Melissa in the Morning: Caffeine Addiction?
According to national data, each day, Americans consume a total of 400 million cups of coffee. Individually, reports say the average coffee drinker in the US consumes about three cups of coffee per day. While that doesn’t break down how many cups of coffee are caffeinated or decaf, it also doesn’t include the many other caffeinated drinks, like tea and energy drinks. March is caffeine awareness...
14m Mar 14, 2024
14m
Melissa in the Morning: Reading Awareness is not just for Kids
“I don’t have time to read…” -- “I don’t know what to read…” -- “Can I just watch the movie version instead…” -- “Reading is just too much work…” -- “I don’t like reading since it was forced when I was a kid…” According to national surveys, these are the top five reasons adults don’t read regularly. March is National Reading Month. And while the focus is for all ages to enjoy reading, there’s ...
18m Mar 14, 2024
18m
Melissa in the Morning: Don’t Hit Snooze on your Sleep Habits
The clocks changing in some ways is just a thorn in people’s sides. But besides the clocks changing in March, this month is also sleep awareness month. Do you know how much sleep impacts our bodies? Even though we logically can imagine how important good sleep is, we don’t make it a priority to adopt proper sleeping habits. We spoke with a sleep expert at Danbury Hospital under Nuvance Health t...
16m Mar 14, 2024
16m
Melissa in the Morning: Measles Vaccines
This week, the CDC made changes to its measles vaccination guidance for travelers. The agency says any American with plans to travel abroad should speak with their doctor at least six weeks before their trip if they aren't sure whether they're up to date on their vaccines. The change comes as we see more upticks in measles cases across the country. We asked vaccine questions to our infectious d...
14m Mar 14, 2024
14m
Melissa in the Morning: Supporting Local Veterans
According to national reports, the total number of veterans who experienced homelessness in 2023 was more than 35,000; that’s up 7% from 2022. However, more and more entities in America have been trying to tackle veteran homelessness. That same national report shows the estimated number of Veterans experiencing homelessness in America has declined by 52% since 2010. So, we are improving but ca...
9m Mar 14, 2024
9m
Melissa in the Morning: “Get a Screening & Get off Screens”
March is Save Your Vision Month, meant to bring awareness to screen exposure but also the need for regular eye exams. We talked to Dr. Scott Spector of Spector Eye Care in Norwalk about this. He gave his recommendation for when to start screening, how often you need exams and what to look out for with potential vision loss. Dr. Spector even shared an insane story about a young man who almost we...
18m Mar 15, 2024
18m
Melissa in the Morning: 112 Years and Counting!
One in every six women in Connecticut was at one time a Girl Scout and now, the premiere organization for girls is turning 112 years young!  The non-profit’s milestone also coincides with National Girl Scout Week. Diana Mahoney, Chief Executive Officer at Girl Scouts of Connecticut, shared how the organization has evolved over the years, the need for scout leaders and upcoming events for the Gi...
16m Mar 15, 2024
16m
Melissa in the Morning: Election Laws with No Punishment?
State Representative Jason Perillo testified at a public hearing the need for more penalties to hold people committing election fraud responsible. Right now, there are many laws on the book of what not to do during elections but really no consequences for breaking those laws. So, what’s the point? We spoke in depth about the issues of election fraud in the state and the likelihood of legislatio...
17m Mar 15, 2024
17m
Melissa in the Morning: Myeloma Action Month
It’s a type of cancer that isn’t commonly known, but impacts tens of thousands of people per year in the US. What is myeloma, how can we detect it early, is it curable or reversible, are there treatments available? We asked all of this to Yale Dr. Natalia Neparidze, who has worked with myeloma patients in our state for the past 17 years. She also highlighted the importance of blood tests, not j...
13m Mar 15, 2024
13m
CT Today With Paul Pacelli - Changing the State Constitution for Gender?
Friday's "Connecticut Today" with Paul Pacelli featured Connecticut Catholic Conference Executive Director Christopher Healy on a proposed measure - based on gender - that could alter Connecticut's State Constitution (00:31). State Senate GOP leader Stephen Harding joined us to talk about a new report from the Secretary of the State's office regarding more alleged voting irregularities in Bridg...
34m Mar 15, 2024
34m
Melissa in the Morning: We have Flute Fever with GBS
On Saturday, March 16th, the Greater Bridgeport Symphony is highlighting a powerful member of the instrumental ensemble: the flute. Find out the details for this upcoming show at The Klein in Bridgeport from Maestro Eduardo Leandro and Executive Director, Phyllis Cortese. For more information: https://gbs.org/ IMAGE CREDIT: iStock / Getty Images Plus
12m Mar 18, 2024
12m
Melissa in the Morning: Troubling Section 27
As you know, during the legislative session there are hundreds of bills being debated in Hartford. And one bill seems to tackle elections in the state. House Bill 5498 reportedly tackles surveillance at absentee ballot dropboxes, modifications to absentee ballot data and even absentee ballot reforms. However, we were alerted to a controversial section of the bill that would bar the Independent ...
16m Mar 18, 2024
16m
Melissa in the Morning: Religious Accommodations at Work
This is a very religious time of year. For example, Muslims began Ramadan on March 11th, Jews will celebrate Purim on March 23rd and Christians enter Holy Week Sunday March 24th. For Americans who take time off for religious reasons, how do employers handle the holidays and religious accommodations? We got perspective and advice from Mike Roberts of the Commission on Human Rights and Opportunit...
11m Mar 18, 2024
11m
Melissa in the Morning: Armed Neighborhood Groups
Hartford is working to combat crime with several proposals. One of those proposed measures includes armed neighborhood watch groups. In fact, one group rolled out for a shift this past weekend for the first time. Meanwhile, The Hartford City Council is considering a compromised resolution that would bring UNARMED neighborhood block watches to reduce crime. What could this resolution mean for ot...
17m Mar 18, 2024
17m
Melissa in the Morning: Bring on the Blue Lights
A new piece of legislation would better protect tow truck drivers in Connecticut. Dozens of tow truck drivers are killed every year because drivers don’t slow down and move over when a truck is pulled off on the side of a highway. Salena Khan, founder of Life on the Line Co., is pushing for a law that would require all tow trucks to be equipped with blue lights. Why does that make a difference ...
13m Mar 18, 2024
13m
CT Today With Paul Pacelli - Should Lawmakers Tell Colleges Who To Admit?
Host Paul Pacelli started a new week on "Connecticut Today" by looking at a proposal to outlaw so-called "legacy admissions" at Connecticut colleges (00:23). CT NewsJunkie columnist and Substack.com blogger Terry Cowgill dropped by to chat about third-party White House candidates (11:05) Image Credit: iStock / Getty Images Plus
23m Mar 18, 2024
23m
Melissa in the Morning: Stamford Scores Big $$$
Stamford is receiving 17-million-dollars from the federal government for a new pedestrian corridor along the Mill River.  The funds will be used to fill the last gap in the Mill River Greenway network. What is this network? What will the funding specifically go towards? Why does it matter to Stamford residents and visitors? And if this project has been ongoing for such a long time, how did Stam...
11m Mar 19, 2024
11m
Melissa in the Morning: Alcohol Intimidation
This week is National Drug and Alcohol Facts Week which is meant to bring awareness about addiction and share resources to address substance abuse. But instead of focusing on why people drink, we decided to focus on why people CARE SO MUCH about people who DON’T drink. Our morning show counselor, Julius Dudics, peeled back the curtain on the core of the problem and how to get honest with oursel...
18m Mar 19, 2024
18m
Melissa in the Morning: Middle Managers BEWARE
According to a recent Bloomberg report, middle managers, defined as non-executives who oversee employees, make up almost a third of terminations, up from 20% in 2018. In January, UPS said it would save more than $1 billion by slashing 12,000 manager jobs (https://link.mail.bloombergbusiness.com/click/34705502.933944/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuYmxvb21iZXJnLmNvbS9uZXdzL2FydGljbGVzLzIwMjQtMDEtMzAvdXBzLXRvLWN...
14m Mar 19, 2024
14m
Melissa in the Morning: Ivy League Title
It was a buzzer beater win punching Yale’s ticket to march madness this past weekend. Yale Men’s basketball team beat fourth-seeded Brown earning the program’s seventh appearance in the NCAA Tournament and a second trip to the March Madness festivities in the last three years. We had the opportunity to interview head coach James Jones to talk about the program’s growing success, his journey to ...
10m Mar 19, 2024
10m
CT Today With Paul Pacelli - More Ballot Clues In Bridgeport?
Host Paul Pacelli kicked off Tuesday's "Connecticut Today" with more details about alleged Bridgeport irregularities from the last election cycle (00:29). Institute for Liberty President Andrew Langer dropped by to chat about key Supreme Court cases involving government pressure on social media outlets (12:11). Yankee Institute blogger Meghan Portfolio joined us for her weekly update, focusing ...
32m Mar 19, 2024
32m
Melissa in the Morning: A Rebrand that Could Kill a Party
You may remember we started the week with our legal expert, Attorney Bill Bloss, talking about Section 27 of House Bill 5498. While the overall bill tackles a lot of problems in Connecticut regarding absentee ballots and creating cleaner elections, there’s a troubling section that’s a direct attack on the independent party. It not only would hurt the third party in our state, there are concerns...
11m Mar 20, 2024
11m
Melissa in the Morning: Happy Vernal Equinox
We are officially in spring but what determines the seasonal change? David Mestre of Science You May Not Know explains what's happening astronomically to explain how we get spring and shares the three reasons for the astronomical season. Image Credit: Getty Images
8m Mar 20, 2024
8m
Melissa in the Morning: Sound the Alarm on Illegal Snacks
A new public service announcement (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-MBSHf9Bog) was launched this week regarding illegal, unsafe cannabis edibles made to look like common kid-friendly snacks. Where are these snacks coming from? Why are they so dangerous for children? What advice do we have for parents to talk to their kids about these products? We spoke in depth about this with Consumer Protect...
14m Mar 20, 2024
14m
Melissa In The Morning: Have you seen THESE “Snacks”
“We’re still seeing highly potent illegal cannabis products that look like common kid snacks. These edibles are untested and unsafe and can land kids in the hospital. If you see these products, keep them away from children and report them immediately!” This is part of a new PSA from Attorney General William Tong. He is sounding the alarm about illegal products that have been seized in Connectic...
18m Mar 20, 2024
18m
CT Today With Paul Pacelli - A Big Change For Connecticut Restaurants?
Wednesday's "Connecticut Today" with host Paul Pacelli opened with an update about a possible major change in a state labor law affecting bars and restaurants (00:28). Commuter advocate Jim Cameron stopped by to talk about the brewing controversy over the use of license plate scanners (12:34). Hearst Connecticut Media editor and columnist Dan Haar updated us a few stories, including the state's...
34m Mar 20, 2024
34m
Melissa in the Morning: “A Gun to Americans’ Heads”
That was a direct quote from Senator Richard Blumenthal following a classified briefing by U.S intelligence and law enforcement officials on the dangers of TikTok. Earlier this month, the House overwhelmingly approved and passed a bill that forces the Chinese company, ByteDance, to sell the social media platform to the United States or risk a TikTok ban. Find out why Senator Blumenthal says the...
13m Mar 21, 2024
13m
Melissa in the Morning: Paranoia for Children
This week, we highlighted a new PSA statewide sounding the alarm about illegal cannabis products impacting Connecticut youth. Nationally, a survey funded by the National Institute of Health, alerted the public about more teens experimenting with the psychoactive substance, Delta-8.  We wanted to understand the medical impact on a young body and why these products are so dangerous. Dr. Browne sh...
15m Mar 21, 2024
15m
Melissa in the Morning: His Next Political Venture
Ansonia Mayor David Cassetti announced he is throwing his hat in the race for a state representative seat. Find out why the six-term mayor wants to make the trips to Hartford for the 104th House District and his issues wit the current incumbent. He also shares whether he will remain mayor if he gets elected in November. Catch up here! Image Credit: Getty Images
9m Mar 21, 2024
9m
Melissa in the Morning: More Equitable Healthcare
Currently, 1 billion people, or 15% of the world’s population (https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/disability) , experience some form of disability. People with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) are more likely to experience adverse socioeconomic outcomes only making it harder to afford and access good health care options. March marks Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month, a...
10m Mar 21, 2024
10m
Melissa in the Morning: Kids in Crisis
Kids in Crisis has been helping tens of thousands of children in Fairfield County since it was founded in 1978. TeenTalk is a program that Kids in Crisis provides to more than a dozen middle and high schools in Fairfield County right now. A recent TeenTalk report outlines some stark realities including the huge uptick in counseling requests and WHO makes the majority of counseling requests. Sha...
13m Mar 21, 2024
13m
CT Today With Paul Pacelli - A Spotlight On Tipping At Connecticut Restaurants
Thursday's "Connecticut Today" with host Paul Pacelli welcomed Connecticut Restaurant Association head Scott Dolch to talk about a proposed move to eliminate the "tipped wage" provision for state restaurant workers (00:26). "Only In Bridgeport" blogger Lennie Grimaldi also stopped by with more details about a reported warning issued to some Bridgeport municipal employees (12:30) Image Credit: ...
24m Mar 21, 2024
24m
Melissa in the Morning: RISE at UB
An annual event highlights Research, Innovation, Scholarship, and Entrepreneurship opportunities at the University of Bridgeport. It started back in 2011 and has grown so much since then. We got the scoop on this upcoming event, how it ties into National Public Health Week and who will benefit from attending (including high school students!) And for more information on the April 5th RISE event...
12m Mar 22, 2024
12m
Melissa in the Morning: Light at the End of the Tunnel
After seven years of effort to create a new veterans and first responders center in Trumbull, the final amount of money came in this month to put shovels in the ground. Find out about a recent federal grant supporting the center and what this property will do for thousands in our listening area. Ray Baldwin Jr. who has been leading this effort gives us the details and a tentative timeline of wh...
15m Mar 22, 2024
15m
Melissa in the Morning: Declassify TikTok Info?
While a strong bi-partisan vote passed a bill through the House demanding the sale of TikTok with a threat to ban the platform in the US otherwise. Congressman Jim Himes voted against it. What’s interesting, is the supporters of this bill are most concerned with TikTok hurting our national security. Congressman Himes is the ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee and has a vested i...
10m Mar 22, 2024
10m
Melissa in the Morning: No Votes
It’s no secret; health insurance coverage is so unaffordable, many Connecticut families take the risk not investing in coverage. Once again, comprehensive bills were proposed during the legislative session. We learned the Insurance and Real Estate Committee ran out of time to take up any of the measures and not one piece of legislation was voted on. We did a deeper dive into this with State Sen...
17m Mar 22, 2024
17m
Melissa in the Morning: State Street Debating Scholarships
State Street Debating Society has named the 2024 high school scholarship award winners. Seven Stamford high school seniors will receive $70K in college scholarship money. State Street Debating Society has offered scholarships to high school students for nearly 60 years awarding more than $1.1 million during that time. Additionally, State Street supports all Stamford High School Debating program...
11m Mar 22, 2024
11m
CT Today With Paul Pacelli - A Case Of Political Payback?
Host Paul Pacelli wrapped up another busy week on "Connecticut Today" looking at a proposed ballot change that could affect a major third party (00:28) and we also heard from former Bridgeport State Rep. Chris Caruso on those possible changes (12:55). Glastonbury GOP State Rep. Steve Weir stopped by to chat about a possible expansion of the state's paid medical leave program (26:00) Image Cred...
38m Mar 22, 2024
38m
Melissa in the Morning: Advertising Peer Pressure
For the first time, we had the Commissioner for Connecticut’s Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services, Nancy Navarretta. After last week’s conversation on the show about alcohol expectations in today’s society and many listeners joining the conversation, we talked about it further with Commissioner Navarretta. We did a deeper dive into the broken societal norms around drinking, how t...
14m Mar 25, 2024
14m
Melissa in the Morning: A Longer Allergy Season
Grab the tissues; you’re going to need them! A new report is sounding the alarm about allergy season. Several national studies revealed as a result of weather patterns and trends, AccuWeather meteorologists anticipate three different peaks in pollen levels that should make allergy season last longer in 2024. We learned about ways to best cope with allergies and remedies we can use to battle a l...
16m Mar 25, 2024
16m
Melissa in the Morning: Criminal License Renewal Fees
Connecticut’s license renewal fees are insanely high, and a new proposal is looking to cap costs. According to a recent report, physicians in New York and Massachusetts must pay $600 every two years to renew their licenses. However, here in Connecticut, physicians and surgeons pay $575 annually or $1,150 every two years. Right now, 83 professions in our state require these astronomical costs an...
15m Mar 25, 2024
15m
Melissa in the Morning: Hotel Key Card Hack
There is a new warning for travelers after researchers, posed as hackers, expose a security flaw that could open millions of hotel-room doors. Wired Magazine shared the findings this month outlining the impact on people here and across the globe checking into a hotel. What can we do to better protect ourselves from intruders when we are staying in a hotel? We got advice from our crime preventio...
15m Mar 25, 2024
15m
Melissa in the Morning: Marriages in America are Looking Up
A new CNN report revealed that marriage rates have been up, and divorce rates are down. Why is that the case and are we seeing that locally with couples in Connecticut? We got perspective from our marriage coach, Bob Donovan. Image Credit: Getty Images
16m Mar 25, 2024
16m
CT Today With Paul Pacelli - EV Owners Need To Pay Up
Host Paul Pacelli started a new week on "Connecticut Today" wondering why Connecticut allows EV drivers to get away with not contributing to the state's transportation fund (00:33). Sacred Heart University Political Science Professor/Scholar in Residence Dr. Gary Rose commented on the current news surrounding former President Donald Trump (12:54), while CT NewsJunkie columnist and Substack.com ...
40m Mar 25, 2024
40m
Melissa in the Morning: Early Voting in CT
For the first time in Connecticut history, we have rolled out early voting starting today ahead of the primaries April second. Secretary of the State, Stephanie Thomas, joined us for everything you need to know ahead of casting your vote at the polls. Plus, we touched on legislation surrounding elections being debated in Hartford including absentee ballot reform, election monitoring and potenti...
15m Mar 26, 2024
15m
Melissa in the Morning: Road Safety Bills
We are in the midst of the legislative session and several road safety bills have been voted out of committee and could see the light of day by May. We get the details from Alec Slatky from AAA about these pieces of legislation including work zone speed cameras and lowering the blood alcohol limit to .05. Image Credit: Getty Images
18m Mar 26, 2024
18m
Melissa in the Morning: Pulling Back on Compulsive Gambling
The National Council on Problem Gambling estimates that about five million Americans struggle with compulsive gambling. However, only around 8 percent of these individuals will ever seek help for their problem. Connecticut made online gambling and sports betting legal in 2021 and the Connecticut Council on Problem Gambling has reported a huge spike in calls ever since. How do you know if gambli...
27m Mar 26, 2024
27m
Melissa in the Morning: Ever Heard of VTO?
You’ve heard of PTO…but what about V-TO? Crunchbase, a private company data provider, has been offering “volunteering time off” (VTO) to its employees since 2018. They say it’s a major benefit for workers and some studies are backing that up. Recently, a study from Oxford University found volunteering is a major benefit for workers with a lot of positive outcomes. So, why don’t more people offe...
18m Mar 26, 2024
18m
Melissa in the Morning: “I Am Different”
A local author shares her latest children’s book I Am Different addressing inclusion. Find out about Michelle Artis, her inspiration behind the book and the connection to her son, Aydin. Image Courtesy Of Eric Urbanowicz
13m Mar 26, 2024
13m
CT Today With Paul Pacelli - The Feds Screw Up ... Again!
Connecticut mom and media personality Shelly Sindland talked about the difficulties she's facing - like many families all over the country - in trying to deal with a new online federal college financial aid "FAFSA" portal (00:29). Yankee Institute blogger Meghan Portfolio updated us on some key pieces of legislation facing the General Assembly (14:01), while Paul had some initial thoughts about...
35m Mar 26, 2024
35m