Good morning! UConn will no longer require students to receive the COVID-19 vaccine to attend the Storrs or regional campuses. This was announced during a UConn Board of Trustees meeting on Wednesday.
UConn previously required all students to be COVID-19 vaccinated starting in 2021 during a surge of the pandemic to maintain the health and safety of the UConn community. The vaccine will be strongly recommended alongside preventing other diseases.
Here’s a bite-sized look at what else we are hearing:
Greenport’s historic 1920 carousel will remain closed after discovering lead paint. The carousel in Mitchell Park has been the focus of a restoration project organized by local community members. Lead paint is toxic, and can cause reproductive issues, kidney damage, anemia and more if consumed. Greenport Mayor Kevin Stuessi said he hopes to have the carousel opened by Memorial Day once the paint is removed.
Bridgeport schools plan to increase the diversity in its administration — which consists of mostly white members. During a Board of Education Diversity Committee meeting Monday, a review showed that 57% of members are white, 30% are Black, and 11% are Hispanic or Latino. The board hopes to make the administration better represent the students, in which 87% are non-white.
Nassau County launched a new website to find more firefighters following a drop-off in recruitment. In the past decade, the total number of firefighters stationed in the county decreased by 40% — from close to 10,000 to around 6,000 members today. To help find more recruits, County Executive Bruce Blakeman announced that he will reduce the property tax relief wait period for firefighters from five years to two.
Dr. Madeline Negrón will become New Haven Public Schools superintendent. She is the first Latino superintendent in the city’s history. Negrón won against two other finalists, those being Dr. Warren Morgan and Viviana Conner. Negrón previously served as Hartford Public Schools' acting deputy superintendent of academics and school leadership, and as New Haven Public Schools’ director of education.
Tweed New Haven Regional Airport is facing scrutiny from local residents after several flights were diverted from landing. Community members complained about the noisy planes, failure to be reimbursed after landing at different airports and poor communication between pilots, ground crew and customer service. Despite these complaints, Tweed plans to establish a new six-gate terminal on the East Haven side of the airport, according to Hearst Connecticut Media.
M&T Bank is doing well one year after purchasing Bridgeport-headquartered People’s United Bank, according to a first quarter report. The bank’s net interest income improved by 102%, and its first quarter income totaled $1.832 billion, a substantial increase compared to $907 million during the same period in 2022. M&T Bank acquired People’s United Bank in April 2022 for $8.3 billion, the largest purchase in M&T’s history.
Environmentalists are concerned that illegal dumping of tires in Connecticut may be toxic to fish, water and soil. A 2020 Pacific Northwest study found that 6PPD-Quinone, a tire-derived chemical, is the culprit for recurring high mortality rates for the endangered coho salmon. Connecticut generates over three million waste tires annually. Advocates are concerned that a similar event may occur on local fish and other wildlife populations.
