Category: Local News

#Washington, DC – The House of Representatives passed a spending package designed to fund large portions of the government for the next fiscal year. Included in the package was the Financial Services and General Government (FSGG) Appropriations Act, which contained $61 billion in emergency spending to expand access to broadband for underserved communities.

In addition, Governor Ned Lamont announced this week that his administration is launching the Everybody Learns initiative: a $43.5 million investment in remote learning solutions to close the digital divide in Connecticut and empower students across the state to learn from home, especially as the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic continues impacting the country. The governor said that the funding – which comes from the state’s portion of the federal CARES Act, the Governor’s Emergency Education Relief Fund, and the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund – will be used to purchase 50,000 laptops for students, 12 months of access to at-home internet for 60,000 students, create public hotspots free to the public at 200 community sites across the state, and offer social-emotional learning content to school districts statewide.

Congressman Jim Himes (CT-04) made the following statement on the federal funding and state initiative:

“I’ve been working for many years to close the education gap between wealthy and poor students. One issue at the very root of this gap is the digital divide, where those who have access to essential technologies like broadband internet thrive while those who don’t suffer.  This access is even more important in the present pandemic when remote learning is the norm for students across the country.  The $61 billion included in today’s package will help students across the country by expanding broadband infrastructure.

“Expanding the physical infrastructure into rural and underserved areas is not the only challenge we face, however.  There are also many areas of the country, including in Southwest Connecticut, that have the broadband infrastructure, but where students and their families face affordability hurdles that prevent them from using the services. In other words: it doesn’t do you much good to have a cable internet hook up if you can’t afford the cable bill or a computer.  That’s why the Everybody Learns initiative is so important.

“I’m grateful to Governor Lamont for prioritizing education with his initiative and for the work House Majority Whip Clyburn has done to include this vital federal funding in today’s minibus.  I’ll continue to push through every possible avenue to make sure these efforts translate into accessible technology for all students.”

 

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HARTFORD, CT – Governor Ned Lamont announced that he has signed an executive order creating a rebuttable presumption that workers who contracted COVID-19 in the early days of the pandemic contracted it on the job and are eligible for workers’ compensation benefits.

 

“As I promised last week, I have signed an executive order providing workers who contracted COVID-19 during the early stages of the pandemic the straightforward opportunity to claim any benefits they are due through Connecticut’s workers’ compensation system. Our state owes a debt to all of the health care professionals, grocery store clerks, and other essential workers who served vital roles during the earliest and darkest stages of this public health crisis. I am thankful for the employers who have done the right thing by their employees, the Connecticut Workers’ Compensation Commission for operating continually throughout this pandemic, and most of all, the workers for their efforts and sacrifice. The executive order is an important step to ensure our essential workers, who went to work while others stayed safe and stayed home, are made whole.”

 

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Hartford, CT) – In conjunction with the launch of business.ct.gov, Attorney General William Tong and Secretary of the State Denise Merrill are reminding businesses of the dangers posed by so-called “government imposter” scams, and the steps businesses can take to protect themselves.

The State of Connecticut today launched the new business.ct.gov online portal to serve as a primary point of contact between businesses and key state agencies, giving businesses greater confidence that they are communicating with legitimate, appropriate government personnel. The portal is a joint initiative of the Department of Administrative Services, Department of Revenue Services, Department of Consumer Protection, Department of Labor, Department of Economic and Community Development and the Secretary of the State.

“Government imposter scams are a serious threat to small businesses, with sophisticated mailings that can be hard to detect. The business.ct.gov portal is a new, important way for businesses to protect themselves and verify the identity of the agencies they are dealing with,” said Attorney General Tong.

“Business.ct.gov allows businesses to protect themselves from predatory scams. Avoid scams by relying on this new tool – business.ct.gov is the trusted source of information for Connecticut businesses big and small!’ said Secretary Merrill.

Government Imposter scams can take many forms and can target individuals and businesses alike. In one of the more common schemes, scammers mail a solicitation or send an email to business to “advise” them that they must purchase certain products or forms, or file particular reports in order to be in compliance with the law. The scammers then offer to assist businesses with satisfying these requirements in exchange for a fee.

Scammers are careful to design their mailings to resemble official government documents by incorporating elements such as seals, bar codes, and references to statutes and regulations. The mailings may include terms such as “IMPORTANT,” “OPEN IMMEDIATELY,” or “TIME SENSITIVE” to create a false sense of urgency. Businesses that fall prey to these tactics will end up paying significant fees for services they either do not need or could take care of themselves for much less money.

These types of scams can pose another risk. Some scammers also ask business owners to authorize the scammers to act on their behalf with government agencies. With the authorization in hand, scammers have been known to submit filings to create the appearance that they own or control the business, to open bank accounts in the business’s name but under the scammers’ control, or to borrow money purportedly on the business’ behalf.

To report a scam or instance of fraud, contact the Office of the Attorney General at 860-808-5318 or file a complaint with the office at https://www.dir.ct.gov/ag/complaint

 

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2020-07-01@3:00pm–#Milford CT– #cttraffic– Firefighters just battled a brush fire near exit 36 and are now fighting another one near exit 32.  This one is causing a lot of smoke and reducing visibility.

 

2020-07-19@12:38am–#Darien CT– #ctfire– Firefighters on scene on Dorchester Road for a house fire.  The homeowner is being treated for smoke inhalation.

 

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Hartford, CT – Attorney General William Tong issued the following statement on ICE’s proposed rule change that would force international students to leave the country if their universities move classes online.

“This is yet another cruel, unnecessary and harmful policy decision from the Trump administration,” Tong said. “I have already heard from Connecticut students who are in danger of being kicked out of the country because of this rule change. The University of Connecticut, our flagship state school, hosts around 3,700 international students from dozens of countries. That’s roughly 13 percent of the student body. These students often become immigrants who allow our nation’s economy to grow and thrive. That’s particularly the case in Connecticut, where thousands of immigrants have come to study at our world-class universities and stayed to work in advanced manufacturing and other high skill jobs.

“In the current health crisis, universities need to be able to make prudent choices about the health and safety of their students, faculty and staff without fear of draconian and punitive immigration consequences. My office is dedicated to protecting Connecticut and her residents, including our immigrant neighbors, and we stand ready to lead our sister states in doing so yet again.”

 

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2020-07-06@2:49am–#Wilton CT– Firefighters are on the scene of a confirmed structure fire on Pipers Hill Road.

 

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2020-06-28@6:24pm–#Milford CT–#cttraffic– A multi-car crash with injuries on I-95 northbound at exit 41.  Expect delays.