At 7:47pm the Fairfield County Regional Dispatch Center received a 911 call from a homeowner on Burr Farms Road reporting a fire in their house. The Westport Fire Department responded with 4 fire engines, 1 ladder truck, and the Shift Commander. First arriving fire companies found heavy smoke coming from the garage. Entry was made to the garage where firefighters located and quickly extinguished the fire. All occupants safely evacuated the house and there were no injuries.
The Westport Fire Department would like to remind everyone to have smoke and carbon monoxide detectors in their homes. The homeowners were alerted to fire by a properly working smoke detector. Westport EMS and Westport Police assisted on scene. The fire remains under investigation from the Fire Marshal’s office.
Earlier this morning, a Westport resident received a voicemail from a person who represented that they were Captain David Wolf from the Westport Police. The individual requested that the resident call them back. Upon returning the call, the party who answered stated that the resident had a bench warrant and requested that she pay a $5,000.00 fine. This is a SCAM as this call was not placed by Captain Wolf nor any other member of the Westport Police Department. Fortunately, the resident realized it was a scam and therefore did not suffer a financial loss. Please remember that no member of the police department will ever request that a fine be paid over the phone nor call to solicit any type of payment. Additionally, as a reminder, do not give any personal banking information such as account numbers to someone who may call unless you are absolutely sure of you are speaking with.
(HARTFORD, CT) – Governor Ned Lamont today announced that he has signed into law legislation approved this afternoon by the Connecticut General Assembly that allocates $17 million to cover a gap in federal assistance to the state this winter from the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP).
Federal LIHEAP money is used by the state to fund the Connecticut Energy Assistance Program (CEAP), which is administered by the Connecticut Department of Social Services and helps low-income residents afford to heat their homes during the winter months. This year, Congressional Republicans blocked consideration of President Joe Biden’s request for additional funding for LIHEAP, rolling this aid back to the lowest levels since the winter of 2018-2019.
The legislation signed into law today by Governor Lamont designates $13.5 million in supplemental aid for CEAP this winter season, and $3.5 million for Operation Fuel, a nonprofit that provides energy assistance support to Connecticut residents.
“The federal LIHEAP program is an important safeguard to assist our most vulnerable residents, seniors, and families with children,” Governor Lamont said. “Working with the state legislature, we have identified one-time funds that can be used to supplement the decline in assistance that our state received this winter. The Connecticut Department of Social Services and Operation Fuel will work to ensure this funding gets to those in need. I continue to urge bipartisan leaders in Congress to follow the example of what Connecticut’s Congressional delegation have repeatedly demanded – more federal funding for LIHEAP next winter.”
The legislation is Senate Bill 111, An Act Concerning Home Energy Assistance. It was approved in the Senate by a vote of 35 to 0 and in the House of Representatives by a vote of 147 to 0. The bill took effect immediately upon being signed by the governor this afternoon.
2024-02-15@7:58pm–#Westport CT– Firefighters are on the scene of a structure fire in the Burr Farms Road. According to radio reports, there was a fire in the laundry room.
2024-02-15@ 5:45pm–#Fairfield News: A woman has a knee injury (according to radio reports) after being struck by a car in the Whole Foods parking lot at 350 Grasmere Avenue.
Bridgeport, CT – The City of Bridgeport today announced that nearly 10,000 motorists illegally passed a stopped school bus during the first six months of the school year. The shocking number of violations were captured through the City’s school bus camera safety program, demonstrating the ongoing public safety threat facing students on their journey to and from the classroom.
“The safety of our children is a top priority of mine,” stated Mayor Ganim. “It is unacceptable that there are motorists who are blatantly putting our children in danger by illegally passing stopped school buses. We will take the necessary steps to crack down on these violations to ensure that our children are not being threatened by the carelessness of drivers while school buses are making their pickup and drop-off routes.”
In Connecticut, the Stop Arm Law prohibits a vehicle from overtaking or passing a stopped school bus that is displaying its flashing red signal lights, and drivers must stop at least 10 feet away from the school bus.
From September 3, 2023, to February 3, 2024, 74 school buses equipped with stop-arm cameras recorded 9,860 vehicles that illegally passed school buses stopped to pick up or drop off children. This is equal to 2.2 violations per bus per day, or 75 violations per weekday.
According to the data, the bus stop with the highest number of violations was the 100 block of Logan Street with 1,671 violations, nearly triple the next highest violation hotspot at the 100 block of Davenport Street with 566 violations. Nearly one in five stop-arm violations occurred at either of these two locations.
In August 2022, the city enacted a school bus camera safety program to detect drivers that fail to stop at school bus stop signs and assist local police with enforcing the state’s stop arm law. The city installed cameras and sensors with AI technology on the outside of all Bridgeport school buses to detect drivers and record their license plate information when they unlawfully pass a stopped school bus. The recorded information is reviewed by the Bridgeport Police Department, using their discretion to approve or disapprove a stop-arm violation.
However, a technicality in the state law currently prevents the city from implementing this safety program to better enforce the state law.
The City of Bridgeport is making these data publicly available as it seeks to entice state lawmakers to pass legislation that provides for the ability to impose monetary liability and collections at the municipal level. In doing so, this would empower the city, along with other local jurisdictions, to leverage automated enforcement technology to vastly improve the ability for the Bridgeport Police Department to capture stop-arm violations where they occur, deter violators, and change driver behavior.
The National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation Services estimates that school buses in the United States are illegally passed 43.5 million times each year.
Federal agencies have also called for the widespread adoption of automated school bus safety technology. This includes the National Transportation Safety Board, which called on states to combat the prevalence of stop arm violations by enacting laws enabling local jurisdictions to install automated enforcement cameras on stop-arms and to issue citations to violators caught on camera.
Bathroom Fire 2024/02/15@10:15AM — Report of a fire at the residence at 210 Olive Street, firefighters found the fire in the bathroom and have at this time put it out, there does not seem to be any extension at this time.
Governor Proposes $43.3 Million Increase for Next Fiscal Year, on Top of the $45 Million Increase Approved in the Current Budget
(HARTFORD, CT) – Governor Ned Lamont today announced that he is asking the Connecticut General Assembly to approve a $43.4 million increase in funding to support the expansion of early childhood education services statewide when they vote on the fiscal year 2025 state budget in the coming weeks. This proposed increase will come on top of the $45 million increase for early childhood education that was approved last year in the fiscal year 2024 and 2025 biennial budget.
The expansion of early childhood education has been a high priority for Governor Lamont, noting that it is not only needed to give a head start and improve educational outcomes for children, but it also supports parents in their own ability to seek employment. Since he first took office, funding in the state budget for early childhood education has increased from $214.1 million in 2019 to $404.5 million in the proposed fiscal year 2025 budget – an 88.9% increase.
“Expanding access to early childhood education has numerous benefits that include not only supporting children but uplifting entire families and improving economic outcomes,” Governor Lamont said. “Child care access is an investment with payoffs that reverberate. Investments in high-quality child care help optimize children’s brain development and long-term physical and emotional health, as well as their educational achievements. It also supports the economic growth of our state, helping businesses recruit and retain workers. These are some of the best investments we can make to ensure that Connecticut is the most family-friendly state in the country.”
The proposed $43.4 million will be used for a broad range of investments, most notably an increase in Care 4 Kids, which helps low to moderate-income families pay for the costs of child care. It will also fund a tri-share pilot program in Eastern Connecticut to support more child care options for families with direct engagement of the business community.
As part of the plan, the Connecticut Office of Early Childhood, led by Commissioner Beth Bye, will also apply $12.5 million in federal Child Care and Development Fund dollars to increase access to Care 4 Kids.
“As we work to enhance the early childhood workforce, these rate increases, coupled with ongoing stabilization payments will help lift compensation for the field,” Commissioner Bye said. “The proposal to simplify the state’s early childhood teacher credential, coupled with apprenticeship and workforce pipeline programs will help expand the workforce over the next three years.”
Governor Lamont and Commissioner Bye today visited Hyland Early Learning Center in Hartford to highlight these plans. The child care center – which provides high-quality child care to infants, toddlers, and preschoolers with the support of School Readiness, Child Day Care, and Care 4 Kids funds – is one of many early childhood education providers that will directly benefit from the increase in funding.
“Our center provides a critical service to children and families living in Hartford, thanks to the state and federal funds that make this possible,” Jennifer Baglin, director of the Hyland Early Learning Center, said. “Governor Lamont’s commitment to increase state support for Connecticut’s early care and education system is a lifeline for our families.”
The governor’s budget proposal is currently being considered by the legislature’s Appropriations Committee.
