You may have noticed that the federal government shut down today. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid called this a "sad day for America." But it's not keeping Connecticut down. Today, the state's new health care exchange takes its first spin around the Internet (if on slightly unstable web-wheels), and -- you know you've been waiting for this -- a bunch of new laws go into effect. Maybe you forgot just how good October 1 would be to you. That and more in today's Wheelhouse Digest.
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NEW CONNECTICUT LAWS GO INTO EFFECT
Closing loopholes and stewarding discarded mattresses, several new laws kick in.
Among the new legislation that takes effect on October 1: stricter gun permit laws and ammunition certificates, stronger penalties for human trafficking, and a closed loophole in the sexual assault act. Also, a mattress stewardship program begins. Christine Stuart provides some details and a complete list.
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YALE DROPS TRESPASSING CHARGES
A Brazilian journalist, charged with criminal trespassing, cited harsh treatment.
Brazilian journalist Claudia Trevisan, based in Washington, D.C., was imprisoned at Yale last week after being charged with criminal trespassing. Yale officers said she attempted to enter a private meeting and misrepresented her intentions. Trevisan said she spent a few hours in a New Haven prison after being handcuffed. She said she was sought an interview with the president of Brazil’s supreme court, Joaquim Barbosa.
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METRO-NORTH LIMPS ALONG AT HALF CAPACITY
Malloy says the power situation may not be fixed until next week.
Metro-North service continues to run at about 50 percent capacity today after a service disruption last week, when a circuit failed in Mount Vernon, New York. A temporary fix installed by Con Edison does not provide enough power for full service. Governor Dannel Malloy said it would be next week before the power situation is fixed, but he also said Metro-North is considering his call to reimburse commuters who have bought weekly and monthly passes that they weren’t able to use.
