Authorities in the small town of Fort Myers said Wednesday that they plan to use heavy equipment to remove the carcasses of dead fish that have washed up on beaches. The health authority had already published a health warning last week following water samples had provided indications of a “red tide”.
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Connecticut
Hispanic Lawmakers Propose Banning the Term “Latinx” Because It’s “Offensive” – NBC Denver
written by Alexandra Hartman Editor-in-Chief
HARTFORD, Connecticut — A group of Hispanic legislators in Connecticut have proposed that the state follow Arkansas’ lead and ban the term “Latinx” in official documents, saying it is offensive to Spanish speakers.
The term is used as a gender-neutral alternative to “Latino” and “Latina,” and is useful for supporting people who do not identify as male or female, according to proponents of the word.
But state representative Geraldo Reyes Jr, the main sponsor of the bill and one of the five Hispanic Democrats who signed it, says that Latinx is not a word in Spanish, but a “wokeísta” term that is offensive to the greater population. Puerto Rican from Connecticut.
“I am of Puerto Rican descent and I find it offensive,” he said.
Last month, Arkansas banned public officials from using Latinx on official documents as part of several orders issued by Republican Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders within hours of taking office.
Reyes says his motivation may be different than Sanders’, but he believes his decision was the right one.
The League of United Latin American Citizens, the oldest Latino civil rights group in the United States, announced in 2021 that it would no longer use the term Latinx.
“In the Spanish language, which is centuries old, the default is Latin for everyone,” Reyes said. “It includes everyone. They didn’t need to create a word, it already exists.”
But Maia Gil’Adi, a professor of “Latino and Multi-Ethnic Literature” at Boston University, said that Latinx dates back to Latino and Latino youth and queer culture in the 1990s, and that the “x” is used to recognize the indigenous roots of many people.
“The word Latino is incredibly exclusive, both for women and for gender non-conforming people,” she said. “And the term Latinx is very useful because of the way it challenges those conceptions.”
David Pharies, a professor of Spanish at the University of Florida, said another move would replace the “o” and “a” in many Spanish nouns with an “e.” He said it would be easier for Spanish speakers to pronounce than the Latinx word.
Identity is a key issue for the immigrant community in the United States.
“Latinx was clearly a solution that was proposed outside of the Spanish-speaking world,” he said.
It is not clear how often the term Latinx has been used in official documents. A search on the state government website returned 945 links to documents such as press releases, blogs and reports. Michelle Dumas Keuler, an attorney with the Human Rights and Opportunity Commission, said that when asked, she uses the term in any complaint she files regarding housing, employment and other types of discrimination, according to Hearst Connecticut Media.
Reyes said he hopes there will be a hearing on the bill before the Committee on Government Administration and Elections of the Democratic-majority legislature during the current session.
Democratic Gov. Ned Lamont’s spokesman, Adam Joseph, said the governor’s office will continue the debate as the proposal moves through the legislature.
A New York driver, who reported his car stolen with his son inside in Connecticut, ended up under arrest Friday following police said he lied regarding the boy in hopes of getting a quicker response.
Officers were told someone made off with the 2016 Mercedes-Benz while the car was left running shortly before 9 a.m. Friday at a Waterbury gas station, city police said in a statement.
The driver told 911 that his 11-year-old son was in the car when he was taken away, but officers ultimately determined that he fabricated the boy’s presence to try to make the matter seem more urgent, the statement said.
The 36-year-old driver was arrested on charges of misusing the 911 system. He was released with an appearance ticket, and it was not immediately clear if he had an attorney who might speak on the charges.
The police had not yet found the car.
An 18-year-old teenager died following being shot on Broad Street in Hartford on Wednesday night.
Hartford police said officers found Plainville resident Julius Rivera just before 10 p.m. Wednesday following receiving a report of a shooting in the area of 695 Broad St.
The teen had been taken to a nearby hospital for help and died at 2:02 a.m., according to police.
Anyone with information is asked to call the police at 860-722-8477.