Melissa in the Morning: Failure to Launch?
After months of work, David Mestre and a team of UB students travelled to Texas to be part of a NASA-backed project during the solar eclipse. David told us about the project, the journey and the outcome of the experiment. Did their cameras capture footage of the eclipse? Did weather impact the balloons needed to get cameras in the air? We got the scoop during Science You May Not Know. Image Cr...
16m Apr 17, 2024
16m
Melissa in the Morning: Cannabis Law Behind the Scenes
As of July 2021, Connecticut residents could possess and use of up to 1.5 oz of cannabis legally. And in 2022, the state started allowing retail shops to open and sell recreational marijuana. Since the roll out, some of the biggest supporters of legalizing weed, are now thinking twice about it. We found out what the law has ACTUALLY done to many in the cannabis industry, including local hemp fa...
18m Apr 17, 2024
18m
Melissa in the Morning: The Trickle Down Effect
Sikorsky Aircraft is laying off hundreds of workers in the state who were involved with the canceled Army scout helicopter project. Around 400 Connecticut employees are losing their jobs, mostly engineers and digital technology workers in the scout program. The layoffs reportedly involve 350 Sikorsky workers in Stratford. We got some business perspective from Dan Onofrio, President of the Bridg...
10m Apr 17, 2024
10m
CT Today With Paul Pacelli - Don't Talk About What You Don't Understand
Wednesday's "Connecticut Today" with host Paul Pacelli opened with a chat about the media uproar surrounding Caitlin Clark's rookie WNBA contract (00:24). Hearst Connecticut Media editor and columnist Dan Haar dropped by on his way home from the State Capitol to chat about the latest in the General Assembly (13:20) Image Credit: USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect
24m Apr 17, 2024
24m
Melissa in the Morning: A Wild Goose Chase
Bristol residents flocked to a city hall meeting to voice their concerns about a proposed geese mitigation plan. The Bristol Board of Park Commissioners was considering a management plan that would authorize both lethal and non-lethal measures to deter the animals at city-owned parks and properties. It comes after the city reportedly received 115 emails and 40 calls about the plan in recent day...
16m Apr 18, 2024
16m
Melissa in the Morning: Safety on CT Highways
It is Work Zone Awareness Month and our Department of Transportation is hyper focused on speeding. This time last year, the DOT rolled out speed cameras as part of a pilot program to monitor speeding in work zones on our highways. They were placed in a handful of spots, including one in a work zone in Norwalk. In the eight-month period, the data shows over 20-thousand warnings were issued durin...
16m Apr 18, 2024
16m
Melissa in the Morning: Social Media Rotting the Brain
Social media platforms are "not inherently suitable for youth," say top psychologists, and tech companies and lawmakers need to do more to protect kids' mental health. The American Psychological Association said Tuesday that endless scrolling and push notifications are particularly risky for young people whose brains are still developing. We asked Dr. Browne about this. Plus, we tackled seafood...
12m Apr 18, 2024
12m
Melissa in the Morning: Boeing Whistleblower
Boeing's safety culture came under scrutiny during a U.S. Senate hearing this week in Washington DC. Boeing engineer Sam Salehpour was one of several whistleblowers who testified against Boeing in regard to their lacking manufacturing safety and the toxic work environment following his effort to voice concerns. Senator Richard Blumenthal was in the room for that hearing and shared his feedback ...
11m Apr 18, 2024
11m
CT Today With Paul Pacelli - The Latest In Bridgeport
Thursday's "Connecticut Today" with host Paul Pacelli checked-in with "Only In Bridgeport" blogger Lennie Grimaldi (00:21). Paul also had a few thoughts on possibly lowering Connecticut's legal blood alcohol content limit for drivers from .08-percent to .05-percent (11:30) Image Credit: iStock / Getty Images Plus
23m Apr 18, 2024
23m
Melissa in the Morning: Meet the Top Dog for CT State Police
Earlier this week, Colonel Daniel Loughman was sworn in as the new Commanding Officer for the Connecticut State Police. We learned about his law enforcement background, his journey to the top spot for state police and his goals for trooper recruitment. Image Courtesy of Connecticut State Police
14m Apr 19, 2024
14m
Melissa in the Morning: New Clinical Trials
There are now two new clinical trials happening through Nuvance Health and enrollment is open for people interested in taking part. One looks at prostate cancer, the other is breast cancer. We spoke with Dr. Philip Gilbo, chief of radiation oncology at Norwalk Hospital and Dr. Christine Chin, a radiation oncologist at Norwalk Hospital about the purpose of the trials, ideal candidates for the tr...
17m Apr 19, 2024
17m
Melissa in the Morning: Check-in with Senator Steve Harding
We are down to just weeks left in the 2024 legislative session and lawmakers are racing to the finish to pass legislation they believe is good for Connecticut. From street takeovers to beach takeovers and absentee ballot fraud, we dive into the biggest conversations in Hartford right now with Senator Steve Harding. Image Courtesy of Stephen Harding
17m Apr 19, 2024
17m
Melissa in the Morning: Super Power Mentors
For kids who deal with learning disabilities, it can feel isolating or defeating when they don’t learn like everyone else in the classroom. Connecticut native, Jake Sussman, created a solution for families wanting to support and help their kids to build confidence in themselves and the way they think. We learned about Super Power Mentors and how it’s helping children starting as young as 7 ahea...
16m Apr 19, 2024
16m
CT Today With Paul Pacelli - Why Do We Still Allow The Sale Of "Nips?"
Friday's "Connecticut Today" with host Paul Pacelli took a look at the continuing nip bottle litter problem in the state and whether or not they should be outlawed (00:24). We welcomed Scott Walter, author of, "ARABELLA: The Dark Money Network of Leftist Billionaires Secretly Transforming America" (11:48), while former Bridgeport State Rep. Chris Caruso dropped by with his weekly commentary (24...
38m Apr 19, 2024
38m
Melissa in the Morning: How to Talk Politics with Kids
According to Pew Research, most parents pass along their religious and political beliefs. In a 2023 survey indicated that most parents with teens have passed along their political loyalties. Roughly eight-in-ten parents who were Republican had teens who also identified as leaning right. And about nine-in-ten parents who were Democratic had teens typically leaning left. How do we help our kids n...
18m Apr 22, 2024
18m
Melissa in the Morning: Electric School Buses
Earlier this year, we learned Branford is the first Connecticut school district trading in its gas-powered school bus fleet into electric. The district signed off on a $60-million dollar deal with Zum. We spoke with COO of Zum, Vivek Garg, to learn about the shift to electric for buses, why the model is gaining popularity nationwide, and the perks beyond going green. To learn more, check out: h...
17m Apr 22, 2024
17m
Melissa in the Morning: Safety Amid Unrest
Passover begins today at sundown and continues until Tuesday April 30th. Right now, there is a lot of unrest here and across the country and a lot of attacks on Jewish people. How can people feel safe at their houses of worship? And how do people handle protests? We dive into that during Crime on the Mind with our crime prevention expert, Jim Perez. Image Credit: Reuters
14m Apr 22, 2024
14m
Melissa in the Morning: “Marriage Killers”
When discussing marriage with people, there typically is one universal response “marriage is hard”. Why is it hard and why does everyone seem to share that point of view? This is a topic our marriage coach, Bob Donovan, tackles with hundreds of Connecticut couples a year. He did some deep thinking and determined there are 17 marriage “killers” that can lead to separation or divorce. He narrowed...
17m Apr 22, 2024
17m
CT Today With Paul Pacelli - You're Not In Charge
Host Paul Pacelli opened up a new week on "Connecticut Today" wondering where today's college students get their senses of entitlement and expectation of influencing their schools business policies (00:34). Washington Times Online Opinion Editor Cheryl Chumley returned to the show to comment on the current protest situation at some U.S. colleges (11:13), while CT NewsJunkie columnist and Sunsta...
31m Apr 22, 2024
31m
Melissa in the Morning: The Root of Anxiety
A new article on NPR highlighted what one author called “The Anxious Generation” and why anxiety and depression shows up in kids. We wanted to tackle anxiety with counselor, Julius Dudics. He shared why identifying the problem in ourselves, the adults, can begin to be the solution for our kids handling anxiousness too! Image Credit: Getty Images
16m Apr 23, 2024
16m
Melissa in the Morning: Good Digital Citizens
National data shows that kids on the internet is the norm in America. According to The American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, recent surveys show 90% of teens (ages 13-17) use social media. Our social media consultant, Krista Carnes, talked to us about our children becoming “good digital citizens.” What does that term even mean? Does it apply to adults too? What if adults are anti-s...
18m Apr 23, 2024
18m
Melissa in the Morning: Don’t Just Put Your Head Down
Career strategist, Julie Bauke, discovered the five most common mistakes people make at their jobs. Last week she talked about the first mistake: moving forward with more direction (aired and podcasted on 4/16.) This week, she tackles number two: keeping your head down and doing a good job. Image Credit: Getty Images
14m Apr 23, 2024
14m
Melissa in the Morning: Glamorous Seniors
For the first time at Milford Senior Center, eight fabulous ladies took to the stage to compete in the Golden Glamour Pageant. We met the winner. Galina Murphy, to hear about the experience and what it meant to her. Also, the senior center executive director, Leonora Rodriguez, shared what sparked the idea to have a pageant for seniors and how she's changing the narrative for seniors enjoying l...
15m Apr 23, 2024
15m
CT Today With Paul Pacelli - Another Big SEBAC Deal
Tuesday's "Connecticut Today" with host Paul Pacelli looked at the latest state employee contract with State Senate GOP leader Steve Harding (00:25). Yankee Institute blogger Meghan Portfolio dropped by for her weekly check-in (08:21), while Paul also had some thoughts on the root cause of the anti-Israel protests popping up at universities all over the nation (17:52) Image Credit: iStock / Ge...
27m Apr 23, 2024
27m
Melissa in the Morning: How to Handle a Bully
According to national statistics, one out of every five students report being bullied in America. And in today’s world, there are many ways children fall victim to bullies. Data shows the most common forms of bullying include verbal harassment, followed by social harassment, physical bullying and cyber bullying. So, what do you say to your kids in the event that they face a bully in school or a...
14m Apr 24, 2024
14m
Melissa in the Morning: Smart Bird Feeders
This spring, David Mestre installed a bird feeder at a community center on the East side of Bridgeport. The smart feeder is equipped with a special camera that can capture images and, using AI, can identify bird species that come by to feed at our bird feeder. Find out who landed on the feeder and what that means about urban green spaces as well as the adaptability of bird species. Bird Info f...
18m Apr 24, 2024
18m
Melissa In The Morning: Shoulder Check
Hayden Thorsen was a well-known, beloved teen from Darien. He also was a hockey player, deeply connected to the hockey world. Hayden died by suicide in 2022 and since his passing, his family created the HT40 Foundation in his honor. The foundation is launching its first initiative called Shoulder Check. We hear from Rob, Hayden’s father, about the foundation and this new initiative and how you ...
20m Apr 24, 2024
20m
CT Today With Paul Pacelli - Are Non-Compete Clauses Dead?
Wednesday's "Connecticut Today" with host Paul Pacelli welcomed worldwide business consultant Carl Gould on the possible elimination of "non-compete" clauses in worker contracts and employment agreements (00:31). Hearst Connecticut Media editor and columnist Dan Haar dropped by with his update on all the biggest state stories (08:58), while Paul also wondered if protesters at Yale are actually ...
33m Apr 24, 2024
33m
Melissa in the Morning: Prioritize Your Time
According to Time Doctor, more than 50% of employees reported being "relatively unproductive" at work. And then, there’s time management struggles after you clock out. So, how can adults expect kids to prioritize time effectively if the average parent can’t do it? We get advice from Dr. Donald Wetmore. Don is an attorney-turned-productivity coach who created Productivity Institute 30 years ago....
15m Apr 25, 2024
15m
Melissa in the Morning: Is the Viral Video Really to Blame?
A recent viral video is triggering a lot of lawmakers, law enforcement and residents in Connecticut. It’s called Connecticut Kia Boyz and highlights car theft, but not in a PSA-kind of way.  Rather, the video encourages young people to commit the crimes and make easy money. But is banning the video just putting a bandaid on a much bigger issue at hand? We asked our law enforcement expert, Gary ...
18m Apr 25, 2024
18m
Melissa in the Morning: Tainted Milk and Old Meds
The FDA says samples of milk from grocery stores across the U.S. tested positive for remnants of the bird flu virus that had infected dairy cows. Despite the agency’s confidence that the milk in stores is safe, many people are nervous about buying milk and other dairy products. We asked Dr. Browne about this. And ahead of National Drug Take Back Day, we talked about the impact of expired medica...
12m Apr 25, 2024
12m
Melissa in the Morning: Updates from Fairfield
Several major news headlines are coming out of Fairfield. We checked in with First Selectman, Bill Gerber, to talk about the upcoming Clam Jam event this weekend, the latest on Penfield Pavilion construction and an upcoming hearing about the controversial proposed UI Monopole plans. Image Credit: Getty Images
18m Apr 25, 2024
18m
CT Today With Paul Pacelli - Pay Raises for the Bridgeport City Council?
Thursday's "Connecticut Today" featured host Paul Pacelli chatting with "Only In Bridgeport" blogger Lennie Grimaldi about the city's budget issues and whether or not City Council members should get actual salaries (00:24). Landmark Legal Foundation attorney Mike O'Neill also dropped by to break down the latest U.S. Supreme Court arguments involving former President Donald Trump (10:14) Image ...
20m Apr 25, 2024
20m
Melissa in the Morning: CT Hurricanes
More and more, musical programs are losing funding in schools across Connecticut. But there is an option for students starting in high school to get more engaged in the marching band world, thanks to CT Hurricanes. We learned all about it from Danny Staffieri and AJ Rittenhouse. For more information: http://cthurricanes.org/ Photo Credit: Melissa Sheketoff
19m Apr 26, 2024
19m
Melissa in the Morning: State Representative Kara Rochelle
We met Rep. Kara Rochelle for the 104th District representing Ansonia and Derby. She is in her third term and up for reelection in November. Find out what she's tackled during her time in office and her goals moving forward. IMAGE CREDIT: Melissa Sheketoff
16m Apr 26, 2024
16m
Melissa in the Morning: The Irony of Passover 2024
We are in the midst of the Passover this week but it feels a lot different this year with all the unrest across the country. We spoke with Fairfield Rabbi Shlame Landa about the significance of the chaos erupting on college campuses during this holy time for Jews. IMAGE CREDIT: iStock / Getty Images Plus
18m Apr 26, 2024
18m
Melissa in the Morning: Coping with Loss
According to national statistics, about 6-million US children will experience the death of a parent or sibling by the time they are 18 (experiencecamps.org). The average adult is never ready to say goodbye to a loved one, so how can we expect our children to handle loss in a healthy way? We got advice from Catherine Duncan, an integrative spiritual consultant, author and public speaker. For mor...
17m Apr 26, 2024
17m
CT Today With Paul Pacelli - Where's The Election Reform Bill?
Host Paul Pacelli wrapped up another big week on "Connecticut Today" with former Bridgeport Democratic State Rep. Chris Caruso's weekly update and a chat about the progress of election reform legislation at the State Capitol (00:25). New Haven Independent Editor and Publisher Paul Bass gave us his thoughts on the passing of longtime Elm City developer Joel Schiavone (10:31) Image Credit: iStoc...
19m Apr 26, 2024
19m
Melissa in the Morning: Swatting Incidents
In the last month, there were two major swatting incidents in our listening area: Danbury Mall and Notre Dame of Fairfield High School. What are swatting incidents? What’s the point of them? Where are the prank calls coming from? How can we better handle the situation without draining all resources and spending a lot of money to respond? We talked about all of this in Crime on the Mind with Jim...
13m Apr 29, 2024
13m
Melissa in the Morning: Advocating for Babies
According to reports, 90% of parents in America are fearful of potential Congressional cuts to vital safeguards like child care, special education programs, affordable housing, and even children’s healthcare. That’s why the non-profit Zero to Three created the Thinking Babies initiative, meant to press policymakers to prioritize the needs of infants, toddlers, and their families and to invest i...
13m Apr 29, 2024
13m
CT Today With Paul Pacelli - Have Some Class On Commencement Day
Host Paul Pacelli kicked off another week on "Connecticut Today" wondering if the current crop of college protesters has enough class to not ruin graduation ceremonies (00:25) across the U.S. Alexis Harrison of "CT169Strong" filled us in on the latest status surrounding various zoning and development issues (12:48) Image Credit: iStock / Getty Images Plus
22m Apr 29, 2024
22m
Melissa in the Morning: Supporting Local Arts
Fairfield County’s Community Foundation is launching a new grants program to support arts organizations throughout the Greater Bridgeport area. We got a snapshot of how much local artists have financially struggled since 2020 and how the Arts in the Service of Equity (https://fccfoundation.org/greater-bridgeport-grant-opportunity-arts-in-the-service-of-equity/) program can help by offering thre...
10m Apr 30, 2024
10m
Melissa in the Morning: Broken Ankle Bracelets
A recent article highlighted new data surrounding GPS ankle monitors for suspects out on bond or on probation. After collecting two years of data (2021-23), the I-Team reported that Connecticut received around 990 tamper alerts. While a lot of those alerts could be accidental, dozens were because bracelets were broken on purpose. Senator Paul Cicarella is the ranking senator on the Public Safet...
17m Apr 30, 2024
17m
Melissa in the Morning: Anger Management
Let’s be honest, there’s A LOT to be mad about in today’s world. When you see what’s happening from unrest on college campuses, the division our country is feeling politically, even the way people treat each other at work, in schools or in public. It’s easy to get triggered and react. According to national data, about 1 in 5 people report experiencing an anger problem or having difficulty contr...
15m Apr 30, 2024
15m
Melissa in the Morning: Who? Little Old Me??
The World Health Organization estimates that 85% of people worldwide have a lack of confidence and our career strategist says bad self-esteem is a career killer. National data shows 70% of people attribute part of their career success to self-confidence, while people with low self-esteem earn $8,000 less per year than people with high self-confidence. We tackle Mistake #3 in our Julie on the Jo...
18m Apr 30, 2024
18m
CT Today With Paul Pacelli - Where's Joe on the Protests?
Host Paul Pacelli opened Tuesday's "Connecticut Today" by asking why President Biden hasn't made any specific public comments regarding college protests across the U.S. tinged with anti-Semitism (00:27). Connecticut Energy Marketers Association head Chris Herb updated us on a bill pushing state consumers toward electric heating (13:22). Yankee Institute blogger Meghan Portfolio detailed some th...
30m Apr 30, 2024
30m
Melissa in the Morning: “A Silent Epidemic”
May is Lyme Disease Awareness Month and did you know, there’s no such thing as a “tick season” anymore in Connecticut. It’s a 365-day a year problem now with milder winters. But most people don’t realize that. We had our tick expert, Jessica Snajder, back on the show to talk about the reality of tick populations in our state and the burden of Lyme Disease diagnoses. She created the non-profit P...
17m May 01, 2024
17m
Melissa in the Morning: Prepping for Hurricane Season
May 5-11 is National Hurricane Preparedness Week and here in Connecticut, we get our fair share of these disastrous storms. That’s why the American Red Cross Connecticut chapter wants you to be ready before the hurricane season starts in June. Longtime Red Cross volunteer, John Godin, shared tips to be prepared and recommendations on resources to start using now for peace of mind. To learn more...
13m May 01, 2024
13m
Melissa in the Morning: Early Detection is Key
According to national statistics, about 40-million US adults have dyslexia but only about 2-million people have been diagnosed. More and more kids are struggling in school with learning challenges, but we are delaying intervention for a lot of them. Why?! We tackled the issue at hand with our education consultant, Liz Englander, and found out what to look for in order to better advocate for you...
17m May 01, 2024
17m
CT Today With Paul Pacelli - So ... Who Are The "External Actors?"
Wednesday's "Connecticut Today" with host Paul Pacelli wondered about who the so-called "external actors" are that are allegedly causing much of the current unrest on college campuses across the U.S. (00:35). Stonington GOP State Rep. Greg Howard - an active-duty police officer - talked about key votes earlier this week at the Capitol regarding marijuana law enforcement policy (11:20). Hearst C...
33m May 01, 2024
33m