Connecticut
CT legislature voting Monday on tax cuts, spending plans in two-year, $51.1 billion budget
State legislators are expected to vote Monday on a two-year, $51.1 billion budget that provides the largest state income tax cut in Connecticut history and funds hundreds of programs across the state.
Lawmakers and lobbyists were still pouring through the massive, 832-page document that has another 258 pages of analysis by nonpartisan legislative employees to explain various provisions.
The bill includes Gov. Ned Lamont’s signature income tax cut that he has touted for months to help the middle class. The 5% rate would be reduced to 4.5%, which represents a 10% rate cut. The current 3% rate would be reduced to 2%, which amounts to a 33% cut in the amount of taxes paid. The rate cuts would show up automatically in paychecks, rather than having taxpayers fill out any forms or applications.
The state would spend $25.1 billion in the fiscal year starting July 1 and $26 billion in the following year. The proposed spending is below the state’s mandated spending cap, which was a key provision that Lamont demanded in the closed-door talks.
In a move to help working families, the earned income tax credit would be 41% of the federal credit. The state had no credit at all until 2011, and families who met the qualifications received only the federal credit. Now, the credit would be boosted to the highest level in state history.
For months, legislators had been battling over the best way to help working families. The enhanced federal child tax credit of $3,600, which was boosted for one year during the coronavirus pandemic, has been dropped back to its original level of $2,000 per child. The credit could fall further to $1,000 when former President Donald Trump’s tax cuts expire in 2025.
Republicans received the final document at about 10 p.m. Sunday night and were still reading it as the state House of Representatives was debating other bills Monday.
Early voting
Legislators are providing $1.8 million to the Secretary of the State’s office to implement early voting, which would allow residents to cast ballots for 14 days before the traditional Election Day. Cities and towns would receive an additional $1.3 million to fund one polling place per town, which would usually be at town hall.
Advocates argued that the towns would need substantial funding to keep the polls open for 14 days before the general election in November.
Based on the calendar, early voting would not start until April 1, 2024, before the Republican presidential primary that is currently scheduled for April 30, 2024.
Secretary of the State Stephanie Thomas, the state’s chief elections officer, says the funding falls short.
“You get the elections that you pay for, and this budget shortchanges Connecticut’s voters, pushes the burden of paying for early voting on to our towns, and removes funding to educate Connecticut’s citizens of how they can register and vote to participate in our democracy,” Thomas said. “I’ve said from the beginning of this process that the state shouldn’t pass early voting if we weren’t willing to pay for it, and that is, unfortunately, exactly the path the legislature has chosen. This budget only funds roughly half of the bare minimum that municipalities will need to successfully implement early voting. We will continue to advocate for additional funding next fiscal year. We can’t afford to underfund our elections. We can’t afford to get this wrong.”
School meals
School meals has been an issue after a large influx of federal money during the coronavirus pandemic allowed free lunch and breakfast in all public schools. Since then, advocates have been trying to continue the 100% availability as the one-time federal money was never intended to be permanent.
“We appreciate that the budget agreement recognizes the financial pressures facing families across Connecticut with $16 million to provide more school meals,” said Lucy Nolan, a longtime advocate who serves as policy director for End Hunger CT! and representative of the School Meals 4 All CT coalition. “We remain concerned that language requiring families to apply for that support will negatively impact the goal of equal treatment of all kids in the cafeteria, and we will continue to advocate for the least complicated access.”
Numerous proposals were discarded and do not appear in the final budget.
Despite requests by both Democrats and Republicans, there are no child tax credits or deductions. Lamont had not included those ideas in his plan — saying that the best way to deliver tax relief is a broad-based income tax cut that would reach the highest amount of taxpayers possible.
Republicans have traditionally opposed the tax deduction, saying they wanted the Connecticut income tax to be as simple as possible and not include the myriad of deductions available at the federal level. But Republicans this year proposed a $2,000 deduction, saying that it would help struggling families.
Christopher Keating can be reached at ckeating@courant.com.
The 70-year-old victim in a Deep River, Connecticut, homicide linked to Massachusetts stabbing spree suspect Jared Ravizza died as a result of stab wounds, a Connecticut State Police spokesperson told Fox News Digital.
The development comes as investigators are “still working” to determine the relationship between Ravizza, a 26-year-old from Martha’s Vineyard who is alleged to have stabbed six people in Braintree and Plymouth on Saturday before being chased down by police in Cape Cod, and Bruce Feldman, the West Hartford, Connecticut, man found dead earlier that day at a home in Deep River, a quiet town near the state’s coastline.
“The victim did die as a result of injuries from [a] stabbing,” a Connecticut State Police spokesperson said Wednesday, a day after authorities announced criminal charges are pending in the case.
Julie Feldman, whom the New York Post has identified as Bruce’s wife, told the newspaper, “The whole thing’s really shocking… We were together a very, very long time.” Calls by Fox News Digital to phone numbers purportedly belonging to Julie Feldman on Wednesday went unanswered.
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Jared Ravizza faces Judge Shelby Smith in Plymouth District Court on Tuesday, May 28, on multiple charges in a stabbing of two people in Plymouth, Massachusetts. (Greg Derr/The Patriot Ledger via USA Today)
Connecticut State Police say they were first called to the area Saturday afternoon to look into a disturbance.
“The investigating Trooper learned that a suspect approached the residence on Merriwold Lane, threw a shovel through the front door window pane and then left,” state police said. “The complainants identified the suspect as someone they had recognized who was staying nearby on Maritone Lane. It was further reported to Troopers that prior to this incident, an audible disturbance was heard at the Maritone Lane address.”
Police then went to the second property’s address and discovered an adult male outside with “visible injuries,” who later was identified as Feldman and pronounced dead at the scene.
“During the initial investigation, Troopers developed information indicating that a second individual, who was no longer at the scene, had been present… earlier in the day,” police also said. “Personal items belonging to Ravizza were located at the scene and witnesses provided a description consistent with that of Ravizza.”
Investigators say the case remains active and ongoing but noted Saturday following Ravizza’s arrest in Sandwich that “a suspect in this investigation has been taken into custody in the State of Massachusetts and there is no active threat to the public.”
MASSACHUSETTS STABBING SPREE SUSPECT JARED RAVIZZA PLEADS NOT GUILTY IN PLYMOUTH REST STOP ATTACK
Jared Ravizza is shown being taken into custody in Sandwich, Massachusetts, on Saturday, May 25. (David Curran/Satellite News Service)
Three years ago, Hartford-area radio station WRCH interviewed a man identified as Bruce Feldman who claimed to have invented a device called the Ultimate Leaf Lifter, a rake that helps people pick leaves off the ground.
“I saw a neighbor who was trying to help another neighbor who was in a wheelchair, and he was trying to get the leaves in the bags without bending over, and I saw him using two rakes… and it looked tough,” Feldman told the station, describing how he got the idea for the product. “I was inspired by the salad tong and the ice tong.”
In the weeks leading up to Feldman’s death, neighbors in Deep River told the New York Post that Ravizza first checked into the home there — described as a rental property — on April 20. Then about a month later, Feldman showed up and “said he had a friend in the [property] who he was staying with,” according to neighbor Charlie Brashears.
JARED RAVIZZA WAS ‘LAUGHING’ DURING MOVIE THEATER ATTACK, MOTHER SAYS
Jared Ravizza, during his court appearance Tuesday at Plymouth District Court, pleaded not guilty to charges in connection to an alleged rest stop attack. (Greg Derr/The Patriot Ledger via USA Today)
“He made it clear he was broke,” Brashears added. “Bruce said he hoped his friend was going to let him stay for the rest of the month.”
In recent days, locals had called police to accuse Feldman — who neighbors say would walk his dog around the neighborhood and sit on homeowners’ porches without an invite — of trespassing, according to the New York Post.
“[The women] said, ‘Hey, this isn’t appropriate and you need to leave’ and they called the police to make a complaint,” Brashears was quoted as saying.
The situation then escalated on Saturday when Ravizza allegedly threw the shovel at the property owned by the women who called the police on Feldman, the New York Post reports, citing the neighbors.
Authorities say Ravizza fled the scene of the second stabbing in a black 2018 Porsche Macan, which appears to have been totaled prior to his arrest. (David Curran/Satellite News Service)
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“It looked like how they would respond to a domestic disturbance. I understand they found the body,” Brashears also said “There were two cops, then whammo — within about 10 minutes, all hell broke loose and there were seven or eight cop cars.”
CONNECTICUT — The forecast conditions for Friday through Sunday may feature the best weather of spring to date.
Nothing but sunshine and temperatures into the upper 70s to low 80s across Connecticut during this time period.
Before we get to this amazing stretch of weather, we’ll contend with more rain showers and thunderstorms Wednesday afternoon, tonight and Thursday morning.
Here are the storm specifics from WFSB 3 TV meteorologists
“Today starts off dry and bright, then during the afternoon our sky becomes partly cloudy. With more comfortable levels of humidity, temperatures peak in the mid to upper 70s inland and in the low to mid-70s at the shoreline,” said WFSB 3 TV Chief Meteorologist Mark Dixon with Scot Haney. “Toward the evening commute and thereafter, isolated showers are possible as a cold front heads our way. An area of low-pressure rides along the front as it crosses Southern New England tonight, increasing the chance for rain (some rumbles of thunder can’t be ruled out). Showers last through tomorrow morning, then clearing gets underway.” (Read/watch more at WFSB 3 TV).
Here are the forecast details for southern Connecticut via the National Weather Service:
Today: A 30 percent chance of showers, mainly after 5pm. Increasing clouds, with a high near 75. Light and variable wind becoming southwest 5 to 7 mph in the morning.
Tonight: A chance of showers and thunderstorms, then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm after 8pm. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 57. Light north wind. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.
Thursday: A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 70. North wind 7 to 9 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40%.
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Friday: Sunny, with a high near 74. North wind 8 to 10 mph.
Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 77.
Sunday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 78.
Here are the forecast details for northern Connecticut via the National Weather Service:
Today: A slight chance of showers, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms after 2pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 77. Northwest wind around 7 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
Tonight: A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 55. Northwest wind 5 to 7 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
Thursday: A chance of showers, mainly before 1pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 70. North wind around 8 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible.
Friday: Sunny, with a high near 74. North wind 6 to 10 mph.
Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 80. North wind 3 to 7 mph.
Sunday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 83. Calm wind becoming west around 6 mph in the afternoon.
The Phoenix Mercury got off to a rough start on its three-game road trip as none of the starting five scored in double figures.
The Mercury posted its worst scoring output in a 70-47 loss against the undefeated Connecticut Sun on Tuesday night in Uncasville, CT. The 6-0 start marks the best start in Sun franchise history.
Kahleah Copper, who averaged over 29 points per game, scored seven points, while Diana Taurasi had six.
Natasha Cloud led the Mercury with nine points as the team struggled with shooting. The Mercury made just 15 field goals on 63 attempts, shooting 23.8%. The perimeter game, which has been strong in the last five games, suffered as the Mercury made just one of 27 attempts from 3-point range. The Sun shot 27-for-77 (35.1%) from the floor.
Turnovers became a big issue for the Mercury as they finished with 20.
Sophie Cunningham earned her first start of the season in place of injured wing Becca Allen, who suffered a concussion in Saturday’s loss to the Dallas Wings. The Mercury’s bench had to play without guard Sug Sutton, who was out with a right ankle injury.
The Mercury (3-3) had its only lead with a 6-2 start from two made layups from Taurasi. But then the Sun took advantage of the Mercury’s seven turnovers in the first quarter and led 15-13. Taurasi was unable to find that scoring touch and went 0-for-9 after the first quarter.
The Mercury couldn’t find momentum in the second half and went 3-for-15 in the third quarter, while the Sun pulled away with an 18-point lead.
It will be a quick turnaround for the Mercury as they head to New York to face the Liberty on Wednesday at 4 p.m. PT.
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