Good morning. The human brain is significantly more engaged during face-to-face conversations than it is while video chatting.
Yale neuroscientist Joy Hirsch studied the brain activity of two people engaged in conversation in person and then while they talked on Zoom. She found that brain activity during the video chat was substantially suppressed compared to what she saw during the in-person conversations. According to the research, face-to-face conversations included increased gaze time and pupil diameter, indicating higher neuro signaling.
The findings were published Oct. 25 in the journal Imaging Neuroscience.
Here’s a bite-sized look at what else we’re hearing:
Las Vegas Sands paid $241 million to acquire a lease to control the Nassau Coliseum site that included a $92 million “goodwill” premium over the property’s value, according to a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission report. The Nassau County Legislature approved a 99-year lease agreement allowing Las Vegas Sands to build a casino on the same site as the Coliseum if Sands wins a state license for the downstate casino.
Tuckahoe school district will look to build a high school following a request from the Shinnecock Indian Nation. Shinnecock children currently attend Southampton High School, while those in pre-K through eighth grade, about 40 children attend school in the Tuckahoe district. It would have a curriculum designed to incorporate the history and culture of the Shinnecock people.
FEMA will award $26 million to Connecticut and two hospitals to compensate for costs in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Vendors that provided COVID-19 vaccinations and testing to the public between July 2021 and June 2022 are set to be reimbursed. The money comes from FEMA’s Public Assistance Program, which assists local governments with recovery from major events, in this case, the pandemic. The state Department of Public Health will receive $10 million for providing over 92,000 vaccinations to the public. FEMA has provided more than $906 million to Connecticut to reimburse pandemic-related expenses.
Wyandanch Public Library faces the threat of losing its state funding for not meeting New York’s minimum standards after months of warnings from the Suffolk County Library System. Several documents the library has to provide for compliance still remain missing, including meeting minutes going back to 2021.
On Sunday, Suffolk County Transit will cut its routes in half to 27. The initiative aims to increase service frequency and extend evening and weekend hours while eliminating many lines with minimal ridership. Some communities will be left with no bus service at all, including the S56 route running between Commack and Lake Grove.
The Village of Greenport has passed a series of zoning changes, including a new mandatory entertainment permit for live music. The changes include removing a moratorium on new retail shops. The board had proposed $25,000 per space for businesses requiring 10 or fewer parking spaces and twice the price for needing more spaces.
Connecticut prisons are getting rid of thousands of books. Freedom of information requests obtained by PEN America report over 2,000 publications were banned containing objectionable material. The state Department of Correction is allowed to reject a publication if it is “determined to be detrimental to the security, good order or discipline of the facility or which may facilitate criminal activity.”
Bloomberg announced Annie Lamont will join its board of directors. Lamont, the first lady of Connecticut since 2019, is the co-founder and managing partner of Stamford-based venture capital firm Oak HC/FT. She is a leading healthcare and fintech investor who recently participated in the Health and Human Services Deputy Secretary’s Innovation and Investment Summit, according to Bloomberg. She was tapped among 10 new board members to help oversee and guide the company’s strategy and performance.
