Month: May 2020

Bridgeport News: 2 Women, 1 Man Shot

Pollice UPDATE: On May 27, 2020 at 8:03pm, officers responded to a Shotspotter activation in the area of 56 Norman Street. Officers located a crime scene adjacent to Went Field Park and were soon notified that three gunshot victims arrived at Bridgeport Hospital. Two female victims, ages 26 and 28 each sustained a non-life threatening gunshot wound to the leg. A male victim, age 26, sustained multiple gunshot wounds to the leg, and abdomen. This victim is in serious condition and is currently in surgery. Detectives are processing a crime scene at the location of the incident and are working to establish a motive for the shooting. Anyone with information is asked to call the Bridgeport Police Tips line at 203-576-TIPS (8477)

 

2020-05-27@8:00PMish–#Bridgeport CT– Two women and one man was shot in the 60 block of Norman Street near Railroad Avenue.  The suspect fled in a dark-colored sedan down Railroad Avenue.  Two cars arrived at the same time at Bridgeport Hospital with the victims.  A small crime scene was found in an empty lot (to the right of the police cars in the picture).  Police say the victims have non-life-threatening injuries.   The police crime scene may be expanded into Went Field.

 

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DMV, SNAP and Unempoloyment

Online Food Ordering with SNAP Benefits Soon to Come
To lower the risk of contracting COVID-19, the Connecticut Department of Social Services is working with the federal Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service, the state’s electronic benefit transfer vendor, and participating food retailers to implement SNAP online purchasing in Connecticut. This plan, federally approved earlier this week, may go into effect as soon as June 2. Enrollees will be able to use SNAP benefits to purchase eligible food items online for delivery or curbside pickup at participating food retailers, which include Amazon, Walmart and ShopRite. More details will be made available in the next ten days.

As Many as 75,000 Eligible for Extended Unemployment Benefits
The state Department of Labor will mail instruction letters to approximately 77,000 individuals who are potentially eligible to apply for 13 weeks of emergency extended unemployment benefits. The recent federal CARES Act included this extension of state unemployment plans, potentially retroactive to late March and in effect through December for certain individuals. Weekly benefits are based on wage history using unemployment benefit amounts; they will also include federal pandemic unemployment compensation benefits. These letters will detail further steps in the process.

DMV Extends Deadlines for Credentials 
The DMV is further extending deadlines for some credentials that may be expiring. Anything with an expiration date including licenses, registrations, emissions tests and boat registrations among other renewals, will be given another 90-day extension, adding on to a previous 90-day extension. To qualify, the credentials had to expire between March 10 and June 30.  In addition to extending the expiration date of DMV credentials, late fees associated with eligible expired credentials will be waived during the time period of the extension for qualifying credentials. Click here for more information.

 

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Still Time To Apply With Last Winters Heating Bill

HARTFORD, CT) – Governor Ned Lamont is reminding Connecticut residents who need help paying last winter’s home heating bills that there is still time to apply to the Connecticut Energy Assistance Program (CEAP). An extended application deadline of Monday, June 1, 2020, gives eligible families and individuals – including those impacted by the COVID-19 public health emergency – more time to apply for this vital assistance.

 

“Even though we are well into spring, we want to remind everyone that there’s still time to apply for assistance to pay for your home heating bills for the last winter season,” Governor Lamont said. “I want to thank the Department of Social Services and the dedicated staff of Connecticut’s community action agencies and partners for their work on behalf of so many children, families, older and other adults who need assistance.”

 

“CEAP is an important public-private partnership that safeguards tens of thousands of vulnerable Connecticut households from the cold each year,” Social Services Commissioner Deidre S. Gifford said. “It also helps residents who are behind on their utility heating bills and may be at risk of a shutoff at some point.”

 

Connecticut residents are welcome to apply, regardless of whether their home is heated through electricity, natural gas, or a deliverable fuel. If the household’s primary heat source is electricity or natural gas, the basis benefit award is sent directly to the utility company. If a household’s primary heat source is a deliverable fuel (oil, kerosene, propane or coal), a retroactive payment or credit to their fuel vendor for deliveries made between November 13, 2019, and April 30, 2020, may be possible up to the amount of their basic benefit award.

 

Home heating benefits are available for households with incomes up to 60 percent of the state median income (currently $36,171 for a single person and $69,559 for a household of four). A liquid asset eligibility check also applies. Payments are issued directly to fuel vendors and utility companies on behalf of eligible households.

 

The program is administered by the Department of Social Services through nonprofit community action agencies, which coordinate application and eligibility determination statewide. Over 87,300 applications for energy aid have been received so far this program year, with over 72,000 households approved for basic benefits of up to $725. Funding for CEAP comes from the federal Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program.

 

Emergency funding is also available to repair or replace unsafe or inoperable heating systems for single-family, owner-occupied homes with incomes up to 60 percent of the state median income. A heating system must be deemed as unsafe or inoperable by a licensed heating vendor to be considered.

 

Applicants should contact the community action agency serving their region, or partnering intake sites around the state. To find the nearest application site, people should call 2-1-1 or visit www.ct.gov/staywarm

. In response to the COVID-19 public health emergency, households will also be advised how to complete applications remotely through a mail-in process or over the phone.

 

The state’s community action agencies are:

 

Community Action Agency of New Haven, Inc.

·       New Haven area: 203-387-7700

TEAM, Inc.

·       Derby/Ansonia area: 203-736-5420

Alliance for Community Empowerment (formerly ABCD)

·       Bridgeport area: 203-384-6904

·       Norwalk area: 203-384-6904 ext. 3027

 

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Westport Library Curbside Service

Westport, CT – The Westport Library joined four other Fairfield County libraries today to announce plans to begin curbside pick-up of books and other materials as soon as June 15th.  The Darien, New Canaan, Ridgefield, and Weston libraries collaborated on this decision.

The Westport Library developed a multi-phased reopening plan in close collaboration with the Town of Westport and the Westport-Weston Health District. The first phase of the plan includes curbside pick-up and a process to safely quarantine returned books and materials.

“We are delighted to provide curbside pick-up of books, DVD’s and other materials to our patrons,” said Bill Harmer, Executive Director of the Westport Library. “We miss seeing everyone and are very pleased to be taking these first steps towards our eventual reopening.”

“Because executive orders on the reopening of public library buildings are still in development and guidelines are changing often, it is hard to predict when libraries will be allowed to open their buildings,” stated First Selectman Jim Marpe.  “By offering curbside service, the Westport Library has put forth a safe and smart solution that is consistent with our Town-wide approach.  In the year since the Library reopened as a transformed institution, it has constantly demonstrated the ability to innovate. This is one more example of innovation and is positive news for our residents and businesses that need access to one of Westport’s most valuable assets. The regional approach taken here with our neighboring communities is done in the spirit of us all being in this and getting through this together.”

“Since the outbreak of COVID-19 in Westport in early March, together we have had success in slowing the spread of COVID-19 with the use of face covering, gloves and by limiting close contact with others in the community,” said Mark Cooper, Director of Health, Westport Weston Health District.  “However, we cannot stay home forever; we all need to meet basic household needs and start the economy going again. By following the Library’s well thought out plan to start offering curbside service, and allowing for the safe return of materials, it is another important step in this direction.”

While the Westport Library building has been closed because of the COVID 19 pandemic, the Library’s digital resources have been available 24/7. With a wide array of digital offerings, including e-books, audiobooks, streaming music and movies, story times with favorite librarians, author talks and more, the Library has continued to provide invaluable educational and entertaining content to the community.

The Westport Library will provide detailed plans and service start dates on its website www.westportlibrary.org and through its e-newsletter and social media channels when more information is available.

 

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See details at:
https://www.bmwofbridgeport.com/ultimate-digital-experience/?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=social&fbclid=IwAR3CExP2ZvFZw7_dlWKDprZcP9Yd3eyRf5nBm_z2LnHYgCqQf_TcueTMdH0

Senator Wants Gun Safety Bill

WASHINGTON, D.C.] U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) joined by Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) introduced the NICS Data Integrity Act, a bill that would allow the FBI to maintain gun-purchase records until background checks are complete. Under current law, the FBI is required to purge incomplete background checks from its systems if they are not finalized within 88 days, a practice that often results in guns being sold without finished background checks. The bill also requires the FBI to search the National Data Exchange (N-DEx) database, an information-sharing system used by criminal justice agencies, for all background checks. Currently the FBI can only search N-DEx if a background check is delayed.

“This bill is really basic,” said Blumenthal. “This legislation just prevents a background check from being deleted if it takes too long. The vast majority of background checks are completed in mere moments. This legislation closes a loophole that allows the checks that take longer from being wiped completely. If you support keeping guns out of the hands of dangerous people, there is simply no reason to oppose it.”

 

“It’s absurd that incomplete background check records are literally destroyed if they’re not finished within 88 days,” said Murphy. “Most NICS checks are completed in a matter of seconds, but the handful that require more time and research to determine whether the person is prohibited by law from purchasing a firearm should have the time they need. This is not controversial: over 90% of Americans believe you should have to pass a background check before getting a gun. There’s no reason NICS examiners shouldn’t keep working on incomplete applications until they know for sure they’re not prohibited by law from buying a gun, which is what the NICS Data Integrity Act would require. This is an obvious fix to a loophole in the law that will keep firearms out of the hands of dangerous people and save more lives from senseless violence.”

 

There has been a surge in gun sales during the COVID-19 pandemic. The New York Times reported that approximately 2 million guns were purchased in March, the second highest monthly total ever. The recent spike in gun sales means more background checks need to be completed by an already overburdened system and may not be done in the allotted 88 days.

According to an internal FBI report, the agency was required to purge more than 1.1 million incomplete background checks between January 2014 and July 2019 due to the current law. The FBI estimated that at least 3,960 guns were obtained illegally in 2018 due to delayed background checks. However, since the data was purged, there is no way to know exactly how many gun sales should have been blocked.

 

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