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State News

INITIATIVE TO STRENGTHEN TEACHER RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION EFFORTS

Mar 24, 2023 Stephen Krauchick

(HARTFORD, CT) – Governor Ned Lamont and Education Commissioner Charlene M. Russell-Tucker today announced details of a new state initiative that aims to strengthen Connecticut’s efforts to recruit and retain a strong and diverse educator workforce through the reimagining of teacher evaluations and the modernizing of teacher certifications. The initiative focuses on ensuring that teachers are evaluated on a fair and consistent basis, and that they receive the support they need to improve their skills and knowledge. The Connecticut State Department of Education’s Educator Evaluation and Support (EES) Council, codified in Conn. Gen. Stat. 10-151b as the Performance Evaluation and Advisory Council, has worked collaboratively over the past 20 months to develop an educator evaluation system based on research, best…

State News

**Energize Connecticut℠ Accepting Submissions for 18^th Annual eesmarts™Student Contest**

Mar 22, 2023 Stephen Krauchick

New contest prompts encourage students to show off their energy efficiency smarts; deadline March 31 NEW BRITAIN, Conn. – Energize Connecticut℠ sponsors, Eversource and AVANGRID, Inc. subsidiaries United Illuminating, Southern Connecticut Gas and Connecticut Natural Gas, announced today that the 18th annual eesmarts™ Student Contest is now accepting student submissions until March 31, 2023. Updates to grade-specific prompts have been made this year to foster students’ creativity and allow for new technologies and social media platforms to be used in responses. The contest is open to Connecticut students in grades K-12 and topics are focused on energy efficiency, renewable energy, and sustainability solutions. “For almost two decades, the eesmarts Student Contest has engaged students throughout Connecticut and has asked them to use their imagination and knowledge to come up…

State News

COALITION URGING KIA AND HYUNDAI FOR SWIFTER ACTION TO PROTECT VEHICLE OWNERS, PUBLIC SAFETY

Mar 21, 2023 Stephen Krauchick

(Hartford, CT) -- Attorney General Tong, along with a nationwide coalition of 23 attorneys general, is calling on Kia America (Kia) and Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai) to take swift and comprehensive action to help remedy the crisis of car thefts that has occurred due to the companies’ failure to equip vehicles with anti-theft immobilizers. Alarmingly high theft rates for Kia and Hyundai models continue across the country, including several instances in Connecticut. As the attorneys general note in the letter, Kia and Hyundai chose not to include anti-theft immobilizers as standard equipment on several vehicle models sold in the United States during a period when every other car manufacturer was doing so, and even though the same Kia and Hyundai vehicles…

State News

Bus Fares To Return

Mar 20, 2023 Stephen Krauchick

Bus Fares To Return The Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT) is reminding transit users that bus fares return on April 1, 2023, for all buses and ADA paratransit in Connecticut. Fares have been suspended on all public transit buses in Connecticut since April 1, 2022, as a result of a state law Governor Lamont signed last year. Federal restrictions prevent the state from extending this suspension for any longer than 12 months. Customers are encouraged to purchase tickets ahead of time to avoid lines at customer service centers and at fareboxes when boarding buses. CTtransit tickets and passes can be purchased at retail locations in Connecticut, online, or through the mail. For all fare options, included monthly and 10-day passes,…

State News

CONNECTICUT DELEGATION ANNOUNCES ADDITIONAL $10.6 MILLION FOR HOME HEATING ASSISTANCE

Mar 17, 2023 Stephen Krauchick

(Hartford, CT) – The Connecticut Congressional delegation today announced that Connecticut will receive an additional $10.6 million in regular Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) funds to assist homeowners with their energy bills. The $560 million in LIHEAP funds, of which Connecticut will receive $10.6 million, is administered by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and comes at a time when energy assistance remains in high demand. “Connecticut families should not have to choose between heating their homes, keeping the lights on or putting food on the table,” the delegation said in a statement. “This $10.6 million is a lifeline for Connecticut families and comes at a time when heating assistance programs are cutting back to meet…

State News

ATTORNEY GENERAL TONG SUES VISION SOLAR OVER UNFAIR AND DECEPTIVE SALES, VIOLATIONS OF HOME IMPROVEMENT ACT

Mar 17, 2023 Stephen Krauchick

(Hartford, CT) – Attorney General William Tong today announced the filing of a lawsuit against Vision Solar, LLC following more than a dozen consumer complaints regarding predatory high-pressure sales tactics, misrepresentations about financing and tax credits, and unpermitted work that left homeowners saddled with nonfunctioning systems and unaffordable loans. “We’re investigating numerous complaints regarding high-pressure solar industry sales tactics, but Vision Solar’s predatory practices are far and away the worst we have seen. Vision Solar preyed on low-income, elderly, and disabled homeowners, pressuring them into unaffordable loans for solar panels that in some cases were never activated. Their egregious misconduct appears to have violated multiple laws, and we’re going to hold them accountable. Our lawsuit seeks to get money back…

State News

FRIDAY: GOVERNOR LAMONT SIGNS EXECUTIVE ORDER ON CHILDCARE

Mar 16, 2023 Stephen Krauchick

(HARTFORD, CT) – On Friday morning, Governor Ned Lamont will hold a ceremony at the U.S. headquarters of Boehringer Ingelheim in Ridgefield, where he will sign an executive order requiring the formation of a blue-ribbon panel that will be charged with developing a strategic plan of recommendations on how Connecticut can improve its child care system with a particular emphasis on making it more accessible, equitable, and affordable. The governor will be joined at the event by Lt. Governor Susan Bysiewicz, Office of Early Childhood Commissioner Beth Bye, state legislators, childcare providers, parents, and advocates. The governor is holding the ceremony at Boehringer Ingelheim because he wants to highlight one of the few businesses in the state that provides on-site…

State News

Upcoming Track Improvements on the Metro-North New Canaan Branch Line

Mar 15, 2023 Stephen Krauchick

The Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT) is alerting riders that due to track improvements on the New Canaan Branch Line this summer, substitute bus service will replace all train service. This necessary work is part of the tie replacement and track upgrades program. When completed, an existing speed restriction in the Stamford area will be eliminated. Train speeds through this section will increase from 30 miles per hour to 50 miles per hour, increasing travel times on the line. The track improvements, and bus substitution, will begin Tuesday, May 30, 2023, and is estimated to run through August. “CTDOT has continued to move forward with projects that modernize and improve our state rail systems to bolster efficiency, safety, and overall…

State News

BAN ON ALL TANDEM AND EMPTY TRACTOR TRAILERS ON I-84 BEGINNING 6AM TUESDAY DUE TO WINTER STORM

Mar 13, 2023 Stephen Krauchick

(HARTFORD, CT) – Governor Ned Lamont today announced that due to the winter storm that is anticipated to impact Connecticut, he is banning all tandem tractor trailers and empty tractor trailers from traveling on Interstate 84 statewide effective at 6:00 a.m. on Tuesday, March 14, 2023, until further notice. The governor said that he is implementing this travel ban due to the heavy wet snow and high winds that are expected to impact this specific area of Connecticut throughout the day on Tuesday. This is being done in coordination with New York, which has implemented a similar travel ban on tandem tractor trailers and empty tractor trailers on highways in this region. “During peak periods of this storm, we are…

State News

LEGISLATION TO PROTECT PEOPLE’S PERSONAL DATA ONLINE

Mar 13, 2023 Stephen Krauchick

WASHINGTON–U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) joined U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) and a group of 19 senators in reintroducing legislation to protect people’s personal data online. The Data Care Act would require websites, apps, and other online providers to take responsible steps to safeguard personal information and stop the misuse of users’ data. “We constantly hear reports of online companies misusing or exploiting data they collect from their users, and most people don’t realize just how much personal information these websites and apps can access. This legislation would ensure these companies are held to a higher standard that prioritizes protecting consumer data and give users some peace of mind,” said Murphy. “Websites and apps that collect data from their users…

INITIATIVE TO STRENGTHEN TEACHER RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION EFFORTS

**Energize Connecticut℠ Accepting Submissions for 18^th Annual eesmarts™Student Contest**

COALITION URGING KIA AND HYUNDAI FOR SWIFTER ACTION TO PROTECT VEHICLE OWNERS, PUBLIC SAFETY

Bus Fares To Return

CONNECTICUT DELEGATION ANNOUNCES ADDITIONAL $10.6 MILLION FOR HOME HEATING ASSISTANCE

ATTORNEY GENERAL TONG SUES VISION SOLAR OVER UNFAIR AND DECEPTIVE SALES, VIOLATIONS OF HOME IMPROVEMENT ACT

FRIDAY: GOVERNOR LAMONT SIGNS EXECUTIVE ORDER ON CHILDCARE

Upcoming Track Improvements on the Metro-North New Canaan Branch Line

BAN ON ALL TANDEM AND EMPTY TRACTOR TRAILERS ON I-84 BEGINNING 6AM TUESDAY DUE TO WINTER STORM

LEGISLATION TO PROTECT PEOPLE’S PERSONAL DATA ONLINE

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