The Brookfield Library Art Gallery presents Beyond the Lens, an exciting exhibition of nature photography with digital aspects by photographer and digital artist Nina McKitty on view beginning today and until July 27. The public is invited to attend the exhibition reception and meet the artist on Saturday, June 17 from 2 – 4 pm in The Brookfield Library Art Gallery. For more information about the exhibition, contact Head of Adult Services Librarian Sarah-Ruth Tasko at the gallery.

We have the official results today from the Brookfield Budget Referendum that was held on Tuesday. The School Budget passed… YES – 1,277 NO – 777. As for the advisory on the school budget, 790 people thought it was too high, 671 said it was adequate, and 572 felt it was too low. The Town Budget also passed with a total of 1,382 votes. There were 668 NO votes. The town budget advisory shows that 1,087 felt it was adequate, 702 said it was too high, and 228 said it was too low.

The results of a recent study are somewhat disturbing. According to the online group Updated Points Dot Com, 42.5% of Connecticut adults used credit cards for basic living expenses, the most in all of the United States. Nearly 70% of people report they are finding it difficult to pay for basic living expenses nationwide. 74.6% of adults in Connecticut reported having difficulty paying for basic living expenses. Out of all states, Connecticut had the highest share of adults using credit cards to pay for basic living expenses. The entire report is available at https://upgradedpoints.com

The Connecticut Office of Early Childhood has completed the distribution of $70 million in state funding that was allocated in the most recently enacted state budget for bonus payments to the staff of child care and early childhood education providers statewide in Connecticut. The initiative, known as Wage Supports for Early Childhood Educators, is intended to help stabilize the child care industry and support its workforce. Approximately 21,000 early childhood educators and staff statewide are receiving the bonus payments.

A former Connecticut State Representative who also was a West Haven employee is now headed to prison. 32 year old MICHAEL DiMASSA was sentenced on Wednesday to 27 months in federal prison, followed five years of supervised release, for his involvement in schemes that resulted in the theft of more than $1.2 million dollars in COVID relief funds and also funds from the City of West Haven. The judge also ordered DiMassa to perform 100 hours of community service while on supervised release and he was also ordered to pay $856,844.45 in restitution. DiMassa has remained free on a $250,000 bond, but now he is required to report to prison on July 31.

The annual Girl Scouts Gold Awards ceremony is being held this Sunday and it will honor Connecticut’s 45 Girl Scout Gold Award Winners. This Sunday’s awards represent the most prestigious honor in Girl Scouting, and the recipients represent all counties and regions of Connecticut. The event begins this Sunday at 10:30am at the Courtyard by Marriott in Waterbury. All 45 honorees will receive an official Gold Award Certificate, Letter, and Proclamation. In addition, $1,000 Gold Award Scholarships will be presented to 6 deserving candidates during the ceremony.

Some grant money is being directed toward the Ridgefield Playhouse, to be used to reach underserved communities. The Ridgefield Playhouse is getting a state grant totaling $208,303. The money will be used to specifically focus on increasing student participation through creative programming and additional outreach to Title I students and other underserved populations. The funding, which comes from the State Department of Economic and Community Development and the Connecticut Office of teh Arts, will also enable the playhouse to address pressing technology needs.

Litchfield has been voted as the 37th Favorite ‘Alternative’ Romantic Destination in America in a poll by Honeymoon Always Dot Com, that identified the top 175 ‘alternative’ romantic destinations across the country. Connecticut has 3 destinations that made the list… Litchfield, Mystic, and Kent. In first place came St. Augustine, Florida. Maui, Hawaii came in at number two. Ashville, North Carolina was #4 and rounding out the top 5 was Carmel By The Sea, California.

Redevelopment in Bethel is getting a closer look after a developer announced plans to demolish what is recognized as an historic home, to make way for a new apartment building. Now, some Bethel residents are urging town leaders to preserve the property on Nashville Road, where the more than a century old house would be torn down and be replaced by a two story 12 unit apartment building. The plan also calls for combining the properties at 22 and 24 Nashville Road in Bethel. Currently, they are separate 0.23-acre sites that each have a building… one which was built more than 120 years ago.

In Danbury, the zoning commission has approved a change that will now allow developers to build as many as 10 apartments near the entrance to Rogers Park. The re-zoning decision affects three residential lots near an entrance to the park, with city officials calling deeming it consistent with the way the downtown’s central business district should be developed over the next decade. The developers plans call for tearing down two current homes on the three lots and then building as many at 10 apartments… effectively changing the zone from neighborhood commercial to mixed-use.