Good morning. A Cheshire woman was bit by a black bear on Saturday. According to Connecticut’s Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, the bear approached the woman while she was sitting in her backyard.
It’s currently unknown what caused the bear to bite the woman but DEEP is investigating the incident. The 280-pound bear was euthanized and DEEP biologists will conduct a necropsy on the animal. There have been over 7,000 black bear sightings statewide so far this year, and nearly 10,000 sightings were reported by the end of 2023.
Here’s a bite-sized look at what else we’re hearing:
New York officials will invest $500 million to build and maintain affordable housing across New York City. The finances from the Battery Park City Authority’s Joint Purpose Fund will be distributed to the city’s Affordable Housing Accelerator Fund to build new housing. The authority’s prior excess funds helped build over 10,000 affordable housing units since 2010. New York City Mayor Eric Adams believes this new project will provide relief for working-class residents.
Connecticut is seeing a rise in animal abandonments this summer. In July alone, abandoned dogs were discovered in Branford, West Hartford, Manchester and Canton, among other towns. A woman was also seen throwing kittens out of a moving vehicle in Naugatuck. Local shelters say they are overwhelmed, and are calling on volunteers to help foster. Officials believe people abandon their pets for financial reasons or due to overbreeding.
Calverton’s Restoration Advisory Board is calling for the Navy to investigate possible soil contamination at a former aerospace facility in Riverhead. Residents are concerned that barrels filled with toxic waste may be buried at the site after it closed in 1996. The Northrop Grumman aerospace company previously operated at the site and dumped barrels and other waste in Bethpage. If barrels are found, they could potentially contaminate public water supplies.
Four people died in a two-vehicle car crash in Waterbury on Friday. According to local police, the two cars were driving at high speeds when the two collided and burst into flames. One car had one occupant while the other had three. All four adults died at the scene. The Waterbury Police Department’s Crash Reconstruction Unit is investigating the accident.
Connecticut COVID-19 infection rates are expected to increase. According to the CDC’s map of COVID-19 viral activity in wastewater, Connecticut’s level is listed as very high, while New York’s is low. High amounts of the COVID virus have been detected in five sewage sites in Connecticut, but exact infection numbers are unknown due to a lack of testing and data collection. The CDC recommends residents stay up to date with current COVID-19 vaccines doses to prevent infection.
Stamford’s coastal trash transfer station had a bulkhead compromised. The wall will need to be replaced, but this project is expected to cost $12.7 million. However, the town may only need to pay for 20% of the project thanks to help from the U.S. Economic Development Administration who can provide 80% of the funding. The wall’s restoration is currently expected to take over three years to complete. Construction is expected to begin in late 2026.
A Nassau County-based adolescent suicide prevention corporation will receive a $2.9 million grant to help underserved youth. This is one grant from a $15 million award provided by Governor Kathy Hochul to five health organizations statewide. With the $2.9 million award, Comunilife Inc. will expand its Life is Precious program to establish culturally appropriate suicide prevention activities for at-risk Latina teens and their families on Long Island.
