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President Biden announced he will sign an executive order which will forgive up to $10,000 of student loan debt for individuals making less than $125,000 per year (and couples earning less than $250,000). Borrowers who received a Pell Grant may be eligible to receive up to $20,000 in loan forgiveness.
In addition, the Administration announced the current pause on federal student loan payments will be extended for the last time through December 31, 2022.
This news comes after the recent announcement that U.S. Department of Education is implementing temporary changes to the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program to make it easier for federal student loan borrowers to receive credit for past periods of repayment. Click here for more details on that announcement.
| While information will be released in the coming weeks on how to claim this debt forgiveness, you can click the button below for additional details and what to expect next. Please be patient if the site loads slowly, this exciting news has affected millions, drawing higher than usual volumes of users to the webpage. |
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| I want to alert you about a recent communication from the Connecticut Department of Labor (CTDOL) on a series of text scams that include links to fake webpages resembling CTDOL unemployment pages, including the unemployment benefits login page.
The texts appear to come from the agency and may read: ‘Connecticut’s Department of Labor warn Your account is abnormal’ or ‘Your unemployment is updated and logged in to view’.
It is strongly advised to ignore and delete these texts as the CTDOL does not process claims or verify identity and account information through text or social media. |
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| The only place to get information about your unemployment account is by clicking the two buttons below, which will lead you to the verified portals. |
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If you think your personal information has been compromised, please notify your local law enforcement. In the case where you believe an unemployment claim has been filed using your identity, report that to the Department of Labor as well. The agency has information, reporting tools, and resources available on its fraud page.
Cyber security experts recommend regular account maintenance to maintain the integrity and security of your personal information. Best practices include:
- Use different passwords for your social media, banking, email, and other account
- Change your passwords regularly
- Use strong passwords—upper and lowercase letters, symbols, possibly a short phrase in lieu of a single word, and stay away from dictionary words
- Monitor your accounts—if you had an email breach, other accounts may also be compromised
If you receive a message via text or email and it seems suspicious, do not reply to the message, instead, independently search out the contact information for the organization so you can confirm the communication. |
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Proposed Insurance Rate Hikes
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| ICYMI
A number of insurance companies have requested that the Connecticut Insurance Department (CID) approve a rate increase by an average of 20.4% for plans starting in 2023, a steep spike from the 8.6% average rate increase request for 2022. I am adamantly against this request and will continue to work with state leaders and all the stakeholders to not see this happen.
Last week, the Connecticut Insurance Department (CID) along with the CGA's Insurance and Real Estate Committee, AG William Tong, the CT Healthcare Advocate, Ted Doolittle and others, met to receive public input on the proposed rate increases filed by CIGNA Health & Life, CTCare Inc., CTCare Benefits Inc., and the ConnectiCare Insurance Company, Inc. Please continue to share your personal experience or concerns of how this impacts you, your family or business.
To watch the full meeting video, click here. |
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August is Black Business Month! Did you know about all of these resources Connecticut offers minority-owned businesses?
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City of Derby Food Donations
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| Throughout the rest of the month, the City of Derby will continue collecting Ready to Eat Soup for the St. Vincent de Paul of the Valley Food Bank!
I hope you will consider donating. Please bring all donations to the Town/City Clerk’s Office by the end of August and they will deliver them to the food bank.
Also, St. Vincent de Paul of the Valley is always in need of turkeys and hams for the 2022 Holiday season. Please call them at (203) 734-7577 to coordinate the details. |
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| Yesterday afternoon, Governor Ned Lamont announced that the Connecticut Department of Revenue Services this week began issuing payments to qualified households as part of the 2022 Connecticut Child Tax Payment program.
The state agency anticipates that most of the payments will be mailed by the end of this week, and recipients should begin receiving them over the next several days!
Created as part of the budget bill that my colleagues and I in the General Assembly worked tirelessly on this session to address affordability in our state, the initiative provides taxpayers with a state tax payment of up to $250 per child for a maximum of three children (up to $750).
According to the Governor's Office, 189,374 families, or 317,044 children have been approved for payments. |
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Orange Community Farmers' Market
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| The Town of Orange continues its Community Farmers' Market every Thursday from 3:30PM - 7:00PM through September 29th!
They are located at the Pavilion of the High Plains Community Center, 525 Orange Center Road.
Products are only the best certified and Connecticut grown ranging from:
- Bakery products
- Eggs
- Flowers
- Milk
- Meats
- Soaps
- Plants
- In-season vegetables
- Crafts and services
Each week there will be vendors showcasing the freshest products. If you do not see something you want, contact the Market Master. |
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Derby Summer Concert Series
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The City of Derby has announced its 2022 Concert Series on the Derby Green!
This upcoming Tuesday night from 7PM - 9PM is the final summer concert in August:
- August 30 - Silver Steel - Steel Drum Band
During August there will be a rain date of Wednesday, if needed. The series will then continue on Friday nights in September from 6:30PM to 8:30PM:
- September 2 - Old School - Classic Rock and Roll
- September 9 - Chris Coogan - Jazz Quintet
- September 16 - The Bernadettes - R&B, Funk, & Soul Show Band
- September 23 - Rich Bobinski Orchestra - Oktoberfest / Polka Music
- September 30 - Larry Ayce Band - Country
- October 7 - Mark Lanzieri and Friends - Italian / Sinatra
There will be no rain date for Friday night concerts.
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| As we continue to watch the horrifying and saddening conflict between Russia and Ukraine, I wanted to remind you all that we do not have to sit back helplessly, there are ways we can offer aid and support to the innocent citizens of Ukraine.
Fellow community member, Olena Lennon, provided us with this list of legitimate donation sites for aid to the Ukrainian community.
Click here to help volunteer to help Ukraine.
Click here to learn more about projects helping Ukraine.
Click here to support funding to cover administrative costs to help Ukraine.
Click here to learn how to help Ukrainians.
Our community, state and country all stand with the innocent citizens of Ukraine and we will continue to do all we can to offer support while actively trying to deescalate conflict. |
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