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to winter. No matter what you think of snow, it’s a bit unnatural for Connecticut to go through its supposedly coldest months with nothing to shovel or plow. All that is expected to change with the arrival of a storm that may have dumped several inches or more of snow by the time this is read. And with inklings of another storm later this week, it may be that winter was just saving itself up for a last hurrah. No one likes driving in snow, and everyone should take care on slippery roads. At the same time, it’s important to be cautious when shoveling and not overexert oneself. Warm weather will be here soon enough. to early voting. After a large majority of Connecticut voters last year approved a change to allow early voting in state elections, the General Assembly is now tasked with working out the specifics. And though advocates have worried that the process is moving too slowly, there are many complicating factors at play that need to be sorted through. A public hearing last week started moving the process forward, which will eventually take Connecticut off the short list of states that have no form of early voting at all. It can’t come soon enough. to Fairfield County’s Community Foundation hosting a successful final Giving Day. The marathon fundraiser is ending after a decade, but collected more than $1.7 million in its final 24-hour run last week. The nearly 14,600 individual donations helped out 361 participating nonprofit organizations, which extend beyond Fairfield County. Grand prize awards went to LifeBridge Community Services of Bridgeport and Stamford’s Curtain Call. The foundation will move on to new initiatives to serve nonprofits, but it should take pride in raising $15.46 million through Giving Day. to increased demand for fuel assistance. Despite warmer temperatures this season, more people are seeking help paying their heating bills, which has led to a leading nonprofit provider, Operation Fuel, to temporarily halt its operations. Operation Fuel this season has provided $6 million in energy assistance to 7,000 households, but is pausing until April 3. “We regret that we must do this but feel we had no choice,” Operation Fuel’s Executive Director Brenda Watson said. It’s a sign that despite happy news about the economy elsewhere, many people continue to struggle. People who need help are encouraged to contact their utility company or call 211 for the Connecticut Energy Assistance Program. to the sky-is-falling news that lead paint chips are raining down from hundreds of bridges in Connecticut. The state Department of Transportation is alerting towns and cities, noting that the extreme temperature swings of late may have caused “a sudden, unexpected release of lead-based paint chips.” The DOT is hiring contractors to start a cleanup process, and plans a wider mitigation effort. In the meantime, it shouldn’t be difficult to avoid touching chips beneath bridges. to details of a report that indicate the state Department of Children and Families comes up short when it comes to safety planning, documentation and transparency in moderate and high-risk cases. The DCF’s resources have certainly been stressed as needs of children have skyrocketed in recent years, but the core of the report is that the agency is not revealing its own shortcomings. That’s flawed management in any business, but puts lives at risk given the work DCF does. The report was part of an investigation into the death of a baby from fentanyl poisoning.