Connecticut
State senators to introduce bill banning facial recognition technology in Connecticut retail stores
State Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff, along with fellow Sen. James Maroney, say they will be introducing a bill to ban the use of facial recognition software in Connecticut retail stores next month, when the 2026 legislative session begins.
While both Stop & Shop and Stew Leonard’s tell News 12 they do not use the technology, the ShopRite on Connecticut Avenue in Norwalk does, with a sign next to the entrance.
“I don’t like it, it’s invading my privacy,” said Agapi Theodoridou, a shopper there, “I don’t trust them.”
In a statement, a spokesperson for ShopRite’s parent company notes that security cameras have been used for years in retail stores, and “today, advances in technology — including biometrics — allow retailers to better identify organized retail crime and repeat offenders in stores, helping security respond more quickly and effectively to threats.”
“I understand sometimes their need for it and whatever, as long as its not used improperly,” said Gene Cronin, another ShopRite customer.
Meanwhile, Wegmans tells News 12 that it uses facial recognition at some locations that have what the company calls “an elevated risk.”
But while their stores in New York City with the cameras have signs, which are required by law there, Wegmans would not answer whether or not it was also being used at the Norwalk location, with a spokesperson saying “for security and safety purposes, we do not get into the specific measures used at each store.”
“At least they should say so people have the opportunity, so people have the opportunity to react accordingly,” responded Robert Luzzi, a Wegmans shopper.
“Nobody signed up for a facial scan when they go to buy milk and eggs at the store, so we need to have disclosure,” agreed Duff. “Security is one thing, and I totally understand that, and the other issue is more of a personal privacy issue, and that’s what we’re trying to concentrate on.”
Duff says when it comes to facial recognition, there are too many unregulated issues and questions right now, explaining “We don’t know who owns the data, how long it’s being stored for, is it sold to a third party? Is that being used – this information to do dynamic pricing – I pay one price, you pay a different price?”
As far as ShopRite is concerned, the spokesperson tells News 12 that the technology is only used for security, and while the data may be shared with law enforcement if there is a crime, it is also “regularly” deleted, and never sold.
Wegmans also says that at the stores where facial recognition is used, the data is not shared with third parties.
“We’re going to have public hearings, we’re going to seek input from experts, we’re going to seek input from retailers, we’re going to seek input from customers,” said Duff. “If there’s other ways in which we can move forward together, then we’ll be talking about that, and hopefully we’ll be coming up with a workable compromise.”
If a bear is encountered, officials urge people to remain calm and avoid running.
Instead, speak in a calm voice, slowly back away while keeping the animal in sight, and make yourself appear larger by raising your arms or moving to higher ground.
If a bear continues to approach, DEEP recommends becoming more assertive by shouting, making loud noises, and throwing objects such as rocks or sticks.
While black bear attacks are rare, officials stress that people should never play dead during an attack.
“If attacked by a black bear, fight back vigorously,” DEEP advises. People should use any available object and focus defensive actions on the bear’s face and muzzle.
A man has been arrested for murder in connection with the death of a Duxbury, Massachusetts woman, months after her body was found in a Connecticut home under suspicious circumstances.
This week, the Connecticut Office of the Chief Medical Examiner determined the cause of death for Janina Brooke Murphy to be blunt force injury of head and the manner, homicide.
On Tuesday, Connecticut State Police arrested 28-year-old Cole Werhan of Burlington, Connecticut and charged him with murder.
Brooke Murphy, as she is referred to by her mother, was found at the bottom of a staircase in March inside the Burlington, Connecticut home where she was living. At the time, Connecticut State Police called the 26-year-old’s death suspicious.
“Another detective got on the phone. He said, ‘I want you to know something. Your daughter didn’t just fall down the stairs. She had wounds all over her,’” Brooke’s mother, Beth Murphy, told WBZ.
Murphy said her daughter and Werhan were dating, and she is determined to seek justice. “It’s confirmed, it wasn’t an accident. So that part, really, that’s tough,” Murphy said.
Murphy described her daughter as kind and artistic.
“So many people said she was my best friend. Like, pretty much everybody said Brooke was my best friend. She had a heart of gold,” Murphy said.
Brooke Murphy’s 27th birthday fell on June 17. Connecticut State Police said they are continuing to actively investigate the circumstances surrounding her death.
Werhan was held on a $5,000,000 cash bond and is scheduled to appear in Torrington Superior Court in Connecticut on Wednesday morning.
Merrill Lynch has hired a veteran Morgan Stanley manager to help oversee branches in Connecticut, western Massachusetts and portions of New York.
Jairzinho “Jazz” Skair joined Merrill as a market manager overseeing offices in Hartford, New Haven, Springfield, Glastonbury, West Hartford, Farmington, Mystic, Guilford, Southbury and Ridgefield, a Merrill spokesperson confirmed. He reports to Central Shoreline Connecticut Market Executive William Cholawa, who returned to the thundering herd in 2024 after around a decade at UBS.
Skair had most recently been a branch manager for Morgan Stanley in Hartford, according to his LinkedIn. He had started his career in the legal department at UBS Wealth Management USA in 1998 and served in a number of finance, sales and management roles, including branch manager in Westport, before joining Morgan Stanley in 2023.
“I had the opportunity to work closely with Jazz during my time at UBS and saw firsthand his passion for coaching, developing people, and driving results,” Cholawa said in a LinkedIn post announcing the hire. “He is a servant leader who believes in being Authentic, Present, and Useful, and those principles are reflected in the way he leads and supports others.”
A Morgan Stanley spokesperson did not immediately return a request for comment.
Merrill and its wirehouse peers have been shuffling and poaching field leaders as they seek to bolster recruiting in an increasingly competitive market.
To that end, Merrill said it had hired two father-son teams with a combined $560 million in client assets. Both joined on June 17.
Roy Savarick and his son, Evan, joined Merrill from Wells Fargo Advisors where they managed around $280 million in assets, according to the Merrill spokesperson. They generated around $2.3 million in annual revenue.
The elder Savarick, a 44-year industry veteran, is based in the firm’s Florida Tropics market led by Jason Edelmann. Evan, who has 12 years of experience, works in New York City from Merrill’s Park Avenue office led by Joe Doonan. They had joined Wells in 2022 from Morgan Stanley, according to BrokerCheck records.
Separately, Brandon K. Pribyl and his sons, Tobey and Bailey, joined Merrill from Baird Private Wealth Management. They had around $280 million in assets and are based in Davenport, Iowa, according to the spokesperson.
The team, which generated around $1.9 million in annual revenue, is part of the Mid Land Market led by Will Cohen. The senior Pribyl had spent the first decade of his career at Merrill. He was not registered between 2009 and 2016 when he joined with Baird, according to BrokerCheck.
(Updated with clarification on the market manager role.)
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