Connecticut

Tim Walz visits home of Gov. Ned Lamont and raises $1.8M

Published

1 year ago

October 20, 2024

Tim Walz visits home of Gov. Ned Lamont and raises .8M

Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Walz swooped into Greenwich on Sunday night to deliver a pep talk on Gov. Ned Lamont’s patio and collect an estimated $1.8 million for the Harris-Walz ticket in the waning days of a tight presidential campaign.

Walz was caustic in assessing former President Donald J. Trump’s fitness for office and his campaign as a threat to democracy in a deeply polarized time. But the Minnesota governor and former congressman acknowledged the loyalty and enthusiasm of the former president’s base.

“We know what’s at stake here. We know what we can do. We’ve got 16 days to control our destiny. This is going to be a turnout election,” Walz said. “Look, the country is divided. That’s the way it is. Their voters, Donald Trump voters, are going to vote. He’s got a floor and a ceiling that’s pretty close.

“It’s too damn high.”

Walz appeared in Connecticut on the eve of early voting in the state. Lamont is scheduled to cast his ballot Monday for Kamala Harris and Walz.

“I know this is a preaching to the choir moment, but I’m telling people our recital is in 16 days, and the choir needs to sing and needs to sing now,” Walz said.

He acknowledged the obvious: Connecticut is a blue state carried by the Democratic nominee in every election since 1992.

“Look, you’re going to win here,” Walz told the guests. “We know that you do it. And we don’t view this as an ATM, but I do view this as a group of folks who are committed to the rest of the country.”

Connecticut often is called one of the reliable ATMs in national politics, a place where presidential candidates come more for the dollars than the votes.

Walz and Lamont have become friends through meetings of the National Governors Association. Both were elected in 2018 and reelected in 2022.

“He’s a good man, a very good friend,” Lamont said.

The fundraiser on the governor’s patio was hastily organized around a money-raising swing through two blue states: Walz attended a late-afternoon fundraiser in Boston, then flew to Westchester County Airport, just over the state line from Greenwich.

To be an event co-chair, and there were several, one had to raise $100,000. One of them was Hartford’s former mayor, Luke Bronin. He said Walz bluntly described the stakes of losing and what must be done by Democrats to win.

“He powerfully made the point about what’s at stake and he powerfully made the point about getting out the vote,” Bronin said. “We’ve got tight races in all the places that matter.”

Walz addressed the crowd at 8:20 p.m. He spoke for 20 minutes, then immediately left by motorcade for the Westchester airport and a quick flight to LaGuardia. He has media appearances Monday in New York, including a live shot on The View on ABC and a taping on The Daily Show.

He did not take questions at the airport or at Lamont’s home from the small news pool that trailed him.

Walz, a former teacher and coach, made a self-deprecating mention of U.S. Rep. Jahana Hayes, D-5th District. Like him, she was a teacher. Unlike him, she was a national teacher of the year.

“I was a finalist in Minnesota, and was not selected,” Walz said, pausing as the audience laughed. “I said, ‘Yeah, it proves it’s a hell of a lot harder to be teacher of the year than it is to be governor of Minnesota.”

Walz said he takes joy in trolling Trump. He noted that Harris once worked at a McDonald’s, an experience foreign to Trump — something Walz says he talks about.

“I said, ‘Can you imagine that guy trying to make a McFlurry at McDonald’s or whatever?” Walz said. “I think I trolled him enough. He went today, and he looked as dumb as I thought he would. So I told my team, I’m going to say, ‘Can you imagine that guy skydiving?” See if I can bait him into it.”

The crowd laughed.

While Walz acknowledged the passion of Trump’s base, he sees evidence of the same in his party. He read a text from a dying woman in Mississippi, where early voting has begun:

“I cast the last vote of my lifetime to preserve democracy in the United States of America and around the world. I cast the last vote of my lifetime to protect the Constitution of the United States of America and rule of law. I cast the last vote of my lifetime for honesty, decency and integrity. I cast the last vote of my lifetime for loving my neighbor, regardless of their race, their religion or who they love.”

Walz also mentioned a Georgia voter who has already voted by absentee. “If the universe has any type of justice as that moral curve bends, we will win Georgia by one vote. It’ll be Jimmy Carter’s vote,” Walz said.

Walz warned of Trump attacking the election results this year, as he did in 2020 when President Joe Biden won.

“You know that’s coming,” Walz said. “But we got a pretty damn good governor in Wisconsin. We got a good governor in Michigan. We got a good governor in Pennsylvania. We got a good governor in North Carolina. We got a good governor in Arizona, so he can try and cheat. It’s not going to work. We’re going to win this.”

Those are swing states with Democratic governors.

“We know what’s on the other side, that brighter future, that new way forward,” Walz said. “Finally, for one, quit talking about breaking this damn glass ceiling and tear it down and send Kamala Harris through it. Let’s wake up on that 17th day, not just to Madam President, but to a more hopeful, more unified and more joyful America.”

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Connecticut

Child confirmed as Connecticut’s first measles case in 4 years

Published

1 hour ago

December 15, 2025

Press Room

Child confirmed as Connecticut’s first measles case in 4 years

Health

The child, who is under the age of 10 and unvaccinated, recently traveled internationally, health officials said.

FILE – A measles, mumps and rubella vaccine at the Andrews County Health Department, Tuesday, April 8, 2025, in Andrews, Texas. AP Photo/Annie Rice, File

An unvaccinated child in Connecticut has been diagnosed with measles, public health officials confirmed, the state’s first confirmed case of the highly contagious disease since 2021.

The child, who is under the age of 10, lives in Fairfield County, the Connecticut Department of Public Health announced last week. The child had recently travelled internationally before showing symptoms including cough, runny nose, congestion, fever, and eventually a full-body rash.

“The single best way to protect your children and yourself from measles is to be vaccinated,” Connecticut DPH Commissioner Manisha Juthani, MD, said in a statement. “One dose of measles vaccine is about 93 percent effective, while two doses are about 97 percent effective.”

The United States has seen a record high 1,912 measles cases since the disease was declared eliminated in 2000, the CDC reported. As of July 7, this year has also reported the most cases in more than 30 years, according to the International Vaccine Access Center.

Earlier this year, West Texas saw a measles outbreak of hundreds of cases, mostly among unvaccinated children who had to be hospitalized. About one in five unvaccinated people diagnosed with measles are hospitalized, Connecticut DPH said, and the disease can be especially dangerous for children.

“We must ensure we continue to protect those who matter most – children and other vulnerable people – from vaccine preventable illnesses through on-time vaccination,” Juthani said.

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., known for his overhaul on the childhood vaccine schedule and doubts on COVID vaccine safety, endorsed the measles vaccine after two children died from measles amid the outbreak in Texas.

“The most effective way to prevent the spread of measles is the MMR vaccine,” Kennedy said in April.

Earlier this year, a Vermont child who had recently traveled internationally was confirmed to have been infected with measles. In March, a man tested positive for measles after traveling on an Amtrak train originating from Boston’s South Station to Washington D.C.

Molly Farrar is a general assignment reporter for Boston.com, focusing on education, politics, crime, and more.

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Connecticut

Final Connecticut High School Football Top 25 Rankings – Dec. 14

Published

13 hours ago

December 14, 2025

Press Room

Final Connecticut High School Football Top 25 Rankings – Dec. 14

The Connecticut high school football’s CIAC postseason wrapped up with the state championships this past weekend on Saturday.

Finishing in the No. 1 spot in this week’s final Top 25 rankings out of the Constitution State is Avon Old Farms after they defeated The Williston Northampton School, 35-21, in the Drew Gamere Bowl to end their season a few weeks ago. New Canaan sits right behind as they repeated as Class L champs. Which other teams from around Connecticut high school football deserves to be in the final set of Top 25 rankings for the 2025 campaign?

The Massey Ratings, officially used during the BCS era, is a model that ranks sports teams by analyzing game outcomes, strength of schedule, and margin of victory.

Here are the last Connecticut high school football rankings for 2025, according to Massey as of Dec. 14.

1. Avon Old Farms Beavers

Avon Old Farms (10-0) opened up the Connecticut high school football season by avenging a loss to Brunswick School from last season and have set the tone for the rest of the campaign. The Beavers have a talented offense that’s averaging 40.7 points per game, led by quarterback Matthew Baer, running back Kharon Craig, and offensive tackle Charlie Thom (Notre Dame commitment).

The Beavers have concluded their season play out of the New England Preparatory School Athletic Counci (NEPSAC) when they defeated The Williston Northampton School last week in the Drew Gamere Bowl, 35-21. Avon Old Farms finishes as the No. 1 team in the Connecticut high school football rankings.

2. New Canaan Rams

The defending Class L state champion New Canaan Rams (13-0) have done it once again as they defeated Cheshire, 34-13.

The Rams have won back to back playoff games versus Darien and Weaver with ease, winning by a combined 85-13. New Canaan won its 16th state championship in head coach Lou Marinelli’s legendary career. With the win, New Canaan clinched their fourth undefeated season in program history for the Rams (1968, 1969, 2008, 2025).

New Canaan has used a high-powered offense to cruise past opponents this fall, with quarterback Maddox Hoffman throwing for 1,936 yards and 21 touchdowns. Running back Henry Stein leads the ground game as he’s rushed for 916 yards and seven touchdowns.

3. Choate Rosemary Hall Wild Boars

Choate Rosemary Hall (8-2) saw its 18-game winning streak snapped back in Week 1 when they lost against New Hampshire’s Phillips Exeter Academy in a battle of top-ranked teams in their respective states.

The Wild Boars will finish likely within the Top 5 of the rankings after they ended their 2025 season in exciting fashion as they avenged that defeat by beating Phillips Exeter Academy in the Leon Modeste Bowl in a 44-42 thriller.

In 2024, the Wild Boars had completed their second consecutive perfect season after defeating Brunswick School. They have lost only four games over the last four Connecticut high school football seasons and only allowed only four opponent to score double digits.

The Wild Boars are another prep school that features multiple future Division I players, including Tanner Raymond (Rutgers) and interior offense lineman Will Tellers.

4. St. Thomas More Chancellors

St. Thomas More (1-3) remain steady as the No. 3 team in our latest set of Connecticut high school football rankings after a 50-21 loss to New Jersey’s No. 3 team, Hun School to end their season.

The Chancellors only losses from the 2024 season came against Maryland’s St. Frances Academy, Hun School, and Florida’s IMG Academy, respectively. St. Thomas More doesn’t have anymore scheduled games left on their 2025 slate.

Among the players the Chancellors feature on their roster are four-star edge rusher Alhassan Iddrissu (UCF), cornerback Terron Johnson, running back Malichi Greaves, and linebacker Christian King.

5. Daniel Hand Tigers

The Daniel Hand Tigers (13-1) has dominated in the Class SS playoffs, dominating all three opponents by a combined score of 122-32, after defeating the Killingly Trailblazers, 37-13, on Saturday.

Fueling the Daniel Hand offensive attack is the strong play of senior signal caller Bobby Reh, who has thrown for 2,194 yards and 29 touchdowns to only three mere picks. Junior running back Lucca Boyce leads the ground game with 1,272 yards and 14 touchdowns.

6. St Joseph (8-2)
7. Cheshire Academy (7-3)
8. Windsor (12-1)
9. Brunswick School (6-4)
10. Greenwich (8-2)

11. Newtown (8-2)
12. Killingly (11-1)
13. Fairfield College Preparatory (8-2)
14. Wilton (10-2)
15. The Taft School (5-4)

16. Bunnell (10-3)
17. Kingswood-Oxford School (8-2)
18. Berlin (12-0)
19. The Loomis Chaffee School (3-6)
20. Darien (6-5)

21. Brookfield (8-3)
22. Staples (5-5)
23. Cheshire (8-3)
24. Southington (7-3)
25. Mark T. Sheehan (10-3)

For Connecticut high school football fans looking to keep up with scores around the nation, staying updated on the action is now easier than ever with the Rivals High School Scoreboard. This comprehensive resource provides real-time updates and final scores from across the Constitution State, ensuring you never miss a moment of the Friday night frenzy. From nail-biting finishes to dominant performances, the Rivals High School Scoreboard is your one-stop destination for tracking all the Connecticut high school scores and football rankings.

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Central Connecticut State hands Bearcats second straight loss

Published

1 day ago

December 14, 2025

Press Room

Central Connecticut State hands Bearcats second straight loss

VESTAL, NY (WBNG) — In a second straight doubleheader Saturday following up a Bearcats women’s win, the Bearcats men’s team dropped their second consecutive home game, 84-67 to Central Connecticut State.

In a closely contested matchup early on, the Bearcats stayed in it heading into the break only trailing by seven points.

In the second half, Binghamton brought it to within four points before the Blue Devils pulled away once again and went on an 11-0 run and went up by as much as 20 points.

Darin Smith Jr. finished with a game high, 23 points for the Blue Devils.

The Bearcats were without center, Demetrius Lilley which led to junior forward, Zyier Beverly, having an increased role.

Beverly led Binghamton with 21 points and five rebounds.

After back-to-back losses at home, the Bearcats now go on the road for a three game road stretch starting on Wednesday, Dec. 17 against Pittsburgh at 7p.m.

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