WICC The Voice of Connecticut

A Bridgeport firefighter can now say he’s one of the strongest firefighters in the world! Lt. Carlos Reyes Jr. finished third in his weight class and 10th strongest in the world at the 2026 World Strongest Firefighter earlier this month. He joined us in studio for more. Image Credit: Eric Urbanowicz

Senate Bill 3 aims to create a healthcare trust fund to mitigate the effects of federal cuts to health care premium subsidies and create a Connecticut Option health insurance program. This bill had a public hearing this week in front of The Human Services Committee. We got a better understanding of what it means for more affordable healthcare options for residents from Senator Jason Perillo, ranki...

The American Heart Association updated its guidance on heart health and is now calling for people as young as 30, and particularly men, who are at risk for heart disease to take steps to lower cholesterol. We got advice from wellness coach, Amy Llinas, about this.

Host Paul Pacelli featured a discussion on Tuesday's "Connecticut Today" centered around a proposed bill promoting "transparency" in hiring and salary offers for certain Connecticut businesses (00:40). Yankee Institute blogger Meghan Portfolio also offered her take on the same bill (09:17). Connecticut Food Association head Wayne Pesce joined the show to talk about a pending bill in Hartford that...

A new article highlights how many people in America are not only jumping ship from their companies but are changing their careers entirely. What does it mean to change your career and how can people effectively do that if it’s right for them? We asked our career strategist, Julie Bauke.

There is a bill being discussed in Hartford that can bring major financial relief to the hundreds of residents at Success Village. It’s a 900+ unit complex between Bridgeport and Stratford that has been dealing with financial issues, mismanagement and a lack of basic needs like hot water and heat. That is, until the complex got a receiver in 2024, Attorney Barry Knott. Attorney Knott joined us to...

We checked in with Darien First Selectman Jon Zagrodzky about the latest updates with Great Island. To learn more about the project: The Great Island Vision Plan

We spoke with Vince Santilli, executive director at Homes for the Brave, about All Star Comedy Night to raise funds for the organization.  For more information and to get tickets: https://homesforthebrave.networkforgood.com/events/96316-10th-annual-for-veterans-by-veterans-comedy-night IMAGE CREDIT: Eric Urbanowicz

There is a lot of talk about House Bill 5001: AN ACT CONCERNING ABSENTEE VOTING FOR ALL AND VARIOUS OTHER REFORMS TO THE ADMINISTRATION OF ELECTIONS. The bill would remove most restrictions on who can vote absentee and make several technical and procedural changes to how elections are run in the state. But some worry we will just see more election fraud issues like what we’ve seen in Bridgeport. W...

The legislature will hold a public hearing today on a bill that would put a 2¢ per ounce tax on sugary drinks. House Bill 5537: AN ACT IMPOSING A TAX ON CERTAIN SWEETENED BEVERAGES, SYRUPS AND POWDERS AND DEDICATING THE REVENUE GENERATED TO A UNIVERSAL FREE SCHOOL MEALS PROGRAM. We talked to Senate Minority Leader Steve Harding about this proposal and potential gaps in the bill. For the full bill:...

A nursing home in Windsor Locks is shutting down soon after the death of a 93-year-old resident. The state has now ordered the closure of Bickford Health Care Center in Windsor Locks and requiring patients to be transferred to other facilities by April 10. We talked to Senator Jeff Gordon, an acting member of the Public Health Committee, about the questions surrounding this facility, the workers a...

The digital world and our real world are more connected than we may think. Recently, a 15-year-old boy in New York who went missing nearly two months ago was found dead. He left his home in January claiming he was meeting up with someone he met on Roblox. We talked about this with one of our law enforcement experts, Gary MacNamara.

One of the largest public hearing turnouts happened this week for House Bill 5468: An Act Concerning the Provision of Equivalent Instruction. We did a deeper dive into it with State Representative Jen Leeper, Chair of the Education Committee. For the full bill: https://www.cga.ct.gov/2026/TOB/H/PDF/2026HB-05468-R00-HB.PDF

The clock is ticking! PURA is set to make a final decision on Eversource’s proposed sale of Aquarion Water Company by March 25th. Recently, PURA tentatively approved it, mostly because it was out of their jurisdiction to reject it. That’s based on a sneaky state law that passed in 2024. Now, Senator Ryan Fazio is putting forward a proposal as a last-ditch effort to block this deal. We learned more...

Thursday's "Connecticut Today" with host Paul Pacelli wondered what the next few years could bring for the embattled Trumbull Mall, whose owner recently failed to keep up with payments on a $152-million loan used to purchase the mall in 2022 (00:59). Connecticut Citizen's Defense League President Holly Sullivan explained the latest gun bill being debated in Hartford (12:21). Former Bridgeport Demo...

Ever wished it was easier to get around without a car? City planner and author Jeff Speck has some ideas on how to make Bridgeport easier more walkable!

We did a deeper dive into House Bill 5044: “Establishing Connecticut Vaccine Standards.” Does it actually enact mandated vaccines like covid or flu? And does it give too much power to Connecticut to make major vaccine decisions for kids and adults? We spoke with Dr. Manisha Juthani, Commissioner of the Department of Public Health.

We’re seeing the gas prices go up and the governor is now entertaining the idea of a gas tax holiday for a month. It was a good time to check in with Chris Herb, head of the Connecticut Energy Marketers Association, to talk about this proposal and what we can expect with gas prices in Connecticut.

The US Department of Justice announced this week that they’d reached a settlement in their antitrust lawsuit against Ticketmaster and its parent company, Live Nation Entertainment, in a case that alleged an illegal monopoly over live events in America. But Attorney General William Tong says the state is not giving up the case. We spoke more about it with him.

Wednesday's mid-week "Connecticut Today" welcomed Hearst Connecticut Media's Dan Haar to recap a busy, high-pressure day with plenty of public testimony at the State Capitol on some controversial bills (00:37). Columnist and blogger Chris Powell dropped by to discuss Connecticut education and school funding (09:37). Paul offered a few thoughts on a push to further regulate homeschooling in Connect...

Milford Public Schools made a huge announcement regarding its long-range facilities plan. The district hired a consultant to look at the condition of the 14 district schools and available property to potentially build. After the recommendations, the Board of Education voted to keep both high schools and update them. However, it also voted to consolidate to two middle schools and eventually elimina...

There are a few bills being discussed in front of the Judiciary Committee today including House Bill 5043, proposed by Governor Lamont. It’s addressing lego-sized glock switches that can turn a semi-automatic handgun into a fully automatic firearm. We got more details from State Representative Steve Stafstrom, who also serves as House Chair of the Judiciary Committee. To read the full bill: https:...

There are several public hearings in Hartford on very controversial pieces of legislation. We did a deeper dive into House Bill 5468 to understand people’s concerns around equivalent instruction. We spoke with House Ranking Member of the Education Committee, Representative Lezlye Zupkus, about the bill and the cut off for public comment. To read the full bill: https://www.cga.ct.gov/2026/TOB/H/PDF...

The Fairfield Board of Selectpersons just approved the proposed $403 million dollar budget which came with a $1.5 million dollar cut to education funding. We talked about the 2026-27 school budget with superintendent Michael Testani.