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Connecticut Mirror

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Pulitzer Prize-winning reporting on Connecticut politics, public policy, and life in our state. Always free to read.

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(Editing by Kat Ramkumar) by @ctmirror

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More than 100 people gathered across the street from the Meriden courthouse Thursday evening with a list of demands for state officials, including strengthening the Trust Act and its enforcement and $50 million in legal support for those affected by immigration enforcement.

Attendees chanted “shame” as speakers recalled the events of last week’s courthouse arrest, including the pepper-spraying of an activist and the masks worn into the courthouse by ICE agents. Many held up signs. Some read “melt ICE” and “due process for all.”

The rally came as a response to an arrest at the courthouse on Sept. 23, which raised questions about the legality of ICE’s actions under the state’s Trust Act and other laws. The federal agents were masked and at the courthouse with an administrative, not judicial, warrant — potentially in violation of the law.

Read the full story at the link in our bio. (Photos and video by Sarah Gordon) by @ctmirror

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17 hours ago

Nearly two months after 25,000 former SNAP recipients were to begin receiving state-sponsored $300 grocery gift cards, Gov. Ned Lamont’s administration has delivered less than 6% of the pledged relief.

Through Thursday, only 1,425 cards worth a collective $427,500 had been distributed, a state Department of Social Services spokeswoman confirmed. Still, the administration pledged to intensify outreach and get the remaining $7.1 million promised to 23,570 food-insecure residents as soon as possible.

“It does take time to stand up a new program and ensure that taxpayer dollars are not being wasted and abused,” Christine Stuart, the social services department spokeswoman.

Read the full story at the link in our bio.(Photos by Laura Tillman and Shahrzad Rasekh) by @ctmirror

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Connecticut Republicans called Wednesday for suspension of the state’s retail taxes on gasoline and diesel fuel through Dec. 31, a break that would save motorists a collective $54 million per month.

But Gov. Ned Lamont and Democratic legislators counter-challenged the GOP to acknowledge one of the chief factors driving prices at the pump, the U.S. war with Iran begun under President Donald Trump’s administration on Feb. 28.

“The governor saw this coming.
Democrats saw this coming,” House Minority Leader Vincent Candelora, R-North Branford, wrote in a statement released midday. “They talked about it in March and then did nothing.”

Read the full story at the link in our bio.(Photo by Ted Shaffrey / Associated Press) by @ctmirror

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In the 1970s, Stratford Avenue, one of the main arteries running through Bridgeport’s East End, was designated as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.

The name has honored King’s legacy, but a state designation could now give the neighborhood an opportunity to put that name to work in a more tangible way — bringing attention to economic development, investment and opportunities for the people who live and work along it.

The East End is one of seven areas in the state designated as a Martin Luther King, Jr. Corridor under a program intended to promote secured and unsecured lending and stimulate economic development. Other municipalities with these corridors include Middletown, New Britain and Norwalk.

The neighborhood has long sought basic services, including a grocery store and bank. Honey Locust Square, a long-delayed project on Stratford Avenue, now has an M&T Bank branch, while a Gala Foods supermarket and other businesses remain part of the planned development. The project has received nearly $4.5 million in city, state and federal support, but has faced years of delays and financial challenges.

Read the full story at the link in our bio. (Photos by Sarah Gordon) by @ctmirror

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3 days ago

Konstantinos “Kosta” Diamantis, a fugitive waging a relentless publicity campaign for a presidential pardon from overseas, was sentenced in absentia Wednesday to 84 months in prison for extorting bribes from contractors as a high-ranking state official overseeing school construction grants.

U.S. District Judge Stefan R. Underhill imposed a sentence shorter than the range of 121 to 151 months in prison recommended by sentencing guidelines and sought by prosecutors. Diamantis was convicted on 21 counts, including conspiracy, bribery, extortion and lying to investigators.

“He lied on the stand, in my view,” Underhill said.

Diamantis, 70, a divorced father of five, failed to appear at a scheduled sentencing two weeks ago in U.S. District Court in Bridgeport, instead informing his lawyer he had fled to Greece, where he holds a dual citizenship that complicates efforts by authorities to locate and extradite him.

Read the full story at the link in our bio. (Photo by Shahrzad Rasekh) by @ctmirror

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When Tracy DeSenti’s husband Billy DeSenti died in 2023, she was so distraught, she barely got off the couch for weeks. She showered only after her adult sons threatened to spray her with a garden hose.

In the midst of her grief, as she learned to pay bills on her own and returned to work as an addiction counselor, a letter arrived from the state. Connecticut was demanding part of the inheritance she expected to receive from her husband’s estate.

DeSenti’s experience is not unique. She is one of hundreds of Connecticut residents who have had money seized in the last five years through a state law that dates back more than three decades. That law enables the Connecticut Department of Correction to charge a fee for every day a person spends in prison and then collect on that debt in certain situations.

(Comment DEBT and we'll DM you a link to read the full story.)

CT Mirror reviewed hundreds of cases filed from 2020 to 2026 in which the state sought to collect on prison debts in recent years and interviewed more than a dozen people who were forced to pay for previous prison stays either for themselves or their family members. In total, the state collected about $21 million from 2020 to mid-2026.

That reporting revealed that the state frequently seizes money from legal settlements stemming from medical malpractice, police brutality, workplace injury and other wrongful death lawsuits.

Read the full story at the link in our bio. (Photo by Sarah Gordon) by @ctmirror

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Bridgeport, I want to hear from you.

My next Bridgeport Sit & Speak is focused on immigration. We’ll talk about immigration enforcement, knowing your rights, finding reliable resources and the questions and concerns you want answered.

📍 Burroughs Community Center, 2470 Fairfield Ave.
📅 Thursday, Oct. 8
⏰ 5:30–6:30 p.m.

Bring a friend or neighbor and spread the word. Everyone is welcome!

#bridgeportct #immigration ##communityengagement ctmirror #share taken in Bridgeport, Connecticut by @ctmirror

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4 days ago

Hundreds of #Connecticut residents have had money seized in the last five years through a state law that enables the Connecticut Department of Correction to charge a fee for every day a person spends in prison and then collect on that debt in certain situations.

WSHU’s Ebong Udoma spoke with CT Mirror’s Ginny Monk to discuss her investigation, with Andrew Brown, into the effects of this law, as part of the collaborative podcast #LongStoryShort. by @ctmirror

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A slew of new Connecticut laws intend to protect state residents from the potential overreaches of emerging technologies are going into effect on Oct. 1.

Read the full story at the link in our bio. (Photo by Julia Levine) by @ctmirror

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In Connecticut, the number of people enrolled in the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, fell by 15% from June 2025 to June 2026 — including nearly 18,000 fewer residents under 18 receiving benefits.

In total, 55,000 fewer people in Connecticut were on SNAP this June compared to last June, according to a report from DataHaven. Enrollment in the program decreased quickly under eligibility changes implemented through H.R. 1, known as the One Big Beautiful Bill, which cut nearly $187 billion in federal program funding.

“People with dependents 14 to 17 are now subject to these work requirements,” Andrew Carr, a data analyst with DataHaven and co-author of the report said. “Increasing the population of those subject to work requirements, it creates new administrative burdens for people that may cause families to lose SNAP, which has consequences for children.”

Read the full story at the link in our bio. (Photo by Nam Y. Huh / Associated Press) by @ctmirror

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8 days ago

For 122 years, St. Monica’s Episcopal Church has been a pillar of Hartford’s North End and a sanctuary for Black worshippers. Until recently, it was the only historically Black Episcopal congregation in Connecticut with a full-time pastor.

But now, facing a shortage of congregants and money, the church has had to cut its pastor’s hours to half time.

St. Monica’s situation is not unique.

“The percent of congregations that have a part-time clergy is rising,” said Charissa Mikoski, assistant professor of research at Hartford Institute for Religion Research, adding that four in 10 Episcopal churches don’t have a full-time priest.

Read the full story at the link in our bio. (Photos by Sarah Gordon) by @ctmirror

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