Thumbs up, thumbs down
Thumbs down to the Norwalk courthouse remaining closed 21 months after the outbreak of COVID-19. It’s understandable that court officials
are seeking to be as efficient and safe as possible by transferring cases to the Stamford courthouse, but it’s also an indicator that we are still a long way from returning to “normal.” State officials say there are no plans to close the courthouse permanently, but they also aren’t setting a date for it to reopen.
Thumbs down to a dark reminder to parents about the importance of paying attention to the online activities of their children. Greenwich and
Danbury police arrested juveniles in connection with threats made to schools, and a 14year-old facing charges for threats to Norwalk High School allegedly got help from an online contact in Europe. It’s a disturbing trend (there were also threats at schools in Hamden, New Haven, West Haven and Stamford), at a time when students and faculty already have to cope with far more stress than usual.
Thumbs up to Natalie Braswell stepping in as Connecticut’s comptroller. Gov. Ned Lamont had to act quickly to name a temporary successor to
Comptroller Kevin Lembo, who is resigning at the end of the year due to a heart condition. Braswell comes to the position with a formidable resume, serving as general counsel and assistant comptroller for a decade before taking on the role of chief of legal, planning and regulatory affairs at the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection earlier this year. She’ll also be the first Black person to hold the position, though it won’t be for long. Braswell agreed to be a caretaker until the next comptroller is elected in November.
Thumbs down (along with some toes) to the news
that the pandemic is taking its toll on a lot of feet. Dr. Sean Peden, a Yale Medicine orthopedic surgeon based in Stamford, reports that working from home barefoot or in socks has left many people with problems such as collapsed arches. Peden recommends stiff, inflexible soles to avoid swelling. As personal habits have changed during the pandemic, many people need to pivot on shoes that provide good support.
Thumbs up to the state’s tax amnesty program pulling in $12.5 million in a little more than a month, with an expectation that it could wrap with as much as $50 million. Some of the payments were overdue by 20 years, which suggests residents will seize the opportunity to catch up. If you’re in that category, though, it would be wise to pay up before the deadline runs out Jan. 31, 2022. Just consider the gaps between past programs, which took place 1990, 1995, 2002, 2009 2013 and 2017. For more information, go to www.getrightct.com.