Connecticut
Connecticut bear breaks into home looking for something to snack on
Video footage reveals a black bear appearing like Goldilocks.
The plucky bruin made him self into an unwelcome houseguest this week, when he broke right into a Connecticut dwelling two days in a row and frolicked rummaging by way of the household’s kitchen and chowing down on marshmallows, in keeping with a report.
“I imply, I don’t care, run across the yard all you need, however now you’ve crossed the road,” West Hartford home-owner Invoice Priest informed WECT concerning the breaking-and-entering bear.
Priest was working exterior his dwelling on Sunday when he first observed the beast rummaging by way of his kitchen.
Fortunately, the unwelcomed visitor left with out inflicting any injury — however he did pattern the household’s provide of snacks, together with marshmallows.
The next morning, Priest heard noises on the entrance door, pondering it was his spouse.
As an alternative of receiving morning kiss, he obtained greetings from the black bear he believes broke into his dwelling the day earlier than.
“I believed it was my spouse simply testing on the entrance looking round, but it surely seems he [the bear] was right here,” Priest stated.
The animal, who gave the impression to be coming again for seconds, broke by way of the entrance display door and tried to get inside once more.
Priest referred to as the Division of Power and Environmental Safety (DEEP) to do away with the furry man.
Households within the West Hartford neighborhood should not shocked by the bear invasion.
“We see bears right here on a regular basis,” Hoang Wooden, a resident within the space, stated to WECT.
The Division of Power and Environmental Safety arrived Monday afternoon to arrange the lure baited with donuts.
The crew plans to humanely seize the black bear, so they may tag it and safely launch it.
DEEP encourages households to keep away from leaving any meals exterior that’s simply accessible to animals on Fb, together with a number of different ideas.
Connecticut
Connecticut makes work zone speed cameras permanent
Posted:
Updated:
BRANFORD, Conn. (WTNH) — A pilot program designed to down on speeders in Connecticut’s work zones is permanent now.
It was a pilot program tested in different locations around the state. Special white SUVs were set up with cameras to monitor speeders as they drove by.
Gov. Ned Lamont recently signed legislation that will allow the Connecticut Department of Transportation to go out for bids to vendors who can install a system to check speeds.
Over a two-year period, more than 2000 crashes were reported in Connecticut. One driver, according to CTDOT, was clocked at going more than 100 mph in a work zone.
The first offense is a $75 fine. The CTDOT said it’s meant to be educational, not a money maker.
The hope is the new speed zone systems are in place by spring 2025.
Connecticut
Chamber Foundation Awards $10,000 In Scholarships to 8 Local Students
Information via The Chamber of Commerce of Eastern CT Foundation
NEW LONDON, CT — The Chamber of Commerce of Eastern CT Foundation granted $1,250 scholarships to eight 2024 high school graduates in the region, the largest sum distributed
to date through the Foundation’s scholarship program. The program focuses on students who plan to contribute to Eastern CT’s economy and quality of life through their future career, and who have a demonstrated record of community engagement, academic achievement,
and financial need.
“The Chamber Foundation is proud to award $10,000 in scholarship funding to these deserving, outstanding youth this year, our largest sum granted to date,” said Louis Ziegler, Chair of the Chamber of Commerce of Eastern CT Foundation’s Board of Directors. “We take great pride in supporting the up-and-coming workforce of Eastern Connecticut, fully aware of the profound impact they’re destined to have in our community as they pursue their aspirations and goals.”
Scholarship funding comes from generous local businesses and donors who support the Foundation’s annual Bowl-a-thon fundraiser, held each year at High Rollers Luxury Lanes and Lounge; this year’s event will be July 16. The Foundation also hosts an annual Holiday Gala each December.
The awardees are as follows:
Gianni Drab of Robert E. Fitch Senior High School, attending
Northeastern University
Stephanie Flores Aguilar of New London High School Multi
Magnet Campus, attending University of Connecticut
Aeracura Harney of Waterford High School, attending
Florida Institute of Technology
Brianna Harris of Robert E. Fitch Senior High School,
attending Eastern Connecticut State University
Grace Peil of Marine Science Magnet High School, attending
University of Massachusetts-Amherst
Ivan Rodriguez of New London High School, attending
University of Hartford
Alyssa Tomasso of Stonington High School, attending
Eastern Connecticut State University
Sadeya Zakaria of Norwich Free Academy, attending University
of Connecticut
Connecticut
How will ranked-choice voting work in Connecticut?
HARTFORD, Conn. (WTNH) — A new working group convened by Gov. Ned Lamont will craft a proposal for the state legislature to introduce ranked-choice voting in some Connecticut elections.
Currently, 29 states allow for ranked-choice voting, mostly in party primaries and municipal elections.
The most common type of ranked-choice voting is a system known as instant-runoff ranked-choice voting. In an election utilizing instant-runoff ranked-choice voting, voters are able to rank each candidate in order of preference. Voters are not required to rank all of the candidates if they do not want to. If no candidate receives a majority of first choice votes, the candidate with the lowest number of first choice votes is eliminated. Voters who listed the eliminated candidate as their first choice then have their second choice counted as part of a second round of vote counting. This process repeats until one candidate has a majority.
For advocates of ranked-choice voting, the process represents something of a remedy for political polarization that they attribute largely to the current system of primary elections.
“The current system rewards factions and it rewards the fringes of a party,” said Monte Frank, an attorney and the vice chair of the working group. “So, the more polarizing you are, the better you do in a partisan, winner-take-all primary.”
Frank sees ranked-choice voting as a way to encourage candidates to court a wider base of support on the theory that being a voter’s second, third or even fourth choice gives them a better chance to win if multiple rounds of vote counting are required.
Frank is the former running mate of the late Oz Greibel, the third-party candidate for governor who captured just under 4% of the vote in the 2018 gubernatorial contest that pitted Republican Bob Stefanowski against Lamont.
“It not only drives voter participation, increases voter choice, but it produces a better candidate, a more consensus-driven candidate, and that improves our democracy,” Frank said.
The governor’s working group includes representation from both political parties and is co-chaired by one state senator from each side of the aisle. Any potential recommendation to the legislature would apply only to the use of ranked-choice voting in primaries, certain municipal elections, caucuses and conventions. Political parties and municipalities would have the choice of whether to adopt ranked-choice voting.
“My hope is that this working group will collect the information necessary to make specific recommendations and hopefully improve voter turnout in Connecticut,” Sen. Cathy Osten (D-District 19) said in a statement announcing the working group.
Osten, who also chairs the legislature’s influential appropriations committee, is sharing leadership of the ranked-choice voting working group with Republican Sen. Tony Hwang (District 28).
“We hope to learn how ranked-choice voting can give the voters of Connecticut a stronger and more representative voice in their local elections,” Hwang said in a statement.
Despite bipartisan interest in exploring the use of ranked-choice voting in Connecticut primaries and municipal elections, concerns remain about the wisdom of making major changes to the voting process.
“One of my concerns globally is that we’ve done a lot of changes to our election laws,” Rep. Vincent Candelora (District 86), the House Republican leader.
Candelora was referencing the introduction of early voting, which Connecticut is implementing for the first time this year. Local elections officials, he said, are challenged by the expanded in-person voting periods and would be further burdened if they had to adapt to the process of tabulating ranked-choice ballots.
Candelora also questioned how many races would actually draw more than two candidates.
“I just think that’s rare when it happens,” he said, “So, you know, to me it’s more of an academic exercise versus something that will really have a practical impact on Connecticut voting.”
The inaugural meeting of the Governor’s Working Group on Ranked-Choice Voting is on June 14.
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