After All Things

Securing salt marshes

FEMA money will help bolster Suffolk County saltwater marshes. Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro reacts to recent Republican messaging on abortion. Governor Hochul announces a drop in Long Island crime. And a new poll finds most Connecticut residents support offshore wind.

Duration:: 9m
Broadcast on:: 16 Jul 2024
Audio Format:: mp3

South County Executive Ed Romaine announced a new saltwater marsh restoration project to protect Long Island's South Shore. It'll use federal funding to restore scully marsh, ice-lip, preserve, and cup-sog beach, but it could be expanded to more areas. This is the start. We are planning to take a look at a dozen salt marshes that we can restore the natural balance to that will you make a huge difference in our coastal resiliency and prepare us for the next storm and the next storm is coming. Saltwater marshes are vital to coastal areas threatened by rising sea levels, storm surge, and erosion. You're listening to After All Things, WSHU's daily news and culture update from the Long Island Sound region. Congresswoman Rosa Delaro reacts to Republican messaging on abortion. Governor Hochl announces a dip in Long Island crime, and a new poll finds most Connecticut residents are in support of offshore wind. Those stories and more are ahead. I'm Sabrina Garon. Connecticut Democratic Congresswoman Rosa Delaro is calling out the platform adopted by the Republicans at their convention in Milwaukee that changes the party's position on abortion. WSHU's Ebong Udama has more. The Republican party platform includes a leave-it-to-the-states approach to abortion law in line with the U.S. Supreme Court's dubs decision that overturned Roe vs. Wade. It abandoned the party's longstanding support for a federal ban on abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy. Delaro is the ranking Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee. She says voters should pay attention to the bills to restrict reproductive rights, the GOP lawmakers are trying to pass in Congress and state legislatures. And even more frightening than these bills is Donald Trump's Project 2025 agenda, which would include enforcing the Comstat Act. This would ban FDA-approved medication abortion and contraception from being delivered through the mail. Delaro says Trump's pick of a higher Senator J.D. Vance for Vice President is also a concern because Vance has supported national restrictions on abortion, Ebong Udama, WSHU's. Governor Hochl was on Long Island today to celebrate a double-digit drop in crime across Nassau and Suffolk counties. Compared to this time last year, shootings are down 44 percent and property crime dropped 16 percent. Hochl was at a news conference in Glen Cove. Last year, shootings on Long Island reached their lowest point in recorded history. On top of that last year record, we're down another 44 percent this year from then. And that's extraordinary. That is extraordinary. She credits law enforcement agencies across the island and state investments in programs that reduce gun violence. The state budget will add over 50 million dollars for public safety on Long Island. New Haven Mayor Justin Elicher has asked United Illuminating to shut off power to an emergency homeless encampment in the Hill neighborhood. WSHU's Shelly Hasman-Cadish reports. A temporary 180-day building permit for the six prefab shelters built behind the Amistad Catholic Worker House expired this week. According to her's Connecticut media, Elicher says the units are now illegal because the 180 days are up. He says the units would need to have bathrooms and kitchens to be in compliance with state building code. Housing advocates who oversee the shelters were granted a variance from the City Zoning Board of Appeals in January to enable residents to have heat and cooling. Organizers say they have no intention of shutting the community down. Shelly Hasman-Cadish, WSHU News. A new poll finds there's overwhelming support for offshore wind amongst Connecticut residents. Plus, New Haven's first electric garbage truck hits the road. Those stories and more are ahead. First a message from our supporter. Local support comes from Hartford HealthCare, the only health system in the Northeast, with all its hospitals receiving a grades for safety from the LeapFrog group, the nation's leading independent safety watchdog group, HartfordHealthCare.org. Five shark sightings have been reported since Thursday in Long Island Waters. Officials plan to add more drones to look out for sharks. They say colder water near shore and warmer water offshore attract sharks and prey. The Connecticut Department of Transportation assigned four state troopers to monitor CT fast track and CT rail Hartford line as part of a pilot security program. A spokesperson says this isn't in response to a specific issue but called it best practice. Hempstead town councilman Christopher Carini died suddenly while visiting family on vacation in Florida. His cause of death was not released. The 49-year-old Republican is a father of two and a former police officer who was serving his second term on the town board. This year hundreds of SUNY students will get paid to do work that's usually seen as volunteer civics. WSHU's Ada Uzilar has more on the Empire State Service Corps. The university says the internship will let students work in civic positions like peer mental health counseling and federal financial aid assistance. SUNY Chancellor John B. King Jr. says he hopes it'll prove beneficial for low-income students who often have to forgo that kind of work because it usually doesn't pay. They have to make money in order to support their education or in some cases help support their family. They can't afford to do the public service work they would want to do in education or environmental issues. The service corps will be funded using nearly three million dollars of the state's budget. King says most students will get paid $16 an hour. Ada Uzilar WSHU news. Connecticut's first electric recycling truck hits the road this week in New Haven. City officials say it'll be quiet environmentally friendly and cost effective. WSHU's Molly Ingram has more. Heavy duty vehicles account for less than 5% of the vehicles on Connecticut's roads, but they are responsible for more than half of the state's air pollution. New Haven Mayor Justin Ellicher says the new truck will take the equivalent of 14 passenger vehicles off the road. These are fuel power trucks polluted very very high levels and in particular they have a particulate matter and nice to an oxide that significantly contribute to asthma and other health related issues and air quality issues. The truck cost $616,000 in total. The city paid for just over half of it. Federal and state funds covered the rest. Ellicher says they're already looking toward buying another. Molly Ingram WSHU news. A new poll from the Bar Foundation finds that Connecticut residents overwhelmingly support the development of offshore wind in the region. 76% of respondents say they favor using wind to generate electricity and 75% say they support working with other New England states to grow the industry. Miriam Wasser has more. The poll finds that the majority of residents believe offshore wind will have a positive impact on the local economy, energy prices, and climate change. And that's good news for the energy transition, says Catherine Wright of the Bar Foundation. Offshore wind is an opportunity to provide large sources of energy generation, particularly as we are starting to retire more and more fossil generation. Still nearly half of all respondents say they worry offshore wind will negatively impact ocean ecosystems and marine life. The poll was conducted by heart research, which also does polling for democratic politicians. For the New England News Collaborative, I'm Miriam Wasser. For all the latest news from Long Island and Connecticut, you can listen on the radio, stream online at wshu.org or download the WSHU app, after all things is supported by Hartford healthcare. And as always, if you have any thoughts or story ideas you'd like to share with us, please feel free to reach out. That's how public radio works as a service to your community. The best way to get in touch is by email and it's news@wshu.org. I'm Sabrina Garon. Enjoy the rest of your day. I'll talk to you tomorrow. [Music] You