Connecticut
New laws coming to Connecticut in 2025
As we prepare to ring in a new year, the state is getting ready to roll out more than a dozen new laws starting Jan. 1.
The minimum wage is set to increase from $15.69/hour to $16.35/hour as part of a 2019 law signed by Gov. Ned Lamont requiring it to be adjusted annually based on the health of the economy.
“You work a full day,” Lamont says. “You deserve a fair wage.”
Also set to change is the amount of paid sick time some workers get.
Nearly all private sector employers with at least 25 employees must guarantee workers at least 40 hours of paid sick time each year.
It’s phase one of a three-step plan aiming to get nearly all private employees paid sick days by 2027.
Absentee ballot security will also be tightened. Municipalities are required to video record drop boxes during elections and release those recordings to the public. Town clerks must also track how they receive absentee ballots and report that data to the Secretary of State.
Home health workers will receive more protection starting in the new year, and Connecticut’s cannabis industry will see new regulations as well.
Starting Jan. 1, only licensed cannabis dispensaries registered with the Department of Consumer Protection will be able to sell products with 0.5 milligram to 5 milligrams of THC.
Connecticut
Concerts coming to Connecticut in 2025
Lots of great musical acts are coming to Connecticut in 2025. Here’s a look at some of the shows happening between January and April.
January
Jan. 18: Boyz II Men, Mohegan Sun Arena, 8 p.m.
- The R&B band known for hits including “End of the Road,” “I’ll Make Love to You,” “Motownphilly” and many others is coming to Mohegan Sun Arena.
- You can get tickets here.
Jan. 24, Randy Houser, Foxwoods, 8 p.m.
Jan. 25: The Isley Brothers and The Spinners, Foxwoods, 8 p.m.
- Legendary R&B and soul performers, The Isley Brothers, known for hits including “Shout,” “It’s Your thing” and many more, will be at Foxwoods with The Spinners, of “I’ll Be Around” and “Could It Be I’m Falling in Love” fame.
- Learn more and get tickets here.
Jan. 31: Vince Neil and Ace Frehley, Mohegan Sun Arena, 8 p.m.
- Vince Neil, the front man of Mötley Crüe, and Kiss co-founder Ace Frehley, who was also the original lead guitarist of the band, are touring together.
- You can get tickets here.
February
Feb. 6: Cole Swindell, Mohegan Sun Arena, 7:30 p.m.
- The country music artist is known for hits including “Single Saturday Night,” “She Had Me At Heads Carolina” and more.
- You can get tickets here.
Feb. 7: Bret Michael with Mark McGrath, Mohegan Sun Arena, 8 p.m.
- Bret Michael, of Poison,” is known fir hits including Every Rose Has Its Thorn,” “Nothin ’But A Good Time,” and “Talk Dirty to Me.”
- Connecticut native Mark McGrath gained national fame as the lead singer or “Sugar Ray.”
- You can get tickets here.
Feb. 14: Kelsea Ballerini, Mohegan Sun Arena, 7 p.m.
- Kelsea Ballerini will perform at Mohegan Sun Arena on Valentine’s Day with special guests Ashe and MaRynn Taylor.
- You can get tickets here.
Feb. 15: Johnny Mathis, Foxwoods, 8 p.m.
Feb. 22: Billy Joel, Mohegan Sun Arena, 8 p.m.
- The legendary musician is responsible for many, many hits that are too numerous to mention, is a member of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and the Songwriter’s Hall of Fame and the Broadway musical “Movin’ Out” is based on his music.
- You can get tickets here.
March
March 13: Dropkick Murphys, Mohegan Sun Arena, 7 p.m.
- The Boston-based Dropkick Murphys are coming to Connecticut for the St. Patrick’s Day 2025 Tour with special guests The Menzingers and Teenage Bottlerocket.
- You can get tickets here.
March 14: Rascal Flatts, Mohegan Sun Arena, 8 p.m.
- Rascal Flatts Life is a Highway Tour is coming to Connecticut with special guests Lauren Alaina and Chris Lane.
- You can get tickets here.
March 21: Blake Shelton, Mohegan Sun Arena, 7 p.m.
- Blake Shelton’s Friends and Heroes 2025 tour is coming to Connecticut with special guest Emily Ann Roberts, with special appearances by Craig Morgan, Deana Carter and Trace Adkins.
- You can get tickets here.
March 21: Lee Brice, Toyota Oakdale, 8 p.m.
- The country artists is known for hits including, “I Hope You’re Happy Now” and “One of Them Girls.”
- You can get tickets here.
March 28: Reba McEntire, Mohegan Sun Arena, 8 p.m.
- The artist known as the queen of country is known for hits including, “The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia,” “Fancy,” “Does he Love You,” “The Greatest Man I Never Knew,” “Turn on the Radio” and many more.
- You can get tickets here.
March 28: Grand Funk Railroad, Foxwoods, 8 p.m.
March 29: Carly Pearce, Foxwoods, 8 p.m.
April
April 4: Dylan Scott, Toyota Oakdale, 7:30 p.m.
April 5: Night Ranger, Foxwoods, 8 p.m.
April 12: Heart, Foxwoods, 8 p.m.
April 19: Melissa Etheridge and Joss Stone, Foxwoods, 8 p.m.
April 26: The Temptations and The Four Tops, Foxwoods, 8 p.m.
- The Temptations are known for “My Girl,” “Just My Imagination (Running Away with Me),” “Ain’t Too Proud to Beg,” and “Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone.”
- The Four Tops are known for “Baby I Need Your Loving,” “I Can’t Help Myself” and “It’s the Same Old Song.”
- Learn more and get tickets here.
This list will be updated with more concerts coming to the state.
Connecticut
These Connecticut laws are taking effect in 2025
CONNECTICUT – Several new laws in Connecticut are taking effect in 2025, from expanded paid sick days to minimum wage increases.
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Here’s a look at some of them that could impact your life:
Connecticut’s minimum wage is increasing from $15.69 per hour to $16.35 per hour.
CT Gov. Ned Lamont signed Public Act 19-4 back in 2019, which implemented five incremental increases in the minimum wage between 2019 and 2023, followed by future adjustments tied to the percentage change in the federal employment cost index.
Back in May, Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont signed legislation “strengthening the state’s laws regarding paid sick days protections by expanding them to ensure that more workers are covered and have access to them.”
The state’s existing laws require employers with over 50 employees that are mostly in specific retail and service occupations to provide their employees with up to 40 hours of paid sick leave annually. Effective Jan. 1, the laws will apply to workers of nearly every occupation.
“Our existing paid sick days laws include important protections for certain workers, however there are broad categories left unprotected, and this update will expand this coverage to help ensure that people do not have to choose between going to work sick and sacrificing a day’s wage,” Lamont said.
On Election Day, Connecticut voters approved an amendment to the state’s constitution that could make it easier to cast ballots by mail or through drop boxes in future elections.
The amendment lifts long-standing restrictions that only allowed people in the state to vote by absentee ballot if they were going to be out of town, are sick or disabled, or couldn’t get to a polling location because of religious restrictions.
Effective Jan. 1, the act prohibits anyone from knowingly making another individual liable for “coerced debt” (i.e., generally, certain credit card debt incurred by a domestic violence victim who was coerced into incurring it).
“Specifically, if a victim gives a claimant certain information and documentation that a debt is coerced debt, the claimant must pause all collection activities on the debt for at least 60 days, review the victim’s submission and other available information it has, and then continue or end its collection based on the review,” the bill said.
PA 24-52—sSB 13 “expands the student loan payment tax credit for qualified employers that make eligible student loan payments on a qualified employee’s behalf.”
Connecticut
Strong winds to move through the state overnight and into Thursday
Our NBC Connecticut meteorologists are tracking gusty winds that will move through the state overnight and into the day on Thursday.
Some wind gusts could top 45 miles per hour, causing difficult driving conditions.
The National Weather Service said some wind gusts could reach up to 60 mph.
There’s a wind advisory in effect throughout southern New England until 10 p.m. Thursday.
The strongest winds are expected midday Thursday around 11 a.m. and may cause some weaker tree limbs to fall, or even result in a few isolated power outages.
We aren’t expecting widespread power outages or tree damage with this system, and the wind will continue to usher in cool air.
After starting the week with near-record high temperatures, these gusty winds will usher in temps in the 30s.
The wind will stay steady on Friday, but weaker than Thursday. Still, combined with the air temperature, the feels-like conditions will fall into the single digits and 10s by Friday morning.
You can get the latest forecast anytime here.
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