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Melissa in the Morning is hosted by Melissa Sheketoff who gathers top news headlines locally and nationally to keep WICC listeners in the know, delivering the information that matters most to you.
Every week, enjoy live interviews from state leaders, business owners and local experts. Melissa has frequent talks with Governor Ned Lamont, Attorney General William Tong, Comptroller Sean Scanlon and other state department leaders. She also has consistent check-in’s with leaders in Washington, including U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal and U.S. Congressman Jim Himes. At the hyper local level, Melissa also talks to local leaders, including state senators, representative, mayors and first selectmen.
Outside of politics, local experts featured on the show weekly include infectious disease expert, Dr. Fred Browne of Griffin Health, career strategist, Julie Bauke, and law enforcement officials including crime prevention expert, Jim Perez.
And as a news reporter, Melissa does investigative reporting on local stories. In 2024, Melissa was the first and only Connecticut reporter for weeks to tackle a hot water and heating issue at Success Village in Bridgeport and Stratford, impacting thousands of residents. She also exposed severe issues with Bridgeport’s education system, including issues with the Board of Education and superintendent. She also answered dozens of calls from Fairfield residents about a childcare center abruptly set to shut down and her work led to a delay in that decision helping dozens of families find care.
Plus, traffic every ten minutes and weather from our Chief Meteorologist Paul Piorek.
Recent posts
Melissa in the Morning: Fighting the Opioid Crisis
Seven million dollars in federal grant money is being invested into opioid response strategies in Connecticut. We noticed four of the seven municipalities getting in on this money, are right here in Fairfield County (Bridgeport, Norwalk, Stamford and Greenwich.) We spoke with Luiza Barnat is the Opioid Services Director at the state Department of Mental…… Continue Reading
Melissa in the Morning: Teacher Burnout
Teacher burnout is still a big problem in Connecticut. The Connecticut Education Association (CEA), the state’s largest teachers’ union, released results from its latest statewide survey, highlighting an ongoing crisis in the teaching profession and the urgent need for greater support for public education. CEA President, Kate Dias, did a deeper dive into the challenges…… Continue Reading
Melissa in the Morning: The *Cringe* Job Question
How do you connect to the young people around the Thanksgiving table without being shut down in conversation immediately? We spoke with career strategist, Julie Bauke, about alternative conversation starters instead of work-related topics. Image Credit: Getty Images… Continue Reading
Melissa in the Morning: AI on School Buses
AI Technology has come to Bridgeport as the first city to bring these cameras online in a widespread way. Investigative reporter, Jeff Derderian, took a closer look at this new technology helping catch violators bypassing school buses illegally. For Jeff’s full story: https://www.wtnh.com/news/connecticut/fairfield/bridgeport-buses-use-ai-cameras-to-catch-violators/ Image Credit: Melissa Sheketoff… Continue Reading
Melissa in the Morning: Slow Down, Move Over
Sen. Richard Blumenthal’s bipartisan Slow Down Move Over resolution was passed by the US Senate last week. We spoke with Fran Mayko of Flagman Inc. about the recent national attention and its significance to Thanksgiving week. Image Credit: Getty Images … Continue Reading
Melissa in the Morning: CT Unemployment Rates
A recent report showed Connecticut Unemployment Rates are the lowest they’ve been in 23 years. How is that happening and is that a good thing? We did a deeper dive into the data with Patrick Flaherty, Director of Research at Connecticut’s Department of Labor. For more information for job seekers: https://portal.ct.gov/cthires Image Credit: Getty Images… Continue Reading
Melissa in the Morning: Lithium-Ion Battery Fires
According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety, lithium-ion batteries have caused 25,000 fires in the last five years. What people don’t realize is lithium-ion batteries are in a lot of children’s toys, almost every handheld device, and everyday household items. We spoke with PACT President Rodger Mort, who has created solutions to avoid and fight…… Continue Reading
Melissa in the Morning: Avoid Crime this Thanksgiving
You may be planning to enjoy your Thanksgiving holiday travel plans, but you can’t forget about criminals hoping to target your property. Crime prevention expert, Jim Perez, shared advice on how to protect your homes and cars while you’re away. Image Credit: Getty Images… Continue Reading
Melissa in the Morning: Problem Gambling
The third Fairfield County sports betting venue opened in Norwalk this month. It was a good reason to invite the Connecticut Counsel on Problem Gambling back on the show. We spoke with Valerie Tebbetts, Helpline, Training and Recovery Manager at CCPG. For more information: https://ccpg.org/ Image Credit: Getty Images… Continue Reading
Melissa in the Morning: Robotic Umpires
Major League Baseball will be experimenting with robot umpires during spring training in 2025. If it’s successful, we could see them used in the 2026 season. We asked our local sports expert, Rob Adams, about the news. Image Credit: Getty Images… Continue Reading