Good morning. An engineering firm outlined a series of expansion proposals for the Trumbull Mall last week. Stantec recommended residents and officials construct a hotel, senior housing, medical offices and a pickleball court on the property.
According to Hearst Connecticut Media, Stantec’s report also calls for improving the ability to walk to the mall from nearby neighborhoods. Nearly 500,000 people visit the mall annually, generating about $4.5 billion in retail sales annually.
Here’s a bite-sized look at what else we are hearing:
A Suffolk County food vendor accused of reselling Dunkin' products. The Savory Fig allegedly tried to pass off Dunkin' donuts as homemade and gluten-free to the vegan market, CindySnacks. The Huntington market’s co-owner Jonathan Stengel tested the trademark D-sprinkled donuts and found they contained gluten. The New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets will investigate the incident.
Connecticut’s first marijuana drive-thru is now open. The Middletown-based dispensary Venu Flower Collective allows customers to pick up cannabis products via drive-thru. It only serves online orders to prevent local traffic. Collective General Manager John Healey claimed the drive-thru options make cannabis purchases convenient and discreet for customers.
Two Suffolk County men were arrested for selling nicotine to minors. According to multiple complaints issued to police, the Mount Sinai Smoke Shop and Puff Club Smoke repeatedly sold E-Liquid Nicotine products to kids. Following an investigation, officers arrested shop employees Maheshkumar Patel and Yasir Cicek for unlawfully dealing with a child. Both men will be arraigned at First District Court in Central Islip.
New Haven plans to transition to electric energy sources. The city’s executive director of climate, Steven Winter, will work towards implementing electric heating systems into smaller properties first, such as police stations and youth centers. According to Winter, only 1.5% of city-owned vehicles are electric-powered. New Haven plans to reduce 55% of their emissions by 2030.
Long Island pedestrian deaths by high front-end trucks are on the rise. A new study finds the height of SUVs and the front ends of pick-up trucks may contribute to the increase in pedestrian deaths. According to Economics of Transportation, high front-end designs lead to greater blind driver blind spots and crash impacts. Thirty pedestrians were killed by light trucks and 18 by passenger vehicles in 2021 across Long Island. Study author Justin Tyndall recommends vehicle front ends be limited to four feet. This limit is expected to reduce over 500 annual pedestrian deaths nationwide.
Branford officials weigh plans for former Regal Cinemas. The town’s Planning and Zoning Commission will host a public hearing on the future of the vacant property next week. The commission will review an application to convert the theater site into a storage facility, a four-story apartment building, a medical office and a coffee shop. If approved, the apartment building would include several affordable housing units for residents who earn 80% or less of the town’s median income. The theater closed in early 2022 because of pandemic-based impacts.
Hofstra history professor receives Bancroft Prize. Carolyn Eisenberg received the 2024 Bancroft Prize last week. It’s awarded annually by Columbia University for distinguished literature in American History and Diplomacy. Eisenberg was awarded for her 2023 book, Continental Reckoning: The American West in the Age of Expansion. She and fellow awardee Elliot West will receive $10,000 each as a part of the prize.
