WICC The Voice of Connecticut

Norwalk Public Schools is getting a 23-thousand-dollar grant to help put artificial intelligence policies into practice. The funding will support teacher training, parent education and efforts to protect student data privacy. Norwalk is one of just ten school systems nationwide selected for the program, which also addresses AI literacy and academic integrity. We spoke with Ralph Valenzisi, the Assistant Superintendent of Digital Learning and Innovation for Norwalk Public Schools, about AI emergence for the district.

Dr. Joanne Passalaqua from Hartford Healthcare spoke with Jon about the reality of Measles in CT, after the State see's it's third diagnosis this year.

We met the 2027 Barnum Festival Ringmaster: Nick D'Addario. Find out about the Easton Selectman and local business leader's deep connections to the festival and P.T. Barnum. To keep tabs on the Barnum Festival: https://www.barnumfestival.org/Image Credit: Elaine K. Ficarra

Swatting incidents are becoming more common during the school year. We spoke with Special Agent In-Charge, PJ O’Brien, and Public Affairs Specialist, Christine Jeltema, both from the FBI New Haven office, about the source of swatting calls and how to best combat them.Image Credit: Eric Urbanowicz

Connecticut is getting ten million dollars in federal funding to help young students improve their reading. The money will expand small-group instruction, train teachers, and provide new literacy materials and assessments. The program will focus on students in kindergarten through third grade, with a pilot launching in select schools. We spoke with Fran Rabinowitz, executive director of Connecticut Association of Public School Superintendents, about improving reading rates in our state.

Lanternflies have been a scourge of CT and much of the Northeast for the past few years, and experts advise you to kill them on sight! One man, Steve Dailey from Woodbridge, has created a website with his son that helps you track your kills and even compete against other users! Link below if you want to play!https://lanternflygame.com/

A federal judge is weighing whether Yale New Haven Hospital’s cognitive testing policy for doctors over 70 violates age and disability discrimination laws. The EEOC argues there’s no evidence the testing improves patient safety. Yale says the test helps identify potential cognitive decline and protect patients. No ruling was issued Thursday. Attorney Gary Phelan is here with Hurwitz Sagarin & Slossberg in Milford and is also a law professor at Quinnipiac University.

Was social distancing necessary? Are the masks even effective? Did we take the right actions with lockdowns during the pandemic or were we too delayed in responding appropriately? We continued the conversation dissecting the concerns drawn from Anthony Fauci's journal and getting medical facts now from our infectious disease expert, Dr. Fred Browne. Image Credit: Griffin Health

The mayor of Milford is proposing a pause in the city’s speed and red-light cameras and limiting the use of Flock cameras. We asked Milford Police Chief Keith Mello his thoughts on the cameras and how it impacts local law enforcement.Image Credit: Eric Urbanowicz

The legendary Dolly Parton has passed away at 80 years old. Besides being arguably one of the greatest country singers of all time, she also did a lot to give back to her community and the US. One thing in particular was closing the gap for literacy rates in America. She created Imagination Library aimed at giving children five and under free books. Stratford is one of only a handful of municipalities involved in the program. We spoke with Janet Lengel who brought the program to Stratford in 2019.

For the third year, sixteen products made by Connecticut manufacturers from across the state are competing in this head-to-head competition. It’s an opportunity to learn about local manufacturing companies but also to explore the industry for the next generation of workers. We spoke about this more with CBIA Foundation Director, Dustin Nord.To vote: https://www.cbia.com/coolest-thing/

Right now, Connecticut residents can pay homage to distinguished veterans from across the state. Do you know a veteran who has continued making positive impacts in their communities after leaving military service? If so, you can nominate them for induction into the Connecticut Veterans Hall of Fame. For more on this statewide honor, we connected with Commissioner Ron Welch, Connecticut Department of Veterans Affairs.To nominate a veteran: https://portal.ct.gov/dva/pages/ct-veterans-hall-of-fame?language=en_USFor more resources to support veterans: https://portal.ct.gov/dva?language=en_US

A now-former Naugatuck teacher is facing a charge after police say he exchanged numerous personal text messages with a 15-year-old student over several months. The 54-year-old educator turned himself in on Friday and is due in Waterbury Superior Court September ninth. Police say he is no longer employed by the school district. It’s another reminder about conversations with your kids identifying “kinda-knows.” We broke down what a kinda-know is and how to talk about this with your kids.Image Credit: Nicole Perelli