Free Republic

HARTFORD, Conn. (WTNH) — A marathon session of the State Senate that began Tuesday ended early Wednesday morning with a bill banning “convertible pistols” being passed.At the state Capitol, legislators voted largely by party lines, except for Republican Tomy Hwang, who joined the Democrats in support, and Democrat Cathy Osten, who joined Republicans in opposition.

HARTFORD, Conn. (WTNH) — The debate over legislation aiming to restrict U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) actions in Connecticut is expected to resume Friday. The bill was approved in the state Senate earlier this month.Discussion at the state Capitol stretched into Thursday night. There were hours of questioning from House Republicans and repeated attempts to amend portions of the bill.

HARTFORD, Conn. (WTNH) — The state House of Representatives voted Thursday largely along party lines to advance a bill adding new oversight to the state’s homeschooling system, with the Republican minority mounting a lengthy, if futile, campaign of opposition.The final vote count was 96-53. All 49 Republicans voted against the bill and were joined by four Democrats who defected from their caucus. Democrats hold a 102-49 majority. Two Democrats were absent.

A quiet western Massachusetts town is being torn apart by a proposed 50% property tax hike — with neighbors stealing yard signs from one another and some residents warning they could be forced to sell their homes. Residents of South Hadley, Mass., head to the polls Tuesday to vote on proposals to close the local budget gap. One would raise $11 million for the town and hike average property tax bills by about $1,700 per year, according to the Daily Hampshire Gazette. The more modest proposal would generate a cool $9 million, increasing average property tax bills by roughly $1,400....

BRANFORD, Conn. (WTNH) — What’s known to some as “gas station heroin” will officially be illegal in Connecticut to manufacture or sell.Kratom has been described by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as more potent than morphine and, at times, addictive like opioids. Starting Wednesday, Kratom will be classified as a Schedule 1 controlled substance, meaning it’s going to be banned from gas stations, convenience stores, vape shops, and other businesses in Connecticut.

Connecticut already has some of the toughest gun restrictions in the country, and a new bill advancing in the state legislature targets Glocks and Glock clones. Backed by Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont (D), state House Bill 5043 advances a ban on popular handguns that have been on the market for over 40 years and are commonly used for lawful self-defense. The measure, advanced last week in a partisan vote of the House Judiciary Committee, ambiguously bans the future manufacture, sale, and importation into the state of "convertible pistols" defined as "any semiautomatic pistol with a cruciform trigger bar" that could...

An Israel Defense Forces soldier was killed in a Hezbollah rocket attack on troops in southern Lebanon overnight between Friday and Saturday, the military announced early Sunday morning. Sgt. Moshe Yitzchak Katz, 22, of the Paratroopers Brigade’s 890th Battalion, was a member of the Chabad community in New Haven, Connecticut. “My oldest son, with a zest for life and jokes,” wrote Katz’s father Mendy on Facebook. “My heart is shattered and the wound is real.” ...Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also offered condolences in a post, noting that Katz had moved to Israel to join the IDF, and saying he “fought...

HARTFORD, Conn. (WTNH) — In a series of exchanges spanning over three days, Connecticut’s top Democratic leaders appeared divided over whether or not to move forward with Gov. Ned Lamont’s proposal for a one-month gas tax holiday to address rising costs triggered by the war with Iran.The Democratic House speaker and House majority leader both signaled on Wednesday that their 102-member caucus is not clamoring for a gas tax holiday. A reprieve from the 25-cent-per-gallon tax, they reason, will not deliver sufficiently targeted savings.

NEW HAVEN, Conn. (WTNH) — The Trump administration is using Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers to help with a shortage of Transportation Security Administration agents at certain U.S. airports.This comes as Connecticut lawmakers propose new limits on what ICE agents may do in our state. There has not been word about the federal government sending ICE officers to Bradley International Airport. But there have been ICE raids in Connecticut.

Connecticut Democrats recently rushed through an emergency anti-fraud law requiring bottle redemption centers to collect a copy of a person’s driver’s license when they cash in more than 1,000 cans or bottles in a day — a document demand that Republicans say undercuts the party’s attacks on voter-ID rules. Earlier this month, an emergency certification bill, SB 299, was introduced by top Democratic leaders in the state's legislature. It was later passed in both chambers in late February and was signed by Gov. Ned Lamont, a Democrat, on March 3. It requires people wishing to recycle cans for money to...

NEW HAVEN, Conn. (WTNH) — Former New Haven Police Chief Karl Jacobson, who was arrested last month for allegedly embezzling $85,500 from public funds, is due in court Thursday.Jacobson faces two counts of first-degree larceny.He abruptly retired on Jan. 5, hours after three assistant police chiefs confronted him about the missing funds from the police department’s confidential informant fund.

HARTFORD, Conn. (WTNH) — Legislators heard public testimony on legislation that would implement a 2024 ballot measure greenlighting universal access to absentee ballots. The ballot measure, which was put before voters by Democratic efforts in the legislature, passed overwhelmingly. Now, Democrats are pushing to implement it before the statewide election this fall.

HARTFORD, Conn. (WTNH) — Lawmakers in Connecticut met Wednesday for a public hearing on a bill to ban Glock pistols because of how easy they are to convert from semi-automatic to fully automatic.The Hartford Police Department said it has seized dozens of Glocks that have been converted to fully automatic through the use of a relatively inexpensive modification known as a “switch.”

HARTFORD, Conn. (WTNH) — Two hot-button political issues converged Wednesday in the state capitol, drawing a crowd well over 1,000 parents and children opposed to proposed regulations on homeschooling and changes to Connecticut’s vaccine policies. The day began with a scathing press conference staged by the General Assembly’s Republican caucuses. GOP legislators took particular issue with the fact that Democratic members of the Public Health Committee voted to cap public testimony at midnight on Wednesday.“No elected official that casted a vote today to silence your voices deserves to be re-elected to office again,” State Sen. Steve Harding, the leader of...

The Judiciary Committee will host Public Testimony on March 11th on these anti-gun bills. We need YOU to tell the legislature NOT to pass these bills! CCDL Outreach will also be deploying all across the state to host testimony-writing sessions at FFLs and Clubs. 1. Register to deliver oral testimony in opposition to H.B. 5043 and H.B. 5436. Plan to arrive for 9AM and wear CCDL/2A Merch to sport your affiliation. Let’s flood the capitol! 2. Submit written testimony in opposition to H.B. 5043 and H.B. 5436. Double-check our notes below and the bill language for facts, and your individual...

The husband of former Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin is under investigation over a campaign ad that heavily featured Secretary Kristi Noem. Days before President Donald Trump’s decision to relieve her of her duties, Noem testified before Congress to discuss her department’s funding. During this hearing, multiple members of Congress grilled Noem on the $220 million that went to subcontractors to fund an ad campaign. The ads, starring Noem, largely focused on the department’s deportation efforts. Her alleged ties to the recipients of the contracts led to questions about potential conflicts of interest. In a letter published Tuesday, Senators Peter...

HARTFORD, Conn. (WTNH) — Gov. Ned Lamont announced Tuesday that all U.S. and Connecticut flags on state property are to be lowered to half-staff from sunrise to sunset on Saturday, March 7, to honor Rev. Jesse Jackson, who died earlier this month.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The killing of a Minnesota woman by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer is reverberating across Capitol Hill where Democrats, and certain Republicans, are vowing an assertive response as President Donald Trump’s aggressive deportation operations spark protests nationwide.Lawmakers are demanding a range of actions, from a full investigation into Renee Good’s shooting death and policy changes over law enforcement raids to the defunding of ICE operations and the impeachment of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, in what is fast becoming an inflection point.“The situation that took place in Minnesota is a complete and total disgrace,” House Democratic...

HARTFORD, CT (WFSB) - Hartford officials launched an investigation Thursday after video showed the drivers of a car and a van drive through crowds at an ICE protest outside the federal courthouse. The video, obtained by CT Insider, showed the vehicles inching forward through people before driving off. As the van driver pulled away, someone ran after it, throwing what appeared to be chains at the back window and smashing it.

NEW HAVEN, Conn. (WTNH) — New Haven Police Chief Karl Jacobson admitted theft and misuse of public funds, Mayor Justin Elicker announced during a press conference Monday. Jacobson allegedly admitted to taking money from a city fund used for confidential informants, according to Elicker. The fund is used to provide money to people who share information with police during criminal investigations.