Connecticut
May 24 Update From Bethel First Selectman Carter
**News Release Submitted by Bethel First Selectman Dan Carter**
The Board of Selectmen (BOS) appointed a Charter Revision Commission this week. Bethel is one of 109 towns in Connecticut that has a charter that allows us to control our structure of government, and the powers, duties, and terms of office of our officials. The Commission will be charged with looking at our charter and considering changes, including changes recommended by the BOS. The process could take over a year, so stay tuned for information and public hearing opportunities.
With spring yard cleanup, we have received smoke complaints due to open burning of leaves. Connecticut DEEP requires permits for open burning and only twigs, small branches, and logs less than 3” in diameter can be burned in a pile that is 5 ft long, 3 ft wide, and 3 ft high. Burning will be authorized only between 10 am and 5 pm. Find info and request burn permits online at https://bethel-ct.gov/fire-permits.
We have had recent inquiries about the Gadsden Flag that is flown with other military flags in PT Barnum Square. The flag has flown in town for years due to its historical significance as a symbol of unity during the Revolutionary War and a special meaning to our Bethel High NJROTC based on the naval history of the flag. Hopefully, communicating the context of why the flag is flown in our small town will help us understand the intended, noble meaning of the flag in this situation and avoid controversy and intolerance based on modern, politicized interpretations of the flag.
From the Tax Collector: current utility bills are due June 1st. Last day to pay to avoid interest is July 1st. If your bill has an “E” as the read code, this means your bill was estimated. To avoid a possible overestimated bill, the MIU needs to be replaced. There’s no charge and a quick fix. Please call 203-794-8509 to set up an appointment. Also, the 2023 Water Quality Report for Bethel is available in the Tax Collector office or online at https://bethel-ct.gov/news.
Check out upcoming public hearings at https://bethel-ct.gov/2024-public-hearing.
Public Hearing: Planning & Zoning Commission re: 10 Topstone Drive and continuation of hearings for 140 Greenwood Ave and 18 Stony Hill Rd (https://bethel-ct.gov/2024-zoning) on Tuesday, May 28th at 7:00 pm at Town Hall in Conference Room D
“The 101 Critical Days of Summer” have arrived. It’s the time between Memorial Day and Labor Day when a lot of accidents happen. Please take time to consider threats to your safety and the safety of your friends and family this summer, including alcohol use, speeding, heat, fatigue, and water activities. Learn more at https://portal.ct.gov/DPH/Communications/Staged/Summer-Safety
The Bethel Blooms Craft Fair is back! Stop by the front lawn of the Town Hall tomorrow, May 25 from 10am to 4pm. Free admission!
Don’t miss the Annual Family Summer Kickoff hosted by the Bethel Education Foundation at the BHS football field on Friday, May 31st from 5 pm to 8 pm. Tickets available at the door or online at https://www.betheledfoundation.org/family-summer-kick-off.html
Bethel CT Pride hosts the annual Bethel Pride Celebration and Sidewalk Parade on Saturday, June 1st. The lineup for sidewalk parade begins across from the Bethel Train Station at 12 pm and the parade starts at 12:30 pm. The parade will travel south on Durant Ave, east on Greenwood Ave, north on PT Barnum Sq, and ends in front of Town Hall with a brief drum circle and flag raising. Enjoy bands, food, games, and more until 5pm! For more information visit https://bethelctpride.com/event-info
Another shoutout to award winning gymnast Alisha Ali, spelled correctly this time! It was great to see you in our parade.
A delayed shoutout to State Rep Marty Foncello for joining us at the parade and the wreath laying ceremony!
Thank you, Bethel Women’s Club, for the flags around our gazebo to honor our Veterans!
Congrats to our Athlete of the Week, Adrian Vasquez, for his performance in the recent freshmen invitational!
Congratulations to Bethel recipients of the Western Connecticut Superintendent’s Award! Our winners exhibit a commitment to community service, demonstrate academic prowess, and provide leadership in the school community. From Bethel High School: Madison Tamburri & Joshua Heyel. From Bethel Middle School: Bhuvan Sai Dasari & Ryan Marks. Great Job!
Way to go Bethel Boys Lacrosse on their 17 to 2 win in round 1 of the state tournament!
A shoutout to the crew of Even 91 and all service men and women who have sacrificed everything for our nation. We are grateful.
Town Offices are closed on Monday, May 27th in observance of Memorial Day.
Have a great weekend!
Dan
MERIDEN, Conn. (WTNH) — For decades, police have been arresting drunk drivers and measuring their blood alcohol levels.
But in October, the Connecticut Forensic Lab started testing all impaired drivers for drugs, and even the experts were shocked by what they found.
“It’s not simply alcohol combined with one drug combined with alcohol,” Dr. Jessica Gleba, the director of Forensic Lab Operations, said. “We are seeing multiple drugs used together and often combined with alcohol.”
Fentanyl and carfentanyl use are on the rise and the data shows people are combining multiple drugs at an alarming rate.
“The data revealed, in 2025, 14% of cases analyzed had 10 or more drugs present, an increase compared to 2022, when the number was 6%,” Gleba said.
Approximately 50% of cases in 2025 had five or more drugs detected, according to the Connecticut Forensic Lab.
Not only is the state lab finding more and more combinations of drugs in impaired drivers, Connecticut is also seeing more fatal accidents caused by impaired drivers.
Across the country, around 30% of fatal crashes are caused by impaired drivers. Joe Cristalli, Jr., the CTDOT Highway Safety Office director, said Connecticut is well above that.
“The impaired rate is 40% – between 37% and 40% – and we’re one of the highest in the country,” Cristalli said.
It is the season for holiday parties, but it is also cold and flu season, and over the counter medicine can impair your driving, especially combined with alcohol.
The message from law enforcement is clear.
“If you are caught, you will be arrested, you will be presented for prosecution, which means you’re going to have to appear before a judge in the State of Connecticut,” commissioner Ronnell Higgins of the Deptartment of Emergency Services & Public Protection said. “I don’t know how clearer I can be.”
In other words, don’t drink or use drugs and get behind the wheel.
Three hours and nine minutes. That’s how long the average Connecticut resident spends in the emergency department at any one visit. With cuts in Medicaid, that time will only get longer.
On July 4, 2025, President Donald Trump passed the Big Beautiful Bill, which includes major cuts to Medicaid funding. Out of nearly 926,700 CT residents who receive Medicaid, these cuts could remove coverage for up to 170,000 people, many of whom are children, seniors, people with disabilities, and working families already living paycheck-to-paycheck.
This is not a small policy change, but rather a shift with life-altering consequences.
When people lose their only form of health insurance, they don’t stop needing medical care. They simply delay it. They wait until the infection spreads, the chest pain worsens, or the depression deepens. This is not out of choice, but because their immediate needs come first. Preventable conditions worsen, and what could have been treated quickly and affordably in a primary care office becomes an emergency medical crisis.
That crisis typically lands in the emergency department: the single part of the healthcare system that is legally required to treat everyone, insured or not. However, ER care is the most expensive, least efficient form of healthcare. More ER use means longer wait times, more hospital crowding, and more delayed care for everyone. No one, not even those who can afford private insurance, is insulated from the consequence.
Not only are individual people impacted, but hospitals too. Medicaid provides significant reimbursements to hospitals and health systems like Yale New Haven and Hartford Healthcare, as well as smaller hospitals that serve rural and low-income regions. Connecticut’s hospitals are already strained and cuts will further threaten their operating budget, potentially leading to cuts in staffing, services, or both.
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Vicky WangWhen there’s fewer staff in already short-staffed departments and fewer services, care becomes less available to those who need it the most.
This trend is not hypothetical. It is already happening. This past summer, when I had to schedule an appointment with my primary care practitioner, I was told that the earliest availability was in three months. When I called on September 5 for a specialty appointment at Yale New Haven, the first available date was September 9, 2026. If this is the system before thc cuts, what will it look like after?
The burden will fall heaviest on communities that already face obstacles to care: low-income residents, rural towns with limited providers, and Black and Latino families who are disproportionately insured through Medicaid. These cuts will deepen, not close, Connecticut’s health disparities.
This is not just a public health issue, but also an economic one. Preventative care is significantly cheaper than emergency care. When residents cannot access affordable healthcare, the long-term costs shift to hospitals, taxpayers, and private insurance premiums. The country and state may “save” money in the short term, but we will all pay more later.
It is imperative that Connecticut takes proactive steps to protect its residents. The clearest path forward is for the state to expand and strengthen community health centers (CHCs), which provide affordable primary care and prevent emergency room overcrowding.
Currently, the state supports 17 federally qualified CHCs, serving more than 440,000 Connecticut residents, which is about 1 in 8 people statewide. These centers operate hundreds of sites in urban, suburban, and rural areas, including school-based clinics, mobile units, and service-delivery points in medically underserved towns. About 60% of CHC patients in Connecticut are on Medicaid, while a significant portion are uninsured or underinsured, which are populations often shut out of private practices.
Strengthening CHCs would have far-reaching impacts on both access and system stability. These clinics provide consistent, high-quality outpatient and preventive care, including primary care, prenatal services, chronic disease management, mental health treatment, dental care, and substance-use services. This reduces the likelihood that patients delay treatment until their condition becomes an emergency. CHCs also serve large numbers of uninsured and underinsured residents through sliding-fee scales, ensuring that people can still receive care even if they lose Medicaid coverage.
By investing in community health centers, Connecticut can keep its citizens healthy, reduce long waits, and ensure timely care even as federal cuts take effect.
Access to healthcare should not depend on ZIP code, income level, or politics. It is the foundation of community well-being and a prerequisite for a functioning healthcare system.
The clock is ticking. The waiting room is filling. Connecticut must choose to care for its residents before the wait becomes even longer.
Vicky Wang is a junior at Sacred Heart University, majoring in Health Science with a Public Health Concentration. She is planning to pursue a master’s in physician assistant studies.
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