Connecticut is experiencing a range of news, from a confirmed case of measles in an unvaccinated Hartford County adult to a potential bridge over Long Island Sound. The Connecticut Department of Public Health announced the measles case, which is the second in the state in the past five years. Both cases involved unvaccinated adults who had recently returned from international travel.
Politics and Elections
Democratic gubernatorial challenger Josh Elliott is awaiting approval of his application for a $3.75 million campaign grant. The State Elections Enforcement Commission must determine if Elliott has raised the requisite $335,500 to qualify under the terms of the Citizens’ Election Program. Meanwhile, U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy is reigniting his push to address loneliness and social isolation, reintroducing bills to create the Office of Social Connection Policy and provide grant funding for community-based organizations.
Local Development
Connecticut’s push to remediate blight and redevelop contaminated sites has received a new infusion of cash, with the governor announcing an additional $15.2 million in funding. The money will go toward several projects, covering more than 260 acres in the state. The effort to fix and reuse contaminated sites, known as brownfields, has become a flagship initiative for the Lamont administration.
The Connecticut-based solar developer Verogy has begun construction of four new solar arrays on top of landfills in Mansfield, Morris, Somers, and Suffield. The combined output of all four facilities will be around 5.8 megawatts, enough to power 738 homes. The project received incentives through Connecticut’s Non-Residential Renewable Energy Solutions program.
Education and Health
The Connecticut State Colleges and Universities Board of Regents has selected Grand River Solutions to independently review the school’s handling of a sexual harassment complaint against former Interim Chancellor John Maduko. The review will assess CSCU’s response to the complaint and its hiring process for chancellors.
The state Department of Social Services now has nine full-time staff members managing the state’s Rural Health Transformation Program, a five-year federal initiative. The agency will be holding town halls in Windham and Putnam on June 30 to discuss the program and its goals.
Original reporting: The Connecticut Mirror — read the source article.
