Hazardous weather conditions in Connecticut
The National Weather Service issued a severe thunderstorm watch for the entire state of Connecticut Monday morning, effective from 1 p.m. through 7 p.m.. Gusty winds and hail accompanied the severe thunderstorms in several towns, according to NBC Connecticut. Multiple roads were also closed down due to obstruction from fallen trees and downed wires. Connecticut has seen historic flooding the past few weeks, with two killed and hundreds of residents evacuated after a series of flash floods. State Governor Ned Lamont issued a state of emergency last week, which was downgraded to a flood warning in areas of western Connecticut including Waterbury, Danbury and Fairfield.
New state grant program to support small businesses affected by flooding
The state of Connecticut announced the launch of a $5 million grant program that would fund small businesses that were impacted by the historic flooding in Western Connecticut. Individual grants of up to $25,000 will be made available to small businesses and nonprofit organizations that were damaged due to flooding in the following counties: Fairfield, Litchfield and New Haven. The grants are meant to cover essential recovery expenses such as cleaning efforts and replacing equipment and lost inventory.
New ‘Rainbow Bridge’ memorial honors pets
After the loss of her dog, a Torrington resident came up with the idea to construct an “Over the Rainbow” pedestrian bridge. The bridge serves as a memorial for local pet owners looking to honor the memory of their late pets. With the help of scouts and their leaders, and a total of more than 600 hours of construction, the bridge came together, a project that first began in June. The bridge also has a Facebook group for others to join and post pictures of their pets.
ECSU welcomes its largest class of first-year students
The University of Connecticut was not the only university in the area to have welcomed a record number of first-year students in the Class of 2028. Eastern Connecticut State University moved in 700 students on campus this past weekend, with a total of 812 first-year students. This class is ECSU’s largest since the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. The first-year students join the 1,400 other continuing students, a total campus population of more than 2,200.