Connecticut

To EV Or Not To EV: Is There An Electric Vehicle Backlash In CT?

Published

2 years ago

March 15, 2024

To EV Or Not To EV: Is There An Electric Vehicle Backlash In CT?

CONNECTICUT — Has the EV backlash hit Connecticut?

American motorists are not quite as revved up about a combustion-engine-free future as they once were, the Wall Street Journal notes. Recalls of the Ford F-150 Lightning truck have seen the auto icon shift production into neutral, and rental car leviathan Hertz announced in January it had decided to sell a third of its United States electric fleet and reinvest in gas-powered cars.

In December, Gov. Ned Lamont withdrew regulations that would have required all new vehicles sold in Connecticut to be emissions-free by 2035, once it became clear the initiative lacked sufficient support within the Regulation Review Committee, according to a Hartford Business Journal report.

EV enthusiasts in the state capital are still optimistic, but deep concerns remain over the affordability of electric vehicles, the capacity of the state’s electric grid and the availability of chargers.

In January, Republican lawmakers proposed their own EV migration plan, which was modelled on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s less restrictive guidelines.

This week, state lawmakers held a public hearing on House Bill 5485, which would establish the 40-member Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Coordinating Council. That group would be tasked with the assessment of both the state’s electric grid, charging infrastructure and auto industry. The proposed legislation would also revise existing state-sponsored EV rebates to allocate more funds towards low to moderate income households, and incentivize the installation of electric vehicle charging infrastructure, particularly in rural areas.

The Public Hearing Wednesday was only the opening fireworks, as the Hartford-watchers expect the bill to be hotly and roundly debated through the remainder of the short 2023-24 legislative session.

In its prepared testimony submitted to the Transportation Committee prior to the Public Hearing Wednesday, The Nature Conservancy in Connecticut told lawmakers “the largest source of carbon emissions is from the transportation sector, but momentum in decarbonizing this sector has slowed considerably.” The environmental advocacy group urged legislators to make a “clean transportation sector” a priority.

Senate Republican Leader Stephen Harding painted the proposed legislation as a Trojan Horse.

“This is an EV mandate,” he said in a news conference before the public hearing. “The only difference is, they want to wait until November, after the election, to tell you they are going to do this.”

In a joint statement, Harding and House Republican Leader Vincent Candelora said the legislative council created by the bill would only be “a public relations tool designed to shoehorn our state into California’s radical emissions standards. It isn’t a catalyst to develop solutions to citizens’ common sense concerns about cost, charging infrastructure and freedom of choice.”

State Sen. Roland Lemar, the Democratic chair of the Transportation Committee told WFSB the Republican leadership was “fearmongering and attempting to manipulate public opinion on this issue.”

What’s the opinion of the Patch Public? Is Connecticut moving too quickly to embrace electric vehicles, or are we dragging our feet? Do the benefits of cleaner air outweigh the costs? Enough for a state mandate?

Let us know your thoughts in the survey below, and Patch will publish the results in a week or so.

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Connecticut

Opinion: Three things CT must do to up its food game

Published

35 minutes ago

January 9, 2026

Press Room

Opinion: Three things CT must do to up its food game

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.

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Connecticut

State police investigating suspicious incident in Burlington

Published

13 hours ago

January 8, 2026

Press Room

State police investigating suspicious incident in Burlington

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.

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Connecticut

Ecuadorian national with manslaughter conviction sentenced for illegally reentering United States through Connecticut

Published

1 day ago

January 8, 2026

Press Room

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.

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