WICC The Voice of Connecticut

It is Work Zone Awareness Month and our Department of Transportation is hyper focused on speeding. This time last year, the DOT rolled out speed cameras as part of a pilot program to monitor speeding in work zones on our highways. They were placed in a handful of spots, including one in a work zone in Norwalk. In the eight-month period, the data shows over 20-thousand warnings were issued during the pilot and more than 700 tickets were issued. One of the fastest speeds was 107 miles an hour and that was in the Norwalk work zone. DOT Commissioner Garrett Eucalitto talked about the effectiveness of speed cameras in  work zones and whether the cameras will be permanent in the state. Plus, we covered wrong-way detection systems across the state, the reasoning for taking down trees along our highways, and a push to lower the BAC from .08% to .05%.

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Bristol residents flocked to a city hall meeting to voice their concerns about a proposed geese mitigation plan. The Bristol Board of Park Commissioners was considering a management plan that would authorize both lethal and non-lethal measures to deter the animals at city-owned parks and properties. It comes after the city reportedly received 115 emails and 40 calls about the plan in recent days. And a lot of WICC listeners also weighed in on the controversy around handling massive geese populations all over Connecticut. We got to the crux of the issue and possible solutions to thin populations or move geese out of public parks and cemeteries without euthanizing them. Gregg Dancho of the Beardsley Zoo shared that information and talked about Party for the Planet this weekend at the zoo ahead of Earth Day. For more information: beardsleyzoo.org

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Wednesday's "Connecticut Today" with host Paul Pacelli opened with a chat about the media uproar surrounding Caitlin Clark's rookie WNBA contract (00:24). Hearst Connecticut Media editor and columnist Dan Haar dropped by on his way home from the State Capitol to chat about the latest in the General Assembly (13:20)

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Sikorsky Aircraft is laying off hundreds of workers in the state who were involved with the canceled Army scout helicopter project. Around 400 Connecticut employees are losing their jobs, mostly engineers and digital technology workers in the scout program. The layoffs reportedly involve 350 Sikorsky workers in Stratford. We got some business perspective from Dan Onofrio, President of the Bridgeport Regional Business Council. How do the layoffs impact surrounding town businesses who rely on those workers? And when Sikorsky loses a military contract, what does that mean for the Connecticut businesses supplying Sikorsky with material to build their aircrafts?

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As of July 2021, Connecticut residents could possess and use of up to 1.5 oz of cannabis legally. And in 2022, the state started allowing retail shops to open and sell recreational marijuana. Since the roll out, some of the biggest supporters of legalizing weed, are now thinking twice about it. We found out what the law has ACTUALLY done to many in the cannabis industry, including local hemp farmers, and why the news you see about pot shops may not be as great as headlines say. We got the scoop from Mike Goodenough, co-founder of the Connecticut Cannabis Small Business Alliance and CEO of Himalayan High LLC.

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After months of work, David Mestre and a team of UB students travelled to Texas to be part of a NASA-backed project during the solar eclipse. David told us about the project, the journey and the outcome of the experiment. Did their cameras capture footage of the eclipse? Did weather impact the balloons needed to get cameras in the air? We got the scoop during Science You May Not Know.

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As we celebrate the spring weather, be ready for the seasonal scams that pop up this time of year. We learned about the Lemon Law program here in Connecticut and what that means for people buying a car. We also looked at home improvement projects and how to avoid shoddy contractors. We spoke with Bryan Cafferelli, Commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection.

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Host Paul Pacelli wondered on Tuesday's "Connecticut Today" whether Republican lawmakers in Congress have completely lost their ability to govern (00:25). Yankee Institute blogger Meghan Portfolio joined us to chat about the latest buzz on the so-called "Green Monster" omnibus environment bill at the State Capitol (13:07)

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State Representative Sarah Keitt is running for re-election in November. Keitt represents the 134th district which includes Fairfield, Trumbull and Southport. Find out what she has worked on during her first term, goals for Connecticut and why she wants to continue working in this role for another term.

Image Courtesy of Sarah Keitt

Did you know there are benefits available to seniors in Connecticut that most people don’t know exist? The National Council on Aging reports that $30-billion dollars are left on the table every year for benefits seniors don’t realize they qualify for. We got the details on benefits available and how to know if you qualify from Josh Hodges, NCOA Chief Customer Officer. For more information: https://benefitscheckup.org/ or call (800) 794-6559

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