Good afternoon! It feels like January just started — but it’s already gone in a flash. Here's a bite-sized look at what we are hearing:
- The Connecticut Council of Small Towns is calling for lawmakers to produce new legislation to address EMS staff shortages. The council wants the state to increase the Medicaid reimbursement rate for ambulance services to attract and retain emergency service workers.
- Thefts of catalytic converters dramatically increased on Long Island. Over 100 thefts were reported in January, and Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY) is calling on the Department of Justice to form a dedicated team to crack down on the thefts.
- New York has just begun its first class in the state’s new Cannabis Compliance Training and Mentorship program. The program is designed to prepare farmers and processors looking to join in on New York’s adult-use cannabis industry.
- Over 40 groups in Connecticut are urging Governor Ned Lamont to give communities more say in construction in environmentally sensitive areas. These groups hope Lamont and the state General Assembly will reevaluate the state’s environmental justice laws, which they say fail to prevent pollutants from reaching at-risk communities.
- The Town of Oyster Bay awarded their first million dollars worth of grants to local businesses financially impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Oyster Bay Forward Program has a total of $4.5 million available and can provide up to $5,000 to individual businesses to mitigate financial hardships.
- Connecticut’s first school designed specifically for LGBTQ+ students is opening in New Haven. Called the PROUD Academy, the school was created to give students a safe space to learn, free from sexual harassment.
- New York State Agricultural and Markets Commissioner Richard Ball expects an avian flu affecting chicken farms won’t end for another few months. He said the virus, which is transmitted by migratory birds, is the primary cause for the increase of egg prices across the country — although high gas prices is another factor.
