After All Things

Commitment to the coastline

Connecticut officials announce funding for a coastal resiliency project for Hammonasset Beach State Park. Suffolk County is being sued by a group of parents over its bus camera program. Experts say Connecticut is experiencing record heat this summer. East Haven police say they’ve been the target of random violent attacks this week. And this SUNY program is on a mission to introduce New York City kids to the great outdoors.

Duration:: 13m
Broadcast on:: 15 Aug 2024
Audio Format:: mp3

I'm Davis Donovan, so my first car was actually left to me by my grandmother when she passed away. It was a red station wagon, I don't remember what kind of station wagon, and the reason I don't remember this car very well is that I got this car in a week later, I totaled it. Sorry grandma, I do appreciate the car, and the point is any car can turn into your favorite programs here at WSHU. Go to WSHU.org. Hamanasat Beach State Park is Connecticut's largest and most visited park, and it's been awarded $2.7 million in federal funds to restore salt marshes and other fragile infrastructure. U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal made the announcement today. The losses in salt marsh and shoreline call on us to invest and restore this treasure before it is eroded further, and to replace the culverts to do the restoration. It takes investment. This $2.7 million is a good step, a start. Over the last 20 years, the beach has lost over 300 feet of shoreline and over 13 acres of salt marsh due to the rising tide. The money will be used over the next three years by Audubon Connecticut to design and build a living shoreline and protect and rebuild some of that lost salt marsh. You're listening to After All Things, WSHU's daily news and culture update from the Long Island Sound region. Suffolk County is being sued by a group of parents over its bus camera program. Experts say Connecticut is experiencing record heat this summer. East Haven Police say they've been the targets of random violent attacks this week, and a new program will introduce New York City kids to the wilderness of the Adirondacks. Those stories and more are ahead. I'm Sabrina Garone. Seven Suffolk County parents are suing the county over its school bus camera program. They're contesting tickets they got for allegedly passing a stopped school bus. WSHU's Janice Roman has more. The residents say there are problems with the evidence from the cameras. For example, one says their ticket was issued from a place that wasn't a bus stop. They point to a state court decision last year that led to more than 8,000 tickets being dismissed. This is the third lawsuit over the county school bus cameras since it started using them in 2020, according to Newsday. The county uses a private company called bus patrol to monitor its bus mounted cameras. The company keeps nearly half the revenue from the ticket citations. Janice Roman, WSHU News. Climate experts say Connecticut is experiencing record heat this summer. WSHU's Shelly Hasman-Cadish reports. The first two months of the summer were the hottest on record. Several parts of the state set heat records. Bridgeport, the state's largest city, had its hottest June ever. So did Hartford, and July was even hotter. It's hottest month on record ever, according to the Northeast Regional Climate Center. The average temperature in the state was 72.5 degrees for June and July. That's more than four degrees above average for this time of year. So far, August has been a break. It's been cooler than average for the past week. But the latest forecast from the National Weather Service shows temperatures in September and October will likely be 50 to 60 percent warmer than normal. Shelly Hasman-Cadish, WSHU News. This hurricane season is predicted to be more active than usual. Suffolk County officials are reminding residents how to prepare for extreme weather events. WSHU's Desiree Dioreone reports. Flashlights, a go bag, and don't forget about the family pets. Officials held a news conference Thursday to remind residents what they'll need in a weather emergency. That includes prescription medications, non-perishable food, and water for people and pets. Dominic Thorne is a Suffolk County legislator. Do you have enough to sustain you? Should your apparel go out? By folks, this is all about pre-planning when you talk about storms. Thorne says it's critical that residents heed evacuation orders because first responders might not be able to rescue people who stay behind. To sign up for emergency notifications, text the phrase Suffolk Alerts to 67283 Desiree Dioreone WSHU News. While they're part of the same state, New York City, and the Adirondacks can feel like worlds apart. But a new program looks to change that. That story is 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. Hazy skies have returned to the region this week thanks to wildfires in the Pacific Northwest and parts of Canada. Weather officials say it's expected to linger for the next several days and should not have a major impact on local air quality. More than 20,000 long islanders have applied so far for a digital driver's license that can be pulled up on a smartphone. That's despite some state lawmakers raising concerns about privacy. The DMV says there are still a lot of limitations to where the mobile ID is accepted as proof of identity in the state. Connecticut's annual sales tax-free week will run from August 18th through the 24th. Most clothing and footwear purchases under $100 will be exempt from the state sales tax. Governor Lamont says the holiday lands a little earlier this year to help parents with back to school costs. Police in East Haven, Connecticut say their officers have been the targets of apparently random and unprovoked violent attacks twice in the past week. WSHU's Davis Dunnevin reports. East Haven police captain Joseph Mergo says an unknown driver followed a police car signaled for them to pull over than ran the car and drove away. Thankfully the officer evolved did not suffer life threatening injuries but the brazen nature of this attack highlights a dangerous trend that we must address immediately. Mergo says neighboring jurisdictions have also experienced apparently random attacks or violent threats against officers in recent months that didn't give details. He said some officers have reported drivers taunting them to chase them then coming back to find the officers if they don't give chase. He said police suspect young teenagers are responsible for the attacks. Davis Dunnevin, WSHU News. The Adirondack Park covers a third of New York state. It plays a key role in wilderness preservation and climate health but many New Yorkers have never been to the park or even heard of it. A new program called Timbuktu Institute introduces the Adirondacks to students of color from New York City. It teaches them about climate science, career opportunities and the park's multi-racial history. Emily Russell reports. When Kayla Washington first heard about the Timbuktu Institute she was far from sold. She's 15 years old and from the Bronx. We're like six hours away from home with no Wi-Fi, no internet. We have a sleeping bunks and we just go in the nature every single day. I was like I don't think I'm going to do this. Washington had never been north of New York City before but some of her friends applied to the two-week summer program so she did too. It's hosted by the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry. The Timbuktu Institute starts in the city with lessons on climate science and environmental justice. The students then head north first to Kingston then on to Syracuse and finally up to the Adirondacks. Washington says she was shocked to learn about the six million acre Adirondack wilderness. And I feel like it reflects the way that climate change in the environment is not spoken of enough because this place is so big now that I'm here like I'm like wow like how come I never heard of this before? The Adirondacks are popular among vacationers and summer campers but for many the region is out of reach. The Timbuktu Institute puts it within reach for about 50 students each summer. It's completely free. The students get about a $1,300 stipend at the end. And it mirrors another effort, one that dates back more than 150 years. An effort to expand access to the Adirondacks and empower people of colour. At John Brown Farm Lake Placid the students are learning about another abolitionist, Garrett Smith. He wanted to diversify the Adirondacks and give Black people the right to vote. So in the mid-1800s he gave land away to free Black men. That settlement was known as Timbuktu. Many young people don't know this part of New York's history. That's Sunni Chancellor John King. And it's really powerful to see students learning about how a multiracial coalition worked to combat the institution of slavery and to produce a more just society. But still to this day people of colour face persisting inequalities. For example Black and Brown people more often live and work in places that experience extreme heat and severe weather caused by climate change. So students here learn about the roles they can play in the future. They meet forest rangers, climate advocates, environmental leaders, people like Rocky Aguirre. He's been part of his childhood in the Bronx and is now the executive director of the Adirondack Council. Having foundational experiences being exposed to nature led to a 30-year conservation career led to me being at the Council. You know I see myself in them and that's a powerful thing and I hope that they see themselves in me. The Council helps secure state funding for the Timbuktu Institute. There are other partners as well like Medgar Evers College in Brooklyn. Plus students meet state lawmakers people like Michael Salaj who chairs the Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic and Asian legislative caucus. 17-year-old Amaya Williams from Brooklyn says the power of politics is inspiring. I like the climate science and environmental science but I'm more interested in political science and the social justice part of it. So I think it was nice that we got to meet assembly women Michael and that we got to meet our state senators. Another person who's inspired these students is the institute's director Paul Hay. I didn't get a chance to interview him because he was so focused on the students but the students spoke so highly of him. Honestly I never thought that people like Paul still existed in this lifetime. That's 16-year-old Elizabeth Cabrera from the Bronx. She says Paul and the other leaders and mentors here they've made her want to get more involved. Knowing this institute like the legacy that they're bringing to us now I feel like I should open clubs talking about climate change in the environment and they are so I feel like so hopeful and inspiring to me. Cabrera says spending time in the Adirondacks and among leaders here she's now thinking about her own future like maybe she wants to be a marine biologist. These students can now see themselves in these wild places. They've paddled the Hudson River hiked in Adirondack Mountain. Kayla Washington who we met in the beginning says the hike up good now mountain near Nukem. It was one of the hardest things she's ever done. It was so painful but it was all worth it. Like when I seen the view I just seen millions and millions of trees like it feels like a dream honestly. This like whole place was like a dream to me. Do you think you're going to tell your friends about this and like would you would you suggest this to other people? Definitely. I already told them about this. Meanwhile more than half of the seniors from last year's inaugural Timbuktu Institute they've applied to go to college at SUNY ESF. Regardless of where they end up they're already seeing a bigger broader future for themselves. In Lake Placid I'm Emily Russell for the New York Public News Network. For the latest news from Long Island and Connecticut listen on the radio stream online at WSHU.org or download the WSHU app. After all things is supported by Hartford HealthCare. And whether it's news, classical music or podcasts like this one they're all made possible with support from our listeners. So as always thank you so much for listening and please do share this with your friends from Connecticut and Long Island. I'm Sabrina Garone. Enjoy the rest of your day. I'll talk to you tomorrow. [Music]