Good morning.
Connecticut immigrant rights advocates gatheredfor Rally and Visibility Action on Monday, demanding legislators expand the HUSKY program. The program provides residents who are unable to afford health care with a comprehensive health care benefit package.
Advocates want the program expanded to allow income eligible immigrants under 26 to receive access to these health care benefits. If accepted, the expansion would cover 5,000 young immigrants who are currently living without access to health insurance.
Here’s a bite-sized look at what else we are hearing:
UConn men's basketball coach Dan Hurley has the option to have his contract extended after the team’s victoryagainst Gonzaga on Saturday, advancing to the Final Four in the NCAA Tournament. Hurley can accept a two-year extension to his contract which would carry him through March 2029. Hurley previously had his contract extended in 2021 to 2027 with compensation valued to nearly $3 million.
A 12-year-old boy stabbed a 13-year-old boy with a knife at Lindenhurst Middle School on Monday. According to News 12, Suffolk County Police apprehended the student accused of the stabbing and charged him with juvenile delinquency. The injured student was airlifted to Stony Brook University Hospital and is currently in stable condition.
Stamford’s Board of Representatives is considering allowing police officers to fine people $100 for drinking alcohol on public property. The proposed new ordinance would prohibit people from drinking within the limits of a public area in the city and reduce the number of intoxicated people causing issues. Stamford’s currentalcohol ordinance only prohibits people from drinking or selling alcoholic beverages on any municipally owned property except for beer.
A single-engine Cessna 150 plane crashed at Mattituck Airport on Monday. According to the Federal Aviation Administration, the plane's nose gear collapsed during landing, causing the crash. The pilot and sole occupant, 84-year-old Bernard Stepnoski, were not injured.
Connecticut Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz formed a women’s reproductive rights organization called the Reproductive Freedom Coalition. The RFC is composed of 22 Democratic state lieutenant governors, including New York Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado, dedicated to protecting and expanding reproductive freedom and access to health care in the wake of the decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.
New York lawmakers are considering increasing a 1/8-cent sales tax increase to fund plans to expand Suffolk County sewers and high-tech septic systems wastewater treatment. According to Newsday, supporters of the tax hike claim the water treatment plan will reduce decades worth of septic nitrogen pollution in groundwater water sources. The proposed tax hike must first be included in the upcoming final fiscal 2023 budget and later be approved by the county Legislature to be put on the November ballot.
Mayor Caroline Simmons launched the Stamford Small Business COVID-19 Relief Grant program on Monday. The program is designed to provide small for-profit businesses who have been negatively impacted by the pandemic a one-time direct grant up to $10,000. Businesses can apply for a grant starting on April 3.
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority will vote Wednesday on a set of rules of conduct for the Grand Central Madison Terminal that currently prohibits people from sitting on benches for more than 90 minutes. Anyone who sits longer than this time period will be fined up to $50. Some riders claim this rule is aimed to dissuade the rising homeless population but MTA officials clarified that the rule has been implemented at Grand Central for years.
The Environmental Protection Agency reached a settlement with New Haven-based Trelleborg Coated System for violating the Federal Clean Air Act. Trelleborg, a facility that coats fabrics used in escape slides, blood pressure cuffs and mattresses with water, chemical, and flame repellent properties, was discovered to emit hazardous air pollutants. The company agreed to pay a fine of roughly $300,000.
New York launched the Climate Resilient Farming Grant and the Agricultural Non-Point Source Abatement and Controlprograms on Tuesday. The programs, totaling in $28.5 million in combined funds, are designed to help farmers combat climate change and protect water quality. Farmers can apply for the CRF program by June 26 and the ANPSAC program by August 7.
