WICC The Voice of Connecticut

A pair of Westport mothers left their corporate jobs for motherhood. Ever since, they teamed up and created a recruiting business to help moms get back into the workforce. Meet Runa and Jasmine of FoundHER and what prompted them to help other mothers. ((00:00))

Fire safety 101: We spoke with Bridgeport Fire Chief Lance Edwards about smoke and CO detectors as well as fire escape plans and safety tips. ((15:22))

Bridgeport has a new, state-of-the-art library open and giving visitors a different experience. We learn all about the Beardsley Library! ((28:01))

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Tuesday's "Connecticut Today" with Paul Pacelli welcomed Heritage Foundation immigration expert Simon Hankinson to chat about this Thursday's impending end of Title 42 at the U.S. southern border (0:22). Paul also wondered if the U.S. needs a uniform, nationwide "adult age" (10:56).

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May is Mental Health Awareness Month and we continue to tackle different topics around this with our morning show counselor, Julius Dudics. This week, we tackled social media and screen time hurting people's mental health and how to detect if you're consuming too much! ((00:00))

Several deadly crashes happened last weekend in Connecticut including a few motorcycle riders killed. We spoke with a member of a well-known firefighter motorcycle club about misconceptions people have about bikers and why drivers may need a new perspective on some operators. ((12:58))

A middle school student in Michigan made national headlines last month for taking control of his school bus after the driver suffered a medical emergency behind the wheel. Fran Mayko of AAA talked about the impact of this story locally and why being an active passenger matters! ((23:16))

Julie on the Job: According to Fortune, a new report finds the skills gap is so wide that workers can’t keep up. But how do you keep up with technological changes, while also improving your soft skills? Julie Bauke gives us advice on this. ((32:57))

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We kicked off a new week on "Connecticut Today" with host Paul Pacelli by getting an update from www.ct169strong.org spokespersons Alexis Harrison and Maria Weingarten on the current zoning debate in Hartford (0:30). www.ctnewsjunkie.com columnist Terry Cowgill joined us for a new weekly segment (12:30). We also chatted about some brutal new poll numbers for President Biden (23:52).

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Scam alert! Before you pay for flower delivery, buy new jewelry or purchase that online gift, know the signs of scammers! The BBB serving Connecticut shared tips ahead of Mother's Day to help families protect their money and secure their gifts for mom. ((00:00))

May is Better Hearing and Speech Month, a crucial time to remind parents about the importance of early intervention for young children. We spoke with ASHA President, Tena McNamara, about diagnoses trends and signs of any issues in babies. ((07:44))

May is Lyme Disease Awareness Month, highlighting prevention, awareness and funding to support people plagued with the illness. We spoke with the founder of Connecticut non-profit Partner in Lyme, Jessica Snajder about how bad tick numbers are in our state. We also heard about an upcoming event to support Lyme patients struggling to pay for treatment. ((18:36))

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Friday's "Connecticut Today" with Paul Pacelli talked about another call from VT Sen. Bernie Sanders to raise the federal minimum wage to $17/hr. (0:26). State House GOP Leader Vin Candelora joined us to chat about various issues at the State Capitol (14:00). Finally, former Bridgeport Democratic State Rep. Chris Caruso stopped by with his weekly thoughts (22:43).

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-- Cooking spray

-- 4 cups of mini pretzels

-- 1 tbsp sugar

-- 3/4 cups of unsalted butter melted (1.5 sticks)

-- 2 bottles of instant vanilla pudding mix

-- 2 cups low-fat milk

-- 2 cups whipped topping

-- 1 pkg of strawberries or fresh strawberries sliced

-- (optional) strawberry jam, warm

In recent month, Norwalk Police have arrested nine middle schoolers for crimes including vandalism. Police Chief James Walsh told us the latest on the investigations and how the city has been actively combatting youth crime. ((00:00))

Two bills are getting a thumbs up and moving through the legislative session. The pair of bills tackles issues surrounding animal rights in CT. State Rep. Dorinda Borer shared the two pieces of legislation with us. ((11:05))

May is National Water Safety Month and we had aquatics director, Alex Hunter, on to talk about the importance of swim lessons. She also talked about benchmarks for swimmers and the effectiveness of year round lessons, not seasonal. ((22:04))

Hartford Healthcare and Sacred Heart University are partnering up! We learned what the two entities are doing for current and future nursing students and how it impacts CT. ((35:18))

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Thursday's "Connecticut Today" with Paul Pacelli wondered if area listeners ever participated in a product or company boycott because of political or other reasons (0:38). Yankee Institute for Public Policy Director of External Affairs Bryce Chinault talked about some key bills being considered in the General Assembly (17:10). We got details about an upcoming Barnum Festival events from Nancy McKiernan (29:40). Finally, blogger Lennie Grimaldi from OnlyInBridgeport.com stopped by for his weekly update (39:02).

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To mark Allergy and Asthma Awareness Month this May, Lawn Love ranked 2023's Worst Cities for Grass Allergies this summer. The study authors compared 131 metro areas based on allergy risk, exacerbators, and access to detection and treatment resources. More specifically, they looked at grass pollen forecasts, allergen intensity, and lawn mowing frequency, among nine total metrics. And wouldn't you know...CT cities landed in the 3rd and 4th spot. Well, Dr. Browne wasn't surprised. He explained why allergies are so tough in our state. 

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