Good morning. New York intends to repeal the COVID-19 vaccine requirement for workers at health care facilities. The mandate sparked years of litigation and forced the termination of thousands of healthcare professionals who refused to get the vaccine.
“Due to the changing landscape of the COVID-19 pandemic,” the state Department of Health plans to no longer start any new enforcement actions against state-regulated hospitals and long-term care facilities. Still, officials recommend facilities continue to implement their own internal vaccine policies.
Here’s a bite-sized look at what else we are hearing:
11% of Connecticut residents will travel for Memorial Day weekend. More than 390,000 travelers will hit the road, fly or ride the rails over the three-day holiday, according to AAA Northeast. The motor club advises to leave ample time for road trips, as almost all travelers will be in cars. Whether headed to a barbeque, beach or celebration, temperatures will be in the mid-70s to kick off the unofficial start of the summer.
Metro-North’s New Canaan line will be closed for track repairs between Memorial Day and Labor Day. The rail line is expected to be closed through late September. Metro-North will offer free bus service from New Canaan branch line stations to Stamford station to access peak morning and evening trains. The entire trip to Grand Central Terminal could take up to two hours.
A Central Islip judge sentenced Fetty Wap to six years in prison. The rapper admitted last August to being part of a drug trafficking ring that shipped narcotics from the West Coast and sold them in New Jersey and Long Island. Also known as Willie Junior Maxwell II, he was sentenced on charges for conspiring to distribute cocaine.
The Coast Guard Academy in New London has a change in command. Rear Adm. Michael Johnston relieves Rear Adm. William Kelly as Superintendent of the Academy. Johnston was senior Coast Guard Commander for the Great Lakes and Saint Lawrence Seaway, overseeing eight states, a 1,500-mile international border, and over 6,000 members of the Guard. Johnston graduated from the Coast Guard Academy in 1990.
Cities and towns in Connecticut might implement red light and speed cameras. The state House approved legislation to curb a rising number of traffic fatalities. Any plan would need to be reviewed by the state Department of Transportation. Areas with cameras are required to be clearly marked, and offenders would not get points on their license that could affect insurance.
An offshore wind substation has set sail for eastern Long Island. Developers Ørsted and Eversource commissioned Kiewitt to build the 1,500-ton, 60-foot-tall substation in the Gulf of Mexico. On arrival, the facility will sit on a steel pile foundation and collect power produced by the wind turbines before sending the power ashore. South Fork Wind is on track to be New York’s first offshore wind farm, and is expected to be operational by the end of 2023.
A dozen horseshoe crabs were crushed at Bridgeport’s Seaside Park. City park staff ran over the crabs while using a tractor to clean part of the beach for the summer. The species mate and lay eggs on the shore from now through June. The state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection is investigating.
New Yorkers whose families make up to $125,000 annually can apply for tuition-free college. The Excelsior Scholarship covers tuition for CUNY and SUNY schools, such as Stony Brook University and Suffolk County Community College. More than 260,000 students earn state financial aid, including 30,000 first-time students who received the Excelsior Scholarship. Applications will open Aug. 31.
