WICC The Voice of Connecticut

Bridgeport made history!! It became the location for the first inner-city school in the US to offer the Tango Program and send students in the air in an aircraft THEY BUILT! We spoke with T (11:50), one of the Bassick High School students in the program, as well as her mentor, David (0:00), about the experience flying and the impact of being part of this program.

IMAGE CREDIT: Aaron Hollander / First Aviation

Host Paul Pacelli started a brand-new week on "Connecticut Today" discussing the much-anticipated departure of President Joe Biden from the November White House race (00:28). We got further analysis on the race's reset from Sacred Heart University Political Science Professor and Scholar in Residence Dr. Gary Rose (11:34). University of New Haven Professor and State Department veteran Dr. Howard Stoffer talked about the international implications of a coming change in Washington (23:04)

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Did you know the deep web and the dark web are two different things? We got a definition of the two and how to protect ourselves from going down the rabbit hole of deception from Crime Prevention Expert, Jim Perez.

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Last week, a software update for Microsoft cloud services completely failed grounding planes, blocking news stations from broadcasting, preventing banks from accessing vital systems and more across the globe! Days later, there are still lingering problems. How do we avoid this in future? We spoke with our cybersecurity expert, Dr. Vahid Behzadan.

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We met Andrew Mais, President of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners and Connecticut’s Insurance Commissioner. We talked about his role in the state and asked about expensive health insurance plans. Will the prices ever drop, and will more carriers enter the marketplace?

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President Biden joins a short list of US presidents who opted not to run for reelection. This will be the first election since 1976 that there will not be a Bush, Clinton or Biden included on the ticket. We got reaction from Connecticut Congressman Jim Himes and asked if he would back Kamala Harris as the new Democratic nomination.

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After the attempted assassination of Donald Trump and the Republican National Convention, Mike Cerulli spoke about the week that was with State Representative Vincent Candelora and State Senator Rob Sampson (0:00), State Representatives Tom O'Dea and David Rutigliano (46:28) and RNC delegate Patrick Burland (1:31:47).

Host Paul Pacelli wrapped up another busy week on "Connecticut Today" with a few thoughts on former President Donald Trump's GOP Convention acceptance speech the previous evening (00:27). Former Bridgeport Democratic State Rep. Chris Caruso talked about a key endorsement he just made for an upcoming State Senate primary in the 22nd District, encompassing  Trumbull, as well as parts of Monroe and Bridgeport (14:13)

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It’s not just your cell phone; lithium-ion batteries are used in basically any item you plug in to charge. From power tools and gardening tools to electronics and vehicles, these dangerous batteries are used for convenience. Unfortunately, there still isn’t a way to put a lithium-ion battery fire out or a way to prevent those fires from happening. However, one Connecticut company is finding the solution to those problems. Find out why PACT in Watertown could become internationally known for creating firefighting technologies specific to lithium-ion batteries.

For more information: www.pactww.com or www.pactthermoshield.com

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According to state data from the 2022-23 school year, 54% of Connecticut’s total grade 3 level was not achieving on grade level on the Smarter Balance Assessment. Dr. Melissa Hickey, the state literacy director, explains the impact of reading to your kids as early as birth and how to better expose your kids to reading.

 

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