Treasurer Erick Russell will deliver keynote remarks at the United Way of Coastal and Western Connecticut’s 2024 Impact Breakfast on Tuesday in Norwalk. The event is being held to celebrate the achievements of the organization and to unveil its new strategic plan. Treasurer Russell’s remarks will connect the mission of the United Way with work being done in the Office of the Treasurer to strengthen economic participation across Connecticut.

What:   Treasurer Russell Delivers Keynote at United Way Event

When:   Tuesday, September 17, 2024
                        8:00 AM – 9:30 AM

Where:  Pinstripes
           100 North Water St.
           Norwalk, CT

Christopher "Chris" Bethune, a native son of New Haven, Connecticut, is the face of Tubi’s upcoming series “Divided Loyalty”.

The youngest among four siblings, Bethune has always been known for his playful nature and vivid imagination, which is what led to his interest in the arts. Chris' acting career commenced in 2017, with classes at the Actor's Gym under Reno Venturi in Hamden, CT. As he refined his acting skills, Chris secured roles in various projects, including advertisements for Bob's Discount Furniture, Weight Watchers, LL Bean, Shark Ninja, and Helen of Troy. His talents extended to films and Broadway, featuring in "What Life?" by Timothy Graphenreed alongside Debbie Blackwell-Cook. Presently, Chris is set to star as "Jerome" in the upcoming series "Divided Loyalty," penned and created by Steven Rashan, which will air on Tubi in Fall 2024, preceded with a red carpet series premiere hosted by Mr. Bethune Enterprises, 

Saturday, October 5, 2024, 6pm at the Canal Dock Boathouse on the waterfront in New Haven,CT 

We will have a Red Carpet, music by DJ Herman Ham , Live Music, catered food by EsquireNthekitchen, Hors doeuvres, cocktails, Photo booths with VIP specials and a few guests making waves in the music/entertainment industry.

TICKETS HERE

Interactive Design Charrette!
Be part of shaping the future of our community! This multi-day event will offer flexible drop-in sessions and evening presentations.
Kickoff Meeting: September 9th, 5:30 PM - 7:30 PM at Robert T. Wolfe Apartmen 

HARTFORD, CT) – Governor Ned Lamont today announced that he has submitted a request to President Joe Biden and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) seeking a federal emergency declaration for Fairfield County, New Haven County, and Litchfield County in response to the extreme flooding from the historic rainfall that portions of Connecticut received earlier this week.

The governor is requesting under such a declaration the support of direct federal assistance to supplement the state and its municipalities in meeting critical emergency protective requirements and providing restorative efforts that defend public safety. This includes a request for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to provide support for the repairing of dozens of bridges, dams, and other infrastructure, as well as for the Environmental Protection Agency to provide support in response to the numerous oil tanks, propane cylinders, vehicles, vessels, and drums that are floating in multiple waterways. Additionally, the governor is also requesting assistance from the Federal Highway Administration for the numerous destroyed and compromised state roads.

Crews from the Connecticut Department of Transportation, with the support of their local partners, have been working since the immediate aftermath of the storm to assess, clean, and repair washouts on state roads where possible, as well as to secure these areas to prevent further damage. The state agency has also begun the process of developing plans for the repairing of the severely damaged Route 34 so that it can be reopened, as well as for other structures that need to be replaced.

Under his authority, Governor Lamont declared a civil preparedness emergency in response to the flooding on Monday.

“This was an extreme amount of rainfall in an incredibly short period of time that resulted in historic levels of flooding in western Connecticut,” Governor Lamont said. “Our state experienced two fatalities in which people were swept away from flood waters, and first responders bravely rescued and evacuated hundreds of people during and after the storm. Scores of state and local roads are washed away or compromised, dams and bridges have been affected, and oil tanks, vehicles, and other hazardous items were flooded into waterways. I appreciate President Biden and FEMA for considering this request to assist our state and municipalities with the immediate effort to protect public safety in the aftermath of this devastation.”

This request for a federal emergency declaration is not to be confused with a request for a FEMA major disaster declaration, which could provide federal funding to support homeowners, businesses, and local and state governments with financial assistance for the costs of repairing and rebuilding infrastructure damaged in the storm. That type of declaration requires the state and local governments to provide FEMA with a detailed accounting of all public and uninsured private property damage incurred as a direct result of the storm and a cost estimate that can determine whether certain thresholds have been met. That process typically takes several weeks to complete, and the Lamont administration is already working with municipalities to conduct it. Any homeowners and business owners who experienced damage to their property from this storm are strongly urged to contact their town’s local emergency management office as soon as possible so that their damages can be documented as part of this effort.

**Download: Governor Lamont’s request for a federal emergency declaration

“Throughout this afternoon and evening, I have been working with our state’s emergency management team to coordinate with mayors, first selectmen, and other municipal officials on any immediate response needed due to the severe and sudden rainfall that has impacted our state today. So far, our urban search and rescue teams have helped at least 100 people evacuate unsafe conditions. We will continue helping towns with any resources they need to immediately respond and keep the public safe.

1. Q River and The Empire throwback Thursday's 

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Sonya Massey, a beloved mother, friend, daughter, and young Black woman, should be alive today. Sonya called the police because she was concerned about a potential intruder. When we call for help, all of us as Americans – regardless of who we are or where we live – should be able to do so without fearing for our lives. Sonya’s death at the hands of a responding officer reminds us that all too often Black Americans face fears for their safety in ways many of the rest of us do not.

Sonya’s family deserves justice. I am heartbroken for her children and her entire family as they face this unthinkable and senseless loss. Jill and I mourn with the rest of the country and our prayers are with Sonya’s family, loved ones, and community during this devastating time.

I commend the swift actions that were taken by the Springfield State’s Attorney’s office. While we wait for the case to be prosecuted, let us pray to comfort the grieving. Congress must pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act now. Our fundamental commitment to justice is at stake.

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Governor Ned Lamont today announced that he has signed an executive order directing the establishment of the Connecticut Office of Equity and Opportunity – a new state office that will be responsible for leading Connecticut’s efforts to ensure that state government is a leader in equity and inclusion with the goals of eliminating institutional and systemic barriers and creating opportunity and access for all those it serves and employs.

Administratively held within the Office of the Governor and funded through existing appropriations, the Office of Equity and Opportunity will be led by a chief equity and opportunity officer who will be appointed by the governor and responsible for coordinating a number of activities prescribed in the executive order related to ensuring that state government offices are representative of the people they serve and that people from different racial, ethnic, gender, geographic, and socioeconomic backgrounds have a voice in the decision-making processes concerning the policies and practices of state government.

“I firmly believe that government should actively seek out and engage with individuals and opinions beyond those who typically have access and opportunity because doing so will create a stronger workforce within government while also crafting more effective and representative public policies,” Governor Lamont said. “State government is accountable to the public and we have a responsibility to maintain trust and confidence by demonstrating our commitment to fairness, inclusivity, and social progress. By doing everything we can to create a fair, equitable, and inclusive environment representative of the people who live in our state, we can address historical and ongoing disparities and promote social justice.”

The executive order directs the chief equity and opportunity officer to:

• Serve as the coordinator of the state’s diversity, equity, and inclusion strategy;
• Support equity-oriented efforts throughout the state to ensure services and resources are available and accessible to all in Connecticut;
• Conduct comprehensive assessments of current and proposed policies and practices of state agencies to identify areas where disparities exist, and where underserved communities may face barriers to accessing services;
• Develop a formal process for the development and implementation of agency equity plans;
• Coordinate the publication of agency equity plans on a centralized and easily accessible website;
• Develop equity-oriented systems, policies, and procedures that operationalize diversity, equity, inclusion and support sustainable practices within state agencies;
• Identify diversity, equity, and inclusion trainings opportunities for all state employees;
• Develop statewide diversity, equity, and inclusion benchmarks and measures of progress;
• Oversee and provide guidance to state agencies on how to engage and incorporate the perspectives of underserved communities;
• Partner with state agencies to ensure communications with residents are culturally and linguistically appropriate and accessible;
• Integrate equity considerations into the budget process and assess the impact of budget decisions; and
• Provide strategies to promote equitable contracting and purchasing practices.

Additionally, the executive order directs all state employees to participate in trainings focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion as coordinated by the chief equity and opportunity officer. It also directs all state agencies to develop an agency equity plan with the assistance of the chief equity and opportunity officer.

“State government has a responsibility to approach our work through an equity lens,” Connecticut Department of Administrative Services Commissioner Michelle Gilman said. “This executive order is an important step forward as we work to ensure that every person who seeks state services or employment is greeted with equal opportunity. I look forward to working with the chief equity and opportunity officer on these critical efforts.”

“We thank Governor Lamont for underscoring his commitment to equitable government,” Pareesa Charmchi Goodwin, executive director of the Connecticut Commission on Racial Equity in Public Health, said. “Leadership buy-in from the very top is imperative to ensuring that equity initiatives are prioritized and implemented. We are proud to see our recommendations and the work of many leaders across the state reflected in today’s executive order.”

In the coming weeks, the Office of the Governor will post a job listing on the State of Connecticut Executive Branch online job portal seeking candidates to apply for the position of chief equity and opportunity officer. Governor Lamont stressed that he does not yet have a candidate for the position and encourages interested candidates of all backgrounds to apply.

Multiple agencies

I have been briefed on the shooting at Donald Trump’s rally in Pennsylvania. 

I’m grateful to hear that he’s safe and doing well. I’m praying for him and his family and for all those who were at the rally, as we await further information.

Jill and I are grateful to the Secret Service for getting him to safety. There’s no place for this kind of violence in America. We must unite as one nation to condemn it.

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Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center

Dallas, Texas

11:18 A.M. CDT

THE VICE PRESIDENT:  Oh, my goodness.  Hello, everyone.  (Applause.)  Good morning, my sorors.  (Applause.)  Good morning.

Oh, my goodness.  Please have a seat.  Please have a seat.  Oh, my heart is full. 

To our supreme basileus, Danette Anthony Reed, thank you for your leadership, your kind words, your friendship, and all that you do.  To the members of the Directorate, to my dear friend Dr. Glenda Glover, and to all (inaudible) supreme basilei, thank you for your years of leadership and mentorship.  (Applause.)

To my line sisters, the 38 Jewels of Iridescent Splendor — (applause) — oh, you are such an incredible part of my journey.  And I love you, guys.  Thank you for being here.

And to all those who serve Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, it is an honor — (applause) — and a joy to be with you today.

Before I begin, I will say a few words on Hurricane Beryl.  Our hearts, of course, are with the millions of Texans who are facing the devastating impact of the storm and all those who lost loved ones and the first responders who have worked around the clock to keep people safe and the line crews, who are working as fast as possible to restore power.

President Biden has approved a major disaster declaration.  And we will continue to stand with the people of Texas as we rebuild and recover.

And with that — (applause) — I will address the topic at hand.

Sorors, as many of you know, this sisterhood has been a part of my life since my earliest days, starting with my aunt, Ms. Christine Simmons, who was initiated in 1950 at Howard University.  (Applause.)  And from 1978 to 1981, she served as basileus of Alpha Nu Me- — Nu Omega Chapter in Wa- — in Oakland, California.  (Applause.)

And, in fact, one summer, Auntie Chris hosted one of our revered founders, Ms. Norma E. Boyd, who was then 93 years old.  And Ms. Boyd gave me her book, “A Love That Equals My Labors,” which she signed, “To Kamala.  With love, Norma E. Boyd.”  (Applause.)

And that cherished book now sits in my West Wing office at the White House — (applause) — as a testament to our enduring legacy, a legacy that began 116 years ago when Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, was founded to create desperately needed social and legal change and to build networks of support for Black college women.

Our sisterhood was also founded, as we know, in the face of profound challenges in our country.  Think about it.  In 1908, women were not guaranteed the right to vote.  There was not a single Black person in the United States Congress.  And that year, 89 Black Americans were lynched, and that was just the number that was documented.

And yet, despite all of this, and perhaps because of it, our founders believed in the power of sisterhood and service.  And our founders believed in the promise of America — a promise of freedom, opportunity, and equality not for some but for all.  (Applause.)

For generations, in furtherance of the vision of our founders, we have fought, then, to realize that promise.  From our creation of the Mississippi Health Project in the 1930s — (applause) — to job training and literacy programs in the 1960s and ‘70s — (applause) — and then, most recently, of course, the work on voting rights and economic opportunity and child hunger.

Throughout our history, the leaders of Alpha Kappa Alpha have stood up, spoken out, and done the work to build a brighter future for our nation, including, of course, in 2020, when, during the height of a pandemic, you helped elect Joe Biden president of the United States — (applause) — and me as the first woman elected vice president of the United States.  (Applause.)

And it is because of your work and your support that we have been able to then fill our administration with incredible leaders, such as Shalanda Young — Soror Shalanda Young — (applause) — who is the head of the most powerful Office of Management and Budget — she controls the money — (applause) — and, of course, a member of our sorority.

The promise of America: the promise of freedom, opportunity, and equality for all people. 

You know, when we first took office, the president and I knew that to realize that promise, we must address long-standing issues — some issues that people just don’t like to even talk about. 

We decided we must, for example, make health care more affordable because the reality is that access to health care should be a right and not just a privilege of those who can afford it.  (Applause.)

We decided to look at specific communities that have been long suffering on specific issues, then, including diabetes.  So, we decided to address the cost of insulin with the knowledge that Black people are 60 percent more likely to be diagnosed with diabetes.  (Applause.)  And we took on Big Pharma and capped the cost of insulin for our elders at $35 a month.  (Applause.) 

We knew, to realize the promise of America, we must address the issue of student loan debt.  (Applause.)  And I know there are many here who have benefitted from that work.  (Applause.)  Please testify.  (Laughs.)  And we have forgiven debt for nearly 5 million people so far — and twice as much for our public servants, including our nurses and our teachers and our firefighters.  (Applause.)

The president and I have also taken on the issue of medical debt, finally making it so that medical debt, which is usually the result of a medical emergency — it’s not something you plan; it’s not something you invite — but we have made it now so that medical debt can no longer be used against your credit score.  (Applause.) 

Because that credit score, of course, is supposed to measure whether you are responsible financially or not.  The fact that you have endured a medical emergency is not a measure of that.  And so, it was just wrong, and we have corrected that.

To realize the promise of America, we have addressed the long-standing crisis of maternal mortality — (applause) — something, as you know, I’ve been working on since I was in the United States Senate. 

Why?  Because women in America die at a higher rate in connection with childbirth than women in any other wealthy nation in the world, and Black women are three times more likely to die in connection with childbirth.  (Applause.)

So, to address this crisis, among the work that I’ve done, I challenged every state in our nation when we first came in.  I challenged every nation in our — every state in our nation.  And I challenged them and said, “Extend Medicaid coverage for postpartum coverage from the measly two months a year that you’ve been doing to a full year.”  (Applause.)  And I am proud to report that, when I issued the challenge, only 3 states offered a full year of coverage; now 46 states offer a for year — full year of coverage.  (Applause.)

And today, I am announcing, for the first time, we have created national health and safety standards for maternal care — for the first time, national standards — (applause) — which means nearly every hospital in our country will soon be required to provide new mothers with delivery rooms that are fully stocked with lifesaving medical equipment.  (Applause.)  It’s the first time.

So, sorors, all of us here are clear: While we have come a mighty long way, we have more work to do.

Across our nation, we are witnessing a full-on assault on hard-fought, hard-won freedoms and rights: the freedom to vote, the freedom to be safe from gun violence, the freedom to live without fear of bigotry and hate, the freedom to love who you love openly and with pride, the freedom to learn and acknowledge our true and full history as America — (applause) — and the freedom of a woman to make decisions about her own body and not have her government tell her what to do.  (Applause.)

And these are not only basic freedoms and rights.  These are the pillars of our liberty, the essence of our democracy, and the promise of America.

On that last point about the attacks we see on reproductive freedom, understand how we got here.  Then-President Donald Trump hand-picked three members of the United States Supreme Court — the court of Thurgood — because he intended for them to overturn Roe v. Wade.  And as he intended, they did.

Now, two years later, in the South, where the majority of Black women call home, every state except Virginia has a ban — many with no exceptions even for rape or incest. 

Now, we all know: One does not have to abandon their faith or deeply held beliefs to agree the government should not be telling her what to do with her body.  (Applause.)  If she chooses, she will talk with her priest, her pastor, but it should not be the government replacing her good judgment with its own.  (Applause.)  Faith and freedom can coexist.

And understand, the former president wants to pass a national abortion ban to outlaw abortion in every single state, but we will not let him.  (Applause.)  We will not let that happen.  We have worked too hard and fought too long to see our daughters grow up in a world with fewer rights than our mothers.  (Applause.) 

America must trust women.  America must honor individual choice.  America must defend freedom.

And when Congress passes a law that restores the reproductive freedoms of Roe, our president, Joe Biden, will sign it.  (Applause.)

And there is so much at stake in this moment — including last week, when the Supreme Court basically told this individual, who has been convicted of fraud — (applause) — that, going forward, he will be immune for activity we know he is prepared to engage in if he gets back into the White House.

Consider: Donald Trump has openly vowed, if reelected, he’ll be a dictator on day one, that he will weaponize the Department of Justice against his political enemies, round up peaceful protesters and throw them out of our country, and even, and I quote, “terminate” the United States Constitution.

What’s more, Trump advisors have created a 900-page blueprint of their agenda for the second term.  They call it “Project 2025.”  It includes a plan to cut Social Security, to repeal our $35 cap on insulin, to eliminate the Department of Education and end programs like Head Start.

So, let us be clear: This represents an outright attack on our children, our families, and our future.  (Applause.)

And all of this is to say, I do believe this is the most existential, consequential, and important election of our lifetimes. 

Sorors — (applause) — sorors, this is a serious matter.

AUDIENCE:  Serious matter.  (Applause.)

THE VICE PRESIDENT:  And so, in this moment, once again, our nation is counting on the leaders in this room to guide us forward; to energize, organize, and mobilize; to register folks to vote and to get them to the polls in November.

Because we know, when we organize, mountains move.  (Applause.)  When we mobilize, nations change.  And when we vote, we make history.  (Applause.)

So, I’ll conclude with this.  For 116 years, the members of our sorority have been on the front lines of the fight to realize the promise of America.  This year, let us continue that work.

Let us fight for freedom, opportunity, and equality.  Let us, as always, fight with optimism, with faith, and hope.  And let us see it through, because when we fight, we win. 

God bless you.  And God bless the United States of America.  (Applause.)

Photos of Event

END                  11:37 A.M. CDT