Each year millions of students take in-person standardized tests like the SAT and ACT as part of their application process for college. But amid the pandemic, concerns over health and safety have closed hundreds of test sites nationwide.

It's easy with all the tomatoes, peppers, squashes, melons, cucumbers and beans flowing into our kitchens, to forget about the cool season veggies that have been waiting for us. We recently rediscovered our spring planted root crops. We did start eating beets and carrots earlier this year, then got into all the other veggies. Now, it's time to get back to our roots.

Connecticut legislators and health experts in Hartford Tuesday stressed that the number of opioid overdose deaths is up statewide. Evidence, they say, that the pandemic is interfering with addiction treatment and recovery. “When we were doing our work in preparation for the pandemic, there was a lot of focus on children, on seniors, and on our individuals who are experiencing homelessness,” said Liany Arroyo, director of health for the city of Hartford.

U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal says Eversource should be broken up. According to Connecticut’s senior senator, the power company’s failure to get the lights back on quickly statewide after Tropical Storm Isaias was just the latest in the utility’s litany of failures.

Alexei Navalny, a Russian opposition leader with ties to Yale University, was poisoned, according to the German hospital where he is being treated. Navalny remains in a medically induced coma. The 44-year-old is known for his anti-corruption investigations against Russian state corporations and senior officials, and he participated in Russia’s 2018 presidential election.

Parents across Connecticut are concerned about their children being exposed to the coronavirus in the classroom this fall, but the threat may start before they even get there. The level of safety precautions on school buses will vary from district to district, but most can expect to see mask wearing and thinly populated buses.

State officials are investigating an outbreak of COVID-19 cases at Three Rivers Nursing Home in Norwich, where one resident has died and several have been hospitalized. The Department of Public Health has so far identified 13 residents and two staff members infected with the virus -- it’s the largest outbreak at a single nursing facility in about a month, according to state data.

You know fall is coming when the wild asters start to bloom. This native perennial flower is hardy, tough, and long blooming. It's also known as the Michaelmas daisy as it blooms into the end of September during the Feast of Saint Michael. But there's more to this wildflower than what we see in meadows. In the garden paired with goldenrods, sedum and rudbeckia, it's an amazingly easy perennial to grow for beautiful fall color.

The return to college campuses this year is fraught with angst like never before because of the pandemic. Already UConn has had to eject students from university housing because of an illicit, dorm-room party. Several students returning to campus have tested positive as part of the check-in process, and have been quarantined. The university also announced Wednesday that two faculty members have COVID-19.

The pandemic is raising questions about what’s best for children as they head into a new school year, as many schools continue to finalize plans for this fall and parents make individual decisions for their families. Megan Goslin, a clinical psychologist and research scientist at Yale’s Child Study Center, said it’s a difficult time for everyone.