WSHU-FM (Fairfield, CT)

New Haven’s early child care sector is getting a $3.5 million boost. It’s in an effort to make child care more accessible in the city. According to the Connecticut Office of Early Childhood, New Haven needs 2,200 spots in daycare and Pre-K programs. Mayor Justin Elicker (D) said the city is dedicating more money than any other Connecticut municipality to that cause. “I think that's something that we can be really proud of,” Elicker said.

Good morning. Connecticut’s state colleges with higher tuitions have lower degree completion rates among low-income students, according to an Education Reform Now CT report. University of Bridgeport was found to have a consistentsix-year completion rate below 50%. Central Connecticut State University, Southern Connecticut State University and the University of Bridgeport all had a consistent six-year completion rate at or below 50% for students of color.

Despite the absence of any formal plans to send asylum seekers from New York City to Nassau and Suffolk counties, advocates warn Long Island is not prepared to handle an influx of migrants. About 800 migrant children arrived last year and enrolled in Long Island schools according to SEPA Mujer, an immigrant support group. Today, Martha Maffei, the group's executive director, said she receives daily calls from people looking for help that the counties can’t provide.

Good morning. Unemployment fraud is on the rise in Connecticut. According to the state Department of Labor, over $3 billion worth of fraudulent claims were submitted during the COVID-19 pandemic — and today, as fake claims continue. For example, a Waterbury man was charged on May 8 for illegally collecting over $24,000 in benefits despite working full-time. Unemployment fraud worth over $500 is a felony punished with up to five years in prison and a fine up to $5,000.

Long Island’s first town-run food scrap recycling site opened Thursday. The Town of Riverhead partnered with nonprofits Long Island Organics Council and Green Inside and Out to launch the drop-off site in Calverton where organic waste will be converted into compost.

The New York Sea Grant will look at ways to keep pollutants out of waterways throughout the state. A total of $5.2 million from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) will fund research activities to reduce land-based sources of marine debris in rivers and coastal waterways. Kathy Bunting-Haworth is associate director of the grant. She said the quality of water upstate has a direct impact on Long Island waters.

Connecticut has approved and funded their long-awaited baby bonds program. It’s in an effort to give economic resources to kids born into poverty. The program is the first of its kind in the U.S. State Treasurer Erick Russell hopes the program will start to bridge the state’s wealth gap. “It's really a shot to help break the cycle of generational poverty for so many who have lived it," Russell said.

Prison advocates rallied outside the Connecticut State Capitol on Tuesday ahead of a vote in the Legislature that could bring the state closer to criminal justice reform. Two bills could create more oversight and protect children. Senate Bill 1070 would establish more oversight over state prosecutors. Each attorney would have to testify on data to the Criminal Justice Commission annually. Reports on each attorney would summarize their performance every other year.

Good morning! Recreational marijuana prices in Connecticut dropped about $1. The average price in April was $39.58, according to the latest report from the state Department of Consumer Protection. Statewide, retail pot sales are up 6% to $10.2 million. Over 10,000 more products were sold compared to the month before. Here’s a bite-sized look at what else we are hearing: Connecticut asked a federal judge to dismiss a Milford Christian school’s vaccine lawsuit.

Summer is almost here, but New Haven students have the opportunity to learn through the holiday. The city’s new tutoring initiative pilot program has received $3 million in funding, and will serve more than 600 kids grades 1-5 this summer. City and school officials want to help kids who struggled during COVID-19 remote learning, and are still trying to catch up. “If a student cannot read, they cannot access the full opportunities of a K through 12 curriculum,” Mayor Justin Elicker said.