We met the new Connecticut State Police PIO, Sgt. Rodney Valdes. We also heard from his predecessor, Sgt. Luke Davis, who is stepping down from the role and will return to patrolling.
IMAGE CREDIT: Eric Urbanowicz
Melissa in the Morning: Child Car Seat Safety
According to new research from AAA and the National Safety Council, more than two-thirds of all car seats are improperly installed nationwide, and just 1 in 5 parents and caregivers seek expert help to install a seat or safely secure a child in that seat. That’s why AAA is offering free car seat installations this week for National Child Passenger Safety Week. We got the details about it from Adelle Zocher, outreach specialist and certified child passenger safety technician for AAA Northeast.
For a list of clinic locations and to make an appointment, email: [email protected]
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CT Today With Paul Pacelli – Marissa Gillett Is Out At PURA
Host Paul Pacelli welcomed Connecticut Inside Investigator reporter Marc Fitch to Friday’s “Connecticut Today” to update the announced resignation of controversial Public Utilities Regulatory Authority chair Marissa Gillett (00:51). Paul kicked off the show with his thoughts as to whether or not political discourse will cool off at all in the wake of conservative activist Charlie Kirk’s assassination (11:59). Day of New London columnist Mike DiMauro dropped by to talk about the possible use of state funds to buy a share of the WNBA’s Connecticut Sun (27:22). Former Bridgeport Democratic State Rep. Chris Caruso offered his latest thoughts on the last week’s biggest stories (36:36), and finally, we welcomed Don Costante, author of, “Beyond the Scoreboard: The Ultimate Guide to Sports Event Presentation” (48:49)
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The Lisa Wexler Show – Peter Greenberg, “The Travel Detective,” In Westport!
CBS News Travel Editor and Best-Selling Author of, “The Travel Detective,” Peter Greenberg, joins Lisa Wexler to talk about his extensive world travels. He will be at The Westport Library for An Evening with Peter Greenberg, (Presented by the Y’s Men Travel Group) Thursday, September 25 from 7:00 p.m – 8:00 p.m.
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Melissa in the Morning: Pension Funds and the WNBA
The drama surrounding the Connecticut Sun and efforts to keep the WNBA team in our state continues. Now there are calls for more oversight when it comes to allocating pension funding as a bargaining chip in our state’s offer to keep the team. We talked about this morning with political reporter, Mike Cerulli, from News 8.
IMAGE CREDIT: Melissa Sheketoff
Melissa in the Morning: Back-To-School Survey
The state’s largest teachers’ union is out with the results of its annual back-to-school survey. The Connecticut Education Association asked nearly 1,000 teachers about a variety of topics before the school year began. The group’s vice president, Joslyn Delancey, says it turns out many are not doing well. She joined us on the show for more.
For the full report: https://cea.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/BTS-Survey-results-2025.pdf
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Melissa in the Morning: Car Thefts in Westport
There have been dozens of car theft reports in Westport this year and apparently this criminal trend has been rising since 2020. Why is that and how can we proactively avoid being targets of vehicle theft? We asked Lt. Anthony Prezioso with Westport Police Department.
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CT Today With Paul Pacelli – Don’t Fire Jimmy Kimmel
Host Paul Pacelli spent a good part of Thursday’s “Connecticut Today” chatting with callers and warning that firing late night host Jimmy Kimmel from his ABC show would set a chilling and dangerous precedent (00:31). Greenwich GOP State Sen. Ryan Fazio called in to talk about a proposal to invest state funds to purchase a share of the WNBA’s Connecticut Sun (15:52)
Image Credit: REUTERS
Melissa in the Morning: Milestone for Local Arts
We talk a lot on this show about a lack of focus sometimes on the arts. As a society we just don’t give the same attention generally to the arts compared to sports. And for children and young adults interested in the arts recreationally or professionally, this is a major milestone announcement from The Norwalk Conservatory of the Arts. It recently announced the approval to offer a Bachelor of Fine Arts program, with applications beginning this fall. We spoke about it with Danny Loftus-George, the President of The Norwalk Conservatory of the Arts.
For more information: https://www.thenorwalkconservatory.org/
Image Credit: Getty Images
Melissa in the Morning: Black Eye on Social Media
Two Meta whistleblowers testified this month before the Senate Judiciary Committee on allegations that the company, which includes social media giants Facebook and Instagram, suppressed research about the safety of child users. Senator Blumenthal is the Ranking Member of the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations and has grilled big tech over these issues consistently. He shared key takeaways from the hearing.
Image Credit: Reuters