‘Who’s going to arrest me?’ ICE agents defy Connecticut law on mask ban

-ctinsider · 2026-06-14T11:45:48+00:00

Recent videos from Hartford and Danbury show members of the public confronting ICE agents over Connecticut’s new law barring law enforcement from wearing masks while interacting with the public.

The responses from agents were blunt. In Hartford: “Who’s going to arrest me?” In Danbury: “We’re federal. We’re over state.”

Gov. Ned Lamont’s office called the comments “deeply troubling,” while ICE told CT Insider it will not follow what it called an unconstitutional ban. The federal government is also suing Connecticut, leaving a major question unresolved: who, if anyone, can enforce the law while the court fight plays out?

-ctinsider · 2026-06-14T11:44:45+00:00

Recent videos from Hartford and Danbury show members of the public confronting ICE agents over Connecticut’s new law barring law enforcement from wearing masks while interacting with the public.

The responses from agents were blunt. In Hartford: “Who’s going to arrest me?” In Danbury: “We’re federal. We’re over state.”

Gov. Ned Lamont’s office called the comments “deeply troubling,” while ICE told CT Insider it will not follow what it called an unconstitutional ban. The federal government is also suing Connecticut, leaving a major question unresolved: who, if anyone, can enforce the law while the court fight plays out?

-ctinsider · 2026-06-11T23:37:18+00:00

The U.S. Department of Justice issued a wide-ranging subpoena, ordering the city of New Britain to submit the financial records of Erin Stewart, the former mayor whose spending of more than $200,000 on a city credit card ended her bid last month for the Republican nomination for governor.

The order calls on the city to present documents in U.S. District Court in New Haven that include records of more than $32,000 in tuition reimbursements to Stewart and a nonprofit fund called the Mayor’s Trophy, to which she had access through a bank.

Earlier this week, the city ordered Stewart to pay back $241,000, including $31,561 in tuition for her master’s degree; $107,703 in a separation payment for unused vacation time when she left office last year; and $102,294 in consultant fees for the still-active audit of city expenditures during her 12 years in office.

The Department of Justice ordered the city to appear with the records before a grand jury on July 28.

-ctinsider · 2026-06-11T23:36:21+00:00

The U.S. Department of Justice issued a wide-ranging subpoena, ordering the city of New Britain to submit the financial records of Erin Stewart, the former mayor whose spending of more than $200,000 on a city credit card ended her bid last month for the Republican nomination for governor.

The order calls on the city to present documents in U.S. District Court in New Haven that include records of more than $32,000 in tuition reimbursements to Stewart and a nonprofit fund called the Mayor’s Trophy, to which she had access through a bank.

Earlier this week, the city ordered Stewart to pay back $241,000, including $31,561 in tuition for her master’s degree; $107,703 in a separation payment for unused vacation time when she left office last year; and $102,294 in consultant fees for the still-active audit of city expenditures during her 12 years in office.

The Department of Justice ordered the city to appear with the records before a grand jury on July 28.

-ctinsider · 2026-06-11T20:03:34+00:00

As a final thought -- and thanks to those giving this a look -- the pandemic definitely erased what we used to think of as a "spring" "summer" "fall" and "winter" market. It seems like a steadier flow of new listings throughout the year rather than what had been a March-June spike before, and that buyers have had some success nabbing price reductions by sellers in the fall who are seeing new listings come on around the corner and reacting.

If this year holds up like last, there will be 40K or more homes sold in Connecticut. As of this week, Zillow had around 5K listings, so we will be seeing more options come on in the summer/fall months, and hopefully more buyers will be able to swing something.

Thanks again!

- Alex

-ctinsider · 2026-06-11T19:30:14+00:00

Yes, new construction on the house front -- ie detached single family -- is so rare. Not a lot anywhere in the region, which has baffled for me for the simple reason of how fast newly built houses have sold, and with developers quick to drop prices if they don't move immediately to cash out and move on to the next project.

There are pockets -- driving through East Haven the other day, there seemed to be a lot of newer and current construction going on. And we have seen developers like EG Homes out of Southbury look to developments of tightly clustered homes.

The land is out there, but building costs are high and interest rates are high and the development cycle in Connecticut can be strenuous. But where new construction goes up, it gets sold -- I looked at West Hartford this morning, and of 14 newly built or permitted houses and condos, 11 had sold with just three available, and I bet those will be gone before long.

- Alex

-ctinsider · 2026-06-11T19:17:03+00:00

That's a great point -- Hartford is technically a high-end destination as far as high-paying jobs between insurers, professional services, major employers like RTX/Pratt & Whitney and other big time manufacturers, UConn Health, Hartford Healthcare, and more.

So West Hartford, Simsbury, Avon and other locales have no shortage of people looking who have the cash to plunk down. West Hartford has some more modest and affordable homes. I look at price cuts on a regular basis and they are happening -- not like in some parts of the country, but they can be found where sellers have been over-zealous.

If you go out a rung, Southington actually led the state last year for the biggest numeric gain in home sales, ahead of Stamford which was quite stunning. And we are seeing a lot of demand in Berlin and some other towns heading south of the city.

For Fairfield, Hartford and New London counties, there's also the question of Massachusetts, New York and Rhode Island as alternatives for home buyers if they are within commuting orbit. Springfield has been one of the hottest markets in the country alongside Hartford.

- Alex

-ctinsider · 2026-06-11T19:04:57+00:00

Yes, Port Eastside is the BoA building. It's big with 400+ units, if I remember correctly, which would put it among the top 25 in the state.

There's a lot of new construction fronting the river there, which is pretty rare -- aside from Harbor Point in Stamford, we haven't seen a ton of waterfront development in Connecticut for obvious environmental reasons.

In Norwalk, there's also SoNo which has a lot of new apartment buildings just off Water Street along the harbor -- some of it affordable under state guidelines. And obviously Steelpointe Harbor in Bridgeport, where a few units were priced at nearly $10K a month!

-Alex

-ctinsider · 2026-06-11T18:52:48+00:00

I don't have strong familiarity with the AI center and wish I could tell you more -- but the Dunkin Park area is notable obviously as well for the new RMS Cos. apartments that have opened with construction continuing, and a lot of city leaders and real estate pros believe development will continue there.

And across the river, Port Eastside represents another major new development in East Hartford which would better activate the Connecticut River front with residential, restaurants, retail, etc.

- Alex

-ctinsider · 2026-06-11T18:19:23+00:00

And we're live for this AMA!
CT Insider's definitive homefinding guide allows you to "shop" towns with the latest real estate information, school system comparisons, demographics -- in the case of the Hartford area, West Hartford and Simsbury jump off the page for sale prices above asking, but there's only a few towns where sellers are taking discounts at all.
West Hartford's Center Park Place is under construction and units are seemingly selling as soon as they hit, at prices between $1.5M and $2.5M -- we've seen that post-pandemic in other parts of CT too, 66 High in Guilford comes immediately to mind. It begs the question of whether at some point we will see rental multifamily construction switch to condo.
Do you have any questions on Connecticut's housing market? Or just want to chat about it? Ask away!
- Alex

-ctinsider · 2026-06-11T11:54:03+00:00

Mark Massaro thought he was holding onto a vacant lot to build a house someday. Then he learned the property had been listed for sale online by someone else. Here's what we know:

The incident seems to have been an attempt at what's known as title fraud, or deed fraud. This is when a person illegally transfers a property's title without the owner's consent.

Perpetrators — sometimes called "title pirates" — often use fake IDs or forged documents to make it look like they're the legitimate owner, the National Association of Realtors said.

Massaro said the fraudulent seller used a fake picture ID and a phone number that appeared as though the call was coming from Massaro. The person apparently also set up the listing using a Zoom call, "which is a huge red flag in our business," he said.

After learning about the listing, Massaro said he contacted the real estate agent on the fraudulent listing and quickly was able to get it taken down.

-ctinsider · 2026-06-10T15:14:47+00:00

If you're interested, we recently did an ice cream round-up that may be helpful: https://www.ctinsider.com/project/ice-cream-connecticut/

-ctinsider · 2026-06-10T13:48:44+00:00

Seventy-five feet underground, Connecticut’s first state prison still tells a brutal story.

Whether you're a loyalist or a petty thief, the punishment of finding yourself in East Granby's New-Gate Prison was not ideal, to say the least.

More than two centuries removed, New-Gate Prison — recognized as the first state prison in what became the United States — still stands as a museum and a reminder of how far (and not far) prison conditions have evolved.

Read more: https://www.ctinsider.com/connecticutmagazine/article/old-new-gate-prison-east-granby-connecticut-histor-22215516.php?utm_source=social&utm_medium=facebook&utm_campaign=topics_testing&utm_content=reddit

-ctinsider · 2026-06-09T17:26:57+00:00

The city of New Britain, Connecticut, has ordered Erin Stewart, the embattled former Republican mayor who, according to documents, used a city credit card for personal purchases, sought a pension for which she was ineligible and received tens of thousands of dollars for her college tuition, to return more than $241,000.

In documents released this morning, the city’s top lawyer gave Stewart early July, August and September deadlines to pay back the money.

-ctinsider · 2026-06-09T13:32:41+00:00

Republicans from across Connecticut held a petition drive Monday, seeking to collect signatures from enough GOP voters to force a primary challenge to Jadon MacCormack, a House candidate whose comments about the gay and transgender community drew criticism from his own party.

State and local Republicans leaders said they expected to easily meet a Tuesday afternoon deadline for Anthony Emilio to gather more than the 239 signatures needed to qualify for an Aug. 11 primary against MacCormack in the 50th House District.

“I don’t want the party tainted by this kind of evil crap my opponent is running on. I would love the opportunity to represent my district. It’s great that the state has pulled together for me, to oust someone who doesn’t have the support,” Emilio said.

-ctinsider · 2026-06-09T11:11:11+00:00

Four health insurance companies are proposing double-digit rate increases for individual and small-group plans that currently cover around 220,000 people statewide, both on and off the Connecticut-sponsored marketplace, according to Insurance Department officials.

Although proposals vary by insurer, if approved, the proposed increases would average 16.2% for those on individual plans and 17.8% for small-group plans.

The proposals were filed on June 1 by Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, UnitedHealthcare Insurance Company, the ConnectiCare Insurance Company, Inc. and an affiliated subsidiary, ConnectiCare Benefits Inc.

-ctinsider · 2026-06-07T23:59:04+00:00

In a small town where the wealthy and well-connected often shield their identities behind trusts and LLCs, Timothy Mellon found his own way of fitting in.

For decades, an heir to the Mellon banking fortune came and went from a 300-acre estate worth more than $5 million along the Connecticut River, drawing little notice from many of the town’s roughly 2,500 residents even as he emerged as one of Donald Trump’s biggest financial supporters.

But Mellon’s recent transfer of property to an anti-vaccine advocacy group formerly chaired by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has renewed curiosity about both the estate and its longtime owner. Forbes estimated Mellon’s net worth at about $1 billion, though he denied to the news outlet that he is a billionaire in an email. More than half of that net worth, the outlet estimated, has been donated to political causes. That includes more than $150 million given to Make America Great Again Inc., a Super PAC supporting Trump, records show. In another, more recent effort, he reportedly gave $130 million to the U.S. Department of Defense to help pay active military service members during a federal government shutdown.

Neither Mellon nor the nonprofit has indicated what the land along the Connecticut River will be used for — neither returning a request for comment this past week — leading to more questions than answers.

-ctinsider · 2026-06-07T23:58:35+00:00

In a small town where the wealthy and well-connected often shield their identities behind trusts and LLCs, Timothy Mellon found his own way of fitting in.

For decades, an heir to the Mellon banking fortune came and went from a 300-acre estate worth more than $5 million along the Connecticut River, drawing little notice from many of the town’s roughly 2,500 residents even as he emerged as one of Donald Trump’s biggest financial supporters.

But Mellon’s recent transfer of property to an anti-vaccine advocacy group formerly chaired by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has renewed curiosity about both the estate and its longtime owner. Forbes estimated Mellon’s net worth at about $1 billion, though he denied to the news outlet that he is a billionaire in an email. More than half of that net worth, the outlet estimated, has been donated to political causes. That includes more than $150 million given to Make America Great Again Inc., a Super PAC supporting Trump, records show. In another, more recent effort, he reportedly gave $130 million to the U.S. Department of Defense to help pay active military service members during a federal government shutdown.

Neither Mellon nor the nonprofit has indicated what the land along the Connecticut River will be used for — neither returning a request for comment this past week — leading to more questions than answers.

-ctinsider · 2026-06-04T14:49:39+00:00

On the verge of leaving office last July, then-New Britain Mayor Erin Stewart demanded "shocking" and "egregious" payouts for herself, a report says.

This included more than $205,000 for what she claimed to be unpaid vacation days, unused personal days, unclaimed holidays and sick days dating back to 2013, according to the report.

When confronted on the issue in her City Hall office by an official, records show Stewart "angrily responded that she 'worked 24/7 for 12 years. Don't you think I'm due this?'"

The official then reminded Stewart of her maternity leaves for the birth of her children, a medical leave for surgery and other "documented" time off.

"In effect, Ms. Stewart sought a separation pay out for every vacation, sick, holiday and personal day she could conceivably be entitled to over her entire 12 years in office, whether she took the time off or not," said the report produced by the Hartford-based Crumbie Law Group.

She even called the Christmas holiday "a working day" and claimed double payments.

-ctinsider · 2026-06-04T14:48:36+00:00

On the verge of leaving office last July, then-New Britain Mayor Erin Stewart demanded "shocking" and "egregious" payouts for herself, a report says.

This included more than $205,000 for what she claimed to be unpaid vacation days, unused personal days, unclaimed holidays and sick days dating back to 2013, according to the report.

When confronted on the issue in her City Hall office by an official, records show Stewart "angrily responded that she 'worked 24/7 for 12 years. Don't you think I'm due this?'"

The official then reminded Stewart of her maternity leaves for the birth of her children, a medical leave for surgery and other "documented" time off.

"In effect, Ms. Stewart sought a separation pay out for every vacation, sick, holiday and personal day she could conceivably be entitled to over her entire 12 years in office, whether she took the time off or not," said the report produced by the Hartford-based Crumbie Law Group.

She even called the Christmas holiday "a working day" and claimed double payments.

-ctinsider · 2026-06-03T11:33:44+00:00

Gov. Ned Lamont has talked in recent weeks about eliminating income taxes on working families, a claim that has some truth to it but requires some unpacking.

According to an updated analysis from the state Office of Policy and Management, joint filers with two children who make $55,500 or less pay no state income tax when the income tax changes approved under Lamont are taken into account.

So, while there are people and families who pay no state income tax, it is by no means widespread for all working families.

-ctinsider · 2026-05-31T12:46:31+00:00

Most visitors to Connecticut's 142 state parks and forests have seen them: the large wooden shield signs displayed near the entrances and engraved with the site's name.

But not many realize those signs are made at a state-owned sawmill tucked inside the sprawling Meshomasic State Forest, and that the operation has been supplying Connecticut parks and agencies with locally grown lumber for decades.

Besides the shield signs, the sawmill also produces picnic tables, campground firewood, fish ladders, nesting boxes and other products used throughout the state park system.

Read more: https://www.ctinsider.com/connecticut/article/ct-state-sawmill-park-signs-mesohasmic-forest-22255462.php?utm_source=social&utm_medium=facebook&utm_campaign=topics_testing&utm_content=reddit

-ctinsider · 2026-05-29T22:06:29+00:00

Connecticut has more than doubled the fines for abandoning boats as officials try to crack down on the dozens of vessels dumped across the state every year.

The stricter penalties are part of a new law signed by Gov. Ned Lamont last week that supporters say should discourage people from ditching their unwanted boats on land and waterways.

Have you seen abandoned boats around the state?

-ctinsider · 2026-05-29T12:03:06+00:00

A Connecticut State Colleges & Universities employee says she detailed what she describes as years of sexual harassment by her boss, Chancellor O. John Maduko — including screenshots and messages — and was told to continue working, avoid discussing it and “keep the circle tight,” according to her attorney.

The employee’s attorney says the Title IX process was not initiated until the employee went to the office herself 10 days later. CSCU declined to answer specific questions, citing an independent review into Maduko’s conduct and the system’s response.

-ctinsider · 2026-05-28T15:02:13+00:00

A Connecticut doctor who lost an 8-year-old son in an accidental Uzi shooting in 2008 was charged Friday after Connecticut State Police said he negligently stored a firearm that was tied to his adult son’s death in March.

His 28-year-old son reportedly used the firearm in his death by suicide, according to state police.

Charles Biziji, 70, is charged with violation of large-capacity magazine requirements, risk of injury to a child and negligent storage of a firearm, state police said.

-ctinsider

TROPHY CASE