Volume 19, Number 6
Berlin’s Only Hometown Newspaper
www.berlincitizen.com
Thursday, April 9, 2015
Blumenthal sits down with Citizen staff By Charles Kreutzkamp
“Rail transportation is at the very top of my agenda,” Blumenthal said, discussU.S. Senator Richard ing the Hartford Line that Blumenthal visited the offices will be entering service at of the Record-Journal and the Berlin train station next met with weeklies reporters year. The Democrat believes for a 40-minute interview transportation and “healthy infrastructure” are critical April 3. The Berlin Citizen
for economic growth and job creation, but that safety must be improved. “Collisions that occur on tracks are a major problem across the country,” Blumenthal said. One such incident happened in Berlin last year. The senator noted that many accidents occur at
crossings without whistles or lights, and that better engineering, education, and enforcement is needed. When asked about the use of misleading statistics in politics, Blumenthal said “that is a major frustration for me, because I look at some news
reports and think to myself, what is the source of those statistics?” Even when statistics are sourced, they may be misleading. Blumenthal thinks more attention should be paid to independent See Blumenthal / Page 2
Seizure causes crash into gas station Late spring impacts local agriculture By Charles Kreutzkamp The Berlin Citizen
A car crashed into the Irving Gas station on the Berlin Turnpike April 2. Police say the driver suffered a seizure and lost control of the vehicle. No injuries were reported, including to the driver. Getachew “Getch” Dires, owner of Randy’s Wooster Street Pizza Express, located at the site, said he was able to reopen at 2 p.m. April 3 after the location passed inspection. Automotive chemicals were spilled due to the crash. Getch said he was pleased no one was hurt and is looking forward to celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Randy’s franchise this summer. Staff at the Irving Gas station confirmed that the location reopened April 3, but deferred com- Berlin police and firefighters survey the scene of a car crash into the ment to the corporate office, which Irving Gas station building on the Berlin Turnpike April 2. did not respond. | Berlin Police Department Facebook
By Charles Kreutzkamp The Berlin Citizen
With snow still on the ground in April, the long winter is taking a bite out of area growers’ production and profits in Berlin, Cheshire, and Durham. “Mother nature does what she wants,” said Alex Arisco of Arisco Farms in Cheshire. The cold has “slowed down a lot of the growth,” even in greenhouses, which depend on sunlight. Energy bills for heated greenhouses have also risen dramatically. “Once in a while we get a mild winter, but it never makes up for all the tough ones we get. We’ve got to tighten our belts.” Arisco Farms grows flowers for Easter and Mother’s Day, as well as some edible plants. See Agriculture / Page 6
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