Thumbs up, thumbs down

Thumbs up

to Jahana Hayes, recently elected to serve in Congress for Connecticut’s Fifth District, for quickly moving ahead on one of her top issues in this year’s campaign. The representative-elect is joining the Gun Violence Prevention Task Force, its chairman announced this week, following up on an issue she said she heard plenty about in advance of November’s vote. With a district that includes Newtown, Hayes is wasting no time in taking action on an issue of special importance to her constituents.

Thumbs down

to a significant boost in the cost of power in Connecticut, as electricity customers face a cost rise of between 19 and 24 percent in the first six months of 2019, which translates to about an additional $12 monthly. Eversource customers are expected to see “standard service” increase from the current 8.53 cents a kilowatt hour to 10.14 cents, while Avangrid’s average increase will be about $16 monthly.

Thumbs down

to the retaliation by the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in New London against a whistleblower who complained she was bullied and harassed. The woman, a lieutenant commander and instructor at the academy, received low marks on her annual evaluation after she made the complaints of harassment and a hostile work environment based in part on her gender and race. She is black. The Department of Homeland Security’s inspector general last week determined the academy violated the Military Whistleblower Protection Act and ordered a number of reforms. While the #MeToo movement has drawn attention to the prevalence of harassment, the Coast Guard dereliction underscores the insidiousness of the problem.

Thumbs down

to local officials for skipping the ceremonial opening of a refurbished Silver Sands State Park in Milford. It’s understandable that some people were wary about improvements such as a new concession building and changing rooms at the park for fear of increased traffic. The beach, however, is not for Milford alone, but for everyone around the state, and beyond, to enjoy. And by this point, the improvements have been in the works for long enough that the fight over them has long since been decided. They should have put any leftover hurt feelings aside and come out to celebrate their town at Monday’s ceremony.

Thumbs down

to increased marijuana use by teens in states where recreational marijuana is legal. While this is not surprising, the findings in a study by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration, which is part of the U.S. Health and Human Services department, are disturbing. Almost 8 percent of Colorado teens admitted to using cannabis for the first time last year and past-month usage was 45-percent higher in the 12- to 17-year-old category compared with non-legal states. The study, highlighted by the Smart Approaches to Marijuana organization, should give pause to the upcoming Connecticut General Assembly when the notion of legalizing recreational marijuana — as Massachusetts has done — comes up.