2:35pm–#Bridgeport Connecticut– Police investigate a crash at the intersection of Brewster and Fairfield Avenue. The driver of the green truck was injured and taken to the hospital by EMS. 
Month: September 2016
Bridgeport News: Motorcyclist Dies After Colliding With City Bus
1:55pm–#Bridgeport News: A motorcyclist has died after colliding with a GBT city bus at Jane and Street and Nobel Avenue. Police have downloaded video from the bus and believe from that video that the motorcyclist ran the stop sign and began to “dump” the bike when it entered the intersection and had already hit the ground before hitting the bus. The video shows the 9 year veteran bus driver operating properly and safely according to a police press release. The bus driver was not issued any citation or ticket. The video shows the bus operator had stopped to pick-up passengers and departed from the stop into the intersection when the cyclist ran the stop sign on Jane street and struck the front corner of the bus. The bus driver and two passengers were transported to the hospital with minor injuries.
Bridgeport News: CO Makes Sleepy’s Employees Sleepy
11:58am–#Bridgeport Connecticut– Worker working in the storefront next to Sleepy’s at 4531 Main Street were using power equipment that was producing carbon monoxide and did not ventilate the space according to firefighters. The carbon monoxide made its way into into Sleepy’s, the employees refused medical treatment. Out of an abundance of caution a number of ambulances were called to the scene. OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) was called to the scene.
11:58am–#Bridgeport Connecticut– Trabajadores estaban utilizando machinas afuera de la tienda Sleepys en 4531 Main street que estaba produciendo monóxido de carbono y empeso a entrar a la tienda. Los empleados se negaron tratramiento médico. Fuera de un exceso de precaución varias ambulancias fueron llamadas. OSHA fue llamada a la escena.
Bridgeport News: Bullet Hole At Taco Bell
11:33am–#Bridgeport Connecticut– The manager at the Taco Bell on Lindley Street called police to report that their door has a bullet hole, shot sometime overnight when the restaurant was closed. They apparently have it on video.
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11:33am–#Bridgeport Connecticut– El de Taco Bell en Lindley Street llamó a la policía para reportar que una bala fue disparada adentro del restaurant en un momento durante la noche cuando el restaurant estaba cerrado. Aparentemente tienen video.
Senator Honored For Helping Firefighters With Cancer
During a Sep. 6 ceremony in New Britain, Sen. Tony Hwang was recognized as the 2016 Co-Legislator of the Year by the Uniformed Professional Fire Fighters Association of Connecticut.
The award recognizes Sen. Hwang’s efforts in helping craft legislation which provides wage replacement benefits to all eligible paid and volunteer firefighters diagnosed with specified cancers.
Sen. Hwang, the ranking Republican senator on the Labor and Public Employees Committee, was part of a firefighter working group which consisted of Republican and Democrat legislators, the Connecticut Council of Municipalities (CCM), the Council of Small Towns (COST), municipal leaders and the firefighter unions.
“This is a groundbreaking proposal which protects the men and women who ensure our safety,” Sen. Hwang said. “It was an honor for me to have been asked by critical shareholders to participate in the year-long bipartisan working group which led to the crafting of this important policy. We are helping Connecticut firefighters who are diagnosed and recovering from job-related cancers, and we are doing so without adding new financial burdens on cities, towns, and local property taxpayers.”
Peter Carozza, President of the Uniformed Professional Fire Fighters of CT (UPFFA-CT) who represents 65 locals and over 4,000 firefighters in Connecticut, presented the award. “This legislation finally gives protection to Connecticut’s firefighters and is long overdue,” Carozza said. Carozza praised the work of the ‘Cancer Legislation Committee’ who worked for months on drafting this legislation and specifically thanked Sen. Hwang and Reps. Michelle Cook and David Rutigliano, who were key members of the working committee.
“With this law in place, firefighters won’t have to worry about losing their insurance or losing their house,” said UPFFA-CT Legislative Director Rick Hart. “This truly was a bipartisan effort and we feel it is a great example of what can be accomplished when labor and municipalities work together to protect their common interests.”
“This legislation is the product of many hours of productive discussions on how to tackle a public policy problem,” Sen. Hwang said. “Our talks brought together different viewpoints in order to bring about common sense solutions. With this proposal, we have accomplished that goal. This legislation is a great example of working together to find valued solutions to help our community.”
Fairfield News: Crash!
12:49am–#Fairfield Connecticut– Report of a car crashing into a utility pole with air bag deployment in the 300 block of Old Farm Road (behind Warde High School).
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Bridgeport News: Man Shot
9:28pm–#Bridgeport Connecticut– A man was shot in the back while riding a bicycle on Maple Street near Kossuth Street. Police said he has non life threatening injuries. A reddish car was seen fleeing immediately afterwards. It is uncertain if it was a drive by shooting or if the shooter got out of the car. About a half hour later an abandoned car matching the description was found running outside of Junco’s Store on Highland Avenue and a large amount of marijuana was found inside the car. A short time later the owner of the car called police that their car was stolen. Police continue investigating.
9:28pm–#Bridgeport Connecticut– Un hombre fue disparado en la espalda mientras andaba en bicicleta en Maple street cerca de Kossuth street. la policía dijo que no tiene heridas que le amenazan la vida. Un auto rojo fue visto huyendo immeditamente después. No está claro si era connectado al disparo o si la pesona se vajo del auto. Una media hora más tarde se encontró un auto abandonado con las misma descripcíon al frente de Junco’s Store en highland avenue con una gran cantidad de marihuana. Poco tiempo después, el propietario del auto llamó a la policía que su auto fue robado. la policía continúa investigando.
Judge Rules Public Education Funding Formula Unconstitutional
Mayor Joe Ganim released the following statement reacting to a decision by Hartford Superior Court Judge Thomas Moukawsher declaring unconstitutional Connecticut’s current public education funding formula.
“This decision by Judge Moukawsher is a game changer for our children. This ruling is a detailed, thorough indictment of how the state fails to provide an adequate education in Bridgeport and other poor school districts in Connecticut. I could not be more impressed by the strength of Judge Moukawsher’s decision. His well-detailed and logical analysis will be hard for anyone to disagree with or challenge. He is right and has given our children back their constitutional right to have to a fundamentally adequate education. For too long, students, parents and teachers in poorer districts like Bridgeport have been left to fend for themselves to carry out the state constitutional mandate to provide good quality schools. For years, we cried out that we cannot do it in poor districts all on our own. We simply don’t have the property tax base in our city to pay for the many services needed by the over 21,000 students in our district, many of whom are poor and come from challenged or broken homes. For the first time, someone has heard our plea and is holding the Connecticut General Assembly to a strict timetable to fix our broken system.
I would urge the Attorney General to listen to the words of this strongly written decision and not waste any more time or precious public resources appealing this case or fighting it any further.
We all want what our children deserve: a good quality education. A child in Bridgeport has every right to a great teacher, a safe learning environment, and the tools that are necessary to get a good education. These are basic minimum standards that students in wealthier communities have come to expect. Now, finally Judge Moukawsher has resoundingly agreed that the State of Connecticut has a responsibility to ensure that every child in Connecticut has access to a quality education.”
State Rep Circulating Petition to Stop Proposed 5% Rail Fare Increase
#HARTFORD – State Representative Gail Lavielle (R-143) is circulating a petition to commuters in a concerted effort to stop the proposed 5% fare increase for all Metro-North and Shoreline East trains, which would take effect on December 1. For Metro-North commuters, the fare hike would be combined with a previously scheduled 1% increase, making the increase 6% in total.
The proposed fare increase is a direct result of the $37 million in cuts imposed on the Connecticut Department of Transportation (DOT) by the administration as part of the 2016-2017 revised state budget passed by majority legislators last May. In its announcement of the proposed increase, the DOT said that it expected the higher fares to generate $5.9 million.
“I will not let this go forward without a fight,” said Rep. Lavielle. “Commuters are not getting any improvement in their transit service in return for this increase. Instead, they’re being forced to pay for problems created by irresponsible management of the state budget. Metro-North passengers in particular already had to swallow 5% increases in 2012, 2013, and 2014, and 1% increases in 2015 and 2016. Because many commuters have no alternative for getting to work, they are hostages to these increases, and this is a hard hit to their household budgets. This isn’t right, and it isn’t fair.
“It’s not enough, however, just to protest. That’s why I am working together with several other members of my caucus to go the extra distance to help commuters voice their concerns and to propose other feasible ways for the state to address its budget issues that will not impose yet another unfair sacrifice on hardworking people who must use the trains every day.”
To help rail passengers make their voices heard, Rep. Lavielle and her colleagues have created a petition and over the coming days will be riding the trains to collect signatures from concerned commuters. The petition is also easily accessible online atwww.nofareincrease.com
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The CT DOT has announced that public hearings will be held this month in six communities, including Stamford, New Haven, and Waterbury. Rep. Lavielle will attend at least one of the scheduled public hearings and present the signed petitions on behalf of those Metro-North and Shoreline East commuters opposed to the fare hikes, along with a letter to DOT Commissioner James Redeker, the governor, and legislative leaders proposing alternative budgetary solutions for avoiding the fare increase.
The DOT’s full public hearing schedule is posted at www.ct.gov/dot. The DOT is also accepting public comment by email through September 15 at dot.farecomments@ct.gov.
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State Rep. Gail Lavielle represents Norwalk, Westport, and Wilton. She is Ranking Member of the General Assembly’s Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation and a member of the Transportation Committee.
(Press Release)
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