Connecticut Airport Authority leaders and Gov. Ned Lamont thanked Bradley International Airport employees who were primary responders to the deadly B-17 crash at a luncheon Wednesday.

Seven people onboard were killed and seven others injured when a vintage B-17 plane crashed at the airport on October 2.

Commemorative coins were given to firefighters, operations, and maintenance crews.

Not only did first responders see the unimaginable last month when the vintage plane crashed, but at the luncheon we learned some of the BDL firefighters on duty that morning saw the moments leading up to the vintage plane crash.

“Actually we were standing outside and we watched and I questioned John and asked, ‘why is that aircraft taking off on Romeo?’ And the explosion happened and we just reacted,” said firefighter and EMT Pedro Deleon.

He described their immediate response.

“We got on scene within two minutes of the plane crashing. We didn’t see anything, but just debris and people. I had a body in front of me and two who were being rescued by the Air National Guard.”

“The thing that you always train for, but you don’t want to see in your career and we did,” said firefighter John Leahey.

While community leaders and public safety officials are adamant the fast actions of these first responders helped saved lives, firefighter Michael Rufus explains the nagging feeling that will stay with them.

“In us there will always be a ‘what if.’” He said, “People lost their lives and always in us it will be, ‘what if we could have been there a little faster,’ but we gave our best as we got there as quick we could.”

Despite what you may see on your Facebook news feed, Costco isn't giving away coupons for free.

The members-only warehouse retailer took to social media Tuesday night to clear up what the company called a scam - a link circulating that claimed Costco was giving away a $75 coupon to anyone who shares the web page.

"Despite several posts out there, Costco is NOT giving away $75 coupons," the company posted on its Facebook page. "While we love our fans and our members, this offer is a SCAM, and in no way affiliated with Costco. Thanks to our fans for letting us know about this recurring hoax!"

Costco's post clearing up the misunderstanding quickly spread, garnering more than 26,000 shares and thousands of comments - some making light of the situation.

"Dang it! I was going to load up on those chimichangas!" one commenter wrote, with another adding, "I was hoping to get some steaks with that $75. Bamboozled again!"

Costco replied to multiple customers inviting them to email costcocare@costco.com if they wanted to provide further details about their experience with the scam.

A Middletown woman is facing charges in a deadly crash involving a mobility scooter in May.

Police said 74-year-old Robert Sheard, of Hamden, was crossing Dixwell Avenue on his mobility scooter in from of the Miller Memorial Library on May 26 when he was hit by a vehicle. Sheard was ejected off of his scooter.

According to police, Sheard was not in the crosswalk when the collision occurred. He was taken to Yale-New Haven Hospital where he later died from his injuries.

The driver, 69-year-old Rosemary Kaliscak, was arrested Wednesday and charged with negligent homicide with a motor vehicle and failure to exercise reasonable care near a vulnerable user on a public way. She was held in lieu of a $50,000 bond and is scheduled to appear in court on November 26.

A federal appeals court on Wednesday let stand a ruling allowing lawmakers to subpoena President Donald Trump's accountants for years of his financial records.

A lawyer for the president promised to appeal to the Supreme Court, NBC News reported.

On an 8-3 vote, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit declined to grant an appeal before the full court, upholding a ruling last month by a three-judge panel of the court to allow the subpoena.

On Wednesday night protesters brought their frustrations and anger to the Hamden Police Commission meeting. Dozens spoke and demanded that Officer Devin Eaton lose his job now.

Earlier this month Eaton pleaded not guilty to assault and reckless endangerment charges. The 29-year-old told investigators he believed his life was in danger when he fired 13 times at Stephanie Washington and Paul Witherspoon. The car the two were in had been reported in connection with an attempted robbery, but both were unarmed. Washington was wounded in the shooting.

"We are still healing," said one protester. "Seven months later we are still healing. We are still fighting for Stephanie and Paul."

Some who spoke Wednesday night say they don't feel safe and believe the commission is stalling. But officials say that is not the case.

"We stick with the facts of the actual case. It's due process, just like anyone else in America. The officer has due process," said Hamden Acting Chief John Cappiello.

Cappiello has until November 20 to present charges to the police commission. If they are presented, the commission has to schedule hearings between seven and thirty days. But officials say it's important to them that the public is heard.

"We respect what they're saying. We understand it, and we want to do the right thing," said Hamden Police Commission Chairman Michael Iezzi.

Eaton remains on unpaid leave.

The next commission meeting is scheduled for December.

The public hearings into whether President Donald Trump should be impeached began in the House on Wednesday with testimony from two career State Department officials who tied Trump to a campaign to pressure Ukraine to investigate one of the president's political rivals.

William Taylor, the U.S. charge d'affaires in Ukraine, and George Kent, the deputy assistant secretary for European and Eurasian affairs, described an informal foreign policy led by the president's lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, and others that threatened Ukraine's ability to withstand military pressure from Russia. They detailed a delay in U.S. military aid to Ukraine that the Trump administration had linked to an investigation of former Vice President Joe Biden and his son, Hunter.

Taylor said he was told Trump wanted the Ukrainian president "in a public box" making a public statement about the investigations.

Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, a Democrat from California, is using the words bribery and high crimes and misdemeanors to describe Trump's actions, both of which are spelled out in the Constitution as a reason for impeachment. Republicans counter that because the security aid was eventually released, there was no harm and no justification for impeachment.

Rep. Devin Nunes of California, the ranking Republican on the committee, described the hearing as a televised theatrical performance staged by the Democrats.

With the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election over, "You've been cast in the low-rent Ukrainian sequel," he told Taylor and Kent.

The bulk of the hearing was led by two staff lawyers, Daniel Goldman for the Democrats and Steve Castor for the Republicans, which resulted in more questions and fewer speeches. Afterward Schiff thanked the Republicans for the civil way that they participated.

Here is a look at some of Wednesday's top moments.

TRUMP ASKED ABOUT INVESTIGATIONS

Taylor revealed explosive new information about Trump’s interest in an investigation of Biden by Ukraine.

One of Taylor’s staff members overheard E.U. Ambassador Gordon Sondland talking to Trump on a cell phone on July 26, the day after Trump's phone call with the Ukrainian president, and asked afterward what Trump thought about Ukraine.

“Ambassador Sondland responded that President Trump cares more about the investigations of Biden, which Giuliani was pressing for,” Taylor testified.

The staff member was at a restaurant with Sondland while he was on the phone and heard Trump ask him about “the investigations." Sondland told him "the Ukrainians were ready to move forward."

Taylor did not identify the aide, but NBC News says it was David Holmes, a State Department official just added to the calendar to testify in closed session Friday. Holmes is the counselor for political affairs at the U.S. Embassy in Ukraine.

Taylor added that Sondland told the staff member that Trump also cared about Burisma, the Ukrainian energy company on whose board Hunter Biden, Biden’s son, served.

"I take it the import of that is he cares more about that than he does about Ukraine?" Schiff asked him.

"Yes, sir," Taylor said.

Trump said later that he did not recall the call.

Former security officials said the use of a cell phone was a breach of security.

THE UNIDENTIFIED WHISTLEBLOWER

Republicans have focused on the unidentified whistleblower, complaining that he should be identified and testify in hearings. Rep. Jim Jordan, Republican from Ohio, called him “the guy who started it all.”

“This anonymous so-called whistleblower with no firsthand knowledge, who is biased against the president, who worked with Joe Biden, who is the reason we’re all sitting here today, we’ll never get a chance to question that individual,” he said. “We’re not going to get to check out his credibility, his motivations, his bias.”

To which Rep. Peter Welch, D., Vermont, countered: "I’d be glad to have the person who started it all to come in and testify. President Trump is welcome to take a seat right there.”

TRUMP FELT WRONGED

Taylor described an assertion by two diplomats that Trump behaved the way he did toward the Ukrainian president because he was a businessman.

Sondland told him that a businessman who is owed something asks that it be paid before writing a check, Taylor said. Kurt Volker, the former ambassador to NATO, said something similar, he said.

Taylor responded that Ukraine owed Trump nothing and repeated what he had said in a text: putting a hold on security aide in return for domestic political benefit was “crazy.”

Taylor said Trump’s position was hard to understand. The president “had a feeling of having been wronged by the Ukrainians” and believed they owned him to fix that wrong, he said. That was evident from a meeting Trump had on May 23 in the White House with the U.S. delegation to the inauguration of the new Ukraine president, he said.

"PISSING OFF CORRUPT PEOPLE"

George Kent, during a discussion about corruption, said. “You can’t promote principled anti-corruption action without pissing off corrupt people.”

Rep. Andre Carson, a Democrat from Indiana, asked him whether some of those people helped Giuliani smear the former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch.

“Correct,” Kent said.

Taylor also was asked about corruption and answered that it existed in every country, "including ours."

NEVER TRUMPERS

Kent and Taylor were asked about Trump’s tweet at 8:30 a.m. on Wednesday: “NEVER TRUMPERS!”

Were they Never Trumpers?

Kent said he was a career diplomat who served whoever was elected president. Taylor replied simply: “No sir.”

Later, during a press conference with Turkey's president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Trump said he had not watched the hearing.

“I hear it's a joke," Trump said. "I haven’t watched, I haven't watched for one minute because I've been with the president, which is much more important as far as I'm concerned. This is a sham and shouldn't be allowed."

NO HARM, NO FOUL

Republicans insisted that no crimes had been committed. Ukraine's president never conducted an investigation of the Bidens nor did he make a public declaration on CNN as he had been planning. The military aid to Ukraine was eventually released. Trump had properly delayed the aid as he assessed the reliability of the new president, they argued.

Jordan dismissed Taylor's assertion that the aid and a meeting between the two presidents in the White House -- both of which would help Ukraine push back against Russian aggression -- were tied to an investigation into the Bidens and Burisma.

“I was not wrong about what I told you because that is what I heard,” Taylor told him.

“What you heard did not happen,” Jordan said.

Military aid was restored in September after Congress complained and after the whistleblower's report was filed.

A 61-year-old Stratford resident is dead after being struck by a car in Stamford Wednesday night. 

Police said a 23-year-old Stamford resident was driving a Volkswagen Jetta east on Tresser Boulevard and hit the pedestrian, who was crossing Washington Boulevard, at 9:16 p.m. 

The pedestrian was pronounced dead at the scene. Police are notifying family members, so they have not released the person’s name. 

The driver stayed at the scene and is cooperating with the investigation, police said. 

The Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Squad is investigating and asks anyone who witnessed the collision or has any information to call (203) 977-4712.

Wires came down on a school bus on Grant Hill Road in Tolland Thursday morning, shutting down the road.

Tweets from Tolland Alert said no children were on the bus and a driver was evaluated and refused transport to the hospital.

Eversource responded and the wires have been removed.

Grant Hill Road is closed between New and Ghering roads and will remain shut down for around an hour, according to Tolland Alert.

The cold spell continues and the low temperature hit 15 at Bradley Airport Thursday morning, tying a record. 

The unseasonable cold continues through today, but the weather improves Friday with sunshine and temperatures in the 50s. 

It will be cold again Saturday before temperatures start to climb. 

The NBC Connecticut meteorologists are watching a storm offshore for Monday.

Get the forecast anytime online here. 

Police are responding to a report that a pedestrian has been struck in the 100 block on Washington Avenue in North Haven and they are asking people to avoid the area. 

Police and EMS responded. 

No additional information was immediately available.

KISS is coming to Connecticut.

The End of the Road tour is coming to Xfinity Theatre in Hartford on Saturday, Sept. 5, 2020. https://www.kissonline.com/tour

Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. Friday, Nov. 22 at LiveNation.com

They will be available from $250, $129.50, $99.50, $69.50 and $39.50.

At least five victims have been hospitalized following a shooting Thursday morning at a high school in Santa Clarita, where the search continues for the shooter.

Police and firefighters responded to Saugus High School, about 40 miles north of Los Angeles. Initial reports from the Los Angeles County Fire Department indicated there were seven victims. That figure was later revised.

Two of the vicitims are in critical condition. Details about the other victims' conditions were not immediately available.

Some of the victims are students. 

"We have multiple victims down," said Sgt. Bob Boese of the LA County Sheriff's Department. "Our deputies are doing a systematic search of the campus, trying to locate the suspect."

Aerial video showed students with hands raised being escorted by deputies from the school of about 2,300 students. They were taken to school buses with armed deputies on board. 

At least nine ambulances were requested by the Los Angeles County Fire Department. 

Details about the shooting and shooter were not immediately available. No arrests were reported early Thursday.

The sheriff's department alerted nearby residents to lock their doors and remain inside.

"If you see suspect, male dark clothing, in backyards, etc. CALL 911," the department tweeted.

Several patrol vehicles were seen in a neighborhood near the school. Deputies with guns drawn were positioned outside a house. 

Nearby schools were locked down. 

Central Park on Bouquet Canyon Road was being used for a family reunification center. 

Police are looking for the person who they said stabbed a co-worker in a parking lot outside their workplace in Milford and fled the scene. 

Police said the stabbing happened in the 1100 block of Oronoque Road and the assailant and victim work together. 

The victim’s injuries are not life-threatening, police said. 

No additional information was immediately available.

Fire damaged Marino's Restaurant in Torrington Thursday morning and officials said the roof started to collapse as firefighters were battling the flames.

The fire was reported around 9 a.m. and the owner was inside at the time and was able to get out, officials said.

Firefighters initially went inside to fight the fire but decided to the fight the fire from outside when the roof started to collapse.

There are no reports of injuries.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

No additional information was immediately available.

There have been two flu-related deaths in Connecticut. The Connecticut Department of Health weekly influenza report for the week of Nov. 2-9 says there were two in the week and they are the first two of the season.

The deaths involved a resident of Litchfield County and a resident of Fairfield County, both of whom were are over 65 years old, according to the Department of Public Health’s weekly report. 

There were three new cases during the reporting week and the season total is 47.

Tips from the State Department of Public Health:

How to Protect Yourself, Family From the Flu:

• Get a flu vaccine each year
• Cover your coughs and sneezes with a tissue and throw away any used tissues
• Cough or sneeze into your elbow
• Wash your hands often

What are Flu Symptoms?

• People who have the flu often feel some or all of these symptoms:
• Fever - It’s important to note that not everyone with the flu will have a fever.
• Cough
• Sore throat
• Runny or stuffy nose
• Body aches
• Headache
• Chills
• Fatigue
• Sometimes diarrhea and vomiting

What to Do When You Are Sick With the Flu:

• Most people who get sick with the flu will have mild illness, will not need medical care or antiviral drugs and will recover in less than two weeks.
• Limit contact with others as much as possible to keep from infecting them.
• If you are sick with flu-like illness, stay home for at least 24 hours after your fever is gone except to get medical care or for other necessities .(Your fever should be gone for 24 hours without the use of a fever-reducing medicine.)
• Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. After using a tissue, throw it in the trash and wash your hands.
• Wash your hands often with soap and water. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand rub.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth. Germs spread this way.
• Clean and disinfect surfaces and objects that may be contaminated with germs like flu.

Who Should Get the Flu Vaccine?

• Each year, millions of Americans safely receive seasonal flu vaccines. The benefits of immunization outweigh the risks. All vaccines, including the flu vaccine, are held to the highest standard of safety and are continually monitored.
• The CDC encourages all people aged 6 months and older be vaccinated every year.

Where to Get a Flu Vaccine?

Seasonal influenza vaccinations are generally available by the middle of September each year. After you are vaccinated, it takes about two weeks for your body to make antibodies to protect you from the flu, so the earlier you get vaccinated, the better. Availability of flu vaccine depends on FDA licensing and the ability of manufacturers to ship vaccine to providers.

 Learn more here. 

The annual New Haven holiday tree lighting is set to take place Thursday, Dec. 5 on the historic city Green.  The event will be broadcast live on NBC Connecticut beginning at 7 p.m.

As part of the special broadcast, we put out a call for a children's school or youth choir to perform several songs on the show.  

After receiving multiple entries, we have five finalists competing for the opportunity to sing live on stage.  The choir with the most votes will be selected as the winner.  You have until Monday, Nov. 25 at 5:30 p.m. to vote.  Take a look at the finalists' entry videos and then vote for your favorite!

NBC Connecticut and Telemundo Connecticut are proud to once again be the official media partner of the New Haven Tree Lighting and the Elm City's winter festivities.

New Haven Tree Lighting Choral Contest

Voting Rules and Procedures

These Voting Rules and Procedures are subject to change at any time at the sole discretion of WVIT and NBCUniversal Media, LLC (“Sponsors”). Void where prohibited.

Voting (“Voting”) is simple and easy. On or about November 14, 2019, the videos of the choir or chorus finalists submitted in the New Haven Tree Lighting Choral Contest (“Finalist Entries”) will be posted at https://www.nbcconnecticut.com/on-air/contests/ (the “Website”). Then, during the Voting Period (defined below), visit the Website and follow the provided instructions to vote for your favorite Finalist Entry based on following judging criteria: Quality of Sound and Singing (33.33%), Tone and Style (33.33%), and Overall Excellence to Theme (33.33%) (“Vote”). Votes only valid during the Voting Period. Voting will be conducted pursuant to these Voting Rules and Procedures and any such other rules and procedures as Sponsors may from time to time designate.

Eligibility: You must be eighteen (18) years of age or older to submit your Vote. You must be a permanent legal resident of the fifty (50) United States or the District of Columbia (“Geographic Area”). Votes must be cast by the authorized account holder of the email account from which the Vote is made.

Voting Period and Restrictions: Voting is open from November 14, 2019 at 11:00 A.M. Eastern Time (“ET”) to November 25, 2019 at 5:30 P.M. ET, or on such other dates and at such other times as determined by the Sponsors in their sole discretion (“Voting Period”). Voting is currently limited to one (1) Vote per person/IP address per Voting Period, but Sponsors reserve the right to change the limit on the number of Votes, in its sole discretion. Notification regarding any such change will be announced on-air and/or posted on the Website.

How to Vote Online: Log onto the Website and view the Voting choices available during the applicable Voting Period. Then, choose one (1) of the Finalist Entries, click the “Vote” (or similar) button, check the applicable checkboxes, and click the “Submit” (or similar) button.

General Conditions: Sponsors have the right, in its sole discretion, to void any Vote that appears, to have been made by a person not meeting the eligibility requirements set forth above, or to be an automated or duplicate Vote, and has the right to permanently disqualify from any Voting any person it believes has violated these rules. If for any reason the Voting is not capable of being run or implemented as planned, including, but not limited to, as the result of infection by computer viruses or bugs, tampering, unauthorized intervention, fraud, or any other cause beyond the control of Sponsors, which is likely to, or actually corrupts or affects the administration, security, fairness, integrity, or proper conduct of the Voting, then Sponsors reserve the right, in its sole discretion, to withdraw the transmission of any Vote and/or to terminate or suspend the Voting at any point and declare the Voting results based upon the Votes up to that point. In the event of technical difficulties with the Voting, including, but not limited to, mobile or Internet service interruptions, Sponsors reserve the right to review the Votes for accuracy and to take any appropriate action, including, without limitation, voiding the Votes cast during the time period in which such technical difficulties occurred. Sponsors and their respective parents, affiliates, subsidiaries, and advertising and promotion agencies, any other entity involved in the development or administration of the Voting, and each of their respective directors, officers, employees and assigns (collectively the “Released Parties”) are not responsible for any computer, network, technical, electronic, human or other errors or problems of any kind, for any injury or damage to participants or to any person’s computer or mobile phone relating to or resulting from Voting or downloading materials or software in connection with the Voting, or for Votes that are stolen, misdirected, garbled, delayed, lost, or late. By participating, each individual agrees to release and hold the Released Parties harmless against any and all claims and liability of any kind arising in whole or in part, directly or indirectly, out of their participation in the Voting. Administrators will take reasonable steps where practicable to prevent Voting outside of the Geographic Area; however, some Votes cast outside of the Geographic Area may be counted, and such individual waives any claims such individual may have against the Administrators as a result of the inclusion of such Votes.

Caution: Any attempt by you or any other individual to deliberately damage any online service, mobile phone service, or website, tamper with the Voting process, or otherwise undermine the legitimate operation of the Voting is a violation of criminal and civil laws and should such an attempt be made, Released Parties reserves the right to seek damages and/or other remedies from any such person to the fullest extent permitted by law.

Disputes: THESE RULES, AND SUBMISSION OF YOUR VOTE, ARE GOVERNED BY, AND WILL BE CONSTRUED IN ACCORDANCE WITH, THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, AND THE FORUM AND VENUE FOR ANY DISPUTE SHALL BE IN NEW YORK, NEW YORK. IF THE CONTROVERSY OR CLAIM IS NOT OTHERWISE RESOLVED THROUGH DIRECT DISCUSSIONS OR MEDIATION, IT SHALL THEN BE RESOLVED BY FINAL AND BINDING ARBITRATION ADMINISTERED BY JUDICIAL ARBITRATION AND MEDIATION SERVICES, INC., IN ACCORDANCE WITH ITS STREAMLINED ARBITRATION RULES AND PROCEDURES OR SUBSEQUENT VERSIONS THEREOF (“JAMS RULES”). THE JAMS RULES FOR SELECTION OF AN ARBITRATOR SHALL BE FOLLOWED, EXCEPT THAT THE ARBITRATOR SHALL BE EXPERIENCED AND LICENSED TO PRACTICE LAW IN NEW YORK. ALL PROCEEDINGS BROUGHT PURSUANT TO THIS PARAGRAPH WILL BE CONDUCTED IN THE COUNTY OF NEW YORK. THE REMEDY FOR ANY CLAIM SHALL BE LIMITED TO ACTUAL DAMAGES, AND IN NO EVENT SHALL ANY PARTY BE ENTITLED TO RECOVER PUNITIVE, EXEMPLARY, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES, INCLUDING ATTORNEY’S FEES OR OTHER SUCH RELATED COSTS OF BRINGING A CLAIM, OR TO RESCIND THIS AGREEMENT OR SEEK INJUNCTIVE OR ANY OTHER EQUITABLE RELIEF.

Becoming a U.S. citizen may get a lot more expensive, and groups are urging legal permanent residents to apply as soon as possible, NBC News reported.

The Trump administration wants to increase the cost of citizenship applications by 83% for roughly 9 million immigrants eligible to become U.S. citizens.

The administration is also seeking to transfer $207.6 million from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

A viral video of a gay teen punching a classmate who had allegedly been harassing him underscores “a systemic failure” to address the prevalence of anti-LGBTQ bullying in schools, according to some experts and advocates.

The video shows gay student Jordan Steffy, a junior at LaPorte High School in Indiana, yelling at a classmate who can be seen slowly walking toward him. Steffy can be heard telling the other student to stop calling him a “f----t,” to which the classmate responds by using the slur repeatedly, NBC News reports.

In the video — which has been widely shared on Twitter since it was first posted by Steffy on Friday — the gay teen can then be seen shoving and punching the other student.

At the end of the video, an off-camera voice, widely assumed to be that of a teacher, can be heard saying, “Whoa, whoa, whoa whoa. Hey, Jordan,” presumably telling Steffy to stop hitting his classmate. It is unclear, however, what led up to the recorded incident.

The anti-gay taunting seen in the video was not an isolated incident, according to Steffy's mother.

A high school senior in Southern California was flying his drone around a beach when he spotted something extraordinary. 

A giant whale was swimming toward and then under a group of more than a dozen surfers sitting on their boards in waters near Dana Point, south of Los Angeles, on Monday, NBC News reports.

The surfers appeared largely oblivious to the massive mammal, not noticing even when the whale was just feet away.

State Senate Republicans have unveiled a transportation plan as an alternative to Gov. Ned Lamont’s CT 2030 initiative.

Thursday's plan from the minority party in Connecticut's Senate comes a day after Democratic Gov. Ned Lamont pitched his 10-year, $21.3 billion initiative to Senate Democrats. While the Democrats liked projects in Lamont's proposal, they didn't like how it includes 14 tolls on bridges across the state.

The Republican plan has no tolls and no tax increases. The proposal looks to cut down on debt which Republicans say is hurting the Special Transportation Fund. They want to begin with cutting down on state borrowing, leveraging federal low interest loans and dipping into the General Reserve Fund.

See the plan below.

In the FASTR Connecticut Plan, GOP leaders are looking to make an $18 billion investment in transportation, including roads and rail, less than the governor’s $21 billion proposal, which includes tolls for revenue.Republicans also want transportation boards, and suggest reestablishing the Transportation Strategy Board.

GOD leaders also recommend a Connecticut/New York Railroad Strategy Board, comprised of two representatives from the NY/MTA, two Connecticut commuter rail council reps, Connecticut Department of Transportation officials, and rail leaders from towns directly affected by rails.

Senate Democrats agree that the state’s rainy day fund is at a high level and are working to confer with the Office of Fiscal Analysis to crunch the numbers in the Republican plan.

Republicans do agree with Lamont that $100 million for transportation need some prioritizing, and that the number one goal should be fixing the state’s infrastructure.

Lamont issued this statement in response to the GOP plan:

“Growing Connecticut’s economy is my top priority. Every dollar we invest in our infrastructure is a dollar we invest in our future. I am not surprised Senator Fasano also recognizes the critical importance of those investments. The state’s largest employers agree that these investments can transform Connecticut.

“My plan, CT2030, provides a comprehensive, multi-modal vision for Connecticut’s transportation and economic future. It invests $15.6 billion in making our infrastructure safer and $5.5 billion in transformative enhancement projects that allow Connecticut residents to spend more time with their families and less time on the road. CT2030 is responsibly funded and financed with federal and out-of-state dollars to stabilize our Special Transportation Fund for the next decade.

“While I appreciate Senator Fasano’s proposal to partially fund much-needed infrastructure investments, taking money out of the Rainy Day Fund is a risky proposition that requires serious evaluation.”