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Connecticut has its first case of measles in more than four years, according to the Department of Public Health. The case is in an unvaccinated Fairfield County child under the age of 10, the department said in a news release. The child recently traveled internationally and began showing symptoms of measles several days later, they said. The symptoms included a cough, runny nose, congestion, fever, and then a rash starting at the head and spreading throughout their body. According to the Department of Public Health, measles is highly contagious and can spread through the air when an infected person coughs or sneezes. Measles can be dangerous, especially to children under five. “The single best way to protect your children and yourself from measles is to be vaccinated,” said DPH Commissioner Manisha Juthani, MD. “One dose of measles vaccine is about 93% effective, while two doses are about 97% effective. We must ensure we continue to protect those who matter most – children and othervulnerable people – from vaccine preventable illnesses through on-time vaccination.” Symptoms of the disease usually begin 7-14 days after a person is exposed to an infected person. Typical cases of measles begin with a fever, cough, runny nose, red eyes, and a sore throat. Then, three to five days later, the person will develop a red or reddish-brown rash, usually starting on their face at the hairline and then spreading down to the entire body, according to DPH. There have been more than 1,800 cases of measles reported nationwide in 2025 — the most since the virus was declared eliminated in 2000, according to the International Vaccine Access Center. This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.

Boston City Council President Ruthzee Louijeune is returning to the rank-and-file. The at-Large councilor is adhering to council rules requiring a different president for each two-year term. But before stepping away, Louijeune is looking back. “Focusing on the issues that the residents care about — affordable housing, clean streets, cost of living,” Louijeune said Wednesday. A home rule petition on ranked-choice voting and efforts around housing are among the issues she spotlights, but she admits the term had its fair share of difficulties. “Some of the frustrations, generally, that exist are that we are not the ones who can just sign off and say, ‘Yes, we are going to ensure that your taxes don’t increase as drastically as they may,'” she said. Louijeune expressed aggravation with the recurring battle between Boston City Hall and the Massachusetts Legislature over rising residential property taxes. “We’ve had a plan that we’ve put before the state house now twice, that has passed the House now twice, and hasn’t had a hearing, or hasn’t even been sent to committee, in the Senate,” Louijeune said. The problem itself is tied to falling commercial property values downtown as office buildings continue to see high vacancies amid a post-pandemic shift to remote work. Louijeune says the council and Wu administration have been working to bolster the area. “We have our commercial-to-residential conversions, storefront activations, to bring more of our small businesses downtown,” she added. But when pressed on whether those actions are creating meaningful progress, Louijeune said an issue this large takes time. “The same thing for housing, they’re going to take multiple things to try to move the needle,” she said. A review of her time as council president wouldn’t be complete without addressing the scandal surrounding Tania Fernandes Anderson. The former District 7 city councilor was recently released from prison after serving a brief sentence tied to federal corruption charges. She has already been back in the public eye, blasting public officials and the city’s current political climate. “I stand by how this body moved and how we acted,” Louijeune said. “And I do believe that no one is the worst thing that they’ve done, and that there’s always a possibility for people to redeem themselves.” As for the Boston City Council, the body finished its 2025 slate of meetings on Wednesday. The new council is set to be sworn in on Jan. 5. The only new member will be Miniard Culpepper, who fills the seat vacated by Fernandes Anderson. A new city council president will be elected by the body internally. District 1 City Councilor Gabriela Coletta Zapata has claimed she has the votes to secure the position, but others on council have suggested that still could be contested. More Boston news Immigration Dec 10 ‘This is my dream': Immigrants naturalized as US citizens at Boston ceremony Boston Dec 9 As Boston faces property tax hikes, Mass. senators are crafting their own bill Immigration Dec 9 ‘They chained us like criminals': Boston car wash workers detained by ICE speak out