Jeff Currey

They say that when you buy from a small business, an actual person does a little happy dance. So our collective goal for tomorrow’s Small Business Saturday is to get those feet movin’! This holiday season, especially, we hope you will strongly consider shopping to support small, locally owned, businesses in our community.

On Thursday, the bipartisan Connecticut Reapportionment Commission unanimously certified the House of Representatives redistricting plan, which uses data from the 2020 U.S. Census to redraw our state legislative and congressional districts. This process occurs once every decade and is fundamental to the functioning of our democracy.

If you are looking for good, quality, healthcare the annual Access Health CT Open Enrollment Period began on Monday, November 1 and runs through January 15, 2022. Residents can shop, compare, and enroll in health insurance coverage for the 2022 plan year.

Universal mask mandates in Manchester and South Windsor have been lifted. This means residents who are vaccinated will not be required to wear masks in town buildings and businesses. Unvaccinated individuals will still be required to wear a mask. This change comes with decreasing rates of new COVID-19 infections and strong vaccination rates. South Windsor has been categorized in the "orange zone" and Manchester has been categorized in the "yellow zone" for community spread of the virus. 

Monday is Indigenous People’s Day. I recognize that this change is something some still need adjusting to and it is my hope that we all are able to demonstrate our willingness and commitment to be life-long learners in an effort to rethink the way we celebrate and recognize American History. This is not to say we forget what we’ve been taught, but rather that we leave room for growth and reflection.

By now, over the last week, many of you have taken time to read about, talk through, and sometimes scream into the void (aka social media) about the legislature's votes last Monday and Tuesday to renew the governor’s declarations aka extending the governor's executive authority.

Several new laws in Connecticut will take effect on Friday, October 1. These laws are a result of the legislature's work during the 2021 session in an effort to create a more stable, resilient, and productive state for everyone who lives here.

This month, from September 15 through October 15, we observe Hispanic Heritage Month to celebrate, recognize and feature the countless achievements of many Hispanic Americans who have positively impacted and enriched our communities.