Connecticut
Popular CT rideshare pilot program gets millions in upcoming budget
Connecticut lawmakers will include $10.5 million for the state’s microtransit pilot program as part of the state’s upcoming budget, that’s according to State Sen. Christine Cohen, who is chair of the Transportation Committee.
“This $10.5 million provides programming in different areas across the state that really allow folks to have their independence, to travel freely to social activities, to doctors appointments, to and from work and so much more,” Cohen said.
The program, which started in 2024, has proven to be popular throughout the state, according to Cohen. The pilot program offered in 18 towns and cities across the state, operates much like Lyft and Uber, where residents can book rides with various contractors.
Transit advocates like Cohen hope the program may be expanded statewide.
They say it meets an urgent need, as many municipalities in Connecticut lack comprehensive mass transit coverage.
“My goal would really be to see these micro transit options in towns in all 169 towns eventually, so that even our most remote settings have options with respect to public transportation,” Cohen said.
Jeremy Tillinger, the director of policy at Via, a rideshare contractor with the pilot program, spoke about the service in late April. Tillinger said the program is already bringing in positive results.
“At a time when affordability and the rising cost of gas prices is on everybody’s minds, micro transit is providing an innovative, cost efficient solution for many,” Tillinger said.
Peggy Lyons, the First Selectwoman of Madison, said many of her residents want the program to continue.
Lyons said about 25,000 rides were booked for the program running in Madison, Guilford, Middletown and East Hampton last year.
“This is kind of filling in that gap and just within the way our state is structured, I think a lot of people are starting to depend on this, and they would hate to see it go,” Lyons said.
Connecticut
Man arrested after stealing from Connecticut Children’s Hospital donation bin
ENFIELD, Conn. (WFSB) – Police arrested a Connecticut man on Sunday morning after he allegedly stole bottles and cans from a Connecticut Children’s Hospital donation bin.
Officers received a call at around 8 a.m. for a report of a larceny from a “Cans For Kids” donation bin at located on Raffia Road, according to the police department.
Police said they used used local surveillance cameras and municipal license plate readers to identify a vehicle and suspect.
Officials identified the individual as Joshua Wilcox of Broad Brook
With the help of Wethersfield police officers, Wilcox was found and detained. Enfield police arrested Wilcox and charged him with sixth-degree larceny and first-degree criminal trespass.
It was also revealed that this is the second incident involving Wilcox at the same location, police said.
No further details were released.
Eyewitness News will provide more details as soon as they become available.
Copyright 2026 WFSB. All rights reserved.
Connecticut
Danbury OKs expanded building plans for west side cancer center
“(T)he applicant is proposing a minor building addition of 1,300 square feet to the basement level because the specialized proton equipment required a slightly larger support space,” said Allie Smith, an associate planner with the city’s professional planning and zoning department.
Smith is referring to what would be the second proton therapy cancer treatment center between New York City and Boston, after the Connecticut Proton center in Wallingford, which is scheduled to open later this year.
Proton therapy is considered advanced radiation treatment because it uses the positively charged particles to “target cancer with exceptional precision,” reducing damage to nearby healthy tissue.
The expanded building plans for Danbury Proton are the latest development in a prolonged effort to serve western Connecticut and nearby New York residents with the novel cancer treatment.
The project, which was set to break ground on a 3-acre site overlooking Danbury Municipal Airport this spring, is “very busy marketing and selling the bonds,” a spokesman said.
“We’re ready to break ground as soon as we close on the bonds,” said Drew Crandall on Friday. “We are in conversation with investors every day and we are making good progress.”
In March, Danbury’s City Council agreed to use its bonding power to help Danbury Proton get low-cost financing under a “conduit issuer” agreement. Around the same time, the city’s Planning Commission extended approvals for the project, which were scheduled to expire in July.
All that means that Danbury Proton expects to open its 17,000-square-foot facility at 85 Wooster Heights Road in late 2027 or early 2028.
“The day is coming when we will be treating patients with revolutionary proton therapy cancer treatment,” Crandall said in a newsletter to supporters last week. “Countless patients and their families will benefit from proton therapy.”
Connecticut
Fire extends from attic of well-known Clinton donut shop
Several businesses and residents are displaced after a well-known donut shop in Clinton caught fire Saturday morning according to fire department officials.
Clinton Volunteer Fire Department officials say officers received reports of a fire at Beach Donut where they found heavy smoke and a fire extending to the attic.
They say people were evacuated while firefighters work to bring the fire under control.
One person was transported by Clinton EMS for evaluation.
The displaced residents are being treated by the American Red Cross and the fire is still under investigation by the Clinton Fire Marshal’s Office with assistance from the Connecticut State Police Fire and Explosives Investigation Unit.
The fire department received mutual aid from several fire stations and EMS from neighboring towns.
According to the Beach Donut Facebook, the business will be temporarily closed until notice.
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