WICC The Voice of Connecticut

Thursday's "Connecticut Today" with Paul Pacelli welcomed local author Tony Renzoni and playwright Lauren Rosenay to chat about a new musical honoring local softball legend Joan Joyce (00:30). Sacred Heart University Scholar in Residence Dr. Gary Rose commented on the current GOP House controversy in D.C. (14:33), while Paul had thoughts on word that more wall construction will resume along a stretch of the Southern Border (25:43)

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One of our legal experts on the morning show, Bill Bloss, also happens to be the attorney representing John Gomes in the alleged absentee ballot fraud lawsuit in Bridgeport. (0:00)

Two times in the last month, Connecticut teens got their hands on unsecured guns inside a residential home. A 16-year-old boy died in Bridgeport and a 14-year-old in Watertown is fighting for his life. We spoke with Senator Richard Blumenthal who has been a driving force for Ethan’s Law to see if there are other approaches to avoid these tragedies. (15:56)

Earlier this week, Changbai the tiger, left the Beardsley Zoo to permanently settle in at another AZA-accredited zoo. With her departure, the zoo is starting its tiger habitat expansion project. We got the details from Zoo Director, Gregg Dancho. (28:46)

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Wednesday's "Connecticut Today" with Paul Pacelli got underway with an update on the situation at the U.S. Capitol and GOP infighting in the House (00:21). Hearst Connecticut Media columnist and editor Dan Haar dropped by for his weekly chat with an update on a wind power project in the Bridgeport Area (09:32)

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We aren’t talking grandparent scams…a new study found America’s youth lost a record $210 million to online scams last year. That’s up 2,500% since 2017; the largest increase of any age group. Kristen Johnson with BBB shares tips to better protect our kids from internet scams. (0:00)

Next week is Fire Prevention Week and the Red Cross shared the importance of testing your smoke alarms. We also got an update on the national blood shortage. (14:16)

Stratford planners are granting approval to what is expected to be the town's first adult use marijuana store: C-3 Industries. We asked Dan Onofrio of the BRBC about the impact of this on Stratford and the surrounding community businesses. (26:27)

This week is national digital inclusion week. What does that mean and how are local libraries closing the digital divide? Bridgeport Librarian, Elaine Braithwaite, shares what the city is doing. (37:27)

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Tuesday's "Connecticut Today" with Paul Pacelli looked at the moves that finally ousted Congressman Kevin McCarthy as U.S. House Speaker (00:23). Yankee Institute blogger Meghan Portfolio checked in with us for her weekly update (12:07)

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October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month and according to national statistics, nearly 20 people per minute are physically abused by an intimate partner in the US. Deb Greenwood with The Center for Family Justice shares the uptick in cases in Connecticut and resources available to people impacted. (0:00)

As of October first, many Connecticut laws went into effect, including several laws changing the rules of the road. Alec Slatky of AAA shared the changes that many drivers may not realize now need to be considered before getting behind the wheel. (16:40)

A new Low-Income Discount Rate will be available for some Eversource customers in Connecticut beginning in December 2023. Depending on their household income, eligible customers will receive 10% or 50% off their electric bills per month. Vice President of Customer Operations, Jess Cain, explained the program and what you should do if you DO NOT qualify. (32:17)

Gen Z this, Gen Z that. How this youngest generation enters the workforce has been a popular talking point for some time. But that kind of over-attention means older workers often get forgotten. What should employers do to better engage older employees? And how can older workers stay competitive in today's job market? Career strategist, Julie Bauke, talked about the value of older workers and how to continue focusing on them, not just young workers. (40:20)

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Monday's "Connecticut Today" with Paul Pacelli highlighted a high-profile case involving a gruesome murder (00:31).  Opinion columnist Chris Powell stopped by for his monthly update (12:36) and GOP State Sen. Tony Hwang talked about a DOT "pop up meeting" concerning possible rate hikes and service cuts for train and bus service in Fairfield County (25:15)

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The Clydesdale horses are best known for their roles in Anheuser Bush advertisements. However, calls to stop tail mutilation of these animals is finally addressed. We spoke with PETA about the problem and the beer company’s decision to change its animal treatment practices. (0:00)

In a matter of months, Connecticut will have results for both its equity and disparity studies. It’s been about two years in the making and we spoke with the Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities about the importance of these findings. (8:45)

According to studies, couples can reduce the likelihood of divorce by 50% by participating in some type of pre-marriage counseling or program. We spoke with marriage coach, Bob Donovan, about what comes out of marital programs and why the wedding is different than the marriage. (22:20)

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Host Paul Pacelli started Friday's "Connecticut Today" wondering if the UAW strike is resonating with Americans (00:28). Author Doug McIntyre joined us to chat about his new novel, "Frank's Shadow" (13:30). Former Bridgeport Democratic State Rep. Chris Caruso stopped by for his weekly update and his latest thoughts on the Bridgeport absentee ballot controversy (28:23)

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Join local award-winning, celebrity chefs and wish kids in the kitchens of Aitoro Appliance for an evening of food, fun and celebrating local wishes!

Our 3rd Annual Event will be held on Tuesday, October 3, 2023! This incredible evening will be filled with cooking demonstrations from local celebrity chefs and Connecticut wish kids, as well as tasty cuisine from other local hot spots.

We spoke with Kim Pugh, Director of Gifts for Make a Wish CT, about the event and the impact on children in our state. 

Buy tickets here:

https://wish.org/ct/taste-wishes

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