Voice of CT

CT Today With Paul Pacelli – Please … Calm Down

Host Paul Pacelli kicked-off a busy Thursday edition of “Connecticut Today” urging people to “pump the brakes” on a controversy surrounding flags and Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito (00:29). “Only In Bridgeport” blogger Lennie Grimaldi looked again at the biggest news in and around the Park City (12:21), while columnist Chris Powell had some thoughts on the biggest stories around Connecticut, including recent statements by Connecticut Democratic U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy (23:13)

Image Credit: REUTERS

Melissa in the Morning: Boater Safety Week

The most recent data from the US Coast Guard shows more than four thousand boat accidents in America during the 2022 calendar year. Those incidents reportedly involved 636 deaths, thousands of injuries and tens of millions of dollars in damages. This week is National Boater Safety Week and we wanted to talk about the basics for boating safety. Scott Appleby, Director of Emergency Management in Bridgeport, talked about the importance of life vests, navigation, emergency preparations, weather detection and more.

Image Credit: Getty Images

Melissa in the Morning: Nightmares and Lupus?

A new study suggests vivid nightmares could be an early indicator of an autoimmune disease like lupus. Researchers at the University of Cambridge and King’s College London found there was a link between nightmares and the onset of hallucinations in some lupus patients. The researchers found over 60-percent of lupus patients in their survey who experienced hallucinations reported having nightmares before the onset of lupus. We asked Dr. Browne about the findings and any takeaways we should think about. We also looked at another study, this one discussing fish oil pills. A new study published this week in the journal BMJ Medicine found that those with no cardiovascular issues that took fish oil saw higher risks of atrial fibrillation and stroke.

Image Credit: Getty Images

Melissa in the Morning: Skin Cancer Awareness Month

According to national data, 1 in 5 Americans will develop skin cancer by the age of 70. Skin cancer is still the most common cancer in the US and worldwide. And ahead of the summer season with more people exposed to the sun, May is skin cancer awareness month. We spoke with Hartford HealthCare’s Dr. Jill Rubinstein, a skin cancer specialist, about the latest treatments and research findings. We also debunked a lot of myths people believe to be true about skin cancer.

Image Credit: Getty Images

Melissa in the Morning: Hurricane Season Prep

Expert weather forecasters are projecting a significant number of dangerous storms this year. The 2024 Atlantic Hurricane season is predicted to bring 24 named storms, 11 of which could become hurricanes, and six of which could reach Category 3 or stronger. This is far beyond the 30-year average and notably above the storms we had in 2023. That’s why a panel discussion was hosted in Fairfield ahead of the June first start date. We spoke with Senator Tony Hwang, who moderated the meeting, and gave us feedback from experts who addressed residents.

Image Credit: Getty Images

Melissa in the Morning: Support Local this Memorial Day Weekend

This week, the pizza makers from Pepe’s Modern, Sally’s and many other area favorites boarded a charter Avelo flight to Washington DC to declare New Haven as the pizza capital of the U.S. It comes one week after the state launched a new marketing plan to highlight our state’s oyster industry (CT Oyster Trail.) We thought it was a great time to check in with Scott Dolch, President and CEO of Connecticut Restaurant Association. He talked about the food stories attracting people to our state but also highlighted the importance of supporting local eateries during Memorial Day weekend.

IMAGE CREDIT: Melissa Sheketoff

CT Today With Paul Pacelli – More and More People are Getting High

Wednesday’s midweek edition of “Connecticut Today” with host Paul Pacelli looked at new numbers highlighting regular marijuana use in the U.S. (00:19). Hearst Connecticut Media senior editor and columnist Dan Haar dropped by to talk about the hottest stories around the state (13:14)

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Melissa in the Morning: Pageant Queens & Mental Health

Some major national news broke this month when Miss USA and Miss Teen USA resigned from their positions within days of one another. We learned mental health played a huge role in the unexpected announcements. And during Mental Health Awareness Month this month compounded with the pageant news, we thought it was great timing to have our Miss Connecticut on the show. Gina Carloto shared insight about balancing mental health needs with the pageant world and explained the different tiers of competitions.

IMAGE CREDIT: Melissa Sheketoff

Melissa in the Morning: National EMS Week

This week, we honor our EMS workers! In recent years, we have struggled to fill EMS positions in our state, including in Easton. We spoke with Chief of Service and Vice President for Easton EMS, Jon Arnold, about methods they’ve used to attract and retain workers, training opportunities, ideal candidates to join the team and updates on a new department building.

IMAGE CREDIT: Jon Arnold / Easton EMS Staff

CT Humane Society Pet of the Week

We’re are spotlighting Tiny!

Tiny is a 1-year-old domestic shorthair
She’s a cute black and white Tiger
She was brought to CHS because her previous owner had too many pets and wanted to find a new home for Tiny
She is a shy cat, and because of that she would like to live with adults only
Tiny wouldn’t mind living with another cat, but she does not want to live with dogs

Tiny wants a peaceful home and it may take her some time to adjust but she’ll make a wonderful companion for you once she has time to warm up to you