Ariela Lopez
Staff Reporter
ariela.lopez@yale.edu
Ariela Lopez covers City Hall and City Politics. Originally from New York City, she is a first-year in Branford College.
Author Archive
ARIELA LOPEZ & LILY BELLE POLING
‘Uncommitted’ beats expectations in New Haven, statewide

Biden and Trump handily won Connecticut’s low turnout presidential primaries, while “uncommitted” garnered 21 percent in New Haven’s Democratic primary, surpassing organizer predictions.

April 3, 2024

YURII STASIUK & ARIELA LOPEZ
Crossing the aisle: Joe Lieberman’s road from Kennedy Democrat to Connecticut Independent

Friends and colleagues recall the late Connecticut senator’s political career from the Yale Daily News to the presidential campaign trail.

April 1, 2024

ARIELA LOPEZ
What to know ahead of Tuesday’s presidential primary

New Haveners will cast their ballots in Connecticut’s Presidential primaries on Tuesday. Though uncompetitive, the primaries offer voters the chance to express dissatisfaction with the nominees.

March 31, 2024

CHRISTINA LEE & ARIELA LOPEZ
Pro-Palestine protesters arrested for sit-in at Union Station

Several protesters were arrested after blocking the escalators and stairwell in the station to pressure local and congressional representatives, including Rep. Rosa DeLauro, to support a ceasefire in Gaza.

March 29, 2024

ARIELA LOPEZ & YURII STASIUK
Longtime Connecticut senator Joe Lieberman ’64 LAW ’67 dies at 82

The “stubbornly bipartisan” politician ran for vice president as Al Gore’s running mate in 2000 and served as chairman of the News while a Yale College student. He passed away on Wednesday after a fall in his apartment in Riverdale, New York.

March 27, 2024

ARIELA LOPEZ
First-ever early voting opportunities spice up uncompetitive presidential primary in CT

This week, New Haveners will have their first opportunity to participate in in-person early voting for Connecticut’s upcoming presidential primary elections. The opportunity comes after a 2022 constitutional amendment legalized early voting in the state.

March 25, 2024

ARIELA LOPEZ & LILY BELLE POLING
Environmental policy hearing urges new city priorities: pesticides, artificial turf, electrification

EAC Chair Laura Cahn urged the city to strengthen its policy regarding pesticides and artificial turf at the Board of Alders’ Community Services and Environmental Policy Committee meeting on Thursday. A representative from the New Haven Climate Movement and Steve Winter, director of the Office of Climate and Sustainability, also discussed the city’s progress towards electrification.

March 8, 2024

ARIELA LOPEZ & KENISHA MAHAJAN
New 24-hour crisis intervention center planned for New Haven

Continuum of Care’s REST Center, Connecticut’s first 24-hour short-term crisis stabilization hub for adults, is slated to open later this spring

March 8, 2024

ARIELA LOPEZ
Ceasefire resolution hearing set for May over Zoom

Alders will discuss and hear public testimony on a resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza over Zoom on May 1, 155 days after the resolution was proposed.

March 8, 2024

ARIELA LOPEZ
Budget proposal for separate Parks Department follows a year of advocacy

Mayor Justin Elicker’s proposed budget for the upcoming fiscal year would separate the Parks and Public Works Departments, which have been merged since 2020. For local advocates, it’s a step in the right direction.

March 8, 2024

ARIELA LOPEZ
Ceasefire resolution moved to committee, organizers testify outside Board of Alders meeting

The Board of Alders convened as pro-Palestine protesters held what they called a “public hearing” in favor of a Gaza ceasefire resolution on the steps of City Hall. During the protest, organizers learned that the resolution had been moved to committee, meeting their immediate demand.

March 6, 2024