Local News

HARTFORD, CT) – Governor Dannel P. Malloy today announced that as the New Haven Line continues to experience all-time high record ridership numbers, the State of Connecticut will soon purchase an additional 60 M-8 rail cars to add to its recently launched, state-of-the-art fleet servicing the line, which remains the busiest commuter rail line in the nation.  With each car carrying 105 seats, adding the new cars will accommodate more than 6,000 additional commuters.   “More and more, Connecticut residents are choosing public transportation to go about their daily commutes.  If we want to remain competitive in the 21st Century, modernized economy in a way that attracts new businesses and creates high-skilled jobs, we must update our infrastructure and give…

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Utility Scams

#Westport Connecticut--The Westport Police Department is warning local businesses about recent utility company scams. In these scams, the businesses received calls from someone claiming to be the electric company advising them that their payment was overdue and power shut off was imminent unless the problem was rectified. In order to avoid the shut off during service hours, the owner/manager was asked to make a payment within thirty minutes. Because that could not be done in time, they were asked to purchase a prepaid money card and then provide the scratch off numbers to the caller or wire money via MoneyGram in order to pay the outstanding bill. In other utility scams, businesses have received an email regarding an outstanding balance and provided a phone number to call If…

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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…

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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.  …

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