Good morning. UConn men's basketball coach Dan Hurley will stay put for another six years. Hurley signed a new $50 million contract with the University of Connecticut, a near $18 million increase from his 2023 contract.
This makes Hurley the second highest paid coach in college basketball behind only University of Kansas' Bill Self, who signed a $53 million contract in November. According to the university, most of Hurley’s raise will be funded by donations and ticket revenue.
Here’s a bite-sized look at what else we are hearing:
Long Island sees tourism surge. Since pandemic-related shutdowns a few years ago, the industry hit a more than $6 billion high in 2022, according to a report from the state comptroller. Tourism-generated jobs on Long Island accounted for more than 5% of all jobs, and generated $3.5 billion in income that year. The report attributes the rebound to the region’s large entertainment venues and popular state parks. Jones Beach saw close to 9 million visitors last year, making it the second most visited park in the state behind Niagara Falls.
A Connecticut family was awarded $15.4 million after Maria Ocasio died from a failed anesthesia care procedure. In 2017, Ocasio was put on anesthesia for surgery at MidState Medical Center in New Britain when she suffered a cardiorespiratory collapse. According to her family’s attorney, staff failed to properly resuscitate Ocasio. This caused her to suffer brain damage and be in an intensive care unit until she died.
Eleven Long Island school districts have sued social media platforms, including Facebook, Snapchat, TikTok and YouTube. The districts alleged the platforms have increased mental health problems among students and inflicted financial disruptions to their schools. The schools are seeking monetary compensation to employ mental health professionals, introduce lesson plans on the harm of social media and investigate online threats to the local communities. A spokesman for YouTube called the allegations “not true.”
A Stamford man pleaded guilty to breaking a police officer’s nose. In 2023, Jason Kai Lee was arrested for disorderly conduct and punched an officer in the face when she brought him a meal. Lee was charged with a felony count of assault on a public safety officer. As part of a plea deal, Lee will enter a two-year-long psychological accelerated rehabilitation program. If no further incidents are made by the end of the program, his charges will be dismissed.
A New York company will sell $70 million worth of bonds in August for a new Suffolk County sports facility. Called Destination Kings Park, the $92 million project will house a 50,000-square-foot medical office and indoor and outdoor athletic fields. Destination Kings Park is expected to attract one million people annually and create over 50 jobs. If the $70 million is raised, Prospect Sports Partners expects the facility to be fully built by August 2025.
Bridgeport’s City Council has approved a $28,500 settlement with former city labor relations officer Tamara Titre. In 2020, Titre sued the city after she was paid thousands of dollars less than her male counterpart labor relations officers. Titre receives an annual salary of $90,500. She said she was paid less than her fellow officers due to her gender.
Nineteen Long Island school districts have unrestricted reserves that exceed the legal limit. Schools are prohibited from having rainy day funds greater than 4% of local budgets. However, school districts, such as Brentwood and Freeport, have reserves that are over 8.6% of local budgets. There is no state penalty in place for districts that have excessive reserves. Governor Kathy Hochul sought to implement a penalty for districts that go beyond the legal reserve limit.
Two Connecticut State Police dogs died from medical complications last week. Six-year-old Elmer and Drago died on Saturday and Thursday. Elmer served with the Fire & Explosion Investigation Unit and helped train fire investigators, as well as educating the public about fire safety. Drago served with State Troop C and helped locate several wanted suspects, missing persons, and large quantities of illicit narcotic drugs.
