Happy almost-Friday. For its third year, Connecticut lawmakers will consider exonerating those who were convicted of witchcraft in the 1600s. There’s strong support for the move, including from former Fairfield resident Beverly Kahn, whose family has been in the area for 12 generations and claims relation to one witch: Goody Knapp.
Here’s a bite-sized look at what else we are hearing:
New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker revealed the next fiscal budget plan on Wednesday. The new budget, which would increase the general fund by almost $30 million, would raise many New Haven residents’ taxes a similar amount to last year’s bump. Elicker said this raise should be expected by property owners.
Fire departments on Long Island are filing a lawsuit against New York state and the Department of Financial Services. The complaint comes as fire departments across the state ascertained they were owed up to millions from out-of-state insurance companies, which are required by law to pay premiums for fire services. The fire departments’ claim is that the state was failing to collect the premiums at all.
Westport and New Canaan joined Fairfield’s Regional Dispatch center on Wednesday. The union occurred even as the dispatch’s telecommunicator said they aren’t yet ready for the change, citing insufficient cross-training. Meanwhile, Fairfield Police Chief Robert Kalamaras said that not only was the transition a standard merger, but also that the team was well-prepared for it.
The New York State Office of Cannabis Management is doubling the amount of licenses it plans to award cannabis retail dispensaries. The news, announced Thursday, comes as more than 900 businesses around the state applied for licenses. According to Tremaine Wright, the chair of New York’s Cannabis Control Board, the increase to 300 awarded licenses will allow more entrepreneurs to participate in the first wave of the industry.
An inmate at Nassau County Jail was pronounced dead before 1 a.m. on Wednesday after being found unconscious in his cell. Officials report that the cause of death of the unidentified inmate is yet to be determined and is being investigated by a medical examiner and law enforcement. This death comes only three months after a previous inmate died in the jail.
Republicans outlined their “Better Way to a Safer Connecticut” plan on Wednesday. The proposal, which Senate Republican Leader Kevin Kelly (R-Stratford) said was “a holistic, multi-pronged approach,” focuses on further supporting law enforcement and revitalizing the justice system in the state.
In response to criticism about service to Grand Central Madison, the Long Island Rail Road is adding extra cars onto their trains. The decision comes as passengers expressed concern about overcrowding and inconvenience, especially those who are not traveling to Grand Central Station. Thus far, the changes have resulted in an extra 13,000 passengers receiving service during rush hour.
The investigation conducted by the state Office of the Child Advocate against the Connecticut Department of Children and Families concerning the 1-year-old who died from fentanyl intoxication continues as the commissioner of the department denies the “deficiencies” that the allegations present. Commissioner Vannessa Dorantes disagreed with the group’s findings, and the work by the department was performed “as expected.”
The Yale University School of Medicine is opening a Center for the Science of Cannabis and Cannabinoids. This decision comes as more states, including Connecticut, legalize the recreational use of cannabis and cannabinoids. The inaugural director for the center, Dr. Deepak D’Souza, said the launch of the center was happening because, “more people are using [cannabis] and it’s only reasonable for us to assume that it will trickle down to young people, just as tobacco and alcohol have.”
