS worker shortage and a need to invest in EMS facilities and equipment. We head checked in Volunteer EMS Chief Jon Arnold and First Selectman David Bindelglass to hear about a new facility that’s well overdue!

For more information: https://eastonems.com/

IMAGE CREDIT: Jon Arnold / Easton EMS Staff

It's all about the economy this week as Bill is joined by CNBC contributor Mark Smith.

Host Paul Pacelli welcomed Ray Pantalena from Affinity Grow in Bridgeport to talk about the current adult-use marijuana market in the Park City, one year after opening his Bridgeport location (00:36). Paul also wondered about how useful Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives really are in the wake of allegations surrounding a recent mid-air collision in Washington, D.C. (10:00)

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There's a unique way to honor your valentine this year, thanks to the Catherine Violet Hubbard Foundation. Melissa spoke with Jenny Hubbard, founder of CVH Foundation and proud mother to Catherine Violet, about the beautiful butterfly valentine opportunity this year. She also updated us on milestones for the foundation. 

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

IMAGE CREDIT: Melissa Sheketoff

How do police pursuits work? Recently, Connecticut State Police highlighted a pursuit that was started by a convicted felon in Willimantic. We got perspective from Connecticut State Police Sgt. Luke Davis.

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There is a lot of speculation around the cause of Wednesday’s deadly mid-air collision in Washington DC. At this point, nothing has been confirmed by FAA and NTSB officials about what led up to the collision between an American Airlines plane and a Blackhawk helicopter. But there have been recorded issues for years impacting the aviation industry. We spoke about those issues with Congressman Jim Himes.

Image Courtesy of Congressman Jim Himes 

A dozen birds at Beardsley Zoo in Bridgeport have been euthanized after the avian influenza was detected at the facility.  The deadly bird flu was detected on zoo grounds Tuesday, when a goose that was found dead tested positive for the disease. How likely is it for humans to get the bird flu and is this a common issue among bird populations in Connecticut? We asked our infectious disease expert, Dr. Fred Browne of Griffin Health. 

Image Courtesy of Dr. Fred Browne

Host Paul Pacelli welcomed "Only In Bridgeport" blogger Lennie Grimaldi back to the Thursday show to chat about the latest controversies with the Bridgeport Board of Education and the city's school system (00:42). CT Inside Investigator reporter Marc Fitch joined us to talk about the latest legal action being taken by Eversource and Avangrid against the state's Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (09:18). Finally, Paul had more thoughts regarding the ongoing local hysteria over reported ICE agent sightings (16:50)

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