Join us for CRN’s Big Fall Event on Oct.15.
News and notes from the State Capitol
News and notes from around the state.
- Connecticut retailers from across the state are reserving their place at CRN’s BIG Fall Event on Thursday morning, October 15 at the Bushnell in downtown Hartford.
- You’ll want to be there too! Please join us for this important event.
- The funds raised from the Fall Event go directly to our bottom line so that CRN can maintain a strong presence for our members at the State Capitol and in the marketplace.
- It will be a great morning for Connecticut’s retail industry – filled with networking, camaraderie, and a look at what’s ahead for the industry in 2027.
- It starts with a delicious buffet breakfast (and there’s free parking across the street from the Bushnell). Registration opens at 8:30AM, the program begins at 9:00AM.
- Details on the CRN website here… https://ctretailnetwork.com/fall-event/
News and Notes from the State Capitol
- As the statewide effort to connect more people with health coverage ramps up, Connecticut leaders introduced a new tax credit Wednesday. The aim is to make it easier for small businesses to provide health insurance to their workers. FOX 61 has that news here.
- A state working group met last week — about seven weeks from Election Day — to start work on planning ways to increase voter participation in Connecticut. The group has an ambitious goal of achieving 100% voter turnout by 2030. Details reported in CT Post here.
- S&P Global has revised Connecticut’s debt rating outlook from stable to positive and affirmed its AA- bond rating, according to a statement from the company Thursday. Details here from CTNewsJunkie.
- Republican challenger Ryan Fazio is running a new TV campaign ad charging two-term Democratic Gov. Ned Lamont has made life more expensive in Connecticut, including taxing food and worker’s paychecks. CT Insider looks at that here.
- The town of Tolland wants any losses tied to its controversial school building project to be included when determining restitution orders for Kosta Diamantis, the former state school construction official who fled to Greece before his scheduled sentencing on 21 corruption counts last week. Hearst CT Media has that news here.
- WFSB and CT Insider will host the first gubernatorial debate between the two candidates on October 22 at 7:00 PM, broadcast live on WFSB. More on those plans here.
News and notes from around the state
- The Travelers Championship, Connecticut’s PGA Tour stop, has long prided itself on community involvement and its charitable donations, which includes 100 percent of its net proceeds. The 2026 tournament built on that legacy by generating more than $5 million for 290 charities to set record highs in both categories. Hearst CT Media has the numbers here.
- Connecticut’s beverage container redemption rate hit 92% in 2025, rising significantly from its 65% rate in 2024 due to numerous ongoing upgrades to its bottle bill program, according to data from the Container Recycling Institute. Read more here.
- Ross Dress for Less is coming to Waterbury’s Wolcott Street retail corridor, leasing 28,500 square feet at Waterbury Shopping Center. Hartford Business Journal has the details here.
- A law enforcement group that sets police standards in Connecticut recommended stringent new rules Thursday for the deployment and use of a wide range of surveillance technology, including automated license plate readers that have become hugely controversial over the past year. Details here from CT Mirror.
- Central Connecticut State University President Zulma Toro said she planned to resign at the end of the day, in a letter circulated university-wide Wednesday morning. Details reported here by CT Mirror.
- Nearly 100 Connecticut laws on a range of issues from immigration enforcement to distracted driving will fully or partially take effect on Oct. 1, 2026. Highlights in this round-up by CT Mirror here.
- Despite diesel prices hitting a record high this week and home heating oil up 50% in just three months, the state’s fuel distributors warn the problems are far from over. CT Mirror has details here.
- Connecticut, along with Massachusetts and Rhode Island have announced the selection of new clean energy projects totaling 102.4 megawatts of new solar generation through a collaborative, multistate, competitive solicitation. Details reported here by CTNewsJunkie.
- Connecticut residents will be offered a series of free virtual webinars to help them better understand student loan repayment and forgiveness options amid continuing changes to federal student loan programs. CTNewsJunkie has more on that initiative here.
- Another offshore wind project just wrapped up turbine construction in the U.S., despite the Trump administration issuing not one but two stop-work orders against the installation. The $6.2 billion Revolution Wind farm has installed its 65th and final turbine. CTNewsJunkie has the latest updates here.
- As grocery prices remain high and household budgets are stretched, more families across Connecticut are turning to food pantries for help. Connecticut Foodshare says 1 in 7 people in the state, about 560,000 people, are facing hunger. The organization has also seen increased demand at its mobile food pantries. NBC Connecticut has the details here.