FAIRFIELD, CT — State Senator Tony Hwang is applauding a recent decision by the Connecticut Siting Council to reject United Illuminating’s controversial Docket 516R proposal, which would have placed large transmission monopoles along the Metro-North Railroad corridor through Fairfield and Bridgeport.
In a preliminary straw poll vote, the Council voted 4-2 against the proposal, signaling strong opposition and setting the stage for a formal denial. The vote means United Illuminating will now be required to submit a new and fully revised application if it wishes to move forward.
“This is a major victory for the people of Fairfield, Bridgeport, and every community that stood together to oppose a harmful, unnecessary project,” Senator Hwang said. “The people spoke—clearly, persistently, and passionately—and this time, the Siting Council listened.”
The transmission line plan drew significant opposition from local residents, businesses, environmental advocates, and state and local governments. Opponents raised concerns over environmental impacts, community disruption, insufficient public notice, and procedural issues throughout the application process.
Senator Hwang also pointed to bipartisan legislation passed in 2024 (Public Act 24-144), which strengthened notice requirements and required the Council to give greater consideration to environmental and community impacts. “That law helped ensure accountability—and it worked,” Hwang said.
Calling the decision a win for transparency, accountability, and civic engagement, Hwang credited the outcome to widespread community involvement. “Full credit belongs to the community. We stood together, not as partisans, but as neighbors to demand better,” he said. “Your voices made the difference and they will again.”
During the morning hours of June 12, 2025, members of the Norwalk Police Department’s Traffic Unit were conducting traffic enforcement throughout the city as part of the department’s Summer Slowdown Days Initiative aimed at curbing speeding and aggressive driving in Norwalk. At 7:36 AM, Officer Equi was monitoring morning rush hour traffic along East Avenue when she observed a black Tesla traveling southbound fail to stop for a red traffic control signal at the intersection of East Avenue and Hendricks Avenue. The vehicle continued onto the I-95 southbound on-ramp without stopping. Officer Equi initiated a traffic stop, and during the course of her investigation determined that the driver, Kirk Thomas, age 29, of 296 Exeter Street, Bridgeport, CT, was operating his vehicle under the influence. Thomas was also smoking cannabis while driving and was found to be in possession of a Glock pistol. Thomas was taken into custody without incident and his vehicle was towed from the scene. He was charged with carrying a firearm under the influence of intoxicating liquor or drug, operating a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol or drugs, failure to obey traffic control signals, operating a vehicle with illegally tinted windows, and smoking or otherwise inhaling or ingesting cannabis while operating a motor vehicle. Bond was set at $5,000. His court date is scheduled for June 26, 2025.
2025-06-12@11:27am–#Westport CT– Westport firefighters responded to a dumpster fire about 8 feet from a residential structure on Hales Court. Engine 5 arrived to find a fully involved dumpster fire exposing the nearby home. Additional engines and the truck company were dispatched. Crews quickly established a water supply, cooled the residence, and extinguished the fire, preventing it from spreading to the building. The fire was brought under control within seven minutes of arrival. The Westport Fire Marshal’s office is investigating. WEMS, Westport Police, and Westport Housing also responded. No one was displaced and there were no injuries. The last fire unit cleared at 12:25pm.
Firefighters were once again dispatched to a structure fire at the vacant building located at George and Center Street. We were there on May 1st for the previous fire at this location. Mayor Ganim mentioned in his State of the City address that this building is scheduled for demolition soon.
I-95 Northbound between exits 38 and 39 is shut down following an investigation for a missing person potentially found deceased on the side of the highway with motorcycle.
UPDATE: The left lane is opening up and Exit 37 is CLOSED
On the evening of June 4, 2025, a personal watercraft accident on the Housatonic River tragically claimed the life of 45-year-old Carlos M. Cruz Gonzalez of Bridgeport. Authorities responded shortly after 10:05 p.m. to the area near Sikorsky Aircraft after receiving a report of an overturned jet ski. Gonzalez was discovered on the river’s west shore and was pronounced dead on site. An autopsy concluded his death resulted from blunt-force trauma to the head, torso, and limbs, and the incident was classified as accidental .
Born in Puerto Rico, Gonzalez had been a Bridgeport resident for nearly two decades. His obituary celebrated his “radiant personality” and mechanical prowess, noting that he worked as an auto technician and was beloved for his sociable, upbeat demeanor. A devoted father of nine, he enjoyed playing music—especially in his Jeep—and had a passion for jet-skiing, which his obituary described as part of his adventurous spirit ctpost.com.
He is survived by his nine children and three siblings. Memorial services took place on June 10 at Peaceful Light Funeral Home in Bridgeport, followed by interment at Mt. St. Peter Cemetery in Derby.
One man and one dog are reportedly dead following a standoff on Columbus Avenue after an eviction notice was served. Stratford Police stated, “There is NO DANGER to the public…”
(HARTFORD, CT) – Governor Ned Lamont today announced that he will be joining a delegation of Connecticut state officials and business leaders at the 2025 Paris Air Show as part of a business recruitment mission intended to strengthen and support the state’s aerospace industry and the thousands of local jobs that it supports.
The aerospace industry employs nearly 30,000 people in Connecticut, the third highest concentration of aerospace employment in the U.S. The aerospace and defense industry accounts for more than 32% of Connecticut’s total exports.
“Connecticut is one of the top places in the world for aerospace companies to grow and develop, and it is our mission to help our state’s existing aerospace companies thrive and meet with international companies that are looking to establish operations in the U.S. market,” Governor Lamont said. “We want more of the world’s aerospace products to be made in Connecticut, where the world’s best and most talented workforce is located.”
The Paris Air Show is considered one of the most important tradeshows of its kind in the world and is attended by world leaders, governors of several U.S. states, military officials, and some of the top business executives of the commercial aerospace and defense industry. More than 2,454 aerospace and defense companies from throughout the world will be exhibiting.
Governor Lamont will be attending from June 15 to June 17, and his schedule includes attending industry networking events and meeting with several aerospace companies that have expressed interest in establishing operations in the United States. Other officials who are part of Connecticut’s delegation include Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development Commissioner Daniel O’Keefe, Connecticut Chief Manufacturing Officer Paul Lavoie, and Advance CT President and CEO John Bourdeaux.
The State of Connecticut is sponsoring its own booth that will be occupied by ten aerospace companies with operations in the state, whose executives will be working to secure contracts for their products and services. These companies include:
Air Industries Group
Enjet Aero
Precision Sensors
NE-XT Technologies
Jonal Laboratories
Forecast International
Reno Machine
Production Metals, A Division of Ryerson
Mott Corporation
New England Airfoil Products (NEAP)
“We are excited to be in Paris with a full delegation to demonstrate the critical role Connecticut plays in the aerospace industry,” Commissioner O’Keefe said. “We are here to support our aerospace manufacturers, compete for businesses, introduce the show’s participants to our world-class workforce, and make sure that global companies know that our state is one of the top aerospace markets in the world.”
“We are here because Connecticut is an important player in the global aerospace ecosystem,” Bourdeaux said. “We invest a lot of time and resources into the Paris Air Show because it is a place where business gets done. We must be here to compete against other states, and I am proud to say that Connecticut competes very well in this industry. We have a strong track record in the aerospace sector, and we continue to be successful at bringing new corporate investors to our state.”
Connecticut is the #1 state in the U.S. for aircraft engine and engine parts manufacturing, which contributes more than $6.6 billion to Connecticut’s GDP. Airbus North America Chairman and CEO Robin Hayes called Connecticut the company’s #1 supplier state, with more than one-third of their total U.S. spend going to Connecticut.
Connecticut has been participating in the Paris Air Show and the Farnborough International Air Show in England, which are held in alternating years, since 2006. These two tradeshows are considered the two most important events in the world for the global aerospace industry.
At the 2023 Paris Air Show, conversations between Governor Lamont, AdvanceCT, and Hanwha Aerospace resulted in Hanwha relocating its International Engines Business from South Korea to Cheshire, Connecticut.
