Mike Savino is the political reporter for NBC Connecticut, making sure Connecticut’s government officials work on behalf of the voters.
Mike is a lifelong Connecticut resident who loves telling the stories of his home state. He’s an alumnus of the University of Connecticut and a graduate of E.O. Smith High School.
Prior to joining NBC Connecticut, Mike worked for several newsrooms around Connecticut. He started his career as a staff writer for the Chronicle in Willimantic, then moved on to the Journal Inquirer in Manchester and the Meriden Record-Journal. He then made the switch to TV, joining a local Connecticut station. He also was head of multimedia for National Mortgage Professional, a business-to-business news outlet covering the mortgage industry.
Mike is a fierce advocate for transparency and open government. He’s been president of the Connecticut Council on Freedom of Information, a nonprofit organization that protects the state’s Freedom of Information Act, since 2018. He also won CCFOI’s Stephen A. Collins Award for reporting on FOIA issues in 2016.
When Mike’s not on air, he enjoys spending time with his wife and two dogs checking out all the great food Connecticut has to offer. He also loves going to sporting events, especially the UConn Huskies and Hartford Yard Goats.
The Latest
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Rowland, other governors fondly remember ‘marvelous' Jodi Rell
Connecticut’s past and current governors remember former governor M. Jodi Rell as a bipartisan politician capable of bringing the state together. They also say Rell, who died Wednesday at the age of 78, was able to bring the state together thanks to those skills during a tumultuous time in Connecticut politics. “I think she was just a very healing person…
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Teachers worried about Education Department under Linda McMahon
Connecticut could continue its connection to the U.S. Education Department, as President-Elect Donald Trump has picked Linda McMahon to run the agency. McMahon, the former wrestling executive who ran the Small Business Administration under Trump’s first term, would replace Education Secretary Miguel Cardona, the former Meriden superintendent and state education commissioner. Republicans see McMahon’s potential nomination as...
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Medicaid deficit has Republicans questioning benefits for undocumented immigrants
Connecticut’s Medicaid expenses are on pace for a $220 million budget shortfall. A policy extending coverage to undocumented children 15 and under is one of the reasons. The Office of Policy and Management, or OPM, doesn’t have any estimate for how much extra the policy is costing, but Democrats are standing by it. “We can be either proactive and humane…
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Immigration advocates vow to fight Trump deportation plans
Immigration advocates say they’ve already been preparing for President-elect Donald Trump’s pledge to ramp up deportations once he returns to the White House. “We anticipate that they’re going to be very quick, very rapid, very massive efforts to grab as many people as possible and deport them,” National Immigration Law Center President Kica Matos said during a rally outside...
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Executives, lawmakers talk about how to increase energy supply, bring down cost
Energy prices will likely be a major issue when lawmakers return to the capitol in roughly two months. Some state officials talked with energy industry executives Wednesday about forming a long-term energy strategy for the state. “We have everybody’s attention right now, everybody’s focused on energy,” Rep. Jonathan Steinberg (D-Westport) said before several panels as part of Rebellion Group’s...
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Republican questions UConn student votes, election workers rebuke complaint
After losing one of the closer races in the state, Republican Christopher Reddy wants election regulators to take a closer look at his race. Reddy has filed a complaint with the State Elections Enforcement Commission (SEEC), raising concerns about how Mansfield election workers handle an Election Day registration surge of University of Connecticut students. “Our goal here is to make…
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When will absentee ballots be available to everyone?
A week ago, voters approved removing constitutional limits to absentee ballots and now the focus shifts to the legislature. Lawmakers will come up with a new process and some supporters hope we could see no-fault absentee ballots a year from now. “It will benefit people that are working, people with disabilities and anyone who takes the time out to cast…
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Some disabled veterans can get property tax exemptions
Some veterans qualify for a new benefit this Veterans Day. A new state law, which went into effect Oct. 1, gave a property tax exemption to veterans who are deemed by the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs to be 100% permanently and totally disabled. “We don’t want to forget those who chose to serve or who were serving and paid…
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Questions about marriages performed by woman at heart of Bridgeport absentee ballot case
Former Bridgeport employee Wanda Geter-Pataky is in the news once again. But this time, it’s for something she’s doing in New Haven. Geter-Pataky is also a justice of the peace, and there are questions about weddings she officiated. Specifically, weddings allegedly involving non-citizens and whether they were meant to get around immigration law. Video from the New Haven Independent...
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Democrats gain seats in legislature, securing veto-proof majority
Connecticut Democrats had a successful Election Day Tuesday, expanding their leads in both the state House and state Senate. They will have four more seats in the House next year, giving them a 102-49 edge. They also added a seat in the Senate, giving them a 25-11 advantage in the halls of Hartford. “There’s a feeling the...
