(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.
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.
These two cars that crashed at the intersection of Bronson Road and Cider Mill Lane sent in by David is the perfect example of the dangers of driving in the snow. In the past 3 hours we have heard at least 8 different spin outs and crashes, a lot of which were on I-95.
Trumbull Police recovered cocaine, heroin, and cash from a Bridgeport man who was out on parole after his vehicle was stopped for an equipment violation. The operator, Phillip Rorie, age 49, of Marigold Avenue, Bridgeport, was also found to have a small plastic bag containing a white rock-like substance, and over $1000 in cash in his possession.
On Thursday, February 8, 2024, at about 2:30 a.m., a Trumbull officer stopped a vehicle on Route 8 Northbound for an equipment violation and the vehicle’s registration was suspended due to insufficient insurance. When the officer approached the car, he observed multiple $20 bills laying on the front passenger seat and other items consistent with drug packaging scattered throughout the passenger compartment of the vehicle.
The officer also observed a small black zippered pouch partially concealed under the driver’s seat which was found to have several plastic bags containing 30 bags of crack cocaine, and 95 folds of heroin. It was also discovered that Rorie, who was the only occupant of the vehicle, was on parole as the result of numerous previous arrests for narcotic sales, and that he was to now be remanded into custody. Rorie was then taken into police custody and charged with Sale of Narcotics, Possession with Intent to Sell Narcotics (2 counts).
He was remanded to custody by Parole and is scheduled to appear in Bridgeport Superior Court on February 20, 2024. Rorie was also issued an infraction for Misuse of Registration and Insufficient Insurance.
Bill would ensure all Danbury Bureau of Prison employees receive competitive pay
[Hartford, CT] — Today, U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) joined U.S. Senators Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA) and Bob Casey (D-PA) to introduce the Pay Our Correctional Officers Fairly Act to ensure fair pay for Bureau of Prisons (BOP) employees in rural areas.
The bill will help to address staffing shortages at Federal Correctional Institution Danbury (FCI Danbury) by allowing for competitive pay that better reflects the cost of living, commute times, alternative careers, and the hard work and dedication of BOP employees.
FCI Danbury’s General Schedule (GS) pay scale employees receive New York locality pay—a cost of living adjustment that bumps pay to be more competitive with the high cost of living area—but non-GS employees such as maintenance workers, plumbers and housekeepers do not receive this benefit. Because of on-going staffing shortages, many of these staff members are required to carry out the duties of correctional officers and should be compensated as such. The bill would expand access to locality pay for these non-GS employees.
“For years Bureau of Prisons employees in Connecticut have suffered from low wages, and unsustainable working conditions. All workers deserve fair treatment — not just for their sake, but in the public interest. Our bill would pay people fairly and competitively to improve conditions across FCI Danbury,” Blumenthal said.
“This bipartisan congressional act is a significant step in the right direction for correctional workers at FCI Danbury and throughout the United States. Correctional professionals are a vital part of the Justice System and have been overlooked for far too long. We truly appreciate the work that Senators Blumenthal, Cassidy, and Casey are doing to correct these egregious, bureaucratic oversights,” AFGE Local 1661 FCI Danbury said in a statement.
The shortage of correctional officers has grown each year over the past four years. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects a 7% decline in correctional officers by 2032. Understaffed prisons and overworked employees have created increasingly dangerous work environments—under current policies, BOP uses cooks, teachers, and nurses to guard inmates when there is a shortage of officers. This temporary fix pulls employees away from their usual duties and negatively impacts incarcerated people by limiting visitations, recreational time, and academic enrichment opportunities.
The bill would address this staffing problem by improving access to locality pay. Locality raises are determined by comparisons of local private sector salary rates, and an individual’s rate is based on where he or she works, not where he or she lives. Places located outside of these locality pay areas are compensated on a lower Rest of US (RUS) pay scale.
On February 7, 2024, officers working under the direction of Bridgeport Police Lieutenant Trevor Niestemski and Sergeant Michael Paoletti concluded a month-long investigation into 28-year-old Anthony Durham of Bridgeport CT for suspected narcotics and weapons violations. Search warrants were obtained for an apartment in the 200 block of Broad Street as well as a vehicle being used by Anthony Durham. Police officers located Durham inside his parked vehicle within the Charles F. Greene Homes Housing community.
As police officers approached the vehicle one of the occupants, later identified as 19-year-old Dominick Francis of Derby CT, fled the vehicle engaging police in foot pursuit. Francis was quickly apprehended, placed under arrest, and found to be in possession of a loaded 9 mm semi-automatic pistol with high-capacity magazine and narcotics. Francis also had an outstanding arrest warrant for Failure to Appear in the 1st Degree. Bond is $75,000. Francis was charged additionally with Criminal Possession of a Firearm, Illegal Transfer of a Pistol, Carrying a Pistol without a Permit, Illegal Possession of a High-Capacity Magazine, Illegal Possession of a Weapon in a Motor Vehicle, Possession of Narcotics with Intent to Sell, Violation of a Protective Order, and Interfering with a Police Officer. Bond is $100,000.
Durham was located in the vehicle and immediately placed under arrest for an outstanding domestic violence warrant. Durham is charged with Assault in the 3rd Degree, Reckless Endangerment in the 2nd Degree, and Disorderly Conduct. Bond is $25,000.
Search warrants were executed on Durham’s vehicle and at his apartment in the 200 block of Broad Street. Officers seized an additional (2) 9mm semiautomatic pistols, narcotics, over 10 thousand dollars in US paper currency, jewelry, and drug factory equipment. A stolen motorcycle was also recovered inside the apartment.
Anthony Durham was charged additionally with Criminal Possession of a Firearm, Illegal Transfer of a Pistol, Carrying a Pistol without a Permit, Illegal Possession of a High-Capacity Magazine, Illegal Possession of a Weapon in a Motor Vehicle, Operation of a Drug Factory, Larceny of a Motor Vehicle, and Possession of Narcotics with Intent to Sell. Bond is $250,000.
On Saturday, March 23rd, 2024, Westport-based non-profit Rach’s Hope will host their 5th Annual PJ Gala at FTC The Warehouse in Fairfield, Connecticut. PJ Gala guests are invited to wear “pajama-chic” attire, a signature spin to their annual night of food, fun, and dancing for a cause.
This year’s epic night of Hope and celebration features live music by local favorites Michael Cantor and fan-favorite Fairfield rock band Ellis Island, phenomenal food by AMG Catering, and Tito’s cocktails. Partygoers will also enjoy an unforgettable evening while browsing an exciting live and silent auction and connecting with friends – new and old.
Rach’s Hope supports local families navigating the critical illness of a child by providing nutritious food, lodging, transportation, and encouragement so they can focus on being present for their ailing children. Established by Lisa, Alan, and Ellie Doran to help other families with children battling a critical illness, the Dorans founded Rach’s Hope in remembrance of Rachel, a Staples High School graduate and rising senior at Cornell University. Rachel died at the age of 21 in 2018 after a month-long battle with Steven’s-Johnson Syndrome (SJS) and Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis Syndrome (TENS), rare reactions to common medications. The community support they received became the healing mission for Rach’s Hope – to ensure that no family goes through the illness of a child alone- by offering financial assistance and Hope to families.
To purchase tickets or donate, visit RachsHope.org, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
Stratford Library has more teen events lined up. From February 12th to 16th, Grades 6-12 can visit the Teen Dept. between 2:30 and 5:00 pm for Resume Prep. Get ready for summer job opportunities as we help you turn your school, community, and volunteer experiences into a solid first resume. No registration required.
On February 13th at 3:30 pm in the Lovell Room, join the Anti-Valentine’s Day Party. Grades 6-12 are welcome to skip the traditional celebration and enjoy food, games, crafts, and fun with friends. No registration is required.
Experience a unique Blind Date with a Book Grab ‘N’ Go on February 13th starting at 3:00 pm in the Teen Dept. Grades 6-12 can pick up a book without registration, and it’s first come, first served.
Explore Tinkercad 101 on February 15th at 6:30 pm in the Board Room. Open to Grades 6 – Adult, this uCreate event introduces the easy-to-use 3D modeling tool. Registration is required, and you can use the Library’s Chromebooks or bring your own laptop/tablet.
