Latest news with #ConnecticutSenate
Yahoo
30-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Florida Just Approved a Black Bear Season. Connecticut Could Be Next
Connecticut is inching closer to instituting a bear season after the state Senate overwhelmingly passed a bill that would allow wildlife officials to authorize a hunt when public safety is at risk. The move comes on the heels of Florida's approval of its first bear season in nearly a decade and is an indication of a broader trend in state-level responses to growing black bear populations. The Connecticut Senate easily passed Senate Bill 1523 on May 22, with a vote of 34-2. The bill would amend an existing law that allows individuals to request a permit to use deadly force against a bear if it is injuring or killing livestock, crops, or honey bees to make it easier for landowners to kill nuisance bears. But a provision tucked into SB 1523 would also authorize Connecticut's governor to direct the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection to open a black bear hunting season if DEEP finds 'that bear conflicts with people, pets, and livestock in the state have reached a level that poses a public safety threat.' But Connecticut's most recent State of Bears briefing, which points to a 'long term increasing trend in human-bear conflicts,' suggests that conflicts may have already reached that level. DEEP estimates more than 1,200 black bears are roaming the state. In 2024, bears were reported in 159 of Connecticut's 169 towns and cities, with thousands of reported human-black bear conflicts, which far exceeds conflicts in neighboring states where bear hunting is legal. According to the report, Connecticut had 67 instances of black bears entering homes last year and had two bear attacks on humans. 'Because the frequency and severity of human-bear conflicts have increased significantly over the past decade, DEEP supports this legislation,' DEEP commissioner Katie Dykes told lawmakers in her submitted testimony, '…we believe a regulated bear hunt is a critical and needed addition to the suite of black bear management tools we currently employ to protect the public, reduce human-bear conflicts, and support a healthy and sustainable black bear population.' Read Next: What Do Black Bears Eat? While Connecticut's proposed legislation sets the stage for a conditional bear season, Florida is taking a more direct approach. On May 15, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission voted 4-1 to give preliminary approval for the state's first bear hunt since 2015. The proposed 3-week hunt, scheduled for December 2025, would permit the harvest of up to 187 bears and allow the use of bait and dogs. The vote follows Florida's first fatal bear attack on May 5, which claimed the life of an 88-year-old man in Collier County. A final vote for the proposed hunt is scheduled for August.
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Connecticut Senate Democrats list outrageous things they'd rather endure instead of 100 more days of Trump
Connecticut Senate Democrats posted an outlandish TikTok video on Thursday, featuring lawmakers listing out unpleasant things they would rather subject themselves to, rather than face another 100 days of the Trump administration. The video, which had garnered just over 100 likes on the platform as of Friday afternoon, appears to have been partially filmed in the State Senate chamber. Trump Touts 'Most Successful' First 100 Days In Presidential History During Michigan Rally Lawmakers suggested they would rather have 100 bad haircuts, 100 vaccination shots in the arm or spend 100 hours in a traffic jam on Interstate 84. Sen. Julie Kushner, D-Danbury, added she would rather cook 100 family meals, which she noted her kids would find "very funny." Fox News Poll: Trump, Republicans At Record-high Ratings As Democrats Falter Read On The Fox News App The post came days after President Donald Trump said at a Michigan rally that his administration had enjoyed the most successful first 100 days in presidential history. Trump's first 100 days of his second term centered around aggressive action to address border security, trade, education, civil rights, technology and innovation, Fox News Digital previously reported. Trump Admin Revokes 4K Foreign Students' Visas In First 100 Days, Nearly All With Serious Criminal Records The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), established with an executive order signed by the president on his first day in office, claims to have slashed federal spending through budget and staffing cuts. However, the latest poll numbers show Trump has 44% approval and 55% disapproval ratings in the most recent Fox News national poll, which collected data from April 18-21. On specific issues, Trump received a 55% majority approval on border security, 47% approval on immigration and 38% approval on the economy. Trump Administration Asks Supreme Court To Review El Salvador Deportation Flight Case His worst ratings were on inflation (33% approve, 59% disapprove), tariffs (33%-58%), foreign policy (40%-54%), taxes (38%-53%) and guns (41%-44%). Fox News Digital's Alec Schemmel contributed to this article source: Connecticut Senate Democrats list outrageous things they'd rather endure instead of 100 more days of Trump
