After All Things

Mask misdemeanor?

The only woman to serve as mayor of Bridgeport has died. A Nassau bill would ban face masks in public. The site of the congressional church that burnt down in New London will be used for affordable housing. And a new Connecticut law requires Medicaid coverage for advanced genome sequencing.

Duration:: 8m
Broadcast on:: 11 Jul 2024
Audio Format:: mp3

(soft music) - You're listening to After All Things, WSHU's daily news and culture update from the Long Island Sound region. The only woman to serve as mayor of Bridgeport has passed away and I saw Bill would ban wearing a face mask in public. The site of a church that burnt down in New London this year will be used for apartments and we're breaking down a new Connecticut law on it genome sequencing. Those stories are more our head. I'm Sabrina Garon. (soft music) Nassau County lawmakers have introduced a bill that would make it illegal to wear a face mask in public. WSHU's Desiree Diorio has more. Residents who wear face masks that conceal their identity would face a misdemeanor charge with a fine up to $1,000. Wearing a mask for health or religious reasons would be exempt along with holiday celebrations like Halloween. Lawmakers who support the bill call it a public safety measure to crack down on hate crimes in the wake of a recent spike in anti-Semitic violence. Local governments around the country have passed similar laws in recent years, sparked by activists wearing masks during public protests. The American Civil Liberties Union has said anti-mask laws threaten lawful demonstrations. Desiree Diorio, WSHU News. The only woman to ever serve as mayor of Bridgeport has died. WSHU's Shelly Haspen-Caitish reports, Mary Moran was 90 years old. Moran ran on the Republican ticket in 1989 and won against incumbent Democratic Mayor Tom Bucey in an upset victory. She's the most recent Republican to lead the city of a heavily Democratic stronghold. She lost in 1991 to current mayor Joe Gannam, then a political newcomer. Moran was elected at a time when Bridgeport struggled with a $50 million deficit. Moran and Bridgeport became the subject of national attention in 1991 when she tried unsuccessfully to resolve the city's financial issues by declaring bankruptcy. Both Bucey and Gannam say she served Bridgeport with honor and did her best to move the city forward. Shelly Haspen-Caitish, WSHU News. The site where the former first congressional church of New London collapsed in January is to be turned into affordable housing. Eastern Connecticut Housing Opportunities, or ECHO, is a nonprofit housing developer in the city and they've stepped in to purchase the property. Julie Savin is ECHO's president and CEO. Between 40 and 45 units. We are trying desperately to get a lot more on-site parking as well. That's all a couple years away, hence the two year forbearance request from the city. However, the acquisition price is $125,000. Plus we are assuming the city's lean and the first congregational's mortgage and the cost of cleanup. So it's quite an expensive endeavor. The sale of the property is expected to close early next week and cleanup of the site will start right after that. (upbeat music) A new law in Connecticut makes genome sequencing more accessible to lower income families. Plus the settled coordination will host a pow-wow this weekend. Those stories and more are ahead. First a message from our supporter. (upbeat music) 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 watch dog group. Hartford HealthCare.org. (upbeat music) Senator Kirsten Gillibrand of New York is co-sponsoring a pair of bills that would increase transparency on the US Supreme Court. The first would require justices to disclose information about gifts they receive and recuse themselves from any case with a conflict of interest. The second would create an 18 year term limit and rotate in a new justice every two years. Gillibrand says recent reports about some justices accepting lavish gifts undermine the court's credibility. It's simply outrageous. Federal judges and especially Supreme Court justices should be above reproach. Even the appearance of impropriety undermines the public trust. Gillibrand says the judicial branch has less oversight and accountability than the executive and legislative branches. The greater Hartford area was the hottest home sale market in the country last month according to realtor.com. Regions throughout New England and New York accounted for 11 of the site's top 20. An MS-13 gang member faces between 40 and 70 years in prison for involvement in eight murders. Two of the victims were long island teenage girls. Officials say they were hunted down after a few disputes with gang members at Brentwood High School. More than 1500 cars have been seized since March for toll evasion at New York City Bridges. Police estimate the drivers owe more than $12.5 million. It's part of a crackdown on toll evasion and counterfeit license plates. (upbeat music) A new Connecticut law that took effect this month will ensure that not only the wealthy can afford advanced genome sequencing for critically ill infants. That's according to state lawmakers, WSA choose Ebong Udama Hasmore. State Representative Gillian Gilchrist is co-chair of the Human Services Committee that sponsored the law. What was surprising to learn is that for some families in the state of Connecticut, they had access to the whole genome sequencing, but for families who are on Medicaid in the state of Connecticut, they did not. Health experts say rapid whole genome sequencing delivers accurate diagnosis more quickly for undiagnosed chronically ill children, especially those with rare diseases and suspected genetic disorders. The sequencing costs about $4,500 and can be done in a few hours. Ebong Udama, WSH News. - The Settlecut Nation will have its corn festival powwow this weekend. WSA choose Janice Roman Hasmore. - The nation has designated the theme honoring our elders for this year's powwow celebration. The event will be hosted at Satake Elementary School and Showcase Indigenous Venders. Indigenous storytelling, drummers and dance demonstrations will be featured. Representatives from neighboring tribes will attend to participate in the event. The gates open each day at 11 a.m. and close at 6 p.m. A grand entry procession will kick off the event at noon. Admission is free, but donations are welcome. Janice Roman, WSH News. (gentle music) - 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, feel free to reach out to us with any thoughts or story ideas because 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, have a great rest of your day. I'll talk to you tomorrow. (gentle music) (gentle music) (gentle music) (gentle music) (gentle music) (gentle music) [ Silence ]