By State Senator, Norm Needleman.
Wind Advisory in Place for Monday Night Storms
The National Weather Service has issued a wind advisory for Connecticut tonight as a significant storm system is expected to blow through the state. Strong winds of 25 to 35 miles per hour, with gusts up to or over 55 miles per hour, are expected. The storm will also bring up to 2 inches of rain. Many utility companies note these winds could cause power outages and network damage that could impact electric, Internet and phone service tonight and have put crews in place to allow quick repairs overnight and tomorrow when storm conditions die down. While not expected to cause widespread outages, thousands of customers may be impacted tonight. Please make sure you have charged devices and are prepared for a potential power or service outage overnight, and if you lose power, please promptly report it to the respective utility company responsible.
COVID-19 Testing in Our Area
If you need help finding the nearest testing site near you, you can visit 211ct.org to use their testing site locator. For more resources on testing in Connecticut, you can visit https://portal.ct.gov/coronavirus/communityresources.
Join the Step Up Connecticut Team
Step Up Connecticut is a new initiative to enlist everyone who is healthy and able to combat the COVID-19 pandemic to volunteer and help others. Volunteers and flexible staff are a critical part of how the state can ensure residents have access to what they need. Governor Lamont and other officials are hoping residents ‘step up’ and become substitute teachers, volunteer at testing sites, work in a variety of roles in nursing homes or hospitals, distribute food to those who need to stay home, and more. For ways to volunteer and step up to help others in the state, you can click here.
Connecticut Announces 154 Nonprofit Arts Organizations to Receive $9 Million In Grants
The COVID Relief Fund for the Arts, administered by the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development, has selected 154 nonprofit arts organizations statewide to receive $9 million in grants helping support their operations. All of them will receive a base grant of at least $5,000; the program uses federal CARES Act funding from the state Coronavirus Relief Fund. A full list of organizations receiving funds can be found at this link from the Governor’s office. Arts organizations in our area to receive grants include:
- Community Music School, Centerbrook – $19,900
- Goodspeed Opera House Foundation, East Haddam – $532,100
- Katharine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center, Old Saybrook – $111,300
- Opera Theater of Connecticut, Clinton – $9,100
