Today's Front Pages

The News-Times

Thursday, February 5, 2026

'Times that try men's souls'

HARTFORD — Highlighting this year's 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, Gov. Ned Lamont on Wednesday summoned up a Revolutionary patriot, warned Immigrations and Customs Enforcement to leave Connecticut residents alone and promised that there are hundreds of millions of dollars available to deal with further federal cuts in aid. His election-year budget proposal put forward as the legislative session opened includes free breakfasts for all public school kids, $200 rebates for 1.6 million people and a slight increase in spending in the second year of the $55.8 billion biennial budget that starts on July 1. He proposed eliminating annual licensing fees that range from $65 to $375 per year, to save teachers, nurses and trades people such as plumbers $16 million a year. Overall the budget would increase spending by three

5 deaths in Conn. linked to snowstorm,

At least four people died in Connecticut in the aftermath of last week's major winter storm, including three deaths from heart disease related to shoveling, the state medical examiner said. At least one other person is also suspected to have died from exposure to the elements in Bridgeport this past weekend as the prolonged cold snap has gripped Connecticut for weeks. The fatalities come as more than 100 deaths have been reported across several states amid the frigid and below-normal conditions. Each of the four Connecticut deaths in the immediate aftermath of the storm occurred on Jan. 26 or Jan. 27 — the two days after the brunt of the storm hit Connecticut on Jan. 25. A 38-year-old woman died in a car crash Jan. 26 on Interstate 91 in Enfield, Connecticut State Police said. State police said the Bloomfield woman was in a car that was stopped on the southbound side of the highway due to a previous crash. The car was struck from behind by another vehicle, according to police. State police identified the woman as Sabria Hardy, a mother who owned a consulting business. The crash occurred the day after most of the snow fell, but as many roads remained snowy. The medical examiner listed this death as being related to the storm, however, a summary of the crash provided by Connecticut State Police

Carver: Schools 'still struggling'

BETHEL — School Superintendent Christine Carver is renewing a request she said was scrapped from this year's school budget: a fifth school psychologist. She had requested the position a year earlier, but it was ultimately cut from the budget request when it was reviewed by the town and put before voters. The Bethel school district currently has four psychologists but needs that additional support, Carver said during her recent budget presentation to the Board of Education. "I'm going to ask for it again," Carver said, noting that "demands for evaluations have increased greatly." The current staff members are spread too thin, Carver told the board, as she presented her overall 2026-27 budget request for the Bethel schools. The $62.3 million spending plan would be a more than $3.9 million increase, or 6.7%, over current spending, which is just under $58.4 million. The proposal's main drivers are health insurance costs, employee salaries and special education increases, Carver said. An additional psychologist is among those needs, she said.

Lamont to push for free school

Free school breakfasts for all Connecticut students and more resources for schools are among Gov. Ned Lamont's goals for the upcoming legislative session. Lamont outlined his key priorities to the state legislature on the first day of the 13week General Assembly session on Wednesday. In addition to conversations around af fordability, responding to federal changes and other top issues expected to come up during the session, Lamont also said in his opening speech that he plans to push for universal school breakfasts, as well as establish a new panel to review K-12 education and funding strategy in the state. "Connecticut has one of the best school systems in the country, but that is not true of all of our schools," he said.

Officials detail process to report

"I was sobbing for a good hour and a half," Gabriella Cassone said last week. "We're still very, very upset about it." That's how Cassone, the coowner of Middletown's Bareskin Beauty Bar, was feeling after a state plow drove a pile of snow through her front window, spilling snow into the spa and causing between $30,000 and $40,000 in damage. A Department of Transportation spokesperson said the agency was investigating the incident, which was captured on video. With thousands of snowplows out in force across the state last week — approximately 650 vehicles were deployed by the DOT on Jan. 25 alone, with many more used by cities and towns — there have been multiple high-profile collisions involving plows,