TV host taking break after sons killed in crash
The host of WTNH News 8’s “Capitol Report” is taking a break after his two sons were killed in a car crash last week.
Jodi Latina, News 8’s chief political correspondent, will fill in for longtime politico Tom Dudchik after this weekend, according to Rich Graziano, WNTH News 8’s vice president and general manager.
Dudchik called Latina “a journalistic and political pro.”
“There is no one that I would rather see hosting ‘Capitol Report’ than Jodi Latina,” he said in an email Monday evening. “While we mourn the loss of our two boys, I know that ‘Capitol Report’ is in good hands with Jodi.”
Graziano said he isn’t sure how long Latina will host the show.
On Sunday, the station will do a one-hour, live special called “PowerHour,” which will focus on political conventions next weekend. Dudchik will not be part of the special, but “We will tribute him and the boys in the show,” Graziano said.
The five-time Emmy nominated “Capitol Report” moved to the news station in 2017 after a threeyear hiatus. The show runs at 10:30 a.m. on Sundays on WTNH News 8.
Dudchik’s sons, 22-year-old Robert and 19-year-old Anthony Dudchik, and 17-year-old Megan Nicole Povilaitis were found dead in a car crash off of Hosley Avenue in Branford Thursday morning, according to the Branford Police Department.
“Our entire staff was shocked with sadness and compassion for Tom, his wife Nora and the Dudchik family,” Graziano said in a statement to Hearst Connecticut Media. “There is no possible way to come to terms with such sudden and inexplicable loss. We can’t understand the pain Tom and Nora are feeling as they struggle through the range of sadness, confusion, anger, guilt and more in ways words cannot articulate.”
Tom Dudchik said he and his wife adopted Robert and Anthony in 2007 from the state Department of Children and Families.
Upon meeting Robert, a protective older brother at 7 years old, and Anthony, then 4, Dudchik “knew they would be special young men.”
“They created a family,” Graziano said.
Graziano said he and Tom Dudchick have talked for years about parenting their sons.
“As creative and passionate as Tom is with business, I could see and feel Tom’s pride and love when his eyes lit up speaking about his boys,” Graziano said. “This was Tom and Nora’s greatest love, passion, and responsibility. Tom and Nora have been so proud as both Robert and Anthony were maturing, becoming fine young men, and settling into a nice rhythm and path forward.”
Robert became a flight attendant with Avelo Airlines at Tweed New Haven Airport. Tom Dudchik said his son “found his calling,” according to previous reports.
“Robert was an empathetic loving person his whole life, always willing to offer a hand in need,” Graziano said.
Anthony was a skilled photographer and finished his first year of college at Southern Connecticut State University, according to Graziano and previous reports.
“My sons made us better people,” Tom Dudchik, a former state lawmaker and the editor of news aggregation site CTCapitolReport.com, said in a previous report.
In the wake of his sons’ deaths, Tom Dudchik has encouraged people to adopt.
“Every child should have a forever home. Every child should be loved,” Dudchik said. “If this tragedy in some small way ... (compels a person to adopt), then their lives wouldn’t be gone for nothing. That’s what I’d like people to know about their lives — they’re good boys.”
Graziano said his goal is to increase awareness, education and information around adoption. He said he will work with Tom Dudchik, News 8 and the state to “make a difference in the lives of children in need.”
“We will help create new homes and new families and do whatever we can to ensure that all children are loved in this state, all in the name of Robert and Anthony Dudchik,” Graziano added.
For more information on adoption in Connecticut, visit https:// portal.ct.gov/DCF/CTFosterAdopt/adoption.