(Stock Footage, not of scene) 5 people were rescued from a capsized boat over a mile off shore of Pleasure Beach in the Long Island Sound. At this time it has been reported that all 5 people have been placed on a Westport rescue boat.
ATTORNEY GENERAL TONG ANNOUNCES $17.1 BILLION SETTLEMENT WITH META, FORCES SWEEPING CHILD-SAFETY REFORMS ON INSTAGRAM AND FACEBOOK Largest State Settlement with Single Defendant in History Connecticut to Receive up to $265.4 Million (Hartford, CT) — Attorney General William Tong today announced a landmark $17.1 billion multistate settlement with Meta Platforms, Inc. that will enforce sweeping new safety reforms to protect American children on Instagram and Facebook. The agreement resolves claims by 51 attorneys general that the company designed Instagram with addictive features, knowingly exposed young users to serious mental harms, and intentionally misled the public about the safety of its platforms, among other things. This settlement is a monumental victory for the protection of America’s children and will fundamentally transform…
(Hartford, CT) – Attorney General William Tong and the Federal Trade Commission announced a $4 million settlement with Manchester City Nissan and its owners and managers, resolving allegations that the business double-charged customers for “certified pre-owned” vehicles and collected unnecessary fees without consumer authorization. In January 2024, Connecticut and the FTC sued Chase Nissan LLC, which did business as Manchester City Nissan, along with its owners and managers over alleged unlawful conduct at the dealership. “Manchester City Nissan systematically ripped-off Connecticut customers through needless, unauthorized junk fees. We sued in coordination with the Federal Trade Commission, and today’s settlement will now send millions of dollars back to customers. Car costs are through the roof right now, and Connecticut families deserve…
(Hartford, CT) – Attorney General William Tong issued a statement as Connecticut and a bipartisan coalition of attorneys general began presenting their case against Meta in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. In the lawsuit filed in October 2023, 29 states, including Connecticut, allege Meta deliberately designed its platforms to exploit young users’ vulnerabilities, foster compulsive use, and maximize the amount of time young people spend on Facebook and Instagram. The attorneys general also allege Meta knew about harms to young users but deceived users, parents, and the public about those risks. The lawsuit further alleges Meta illegally collected personal information from children under 13 without parental consent in violation of the federal Children’s Online Privacy Protection…
(Hartford, CT) – Attorney General William Tong announced a new court order protecting federal homelessness funding after Connecticut and a multistate coalition, for a second time, defeated the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) attempt to cap funding for permanent housing. For more than two decades, HUD has embraced a commitment to permanent housing programs and the Housing First model, which prioritizes rapid placement in permanent housing without requiring people to first meet conditions such as sobriety or a minimum income threshold. According to the Attorney General’s Office, the current federal administration has rejected that commitment and undermined the Continuum of Care (CoC) program. “For the second time now, we sued and we won to stop Trump’s drastic, cruel…
(HARTFORD, CT) – Governor Ned Lamont announced that he is calling on the Connecticut Police Officers Standards and Training Council to conduct a review of the increased use of safety cameras and automated license plate reader (ALPR) technology by municipalities across the state, saying many Connecticut residents are concerned about privacy issues that can result from the use of this public safety technology. In a letter delivered today, the governor is requesting that the council, within the next 30 days, develop guidance for local and state police departments that, among other things, outlines privacy provisions in existing Connecticut state statutes and recommends specific policies that should be adopted before any police departments implement such technology. Governor Lamont is urging all…
(HARTFORD, CT) – Governor Ned Lamont today announced that Connecticut’s minimum wage will adjust to $17.48 per hour beginning January 1, 2027—an increase from the 2026 rate of $16.94 per hour. The change is required under a state law Governor Lamont enacted in 2019 requiring the minimum wage to receive annual adjustments at the start of every calendar year based on economic indicators from the prior fiscal year. This law ensures that as the economy grows, the minimum wage grows with it. “Nobody working a full-time job should live in poverty,” Governor Lamont said. “For too long, while the nation’s economy grew, the income of the lowest earning workers has stayed flat, making already existing pay disparities even worse and preventing hardworking families from obtaining…
Grocery Benefits Are Being Distributed Through a Partnership Reached With Connecticut’s Network of Community Action Agencies (HARTFORD, CT) – Governor Ned Lamont announced that beginning today, new one-time grocery benefits in the amount of $300 each are being distributed to low-income Connecticut residents who have been pushed out of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) due to new changes implemented by the federal government. The $300 grocery benefits are being distributed as prepaid virtual grocery cards, not loaded onto existing EBT cards, through a partnership the Connecticut Department of Social Services (DSS) arranged with Connecticut’s network of community action agencies, with support provided by the Connecticut Association for Community Action (CAFCA). Eligible residents are expected to be able to begin…
(Hartford, CT) – Attorney General William Tong joined a bipartisan coalition of 49 other attorneys general in urging the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to strengthen its "Know Your Customer" (KYC) rules to help prevent scammers from using the U.S. communications network to make illegal robocalls. KYC rules require phone companies to know who is making calls through their networks and what kinds of business those customers are conducting. With that information, phone companies can suspend or terminate callers who use their networks to make unlawful calls or decline to do business with customers that are not legitimate companies or cannot prove they conduct lawful business. “The current safeguards against illegal robocalls are not strong enough. Bad actors continue to exploit…
(HARTFORD, CT) – Governor Ned Lamont and Connecticut Transportation Commissioner Garrett Eucalitto announced that the State of Connecticut is providing $16.8 million in state grants to 11 towns and cities to support the reconstruction of 13 bridges on locally owned roads. Awarded under the latest round of the State Local Bridge Program, which is administered by the Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT), this state-funded program operates as a cost-matching grant that provides municipalities with 50% of the project costs necessary for the reconstruction of municipal bridges. Cities and towns are required to administer all design and construction aspects of their projects, while CTDOT oversees project milestones and provides guidance. The grants awarded under this latest round of the program include:…