Connecticut
Picture Connecticut: That's A Tall Uncle Sam
VERNON, CT — It was just a few minutes into Tuesday’s annual July in the Sky fireworks celebration in Vernon when out he came.
It was Uncle Sam — on stilts — leading the Push, Pedal and Pull Patriotic Parade, which is part of the annual event.
So is the presence of Uncle Sam, who is played by Nathan Galligan, who took over last year as the character for his grandfather, Bryan Flint, who tragically passed away in a car crash just months earlier. Flint was Vernon’s original Uncle Sam, the town’s magician and an advocate for the homeless and less fortunate.
The Vernon show takes place each year on the Tuesday after the Fourth. It is one of the biggest and latest Independence Day shows in the state.
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Picture Connecticut is a weekly series that features images of the state, past and present. Here are past images:
2024
Connecticut
Janel Grant To Speak At Survivor Advocacy Event In WWE’s Home State Of Connecticut – Wrestling Inc.
Janel Grant changed the history of professional wrestling when she spoke out about her experience with ex-WWE CEO Vince McMahon, and soon, she will extend her impact far beyond the ring. Advocates and survivors appear in Hartford, Connecticut to push for further legal protections for sexual violence survivors, and Grant will be on the front lines, in WWE’s home state, to offer her voice.
A press release from The Connecticut Alliance to End Sexual Violence (The Alliance) was posted onto X, formerly known as Twitter, by PWTorch’s Brian Zilem. In the report, Grant and Alex Brown, another sexual violence survivor, were announced as speakers for The Alliance’s gathering outside Hartford’s Legislative Office Building the morning of February 19. Grant and Brown’s testimonies, The Alliance hopes, will pressure lawmakers to integrate the federal Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) into state law, whilst changing Connecticut’s NDA laws — laws that, The Alliance claims, are used to suppress survivors and their stories.
Press release.Survivors and advocates will gather Feb. 19 in Hartford to urge lawmakers to codify PREA into Connecticut law and reform NDA policies that silence survivors. Janel Grant is scheduled to speak at the event. pic.twitter.com/1MQiAZybRE
— Brian Zilem 🥃 (@BrianZilem) February 11, 2026
“We are all more vulnerable to coercive control than we realize,” Grant said in The Alliance’s statement. “Coercive control happens in increments, and entire industries are built on systems of coercive control. Tools such as NDAs can be used to ominously justify anything, and even turn a life into someone else’s storyline, keeping even those who have not signed confidentiality agreements working in fear.”
Grant hoped that her presence at The Alliance’s gathering will encourage “others with information” to work alongside her to create a safer world. The Alliance described Grant’s NDA with WWE as a factor that impacts her ability to speak freely about sexual violence.
While Grant’s appearance alongside The Alliance hopes to bring change, Grant’s own civil lawsuit against McMahon and WWE has hit a bump in the road after a Connecticut District Court judge recently denied an early discovery motion filed by Grant’s team.
Connecticut
Freezing rain forces multiple school delays across Connecticut
Numerous school districts have announced a two‑hour delays for students and staff this morning.
Trumbull Public Schools said treatment was being applied at all schools and throughout the town. Officials urged families to be careful on driveways and sidewalks. Superintendent Martin J. Semmel said central office staff should report at 10 a.m. and custodial staff should report at their regular time. Morning pre‑K and before‑school activities were canceled.
Fairfield Public Schools also issued a two‑hour delay because of slick road conditions from freezing rain. Morning pre‑K and before‑school programs were canceled. Central office staff were asked to report at 10 a.m., with custodial staff reporting at their regular time.
Also announcing two hour delays:
Fairfield Prep
Amity Regional School District in Woodbridge
Stratford public schools
ROSCCO before program today in Stamford
Connecticut
Connecticut Republicans unveil their proposals for more affordability in the state
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