Voice of CT

CT Today With Paul Pacelli – Should Bus Rides On CT Transit Be Free?

Thursday’s “Connecticut Today” featured host Paul Pacelli wondering if Connecticut should follow in the steps of some other cities and institute free municipal bus rides (00:45). GOP State Rep. Craig Fishbein joined us to talk about a new state audit on a massive backlog of state gun permit appeals cases (14:26). Former Bridgeport Democratic State Rep. Chris Caruso stopped by with his weekly update (23:13), while CBS News Military Analyst U.S. Army Col. (Ret.) Jeff McCausland offered his thoughts on U.S. military strikes being used against suspected drug smuggling boats in the Caribbean (32:15)

The Lisa Wexler Show – Changing The Course Of Civil War History

Award-winning author Tim McGrath joins Lisa Wexler to talk about fascinating and little told Civil War stories in his latest book: THREE ROADS TO GETTYSBURG

Melissa in the Morning: Heads Up for Thanksgiving

From travel to shopping, there’s a lot to prepare for and scams to avoid. We spoke with Commissioner Bryan Cafferelli from the CT Department of Consumer Protection.

Image Credit: Eric Urbanowicz

Melissa in the Morning: AI Companion Ban?

Senator Richard Blumenthal is advocating for a ban on AI companions for children called The Guard Act. This is a bi-partisan effort in Washington DC on top of the ongoing fight to pass the Kids Online Safety Act. We learned more about it with Senator Blumenthal.

IMAGE CREDIT: Melissa Sheketoff

Melissa in the Morning: Latest Health Headlines

Ultra-processed food like fast food, ready-to-eat meals and protein bars are linked to harm in every major organ of the human body. That’s according to the world’s largest review of ultra-processed foods and their impact on global health. We spoke about this with Dr. Fred Browne of Griffin Health. We also talked about a new study linking pregnancy stress with baby teeth, another study linking music as a healer to dementia and the latest access to more prescriptions.

IMAGE CREDIT: Dr. Fred Browne / Griffin Health

CT Today With Paul Pacelli – Should Connecticut Start A “Public Option” Health Plan?

On Wednesday’s “Connecticut Today,” host Paul Pacelli wondered if it’s time for the State of Connecticut to offer a non-profit “public option” healthcare insurance plan to help folks who are being priced out of the Affordable Care Act – or “Obamacare” (00:53). Fairfield GOP State Sen. Tony Hwang reacted after state regulators voted to block a proposed sale of the Aquarion Water Company (14:56). University of New Haven Associate Professor of Accounting, Finance, and Taxation Dr. Jim Mohs talked about a new report regarding the Trump White House’s tariff policies (18:03). Finally, Hearst Connecticut Media Senior Columnist and Editor Dan Haar dropped by for his weekly update (23:34)

Melissa in the Morning: New Housing Bill Concerns

Coincidence? Connecticut Republicans and Fairfield County residents say “I don’t think so!” The New York Post just released an article questioning the new affordable housing bill passed in the special session last week. Does it effectively create a better housing situation for Connecticut residents, or did it get the green light too soon benefiting our neighboring state of New York? We spoke with Senator Jason Perillo representing Connecticut’s 21st District.

Image Credit: Eric Urbanowicz

Melissa in the Morning: The Healing Chickadee

Grieving is a strange feeling. We don’t talk about it enough but it’s a process 100 percent of human beings will go through. We learned about Connecticut-based non-profit, Soulful Sydney, Inc, dedicated to children’s emotional health and offering programs tailored to help kids learn to grieve and prepare properly for loss. The program we focused on in this interview is called The Healing Chickadee. We spoke with Terry Murphy, the founder Chief Enthusiast of Soulful Sydney, Inc.

For more information: www.HealingChickadee.com or call 203-521-6860

IMAGE CREDIT: Laura Soll, CFDA Communications / Terry Murphy / Soulful Sydney Inc.

Melissa in the Morning: Energy News

Eversource is set to increase prices in 2026 and PURA’s former chairwoman is still front-page news in Connecticut. We spoke with our energy contributor, Bryson Hull, Deputy Northeast Director for Consumer Energy Alliance.

IMAGE CREDIT: Eric Urbanowicz

Melissa in the Morning: Opioid Addiction PSA

A lot of people are in denial about addiction and substance abuse. And when you think about how common that is, think about this: last year, 80% of people in the U.S. with substance use disorders received no treatment for it. It makes what is already a big problem, even bigger! That’s why local health departments collaborated and launched a public awareness campaign to address misconceptions surrounding opioid addiction and to encourage more residents to access life-saving treatment and services. We spoke with New Haven health director, Maritza Bond, about this.

For more information: https://endstigmact.com/