Governor Announces Connecticut will Welcome over 300 Afghan Refugees, “I welcome these individuals with open arms”
Governor Ned Lamont’s Office“This afternoon, my administration was informed by the White House that our state will soon be asked to accept as many as 310 Afghan refugees for resettlement in Connecticut. I welcome these individuals with open arms into our wonderful state. In anticipation of this moment, I directed the Connecticut Department of Social Services, under the leadership of Commissioner Deidre Gifford, to work with our partners across state government, the federal government, and at the local level to ensure all of the necessary resources are available and ready to provide support to these men, women, and children making the long trip to Connecticut from Afghanistan. It is our obligation and our duty to ensure these Afghan refugees feel welcome in our state, and we will work to ensure they have everything they need from food and shelter to education and job training.
“The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has ensured Connecticut that these individuals will have all been vetted, in addition to having all necessary vaccinations, including for COVID-19. These evacuees are our allies and have supported our country for years, and it is our turn to return the favor. Connecticut has a legacy of being there for those in need, and we are proud to answer the call.”
The State of Connecticut has also joined Welcome.US, a bipartisan organization committed to helping Afghan refugees resettle.
Superintendent: 9 New Cases in District since Saturday
Dear Westport Families and Staff,
As mentioned in prior emails, we would move from weekly updates of new positive cases of Covid-19 to more frequent updates as needed. This evening we are providing an update from the past five days. We will move to daily updates during the week to ensure timely information is received by the community. The news cases reported since Saturday all went through a thorough contact tracing protocol which allowed for limited quarantining of students.
We have 9 newly confirmed cases of Covid-19 from Saturday through today. The reports came from the following schools:
Stepping Stones Preschool - 1
Greens Farms Elementary School - 3
Kings Highway Elementary School - 1
Saugatuck Elementary School - 1
Bedford Middle School - 3
Please remember that families are asked to report positive Covid-19 cases of students using our reporting voicemail or email. Please follow this link for more information on reporting.
Additionally, we want to remind families that students with pending Covid-19 tests should not return to school until receiving negative results. This approach is critical in helping us minimize the potential for transmission in our schools.
Respectfully,
Thomas Scarice
Superintendent of Schools
Westport Police Join Motor Vehicle Theft Task Force
The Westport Police Department will be taking part in a regional motor vehicle theft task force. Westport and its surrounding communities experience car thefts as well as vehicle break-ins on a regular basis. These crimes are often committed by juveniles and/or young adults.
This task force is a collaboration between local law enforcement agencies to combat the proliferation of auto theft in the Fairfield County Region. The task force will work in cooperation with other police departments to develop a comprehensive effort to deter auto theft and arrest those responsible. In addition to Westport, the other police departments participating in the task force include Bridgeport, Fairfield, Stratford, Monroe, and Newtown.
Police Chief Foti Koskinas felt that it was important for Westport to be a part of this effort. He stated that “by sharing resources and information with other communities that are also experiencing a large number of motor vehicle thefts our ability to solve these crimes increases exponentially.” He added that “while the theft of cars may seem like a youthful indiscretion to some it is important to keep in mind that these stolen vehicles are often used in the commission of very serious crimes such as robberies and shootings.”
In almost every case, the stolen vehicle was unlocked with the keys (key fob) inside. Therefore, even with the assistance of a task force and extra officers on patrol we will never be able to truly solve this problem unless people remember to always keep their cars locked.