WICC The Voice of Connecticut

Thursday's "Connecticut Today" with Paul Pacelli featured news about a U.S. Supreme Court decision striking down affirmative action in college admissions (0:30). We welcomed Aaron Withe, author of, "Freedom is the Foundation: How We are Defeating Woke Crazies, Teachers' Unions, and Progressive Tyranny by Taking on the Government Unions" (16:12) and "Only in Bridgeport" blogger Lennie Grimaldi with his weekly update (27:32).

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The CDC is warning that malaria is spreading locally in the United States. Cases have been seen in Florida and Texas, the first documented cases of local transmission in 20 years. The disease is most commonly spread by mosquitoes but can also be spread through blood transfusions, organ transplants, needle-sharing and from mother to fetus. While rare in the U.S., there are more than 240 million cases of malaria worldwide each year, the vast majority in Africa. Symptoms can include fevers, chills, headache and fatigue.

We asked Dr. Browne about the possibilities of it spreading to the Northeast and what treatments are used for people infected. He talked about the potential impacts of climate change and the fear of a massive outbreak and having medication readily available. 

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Governor Lamont stopped by to catch up following the wrap up of the legislative session. We talked about a lot of topics including the baby bonds program, pot plants in homes and whether an NHL team is returning to Connecticut. ((00:00))

Ticks are getting more bang for their buck this summer following a mild winter and we want to make sure you are protected from them. Tick expert, Jessica Snajder, talked about prepping your gear and clothing before going outside and ways to prevent a tick bite. ((17:58))

A Hartford Healthcare doctor just performed her 1500th robotics surgery. We learn all about robotic surgeries and who is a good candidate for this procedure. ((32:11))

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Wednesday's "Connecticut Today" with Paul Pacelli started with breaking news about the passing of former Connecticut U.S. Senator and Governor Lowell Weicker (0:31). Paul also welcomed Sacred Heart political science and government professor Dr. Gary Rose (13:13) and Hearst Connecticut editor and columnist Dan Haar (23:01) to chat about former Governor Weicker's passing. We also welcomed Thomas J. Baker, author of, "The Fall of the FBI: How a Once Great Agency Became a Threat to Democracy" (30:59).

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For summer safety week, we profile the importance of never leaving a kid or pet in a hot car. Fran Mayko of AAA shared the average temperatures in a hot on a hot day, even with the windows down. ((00:00))

Retired Lt. Jim Perez shared the Connecticut law on the books prohibiting parents from leaving children 11 and under in a car alone, even with the air conditioning on and the car locked. Find out why the law was put into place and the consequences based on where you park your car and leave your kid. ((17:51))

Earlier this week, the Connecticut Department of Transportation released its Action Plan to address commuter needs for buses and trains. Josh Morgan talked about the recommendations and changes for service. We also addressed the controversy of cutting Metro North rail service. ((25:13))

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Tuesday's "Connecticut Today" featured host Paul Pacelli's thoughts on a statement signed by Third District Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro concerning abortion (0:19) and another case of some hypersensitive college students (13:23).

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Fairfield wants to invest in more AI security cameras around town and in close proximity to schools. Apparently, these cameras have been utilized in surrounding communities already like Bridgeport, Westport, Norwalk and Stamford. Fairfield Police Chief Robert Kalamaras shares the reason for the request and how the cameras have already started helping with criminal cases in town. ((00:00))

We continue with our summer safety series with fire safety. We talked bout sparklers, fireworks, bonfires and grilling safety this season with Bridgeport Fire Chief Lance Edwards. ((14:35))

Project Yellow Light is a national effort to encourage teens to highlight the dangers of distracted driving and to create PSAs to curb the problem. We spoke with this year's billboard winner, Jami Pandiscio, who is a UConn student and created the slogan 'Don't Scroll, stay in Control.' ((29:19))

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Monday's "Connecticut Today" with host Paul Pacelli started a new week with news that Paul has been selected to participate in a major transportation study (0:33). We checked in with international affairs expert Dr. Matthew Schmidt from the University of New Haven regarding political unrest in Russia (10:02). Paul also welcomed back 2023 Barnum Festival Ringmaster George Estrada to chat about a busy week of festival events coming up (20:56).

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According to the CDC, we see an increase in emergency room visits during the summertime and a large number of patients are kids! We spoke with Dr. Shea Gregg about the summer trends, the most common issues and prevention. ((00:00))

AAA is predicting a record-high amount of travelers taking off for the July Fourth holiday weekend. Fran Mayko of AAA breaks down the 50 million people leaving this year and why the number is so high this year compared to last and even pre-pandemic numbers. ((14:57))

A local restaurant owner is proposing a food truck lot in Stratford. We find out the plans from Doug Grabe of Little Pub and what the proposed property used to be. ((27:15))

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Friday's "Connecticut Today" with host Paul Pacelli featured a chat with local law enforcement veteran and author Greg Dillon about his CTMirror op-ed regarding new state bail reform guidelines (0:29). We welcomed Avi Goldwasser, co-author of, "Betrayal: The Failure of American Jewish Leadership" (12:03) and we also heard from former Bridgeport State Rep. Chris Caruso with his weekly thoughts (23:14).

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