Connecticut
Child welfare advocate: Connecticut’s DCF must improve, get more funding
The revelations continue on day two of the probable cause hearing for Jonatan Nanita, one of three people connected to the death of 11-year-old Jacqueline “Mimi” Torres-Garcia.
Something revealed through testimony was that a Department of Children and Families (DCF) worker, who was working with the family during a sibling’s neglect case, checked on Mimi via a video call.
Except that the person on the other end of the call was not Mimi, who was believed to have been dead for a year by that point. Instead, the social worker unknowingly spoke with a woman in her 20s pretending to be the 11-year-old.
NBC Connecticut spoke with Sarah Eagan, the state’s former Child Advocate and now head of the Center for Children’s Advocacy in Hartford, about the incident.
“That’s hard to reconcile, right?” Eagan said. “The timeline is really important […] as to when folks should have discovered–whether through the school system, child protection system, or other–what happened to Mimi Torres.”
Eagan said this case helps underline how DCf, while no longer under federal oversight, still faces major challenges.
“It’s not because they’re not trying,” Eagan said. “They need a lot of help to turn that ship around.”
Eagan recently wrote an op-ed, highlighting two reports about the DCF issued last summer; one by the state, another by the federal government. One of the reports outlined more than 3,000 incidents of children in DCF custody going missing over two years.
The other report stated the state didn’t meet the safety and well-being benchmarks of children involved with DCF.
“This is a system, in my view, that is really on the brink workforce-wise, service-wise, foster care availability-wise, practice-wise–and that really has to concern us as stakeholders,” Eagan explained.
Eagan said the biggest way to help fix the issues is with more funding.
“If we want to hold DCF accountable for fulfilling the state’s legal obligation to ensure the safety of children like Mimi Torres, they need the tools,” Eagan said.
She said millions more are needed, probably tens of millions. Eagan highlighted the upcoming short legislative session, during which budget adjustments can be made, which could be helpful.
Connecticut
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Connecticut
Florida High School State Bronze Medalist Dajah German Verbals To Connecticut For Fall 2027
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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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Connecticut
Strong Storm Emerges For Northern Connecticut: Here’s When, What To Know
Here are the forecast details for northern Connecticut via the National Weather Service:
Today: Sunny, with a high near 80. Light west wind increasing to 6 to 11 mph in the morning.
Tonight: Partly cloudy, with a low around 56. Northwest wind around 6 mph becoming calm in the evening.
Monday: A chance of showers before 2pm, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms between 2pm and 4pm, then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm after 4pm. Increasing clouds, with a high near 76. Calm wind becoming southeast around 6 mph in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.
Monday Night: Showers and possibly a thunderstorm. Some of the storms could produce heavy rainfall. Low around 59. Southeast wind around 8 mph becoming southwest after midnight. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New precipitation amounts between three quarters and one inch possible.
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