Thumbs up, thumbs down
Thumbs up to federal and state grants worth almost $23 million that will be spent on improving the methods in which people are able to navigate the Stamford Transportation Center. This will include enhancements to elevators and escalators, which hopefully will make things less confusing for commuters using the busiest stop on the line outside of Grand Central.
Thumbs up to Westhill High School senior Lauren Klym, who was inspired by the Parkland high school shootings in February to discuss improving education on school lockdown procedures with her school’s officials, including Principal Michael Rinaldi. After winning support from Superintendent of Schools Earl Kim, Board of Education members and the Stamford Police Department, she created checklists specific to each classroom. Police asked for similar checklists to be used in all Stamford schools. It’s a worthy idea for all school districts to consider emulating.
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 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, following up on an issue she said she heard plenty about in advance of November’s vote.
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 determined the academy violated the Military Whistleblower Protection Act and ordered a number of reforms.
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.