WICC The Voice of Connecticut

When you hear about challenges to benefit non-profit organizations, rappelling down the Empire State Building in New York City sounds beyond measure. But one local businessman we love here at WICC, is taking on the challenge all to benefit Onward Bound. Doug Grabe, the owner of Little Pub, shares what this organization means to him and why he’s doing this. 

Here’s how to support him and learn more about his journey: Outward Bound is fundraising for Outward Bound International Inc (justgiving.com)

IMAGE CREDIT: Doug Grabe

The World Health Organization estimates that 85% of people worldwide have a lack of confidence and our career strategist says bad self-esteem is a career killer. National data shows 70% of people attribute part of their career success to self-confidence, while people with low self-esteem earn $8,000 less per year than people with high self-confidence. We tackle Mistake #3 in our Julie on the Job series: The Top Five Mistakes the Average American makes at Work. Find out why we struggle with confidence at work and the trickle-down effect if we don’t fix it.

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Let’s be honest, there’s A LOT to be mad about in today’s world. When you see what’s happening from unrest on college campuses, the division our country is feeling politically, even the way people treat each other at work, in schools or in public. It’s easy to get triggered and react. According to national data, about 1 in 5 people report experiencing an anger problem or having difficulty controlling their anger. Specifically for young people – 64% of people (14-21) experience uncontrolled anger. How do we identify if our anger is out of control? How do we begin to address it in a healthy way and diffuse situations before they get out of hand? Counselor Julius Dudics shares some advice.

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A recent article highlighted new data surrounding GPS ankle monitors for suspects out on bond or on probation. After collecting two years of data (2021-23), the I-Team reported that Connecticut received around 990 tamper alerts. While a lot of those alerts could be accidental, dozens were because bracelets were broken on purpose. Senator Paul Cicarella is the ranking senator on the Public Safety and Security Committee. He shared why this isn’t a small issue of reliable ankle monitors, rather it’s an issue of allowing convicted criminals with egregious records to even be allowed out with an ankle bracelet in hopes that they won’t become repeat offenders.

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Fairfield County’s Community Foundation is launching a new grants program to support arts organizations throughout the Greater Bridgeport area. We got a snapshot of how much local artists have financially struggled since 2020 and how the Arts in the Service of Equity program can help by offering three-year grants focused on arts innovation to collaborative programs. Julian Pierce, Fairfield County's Community Foundation's Director of Economic Opportunity, joined us for more.

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Host Paul Pacelli kicked off another week on "Connecticut Today" wondering if the current crop of college protesters has enough class to not ruin graduation ceremonies (00:25) across the U.S. Alexis Harrison of "CT169Strong" filled us in on the latest status surrounding various zoning and development issues (12:48)

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According to reports, 90% of parents in America are fearful of potential Congressional cuts to vital safeguards like child care, special education programs, affordable housing, and even children’s healthcare. That’s why the non-profit Zero to Three created the Thinking Babies initiative, meant to press policymakers to prioritize the needs of infants, toddlers, and their families and to invest in our nation’s future. We spoke with Miriam Calderon, Chief Policy Officer for Zero to Three, about the key policies needed federally, what’s happening at the state level, and get the details on the upcoming annual Strolling Thunder event in Washington DC.

For more information: https://www.thinkbabies.org/take-action-congress/

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In the last month, there were two major swatting incidents in our listening area: Danbury Mall and Notre Dame of Fairfield High School. What are swatting incidents? What’s the point of them? Where are the prank calls coming from? How can we better handle the situation without draining all resources and spending a lot of money to respond? We talked about all of this in Crime on the Mind with Jim Perez.

 

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Host Paul Pacelli wrapped up another big week on "Connecticut Today" with former Bridgeport Democratic State Rep. Chris Caruso's weekly update and a chat about the progress of election reform legislation at the State Capitol (00:25). New Haven Independent Editor and Publisher Paul Bass gave us his thoughts on the passing of longtime Elm City developer Joel Schiavone (10:31)

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According to national statistics, about 6-million US children will experience the death of a parent or sibling by the time they are 18 (experiencecamps.org). The average adult is never ready to say goodbye to a loved one, so how can we expect our children to handle loss in a healthy way? We got advice from Catherine Duncan, an integrative spiritual consultant, author and public speaker. For more information: Learning To Live

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