Connecticut
Picture Connecticut: Mr. Jonathan Goes To Hartford
HARTFORD, CT — This week’s stop on the Picture Connecticut tour takes us to the hallowed halls of government at the Connecticut Capitol, where things became serious in a hurry when it came to a public hearing on a proposal to make the Husky the official state dog.
What better dog to testify than THE Husky himself?
That’s right, the UConn Mascot, Jonathan XV was on hand with handler Laura Centanni Friday to address the Government Administrations and Elections Committee.
Here is the official testimony:
Honorable Co-Chairs, Ranking Members, and Members of the Government Administration and Elections Committee, my name is Laura Centanni, I am a student at the University of Connecticut and a co-chair of Alpha Phi Omega’s Husky Committee, which leads the fraternity’s work to care for UConn’s official mascot along with a local host family. I am joined today by Jonathan XV and am happy to read his testimony to the committee.
Thank you for this opportunity to provide testimony on behalf of the University in support of House Bill 5304 – An Act Designating the State Dog and State Candy.
Jonathan I, who was named after Connecticut’s first Governor, Jonathan Trumbull, arrived on campus in 1935 when we were known as Connecticut State College and had just begun awarding bachelor’s degrees two years earlier. Four years later, this very General Assembly approved a bill that changed the name of our institution to the University of Connecticut. Since then, UConn has experienced exponential growth, helping to fuel our state’s economy and serving as a source of pride for so many soaring to #9 in the Wall Street Journal Rankings of public universities and winning 23 NCAA national championships since 1981.
14 Huskies like me presided over the exciting history of the University of Connecticut, and while it’s a great responsibility, I am excited to be the next iteration of a symbol that unites our state and energizes Nutmeggers nationwide!
Obviously being one myself, one could certainly accuse me of bias when championing the traits of a Siberian Husky. But words such as friendly, gentle, alert, outgoing, dignified, and intelligent are all characteristics used to describe Siberian Huskies like me by the American Kennel Club. Sure, the word mischievous appears a time or two but there is fine line between mischievous and a dog who likes to have some fun!
Thank you again for the opportunity to provide testimony today. I would be happy to answer questions if I could, but please know that it would be a great honor to me and my Siberian Husky brethren to be designated as our great state’s official dog.
Go Huskies!
____
Picture Connecticut is a weekly series that features images of the state, past and present.Here are past images:2024
2023
Connecticut
Florida High School State Bronze Medalist Dajah German Verbals To Connecticut For Fall 2027
Fitter and Faster Swim Camps is the proud sponsor of SwimSwam’s College Recruiting Channel and all commitment news. For many, swimming in college is a lifelong dream that is pursued with dedication and determination. Fitter and Faster is proud to honor these athletes and those who supported them on their journey.
Florida high school state bronze medalist Dajah German has announced her verbal commitment to swim and study at the University of Connecticut beginning in the fall of 2027. She publicized the news on SwimCloud, writing:
I am so excited to announce my verbal commitment to continue my academic and athletic career at the University of Connecticut! I’m incredibly grateful for everyone who has supported me throughout this journey, my family, coaches, teammates, and friends who have pushed me to be my best throughout the years. And a very special thank you to Coach Chris and Coach Nicole for believing in me and giving me this opportunity. I’m so excited for what’s ahead. GO HUSKIES!
A rising senior at Fort Lauderdale High School in Florida, German trains year-round with Swim Fort Lauderdale and primarily specializes in the sprint and middle-distance freestyle events.
German has improved each year of her high school career, most recently dropping from 23.78, 51.39, and 1:50.56 in the 50/100/200 free to 23.54, 51.35, and 1:49.69 during the 2025-26 short course season.
German’s top meet of the season was the Florida Senior Championships in March, where she recorded her current PBs in both the 50 and 200 free. She finished second in the 500 free (4:55.94) and 1650 free (17:02.78), third in both the 50 free and 200 free, and fifth in the 100 free (51.43). She set her current 100 free PB at a smaller holiday meet in December. In the 500 free, she clocked a season-best 4:55.21 at the Speedo Cup in January, with her lifetime best of 4:53.19 coming at the 2025 Florida Senior Championships.
German has qualified for the FHSAA (Florida High School Athletic Association) State Championships for the past three years, with her top performance coming at the 2025 iteration in November. She placed third in the 50 free (23.96), fifth in the 500 free (5:01.12), and helped Fort Lauderdale to fourth place in both the 200 free relay (24.64 leadoff) and 400 free relay (53.08 anchor).
Top SCY Times:
- 50 Freestyle: 23.54
- 100 Freestyle: 51.35
- 200 Freestyle: 1:49.69
- 500 Freestyle: 4:53.19
A Division I Mid-Major program, Connecticut competes in the Big East, with the women’s team placing second out of seven teams at this past season’s conference championships. German’s current lifetime bests would have placed third in the 200 free, fourth in the 500 free, eighth in the 50 free, and ninth in the 100 free, setting her up as an immediate contributor with two full seasons of training still ahead before her first conference meet.
German joins Anna Mumford, Lyla Devlin, Lena Brown, and Louisa Holda in committing to the Huskies’ class of 2031 so far.
If you have a commitment to report, please send an email with a photo (landscape, or horizontal, looks best) and a quote to [email protected].
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Here are the forecast details for northern Connecticut via the National Weather Service:
Today: Sunny, with a high near 80. Light west wind increasing to 6 to 11 mph in the morning.
Tonight: Partly cloudy, with a low around 56. Northwest wind around 6 mph becoming calm in the evening.
Monday: A chance of showers before 2pm, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms between 2pm and 4pm, then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm after 4pm. Increasing clouds, with a high near 76. Calm wind becoming southeast around 6 mph in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.
Monday Night: Showers and possibly a thunderstorm. Some of the storms could produce heavy rainfall. Low around 59. Southeast wind around 8 mph becoming southwest after midnight. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New precipitation amounts between three quarters and one inch possible.
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