Connecticut
Connecticut House unanimously votes to deter wrong-way drivers on highwayss as deaths triple
Prompted by the tragic death of their colleague, state legislators voted Wednesday for multiple improvements to stop wrong-way drivers as deaths have tripled on Connecticut highways.
After less than 15 minutes of debate, the state House of Representatives voted 151-0 to install wrong-way detection systems at 120 highway exit ramps that are deemed “high risk” by state transportation officials who have studied 700 ramps.
Lawmakers were already working last year on the issue, but they vowed to redouble their efforts following the death of state Rep. Quentin “Q” Williams, a Middletown Democrat who was killed in early January when his car was hit by a wrong-way driver shortly after Williams had left the governor’s inaugural ball in Hartford.
Toxicology tests showed that both drivers were legally drunk at the time of the crash as Williams’s blood alcohol concentration was measured at 0.159% and the wrong-way driver, Kimede Katie Mustafaj, was measured at 0.137%. Both drivers also had traces of marijuana in their blood.
The problem statewide has become more acute as wrong-way collisions killed 23 people in 2022 in Connecticut in 13 different accidents. The state recorded only two wrong-way crashes in 2020 and four in 2021.
Traffic fatalities overall have jumped sharply as more than 300 people died last year on Connecticut roadways. That included 231 drivers and passengers in multiple accidents, along with 75 pedestrians who had been walking or riding a bicycle when hit by a vehicle.
The answer, lawmakers said, is a multifaceted plan for a combination of warning lights, signs, electronic messages, and rumble strips to deter drivers from mistakenly getting on an exit.
Rep. Roland LeMar, a New Haven Democrat who co-chairs the transportation committee, said that the consumption of alcohol is so high that many drivers “have no idea they’re traveling in the wrong direction.”
Referring to Williams, LeMar said, “This has been a difficult year for a lot of us.”
Rep. Kathy Kennedy, a Milford Republican who serves as the ranking member on the transportation committee, said, “We need to pay more attention. We need to get to where we’re going, and we need to get back home.”
In addition to the death of Williams, Rep. Bobby Gibson, a Bloomfield Democrat, said the legislation was personally important to him because a close friend died in a wrong-way crash in 2019.
Rep. Thomas O’Dea, a New Canaan Republican, said he is concerned about marijuana use in cars and the rules for “probable cause” that tell police when they can pull over a car for traffic violations. He noted that the smell of marijuana cannot be used as the sole reason by police for a traffic stop.
“We need a lot more education, quite clearly,” O’Dea said. “We need to prevent the next accident from happening.”
The bill also calls for installing special rumble strips on various exit ramps “in a way that will cause
tactile vibration and audible rumbling when a driver goes the wrong way on these ramps,” according to a nonpartisan legislative analysis.
In addition, the bill says that notification systems should contact state police when a wrong-way driver is detected and “broadcasting a notice on electronic message boards along the highway that a wrong-way driver is present,” the analysis said.
The measures, which would take effect on October 1, still need approval by the 36-member state Senate and the signature of Gov. Ned Lamont.
While deaths in wrong-way crashes tripled in 2022, the most high-profile crash in recent years involved Williams. A detailed state police investigation report, which contained more than 300 pages, showed that Williams was traveling at 85.8 miles per hour and Mustafaj was headed north at 56.9 mph.
The investigation showed that an Infiniti Q60 driven by Williams was traveling southbound on Route 9 near the Exit 18 on-ramp in Cromwell after 12:30 a.m. on Jan. 5 when a wrong-way driver in a Toyota Corolla struck the vehicle head-on. Williams’ vehicle was fully engulfed in flames, and both drivers were pronounced dead at the scene.
States across the country are trying to combat wrong-way driving that leads to hundreds of deaths every year. In Massachusetts, officials have started a $2.6 million pilot program that includes wrong-way detection systems on the highway entrance ramps. If a driver is headed the wrong way, lights will begin flashing, and selected entrances also include audible alarms.
Christopher Keating can be reached at ckeating@courant.com
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HANOVER, NH — New Hampshire Fish and Game was notified of a missing Dartmouth College Student Sunday.
The student, Won Jang, 20, of Middletown, DE, was last seen by friends at approximately 9:30 p.m. on Saturday night, according to conservation officers.
Jang was seen during a casual gathering near the Dartmouth boathouse on the Connecticut River. Concern arose when Jang failed to appear for a planned engagement the next day. Hanover police and fire departments from Hanover, Lebanon, and Hartford, Vermont, initiated a search in the vicinity, including underwater searches near the docks.
Items recovered near the dock suggested that Jang had remained in the river area. NH Conservation Officers, New Hampshire Marine Patrol, and the NH Fish and Game ROV/Sonar Team commenced a comprehensive search by boat and underwater camera. The Upper Valley Wilderness Response Team also employed drone technology to aid in the search effort.
Jang’s body was located in the Connecticut River by the underwater camera at about 7:25 p.m. in the area where he was last seen.
Connecticut
29 Connecticut Companies Named to Newsweek’s Greatest Workplaces 2024 List — Connecticut by the Numbers
Newsweek and Plant-A Insights Group released the latest list noting that the companies featured “show that, even in the face of waning enthusiasm among much of the workforce, it is still possible to create a great environment that facilitates engagement.”
The survey that established the list covered topics like compensation and benefits, training and career progression, work-life balance and company culture, according to Newsweek. Also, post-survey desk research considered each company’s online mentions, diversity and inclusion ratings, and reviews of senior management.
Newsweek Global Editor in Chief Nancy Cooper observed that “the highly-regarded companies ranked here likely enjoy stronger client relationships and higher retention rates, because better workplaces benefit everyone.”
Six Connecticut companies were among the small-size businesses earning a spot on the Newsweek list; along with 11 mid-size companies and 12 large-size companies. (industry in parentheses; companies listed alphabetically within each category)
Small-size companies (500 – 999 employees)
Acme United Consumer Products Distributors
American Customer Care Business Support Services
Behavioral, Education Assessment and Consultation of CT Specialized Consumer Services
COCC Technology Services
Melissa & Doug Specialty Retail
Rehabilitation Associates Health Care Providers
Mid-size companies (1,000-4,999 employees)
BlueCrest Industrial Machinery
CareCentrix Health Care Services
Companions & Homemakers Health Care Services
Ensign-Bickford Industries Conglomerates
Healthtrax International Leisure Facilities
Hudson RPO Advertising & Marketing
ISG Advertising & Marketing
RBC Bearings Industrial Products
St. Vincent’s Development Professional Services
Tangoe Technology Services
Vineyard Vines Apparel Retail
Large-size companies (5,000+ employees)
Barnes Group Industrial Products
Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals Pharmaceuticals
EMCOR Group Commercial & Industrial Engineering
Gartner Software & Internet Services
Henkel (North America) Conglomerates
ITT Aerospace Aerospace & Defense
Mohegan Hotels, Resorts, Casinos & Cruise Lines
Pitney Bowes Commercial Equipment & Supplies Distributors
SS&C Technologies Holdings Software & Internet Services
Synchrony Consumer Finance
The Hartford Insurance Underwriting
United Rentals Industrial Services
Connecticut
DeWanna Bonner hits career-high seven threes, scores 23 as Connecticut Sun beat Atlanta Dream | TSN
UNCASVILLE, Conn. — — DeWanna Bonner scored 23 points, hitting a career-high seven 3-pointers, to help the Connecticut Sun beat the Atlanta Dream 80-67 Sunday for their third win in a row.
Tiffany Mitchell added 13 points and Brionna Jones scored 11 points for Connecticut. Alyssa Thomas added seven points, nine assists and seven rebounds.
Mitchell and Bonner each hit a 3-point in a 9-0 run that made it 17-11 with 2:20 left in the first quarter and the Sun led the rest of the way.
Allisha Gray hit a mid-range pull-up jumper that cut Atlanta’s deficit to 24-20 midway through the second quarter but Veronica Burton answered with a 3-pointer and Jones made a layup before Bonner hit again from behind the arc to give Connecticut a 12-point lead. The Sun led 34-24 at the half.
The Dream made 4 of 11 from the field and committed five turnovers while scoring just eight points in the second quarter before Connecticut scored 33 points — one fewer than its first-half total — on 9-of-11 shooting in the third quarter to open an 18-point lead going into the fourth.
Atlanta (7-13), which beat the Sun 78-74 on June 28 to end a three-game skid, has lost four games in a row and seven of its last eight.
Connecticut (17-4) has won four of its last five games and is tied with the New York Liberty for the best record in the WNBA.
New York, which beat the Sun 82-75 on June 8 to end Connecticut’s nine-game win streak to open the season, visits Wednesday.
Gray led Atlanta with 19 points on 7-of-11 shooting. Tina Charles added 13 points and Nia Coffey 11.
Rhyne Howard (ankle) — who is second on the Dream in scoring (15.4 per game) this season and leads the team in assists (3.4), steals (2.2) and blocks (0.8) — Cheyenne Parker-Tyus (foot), Aerial Powers (calf) and Jordin Canada (finger) did not play for Atlanta.
——
AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball
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