Tag:

State Legislature

Danbury, CT
Politics
CT Rep Busted For Shoplifting At Bethel Target; Blames Sick Grandmother, Self-Check-Out Error CT Rep Busted For Shoplifting At Bethel Target; Blames Sick Grandmother, Self-Check-Out Error
CT Rep Busted For Shoplifting At Bethel Target; Blames Sick Grandmother, Self-Check-Out Error State Rep. Raghib Allie-Brennan (D-Bethel) finds himself in the spotlight following accusations of shoplifting at a local Target store, a matter he attributes to a self-checkout "error" amidst a family emergency. The incident, first reported by the Daily Ructions blog, occurred recently at a Target in Bethel. Allie-Brennan, who serves as Chief Majority Whip in the state legislature, was reportedly arrested on Monday, June 23. According to NBC Connecticut, the items in question amounted to $26.69. However, loss prevention at the store said they recognized him from previous larcenies, accordi…

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by Josh Lanier
White Plains, NY
Politics
Chemistry Council Lobbyists Skirt Campaign Finance Laws: Rivertowns Activists Fight Back Chemistry Council Lobbyists Skirt Campaign Finance Laws: Rivertowns Activists Fight Back
Chemistry Council Lobbyists Skirt Campaign Finance Laws: Rivertowns Activists Fight Back In a David and Goliath standoff, 33 members of Beyond Plastics’s Lower Westchester Chapter, mostly Rivertowns residents, and 250 recycling and plastic reduction advocates met in Albany on May 7th to challenge industry lobbyists and encourage State legislators to Put People over Plastics. The group is fighting for passage of the NYS Packaging Reduction & Recycling Infrastructure Act (PRRIA) even as industry lobbyists try their best to kill it. With a strong PRRIA, New York has an opportunity to address the monumental scourge of plastic pollution and lead the nation in reducing wasteful si…

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by Harriet Cheney
Albany, NY
Business
Minimum Wage To Increase In NY: Here's When, How Much Minimum Wage To Increase In NY: Here's When, How Much
Minimum Wage To Increase In NY: Here's When, How Much New Yorkers earning minimum wage will see an increase in their paychecks.  This change, which takes effective on Wednesday, Jan. 1, is part of a broader state initiative aimed at easing the financial burden of rising living costs. Gov. Kathy Hochul announced the plan as part of a multi-year agreement with the state legislature.  In New York City, Long Island, and Westchester County, the hourly pay will increase from $16 to $16.50.  Meanwhile, the rest of the state will see a jump from $15 to $15.50.  Further annual adjustments linked to inflation will begin in 2027. …

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by Joe Lombardi
Hackensack, NJ
News
'Sopranos' Star Seeks To Stop NJ's 'Puppy Mill Pipeline' 'Sopranos' Star Seeks To Stop NJ's 'Puppy Mill Pipeline'
'Sopranos' Star Seeks To Stop NJ's 'Puppy Mill Pipeline' Edie Falco is standing up for her four-legged friends in the Garden State. The Emmy Award-winning actress, who played Carmela Soprano on the iconic New Jersey show “The Sopranos” appeared in a video for the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals urging lawmakers and New Jerseyans to support a bill in the state Legislature that would ban the sale of dogs, cats and rabbits at pet shops. New York passed a similar law in 2022. “Before I adopted my beloved dog Sami, she was rescued from a puppy mill, where she lived in a small dirty cage, with no space to run and play, and ha…

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by Sam Barron
Hackensack, NJ
News
NJ Lawmakers OK Legal Pot Under 6 Ounces, Just Needs Murphy's Signature NJ Lawmakers OK Legal Pot Under 6 Ounces, Just Needs Murphy's Signature
NJ Lawmakers OK Legal Pot Under 6 Ounces, Just Needs Murphy's Signature Doobie, doobie, done: New Jersey lawmakers were in a Garden State of mind when they approved an historic bill Thursday that sets rules and regulations for recreational pot sales.  All it needs to become law is Gov. Phil Murphy’s signature and a mechanism to oversee ganjapreneurs. If the governor signs off, 70% of the state sales tax revenue from pot purchases and a tax on growers in New Jersey will be directed to minority Garden State communities ravaged by drugs. The State Legislature also approved a bill ending arrests for possessing less than six ounces of marijuana or selling up …

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by Jerry DeMarco
Hartford, CT
News
COVID-19: Connecticut Won't Lift State Of Emergency Until 2021 COVID-19: Connecticut Won't Lift State Of Emergency Until 2021
Covid-19: Connecticut Won't Lift State Of Emergency Until 2021 Despite declining hospitalizations, Connecticut’s COVID-19 Public Health Emergency won’t be lifted until well into next year. On Monday, Aug. 31, the state Legislature extended Gov. Ned Lamont’s emergency authority through Feb. 9, 2021. Connecticut is maintaining the “emergency” status so if another COVID-19 flareup happens, the government can respond more swiftly than under normal circumstances. Originally, the state of emergency was supposed to expire on Sept. 9. Public health officials will be watching COVID-19 trends closely in the coming weeks as children go back to school.

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by Kristin Palpini
Somers, NY
Obituaries
Popular Former Westchester Assemblyman Dies From COVID-19 Popular Former Westchester Assemblyman Dies From COVID-19
Popular Former Westchester Assemblyman Dies From Covid-19 Former State Assemblyman Richard Brodsky, a popular Westchester Democrat, has died as a result of symptoms consistent with the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). He was 73. Brodsky, from Greenburgh, served in the State Legislature from 1983 to 2010 and remained in the public eye with lively columns for several websites and newspapers.  A mentor to many in state government after his retirement, colleagues expressed remorse at his passing early Wednesday, April 8. "Richard Brodsky’s death is a profound and shocking loss for the Westchester community and the entire State of New York,'' said S…

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by Kathy Reakes
Newtown, CT
Police & Fire
More Than $103K Missing From Sandy Hook Victims Fund, State Audit Finds More Than $103K Missing From Sandy Hook Victims Fund, State Audit Finds
More Than $103K Missing From Sandy Hook Victims Fund, State Audit Finds An audit requested by the state legislature found that more than $100,000 was unaccounted for from the Sandy Hook Victims Fund. The Fund - which is earmarked to help first responders and teachers who were at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown on the day a gunman killed 26 people seven years ago - was reportedly co-mingled with cash from other sources, rather than being kept in a separate account of its own. In total, approximately $103,000 is missing, and auditors are currently unable to determine what the misappropriated funds were used for. The Office of Victim Services administ…

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by Zak Failla
Mount Pleasant, NY
News
Work Starts On $13M I-684 Resurfacing Project Work Starts On $13M I-684 Resurfacing Project
Work Starts On $13M I-684 Resurfacing Project Work has officially begun on the $13 million resurfacing project on I-84, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced. The two-mile section of I-684 from Harris Road to exit 6 in the town of Bedford in Westchester County will be resurfaced as part of the project, which is intended to improve safety and provide a smoother ride for commuters and residents alike. The project’s $13 million funding was secured through a collaboration between the Governor and State Legislature. "All across New York State, we are making critical investments in our infrastructure that is helping to elevate our local communicates …

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by Valerie Musson
Stamford, CT
Politics
State Budget Unconstitutional, Unbalanced, Says Senate Minority Leader State Budget Unconstitutional, Unbalanced, Says Senate Minority Leader
State Budget Unconstitutional, Unbalanced, Says Senate Minority Leader Senate leaders insist the two-year state budget approved last week is not balanced and assumes union contract details that have not been agreed upon. The $43 billion budget assumes nearly $460 million in labor savings resulting from changes to state employee benefits and the refinancing of pension payments. On Thursday, June 13, Senate Minority Leader Len Fasano, a Republican from North Haven, once again asked Gov. Ned Lamont to provide details on hundreds of millions of dollars of projected savings from state employees built into the still unsigned state budget bill. Joined by other Repub…

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by Jon Craig