Latest / Connecticut Today / Connecticut Today - September 28, 2026
Transcript
- 0:05Good morning. It's Monday, September 28th, and this is Connecticut Today, CT
- 0:09Insider's Daily Audio Briefing. Catch up on Connecticut. All news, no noise
- 0:13in under five minutes. We're starting off with a quick look at
- 0:16the weather. Connecticut is finally seeing the nor'easter begin to wind down,
- 0:19but rain, clouds, and gusty winds will linger through much of the
- 0:22day. We'll have the full forecast at the end of the briefing.
- 0:27In today's headlines, Connecticut continues to recover from a powerful nor'easter that
- 0:31battered the state over the weekend. The storm brought heavy rain, wind
- 0:34gusts over 50 miles per hour, and widespread power outages. Eversource reported
- 0:39restoring power to more than 146,000 customers, but thousands remain without electricity
- 0:44as crews clear-blocked roads and repair lines. At least seven homes were
- 0:48left uninhabitable due to fallen trees, and several state parks, including Rocky
- 0:52Neck and Bluff Point, faced closures from flooding and storm damage. Officials
- 0:56are urging residents to avoid closed roads and downed wires, and to
- 0:59stay away from flooded shoreline areas as cleanup continues.
- 1:03p>The state's Police Officer Standards and Training Council has released new recommendations
- 1:07for the use of speed and red light cameras. The council says
- 1:10cities and towns should keep camera data separate from license plate reader
- 1:14data and maintain audit records of system access. It also recommends that
- 1:18state lawmakers adjust the law so car lessees and renters can contest
- 1:21tickets, noting that current rules often leave renters without a way to
- 1:25challenge fines. The council suggests municipalities clearly report how they use fine
- 1:29revenue, which by law must go toward transportation improvements or camera operation
- 1:33costs. Connecticut's average price for a gallon of regular gas remains above
- 1:384, a mark it first crossed in April. As of Friday, the
- 1:41average price was 4.50 per gallon, down slightly from its peak in
- 1:45May but still high for drivers. The cheapest gas in the state
- 1:48was found at membership clubs and some independent stations, with prices as
- 1:52low as 4.09 per gallon. Industry experts say prices are unlikely to
- 1:57drop significantly soon, citing ongoing global conflicts and refinery issues. They note
- 2:01that only a major change, such as ending the war between the
- 2:04United States and Iran or repairing damaged refineries, would bring prices down.
- 2:09p>Some of the world's leading artificial intelligence companies are calling for government
- 2:12regulation as AI systems advance rapidly. Connecticut lawmakers have already passed laws
- 2:17requiring businesses to disclose clothes when AI is used in consumer interactions
- 2:21and employment decisions. The state's broader AI law also includes safeguards for
- 2:26minors, rules for detecting synthetic content, and protections for employees who report
- 2:30safety concerns. U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal has proposed a federal oversight system
- 2:35for advanced AI, modeled after the Food and Drug administration However, the
- 2:39Trump administration has pushed back on state level regulation, arguing it could
- 2:43create a patchwork of conflicting laws and slow innovation. New phase of
- 2:47research into Connecticut's endangered timber rattlesnakes has revealed more about their movement
- 2:51patterns. Wildlife biologists tracked about 16 snakes using transmitters attached to their
- 2:56rattles, confirming that some snakes travel up to one and a half
- 2:59miles from their dens The exact locations of the dens remain secret
- 3:03to protect the snakes from illegal collectors. The timber rattlesnake is now
- 3:07found in only about 10 towns in the state, down from more
- 3:10than 20, due to habitat loss, intentional killing, and poaching. The research
- 3:14aims to help conservation officers better protect the remaining populations. In high
- 3:19school football, six Connecticut teams ended long losing streaks against specific opponents
- 3:23in week three. Pomperag beat Newtown for the first time since 2011,
- 3:27while Tolland topped Bloomfield after 15 years. Branford, Guildford, Ludlowe and Law
- 3:32also notched memorable wins, with Ludlow defeating Direan for
- 3:35the first time in program history, and Law earning its first victory
- 3:38over West Haven since 1975. And now for the full weather forecast,
- 3:42the nor'easter is gradually moving away, but scattered showers and gusty north
- 3:46winds will persist through today. Temperatures will stay cool, with highs in
- 3:50the lower to middle sixties, and winds gusting up to 30 mph
- 3:53inland. Conditions are expected to improve by Tuesday, with partly sunny skies
- 3:58and milder temperatures returning. Thanks for listening. For more local news, visit
- 4:02ctinsider.com. This digest was partially generated by AI and then reviewed and
- 4:06edited by our newsroom staff.