Connecticut
Waterbury bans hourly motel rentals in effort to curb illegal activity
The Waterbury Board of Aldermen voted unanimously Monday night to approve an ordinance banning hourly hotel and motel room rentals in the city. It’s a move city officials say is aimed at reducing crime, including human trafficking and prostitution.
“We know that rooms rented by the hour cause only one thing, and that’s problems,” Paul Kondash, a city resident who supports the ordinance, said.
Proposed by Mayor Paul Pernerewski Jr., the ordinance prohibits any hotel, motel or rooming house from renting rooms for fewer than 12 hours at a time.
Pernerewski said the ordinance is another tool to help law enforcement address criminal activity in the area.
“If you’re renting a room for an hour, three, four hours, we know what’s happening in there. It’s either prostitution, sex trafficking, there’s drug use, drug sales, maybe gambling as well…none of those things are legal, and they all drag down the neighborhood, the quality of life for everyone in Waterbury,” he said. “There’s no legitimate person that I know that’s coming to Waterbury looking to rent a hotel room for four hours.”
“There’s only really two hotels that we believe in Waterbury that do that. They will both tell you they don’t, but we believe that they do that in shorter blocks,” Pernerewski continued.
The mayor said the two hotels that have historically offered hourly rates are the Big Apple Motel on West Main Street and the Valley Motel on South Main Street.
NBC Connecticut called both the Big Apple and Valley motels on Monday. Aijaz Ahmad, owner of the Big Apple Motel, said his business stopped offering hourly rentals years ago.
“More than two years ago, we stopped those. We don’t give them no more,” Ahmad said. “A lot of people are traveling, and you can never judge it, but we’re not giving them.”
When asked whether he supports the ordinance, Ahmad replied, “Yes, we don’t want the prostitutes around here.”
Shortly before 8 p.m. Monday, NBC Connecticut called the Valley Motel without identifying ourselves, and inquired about hourly rates. A woman who answered the phone initially said it’s “too late,” but when asked about hourly rates the next day, she said a two-hour stay would cost $70.
A follow-up call identifying the station was answered, but a request to speak to the owner was denied.
Martin Spring, another city resident, said he supports the ordinance in theory, but questioned its broader implications.
“I think you’re violating people’s rights in a way,” Spring said. “What business is it of anybody’s what I’m doing? I understand what people are saying…you gotta look at both sides of the coin.”
“That to me would be a red light going up to people, think about it, who want to come to the city. They might look at this and say, you know, what is the city doing? What are they saying? That we can’t come in to Waterbury and we can’t rent a hotel room now?” he continued.
Safe Haven of Greater Waterbury, a nonprofit supporting survivors of domestic violence and human trafficking, voiced strong support for the ordinance.
HARTFORD, Conn. (WTNH) — Five Connecticut towns will collectively receive $10 million in grants for infrastructure upgrades, according to a Monday announcement by Gov. Ned Lamont.
The Connecticut Department of Housing (DOH) is awarding $10.7 million to Coventry, Guilford, Ledyard, Mansfield and Thomaston to modernize and rehabilitate housing for low- and moderate-income residents, the announcement said.
The funds are being released through the DOH’s Community Development Block Grant’s small cities program, with funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. To be eligible, a municipality must have fewer than 50,000 residents.
Cost Breakdown
Coventry: $2 million
Town of Coventry plans to use funds to upgrade, with a focus on making Orchard Hill Estates compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
Guilford: $2 million
The Town of Guilford plans to use funds to design and build future affordable housing projects, consisting of up to 16 rental units and 8 homes.
Ledyard: $2 million
The Town of Canton requested funding for the first phase of affordable housing for people in Ledyard and the surrounding area. Habitat for Humanity of Eastern Connecticut is in the pre-development phase of the Colby Drive and plans to create 38 units.
Mansfield: $2.2 million
Funding will be used for upgrades to Wright’s Village, including roof replacements and sidewalk repairs.
Thomaston: $2.5 million
Funds will be used to make Green Manor ADA-compliant, including the installation of a new emergency call aid system.
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Connecticut
Florida High School State Bronze Medalist Dajah German Verbals To Connecticut For Fall 2027
Fitter and Faster Swim Camps is the proud sponsor of SwimSwam’s College Recruiting Channel and all commitment news. For many, swimming in college is a lifelong dream that is pursued with dedication and determination. Fitter and Faster is proud to honor these athletes and those who supported them on their journey.
Florida high school state bronze medalist Dajah German has announced her verbal commitment to swim and study at the University of Connecticut beginning in the fall of 2027. She publicized the news on SwimCloud, writing:
I am so excited to announce my verbal commitment to continue my academic and athletic career at the University of Connecticut! I’m incredibly grateful for everyone who has supported me throughout this journey, my family, coaches, teammates, and friends who have pushed me to be my best throughout the years. And a very special thank you to Coach Chris and Coach Nicole for believing in me and giving me this opportunity. I’m so excited for what’s ahead. GO HUSKIES!
A rising senior at Fort Lauderdale High School in Florida, German trains year-round with Swim Fort Lauderdale and primarily specializes in the sprint and middle-distance freestyle events.
German has improved each year of her high school career, most recently dropping from 23.78, 51.39, and 1:50.56 in the 50/100/200 free to 23.54, 51.35, and 1:49.69 during the 2025-26 short course season.
German’s top meet of the season was the Florida Senior Championships in March, where she recorded her current PBs in both the 50 and 200 free. She finished second in the 500 free (4:55.94) and 1650 free (17:02.78), third in both the 50 free and 200 free, and fifth in the 100 free (51.43). She set her current 100 free PB at a smaller holiday meet in December. In the 500 free, she clocked a season-best 4:55.21 at the Speedo Cup in January, with her lifetime best of 4:53.19 coming at the 2025 Florida Senior Championships.
German has qualified for the FHSAA (Florida High School Athletic Association) State Championships for the past three years, with her top performance coming at the 2025 iteration in November. She placed third in the 50 free (23.96), fifth in the 500 free (5:01.12), and helped Fort Lauderdale to fourth place in both the 200 free relay (24.64 leadoff) and 400 free relay (53.08 anchor).
Top SCY Times:
- 50 Freestyle: 23.54
- 100 Freestyle: 51.35
- 200 Freestyle: 1:49.69
- 500 Freestyle: 4:53.19
A Division I Mid-Major program, Connecticut competes in the Big East, with the women’s team placing second out of seven teams at this past season’s conference championships. German’s current lifetime bests would have placed third in the 200 free, fourth in the 500 free, eighth in the 50 free, and ninth in the 100 free, setting her up as an immediate contributor with two full seasons of training still ahead before her first conference meet.
German joins Anna Mumford, Lyla Devlin, Lena Brown, and Louisa Holda in committing to the Huskies’ class of 2031 so far.
If you have a commitment to report, please send an email with a photo (landscape, or horizontal, looks best) and a quote to [email protected].
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