#Bridgeport CT– #Fairfield CT– Many of you have reached out to find out when the milling/repaving on Fairfield Avenue will be completed. I checked and found out the worst is behind us. Milling is completed and repaving has begun.
The resurfacing segment of this project is anticipated to be performed on Sunday, July 18, 2021, through Thursday, August 12, 2021.
This project is included in the Department of Transportation’s 2021 Vendor Resurfacing Program.
Motorists can expect lane closures on Route 130. Traffic control personnel and signing patterns will be utilized to guide motorists through the work zone. The night work schedule for this project is 8:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. (Sunday night through Saturday morning).
Motorists should be aware that modifications or extensions to this schedule may become necessary due to weather delays or other unforeseen conditions. Motorists are advised to remain alert, drive cautiously, and to maintain a safe speed when driving in this vicinity.
Congressman Jim Himes (CT-04) announced that Sacred Heart University, Fairfield University, and University of Bridgeport will receive $4,904,990 in grant funding from the Behavioral Health Workforce Education and Training Program (BHWET). This Health and Human Service program works to increase access to quality mental health services by increasing the number of mental health professionals.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the number of Americans experiencing difficulties with mental health,” said Himes. “In 2020, we saw a nearly 30% increase in drug overdose deaths, partially caused by pandemic-related stress and lack of access to mental health services; the shortage of mental health professionals is a major contributor to this lack of access. As our communities move past COVID-19, a lot of the trauma remains, which is why ensuring there are enough mental health professionals in our area is more urgent than ever. I’m pleased to see federal dollars come to the district for such a worthy cause and I’m committed to increasing federal funding to address the mental health crisis.”
“Fairfield University is committed to the professional development of men and women who serve others,” said Dr. Christine Siegel, Provost of Fairfield University. “We are at our best when we do this work in partnership with the community and in-service to those most in need. We are proud to receive this HRSA grant which will support a diverse student population in our excellent graduate mental health programs in ways that contribute to the well-being of individuals and families in Bridgeport and other local communities.”
“The COVID 19 pandemic has highlighted how factors such as job security, health insurance, and healthy food impact health outcomes, and how difficult it can be for many in marginalized communities to access high quality medical and behavioral health care,” said Dr. Julie Berrett-Abebe, LICSW, Assistant Professor, Family Therapy & Social Work, School of Education & Human Development. “Funding through the BHWET grant will allow us to better train our behavioral health graduate students to work in innovative integrated care models in underserved areas. By collaborating with community partners and harnessing the strengths of the community and professional team members, we hope to contribute to reducing disparities and improving health in Connecticut.”
“Clinical Researchers developed these therapies that are proven to help people, but dissemination to community clinics is slow,” said Dr. Allison Buller, Program Chair and RP! Project Director at the University of Bridgeport. “This grant will enable us to train a cohort of Clinical Mental Health Counselors, Radically Prepared to serve the community using the highest quality of care.”
“Sacred Heart University School of Social Work has been awarded a federal grant in the amount of $1.78 million for four years from the Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA) Behavioral Health Workforce Education and Training (BHWET) Program for Professionals,” said Dr. Victoria A. Osborne-Leute, MSW, Assistant Professor Sacred Heart University, College of Arts and Sciences, School of Social Work. “The program, titled ‘Making IMPACTS: Integrating Mental Health into Primary Care: Training for Social Work’ will increase access to quality behavioral health services among underserved and high need areas and populations. In collaboration with SHU’s Master of Public Health, Physician Assistant, and Volunteer and Service Learning Programs, the project will involve the development and expansion of field placements/internships to build the behavioral health workforce with community-based partners in integrated, interdisciplinary behavioral and primary care settings.”
According to the Health and Human Services’ Health Resources & Services Administration, the BHWET Program for Professionals aims to increase the supply of behavioral health professionals while also improving the distribution of a quality behavioral health workforce and thereby increasing access to behavioral health services. A special focus is placed on the knowledge and understanding of children, adolescents, and transitional-aged youth at risk for behavioral health disorders.
2021-08-02@ 5:41pm SUNDAY– Police said that a delivery driver was robbed by 4 males while on Sunshine Circle. His phone was taken and they tried by failed to take his car.
2021-08-03@12:51am–#Bridgeport CT– #Fairfield CT– Bridgeport Police warned Fairfield Police of 4 males who attempted to enter a home in the 800 block of Burnsford Avenue which is across from Merritt Street across from Park Avenue. They believe it was part a group wanted for home invasions. They were last seen on Madison Avenue towards Thorme Street. Way to warn your citizens Mayor Ganim! No mention home invasions at all even though I ask for significant incidents twice a week.
2021-08-02@11:37pm–#Milford CT– #Stratford CT– #cttraffic– Today’s 2nd vehicle fire is right on the Moses Wheeler Bridge I-95 northbound. Everyone is out of the vehicle.
UPDATE: Assistant Fire Chief Schuyler Sherwood told me there is an unidentified chemical spill in the basement and they are waiting for the rest of the Hazmat team to assemble before making entry. They are monitoring air quality levels throughout the hospital and all readings are normal and they will continue to monitor the air quality.
2021-08-02 @5:42pm– #Fairfield CT– Firefighters called to Regal Care at Southport at 930 Mill Hill Terrace for the smell of oil or something similar in the basement. Firefighters have called out the area Hazmat team to the scene. Whatever it is, our sponsor can make it like it never even happened!
2021-08-02@4:00pm–#Bridgeport CT– Today’s vehicle fire is at the entrance to Beardsley Park on East Main Street. Firefighters quickly taking care of the fully engulfed car fire.
Hartford, CT) – Following an unnerving increase in the frequency and scale of ransomware attacks across the globe—underscored by the massive attack on software company Kaseya on the brink of the July 4th holiday weekend—Attorney General William Tong is leading a bipartisan coalition of attorneys general in urging businesses and government entities to immediately assess their current data security practices and take appropriate steps to protect operations and consumer data.
Ransomware is a form of malware designed to encrypt files on a device, rendering any files and the systems that rely on them unusable. Cybercriminals demand ransom in exchange for decryption, often threatening to sell or leak exfiltrated information if the ransom is not paid. Ransomware is a growing threat, generating billions of dollars in payments to cybercriminals and inflicting significant damage on businesses and government entities alike.
Earlier this month, REvil—a Russian-linked cybercrime gang—perpetrated the single largest global ransomware attack on record against the software company Kaseya. REvil’s supply-chain attack on Kaseya’s VSA software is believed to have infected thousands of client systems in at least 17 countries. A wide variety of businesses and public agencies were victims of the massive attack. REvil demanded $70 million in cryptocurrency in exchange for decrypting all affected machines—but in an usual twist, by July 14, the group had disappeared from the Internet, along with sites where it directed its victims to negotiate and receive decryption tools. Last week, Kaseya announced that it had obtained a decryption key through a trusted third party and strongly denied having paid any ransom. This was REvil’s second high-profile attack in recent weeks—having extorted $11 million from JBS Foods, the world’s largest meat-processor, last month.
“More than ever information systems of American businesses are under attack, threatening not just consumer data, but critical infrastructure,” Attorney General Tong said. “The sad reality is that no one is safe—regardless of size or whether you are in the public or private sector—and we all must act to protect our systems.”
Implement the five best practices from the President’s Executive Order: The President’s Executive Order on “Improving the Nation’s Cybersecurity” outlines five high-impact best practices that will significantly reduce the risk of a cyberattack: multifactor authentication (because passwords alone are routinely compromised), endpoint detection and response (to hunt for malicious activity on a network and block it), encryption (so if data is stolen, it is unusable) and a skilled, empowered security team (to patch rapidly, and share and incorporate threat information in your defenses).
Backup your data, system images, and configurations, regularly test them, and keep the backups offline: Ensure that backups are regularly tested and that they are not connected to the business network, as many ransomware variants try to find and encrypt or delete accessible backups. Maintaining current backups offline is critical because if your network data is encrypted with ransomware, your organization can restore systems.
Update and patch systems promptly: This includes maintaining the security of operating systems, applications, and firmware, in a timely manner. Consider using a centralized patch management system; use a risk-based assessment strategy to drive your patch management program.
Test your incident response plan: There is nothing that shows the gaps in plans more than testing them. Run through some core questions and use those to build an incident response plan: Are you able to sustain business operations without access to certain systems? For how long? Would you turn off your manufacturing operations if business systems such as billing were offline?
Check your security team’s work: Use a third-party penetration tester to test the security of your systems and your ability to defend against a sophisticated attack. Many ransomware criminals are aggressive and sophisticated and will find the equivalent of unlocked doors.
Segment your networks: There has been a recent shift in ransomware attacks—from stealing data to disrupting operations. It is critically important that your corporate business functions and manufacturing/production operations are separated and that you carefully filter and limit internet access to operational networks, identify links between these networks, and develop workarounds or manual controls to ensure industrial control system (ICS) networks can be isolated and continue operating if your corporate network is compromised. Regularly test contingency plans such as manual controls so that safety critical functions can be maintained during a cyber incident.
All organizations face the threat of a ransomware attack. Guidance and resources from the U.S. Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) on how to guard your organization against ransomware attacks can be found here. CISA and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) have also issued specific guidance for managed service providers (MSPs) and their customers affected by the Kaseya ransomware attack, discussed above. This guidance can be found here.
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) also provides guidelines and best practices for organizations to manage and reduce cybersecurity risk, which can be found here.
2021-08-01@10:24pm–#Fairfield CT– Police nab a man in his 40’s attempting to steal a bicycle at Planet Pizza at 733 Post Road. The bicycle was locked and he moved on. Police had two other run in’s with the man in July.
