Marissa Gillett has been confirmed by the state Senate to continue as chair of the Public Utility Regulatory Authority. All eleven Republican state senators walked out of the chamber before yesterday’s vote, claiming the process is corrupt. We got the scoop from Senator Steve Harding about what happened and why.
Image Courtesy of Senator Steve Harding and the Senate Republicans
Prescription Take Back Day is coming up on Saturday April 26th. What is “Drug Take Back Day” and how can people participate? We asked Commissioner Bryan Cafferelli of the CT Department of Consumer Protection about the upcoming event. We also talked about a recent jury duty scam detected last month.
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Host Paul Pacelli kicked off “Connecticut Today” with his view that the $3.5 million spent yearly on text messaging for prison inmates is well worth it and should be maintained and not eliminated (00:43). Connecticut Inside Investigator reporter Marc Fitch dropped by to chat about a proposed “soda and sweetened beverage tax” being considered at the State Capitol (15:57). Yankee Institute blogger Meghan Portfolio talked about “Tax Day 2025” in Connecticut (24:28). We also heard from CBS News legal analyst Thane Rosenbaum on two key legal actions facing the Trump White House (34:16)
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Fairfield teacher, Colleen Sousa, & Attorney Etan Hirsch join Lisa Wexler to talk about the Law Day theme for 2025 and why Colleen Sousa is this year’s Liberty Bell award winner.
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State lawmakers are considering a bill that would add a new tax on soda and juice to pay for free meals in schools. The proposal would add the tax on sweetened beverages, syrups and powders to fund free breakfasts and lunches for all public school students in Connecticut. What is the likelihood of this bill moving forward this session? We asked News 8 political reporter, Mike Cerulli.
IMAGE CREDIT: Eric Urbanowicz
There’s a new cancer prevention program for hundreds of firefighters across Connecticut. Starting May 1, career firefighters who are enrolled on the state employee health plan or Partnership Plan will be eligible for a free preventative scan every two years. We got more details on this new program and its purpose from Comptroller Sean Scanlon. We also asked about firefighters not covered by these insurance plans, including volunteer firefighters, who need this service too.
IMAGE CREDIT: Melissa Sheketoff
The Federal Aviation Administration has grounded the New York helicopter tour company that operated the sightseeing tour that crashed into the Hudson River last week, killing all six people aboard. And as the investigation into the crash continues, we wanted to get perspective on what went wrong in this situation. We spoke with former FBI Agent and pilot, Ken Gray, who also teaches at the University of New Haven.
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Bridgeport may eliminate up to 40 teacher positions to close a projected 28-million-dollar budget shortfall. The city may also furlough all school employees for a week without pay to help address the massive budget deficit among other proposed cuts. We spoke about what we can expect next from Vice Chair of the city’s Board of Education, Joe Sokolovic.
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Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons comes to Mohegan Sun Arena on Saturday, August 2nd. For show and ticket information, visit www.ticketmaster.com
Enter to win a pair of tickets!
Contest open to Connecticut residents only. Must be at least 18 years of age or older to enter. One entry per person. Duplicate entries will be discarded. Tickets are digital so winner must have a smartphone and a valid email address to receive tickets.
Host Paul Pacelli opened a new week on “Connecticut Today” talking about a proposed tax on sweetened beverages to help pay for universal school breakfasts and lunches in Connecticut (00:47). Commuter advocate and columnist Jim Cameron dropped by with his thoughts on the current Avelo Airlines controversy and the airline’s agreement to fly some future deportation flights for the Trump White House (14:21). GOP State Sen. Eric Berthel also offered some thoughts on the criticism directed at Avelo Airlines from majority Democrats in Hartford (23:00). CBS News political reporter Taurean Small updated us on the latest Trump tariff news from the White House (30:28)
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