Voice of CT

Melissa in the Morning: Stigma around Community Colleges

There is an ongoing stigma that community college is seen as “less than” or “a last resort” in education. But why???? When you look at the work and investments put into community colleges in Connecticut, it’s undeniable that the quality and affordability of community college works for a lot of people. We did a deep dive into this controversy with Terrence Cheng, chancellor of the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities system.

IMAGE CREDIT: Samantha Norton / Office of The chancellor of the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities system

CT Today With Paul Pacelli – Dan Hurley Staying At UConn

Host Paul Pacelli kicked off Monday’s edition of “Connecticut Today” with breaking news of UConn men’s basketball coach Dan Hurley deciding to stay in Storrs (00:35). National Taxpayers Union Foundation Vice President of Research Demian Brady talked about the future of the Internal Revenue Service. (12:51). CT NewsJunkie columnist and Substack.com blogger Terry Cowgill gave us his weekly take on the big state and national stories (25:41)

Image Credit: USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Con

The Lisa Wexler Show – Northwell Health Urologist, Dr. Mark Nogueira

How many kidneys does a human actually need to live? Dr. Mark Nogueira, a minimally invasive urologic oncology specialist at Northern Westchester Hospital, joins Lisa Wexler for THE DR. IS IN.

Image Credit: Davizro / iStock / Getty Images Plus

CT Today With Paul Pacelli – Will We Embrace Ranked Choice Voting?

Host Paul Pacelli wrapped up another busy week on “Connecticut Today” wondering if Governor Ned Lamont’s push for “ranked choice voting” will be successful (00:26). Fairfield GOP State Sen. Tony Hwang dropped by to chat about a recent audit of the State Department of Motor Vehicles (13:30). Former Bridgeport State Rep. Chris Caruso talked about another election controversy in the Park City (26:29)

Image Credit: iStock / Getty Images Plus

Melissa in the Morning: Housing Crisis Update

The housing crisis in Connecticut is a similar problem most of the country is seeing so lawmakers in Washington are pushing to pass more legislation to help! We spoke with Renee Dobos, CEO of CT Housing Partners, about the proposals. We also looked at the challenges Connecticut is specifically facing and how we can do a better job creating affordable workplace housing opportunities.

Image Credit: Getty Images

Melissa in the Morning: Taylor Swift 101

Quinnipiac University is launching a new course led by Professor Ari Perez, focusing on the cultural and societal impact of international pop sensation Taylor Swift. The three-credit course will cover Swift’s rise to fame, her artistic evolution and her impact on contemporary culture and industry standards. We got more specifics from Professor Perez.

Image Credit: Reuters

Melissa in the Morning: Are Bus Fares, Fair?

A recent CT Mirror article highlighted ridership on city buses across the state and the impact of reinstating bus fares last year. We spoke with Josh Morgan with the Department of Transportation to better understand some of the data showing a drop in ridership and whether eating the cost of bus fares makes sense for Connecticut.

IMAGE CREDIT: Eric Urbanowicz

Melissa in the Morning: Phishing Scams

Despite being one of the oldest and most well-known scam techniques, phishing scams continue to be successful. The BBB Scam Tracker reports totaled over 9,000 in 2023, more than double the previous year and a record high. With the current year’s reports trending toward another record, phishing is clearly on the rise as scammers adopt new technologies. We spoke with Kristen Johnson of the Better Business Bureau serving Connecticut about the new data and detecting red flags.

IMAGE CREDIT: Kristen Johnson / BBB

CT Today With Paul Pacelli – Eighty Years Since D-Day

Thursday’s “Connecticut Today” opened with host Paul Pacelli talking about the 80th anniversary of the D-Day invasion that turned around World War II for the Allies (00:25), while Yankee Institute columnist Andrew Fowler talked about Connecticut’s contributions to the World War II fighting force (12:32). Blogger Lennie Grimaldi from “Only in Bridgeport.com” also stopped by with his weekly update (24:01)

Image Credit: REUTERS

Attorney Tom Ganim Melissa in the Morning Diner Tour: Curley’s Diner!

Welcome to the Attorney Tom Ganim Melissa in the Morning Diner Tour! Our first stop was the legendary Curley’s Diner in Stamford! Melissa hosted several city administrators including Mayor Caroline Simmons, Fire Chief Rex Morris and Annette Einhorn, the Downtown Director of Marketing, as well as people of interest including Mike Moran from the Stamford Palace Theater and Thomas Zoubek, Director of Stamford History Center.

Image Credits: Getty Images, Eric Urbanowicz and Dee Ortiz