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Two brothers with passion to give back create Vernon nonprofit

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Two brothers with passion to give back create Vernon nonprofit


VERNON, Conn. (WFSB) – When items get sold at Rae’s of Sunshine and Love in Vernon, the money made doesn’t go into the owner’s pockets, it goes right back to the community.

Rae and Ricky Jordan are the twin brothers behind Rae’s of Sunshine and Love on the corner of Windsor Avenue and Berger Road.

“I’m always a giver. Whether it’s a birthday, Christmas, I’m always a giver,” said Rae Jordan, founder of Rae’s of Sunshine and Love.

It all started with Rae’s passion for giving back.

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Years ago, he started to make blankets and donated them to domestic violence shelters and cancer centers.

“People kept saying, ‘I want to buy them,’ and at that time I’d say, ‘No, they’re just for donations,’” Rae said. “But people kept saying, ‘We want to buy them! We want to buy them!’ So I said, ‘Okay.’”

The brothers took the step of growing the passion project into a non-profit.

“Our main service is if people need assistance with groceries, hygiene products, baby supplies, they just reach out to us on our website,” said Ricky Jordan, President/Director of Rae’s of Sunshine and Love.

Right now they’re helping 10 to 15 families. That’s about 20 to 30 people per month.

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The hope is to increase funding with their new storefront to help more people.

“Our goal is that you can come in and shop, get products you’ll love and enjoy, but it’s allowing to pay it forward as well,” Ricky explained.

It’s a full circle moment for the brothers who fell on hard times while being raised by a single parent.

“My mom had to work 2-3 jobs, but it didn’t always cut it. We needed to go to the food pantry, we needed gifts at Christmas time. So for us, it’s almost like a dream,” said Ricky.

The Jordan’s just expanded and created a food bank to help feed the families they work with.

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You can drop off nonperishable items at the storefront, or donate money to their non-profit in person.

For more information: CLICK HERE.



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Connecticut

STORM AFTERMATH: Heavy rains and storms wrap up in Connecticut before a sunny Saturday

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STORM AFTERMATH: Heavy rains and storms wrap up in Connecticut before a sunny Saturday


Storm Team Meteorologist Michele Powers says storms are moving out of Connecticut before a sunny Saturday.

Saturday looks great. It will be sunny and warm but not humid. Highs near 85.


The weekend looks great as a whole. Drier and sunny conditions through most of next week.


TONIGHT: Showers and storms into the early overnight. Worst hits before midnight. Lows near 73.

SATURDAY: Early morning clouds with clearing. Mostly sunny and warmer. High of 85.

SUNDAY: Mostly sunny. High of 82.

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MONDAY: Mostly sunny. High of 82.


TUESDAY: Mostly sunny. High of 81.


WEDNESDAY: Mostly sunny. High of 82.

THURSDAY: Partly cloudy. High of 83.

FRIDAY: Partly cloudy. High of 65.



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Connecticut joining IRS Direct File, free electronic tax filing system

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Connecticut joining IRS Direct File, free electronic tax filing system


Best way to use your tax refund in 2024

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Best way to use your tax refund in 2024

04:21

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HARTFORD, Conn. – Connecticut residents are getting access to a free electronic tax-filing system

Connecticut will join IRS Direct File for federal tax returns in the 2025 filing season, Gov. Ned Lamont and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen announced Friday. 

The idea behind IRS Direct File is to provide taxpayers with a free alternative to for-profit tax preparation services. 

IRS Direct File launched as a pilot program in 12 states for the 2024 filing season. Officials say 140,000 taxpayers claimed more than $90 million in refunds and saved $5.6 million in filing costs. Now the program is being expanded. 

“The Direct File tool will make it easier and more convenient for the average person to file their taxes, and it will help them save both time and money by avoiding the need to purchase for-profit tax filing software,” Lamont said. 

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The creation of Direct File was made possible by President Joe Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, which provided enhanced resources for the IRS to improve customer service in-person, over the phone, and online to ensure taxpayers claim the benefits and deductions for which they are eligible.

“Direct File will save Connecticut residents time and money and help ensure they receive the tax benefits they are owed. After a successful pilot this filing season, we are pleased to expand the program as a permanent offering and welcome Connecticut as the latest new state to offer this free option to taxpayers,” Yellen said. 



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AP Decision Notes: What to expect in Connecticut's state primaries

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AP Decision Notes: What to expect in Connecticut's state primaries


WASHINGTON (AP) — Connecticut Republicans will pick nominees in state primaries on Tuesday to challenge two longtime Democratic lawmakers, U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy and U.S. Rep. Jim Himes.

The leading GOP hopefuls for each seat won the party’s endorsement at state and district conventions but not by large enough margins to win the nominations outright.

In the U.S. Senate primary, Gerry Smith and Matt Corey will compete for the Republican nomination. Smith serves as first selectman for the town of Beacon Falls and is also an insurance agent and former small business owner. Corey is a bar owner and Navy veteran. He was the Republican nominee against Murphy in 2018 and also challenged Democratic U.S. Rep. John Larson in the 1st Congressional District in 2012, 2014 and 2016. In 2020, he was the Republican nominee for a state Senate seat. Smith received a majority of votes from delegates to the state convention in May, but Corey surpassed the 15% vote threshold required to force a primary. Democrats unanimously nominated Murphy at their state convention, avoiding the need for a primary.

In the 4th Congressional District, Republicans Bob MacGuffie and Michael Goldstein each hope to unseat eight-term Democratic U.S. Rep. Jim Himes. MacGuffie is a former insurance executive and tea party activist from the years of Barack Obama’s presidency. He received the party’s endorsement at the district convention in May by a narrow margin against Goldstein, an attorney and physician who ran unsuccessfully for the 4th District nomination in 2020 and 2022.

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Neither seat is a top target for national Republicans hoping to win control of the Senate or maintain control of the House in November. Murphy won reelection in 2018 with 60% of the vote, while President Joe Biden carried the state in 2020 with 59%. Himes received 59% of the vote in his 2022 reelection bid, while district voters preferred Biden by almost two-to-one over Republican Donald Trump in 2020.

Connecticut voters will also decide a handful of state legislative races. Democrats have contested primaries in four state Senate districts and 11 state House districts, while Republicans will face off in one district in each chamber. All state legislative seats are up for election in 2024, although most are not holding primaries.

Elections in Connecticut are run at the town level instead of the county level. All 169 towns will hold Republican primaries because of the contested U.S. Senate race. With Murphy already renominated for his statewide seat, much of the state won’t have Democratic primaries.

Here’s a look at what to expect on Tuesday:

Primary day

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The Connecticut state primaries will be held Tuesday. Polls close at 8 p.m. ET.

What’s on the ballot

The Associated Press will provide vote results and declare winners in contested primaries for U.S. Senate, U.S. House, state Senate and state House.

Who gets to vote

Only voters registered with a political party may participate in that party’s primary. Democrats may not vote in the Republican primary or vice versa. Independent or unaffiliated voters may not participate in either primary.

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Decision notes

The largest towns in Connecticut are Bridgeport, Stamford, New Haven, Hartford and Waterbury, each with populations exceeding 100,000. Bridgeport and Stamford are in the 4th Congressional District in southwestern Connecticut.

Corey’s and Goldstein’s previous campaigns offer some points of comparison for Tuesday’s contests. In the 2018 U.S. Senate Republican primary, Corey won the nomination with 77% of the vote, carrying all 169 towns along the way. He had 50-point margins or larger in 137 of the state’s 169 towns. In Goldstein’s previous run in the 4th District in 2022, he lost the districtwide vote with 40% of the vote. He carried only Easton, Greenwich and Oxford by narrow margins and lost the district’s 14 other towns, most notably Bridgeport and Stamford.

The AP does not make projections and will declare a winner only when it’s determined there is no scenario that would allow the trailing candidates to close the gap. If a race has not been called, the AP will continue to cover any newsworthy developments, such as candidate concessions or declarations of victory. In doing so, the AP will make clear that it has not yet declared a winner and explain why.

Recounts in Connecticut are automatic if the vote if the vote margin less than 0.5% of the total votes cast, but not exceeding 2,000 votes. Recounts are also automatic in races where the margin is less than 20 votes. The AP may declare a winner in a race that is eligible for a recount if it can determine the lead is too large for a recount or legal challenge to change the outcome.

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What do turnout and advance vote look like?

As of October 2023, there were nearly 2.5 million registered voters in Connecticut. Of those, 36% were Democrats, 20% were Republicans and 42% were independent or unaffiliated.

In the 2022 midterms, turnout was 4% of registered voters in the Republican primary. There was no statewide Democratic contest in that election. Turnout in the 2018 Democratic primary was about 9% of registered voters.

In 2023, Connecticut adopted an early voting law that was first implemented in April’s presidential primaries. In those contests, 26% of Democratic primary voters and 17% of Republican primary voters cast their ballots before election day. By comparison, about 5% of Republican primary voters in the 2022 midterms and 6% of Democratic primary voters in 2018 cast their ballots before election day.

As of Wednesday, more than 6,100 ballots had been cast before primary day, about 54% in the Democratic primary and about 46% in the Republican primary.

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How long does vote-counting usually take?

In the 2022 midterm primaries, the AP first reported results at 8:08 p.m. ET, or eight minutes after polls closed. The election night tabulation ended at 12:52 a.m. ET with more than 99% of total votes counted.

Are we there yet?

As of Tuesday, there will be 84 days until the November general election.

___

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Follow the AP’s coverage of the 2024 election at https://apnews.com/hub/election-2024.



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