Water Damage Restoration in New Haven, CT

NEW HAVEN — In response to the financial challenges facing local schools, Mayor Justin Elicker is proposing the city allocate a portion of its approximately $16.4 million budget surplus for fiscal 2023-24 to support New Haven Public Schools.

"Our schools are struggling,” Elicker said during a Thursday morning news conference, outlining the need for increased funding and maintenance in New Haven’s school facilities. He highlighted the deteriorating conditions of the buildings, citing issues such as closed libraries due to mold, leaks in the infrastructure, and malfunctioning HVAC systems. Over the years, he said, the lack of adequate maintenance has taken a toll on the facilities, leaving the district with a lot of work to do.

To help the district, Elicker is proposing to the Board of Alders that $3 million of the budget surplus be allocated to the district's budget while the remaining $13.4 million be deposited into the city's rainy-day fund.

For the 2024-25 school year, the district requested a $220 million budget but was granted only an estimated $208 million, leaving a projected deficit of about $12 million.

The district faced some tough decisions, and layoffs were considered an option. The $3 million would support the district's operating budget, ensuring no layoffs during this school year, Elicker said.

“The city is doing our part,” Elicker said. “We are doing our part to help support New Haven Public Schools.”

In addition to the proposed $3 million from the surplus, Elicker also recommends reallocating $5.5 million from the American Rescue Plan funds to support the district's budget. The $5.5 million would be used for maintenance capital.

The city has increased the district's budget by 48 percent over the past five years, the mayor said.

New Haven Public Schools Superintendent Madeline Negrón said she is confident the Board of Alders will approve the proposal.

Thirty-nine of the district's 41 schools need maintenance, with potential costs reaching into the millions, perhaps billions of dollars, according to Negrón.

She expressed hope that work could begin soon, though the timeline will depend on the approval process.

“We are very grateful for the city’s contributions,” Negrón said. “But we need to continue to work together to increase the advocacy at the state level and the governor because we know we are going to need more.”

Oct 3, 2024

Education & Latino Communities Reporter

Crystal Elescano is the education and Latino communites reporter at the Record Journal. She earned her BA in Journalism at the University of Connecticut and is set to earn her MA in Latino/a and Latin American Studies at UConn's El Instituto in May 2024. She has been part of the Record Journal’s Latino Communities Reporting Lab since June 2021, where she started as an intern. When she’s not writing, Crystal enjoys spending time with friends and family, traveling, and watching telenovelas.

Up and down the East Coast, dockworkers of the International Longshoremen's Association are taking a stand, going on strike against the United States Maritime Alliance.

“We’re fighting for a fair contract and to protect our jobs from automation,” said ILA International Vice President Bernie O’Donnell.

The strike has halted productivity at dozens of ports from Maine to Texas, but at Connecticut’s New Haven Terminal it’s been business as usual.

“We’re not anticipating any direct impact to the Connecticut ports,” New Haven Port Authority Executive Director Sally Kruse.

According to the Connecticut Port Authority, that’s because Connecticut doesn’t accept container cargo, which is the type of imports handled by members of the ILA.

“Connecticut doesn’t have any ports that ship containers and so the materials are managed differently and in fact the primary material that comes into New Haven is petroleum products,” Kruse said.

But that doesn’t mean Connecticut consumers won’t feel an impact.

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“If the strike drags on for an extended period of time consumers in Connecticut can expect higher prices and potential shortages on a wide range of popular foods staples,” said Connecticut Food Association President Wayne Pesce.

Pesce said it’s perishables and other imported goods that will most likely be impacted first should the strike continue.

William George, Director of Research at ImportGenius, used bananas as an example.

“The time it takes for them to ripen is factored in to when they’re harvested and the temperatures they’re kept at on these boats, and so if you start to have them stuck on boats or on the dock for days to weeks then all of a sudden you could have completely unsellable bananas as soon as they’re unloaded,” George said.

George says a week-long strike at ports outside Connecticut could cause a month-long snarl in supply chains.

“It’s not a local economy, it’s a regional economy and so if you’re trying to buy things from Walmart, Target, major importers–you’re not worried about your local port, you’re worried about New York, Newark, you’re worried about Savannah and Houston and those are really in trouble right now,” George said.

Experts said that household products like paper towels or toilet paper are expected to be impacted by the strike.

As brush fires continue to plague Connecticut amid a stretch of dry weather that Gov. Ned Lamont said turned the state into a "tinderbox," Berlin Fire Chief Jonn Massirio said there are plans in the coming days to move into a "monitoring" phase of the massive fire burning on Lamentation Mountain.

The roughly 120-acre brush fire was 50 percent contained on Monday evening, according to Massirio. The fire, known as the Hawthorne Fire, started over two weeks ago and is the largest in the state.

"The transition phase where we're going to be more going into a monitoring state seems to be coming to fruition, which is good news for the crews that have been working up there, they're getting pretty tired," Massirio said Tuesday. "Its good news for the residents in the area, it shows we're finally turning the page up there."

The transition is expected to happen in the upcoming days, and officials are planning how they will reopen trails in the area to the public. Some trails and parts of the park will stay closed, Massirio said.

The state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection was monitoring 126 brush fires across the state, and the agency actively was managing 106, Richard Schenk, a fire control officer for DEEP, said Monday.

Two new brush fires started at Sunnybrook State Park in Torrington and an undisclosed area in Hartland, Schenk said Monday night. Schenk said the Sunnybrook fire was about 2.8 acres and DEEP personnel responded after it was discovered.

On Tuesday evening, Schenk said another fire had started in East Lyme that covered 2.5 acres. The agency is being alerted to 10 new fires daily, and one or two a day involve more than a quarter-acre, he said.

At a news conference Sunday evening, Schenk said he believed firefighters and other personnel could be fighting erupting brush fires into the new year if the weather does not change.

"We're not out of the woods yet," Schenk said. "What we've been doing is holding fires really small."

A meteorologist said last week the entire state is facing an about 8-inch rain deficit over the past six weeks. Several other Connecticut officials have said the state is facing a historic drought, which has contributed to the heightened risks of brush fires.

A brush fire that erupted at Rocky Neck State Park on Saturday has closed the entire park, officials said. Schenk said the fire initially involved 5 acres, but grew to 46 acres. The park is scheduled to reopen Thursday as firefighters continued to work on wetting down hot spots, he said.

"We've had some dry falls, this by far with the number of fires, much more than I've ever seen in my career," Schenk said.

The entire state remains under an elevated risk of wildfires, the National Weather Service said Tuesday. It remained unknown when the state could see a substantial amount of rainfall to help lower the risk.

"Prolonged dry weather and a dry ground will once again lead to an elevated fire weather concern on Tuesday," the weather service said. "Use caution when handling and disposing of ignition sources. Outdoor burning is not recommended."

MILFORD — Three people were rescued from Long Island Sound on Monday after their boat sank in cold waters, officials said, and one of those three is in critical condition.

Milford Fire Department Spokesperson Jason Dombrowski said in a post on Facebook that dispatch was called at 12:45 p.m. about a report of a sinking vessel with three people in the water in the area of Milford Harbor. He said their exact location was not known.

Dombrowski said Milford Marine Units responded, along with the U.S. Coast Guard, and were notified that an oyster boat had heard the mayday over their radio. When the oyster boat arrived, he said, they found that boat was almost completely submerged, and all three individuals had to be dragged from the chilly waters onto their vessel.

One of those people was in critical condition, Dombrowski said. Milford Marine One met up with the oyster boat that was on its way back into the harbor and they were able to transfer that patient onto the fire boat, he said.

Dombrowski said the incident happened about two miles off the coast. He said medical rescue efforts were performed by bystanders and taken over by fire personnel when they arrived, adding one individual was taken to Milford Hospital for further advanced care.

The other two people were picked up from the oyster boat by the Coast Guard and have been taken to the hospital for evaluation, Dombrowski said. He said the circumstances of the incident are still under investigation.

Dombrowski said later by phone that the temperature of the water is in the high 50s or low 60s, and it is estimated the people were in the water for 10 to 15 minutes.

"All three had to be dragged from the chilly water," he said.

Dombrowski noted this is the second incident this fall where an oyster boat has rescued fellow boaters in distress. In that incident, which happened in late September, one person was hospitalized.

"Again, we cannot thank these individuals enough for their heroic actions," he said.

NEW HAVEN, CT — Election Day is upon us and there are several key positions on the ballot, including the office of President, U.S. senator, Congress, state representative and state senate, and more.

At the top of the ballot, residents will be asked to vote on a referendum question, "Shall the Constitution of the State be amended to permit the General Assembly to allow each voter to vote by absentee ballot?"

Here is a look at all the candidates and positions on the ballot in New Haven:

For President, the candidates are: Kamala Harris and Tim Walz, Democrat, Donald J. Trump and J.D. Vance, Republican, Jill Stein and Butch Ware, Green Party, Chase Oliver and Mike ter Maat, Libertarian, and Robert Kennedy Jr. and Nicole Shanahan, Petitioning candidate.

For United States Senate, the candidates are: Christopher S. Murphy, Democrat, and Matthew M. Corey, Republican. Murphy is also endorsed by the Working Families Party. Other candidates include: Justin C. Paglino, Green Party, and Robert Finley Hyde, Cheaper Gas Groceries Party.

For U.S. Congress, the candidates are: Rosa L. DeLauro, Democrat, versus Michael Massey, Republican. Massey is also endorsed by the Independent Party.

For state senate in the 10th senatorial district, the candidates are: Gary Winfield, Democrat, Nyrell Moore, Republican. Moore has also been endorsed by the Independent Party, and Winfield has also been endorsed by the Working Families Party.

For state senate in the 11th senatorial district, the candidates are: Martin M. Looney, Democrat and Steven Orosco, Republican.

For state representative in the 92nd district, the candidates are: Patricia A. Dillon, Democrat and Morris Sumpter, Republican.

For state representative in the 93rd district, the candidate is: Toni E. Walker, Democrat.

For state representative in the 94th district, the candidate is: Steven B. Winter, Democrat.

For state representative in the 95th district, the candidate is: Juan Candelaria, Democrat.

For state representative in the 96th district, the candidates are: Roland J. Lemar, Democrat and

Andrea DiLieto Zola, Republican. Zola is also endorsed by the Independent Party.

For Registrar of Voters, the candidates are: Shannel Evans, Democrat, Lisa Milone, Republican and Paul A. Garlinghouse, Green Party.

Voting Details

Polls in Connecticut are open 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Election Day. You can use the Secretary of State’s website to find your polling place. Voters who are in line by 8 p.m. will be allowed to vote.

Connecticut also allows for Election Day registration at designated centers in each town. People must be registered by 8 p.m. in order to vote using Election Day registration.