Teenager brings awareness, diversity to Windsor Locks community discussionWINDSOR LOCKS (WFSB) - A Windsor locks eighth grader is leading an important discussion about racism in the community tonight. This evening, the town held an "erasing racism' conversation - after a 14-year-old was inspired to make a difference in their town. "People really need to know about it because they are the change," Jasmine Hurdle said Thursday. The Windsor locks middle school student says she has faced some prejudice in her life. And after reflecting on what's going on across the country, and her own town, she contacted first selectman Chris Kervick to let him know what needs to be done. "A lot people feel that it’s uncomfortable to talk about," Hurdle said. "So I really want to bring awareness." All eyes were on Jasmine and a panel of diverse speakers. All sharing their experiences being a person of color in Windsor Locks. "I went to my mom and asked why people don’t like me for my skin color," Hurdle said. "Am I wrong, am I dirty? And she really had to explain to me that I had value. That I am important." Jasmine says racism, diversity and inclusion is an important topic for her. She hopes it will be just as important for the people who attended tonight. "I want them to learn that just because you don’t see racism, doesn’t mean its not happening," Hurdle said.

State's positivity rate stays steady above 1% as 'Phase 3' hangs in the balanceHARTFORD, CT (WFSB) -- Looking at the coronavirus in Connecticut, the state is seeing a steady increase of cases and hospitalizations. Thursday’s statistics showed an increase in 220 positive cases out of 13,857 tests performed, showing a 1.6% positivity rate. <a href="https://www.wfsb.com/news/coronavirus-in-ct-hospitalizations-at-75-as-positivity-rate-continues-to-trend-up/article_2ee0e4fc-f2ee-11ea-beee-4bb138725890.html" target="_blank">Coronavirus in CT: Hospitalizations at 75 as positivity rate continues to trend up</a> The rate is still good, compared to where it was early on and compared to other states, but this is still a steady rise, and it’s been going on for the past few weeks. With 75 currently hospitalized as of Thursday, it’s the highest that number has been since early July. Pointing to some of the flare ups seen in Danbury and at some of the colleges, state leaders say this is a cause for concern. “This is something we’re watching carefully. To what degree it’s seasonal, to what degree it’s people coming back, to what degree it was Labor Day weekend, all those folks who thought we were out of the woods and it’s time to let it rip, it reminds you why we continue to be very cautious,” said Gov. Ned Lamont. His message on Thursday is to “still be vigilant.” From an economic standpoint, there’s a big concern that we could be on a collision course to rolling back our reopen. Phase 3 includes bars, and it also includes loosening the indoor capacity restrictions on restaurants. This is going to be vital in order for restaurants to survive the fall and winter seasons. However, looking at Thursday’s numbers, the state is still in a good spot, but the uptick in positive cases as well as hospitalizations has gone on for about two weeks now. That’s not a good sign for businesses, and right now, there’s no clarity for them on what they can and can’t do in the fall. Lamont said he’s going to meet with his team to plan out the next critical steps in navigating this virus and the seasonal change. “I’m going to sit down with my public health team and they’re going to say that Oct. 12 is too far ahead to predict and I’m going to say, ‘look, if we can keep our metric below, say 2%, I want to be able to tell people this is what you can plan on in terms of capacity and occupancy.’ That’s where I think we’re going with this discussion,” Lamont said. The summer business has exceeded expectations at Max Burger in West Hartford "I’ve gone outside to eat maybe about once or twice a week since this started," Debbie Kritzman said Thursday. At a time when indoor dining is limited by the state to half capacity, outdoor dining was a lifesaver. West Hartford even shut down lanes to help restaurants survive. "The patio definitely generates a lot of our sales," Jamie Pinto of Max Burger said. With weekend lows in the 30s, the clock is ticking and Governor Lamont today admits, he hasn’t given restaurants much guidance for navigating the fall and winter. "I owe them a response, and I owe them a response soon," Lamont said. "I know that everyone’s worried that once the weather gets cooler, there might be a higher risk of the virus spreading," Pinto said. And that could impact the capacity allowed indoors come winter. Dedicated customers could be going the takeout route. Also new on Thursday, the Centers for Disease Control said a vaccine could be widely available for the general public late spring or early summer of 2021. Lamont said Phase 3 doesn’t hinge on a vaccine, and that the phase would likely come sooner if the infection rate allows. The governor will be meeting with the department of health and he’s hoping to have an answer about elements of phase 3 as soon as possible.

Eversource seeking $700 million to help with Isaias and COVID-19 losses.BERLIN, CT (WFSB) -- Eversource is on the hot seat once again, but not for its handling of last month’s storm. Eversource said it incurred huge costs during the storm, and is seeking to secure the $700 million, and spread the costs to customers over 20 years. By spreading out costs long-term, Eversource says “this approach would lower the bill impact to customers by 65% during this unprecedented time of COVID-19, as compared to what they would otherwise experience.” Connecticut’s largest utility company is quietly pitching this proposal to lawmakers. The company had major expenses during Tropical Storm Isaias, which came during the pandemic, when many customers couldn’t pay their bills. Eversource’s request comes as state regulators are now investigating the company for recent rate hikes and its response to the tropical storm. More than 800,000 customers were without power, many for more than week. <a href="https://www.wfsb.com/news/eversource-rate-hikes-storm-response-discussed-during-another-hearing/article_9f179c32-f34f-11ea-a0da-47d11c0b8f0e.html" target="_blank">RELATED: Eversource rate hikes, storm response discussed during another hearing</a> Eversource needs legislative approval, and that’s not something State Senator Norm Needleman is ready to sign off on. Needleman is leading the charge to get the utility companies to be more accountable and give state regulators more power. “I think customers will be outraged, also that is a given. Anything that implies that the state is going to guarantee their bonds is going to outrage customers,” Needleman said. Gov. Ned Lamont said he wants to hear from state regulators and lawmakers. “The good news is that me and the legislature and our administration are one, we are going to change the way we regulate these utilities. No more automatic 9 percent rate of return whether you do a good job or a lousy job. We are going to put in place really strong metric, 500 for spoiled food. You’re going to pay a cost for poor performance. We are going to get that into the new regulation,” Lamont said. David Arconti, the chair of the Energy Committee, calls the proposal a joke. Under different circumstances, this proposal may have a better chance. Eversource wanted this taken up in a special session, but right now it may be too toxic.

Several schools announce COVID-19-related closures through the end of the week(WFSB) - Several more schools announced positive, or presumptive positive, cases of COVID-19, which prompted them to temporarily close. Thursday, school officials in Cheshire said Highland Elementary School students would remote learn for the day. They said a contractor working in the building tested positive for the virus; however, school officials do not believe the person had close contact with anyone in the school. Litchfield Public School officials announced that all Litchfield Public Schools will be on remote learning on Friday. This comes after several students, across multiple schools, attended a non-school event last weekend and had prolonged exposure with a positive COVID-19 case. Officials in Bristol also announced that Bristol Eastern High School would be closed Thursday and Friday due to a presumptive positive case in its community. <a href="https://www.wfsb.com/news/bristol-eastern-high-school-closed-through-friday-due-to-suspected-covid-19-case/article_2ef89abc-f8c9-11ea-92f3-43f7d3bf271c.html" target="_blank">RELATED: Bristol Eastern High School closed through Friday due to suspected COVID-19 case</a> Hillcrest Middle School in Trumbull will be closed for two weeks due to a spike in cases there, the principal told Channel 3. The principal said students should follow their remote learning schedule and log on to classes via Google Classroom. In Waterbury, Kennedy High School will be closed through the end of the week after two students tested positive for COVID-19. School officials said all students will be doing distance learning both Thursday and Friday. The students who tested positive were self-isolating and the city's contact tracing team is working to figure out who else may have been infected. The district said because high schoolers really can’t cohort, they move around the building and have different classes, it decided the right move was to keep everyone home. At the middle school, they have cohorts, so they decided the best option was to keep the impacted class home, while everyone continues on their normal schedules. <a href="https://www.wfsb.com/news/kennedy-high-school-in-waterbury-closed-through-friday-after-2-students-test-positive-for-covid/article_2a6085ce-f873-11ea-a326-7bd33e5b3531.html" target="_blank">RELATED: Kennedy High School in Waterbury closed through Friday after 2 students test positive for COVID</a> A number of school systems have also seen cases but are remaining open after deep cleaning and quarantining individuals, including: A.I. Prince Technical High SchoolWethersfield Public SchoolsSimsbury Public SchoolsEllington Public Schools Stay with Channel 3 for continuing coverage of the coronavirus in Connecticut.

Man arrested after striking, killing bicyclist in HamdenHAMDEN, CT (WFSB) – A Hamden man has been arrested after hitting and killing a bicyclist Thursday morning. Around 1:15 a.m., officers responded to the area of Dixwell Avenue and Collins Street for the report of a car accident. Investigation revealed that Ryan Bivens, 21, was traveling southbound on Dixwell Avenue when he crossed the double yellow center lines. He struck the back of a bicycle, throwing the bicyclist, and killing him. The bicyclist was identified as 54-year-old David Toles of New Haven. After Bivens struck Toles, he continued southbound, hitting and snapping two utility poles and his car eventually landed on its roof. Bivens was charged with negligent homicide with a motor vehicle, driving under the influence, and failure to driver in proper lanes. He was given a $50,000 bond and was arraigned in Meriden Superior Court.

Car crashes into building in EnfieldENFIELD, CT (WFSB) – Emergency crews in Enfield are on the scene of a car into a building on Thursday night. The crash occurred near the intersection of 281 Enfield Street, which the McLaughlin Paper Co. building. Police said the female driver was being evaluated by medical crews on the scene, but did not say the extent of her injuries. There is no word on what caused the crash.

Liberty Bank Surprise Squad: Local shoppers surprised with gifts cards to Big YThe Liberty Bank Surprise Squad surprised shoppers at Big Y with gift cards for groceries. This segment is sponsored by Liberty Bank.

VIDEO: High school soccer players adjusting to coronavirus guidelinesLocal high school soccer plays are adjusting to the new guidelines due to coronavirus.

Jobs for CT: Banquet ManagerWaters Edge Resort & Spa is looking to hire a banquet manager.

Woman accused of stealing, coughs, spits on officers in North HavenNORTH HAVEN, CT (WFSB) – A North Haven woman accused of stealing in North Haven intentionally spit and coughed on officers. Officers responded to the Target on Universal Drive for the report of a larceny on Sunday. When officers arrived on the scene, a man was attempting to exit the store with stolen items. When he saw the officer’s cruiser, the suspect dropped the items and ran back into the store. Officers learned that a female accomplice was with the suspect. The male suspect exited the store through the rear emergency exit. The female suspect was found inside the store and provided a fake name to police. Officers were able to identify her has 42-year-old Amy Kiernan, who had two outstanding warrants for probation violations. When Kiernan was placed under arrest, she began intentionally spitting and coughing towards officers, saying she has coronavirus. Kiernan was charged with 6th degree larceny, interfering with an officer, assault on a public safety officer, and several other charges. The male suspect has not been located, but has been identified.