State News

$100 Million Donation to Connecticut Public Schools

Bridgeport, CT – Mayor Joe Ganim joined Governor Lamont, First Lady Annie Lamont, leaders in the General Assembly, and students at a public event in East Hartford for the announcement of two major donors who are providing gifts of $100 million dollars to public schools in Connecticut.  This gift of $100 million dollars donated by Ray and Barbara Dalio of Dalio Philanthropies will be matched by $100 million from the State of Connecticut and will seek to raise another $100 million from other philanthropists and business leaders.  Mayor Ganim attended this event, as Bridgeport will be one of Connecticut’s urban municipalities that will benefit from this educational funding gift for Bridgeport Public Schools. “This major funding donation and financial match by our state…

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Governor Upset With ICE

HARTFORD, CT) – Governor Ned Lamont has delivered a letter  to U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen asserting that her department must recognize pardons granted in the State of Connecticut just as they would in any other state. The governor was prompted to contact Secretary Nielsen due to the detention earlier this week and planned deportation of a Connecticut mother by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials that is based on a conviction for two nonviolent offenses, the most recent having occurred more than seven years ago. The mother, who came to Connecticut as a small child, has lived here legally for most of her life, is married to a U.S. citizen, and has a U.S. citizen minor child.   Although…

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Senator Murphy Wants NCAA To Compensate Student Athletes

WASHINGTON – As the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) begins the Sweet 16 tournament, U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), member of the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, on Thursday released the first in a series of reports that will consider a range of problems within college athletics. The report titled Madness Inc.: How Everyone is Getting Rich Off College Sports – Except the Players will examine the profits of college sports and how the NCAA enriches nearly every entity but the student-athletes. In the report, Murphy calls on the NCAA to compensate student-athletes. Murphy released the following statement: “The NCAA is broken. I am a big college sports fan, but I think most fans recognize that the NCAA today isn’t acting in the best interest of many student-athletes. College basketball…

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Tolls Pass First Hurdle On Party Lines

#Hartford CT-- The first vote on tolls has passed committee pretty much by party line.   Republicans from Fairfield voted no while Democrat McCarthy Vahey voted yes.  Bridgeport's State Senator Rosario voted in favor of the tolls.  Democrat representatives outnumber Republicans.   Las peajes pasan el primer voto en las peajes. #Hartford CT: La primera votación sobre los peajes ha superado al Comité prácticamente por la línea del partido. Los republicanos de Fairfield votaron no mientras que el demócrata McCarthy Vahey votó sí. El senador del estado de Bridgeport, Rosario, votó a favor de los peajes. Los representantes demócratas superan en número a los republicanos

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State Police K-9 Graduates

(March 14, 2019): The Connecticut State Police K9 Unit is proud to announce the graduation of its 200th K9 Training Troop. The Troop consisted of seven K9 Teams from throughout the United States and specialized in Electronic Storage Device Detection. The graduation will take place this Friday, March 15, 2019 at 10:00 a.m., at the State Police Academy located at 285 Preston Avenue, Meriden, Connecticut. The Connecticut State Police K9 Unit trained the world’s first electronic storage device detection K9 in 2012 utilizing a proprietary training methodology and curriculum. Since that time, demand for the specialized electronic storage detection or ESD K9’s has grown exponentially. The specialized ESD K9’s assist with counter terror, child pornography, organized crime, and other related…

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Funny Money

2019-03-02 @ 7:50pm--# Norwalk CT-- A black male in a blue puffy jacket with a red hoodie underneath passed counterfeit $100 bill at a business on Westport Avenue, no car description was given. #Darien @ 7PMish-- A white Monte Carlo with three males inside wanted for passing counterfeit money.   This news report is made possible by: Dinero falso 2019-03-02 @ 7:50pm – # Norwalk CT – Un hombre negro en una chaqueta grande azul con una capucha roja debajo de la chaqueta, pago con un billete de cien $100 en la Avenida de Westport, no se dio ninguna descripción del carro.

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Senator States Why He Opposes Regional Schools

Senator Tony Hwang stated the bills proposed by Governor Lamont and others assume a one size fits all approach to regional school districts. Creating an arbitrary number of students or residents that trigger forced regionalization will not end well. Depending on the size of the town and part of the state, regionalization could even result in higher costs and reduced efficiencies. For those towns where regionalization creates synergistic opportunities and cost efficiencies, consolidation is already happening and we should focus on breaking down barriers to natural regionalization. We elect our school board members to do what is best for our schools. If those members think regionalizing with another town(s) is responsible and prudent, then it is their responsibility to make that case to the people they…

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Medicaid Based Healthcare Proposed

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), a member of the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) cosponsored legislation led by U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) called theState Public Option Act. The legislation would allow states to create a Medicaid-based public health care option to strengthen the Affordable Care Act (ACA) by providing Americans with a new high-quality, low-cost choice when purchasing health insurance. “As we continue to fight back against the Trump administration’s efforts to sabotage the Affordable Care Act and roll back protections for people with pre-existing conditions, we also need to look forward to further improve access to affordable health care. Democrats have put out a lot of great plans to help do that.…

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Governor’s Changed Plans For Tolls- Not Just For Trucks Anymore

I recently announced a reinvigorated economic development team, whose mission it is to promote and champion Connecticut to businesses who wish to locate or grow here. On paper, we have it all — access to world-class talent; equidistant between Boston and New York without the exceptionally high cost of living; vibrant cultural and educational institutions. But our reputation in one area in particular precedes us, and not in a good way. Our economic development team must be prepared to answer the question that everyone who knows anything about Connecticut will ask: “What about the congestion on your highways?”   Beyond an inconvenience, the crushing congestion we experience on I-95, I-91, I-84 and the Merritt Parkway, in particular, is a real…

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Hearing On Tolls

#NORWALK – State Reps. Gail Lavielle (R-Wilton, Norwalk, Westport) and Terrie Wood (R- Darien, Norwalk) are inviting members of the public to attend an informational forum on tolls at the Norwalk Inn & Conference Center, 99 East Avenue, Norwalk on Tuesday, February 26th from 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. The legislators will be joined by Transportation House Ranking Member Laura Devlin (R-Fairfield, Trumbull) along with Transportation Senate Ranking Member Henry Martin (R- Bristol, Harwinton, Plainville, Plymouth and Thomaston). Other area lawmakers will be invited to attend the forum. State Rep. Gail Lavielle, who is House Ranking Member of the Appropriations Committee and a member of the Transportation Committee, has been informed by the committee’s leadership that public hearings on toll-related bills will soon be held at the Legislative Office Building in…

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