Melissa Cooney joined NBC Connecticut in July 2024 as a weekday dayside reporter.
She began her career at WCAX in Burlington, Vermont, where she covered the education beat on topics such as developments in the state surrounding standardized testing, restraint and seclusion, school safety, and COVID-19.
Melissa has also covered severe weather, including the historic July 2023 flooding that tore through Vermont and was on site to cover the mass shooting in Lewiston, Maine.
Melissa is originally from Long Island, New York, and is a proud alumna of Wake Forest University. She holds a B.A. in communication media studies and has a strong foundation in journalism and studio art. Her academic background has equipped her with the skills and knowledge to excel in her reporting career.
She is thrilled to be in Connecticut and is eager to explore the state while indulging in her love for running and skiing.
The Latest
-
Connecticut organizations help people in need during cold months
The holiday season is about helping others, but many organizations in our region help people year-round. “Any and everybody is welcome,” said Charles Brown, who works at Grace and Mercy Church’s warming shelter in Middletown. For him, working at the warming shelter is all about giving back. He says helping others reminds him of the life he once had,...
-
Torrington community rallies behind destroyed bakery
Torrington police are investigating a car driving into, and subsequently destroying, Rosa Vega Bakery on Main Street. The crash injured three people inside the building, as well as the driver. Torrington police say they are looking into reports of the vehicle operating erratically just before the crash. However, they say they are looking into all possible reasons as to how…
-
Reward offered for info about crash that left city clerk dead in Colchester
A $10,000 reward is being offered for information leading to the arrest of whoever struck and killed a city clerk on Route 2 West in Colchester. Noel McGregor, 74, was serving as Town and City Clerk for the city of Hartford. On Oct. 22, he sustained serious injuries after being hit by a car, which fled the scene. He died…
-
Day-long storm downs power lines and trees across the state
A storm is on its way out of Connecticut. As of 11 p.m., Eversource showed about 1,700 power outages. In Haddam, fire crews say a power line came down on a school bus on Maple Avenue West with 13 students and a bus driver inside. Eversource was called in to remove it, so the students could evacuate and reunite with…
-
Communities in Connecticut prepare for heavy rain and strong winds
Our state is getting ready for heavy rain and winds tomorrow — from a storm that’s expected to cause power outages. This storm might put new emergency management equipment in West Haven to the test. “We’ll make sure we have all hands ready to go,” said Rick Fontana, the Emergency Management Director of West Haven. Newly implemented this summer...
-
27 Hartford residents displaced after apartment fire
Twenty-seven people have been displaced in Hartford after an early morning fire burned through a multi-family home on Saturday. The Hartford Fire Department says they received the call just before 6 a.m. for a third floor fire on Lawrence Street. “Scary, you know? They lost everything,” said Oscar. He said his family are some of the residents now displaced from…
-
Connecticut kicks off the holiday season despite cold temperatures
Newington’s Night of Lights event on Main Street persevered, despite cold winter temperatures. The town brought in heat lamps and let people warm up inside the church with hot cocoa. “We all decided to come out tonight regardless of the cold,” said Susan Reynolds of Newington. “We just had some nice warm food and we’re here for a good...
-
Plan for housing and business space at site of collapsed church in New London gets green light
Next month will mark one year since a church collapsed in New London. Now, there are plans to bring new life to the site that currently sits empty. Eastern Connecticut Housing Opportunities, or ECHO, got the green light for their proposed mixed-use development in the Union Street lot where the church once stood. It was in January when a steeple on the 200-year-old...
-
Norfolk residents enjoy the first plowable snow of winter
This is the first widespread snow of the season, but people up in the northwest corner of Connecticut say it’s another day in the office. “Us Norforkian people, we have a thick skin. We’re ready for the cold,” Lindsey Prevuznak, of Norfolk, said. She said she has snow tires on her car for half the year. This isn’t the...
-
New London to take inventory of blighted property to improve housing stock
The City of New London is looking to get blighted properties back online and into the housing stock, especially during what they say is a housing crisis. “It’s tough out here for people,” Angelo Gomez, of New London, said. “We’re struggling on both sides. We’re struggling having enough rental properties, and we’re struggling, I know home ownership opportunities, yeah,...
