Connecticut
Opinion: CT’s unspoken crisis: Elevating the voices of young people
Public systems that are supposed to help young people often end up perpetuating disconnection. That’s what we learn when we listen to young people who are disconnected from school and employment in Connecticut.
Through its Connecticut Opportunity Project initiative, Dalio Education recently released the final report in its research series on Connecticut’s Unspoken Crisis: “Elevating the Voices of Young People,” prepared by Community Science. The power of this study to inform our understanding of how to successfully re-engage the 63,000 young people in Connecticut who are disconnected lies in its design: the data source for the report’s findings and recommendations are the voices and experiences of the young people directly impacted by this crisis.
When we listen, we hear how one young man ended up in juvenile probation because of his school’s response to his absenteeism. In his words, he was in juvenile detention for “truancy, not going to school, not showing up, not being where I was supposed to be at.”
We also hear how young people in need of housing hesitate to seek supports for fear of triggering child welfare system involvement, with one young woman revealing: “When people do the 211 call and say certain things, next thing you know DCF’s involved. When it’s really not even their fault or anything, but they’re not doing anything bad.”
A total of 74 young people between the ages of 14 to 26 were interviewed by Community Science from across seven cities, with an overrepresentation of Black and Hispanic/Latino(a) young people, and more men relative to women, mirroring the demographic trends we see in the population of young people in Connecticut who are experiencing disconnection. Community Science explored young people’s experience in their community, interactions with different public systems (education, criminal justice, child welfare, healthcare, and housing), and hopes and aspirations for the future.
Young people further shaped the study through the creation of a Community Advisory Group (CAG) that was convened regularly to inform the collection and interpretation of data. Nine of the 13 CAG members were young people who had experienced disconnection. They were joined by four professionals who work with or in support of this youth population and served as validators for their perspectives while providing additional context, in terms of the challenges and assets of communities as well as the racial, ethnic, and cultural dynamics that exist in Connecticut. We created a space where people could show up authentically to share their experiences and feedback, to help test the analysis and ensure the key themes emerging from the study resonate with their experiences in their communities. All of the major decisions made by the research team were shaped by input from the CAG, including pivots made based on insights they shared.
From this report, we see that disconnection from education is often a precursor to interaction with other systems, and that once young people are engaged in multiple systems, it can produce an almost self-perpetuating cycle that leads to long-term disconnection, from school and work as well as from other resources, which reinforces the challenges young people are facing.
We also learn about the important role of social capital and how lack of access to it impacts young people, with the limited nature of resources and supports available to young people making it that much more difficult for them to weather the complex challenges they face.
Through improved system coordination coupled with culturally-responsive, trauma-informed practices that prioritize rehabilitation over punitive measures, we can do better by our young people, and help them achieve goals and aspirations they hold that are so much bigger than just themselves, including their children, families, and communities. As one young woman reflected: “Construction would really help me because I really want to build something for the children. I want to build something for the homeless where you don’t have to be on the streets no more. I want to do that in every community that I go to. I want to help every community that I can.”
The goals and aspirations of the young people interviewed for this report are not unlike those that many young people would share – financial security, educational attainment, gainful employment. Their definitions of success also reflect the profound challenges they have had to navigate with determination and hope for a better future. According to one young person: “…success means to me when I’m wealthy enough, my kids or my future generation wouldn’t have to worry about anything. I feel like that’s real success.”
Through these reflections, one key theme that shines through is our young people’s incredible “resilience, resourcefulness, and determination to transcend the limitations imposed upon them by societal norms and structural inequalities,” in the words of the report’s authors.
This report also demonstrates how we can position the young people impacted as the ones not only conveying their needs but also as part of developing the solutions. This approach enables the creation of solutions that are practical, responsive, and fully actualized because they are designed in partnership with those whose needs they are designed to meet. That’s how we address root causes and generate real change.
Samantha Miller is a Portfolio Director for the Connecticut Opportunity Project at Dalio Education
If you grew up in North Carolina, you don’t just eat fast food — you inherit it. The first time I walked into a Connecticut drive-thru, I realized something that shocked my younger self: I missed home because I missed the food. Connecticut may pride itself on being the Pizza Capital of the United States, but for anyone raised in the South, that crown doesn’t solve the state’s biggest problem — it lacks the fast-food culture that keeps everyday meals fun, comforting and quick.
Before Nutmeggers fire their ovens to defend New Haven, let me acknowledge the obvious: Connecticut has world-class pizza. The state is so proud of it that the governor’s office issued a press release doubling down on the title, even noting that there are 1,376 pizza restaurants statewide and 63 in New Haven alone.
And yes, the pies are incredible. Many are handmade, cooked in old ovens and worth the wait.
But that’s the point: You have to wait. A lot.
Most weekends, you’ll stand in line at Pepe’s longer than it takes to drive from New Britain to Hartford. Connecticut pizza may be extraordinary, but it’s not fast food. And it can’t replace what the South does best: comfort meals you can get in minutes.
As a North Carolina native now living in Connecticut, here are three things this state needs to truly level up its food game:
- A legendary fast-food chain — ideally Bojangles.
Southerners don’t go to Bojangles. We return to it. It’s fried chicken that tastes like home, biscuits you can’t replicate, and seasoned fries that make road trips worth it.
Connecticut may not realize it, but people here miss it too. Some residents literally drive from Connecticut to North Carolina just for Bojangles, as shown in this Reddit thread from transplanted Southerners longing for a “Bojangles fix.” Another Reddit post raves about trying Bojangles for the first time.
Even YouTube creators have jumped in, praising the chain with videos like this review of its famous chicken and biscuits.
There’s also a full breakdown of the chain’s significance in “The Untold Truth of Bojangles,” which you can read here. For an outside perspective, a Connecticut-based writer included Bojangles in a ranking of the best Southern chains.
And recently, Bojangles made business news when reports suggested the company is up for sale — a reminder of how culturally important it is to its fans.
Bottom line: Bojangles has more than 800 locations across 17 states, a loyal fan base and a flavor profile the Northeast simply doesn’t match.
- More variety. The South’s fast-food universe is huge.
A writer who lived in both New England and the South described the contrast clearly in this Business Insider piece: “The fast-food options are seemingly endless in the South.”
North Carolina has Cook Out, Zaxby’s, Biscuitville, Smithfield’s Chicken ’N Bar-B-Q, and more. Connecticut has far fewer regional chains, meaning fewer signature flavors and fewer low-cost comfort foods. It’s not just about fried chicken — it’s about choice.
- A stronger culture of quick, flavorful meals.
Fast food in N.C. isn’t just food — it’s rhythm. It’s grabbing a Cajun Filet Biscuit before school, hitting Cook Out after a late game or stopping at Bojangles on road trips because you know exactly what that first bite will taste like. Connecticut leans heavily on sit-down meals and pizza culture. Great traditions, but not always practical for families, students or workers looking for fast, inexpensive meals on the go.
The Counterargument: But Connecticut Has Pizza.
True — Connecticut has some of the best pizza in the country, and locals love it fiercely. But pizza isn’t filling the same role Bojangles does in North Carolina. It’s not a drive-thru meal; it’s not a cultural touchstone, and it doesn’t come with a sweet tea strong enough to fix a bad day. Pizza can be phenomenal while still leaving a gap in the food landscape.
The Solution
It’s time for Connecticut to welcome a major Southern chain, ideally Bojangles, and embrace the culture that comes with it. Even a single location would bring new flavors, new customers, new jobs and maybe even a new sense of identity around quick comfort food. Connecticut doesn’t have to stop loving pizza. But it can expand its palate — and its drive-thru options.
Because here’s the truth that no Connecticut resident wants to hear from a Southerner: Your pizza is amazing. But you have no idea how good life can be with a Bo-Berry Biscuit.
Max Frazier is a sophomore, a Blue Devils basketball player and a proud North Carolinian studying communication at Central Connecticut State University.
BURLINGTON, Conn. (WFSB) – Connecticut State Police are investigating a suspicious incident at a residence on Case Road in Burlington.
Multiple state troopers and police vehicles were seen at the home conducting an investigation. A viewer reported seeing nine police cars and numerous troopers at the scene.
State police said there is no threat to the public at this time. The investigation is ongoing.
No additional details about the nature of the suspicious incident have been released.
Copyright 2026 WFSB. All rights reserved.
Connecticut
Ecuadorian national with manslaughter conviction sentenced for illegally reentering United States through Connecticut
NEW HAVEN, CT. (WFSB) – An Ecuadorian national with a manslaughter conviction was sentenced to 12 months and one day in prison for illegally reentering the United States through Connecticut after being deported.
40-year-old Darwin Francisco Quituizaca-Duchitanga was sentenced and had used the aliases Darwin Duchitanga-Quituizaca and Juan Mendez-Gutierrez.
U.S. Border Patrol first encountered Quituizaca in December 2003, when he used the alias Juan Mendez-Gutierrez and claimed to be a Mexican citizen. He was issued a voluntary return to Mexico.
Connecticut State Police arrested him in March 2018 on charges related to a fatal crash on I-91 in North Haven in March 2017. He was using the alias Darwin Duchitanga-Quituizaca at the time.
ICE arrested him on an administrative warrant in Meriden in August 2018 while he was awaiting trial in his state case. An immigration judge ordered his removal to Ecuador in September 2018, but he was transferred to state custody to face pending charges.
Quituizaca was convicted of second-degree manslaughter in January 2019 and sentenced to 30 months in prison.
After his release, ICE arrested him again on an administrative warrant in Meriden in August 2023. He was removed to Ecuador the next month.
ICE arrested Quituizaca again on a warrant in Meriden on June 28th, 2025, after he illegally reentered the United States. He pleaded guilty to unlawful reentry on July 30th.
He has been detained since his arrest. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement investigated the case.
The case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative by the Department of Justice to combat illegal immigration and transnational criminal organizations.
Copyright 2026 WFSB. All rights reserved.
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