Good morning — Suffolk County Police shot a man dead Saturday after an officer was stabbed several times. Police Commissioner Robert Waring said officers were responding to a domestic dispute outside of a home in Bay Shore.
Taiquell Woodson, 33, charged officers with a large knife. He stabbed the officer in the arm and also tried to stab the officer in the chest but was unable to penetrate the bulletproof vest. Waring said police were justified in using their service weapon when they were unsuccessful with a taser.
Woodson was declared dead at South Shore University Hospital. The officer was treated for non-life-threatening wounds at Stony Brook University Hospital.
Here’s a bite-sized look at what else we’re hearing:
Nearly half of Connecticut's adult population was born in the state, according to the latest Census data from 2022. But over the past two decades, the state has seen a slow but steady increase in residents born abroad. Hearst Connecticut Media reports residents born internationally now make up about 20% of the state population.
Expelled Long Island Congressman George Santos has sued Jimmy Kimmel. Santos said he was tricked into reading jokes on the celebrity app Cameo for the late-night TV host. Santos argues the videos are his intellectual property, and using the videos for broadcast violates Cameo’s terms and conditions. He was paid $350 each for more than a dozen videos.
Fairfield bans cannabis retail. The town’s zoning commission has removed the end date for its temporary prohibition on retail cannabis. The town heard testimony from parents and community health advocates over potential substance use issues. The town has restricted all forms of cannabis retail, both medical and recreational sales, since February 2022.
Long Island Bloods gang involved in a 3-year violence spree. Prosecutors have announced a 103-count indictment for over 30 alleged members of the Bloods on Long Island. A yearslong vengeance campaign included the mistaken identity killing of an elementary school teacher in Hempstead. An investigation beginning in 2022 involved 100 search warrants and digital sources.
School bus crash sends students to the hospital. An investigation is underway into the crash Thursday near Mill Neck Manor School for the Deaf that sent seven students to the hospital as a precautionary measure. Police said the bus driver hit an ice patch and slid off the road into a tree. The students ranged in age from seven to 19.
AI skepticism among business leaders. A new poll finds Long Island executives are slow to adopt artificial intelligence despite believing it could help business. According to the HIA-LI Long Island Economic Survey, nearly 70% of CEOs said they would not invest in AI in 2024. Most CEOs also expressed concern over potential job losses and reputation damage related to AI.
Stamford High School has changed its schedule. Stamford High School teachers will switch to a seven-period block schedule next school year, reducing their day to just five classes. Their union, Stamford Education Association, encouraged teachers to pull back extra services for students to avoid burnout. The union is in ongoing debates with the school board over a proposed sixth class. The high school schedule will be reviewed in the 2025-26 school year.
Consequences of threatening social media posts. A Huntington Station teen was arrested for making a threatening social media post on Snapchat. After an investigation, police found the threat was not credible and charged her with a misdemeanor threat of mass harm. Superintendent Vito D'Elia urged parents to remind their children of the real-life severe consequences attached to what they say or do online.
Francis S. Gabreski Airport receives $5 million in federal funding. The U.S. Department of Transportation has awarded $4.9 million to Suffolk County to replace an outdated air traffic control tower at Gabreski Airport. The funding is awarded through the Airport Terminal Program, created in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The funding will help replace an outdated tower critical to the military airport's operations in Westhampton Beach.
Bridgeport wants more accountability for illegally passing school buses. Ten thousand motorists illegally passed stopped school buses in the city during the first six months of the school year. The violations were captured under a school bus camera program enacted in 2022. The goal is to assist local police in enforcing Connecticut’s stop-arm law. City officials are urging state lawmakers to allow monetary liability and collections at the municipal level.
