WICC The Voice of Connecticut

Pack your patience this weekend. AAA projects 43.8 million travelers will head 50 miles or more from home over the Memorial Day holiday weekend. This year’s total number of travelers constitutes a 4% increase over last year and exceeds pre-pandemic levels for the first time. We asked Alec Slatky from AAA about the new projections and what it means for Connecticut travelers ahead of Memorial Day Weekend.

Image Credit: Getty Images

Head Coach Lisa Hodges of Kolbe Cathedral High School Girls Basketball was inducted into the Connecticut High School Coaches Association (CHSCA) Hall of Fame. We got to know her history that led her to this role, her reaction to this honor and her message for young girls across Connecticut.

IMAGE CREDIT: Rowena White / Dinormous

New data shows about 18% of Bridgeport students are at or above grade level in math. The district scored well below in most subjects in a recent assessment. We wanted to know why there is such a gap, especially when other cities in Fairfield County aren’t struggling in the same way, like Stamford and Norwalk. We had Dr. Carmela Levy-David in studio. She is the superintendent of schools in Bridgeport and outlined ongoing issues starting with consistent leadership.

IMAGE CREDIT: Melissa Sheketoff

We were so excited to have Governor Ned Lamont back on the show to take our latest state questions. We did a quick recap of the 2024 legislative session and asked what he felt were the big wins and loses of the session. We also did a deeper dive into the early childcare crisis in our state. And we mentioned two local stories in our listening area, including the hot water crisis at Success Village in Bridgeport and Stratford.

Image Credit: Reuters

Monday's "Connecticut Today" with host Paul Pacelli looked at the continued controversy surrounding graduation ceremony remarks from Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker earlier in May (00:34). Quinnipiac University Assistant Professor of Film, Television and Media Art and Director of the Graduate Cinematic Production Management Program Blythe Frank talked about her trip with students to the Cannes Film Festival (12:18), while CTNewsJunkie columnist and Substack.com blogger Terry Cowgill dropped by for his weekly update on some of the big state and national stories (23:09)

Image Credit: USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

Governor Ned Lamont is expected to sign a piece of legislation approved during the 2024 session that directly impacts in-home care for seniors. Senator Kevin Kelly is the former co-chair of the legislature’s Aging Committee and an elder law attorney. He co-sponsored the bill giving our aging population more support in the state.

IMAGE CREDIT: Adam Liegeot / CT Senate Republicans

Last week, The Fairfield Board of Education reportedly announced the news about not renewing the lease for A Child’s Garden after one more academic year. The childcare center has been operating on town-owned property for over 40 years and the owners say THEY weren’t even told about the decision. We spoke with Mike Miklus, the owner of ACG, who addressed what he says are misleading story lines from the town, and specifically First Selectman Bill Gerber.

IMAGE CREDIT: Melissa Sheketoff

Host Paul Pacelli wrapped up another week on "Connecticut Today" with a look at the controversy over comments made at a recent commencement ceremony by Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker (00:29). Former Bridgeport Democratic State Rep. Chris Caruso dropped by with his weekly wrap-up (13:31), while Westport Masonic Lodge No. 65 Master Richard Ruggiano talked about a weekend display of President George Washington's Inaugural Bible (23:49)

Image Credit: REUTERS

The Trumbull Early Childhood Education Center Parent Teacher Organization announced a major funding award of $10,000 from the Rotary Club of Trumbull to the TECEC PTO in support of their multi-year initiative to fund and replace the playground at the school. We spoke with Kayla Seeley, president of the TECEC PTO and Rotary Club of Trumbull President, Susan Stonoha about the project and who is benefiting. 

To learn more about TECEC, please visit tecec.trumbullps.org. To learn more about A Big Night Out, TECEC’s annual fundraiser, please email [email protected]

For more information on Rotary Club of Trumbull: https://trumbullrotary.org/

IMAGE CREDIT: Melissa Sheketoff

For the first time in American history, an American gymnastics competition is expected to see three U.S. Olympic All-Around Gold medalists (Gabby Douglas, Simone Biles and Sunisa Lee) compete head-to-head. Two sessions will be held in Hartford. We spoke with General Manager of the XL Center, Ben Weiss, about the event, what went into bringing it here and what the event means for Connecticut.

IMAGE CREDIT: Lauren Soll / Communications Manager at Connecticut Convention & Sports Bureau