MTA ticket prices increase by 5% across Connecticut
The price of train tickets across Connecticut were raised by 5% on Sept. 1, according to a CT Insider article. The price hike comes following the Metropolitan Transportation Authority board approving a 10% increase in ticket prices that will be administered through two 5% increases. The next price increase will occur on July 1, 2026.
According to the CT Insider article, the state Department of Transportation’s rail operations budget was cut by $11 million in the most recent two-year budget that was passed in June. This price increase will be used to help offset the budget decrease and maintain the existing rail services.
MTA officials cited increased ridership as the reason behind the increase according to the article, with ridership between Stamford and New York rising by 14.1% between 2023 and 2024 and New Haven ridership increasing by 11.8% in the same period.
One-way peak fares from New Haven to Grand Central will increase from $24.50 to $26, while peak fares from Stamford to Grand Central will increase from $16 to $17.
Mansfield addresses “large, disruptive” off-campus parties in official statement
Mansfield released a statement on Aug. 22 titled “Welcome Back [University of Connecticut] Students for Fall 2025,” which urged commuter students at UConn to be respectful with off-campus parties.
The statement said that the Town-University Relations Committee had discussed the “large, disruptive gatherings” that occur while UConn is in session with Mansfield residents.
“Sergeant Stephen King of the Mansfield Resident State Troopers office and John Armstrong, Associate Dean of Students are proactively engaging with identified addresses where these gatherings often occur,” the statement said. “With personal visits and direct communication with student renters and landlords, they are working to establish expectations early, and address any nuisance behavior, blight, and neighbor-related complaints.”
According to the statement, citations will be “written as needed” and behavioral referrals are arrests will be addressed through an “Off Campus Party Referral Form” and a “Community Standards Referral Form.”
The statement gave advice for residents on how to report an “unsafe or disruptive” situation.
“If you experience a situation that is unsafe or disruptive in your neighborhood, please contact the Resident State Troopers office by calling (860)896-3200 day or night,” the statement said. “Associate Dean John Armstrong also invites residents to call or email him directly with any concerns about student behavior at john.armstrong@uconn.edu or (860) 486-3426.”
Bridgeport councilman arrested for mishandling ballots during Bridgeport Democratic primary
According to a CT Mirror article, Bridgeport City Councilman Alfredo Castillo was arrested and charged with mishandling absentee ballots during the 2023 Bridgeport Democratic primary elections on Aug. 29.
Castillo faces four counts of “Possession of Ballots and Envelopes Restricted,” four counts of “Failure to Sign as Assister on an Absentee Ballot” and two counts of “Misrepresenting Eligibility Requirements for Voting by Absentee Ballot,” according to a press release from the Connecticut Division of Criminal Justice.
This is the third time Castillo has been arrested for allegedly mishandling ballots during those elections, having also been accused of harvesting ballots during the 2019 Bridgeport Democratic primary.
Castillo is one of 11 who have been charged with “defrauding the absentee voting system in Bridgeport,” according to the CT Mirror article. Wanda Geter-Pataky, the vice chairwoman of Bridgeport’s Democratic Party, was also arrested after being caught on video allegedly depositing absentee ballots into drop boxes in advance of the 2023 election.
This arrest is part of a larger investigation by the Chief State’s Attorney’s office into ballot mishandling during the 2023 Bridgeport Democratic primary election, according to the CT Mirror article. Both Castillo and Geter-Pataky were campaigning in support of Bridgeport Mayor Joe Ganim, who won the primary.
As a result of the investigation, the primary results were overturned and a new primary was held. Ganim won the new primary in January and won the general mayoral election in February.