WICC The Voice of Connecticut

Moltbook is a new social network built exclusively for AI agents. We, the humans, can watch of course, but it’s meant for robots to essentially interact with each other. What is it and should we be concerned about it? We asked Dr. Vahid Behzadan, our AI expert from University of New Haven. Behzadan is an Associate Professor in Computer Science and Data Science. He is also the founder and director of the Secure and Assured Intelligent Learning research group, and co-founder of the state’s Connecticut Artificial Intelligence Alliance.

Connecticut educators and parents are joining forces to advance statewide phone free schools legislation designed to protect student mental health, restore classroom focus, and foster genuine social connection during the school day. The Phone-Free CT coalition includes the Connecticut Education Association and we spoke with the CEA Vice President, Joslyn DeLancey, about this.For more information: https://www.phonefreect.org/

New research shows offering more PTO time to employees increases their chances of staying with the company. We talked more about this with career strategist, Julie Bauke.For the original article: https://www.hrdive.com/news/how-much-pto-is-normal/810897/

Host Paul Pacelli kicked off a new week on "Connecticut Today," looking at rumblings from state Democrats about doing away with so-called "no-fault" evictions and changing rules about accessory dwelling units (00:59). Quinnipiac University Associate Professor of Law Sheila Hayre discussed this month's observance of National Human Trafficking Awareness Week and more revelations about the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein (16:09). CBS News Legal Analyst Thane Rosenbaum talked about the recent arrest of former CNN host Don Lemon and any First Amendment issues involved (24:26), while CTNewsJunkie columnist and Substack.com blogger Terry Cowgill dropped by to chat about a key election in Texas and what message that might send the GOP (33:17)

Want to figure out what to do with your kids across the state of Connecticut and save money while adventuring? We learned about CT Kids Passport and spoke with the founder, Autumn Elmazi.For more information: https://www.ctkidspassport.com/

Now that block scheduling for Stamford high schoolers will revert to the old system, there are claims about the financial burden it will mean for the budget. How accurate are those claims? We asked John Corcoran, President of the Stamford Education Association.

It’s no secret, if there was a way to lose weight by simply taking a magical pill, we’d all probably do it. But that magical solution doesn’t really exist, yet scammers keep getting away with duping people. We spoke with Kristen Johnson of the BBB about the latest scam involving deep-fake videos that promote a weight loss product.For more information and to report a scam: https://www.bbb.org/scamtracker

Another session, another attempt to get more control over social media platforms. We spoke with Senator James Maroney about the legislation to better protect youth users and find out if social media platforms will actually comply with the bill if it passes.

There are calls from House Republicans to immediately reinstate the Results-Based Accountability (RBA) subcommittee, citing serious concerns over transparency, oversight, and the responsible use of taxpayer dollars. We spoke with State Representative Tammy Nuccio, Ranking Member of the Appropriations Committee, to learn more.

Host Paul Pacelli spent most of Friday's "Connecticut Today" talking about U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon being "disinvited" from a Fairfield County elementary school (00:24). Former Bridgeport Democratic State Rep. Chris Caruso also dropped by with his weekly update (15:11)

Host Paul Pacelli welcomed Enfield GOP State Sen. John Kissel to Thursday's "Connecticut Today" for a discussion on a possible push by the General Assembly to give Connecticut teachers better free speech protections when they feel the need to speak out on issues that might anger local school boards and / or parents (00:38). Paul also opened the show wondering how and when immigration enforcement became an issue splitting the country along party lines (09:09)

A pair of bills from a veteran state House member concerning the sales of so-called "nip" bottles of alcohol caught the eye of host Paul Pacelli to start Wednesday's "Connecticut Today" (00:49). One bill would attach a ten-cent refundable deposit to every nip bottle sold in the state, while the other bill would completely ban the sale of nips in Connecticut. Southington GOP State Sen. Rob Sampson (15:23) and Hearst Connecticut Media Senior Editor and Columnist Dan Haar (24:58) both chimed in on a growing controversy surrounding a veteran state lawmaker and state funding for a major non-profit agency. CBS News reporter Susie Jones joined us from Minneapolis concerning continued anti-ICE unrest (33:28)

New drivers are now required to complete a free online Connecticut Work Zone Safety Course prior to obtaining a learner’s permit. The DMV says the new requirement goes into effect immediately as another way to highlight laws like slow down, move over. We talked about it with DMV Commissioner Tony Guerrera.For more information: https://portal.ct.gov/dmv

February 4th is the start of our next legislative session in Connecticut. What does our business landscape look like in our state and what’s being projected for 2026? This week, there was a CBIA Economic Summit sharing the organization’s legislative policy solutions. We connected with Chris DiPentima, President & CEO of CBIA, to learn more.

As we head into the 2026 legislative session, what if anything can be done to lower our energy costs in the state? We asked Bryson Hull, Deputy Northeast Director for Consumer Energy Alliance.Image Credit: Eric Urbanowicz

Betsy McCaughey is the most recent Republican to announce a run for governor in Connecticut. We learned about her political career and her campaign plans to get elected in November.

The homeschooling population in Connecticut is feeling like a scapegoat again after recent egregious cases of child abuse in our state. Recently, the Office of Child Advocate released a report that recommended tightening state oversight for homeschoolers. Now, groups like the National Homeschooling Education Legal Defense, an advocacy and legal group dedicated to defending the rights of homeschoolers, are pushing back on that report. We spoke about this with Attorney Deborah Stevenson who represents The National Homeschooling Education Legal Defense.

TikTok and Snapchat have reached confidential settlements regarding lawsuits alleging their platforms caused youth mental health issues in America. There are still ongoing trials against Meta and YouTube for the same complaints. We got Senator Blumenthal’s take on the settlements and his reaction to Connecticut’s efforts to better protect kids online in our state.

Early voting begins today in the Fairfield First Selectman race. Current first selectperson Christine Vitale is fighting to hold onto her seat facing opponent, Senator Tony Hwang. We heard from both candidates one last time before voters begin heading to the polls today. Senator Hwang ((00:00)) First Selectperson Christine Vitale ((15:35))

We are focused on the gubernatorial race in Connecticut and checked in with Republican candidate, Erin Stewart. We got an update on her campaign but also did a deeper dive into what voters should focus on in this race despite what the media tells you. Mayor Stewart shared her take on this.Image Courtesy of Erin Stewart

The Corporation for Public Broadcasting announced that its board of directors voted to dissolve the organization after nearly 60 years in operation. That means NPR, PBS and other US public radio and television stations are dissolving after massive federal funding cuts. We spoke about the significance of this with Ben Bogardus, Professor of Journalism and Chair of the Department of Journalism at Quinnipiac University.

We had Commissioner Garrett Eucalitto in studio from the Department of Transportation. We recapped the major January storm and looked ahead to DOT projects for 2026.Image Credit: Eric Urbanowicz

Host Paul Pacelli welcomed Connecticut Inside Investigator reporter Marc Fitch to Tuesday's "Connecticut Today" to explain the latest twist in a controversy allegedly involving millions of tax dollars and a veteran state lawmaker (00:33). Yankee Institute blogger Meghan Portfolio joined us to chat about her recent columns (09:43), while Paul had a few thoughts at the start of the show about voter behavior in Connecticut (17:55)

Host Paul Pacelli kicked off a new week on "Connecticut Today" looking at the past weekend's deadly shooting in Minneapolis connected to ICE protests (00:29). We also heard from CBS News Congressional Correspondent Nikole Killion (16:57), University of New Haven Senior Criminal Justice Lecturer Ken Gray (19:37), and CTNewsJunkie.com columnist and Substack.com blogger Terry Cowgill on that shooting death (29:21)

Host Paul Pacelli opened "Connecticut Today" wondering if a new policy proposal from Gov. Ned Lamont was floated to simply mollify the progressive wing of the Connecticut Democratic Party (00:38). State Senate GOP Leader Steve Harding dropped by to chat about a growing controversy surrounding a powerful Hartford Democrat and millions of dollars in non-profit funding (15:25). Former Bridgeport Democratic State Rep. Chris Caruso checked in with his weekly update (21:22), and CBS News reporter Kati Weis briefed us on a key legal case involving the Ten Commandments in New Orleans (31:19)

Does our state do a good enough job taking care of animals? The Animal Welfare Caucus is a bipartisan group of state legislators focusing on the promotion of animal advocacy legislative efforts. And today there is a public forum to discuss ways to improve laws to benefit animals in the state! We spoke about that with Annie Hornish, Connecticut State Director of the Humane World for Animals.

National data shows overcrowding in U.S. hospitals has reached crisis levels, with roughly 90% of large hospital emergency departments operating at or above capacity. Here in Connecticut, we are consistently seeing this problem at most of our hospitals. We spoke about this with Senator and Doctor Jeff Gordon and shared the state’s latest platform to address the problem.To access the new dashboard for CT hospital overcrowding data: https://overnight-boarding.solvedby.dev/

Hamden has been dealing with a string of violent incidents in the city this month. We spoke with law enforcement contributor, Gary MacNamara, about one of the incidents involving several suspects spraying gunshots at a home. What does the video of this crime mean for juvenile crime in our state and how should we tackle it better?

Investigators say the dramatic increase in structure fires around the city is, at least in part, because of the cold snap. Now, Bridgeport Fire Chief Lance Edwards is reminding the public about heating safety in your home to avoid a blaze.

The Bridgeport Islanders are reportedly leaving Connecticut. Sources in the NHL and AHL have shared that the Bridgeport team will be relocating to Hamilton, Ontario beginning next season. We got more details from Kenny Kaminsky, one of the reporters for Isles in the Sound, a media credentialed page dedicated to coverage and analysis of the Bridgeport Islanders.

Conditions at Connecticut prisons are less than ideal. A new report from the Office of the Correction Ombuds outlines some major failures across the state’s 13 correctional facilities. Investigative reporter, Jeff Derderian, sat down with the author of that report and has more details of the complaints filed.Image Courtesy of WTNH and Jeff Derderian

Members of the Woodmont Amateur Radio Association (WARA) invite the public to their Emergency Operations Center located in the Woodmont Borough Hall on Saturday, January 24 from 1-4 pm to experience the group’s Winter Field Day activities. We spoke about the importance of amateur radio and having field days with Dave Thomas and John Barrett of The Woodmont Amateur Radio Association.For more information: https://www.wara.club/ and https://winterfieldday.org/Image Credit: Jon Kamal

A forensic audit of the Blue Hills Civic Association has uncovered $208,000 in unsupported disbursements and widespread financial mismanagement of more than $15 million in state grant funds. This audit was not done by the Comptroller’s office, but Sean Scanlon is a huge supporter of transparency and fiscal responsibility. He spoke with us about this latest audit and recommendations to the legislature to prevent history from repeating itself.To access Open Connecticut: https://osc.ct.gov/openct/

Governor Lamont ordered his administration to hold off on issuing new valuations for agricultural land following a lot of pressure from farmers across the state. Thousands argued that the changes would lead to huge tax hikes and force some families to sell their land. We spoke with Orange First Selectman Jim Zeoli, who is also a Connecticut farmer, about this potential tax hike disaster.To see the online petition: https://www.savectland.org/

From a national penny shortage to tax season approaching, what you need to know about trending business changes and potential scams in Connecticut. We spoke with Commissioner Bryan Cafferelli at the CT Department of Consumer Protection.

Earlier this month, a West Hartford elementary school closed for a day due to more than 100 students battling the norovirus. The school took the day to disinfect the property, but it’s another example of how quickly norovirus spreads in places like schools and cruise ships. We discussed it more with infectious disease expert, Dr. Fred Browne.Image Courtesy Of Griffin Health and Dr. Fred Browne

Power has been restored to downtown Derby after a “major fire” in the area. If you watched the news or have been on social media, you saw this massive blaze unfold yesterday. And we spoke with Derby Fire Chief Tom Biggs to get all the details.

A data breach apparently happened at GE Credit Union with locations based in Bridgeport and Milford, just weeks ago. Admittedly, I have not seen any reports on this and have not spoken to GE Credit Union directly to confirm what happened, but earlier this month a local firefighter and her family found they were financially impacted by this breach and are still fighting to just get answers about what happened. We talked about this with Caitlyn Pereira, a member of the Fairfield Firefighters Association IAFF local 1426.

As we get closer to the legislative session in February, lawmakers are crafting bills to be put forward and recently facial recognition at supermarkets has been flagged as a problem. Norwalk Senator Bob Duff has been quoted saying he wants changes to state law better protecting people’s privacy and nixing the technology. Jim Cameron, author of the "Talking Transportation" column runs in CTMirror, recently highlighted this issue. For Jim's full article: https://ctmirror.org/2026/01/18/facial-recognition-at-the-airport-and-beyond/

Host Paul Pacelli opened Wednesday's "Connecticut Today" wondering about the disconnect many Connecticut voters have between local and national politics (00:41). State Republican Party Chairman Ben Proto joined us to chat about the current state of the 2026 Governor's race (17:37). CBS News White House reporter Aaron Navarro talked about the latest administration position on Greenland (29:46), while Hearst Connecticut Media Senior Columnist and Editor Dan Haar discussed a recent "Top-10" list he compiled about President Trump (32:33)

Host Paul Pacelli highlighted another new survey on Tuesday's "Connecticut Today," showing the state's continued difficulty in creating a business-friendly environment (00:37). State House GOP Leader Vin Candelora talked about Gov. Ned Lamont's about-face connected to state farmer property taxes (14:57), while Yankee Institute blogger Meghan Portfolio dropped by with her weekly update (22:48)

There’s a federal court case happening right now surrounding AI-based hiring systems unlawfully screened out qualified applicants. What is the significance of this case and what implications does it have for us here in Connecticut? We asked employment attorney, Gary Phelan, with Hurwitz Sagarin & Slossberg in Milford and is also law professor at Quinnipiac University.

Former state Representative, Harry Arora, is exploring a possible run for the Republican nomination for governor. He could join other prominent state Republicans who have already declared their run for the nomination including former New Britain Mayor Erin Stewart, state Senator Ryan Fazio and former New York Lt. Governor Betsy McCaughey. We connected with Mr. Arora to recap his political impact on our state and why he is now exploring a run for governor.

A new report outlined some systemic issues that require attention immediately for the Department of Education’s handling of special education. We spoke about this report and key takeaways with Fran Rabinowitz, Executive Director at the Connecticut Association of Public School Superintendents.A copy of the original report: https://portal.ct.gov/-/media/sde/board/boardmaterials011426/connecticut_state_department_of_education_special_education_systems_review_wested_final_report.pdf?rev=1d1eee9782054a1fb6d2e086fe5b0b34&hash=18954AA98CDE272B56DBDA9268567DC6

19 states, including Connecticut, have pay transparency laws in place. We asked career strategist, Julie Bauke, about the value of this law and what employers can do beyond upping incomes for good workers.

Milford could see armed officers added to every elementary school under a proposed 2026-27 school budget. We got the details on this from superintendent of schools, Dr. Anna Cutaia.To go back and see a recent BOE meeting on this topic: youtube.com/live/96BN0c1TFqY?si=5wIyUGG6aOKvzaHE&t=327

The Bridgeport city council recently nixed the city’s plan to have Flock drones used for police and fire. The council noted they had concerns about troubling headlines tied to Flock. So, we spoke with Holly Beilin, spokesperson for Flock, and Joe Rosenberg, Connecticut Account Lead from Flock, to get the truth about their technology programs and whether they actually aid agencies like ICE.