Good morning. New York Governor Kathy Hochul is headed to Israel ahead of President Joe Biden’s trip on Wednesday to survey damage from its war with Hamas. Hochul and a coalition of 17 governors, including Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont, expressed their condemnation for Hamas and vowed to send aid to Israel for months to come.
The governors requested Congress provide federal funding to support programs to safeguard Jewish houses of worship and groups to prevent antisemitic hate that is increasing across the U.S.
Here’s a bite-sized look at what else we are hearing:
A bridge near Norwalk and Westport on I-95 will be demolished this weekend. A portion of the highway near Exit 17 will be closed from Friday to Monday as construction workers slide a new bridge in using a hydraulic jack system over Saugatuck Avenue. Traffic will be diverted onto the southbound side of I-95 until the replacement is complete. The new bridge is a part of a $104 million I-95 improvement project expected to be complete by November 2024.
Nassau and Suffolk counties have some of the lowest unemployment rates in New York. According to the latest U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data, Nassau was ranked at 44 with a jobless rate of 3.2%, totaling over 24,000 unemployed residents. Meanwhile, Suffolk was ranked at 31 with an unemployment rate of 3.5%, totaling almost 29,000 unemployed residents. Experts cite student loan payments, high gas prices and persistent inflation as reasons for unemployment.
A multimillionaire wants to bring a soccer stadium to Bridgeport. Tech inventor Andre Swanston proposed the new stadium for Major League Soccer and the National Women's Soccer League teams to be built on a property along the Pequonnock River, in addition to housing, restaurants and a hotel. He plans to work with Shoreline Star Greyhound Park owners to develop the stadium on the property. The project is expected to cost over $1 billion.
Bridgeport teachers will receive a near 18% raise over the next four years. This is part of an agreement between the Bridgeport Education Association union and Bridgeport Public Schools to ratify a new contract before their old contract expires in summer of 2024. The contract also provides all new educators with starting salaries over $50,000 for the first time. Union President Jeff Morrissey hopes the agreement will improve school working conditions and teacher retention.
The Town of Brookhaven is seeking a new, major source of revenue as its landfill is expected to close over the next few years. The Brookhaven Landfill is the town’s second largest source of income after property taxes, generating $36.7 million this year. Officials hope to replace funds from the landfill with funds produced by renewable energy projects, including Sunrise Wind. The offshore wind project is expected to generate $168 million for Brookhaven over the next 25 years.
The Town of Killingly refused to retire their “Redmen” mascot. For a second time in a row, their refusal to retire the Native American imagery made Killingly ineligible to receive over $94,000 in state funding from the Mashantucket Pequot/Mohegan Fund in 2022 and 2023. Schools are prohibited from receiving the funds if the school board uses Native American names, symbols or images without tribal consent. Killingly briefly retired their mascots in 2019, but they were restored the next year after residents' backlash.
New York State Police relaxed its tattoo policy and raised the maximum age to apply to become a trooper from 29 to 34. It’s part of a new recruiting effort in order to bolster dwindling numbers since the COVID-19 pandemic. There are currently just over 4,900 troopers in the state, a 3% decrease since 2018. In recent years, 300 troopers leave each year on average. To entice new recruits, the police have created new ads featuring new cruisers, motorcycles and ATVs.
A Massachusetts woman became the first person to swim the entire length of the Connecticut River on Sunday. Kari Kastango, 56, swam through the river intermittently since 2019 and finished her long distance swim at Old Lyme. The Connecticut River is 410 miles long, from as far north as New Hampshire to Long Island Sound. Kastango partnered with the Connecticut River Conservancy to complete the record and to advocate for conservation and preservation efforts for the river.
