Good morning. New York Attorney General Letitia James has reached a $750,000 settlement with the College Board. The nonprofit helps students navigate the transition from secondary school to higher education.
Between 2018 and 2022, the College Board unlawfully licensed the personal data of New York students to over 1,000 colleges, scholarship programs, and other institutions without their permission. In 2019 alone, the organization sold over 237,000 student's data who took PSAT, SAT or AP exams. The College Board will also no longer be able to monetize students’ data as a part of the settlement.
Here’s a bite-sized look at what else we are hearing:
Connecticut legislators are considering a bill that would improve sewer infrastructure. The billwould encourage municipalities to create more affordable housing once sewer systems are established or upgraded. Affordable housing organization Growing Together Connecticut, recommends municipalities have access to $50 million in state funds to cover sewer improvements or expansions if the bill is approved.
New York’s annual $700 million film and TV production tax break falls short. According to a January report from the state Department of Taxation and Finance, the film tax credit generated only $0.15 for each dollar in foregone revenue returns, and $0.31 when including indirect production work. Governor Kathy Hochul will review the report. She said the film tax credit supports over 50,000 jobs.
Mindmap will expand its early psychosis detection and treatment program across Connecticut after testingsuccessfully in the New Haven area over a four-year period. Mindmap will partner with the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services and the Department of Children and Families to expand the program. According to founder Vinod Srihari, 500 state residents exhibit early signs of psychosis annually.
To respond to emergencies at Calverton's Enterprise Park, Riverhead’s Volunteer Ambulance Corps and Wading River’s Fire District will work together. The decision came after town officials debated over who should best respond to emergencies in the area split between Riverhead and Wading River, as well as Manorville, which does not have its own ambulances. The goal of the partnership is to ensure faster response times and avoid rewriting district lines.
A second lawsuit has been filed against the city of Bridgeport for revoking construction permits for a new housing complex. Avon Commons LLC paid $3.5 million for the site in November 2022 and began work on a four-story complex. Work stopped when residents discovered the permits were granted through an over-the-counter zoning approval, and forced Zoning Director Paul Boucher to revoke them. Commons previously sued the city to reverse the decision and is now seeking over $15,000 in damages.
Officials are concerned about Governor Ned Lamont’s choice for the next Department of Correction ombudsman. Lamont nominated state Superior Court senior public defender Hilary Carpenter for the role on Friday. Carpenter was not among the top recommendations from the state Correction Advisory Committee. Lamont has not explained why he skipped over the top candidate. He will need to have his nominee confirmed by the state General Assembly.
New York’s Independent Redistricting Commission will vote on a new map of the state’s 26 congressional districts on Thursday. The vote is in response to a series of lawsuits from Democrats and Republicans claiming previous maps were drawn to disproportionately benefit the other. If a new map is not approved by the end of February, congressional primaries for the new districts may be delayed.
