INNER-CITY NEWS

State OKs All-Boys Charter School

by PAUL BASS

Six years after the local Board of Education turned him down, Rev. Boise Kimber took his quest to create an all-boys charter school to the state and succeeded.

The State Board of Education voted unanimously Wednesday to grant an initial certification for a state charter for a Kimber-organized group to form the Edmonds Cofield Preparatory Academy for Young Men in New Haven.

At the same meeting, the board renewed the charter of Elm City Montessori School for another four years.

A proposal for another new Hebrew language-based New Haven charter school did not make it to the meeting for a vote because it failed to earn enough points in a preliminary state Department of Education committee review. The head of that effort told the Independent by email that his school intends to re-apply the next time the state solicits applications.

Kimber’s proposed school aims to target the challenges facing young males who are failing academically and socially in New Haven through “a positive school culture that builds self-management, reflection, problem-solving, and relationship building skills.”

Since the New Haven Board of Education rejected a city-chartered version of the proposed school in 2017, Kimber told the Independent Thursday, the problems

facing young males, especially young Black males, have worsened. (The school is open to students of all races.)

“This is an opportunity to tailor curriculum, where these young men can buy in,” Kimber said of the updated state-chartered version of the school.

Kimber said he aims to open the school in the fall of 2024 with an initial class of 75 fifth-graders. He projects expanding to 375 fifth-through-eighth graders by a fifth year, and eventually adding high school graders.

The school named after two late New Haven Black community leaders, the Revs. Edwin Edmonds and Curtis Cofield does not yet have a location set.

Kimber said his group has looked at four potential sites in New Haven.

Now that he has obtained the initial certificate to operate a charter, which lasts three years (renewable for another five), Kimber needs to raise a combination of private donations and state legislativeapproved dollars to open the school.

The General Assembly’s Education and Appropriations Committees must also “deem” the proposed school “effective,” according to state education department spokesperson Eric Scoville.

Kimber said Thursday he does not yet have a specific fundraising target. He said he raised $50,000 to hire a consultant to help prepare the state application. “I’m not allowed to give the names of the in-

stitutions nor person who contributed,” he said. The state education department staff review reports that the group aims to obtain a $400,000 Charter School Startup grant and $250,000 in private contributions for the launch.

The school will hire an experienced principal and staff, Kimber said.

“I don’t know what my role is going to be. I am not an educator. I pride myself on being an organizer. We will allow the professional educators to run the school,” Kimber said. “I just have to make sure we raise the money necessary.”

Rounded Up

The state Board of Ed requires appli-

cants for new charters to score 38 points out of 57 in the preliminary staff review in order to advance to a board meeting for approval. Kimber’s proposal earned 37.55 points; it was rounded up to 38.

Before Wednesday’s vote, state board member Elwood Exley pressed Kimber and two board members accompanying him retired New Haven high school principals Larry Conaway and Leroy Williams about the school’s rationale.

“It looks as if they didn’t really demonstrate why the need an all-male school,” Exley stated, referencing the staff report. He also cited staff concerns that the application didn’t offer “evidence of the model and achievement.”

Two New Haveners who sit on the state board, Chair Karen DuBois-Walton and member Erik Clemons, responded in defense of the project.

Clemons spoke of being raised by a single mother and “hating” school but “lov[ing] to learn.”

“I heard a lot today about mothers. Not a lot about fathers. I knew and always thought about the Black men in front of me. To your questions, which are very technical questions, there is not an adaptive issue as well. These men are trying to address an adaptive issue. The males need the most help. The males need the most help,” Clemons said.

Con’t on page 16

Celentano School Assembly Celebrates Jamaican Connection

by MAYA MCFADDEN

Eighth-grader Akiellea Gooden honored her Jamaican roots on stage in front of her Celentano School classmates by sharing a quotation from a Black political icon and historical Caribbean compatriot, Marcus Garvey: “A people without knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots.”

Gooden shared that quotation Wednesday during a school assembly at Celentano Biotech, Health and Medical Magnet School.

The 400 Canner St. preK-to-eighth grade school concluded Black History Month with an hourlong celebration showcasing research, musical performances, and other work done by students like Gooden, who took the stage to reflect on the importance of learning Black history.

The Black History Month assembly was the first the school has had since 2020. “We need to keep their [students’] confidence alive,” Celentano Assistant Principal Lisa Pietrosimone said.

Pietrosimone added that educators and school staff spent the month “validating and reminding students of their rich his-

tory” through class projects and work.

Kindergarten through sixth-grade students attended the Wednesday assembly in person while some of the seventh and eighth graders watched the assembly, that was broadcast via Zoom, from their class-

rooms.

Music teacher David Minnella spearheaded the organizing of the Wednesday assembly.

Minnella accompanied the student choir on piano for six singing perfor-

mances. Two dozen choir students sang songs like Louis Armstrong’s “Go Down, Moses,” Cynthia Erivo’s “Stand Up,” and “Wade in the Water.”

In addition to doing research projects throughout the month, the school hosted a Black History STEM (Science Technology Engineering Math)-themed door decorating contest for students and staff. The school’s classroom doors pictured the faces and legacies of Black figures like Olympic gymnast Gabby Douglas and astronaut and physicist Ronald McNair. Students described the Black trailblazers for being brave, chasing their dreams, and doing what was right.

During student reflections, sixth through eighth grade students shared about research they did throughout the month. Gooden spoke about Jamaican-born political activist Marcus Garvey, who she described as her personal inspiration and “favorite national hero.”

Gooden became president of Celentano’s student council this year after moving to New Haven from Jamaica in 2022. “I learned about him while I was young,” she recalled about the early 20th century Black nationalist leader. “And now I am

leading.”

In Jamaica Gooden was a prefect in her school and secretary for her school’s environmental club.

During the weeks leading up to the assembly, Gooden helped her younger peers and classmates overcome their stage fright so they could perform Wednesday.

Seventh-grader Kaylyn Quarcoo and sixth-grader Korrie Carney shared about the creation of Black History Month, which was once known as “Negro History Week.”

“Today we do not only celebrate the Black astronauts and scientists, we celebrate the Black businesses, arts, and literature that will influence the future,” Quarcoo said.

Despite the progress made since Black History Month was established, Carney said, “We still have a ways to go.”

At the conclusion of the assembly Pietrosimone thanked Celentano students and staff for organizing and bringing their courage and bravery to the stage Wednesday.

“Thank you for being yourselves,” she added.

MAYA MCFADDEN PHOTO At Celentano School's final Black History Month celebration of the year.

New Haven Independent

LAURA GLESBY FILE PHOTO Kimber: 2nd time the charm.

New Haven Independent

In "What Could Have Been," New Haven's Past Haunts Its Present

by Lucy Gellman, Editor, The Arts Paper newhavenartspaper.org

The year is 2023. Just beyond East and Water Streets, the nation’s first Historically Black College is gearing up for its 192nd anniversary. Balloons bob in the breeze outside. Buildings reach into the blue New Haven sky. Gulls cry and cackle above the water, and sound like they are laughing. All day, the nation’s most prominent Black scholars file in and out of the campus buildings, holding a history that is nearly two centuries old.

Except, their path to that day never happened. The year is 2023, and the space is just an ocean of asphalt and road, with a labyrinth of highway winding above. It didn’t have to be this way.

That message is at the heart of What Could Have Been, a 2022 documentary from the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library about the nation’s first proposed HBCU in 1830s New Haven. Directed by Tubyez Cropper and written by Cropper and Michael Morand, it tells the story of the proposal and fight for the first Black College, an overwhelming white vote against it, and the ramifications for New Haven, for Connecticut, and the country.

Wednesday night, over 100 New Haveners gathered at the New Haven Museum for a screening of the film, followed by

a short question-and-answer period with Cropper. In a clean 25 minutes, the film is both a testament to the weight of history, and the need to tell it in full. It has the right storytellers at the helm: Cropper and Morand both work in community engagement at the Beinecke, and share a love for text, original sources, and history.

“Primary sources allow us to relive, not ignore,” said Cropper, who grew up in New Haven and started at the Beinecke

as a New Haven Promise intern in 2018, during his junior year at Franklin & Marshall College. “We have a duty, in us here as history lovers or history enthusiasts, to make sure that everyone knows that this happened.”

“I won’t say names of states and governments, but certain parts of the nation are trying to hide it,” he continued. “[They] are trying to get rid of it. Are trying to make sure students never learn about it

again. And these sources … It matters. It makes it that much more real. Seeing is believing, and primary history allows us to see, step into, and relive. So that we can engage the past in the present, for the future.”

Wednesday, Morand stressed that several New Haveners paved the way for the film, which came out in April 2022. In 1991, now-retired Hillhouse High School librarian Robert Gibson wrote an article

on the college during his graduate studies at Southern Connecticut State University. Ten years after that, the Amistad Committee discussed it in their report “Yale, Slavery & Abolition,” which challenged Yale’s whitewashed history of activism, equity and progress. Then two and a half years ago, the Yale & Slaver Research Project was born as an initiative of the Gilder Lehrman Center for the Study of Slavery, Resistance, and Abolition. The last was central in making the film and spreading its message, Morand said. Since the premiere last year, it has gotten over 13,000 views. He noted the importance of becoming an ambassador for the information, to both tell people about the film, and carry the story further than any one given screen.

“The fact that the story gets forgotten is part of the story of the film and part of what we all need to grapple with,” Morand said Wednesday. “The work that they [Yale] are doing now is very important, but we need to be cognizant that it’s coming when it’s coming, building on extraordinary work that precedes it.”

From the opening shot, that message is evident, and carries right into the present. In the first moments of the film—expertly narrated by Dixwell Avenue Congregational United Church of Christ (Dixwell

Assistant Fire Chief To Retire In May

by THOMAS BREEN

Justin McCarthy plans to step down from his post as New Haven’s assistant fire chief in May for a similar job in the suburbs, marking the second retirement this year of a high-ranking city fire department official.

McCarthy, who has served as the New Haven Fire Department’s (NHFD) assistant fire chief of administration since January 2021, announced his planned retirement in a Wednesday letter.

He told the Independent in a follow up phone interview that he will be taking a job as an assistant fire chief in a Fairfield County suburb. He said that his new municipal employer will be taking a final vote on his appointment on Thursday.

“Writing this is extremely difficult for me,” McCarthy wrote in his farewell letter to his New Haven colleagues. “I am retiring in May to pursue a new opportunity and challenge. I love this City and the people I work with. The New Haven Fire Department has been a major part of my life. My closest friends are on this department, people I started not knowing are now the people who I rely on professionally and personally. Thank you all.”

McCarthy cited the injuries and deaths of a number of fellow city firefighters –

including Pat Reardon, Jimmy Blakeslee, William McMillian and Ricardo Torres — as always on his mind during his time at the department. In reference to McMillian’s off-duty death and Torres’s on-duty death in 2021 in particular, McCarthy wrote, “Through this tough time, the members of this department made me understand that through the nonsense that always comes up, we all come together when it matters. What was done to honor these men was nothing short of incredible.

“In closing, my heart is in this City and I will always be proud to have been a New Haven Firefighter.”

Asked on Wednesday about why he has decided to leave his New Haven role, McCarthy said, “Opportunity. I take a great deal of pride in the fire service of New Haven. This opportunity arose.” As he went through the process of applying for this suburban assistant fire chief job, he said, “it became more apparent as I moved through the steps that it might be a reality.”

Fire Chief John Alston had nothing but praise for McCarthy when asked for comment for this story. He recalled meeting McCarthy when the latter was a lieutenant with Engine 8. Even then, he was “a great fire officer. Great technical acumen.

A good supervisor and a terrific firefighter.”

Alston remembered assigning him to the fire academy right before the start of the pandemic. When Covid hit, “Justin stepped up and took charge of providing equipment and training” not only for the fire department, but for the whole city.

“He supervised the decontamination ef-

forts whenever the city had a positive test for Covid,” all while continuing to track expensive and procurement for the fire department, Alston said. “During that time, I came to rely on him and trust his decision-making and his stewardship.”

When an assistant chief job opened up in New Haven, Alston said, he encouraged McCarthy to apply — and was

“floored” during his interview. During the many tough days in the department over the past year, “I’ve come to rely on him as not only a friend and a coworker, but also as a confidant.” “During one of the roughest times in our department, when we lost Ricardo Torres, Justin stood up and literally stood by my side and the family and the fire department.” Alston also said that, when his own father passed away last year, he was able to step away from the department for a moment and know with full confidence that he could trust McCarthy to handle its day to day operations.

He added that his one concern after promoting McCarthy was that another town’s fire department would see what a great assistant chief he was and try to snap him up for their own. When this latest job opportunity arose, Alston said, he gave McCarthy his full blessing to pursue it, apply, and grow his skills as a firefighter leader.

McCarthy’s retirement announcement comes less than a month after the retirement of NHFD Assistant Chief of Operations Terrence Rountree, who was promoted to that role in June 2021.

Alston said that he will be interviewing two candidates for that assistant chief of operations job within the next week. “I will move very quickly through that process,” he said.

THOMAS BREEN FILE PHOTO Asst. Chief Justin McCarthy (left) with Fire Chief John Alston.

New Haven Independent

Heritage Chorale Rings In 25 Years At New Haven Museum

By Lucy Gellman

At first, dozens of voices floated from the speaker, filling the second floor of the New Haven Museum. Lift every voice and sing/Till earth and heaven ring! they started, splitting into a harmony that sprinted forward. Ring with the har-mo-nies of liberty. From somewhere near the middle of the room, half a dozen live voices joined in, the sound rolling towards the ceiling. Between each breath were decades of Black New Haven history.

That soundtrack belonged to “Six Degrees of Separation Through Music,” a long-awaited talk and celebration of the Heritage Chorale of New Haven (HCNH) from director Jonathan Berryman at the New Haven Museum at 114 Whitney Ave.

First scheduled for March 2020, the presentation rang in a quarter century of joyful music making for the chorale, which started in a Fair Haven living room and has grown across the city.

Despite the damp, still-slushy sidewalks, over four dozen attended. Many have been with the chorale for the entirety of its 25 years—and are hoping to see 25 more as they return to singing after an unwelcome pandemic intermission.

“This is reminiscent for me of being at home with my family,” Berryman said as a final few attendees trickled in, and he pulled up a PowerPoint with a bright, sunshine-yellow page and early HCNH recording of “I Don't Feel Noways Tired” on which he was the soloist. “You’re part of this exploration.”

The idea—that most New Haveners have a point of connection to the chorale—comes from the birth of the chorale itself. In 1998, Berryman had just finished his graduate work in choral conducting from the Yale School of Music. During the week, he was a music teacher for the city’s public schools, where he still works today. On evenings and weekends, he worked as the choir director and organist at Varick Memorial AME Zion Church on Dixwell Avenue.

By then, he very much had a foot in both Yale and non-Yale worlds. Through his studies at Yale, he had served as the assistant conductor of the Yale Camerata, through which he knew conductor Paul Mueller. Through his time at Varick— and later Immanuel Missionary Baptist Church and the Bible Gospel Center— he also knew of the city’s Black choral legacy, including the Saulsbury Chorale, Rock-Hontas Chorus, and New Ensemble.

So when Mueller, by then leading the New Haven Chorale, called him that year to talk about a potential collaboration, it piqued Berryman’s interest. He had no idea that the group’s bright spirit and dedication to music-making would last for 25 years.

At the time, the New Haven Chorale wanted to perform William Grant Still’s “And They Lynched Him On A Tree,” a piece of music that requires a white cho-

rus, a Black chorus, and two soloists— a Black contralto playing the victim’s mother, and a male narrator. Berryman called Herbert Scott, whose time singing in Black choruses in New Haven reached back decades.

Scott “made some calls” of his own, Berryman remembered. In March 1998, Berryman invited singers for an initial meeting at his small apartment in Brewery Square. He had no idea what to expect.

“Thirty people showed up!” he recalled, his eyes sparkling as attendees laughed at the memory. “I was overwhelmed, but

that did not exist before for many Black singers in New Haven,” he said. “When you’re on the stage looking out, that’s very different than sitting in the seats looking up.”

It was the beginning of something built to last, Berryman discovered. When the Heritage Chorale performed at Woolsey in January 1999, members wanted the music to keep going. Berryman—this young, charismatic, bright-eyed conductor—did too. That year, they performed Still’s sweeping work again with Coro Allegro in Boston, after a Black choir backed out at the last minute. It marked the beginning of a regional partnership that has lasted through today.

In New Haven, their footprint was also growing. In the summer of 2000, they were part of Neely Bruce’s “Convergence” during the International Festival of Arts & Ideas, what Bruce at the time referred to as a “collision of sound” on the New Haven Green. By a 2001 collaboration with the Yale Camerata, they had moved from Varick’s Dixwell Avenue sanctuary into Immanuel Missionary Baptist Church on Chapel Street, where Berryman was working as the organist. As they performed across the city, their list of collaborators and venues grew. While planning three of their own annual concerts, Heritage Chorale members worked with the Madame C.J. Walker Mansion, Mt. Zion Seventh Day Adventist Church and the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C. among other spaces. At home, they performed with the New Haven and Hamden Symphony Orchestras, Bethesda Lutheran Church and Southern Connecticut State University and in the Town of Guilford.

John P. Thomas

Publisher / CEO

Babz Rawls Ivy

Editor-in-Chief

Liaison, Corporate Affairs

Babz@penfieldcomm.com

Advertising/Sales Team

Keith Jackson Delores Alleyne

John Thomas, III

Editorial Team

Staff Writers

Christian Lewis/Current Affairs

Anthony Scott/Sports

Arlene Davis-Rudd/Politics

Contributing Writers

David Asbery / Tanisha Asbery

Jerry Craft / Cartoons / Barbara Fair

Dr. Tamiko Jackson-McArthur

Michelle Turner / Smita Shrestha

William Spivey / Kam Williams

Rev. Samuel T. Ross-Lee

Contributors At-Large

Christine Stuart www.CTNewsJunkie.com

Paul Bass

www.newhavenindependent.org

there was room."

The group started rehearsing at Varick, where Berryman was working and had access to free space. Even in its early days, the chorale comprised generations of New Haven music history: music educators, Varick members, former members of the Rock-Hontas Chorus, vocalists who shone in their own church choirs, and wanted another space to sing.

When he learned that the concert would be at Woolsey Hall, Berryman marveled at music’s ability to bridge communities within a city of contrasts.

“It created a town-gown connection

By their 15-year anniversary, that list of collaborators had grown to over two dozen. In the process, singers were making New Haven music history, Berryman said. They worked with public school teachers and steel bands, symphony orchestras and house museums, small churches and big state buildings. They helped revive performances of Black Nativity at Long Wharf Theatre. He watched as people including Dr. Tiffany Jackson, Malcolm Welfare, Jaminda Blackmon and members of the Unity Boys Choir grew into themselves before his eyes. They helped other organizations ring in their anniversaries without ever knowing that they would make it to a quarter of a century. Around 2008, the chorale changed its rehearsal home to the Bible Gospel Center, and kept singing. In 2019, they returned to Boston for a 20-year anniversary concert with Coro Allegro. Berryman is sometimes amazed, he said, by how much time has passed, and how quickly.

“I accept the fact that I’m not as young as I used to be,” he said, laughing hard enough that his shoulders bounced up and down. “I don’t even know that we had

Memberships

National Association of Black Journalist

National Newspapers Publishers Association

Greater New Haven Chamber of Commerce

Greater New Haven Business & Professional

Greater New England Minority Supplier Development Council, Inc.

The Inner-City Newspaper is published weekly by Penfield Communications, Inc. from offices located at 50 Fitch Street, 2nd Floor, New Haven, CT 06515. 203-387-0354 phone; 203-3872684 fax. Subscriptions:$260 per year (does not include sales tax for the in State subscriptions). Send name, address, zip code with payment. Postmaster, send address changes to 50 Fitch Street, New Haven, CT 06515. Display ad deadline Friday prior to insertion date at 5:00pm Advertisers are responsible for checking ads for error in publication. Penfield Communications, Inc d.b.a., “The Inner-City Newspaper” , shall not be liable for failure to publish an ad or for typographical errors or errors in publication, except to the extent of the cost of the space in which actual error appeared in the first insertion. The Publisher reserves the right to refuse advertising for any reason and to alter advertising copy or graphics deemed unacceptable for publication. The entire contents of The Inner-City Newspaper are copyright 2012, Penfield Communications, Inc. and no portion may be reproduced by any means without the written permission of the publisher.

Jonathan Quinn Berryman Wednesday night. Lucy Gellman Photos.

The Heritage Chorale c. 2008. Contributed Photo.

Aubrey Tompkins. Lucy Gellman Photo.

The Heritage Chorale c. 2004. Contributed Photo.

New Haven Independent

Lucretia Gets Her Corner

by PAUL BASS

The name of New Haven’s first Black resident appeared Monday above a Downtown intersection, where it will remain. The resident was named Lucretia.

A crowd of officials and community members gathered Monday morning during the final days of Black History Month to officially dub the intersection, at Orange and Elm Streets, Lucretia’s Corner.

We don’t know Lucretia’s last name. We don’t know where in Africa Lucretia was born. We don’t know where she’s buried. We do know Lucretia was the first known recorded slave in New Haven Colony. She was married to a fellow enslaved person named John Cram. She worked as a slave for then-Gov. Theophilus Eaton shortly after the establishment of New Haven Colony in 1638, on an estate that was located where her name now flies above the street.

The naming was the result of a 25-yearlong effort launched by Ann Garrett Robinson, a writer and psychology professor with a long history of civic involvement. She discovered historical references to Lucretia in 1998 in a document she found at the old Afro-American Historical Society archives at the Q House. This past year she teamed up with then-Alder Steven Winter and others to gather 250 signatures on a petition to name the corner, then win approval for the naming from the Board of Alders.

Lucretia advocated for the health of the elderly, Robinson said; at some point Ea-

ton freed her. At the naming ceremony, Mayor Justin Elicker and Downtown/ East Rock Alder Eli Sabin emphasized the importance of remembering the city’s history, including the fact that slavery existed here, as well as recognizing the social justice work left to be done.

The crowd included members of local churches and others who have helped Robinson in her campaign. Those helpers included Trina Greene (pictured), who belted out a rendition of Sam Cooke’s “A Change Is Gonna Come” as part of the

ceremony. She ended with a riff on the chorus: “It’s been a long time coming / But a change has come …”

New Haven Academy teacher Kelly Hope (pictured above) brought her 11th and 12th grade African American Literature class. “This is a real-life opportunity for my students to make connections between what we’re learning about in class and the experiences of AfricanAmericans in New Haven,” Hope said. “I wanted them to come and experience this story.”

PAUL BASS PHOTOS Ann Garrett Robinson, at center, beside Trina Greene and Steve Winter watching unveiling of Lucretia's Corner sign.

New Haven Independent

John L. “Jay” Pottenger, Jr., 72

John L. “Jay” Pottenger, Jr., Yale law professor and tireless advocate for fair housing, died peacefully on Thursday, February 23, 2023 at Connecticut Hospice, surrounded by his wife, Sue, and his three children Will, Jack, and Emma. In 2021, he was diagnosed with an advanced stage urologic cancer, and his bravery and humor in the face of this illness was extraordinary. He was always grateful for the exceptional medical and surgical care he received at Smilow Cancer Hospital.

Jay was born on March 3, 1950 to John L. Pottenger, Sr. and Tavia Morgan Pottenger in Chicago, Il, and before the age of 15 had called several midwestern cities home. As the eldest of six gifted children, he had tremendous love for his siblings Marty, Lynn, Candy, Bill, and Betsy.

After attending Shady Side Academy in Pittsburgh, PA, he went on to dabble in several academic pursuits at Princeton University, before settling on Urban Affairs. He was an avid member of the Speech and Debate team, a protester of the Vietnam War, and a passionate bridge player. After Princeton, he attended Yale Law School, graduating in 1975.

After two judicial clerkships and a few years at Paul Weiss in New York City, Jay devoted his career to the Yale Law School clinical programs, where his wide-ranging service work included legislative advocacy, prison legal services, trial practice, landlord/tenant law, and professional responsibility. The true north of his work

managed to attend every soccer game and tennis match in which his children ever played, and was a long-time board member of the Branford Soccer Club. Jay also took great pride in his night-owl habits, and his ability to get anywhere faster than the GPS predicted. He also loved excellent wine, and covertly organized most family travel around visiting the best vineyards in the world.

A brilliant, humble man, Jay’s legacy includes countless law school graduates who have gone out into the world carrying Jay’s creativity, positivity, and dedication to service. He spared innumerable clients legal jeopardy, and treated them with dignity no matter the ultimate result. He had colleagues and friends on both sides of the pond and all over the world. But for all his accomplishments, Jay’s greatest source of pride was his loving family.

Former Planning and Zoning Commissioner Steven R. Mullins has announced his candidacy for

Mayor of West Haven

The announcement was made in a video released Friday on social media

was housing and community development, through which he has made an extraordinary difference in the Greater New Haven and larger Connecticut communities. He was a tireless advocate for affordable housing, and took great pleasure in taking on any institution or individual in the name of justice. Jay’s passion for housing justice was also expressed through Open Communities Alliance, an organization he helped to co-found that

aims to unwind Connecticut’s history of government-perpetuated segregation and focuses on reducing social, economic, and health disparities experienced by low-income families of color.

Teachers Union Contract, Fed-Funded Tutoring Plan OK’d

Outside of his legal work, he served on numerous nonprofit boards, and he was an avid sports fan with a particular passion for Liverpool Football Club, the Steelers, and the White Sox. Despite his professional responsibilities, he somehow

Relatives and friends are invited to a visitation Sunday afternoon from 3:00 – 6:00 PM at the W. S. Clancy Memorial Funeral Home, 244 North Main Street, Branford. A funeral service will be held Monday morning at 11:00 in Trinity Episcopal Church, 1109 Main Street, on-thegreen, in Branford. Burial will be private. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Open Communities Alliance (www.ctoca.org), or the Greater Dwight Development Corporation (www. gddcnh.org). For directions and online memorial see www.wsclancy.com.

Mullins, a Republican calls West Haven “A beautiful costal community with untapped potential,” in the one minute video. “Having served as planning and zoning commissioner for sixteen years and as a volunteer firefighter, I know and understand first hand, the issues going on in West Haven.” he says.

LAURA GLESBY

(8) Comments Post a Comment E-mail the Author City Hall Labor Schools

Teachers Union Contract, Fed-Funded Tutoring Plan OK’d

by LAURA GLESBY

City teachers will be getting a 15 percent pay raise over the next three years — while a new math-and-literacy tutoring initiative will be getting $3 million in federal aid to get off the ground — thanks to two recent education-focused votes by the Board of Alders.

Both of those votes took place Tuesday night during the latest bimonthly full Board of Alders meeting, which was held in person in the Aldermanic Chamber on the second floor of City Hall.

Alders unanimously voted to approve a contract between the New Haven Federation of Teachers and the New Haven Public Schools (NHPS) district. That nowfinalized union deal will run from July 1, 2023 to June 30, 2026.

The new contract includes a 14.79 percent salary increase over the course of three years, raising the starting salary for New Haven teachers with a bachelor’s degree from $45,357 to $51,421 by 2026.

In addition, the contract will enact between a 2 and 5 percent increase in employee contributions to healthcare plans. It will compensate teachers an additional $42 per hour for covering classes during their prep

administrators, during which teachers can raise concerns about working conditions.

gram for NHPS students.

students by 2025, with every student receiving at least an hour of tutoring across multiple sessions per week.

At Tuesday’s full Board of Alders meeting, Marchand summarized some concerns among Finance and Education Committee members about the proposal.

“Many [alders] had questions about a lack of details about how the money would be spent … and the administration’s reliance on very many volunteers,” Marchand said.

The committees ultimately recommended that the plan be approved, Marchand said, because of an amendment requiring a review committee comprising an alder, a Board of Education member, and a city staff member to oversee the program’s development.

“We need to be doing everything we can to ensure our students have the resources they need,” echoed Education Committee Chair Eli Sabin.

Mullins brought up issues of litter, blight and potholes. He also mentioned the corruption of former Democratic State Representative and City Council administrative assistant Michael DiMassa, who is accused of embezzling over one million dollars of Federal Covid relief funds from the City. “One day of corruption is far too much corruption.” He said. “It is time to end the culture of corruption that has infested West Haven City Hall.”

Mullins served on the West Haven Planning and Zoning Commission for sixteen years until Mayor Nancy R. Rossi dismissed him last month.

In the video, Mullins criticized Rossi’s lack of leadership in cooperating with the State’s Municipal Accountability Review Board, which is threatening a complete state takeover of City finances due to the Rossi Administration’s non-compliance with the agency.

“We need a leader that will attend the meetings of the MARB.” Mullins said.

Finance Committee Chair Adam Marchand summarized these contents to his colleagues on Tuesday, while underscoring “the important role that teachers play with our youth.”

The alders also unanimously authorized the city to spend $3 million of federal

Mayor Justin Elicker proposed this tutoring plan months after learning that last school year, 83 percent of third graders performed below grade level in reading and 87 percent performed below grade level in math.

Educators rally outside City Hall for full school funding last March. City teachers will be getting a 15 percent pay raise over the next three years while a new math-and-literacy tutoring initiative will be getting $3 million in federal aid to get off the ground thanks to two recent education-focused votes by the Board of Alders.

The Elicker Administration hopes to enlist enough volunteer tutors to serve 1,500

Both of those votes took place Tuesday night during the latest bimonthly full Board of Alders meeting, which was held in

Now that the plan has been approved, city Communications Director Lenny Speiller said the administration’s next step is to issue a Request for Proposals (RFP) for at least one organization to administer the tutoring program. Speiller said the RFP will likely go out in early March.

Republican Paige Weinstein is the only other candidate for Mayor to file candidacy paperwork. Former Mayor Edward O’BRIEN filed papers for an explanation committee. Rossi has yet to announce her intentions to run for a fourth term.

CONTRIBUTED PHOTO John L. "Jay" Pottenger, Jr. (center), surrounded by legal students and colleagues.

PAUL BASS FILE PHOTO

New Haven Independent

Steven R. Mullins Photograph by: Alex Vishno

Steven R. Mullins

takes a powerhouse to power a houseful.

Introducing the next generation 10G network. Only from X nity. A network that can e ortlessly handle a house full of devices. All at the same time. Which means that you and everyone else can seamlessly watch, work, stream and play whatever you want on all your devices with ultra-low lag. Get ready for a network that can handle the entire house, no matter how full it is. The future starts now.

Restrictions apply. Ends 3/21/23. Not available in all areas. New X nity Internet residential customers only. O er requires enrollment in both paperless billing and automatic payments with stored bank account. Without enrollment, the monthly service charge automatically increases by $10 (or $5 if enrolling with credit or debit card information). The discount will appear on your bill within 45 days of enrolling in automatic payments and paperless billing. If either automatic payments or paperless billing are subsequently canceled, the $10 monthly discount will be removed automatically. Limited to Connect More 200 Mbps internet. All other installation, taxes & fees extra, and subj. to change during and a er promo. A er 24 months, or if any service is canceled or downgraded, regular charges apply to internet service and devices. Service limited to a single outlet. May not be combined with other o ers. Actual speeds vary and not guaranteed. Ultra-low lag based on median latency of 13 milliseconds or below for X nity gigabit Internet customers with xFi Gateway as measured by X nity Speed Test. For factors a ecting speed visit www.x nity.com/networkmanagement. Call for restrictions and complete details, or visit x nity.com. NPA244949-0001 NED-10G Platform-V12

Housing Q: Why’s The Rent So Damn High?

by LAURA GLESBY

New Haven tenants are squeezed by too high rents, too little pay, too dangerous living conditions, and too few apartments. A panel of housing experts probed how the city got to this predicament — and how the state can take action so renters can find some relief.

Dozens of elected officials, mayoral candidates, community organizers, and tenants living paycheck to paycheck filled a Q House conference room at 197 Dixwell Ave. on Thursday evening for the first in a series of panel discussions on housing policy hosted by the Housing Authority of New Haven and its umbrella organization, Elm City Communities (ECC).

“Housing is a basic need and we’re not going to meet any of the other goals for our community if we don’t address the issue of housing affordability,” said Housing Authority/ECC president Karen DuBois Walton, introducing the event. “I believe we won’t craft the right solutions unless we understand the roots of the problem that’s facing us.”

The panel, moderated by ECC Housing Policy Manager Will Viederman, featured ECC Executive Vice President Shenae Draughn, Yale Law Professor Anika Singh Lemar, and Planned Parenthood community organizer Kerry Ellington.

Viederman said he titled the event “The Rent Is Too Damn High” in an echo of the New York City-based political party founded by housing activist Jimmy McMillan, who unsuccessfully ran for both mayor and governor. “The rents in New York City when he was running in 2010 are lower than the rents in New Haven now,” Viederman said.

After dramatic pandemic-era rent spikes, New Haven’s median rent has cooled slightly to about $1,700 monthly for all kinds of apartments, according to an analysis of current apartments on the market by Zillow.

That amount is still much higher than the median rent in 2019, which the Census’ American Community Survey calculated to be $1,273 in New Haven.

The three panelists sketched out the policies — and absent regulations — that led to New Haven’s affordability crisis. Among the takeaways?

Public housing development won’t be enough to combat the dearth of affordable apartments. Current systems of regulating housing code are falling short for low-income tenants. And while municipal and federal efforts are important, the state government may have the most power to impact affordable housing development in Connecticut.

After hearing these ideas, pastor and former certified nursing assistant Jessie Gates shook with fury as she raised her hand to ask a question. She pleaded for policymakers to address the dearth of af-

Housing

fordable housing with more urgency. “Let them live like we live now and I bet you something will get done,” she said. New housing in New Haven has been built for “Yale professors,” she said. There needs to be housing for “home health care providers, Burger Kings, janitors.”

Not Enough New Housing

Singh Lemar argued that a shortage of housing units across the state is in large part responsible for the fact that rents are rising in Connecticut.

Over the course of the 1960s, about 200,000 building permits were issued in the state. The number of permits per decade has dramatically declined to about 50,000 in the 2010s, Singh Lemar said. Building permit data is one way to trace how housing production has slowed down across the state throughout the past several decades.

New affordable housing has become so rare in some parts of the state that the creation of two Habitat-for-Humanity-built duplexes in Fairfield County made the news, Singh Lemar pointed out. Fairfield

First Selectwoman Brenda Kupchick told CT Insider that allowing those four new apartments to be built was “really a home run, and a prime example of that towns can do things on their own” — indicating

the unusual nature of producing a meager four housing units in the wealthy suburb. Meanwhile, housing has become increasingly unaffordable.

In 2016, as Singh Lemar cited, federal data indicated that 220,685 households in Connecticut were experiencing a “severe cost burden” in paying for housing, meaning that they were paying more than 50 percent of their income toward housing.

Over the pandemic, many tenants faced dramatic rent raises — including Viederman himself, who said his landlord raised rent by 30 percent in just two years.

“A thirty percent increase in rent? I equate that to mismanagement,” said Draughn. As an executive at the city’s public housing agency, which is New Haven’s largest landlord, “we make it work with that 2 percent [rent] increase,” Draughn said. Landlords that raise the rent in increments of 30 percent or more may complain that they can’t afford not to spike the rent that high, Draughn argued, but “you actually can. You just want to keep your same profit margin.”

“What are the true expenses?” she asked. “How much is enough profit? The scarcity of housing across the state gives landlords more power to raise rent, Singh Lemar argued.

be able to live in the neighborhoods that we’re from and built.”

Draughn, meanwhile, advocated for the city to reexamine its Inclusionary Zoning policy, which requires five to 10 percent of new or significantly rehabilitated housing units to be made available for people making up to 50 percent of the AMI (or a two-person household making $45,050, for example.)

The ordinance creates tax incentives and alters parking and floor area regulations for complying buildings.

“We’re giving up something of value and getting very little,” Draughn said.

She noted that Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers — one of the few programs that guarantees that tenants are paying no more than 30 percent of their income toward rent — are not funded nearly enough to meet an extremely high demand, with a wait list in New Haven alone of 25,000 households.

Singh Lemar spoke to a need for Connecticut suburbs to step up their housing production so that the burden of housing creation is not solely borne by urban districts.

The state, Singh Lemar said, could facilitate that with something like the “Fair Share Bill” that the Open Communities Alliance has proposed in the past: a law requiring every municipality to create and meet affordable housing development goals.

When renters have fewer options, those who can afford higher rents will settle and often strain to meet a higher cost.

“Why do landlords charge 30 percent more rent? Because they can,” Singh Lemar said. “We have to flip the switch so that they can’t.”

Rethinking AMI, "Fair Share"

While state lawmakers proposed multiple policies this year that would have capped annual rent increases for residential tenants, those rent cap measures appear to have stalled.

The panelists spoke to a host of other policies that local and state lawmakers could implement.

Ellington called into question the use of the federally determined Area Median Income (AMI) metric to define what “affordability” means in New Haven. The federal Department of Housing and Urban Development calculates the local AMI based on income levels not only in New Haven itself, but in Meriden and nearby suburbs as well. That system skews the AMI wealthier than the median of what New Haven residents actually make.

Ellington called for “a city definition that actually aligns with our affordability” to be used when negotiating with developers for low-income housing. “We should

Draughn boosted another frequentlyproposed state bill that would allow housing authorities to build affordable housing complexes in areas outside the bounds of their jurisdictions. That would enable the Housing Authority of New Haven/ECC to develop affordable housing in suburbs like Hamden, where there’s more space conducive for such a building.

“The solutions here are at the state level,” said Singh Lemar. And funding more public housing can only be part of that plan, she said, since there’s not enough public money to support the amount of housing that needs to be developed. Private and non-profit developers need to step up.

“Our governor’s basically been silent on this issue,” she added. “He needs to hear from people who don’t live in Greenwich.”

Drawing on her past experience as a community organizer with New Haven Legal Assistance Association, a role in which she spoke with hundreds of tenants in precarious housing situations, Ellington called attention to the conditions of the housing that’s currently available to low-income tenants.

Ellington noted that large landlord companies, often funded or managed by out-of-town investors, have been rapidly swallowing up properties across the city over the past two decades. That’s led to deteriorating conditions in properties no

LAURA GLESBY PHOTO

Myra Smith at Q House-hosted panel: "People say housing development is expensive — homelessness is expensive.”

Comments Post a Comment E-mail the Author

LAURA GLESBY PHOTO

Myra Smith at Q House-hosted panel: "People say housing development is expensive — homelessness is expensive."

New Haven tenants are squeezed by too high rents, too little pay, too dangerous living conditions, and too few apartments. A panel of housing experts probed how the city got to this predicament — and how the state can take action so renters can find some relief.

Dozens of elected officials, mayoral candidates, community organizers, and tenants living paycheck to paycheck filled a Q House conference room at 197 Dixwell Ave. on Thursday

Reentry Health Crew Seeks More Helpers

Bernadine Olivia Charles

Sisters' Journey March Survivor of the Month

My name is Bernadine Olivia Charles and my life has been a journey that has taken me on dissimilar highways, routes, and backroads. In February 2021, I was lying in bed thinking of my son Todd whose funeral service was only a month earlier. I turned over on my left side and I felt a pain in my left breast. After checking, there seemed to be a red pimple under my skin.

PAUL BASS

Lisa Puglisi and Nadine Horton are helping ex-offenders reintegrate into society by tackling one of the least-discussed challenges.

They’re looking for Connecticut to discuss that challenge more — and send more helpers.

Puglisi directs the New Haven Transitions Clinic, which focuses on health care for people released from prison and is based at the Cornell Scott-Hill Health primary care center at 150 Sargent Dr. Horton is a research assistant at the clinic, which in addition to connecting returnees to care studies their cases to learn how to do the job better.

The center has one full-time community health worker assigned to all of New Haven — where an estimated 900 ex-offend-

ers are released each year.

The Transitions crew is backing this proposal aimed at directing the state to set aside Medicaid dollars to train and hire 40 formerly incarcerated people to serve as community health workers dealing with the estimated 10,000 ex-offenders returning home annually statewide.

The proposed plan would cost less than $5 million a year, and pay for itself more than two and times over in saved health care and criminal justice costs, Puglisi said during an interview on WNHH FM’s “Dateline New Haven” program.

The “vast majority” of ex-offenders wrestle with chronic illnesses ranging from heart disease and asthma and hypertension and obesity to substance abuse disorder, according to Transitions. The state’s prison population is 43 percent Black, 25 percent Latino.

THE RIDGEFIELD PLAYHOUSE

After a few days, I kept feeling the pain. So, I decided to call my doctor and she immediately ordered a mammogram and ultrasound for February 12, 2021. Two weeks later I received a letter in the mail to schedule an appointment with a breast surgeon, which I did. After meeting with her, she suggested that I have a biopsy of both breasts.

In the back of my mind, I was thinking this can’t be too important, it was just going to be a routine preventive care procedure to make sure everything is ok. I’d had a breast exam just six months before, how could this be happening? Besides, I had cysts removed many years ago from my right breast and there was no issue. Was I in denial?

scary experience. Later that afternoon I was taken to my room and both the 2nd and 3rd shift nurses said, “Let me close the drapes so the sun won’t be in your eyes in the morning.” I said, “No, leave them as they were.” At the time, I didn’t think about why I made that statement. After surgery, I still had not gone to sleep by 2 a.m. I was watching TV and started drifting off to sleep. Suddenly everything in the room turned white and I went into a sweat. I rang and yelled for the nurse. The next thing I remembered, the room and the hallway were filled with doctors and nurses. I was told they were the emergency medical response team. They told me that I had lost consciousness and that my blood pressure had dropped to 65/50 and my body went into shock.

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 21 @ 8:00PM

ROBERT CRAY BAND

MARCH 1

MAVIS STAPLES

MARCH 12

L. SHANKAR

MARCH 8

MARCH 26

PINKY PATEL

MARCH 24

EMMET COHEN

MAY 19

Multifaceted American jazz pianist and composer.

When I spoke to my daughter, she said it didn’t sound routine. So, I had the procedure done and found out that the left breast showed two pimples. I then saw the breast surgeon and she said that the two pimples were on an angle, which is unusual. On February 23, at the age of 74, the doctor confirmed that I had breast cancer. She suggested strongly having the beast removed because of how the pimples were situated. I said, “You must be kidding?” I scheduled an appointment for a consultation for breast reconstruction. My daughter was with me. I was told the procedure I would have to go through. After listening to the doctor, I decided not to have this procedure. I was not emotionally or mentally ready for it – too much was going on in my life. My surgeon told me my insurance covered a six-month window for my surgery, so I thought I would have time to get some things done in my house. I told her I would have the surgery in June. She didn’t want to wait that long and scheduled the surgery for March 26, 2021. Everything was moving fast. I called my pastor and he prayed and gave me words of encouragement through this journey.

So many emotions were running through my mind. My mother had passed in August 2019. My sister, four years younger than I, was diagnosed

with cancer in June 2019. My oldest sister passed from Covid on November 9, 2020. That same week, my son was hospitalized with Covid and passed on December 22, 2020.

I asked God: “What is going on? I need your help for healing, strength and courage. I just don’t understand.” All I could do was pray, pray, pray. I was on my knees in prayer and the Holy Spirit spoke to me and said to pray and fast. And that’s what I did for two weeks until the morning of surgery.

During my praying, a peace came over me that can’t be explained. I knew God was working on my behalf.

On the morning of my surgery, March 26, 2021, I had a procedure at 11:00 to navigate the dyes through my breast to the sentinel node, and at 2:00 p.m. the mastectomy of the left breast. After surgery, while in the recovery room, I was awakened by an asthmatic attack.

After three treatments, it was under control with oxygen. This was a most

I heard the doctor say, “She didn’t have a heart attack.” Meanwhile, the nurses were trying to get blood and failed after six attempts. I then looked out the window where the drapes were left open by my request and, glancing at the sky, said, “God, I need help. The devil is a liar. In the Name of Jesus Christ, I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills from whence cometh my help.” My help came from the Lord in that hospital room. Then the nurse said, “I got it, I got a vein.” After three days in the hospital, I spend two weeks recovering with my daughter Dawn, who took care of me in so many ways. I thanked God for her and all the medical help and attention she gave me. She was with me every step of this journey. When I visited with the oncologist, I was very nervous. He confirmed that the cancer was Stage 1. Thankfully, my lab test results showed no cancer in my lymph node. My Breast Recurrence Score Report showed my numbers were too low to go through chemotherapy or radiation. Even though I had a breast exam six months prior to this journey, you never know what is going on in your body. I’m so thankful that this happened the way it did. It could have been different if I ignored the situation.

I prayed and praised God before surgery and after and will continue to honor Him. I give Him all the praise and glory for all he has done for me. God is faithful and He is excellent. I could not have gone through this journey without the help of my daughter Dawn, my friend Jannish, my prayer partner Georgia, and the Rev. Sandra V. Hadland, but mostly from my Heavenly Father.

With 5 Grammy awards and over 20 acclaimed albums to his name, the Blues legend returns to the Playhouse for his 10th career performance!

Grammy Award winning virtuoso Indian violinist and vocalist makes his Playhouse debut!

3x Grammy Award-winner and co-founder of the Staples Singers, known for hits “I’ll Take You There” and “Let’s Do It Again.”

SCAN HERE FOR THE COMPLETE SEASON LINE-UP!

The TikTok comedian sensation is taking her show on the road!

BALLET HISPÁNICO

Bringing communities together to celebrate and explore Latinx cultures.

PAUL BASS PHOTO

Transition Clinic's Nadine Horton and Lisa Puglisi at WNHH FM. by

HB 999 says that all colleges and universities must not spend money on education programs, or other things that support diversity, equity, and inclusion.

A New Bill in Florida Would Give the Governor Complete Control Over the State’s Higher Education System

By Stacy M. Brown WI Senior Writer @StacyBrownMedia

In perhaps the most racist, sexist, homophobic, and xenophobic bill crafted since the end of slavery in America, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and his Republican cronies have authored a bill that takes “breathtaking control of viewpoint and content throughout all academic activity in the entire Florida system.”

HB 999 says that all colleges and universities must not spend money on education programs, or other things that support diversity, equity, and inclusion.

“This bill is a road map for wrecking one of our great state systems of higher education,” the University of Michigan

Law Professor Julian Davis Mortenson tweeted.

The bill eliminates Women’s and Gender Studies as a major or minor at state colleges and universities.

It dictates that there can’t be a major or minor that is “based on the belief system of Critical Race Theory.”

According to the text of the bill, the university president or board would do all faculty hiring. It asserts that they “may not delegate” any aspect of any hiring decision or hiring authority to any group or faculty however constituted.

Further, the bill asserts that they are “not required to consider recommendations or opinions of faculty.”

Jeremy C. Young, Pen America’s senior manager of Free Expression and Education, called the bill “terrifying.”

Pen America is a non-profit group that protects and promotes free speech around the world by promoting literature and hu-

man rights.

“Florida HB 999 would enact the most Draconian and censorious restrictions on higher education in the history of this country,” Young stated. “The bill would make tenure and faculty hiring committees meaningless, ban diversity statements, and centralize control of core curricula and mission statements in the hands of political appointees,” Young said.

“Unexpectedly, it would also ban gender studies majors.”

Florida’s HB 999 would end state public higher education in favor of one man’s

authoritarian control of public university decisions and end academic freedom and shared governance, Young added.

He observed that the bill would stop higher education in Florida from being a place where people could ask questions and speak their minds freely.

“Free expression and higher education advocates must fight these provisions with everything we have, in Florida and any other state where they appear,” Young demanded.

“HB 999 is the central battleground for the soul of higher education. If we stand

on the sidelines, we will lose.” DeSantis has repeatedly said he would fight censorship against Floridians from big tech companies and social media platforms.

He also said the state should ban “ideology” and “indoctrination” in state schools. The bombastic governor said Florida education should be “rooted in the values of liberty and the western tradition” and block public institutions from “supporting campus activities or programs that promote” so-called divisive concepts such as CRT or DEI.

The new law would build on the governor’s Stop WOKE Act from 2022, which says that certain ideas about race can’t be taught in schools.

The new bill would prohibit specific academic concepts, putting the governor’s calls into legislation.

The bill text states the hiring process rule applies to any position at a university, including the president.

Further, faculty members’ tenure status would also be open for review by the board of trustees at the request of a board’s chair.

HB 999 prohibits officials from using university resources to “promote, support, or maintain any programs or campus activities that espouse diversity, equity, and inclusion, whether directly or through contracts, grants, or service agreements.” In January, DeSantis talked about tenure and hiring practices for Florida universities.

He said the change would allow the state to prevent “certain worldviews” from being promoted when faculty committees make academic hiring decisions. Study of Western civilization, the U.S. Constitution, the Bill of Rights, subsequent amendments, and the Federalist Papers would also be required.

There are also requirements and changes for college and university courses focusing on social sciences and behavior, natural sciences, and math.

If the bill passes the Florida Legislature, it will take effect on July 1.

28-Year-Old Makes History as the Third Black Female Captain For PSA Airlines

By BlackNews.com

Antoinette Paris-Hudson, a 28-year-old African American pilot, made history as the third Black female to become a Captain for PSA Airline. Most recently, she received a job offer from American Airlines, the largest airline in the world.

Since her childhood, Antoinette said she has always imagined herself as a pilot as she watched airplanes take off outside LAX with her father. She was a first-generation pilot in her family and she had no mentor to guide her, but she was determined to make her dreams come true.

In 2016, Antoinette graduated from Kansas State University with a degree in Aeronautical/Aerospace Engineering. She then started working in the aviation industry before joining PSA Airlines, a subsidiary of American Airlines, as a First Officer in 2019. There, Antoinette quickly climbed up the ranks to become a Captain in 2022,

making history as only the third Black female to be given the rank in the company.

“I’m only the THIRD black female captain in my company’s history,” she said in her Facebook post. “This last month has been challenging but by the grace of God and the unwavering support of my family I’ve come out on the other side as an AIRLINE CAPTAIN This is truly a dream come true.”

What’s more, she has just recently received a job offer from American Airlines. She once again took to Facebook to celebrate her achievement.

“I received a job offer from American Airlines, the largest airline in the world. 5 year old Antoinette dreamed of this day and it’s finally come. God has never ceased to amaze me over this 10 year journey,” she said. “I’m still in awe that by the age of 28, I’ve become a pilot at a major airline. This is a dream I never want to wake up from.”

ABC Ventures Salutes the Late Shirley Chisholm For Over 30 Years of Service as the National Spokesperson of America’s Black Colleges

Nationwide — In addition to Education, Health, Wellness and the Environment are major concerns because of the many health disparities in Black America. Black America suffers from high disparities in the affliction and treatment of hypertension, diabetes, asthma and stroke. The higher rates have been attributed to a lack of medical education and access to care. As a tribute to Mrs. Shirley Chisholm, Park Walk America has been launched as an information portal that provides key health, fitness, nutritional and background information from leading publications, web sites and industry leaders such as Healthline, Everyday Health and WebMD. This important and valuable portal will be continually fed with the latest available news, events impacting health, fitness, wellness and environmental stewardship. Park Walk America is being built as a national network of forward-thinking American cities seeking solutions to the many health disparities facing America. Baltimore, Maryland has been chosen as the pilot city in a national network of Park Walk cities. Due to unsteadiness in the economy, Park Walk Baltimore (pdf) will launch on Earth Day 2023. The success of Park Walk Baltimore will be driven by the vested interests of the public, private and nonprofit sectors. Using the American Express marketing model of reaching people where they live, work, play and pray. The objective is to have companies and organizations partner with us to insure every business and community promote the Park Walk approach to their employees, their customers, their neighbors and their friends. The public sector will benefit by providing action items that can improve the quality of life for its residents and better utilize their facilities and resources. Businesses can better serve their employees and communities by enhancing their social responsibility and developing a new channel of distribution. The nonprofit community can have marketing tools available to support the missions they serve, particularly community development.

The Park Walk America Network platforms are similar to the American Express Card merchant membership. Each business and organizational membership

includes turnkey management, a business plan, links to the Park Walk America web site for local or national promotion. Each Park Walk America city will have a unique online shopping platform that will generate cause marketing funding from local and national advertisers. For consistency, the revenue generated from online sales will be allocated to the host city. Local and National Memberships are available for testing. Each Park Walk America site membership will have a funding arrangement to support their local parks.

Our Build It and They Will Come approach is strategic and timely considering the higher awareness people now have following the continuing worldwide concern regarding the COVID-19 pandemic and the continuing health disparities facing urban America. Companies choosing to participate by March 1, 2023 can receive special pricing for a dual Educate Black America and Park Walk America Network membership (pdf). For details, contact them at mindsandmoney@usa.net with network membership on the subject line.

About ABC Ventures, Inc.

ABC Ventures, Inc. is a Maryland based social enterprise whose mission is to leverage corporate resources and development into significant support for meaningful social change in America. Over 50 years ago, Alvin J. Lee, President and CEO of ABC Ventures, Inc., conceptualized the business while an MBA student at the Wharton School in the aftermath of the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. About America’s Black Colleges

The business name for the business changed over time to America’s Black Collegians to be able to support the total overall numbers of Black college students which approached $1.5 million when Black students at predominantly White colleges and students were included. A second name change was made to Educate Black America when the education provider base was expanded to include distance learning, professional development and post-secondary education. The goal was to support higher education through every channel possible.

For press inquiries, contact Alvin J. Lee at mindsandmoney@usa.net/ 410-841-8502

5 Ways to Be An HBCU Ally

By Nyah Peebles, hbcubuzz.com

March is HBCU Awareness Month

In recent years, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) have seen a significant increase in exposure and media coverage. Since 2020, these institutions have had an impressive rise in enrollment. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, “the percentage of Black students enrolled at HBCUs fell from 18 percent in 1976 to 8 percent in 2014 and then increased to 9 percent in 2020.”

Schools like Morehouse College, Morgan State University, and Howard University have even seen increases as high as 60 percent in undergraduate applications. This increase may be credited to the 2020 Black Lives Matter movement. As students witnessed civil unrest and the killings of innocent Black people, they felt drawn to schools where they are the majority and that give them a safe space to be themselves.

“We saw the height of the Black Lives Matter movement, and then we saw students say, ‘Hey, I want to go to a Black school. I want to be safe. I want to enjoy my time,” Paulina Webber, a senior at Dillard University, told NPR.

HBCUs’ time in the spotlight can also be attributed to the election of Howard alum, Vice President Kamala Harris, and the efforts of the Biden-Harris Administration to support them. Moreover, Black colleges have continued to gain visibility by drawing high-profile student-athletes and coaches like Deion Sanders and Eddie George. Although HBCUs seem to finally be getting the recognition they deserve, they are still in dire need of support.

Despite the spike in exposure and en-

rollment, HBCUs continue to be chronically underfunded. According to Forbes, compared to their predominantly white counterparts, the nation’s Black landgrant universities have been underfunded by at least $12.8 billion over the last three decades.

HBCUs are a vital part of American history and the higher education system and must be protected. Not only do they provide a safe space for Black students, but they are the producers of Black excellence, innovators, and leaders. There is a part we can all play in the preservation and the continued success of Historically Black Colleges and Universities.

Find out a few ways below how to be an HBCU ally!

Join an Alumni Association

Joining the alumni association of your HBCU is a great step to becoming an HBCU ally. It allows you to network with other alumni who share the same goal of bettering your alma mater and puts you in the perfect position to give back. You can help organize scholarship and school supply drives, assist with recruitment, and provide motivation for current students. Check out our HBCU alumni association list to find and join the national alumni association for your school today.

Donate Directly to an HBCU

Investing in HBCUs makes a huge difference, and even a little goes a long way. As so many HBCUs remain underfunded, donations are crucial for many institutions. Lack of funding has prevented HBCUs from performing at their highest ability and has made it harder to offer students affordable financial aid. Donations can help with student aid, educa-

tional programs, campus improvements, and more. You can donate directly to an HBCU by going to their website and giving whatever you can.

Spread Awareness

Advocate for HBCUs by spreading awareness about their impact and importance. Support and spread the word about notable, inspiring HBCU alumni, and tell your own story of how attending an HBCU impacted your life for the better. Change the negative narrative about HBCUs and instead talk about the benefits, rich history, and uplifting atmosphere that can only be found at an HBCU. You can also spread awareness about the underfunding and lack of resources at HBCUs by writing a letter or email to your legislator or calling your politicians, urging them to take action.

Offer Your Time & Talents

You don’t always have to donate money to make a difference, donating your time to help an HBCU student matriculate through college also helps. Offer your time and talents to an HBCU by mentoring, volunteering, tutoring, leading a workshop, or speaking at an event. These are all meaningful ways to give back and can make a difference in a student’s life and academic career.

Hire HBCU Graduates

f you are in a position of power and have a say in who is hired at a company strive to hire HBCU graduates. With more HBCU alums in high and impressive positions, it would show the world the value of an HBCU education and spread more awareness.

8-Year-Old Partners With Her Grandmother to Launch Black-Owned Skincare Brand for Kids

Meet Cheryl Brown and her 8-year-old granddaughter, Skye, the founders of Skye Monroe Skincare, a Black-owned brand that has been described as “the best natural skincare for kids on the market.” Their company focuses on providing quality beauty products formulated with nature and science to help kids, teens, and tweens to develop good skin care habits at an early age and ensure their skin is healthy. Despite the steady emergence of beauty brands and skincare solutions, many of the products seem to focus more on meeting the needs of adults. However, Cheryl, Skye, and their team at Skye Monroe Skincare are looking to change this narrative by bringing quality beauty solutions to kids without exposing them to harmful chemicals and ultimately helping young girls feel confident.

Skye Monroe Skincare aims to “make children feel beautiful, confident, and healthy regardless of their physical disabili&es when they are looking in the mirror daily while developing a good skincare rou&ne.” The company is created as a 2 steps skincare brand offering the Aloe Gentle Cleanser and Hydrating Face Moisturizer, designed to work together to deliver fantastic results while being gentle on delicate skin.

Cheryl Brown was inspired by her granddaughter, Skye, to launch the brand, after refusing to use her adult skincare on her delicate skin as they spent time together during the pandemic. Describing her as the face of the brand, Cheryl decided to work on providing skincare products for Skye and other children. Cheryl leverages her background in the childcare business

as well as a co-author of Basic Table Manners for Children and years of experience working in a multilevel skincare company and passion for helping children become the best version of themselves to create the Sky Monroe brand.

Skye Monroe Skincare will be donating $1 to Basics International in Ghana for every purchase. The school was established to educate and develop children living in Chorkor, Accra, helping them to have a shot at living a good life, irrespective of their background.

To learn more visit the company’s official web site at SkyeMonroeSkincare.com. The advocacy for good skincare routines for kids continues across social media, including Facebook and Instagram.

The SANS Institute Reopens HBCU Cyber Academy Application Window to Address Growing Need for Cybersecurity Professionals

Written by NNPA

Through the HBCU Cyber Academy, students will receive in-depth training from top SANS instructors and access to cutting-edge cybersecurity technologies. The program is designed to be flexible, allowing students to complete the training around their academic schedules and giving them the opportunity to gain practical experience in a real-world setting.

Bethesda, MD – The SANS Institute is proud to announce the reopening of the HBCU Cyber Academy application window from February 1, 2023 to March 1, 2023. The HBCU Cyber Academy is a unique opportunity for students at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) to gain hands-on cybersecurity training and real-world experience, free of charge.

The HBCU Cyber Academy was established with the goal of addressing the growing need for cybersecurity professionals and increasing diversity in the field. According to recent studies, the demand for cybersecurity professionals is expected to increase dramatically in the coming years, making it a highly lucrative and fulfilling career path for those with the necessary skills and knowledge. Through the HBCU Cyber Academy, students will receive in-depth training from top SANS instructors and access to cutting-edge cybersecurity technologies. The program is designed to be flexible, allowing students to complete the training around their academic schedules and giving them the opportunity to gain practical

OP-ED:

experience in a real-world setting.

“The HBCU Cyber Academy is more than just a scholarship program,” said Max Shuftan, Director of Mission Programs and Partnerships. “It’s an investment in the future of the cybersecurity industry and in the students who participate in the program. By providing free, in-depth training and real-world experience, we’re helping to prepare the next generation of cybersecurity professionals and ensure a diverse and well-rounded workforce.”

The application window for the HBCU Cyber Academy is open to all juniors, se-

niors, and graduate students enrolled at HBCUs who have a strong interest in cybersecurity and any alumnus who would like to shift careers into cybersecurity. SANS Institute is dedicated to supporting the next generation of cybersecurity professionals and helping them to achieve their full potential.

“Misconceptions about cybersecurity abound due to popular culture, which often suggests that only those with a computer science background are suited for the field,” says Delisha Hodo, Chair of the SANS Institute HBCU. “The reality is that the growing demand for cyberse-

State OKs

“As a mother of two young AfricanAmerican men, I would have loved to have had an opportunity for them to be educated in a space that was going to love on them and educate them as young black men,” DuBois-Walton said.

curity professionals requires individuals from diverse backgrounds, and even just having an interest in the field matters. Diversifying the industry now will improve its future and dispel these false ideas.”

“The HBCU Cyber Academy is a truly remarkable program,” said Shuftan. “We’ve seen firsthand the impact it can have on the students who participate, and we’re excited to see the positive impact they will have on the industry as a whole.”

For more information on the HBCU Cyber Academy and to apply, please visit https://www.sans.org/scholarship-academies/hbcu-cyber-academies/

“The rationale is that males, particularly Black and brown males, are not getting the proper education that they need. They lead in discipline. They lead in special education. What we’re trying to do is sell hope to some fifth graders and make the city a better place. It’s going to be make the city and the world a better place,” Conaway told the state board members. Supporters noted that dozens of community members spoke out in favor the proposed school at a New Haven public meeting. Leaders including Board of Alders President Tyisha Walker-Myers, New Haven Board of Education member Darnell Goldson and former Mayor Toni Harp sent letters of support as well to the state board.

It was noted at the meeting that New Haven schools Superintendent Iline Tracey submitted a letter opposing approval of the certificate, arguing that the growth of charters is unfairly costing her district dollars and students.

“She’s not going to be around anymore,” a state board member responded, noting that Tracey is retiring at the end of this academic year.

Addressing the Issues Around Public Safety and Policing

NNPA NEWSWIRE — To those who have lost loved ones to police violence, know this: just because you’re not in the headlines doesn’t mean you’re absent from our hearts and minds. South Carolina remembers Walter Scott, who was shot in the back and killed by a North Charleston police officer the morning of April 4, 2015. His brother, Anthony Scott, was my guest for this year’s State of the Union Address. Together, we heard President Biden’s call for action, and I can assure you that I will do all within my power to answer that call.

By BlackPressUSA

Congressman James E. Clyburn

Following the murders of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd in 2020 at the hands of law enforcement—two in a long line of avoidable tragedies—Democrats reaffirmed our commitment to ensuring that law enforcement truly protect the communities they serve. House Democrats passed the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act to prevent police misconduct by improving law enforcement practices and enhancing accountability. Regrettably, the bill stalled in the Senate due to Republican opposition. Since taking office in 2021, President Joe Biden has restricted the transfer of military equipment to police departments and directed federal law enforcement agencies to end the use of chokeholds and no-knock warrants.

Now a renewed call for action has emerged as the country mourns the violent death of Tyre Nichols, yet another unarmed Black citizen murdered by police. It has become undeniable that the

culture of policing must improve. To reform this violent culture, we must enact public safety reforms that address the lack of accountability and transparency in policing while increasing the standards for those who wear the badge.

Our communities deserve meaningful change in how they are policed, and increased accountability will further that goal. It is unconscionable that a police officer can be fired from their local department for misconduct only to find employment in another department without consequence. Lawyers, doctors, public school teachers, and nearly all other professionals face accountability. Police officers have a sacred responsibility to protect the public—they should certainly not be immune from it.

Increased accountability goes hand in hand with increased transparency. Police department data, information, and policies should be made available to the communities they serve. There are more than 18,000 local police departments in the United States. However, there is no

national requirement for collecting and sharing use-of-force data. Nor is there a nationwide database or registry that tracks problematic officers, preventing those who have been fired from moving on to another jurisdiction without accountability. The lack of transparency erodes public trust and allows dangerous actors to patrol our streets.

Increasing the professional standards for those who serve involves setting national practices and instituting mandatory trainings to ensure officers have the communication and de-escalation skills they need to better connect with their communities and prevent the deadly escalation of force. Training officers in these areas would improve police conduct and help officers better serve their communities.

In his January 7, 2023, State of the Union Address, President Biden urged us to “rise to this moment. We can’t turn away. Let’s do what we know in our hearts we need to do. Let’s come together to finish the job on police reform.” It is time for us to enact the reforms neces-

sary to save lives. I call on our colleagues across the aisle to join in this critical effort.

To those who have lost loved ones to police violence, know this: just because you’re not in the headlines doesn’t mean you’re absent from our hearts and minds. South Carolina remembers Walter Scott, who was shot in the back and killed by a North Charleston police officer the morning of April 4, 2015. His brother, Anthony Scott, was my guest for this year’s State of the Union Address. Together, we heard President Biden’s call for action, and I can assure you that I will do all within my power to answer that call.

2nd Chronicles 15:7 urges, “be strong and do not let your hands be weak, for your work shall be rewarded.” The road to achieving police reform may be long, but we must not tire. Instead, we must press on in honor of those we have lost and to prevent more Black men and women from falling victim to the same fate.

Congressman James E. Clyburn

Daughter of NBA star Dennis Rodman makes history again signing richest NWSL contract ever

Mildred Europa Taylor, Face2FaceAfrica.com

The Washington Spirit this week signed Trinity Rodman, the daughter of NBA star Dennis Rodman, to a four-year deal. The extension with the 19-year-old is worth more than $1.1 million, making it the richest contract in the history of the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL), according to The Washington Post.

Octagon Soccer, which represents Rodman, said that the deal makes Rodman the league’s highest-paid player. Rodman was the No. 2 overall pick in the 2021 NWSL draft by the Spirit, which then won the league championship. She scored seven goals and had seven assists, and was named the league’s Rookie of the Year.

“We’re incredibly excited to have Trin as a part of the Spirit family for at least the next three seasons. She has a truly special career ahead of her and makes us a better club on all fronts,” said Spirit coach Kris Ward. Rodman was also named the 2021 U.S. Soccer Young Player of the Year after her rookie season with the Spirit. She earned her first call-up with the

national team for its January camp. According to Marca Soccer News, her deal runs through the 2024 season with a team option for 2025 that will be activated the first time she plays in a match for the Spirit this season.

It will be recalled that in her debut match with the Washington Spirit in April 2021, she made history as the youngest American goal scorer

in league history. Despite being the daughter of NBA Hall of Famer Dennis Rodman, she insists on paving her own path after her history-making goal, she said at the time.

“He was an amazing athlete, and I got those genes from him, but I’m excited to be known as Trinity Rodman and not just as Rodman’s daughter,” she told CNN. “I’m excited to pave

my own path and get better throughout this journey.”

A few minutes into that game, after subbing fellow teammate Kumi Yokoyama in the 60th minute, Rodman walked the talk about carving a niche for herself by scoring a goal for her team against North Carolina Courage, although the scoreline for the game was 3-2 against The Washington Spir-

it. She was swarmed by teammates who congratulated her and she was even referred to as a GOAT, or greatest of all time, “in the making“, PEOPLE reported.

“The kid is just brilliant. She’s a machine as an athlete, just unbelievable,” Coach Richie Burke said after the game. “When you play against her, you train with her, you see how quickly she closes you down. She’s deceptively quick to close you down. But now she’s getting tactically better, too.”

The soccer star on the rise has said that her mom, Michelle Moyer, is her rock who has stood by her every step of the way. Although she has worked hard to get to the professional league, Rodman also gives some credit to her teammates for helping her out whenever she needs them.

Per USA Today, before joining the big leagues, Rodman was a standout for the U.S. U20 national team – scoring eight goals and adding six assists at the 2020 CONCACAF U20 Women’s Championship and a finalist for U.S. Soccer’s Young Female Player of the Year.

Garrity Asphalt Reclaiming, Inc seeks:

Construction

South Central Regional Council of Governments (SCRCOG)

“Metropolitan Transportation Plan 2023-2050” Review

NOTICE

Construction Equipment Mechanic preferably experienced in Reclaiming and Road Milling Equipment. We offer factory training on equipment we operate. Location: Bloomfield CT

We offer excellent hourly rate & excellent benefits

VALENTINA MACRI RENTAL HOUSING PRE- APPLICATIONS AVAILABLE

Contact: Tom Dunay

Phone: 860- 243-2300

Seeking to employ experienced individuals in the labor, foreman, operator and teamster trades for a heavy outside work statewide. Reliable personal transportation and a valid drivers license required. To apply please call (860) 6211720 or send resume to: Personnel Department, P.O. Box 368, Cheshire, CT06410.

The public is invited to offer comments on the Region’s Metropolitan Transportation Plan 2023-2050. This plan guides major transportation and transit investment in the Region and also updates air quality conformity. A copy of the plan is available at www.scrcog.org.

Email: tom.dunay@garrityasphalt.com

Women & Minority Applicants are encouraged to apply Affirmative Action/ Equal Opportunity Employer

Garrity Asphalt Reclaiming, Inc seeks

Reclaimer Operators and Milling Operators with current licensing and clean driving record, be willing to travel throughout the Northeast & NY. We offer excellent hourly rate & excellent benefits

HOME INC, on behalf of Columbus House and the New Haven Housing Authority, is accepting pre-applications for studio and one-bedroom apartments at this development located at 108 Frank Street, New Haven. Maximum income limitations apply. Pre-applications will be available from 9AM TO 5PM beginning Monday Ju;y 25, 2016 and ending when sufficient pre-applications (approximately 100) have been received at the offices of HOME INC. Applications will be mailied upon request by calling HOME INC at 203-562-4663 during those hours. Completed preapplications must be returned to HOME INC’s offices at 171 Orange Street, Third Floor, New Haven, CT 06510.

Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer M/F/V Drug Free Workforce

PVC FENCE PRODUCTION

:

Public comments may be emailed to jrode@scrcog.org or mailed to James Rode, Principal Planner, South Central Regional Council of Governments, 127 Washington Avenue, 4th Floor West, North Haven, CT 06473 with receipt, in both cases, by no later than April 8, 2023.

Key Dates

February 22 - April 8, 2023: Public Comment Period

March 8, 2023 @ 1:00 PM - Informal Public Meeting*

April 8, 2023 @ 12:00 PM – Transportation Committee Meeting – Review*

VALENTINA

NOTICIA

Contact: Rick Tousignant Phone: 860- 243-2300

MACRI

Email: rick.tousignant@garrityasphalt.com

VIVIENDAS DE ALQUILER PRE-SOLICITUDES DISPONIBLES

Women & Minority Applicants are encouraged to apply Affirmative Action/ Equal Opportunity Employer

Large CT Fence Company looking for an individual for our PVC Fence Production Shop. Experience preferred but will train the right person. Must be familiar with carpentry hand & power tools and be able to read a CAD drawing and tape measure. Use of CNC Router machine a plus but not required, will train the right person. This is an in-shop production position. Duties include building fence panels, posts, gates and more. Must have a valid CT driver’s license & be able to obtain a Drivers Medical Card. Must be able to pass a physical and drug test. Please email resume to pboucher@atlasoutdoor.com.

April 26, 2023 @ 10:00 AM – SCRCOG Policy Board – Approve*

*All meetings at SCRCOG, 127 Washington Avenue, 4th Floor West, North Haven, CT

Union Company seeks:

Tractor Trailer Driver for Heavy & Highway Construction Equipment. Must have a CDL License, clean driving record, capable of operating heavy equipment; be willing to travel throughout the Northeast & NY. We offer excellent hourly rate & excellent benefits

HOME INC, en nombre de la Columbus House y de la New Haven Housing Authority, está aceptando pre-solicitudes para estudios y apartamentos de un dormitorio en este desarrollo ubicado en la calle 109 Frank Street, New Haven. Se aplican limitaciones de ingresos máximos. Las pre-solicitudes estarán disponibles 09 a.m.-5 p.m. comenzando Martes 25 julio, 2016 hasta cuando se han recibido suficientes pre-solicitudes (aproximadamente 100) en las oficinas de HOME INC. Las pre-solicitudes serán enviadas por correo a petición llamando a HOME INC al 203-562-4663 durante esas horas.Pre-solicitudes deberán remitirse a las oficinas de HOME INC en 171 Orange Street, tercer piso, New Haven , CT 06510

Contact Dana at 860-243-2300

Email: dana.briere@garrityasphalt.com

Women & Minority Applicants are encouraged to apply Affirmative Action/ Equal Opportunity Employer

NEW HAVEN

242-258 Fairmont Ave

AA/EOE-MF

Full Time Administrative assistant position

for a steel & misc metals fabrication shop who will oversee the daily operations of clerical duties such as answering phones, accounts payable purchase orders/invoicing and certified payroll. Email resumes to jillherbert@gwfabrication.com

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS FOR

Exterior Insulation and Finish (EIFS) Repairs at D’Amato Building in New Britain, CT

THE HOUSING AUTHORITY of the CITY OF NEW BRITAIN (Authority) will receive sealed bids, in TRIPLICATE, The work generally consists of the repair of EIFS at one building. Bids will be received until March 7, 2023, at 10:00 a.m. at the office of the Authority, 16 Armistice Street, New Britain, CT 06053, at which time they will be publicly opened and read aloud.

Invitation to Bid: 2nd Notice

State of Connecticut Office of Policy and Management

To obtain a copy of the "Request for Proposal and drawings" visit www.nbhact.org under procurement

SAYEBROOKE VILLAGE

Old Saybrook, CT (4 Buildings, 17 Units)

Fence Installers:

Tax Exempt & Not Prevailing Wage Rate Project

Large CT Fence & Guardrail Contractor is looking for Fence Installation helpers. Must have at least 2 years of experience installing chain link, wood, PVC and ornamental iron fencing. Work available 10-12 months per year, Pay Rates: Non Davis Beacon Work - 23.00 in state, 42.25/hr. out of state. Davis Beacon Work in CT - 32.25 + 24.40 Fringe. All necessary equipment provided. Medical, holiday, 401K, vacation & other benefits included. Must be able to pass required physical and drug test. An OSHA 10 Certification is required. A valid CT driver's license is required and must get DOT Medical Card. We are an AA/ EOE company. Send resumes/inquiries to: rhauer@atlasoutdoor.com.

New Construction, Wood Framed, Housing, Selective Demolition, Site-work, Castin-place Concrete, Asphalt Shingles, Vinyl Siding, Flooring, Painting, Division 10 Specialties, Appliances, Residential Casework, Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing and Fire Protection. This contract is subject to state set-aside and contract compliance requirements.

The State of Connecticut, Office of Policy and Management is recruiting for a Municipal Finance Policy Development Coordinator Further information regarding the duties, eligibility requirements and application instructions are available at: https://www.jobapscloud.com/ CT/sup/bulpreview.asp?R1= 221215&R2=1581MP&R3=001

The State of Connecticut is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer and strongly encourages the applications of women, minorities, and persons with disabilities.

Bid Extended, Due Date: August 5, 2016

ELM CITY COMMUNITIES

Anticipated Start: August 15, 2016

Project documents available via ftp link below: http://ftp.cbtghosting.com/loginok.html?username=sayebrookevillage

Invitation for Bids

LIPH Carting, Rubbish & Recycling Removal Services

Fax or Email Questions & Bids to: Dawn Lang @ 203-881-8372 dawnlang@haynesconstruction.com

HCC encourages the participation of all Veteran, S/W/MBE & Section 3 Certified Businesses Haynes Construction Company, 32 Progress Ave, Seymour, CT 06483 AA/EEO EMPLOYER

EOE Please apply in person: 1425 Honeyspot Rd. Ext. Stratford, CT 06615

Elm City Communities is currently seeking bids for LIPH carting, rubbish and recycling removal services. A complete copy of the requirement may be obtained from Elm City Communities’ Vendor Collaboration Portal https://newhavenhousing.cobblestonesystems.com/gateway beginning on

Wednesday, March 8, 2023 at 3:00PM.

The Housing Authority reserves the right to accept or reject any or all bids, to reduce the scope of the project to reflect available funding, and to waive any

NOTICE

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING FOR THE HOUSING AUTHORITY OF THE CITY OF BRIDGEPORT (HACB) SIGNIFICANT AMENDMENT TO THE FY2022 ANNUAL PLAN

VALENTINA MACRI RENTAL HOUSING PRE- APPLICATIONS AVAILABLE

The Housing Authority of the City of Bridgeport d/b/a Park City Communities (PCC) plans to incorporate a significant amendment into its FY2022 Annual Plan. Copies of the plan and the significant amendment are available on the agency’s website www. parkcitycommunities.org.

APPLY NOW!

Steel Fabricators, Erectors & Welders

SECRETARY

HOME INC, on behalf of Columbus House and the New Haven Housing Authority, is accepting pre-applications for studio and one-bedroom apartments at this development located at 108 Frank Street, New Haven. Maximum income limitations apply. Pre-applications will be available from 9AM TO 5PM beginning Monday Ju;y 25, 2016 and ending when sufficient pre-applications (approximately 100) have been received at the offices of HOME INC. Applications will be mailied upon request by calling HOME INC at 203-562-4663 during those hours. Completed preapplications must be returned to HOME INC’s offices at 171 Orange Street, Third Floor, New Haven, CT 06510.

Top pay for top performers. Health Benefits, 401K, Vacation Pay.

Senior Clerk: Performs a wide variety of responsible clerical duties in a municipal government office. The position requires 4 years of office work experience of a responsible nature and a H.S. diploma. $23.72 to $28.28 hourly plus an excellent fringe benefit package. Apply: Department of Human Resources, Town of Wallingford, 45 South Main Street, Wallingford, CT 06492. Applications may be obtained at the office of the Department of Human Resources or may be downloaded from the Department of Human Resources Web Page. The closing date will be that date the 50th application form/ resume is received, or February 22, 2023, whichever occurs first. EOE.

Members of the public are invited to provide written comments addressed to: Park City Communities, Significant Amendment FY2022 Annual Plan; Attn: Phoebe Greenfield, 150 Highland Avenue, Bridgeport, CT 06604 or via email to: agencyplans@parkcitycommunities.org. The forty-five (45) days comment period begins on February 24, 2023, and ends on April 10, 2023. All comments must be received by April 10, 2023.

Please be advised the Public Hearing will be held on Tuesday April 12, 2023, at 10:00 a.m. via Zoom. The Zoom Link will be placed on PCC’s website. Please note, participants are limited to the first one hundred, (100) call-ins. The public hearing is scheduled for ninety (60) minutes and address concerns by residents and general public.

NOTICIA

VALENTINA MACRI VIVIENDAS DE ALQUILER PRE-SOLICITUDES DISPONIBLES

HOUSING AUTHORITY OF THE CITY OF NEW BRITAIN 16 ARMISTICE STREET * NEW BRITAIN, CT 06053

HOME INC, en nombre de la Columbus House y de la New Haven Housing Authority, está aceptando pre-solicitudes para estudios y apartamentos de un dormitorio en este desarrollo ubicado en la calle 109 Frank Street, New Haven. Se aplican limitaciones de ingresos máximos. Las pre-solicitudes estarán disponibles 09 a.m.-5 p.m. comenzando Martes 25 julio, 2016 hasta cuando se han recibido suficientes pre-solicitudes (aproximadamente 100) en las oficinas de HOME INC. Las pre-solicitudes serán enviadas por correo a petición llamando a HOME INC al 203-562-4663 durante esas horas.Pre-solicitudes deberán remitirse a las oficinas de HOME INC en 171 Orange Street, tercer piso, New Haven , CT 06510

Property Manager

Occupancy Specialist for Public Housing

For the full job description and instructions to apply visit www.nbhact.org.

An EEO/AAA

NEW HAVEN

242-258 Fairmont Ave

2BR Townhouse, 1.5 BA, 3BR, 1 level , 1BA

All new apartments, new appliances, new carpet, close to I-91 & I-95 highways, near bus stop & shopping center

The South Central Regional Council of Governments (SCRCOG) and a Regional Advisory Committee have updated the region’s Hazard Mitigation Plan for FEMA review and municipal adoption. Prior to State and FEMA review, the public is encouraged to review and comment on the draft plan. The plan identifies and prioritizes actions each of the 15 SCRCOG municipalities may take to mitigate the risks of natural hazards and climate change.

Pet under 40lb allowed. Interested parties contact Maria @ 860-985-8258

To review and comment on the draft plan, visit the SCRCOG Hazard Mitigation web page at: www.scrcog.org/hazard

The plan is available for review through March 13, 2023.

CT. Unified Deacon’s Association is pleased to offer a Deacon’s Certificate Program. This is a 10 month program designed to assist in the intellectual formation of Candidates in response to the Church’s Ministry needs. The cost is $125. Classes start Saturday, August 20, 2016 1:303:30 Contact: Chairman, Deacon Joe J. Davis, M.S., B.S. (203) 996-4517 Host,General Bishop Elijah Davis, D.D. Pastor ofPitts Chapel U.F.W.B. Church 64 Brewster St. New Haven, CT

The plan includes detailed information regarding twelve natural hazards and climate change and their impacts to the region and each municipality. Impacts include those to critical facilities, historic assets, and the built environment. The goals of the plan include the categories of community planning, flood hazards, trees, regional collaboration, and public awareness and preparedness.

SEYMOUR HOUSING AUTHORITY

Comments can be submitted to Rebecca Andreucci, Senior Transportation Planner at randreucci@scrcog.org or by phone at (203) 466-8601.

Sealed bids are invited by the Housing Authority of the Town of Seymour until 3:00 pm on Tuesday, August 2, 2016 at its office at 28 Smith Street, Seymour, CT 06483 for Concrete Sidewalk Repairs and Replacement at the Smithfield Gardens Assisted Living Facility, 26 Smith Street Seymour.

Construction

A pre-bid conference will be held at the Housing Authority Office 28 Smith Street Seymour, CT at 10:00 am, on Wednesday, July 20, 2016.

Seeking to employ experienced individuals in the labor, foreman, operator and teamster trades for a heavy outside work statewide. Reliable personal transportation and a valid drivers license required. To apply please call (860) 621-1720 or send resume to: Personnel Department, P.O. Box 368, Cheshire, CT06410.

Bidding documents are available from the Seymour Housing Authority Office, 28 Smith Street, Seymour, CT 06483 (203) 888-4579.

Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer M/F/V Drug Free Workforce

The Housing Authority reserves the right to accept or reject any or all bids, to reduce the scope of the project to reflect available funding, and to waive any informalities in the bidding, if such actions are in the best interest of the

LEGAL NOTICE Request for Proposals (RFP) for Services

The State of Connecticut, Office of Policy and Management, is seeking proposals to provide certain services related to financial management of the City of West Haven, Connecticut. The intent of the request is to identify individuals or firms with the necessary expertise to provide these services within a stated timeframe.

The RFP is available online at: https:// portal.ct.gov/DAS/CTSource/BidBoard and https://portal.ct.gov/OPM/Root/RFP/ Request-For-Proposals or from Kevin Meakem, Office of Policy and Management, Finance Division, 450 Capitol Ave., MS# 54FIN, Hartford, Connecticut 06106-1379. E-mail: Kevin.Meakem@ct.gov. Telephone (860) 418- 6313. Deadline for response submission is 3:00 PM EST February, 3, 2023.

Email Resume: Rose@qsrsteel.com Hartford, CT Assistant

State of Connecticut

Office of Policy and Management

The State of Connecticut, Office of Policy and Management is recruiting for a Municipal Finance – Policy Development Coordinator and a GIS Analyst (Research Analyst)

Further information regarding the duties, eligibility requirements and application instructions are available at: https://www.jobapscloud.com/CT/sup/ bulpreview.asp?R1=230203&R2=1581MP&R3=001 and

https://www.jobapscloud.com/CT/sup/ bulpreview.asp?R1=230206&R2=6855AR&R3=001

The State of Connecticut is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer and strongly encourages the applications of women, minorities, and persons with disabilities.

ELM CITY COMMUNITIES

Invitation for Bids

Invitation to Bid: 2nd Notice

Bid Package #1 Scattered Sites East – CO and Smoke Detectors

SAYEBROOKE VILLAGE

Elm City Communities is currently seeking bids for bid package #1 scattered sites east – CO and Smoke Detectors. A complete copy of the requirement may be obtained from Elm City Communities’ Vendor Collaboration Portal https://newhavenhousing.cobblestonesystems.com/gateway beginning on

Old Saybrook, CT (4 Buildings, 17 Units)

Tax Exempt & Not Prevailing Wage Rate Project

Monday, February 6, 2023 at 3:00PM.

New Construction, Wood Framed, Housing, Selective Demolition, Site-work, Castin-place Concrete, Asphalt Shingles, Vinyl Siding, Flooring, Painting, Division 10 Specialties, Appliances, Residential Casework, Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing and Fire Protection. This contract is subject to state set-aside and contract compliance requirements.

Construction

Seeking to employ experienced individuals in the labor, foreman, operator and teamster trades for a heavy outside work statewide. Reliable personal transportation and a valid drivers license required. To apply please call (860) 621-1720 or send resume to: Personnel Department, P.O. Box 368, Cheshire, CT06410.

Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer M/F/V Drug Free Workforce

Bid Extended, Due Date: August 5, 2016

Anticipated Start: August 15, 2016

ELM CITY COMMUNITIES

Project documents available via ftp link below: http://ftp.cbtghosting.com/loginok.html?username=sayebrookevillage

Pre-employment drug testing. AA/EOE.

For Details go to www.bloomfieldct.org

Fax or Email Questions & Bids to: Dawn Lang @ 203-881-8372 dawnlang@haynesconstruction.com

Invitation for Bids Temporary Help

Elm City Communities is currently seeking bids from firms to provide an as needed basis, temporary administrative-type employees. A complete copy of the requirement may be obtained from Elm City Communities’ Vendor Collaboration Portal https://newhavenhousing.cobblestonesystems.com/gateway beginning on

Monday, February 27, 2023 at 3:00PM.

NOTICE

Town of Bloomfield

Deputy Finance Director/Controller

MINORITY CONTRACTOR OPPORTUNITY – Crescent Crossings - Bridgeport, CT

LAROSA GROUPS IS GROWING

VALENTINA MACRI RENTAL HOUSING PRE- APPLICATIONS AVAILABLE

Salary Range - $87,727 - $136,071 (expected starting pay maximum is mid-range)

HOME INC, on behalf of Columbus House and the New Haven Housing Authority, is accepting pre-applications for studio and one-bedroom apartments at this development located at 108 Frank Street, New Haven. Maximum income limitations apply. Pre-applications will be available from 9AM TO 5PM beginning Monday Ju;y 25, 2016 and ending when sufficient pre-applications (approximately 100) have been received at the offices of HOME INC. Applications will be mailied upon request by calling HOME INC at 203-562-4663 during those hours. Completed preapplications must be returned to HOME INC’s offices at 171 Orange Street, Third Floor, New Haven, CT 06510.

LaRosa Building Group LLC, a General Contractor is currently looking to add the following full-time positions to our Team: Project Manager Assistant Project Manager/Project Engineer Superintendent

LaRosa Earth Group LLC, a Site/Excavation Company is currently looking to add the following full-time positions to our Team: Heavy Equipment Operators Skilled Laborers

NOTICIA

Fully Benefited –35 hours weekly Pre-employment drug testing. For more details, visit our website –www.bloomfieldct.org

Town of Bloomfield

Finance Director

SOLICITATION OF SBE/MBE CONTRACTORS: Enterprise Builders, Inc., an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer, seeks certified SBE/MBE Subcontractors and/or suppliers and local business enterprises to bid applicable sections of work/equipment/supplies for the following construction project: Crescent Crossing, new construction of 85 units. Bid Date and Time: March 22, 2023 at 10:00am. Electronic Plans and specifications can be obtained at no charge by contacting the Estimating Department at Enterprise Builders at (860) 466-5188 or by email info@enterbuilders.com. Project is Tax Exempt and Residential Prevailing Wage Rates apply. This project is subject to state set-aside and contract compliance requirements. EBI encourages the participation of certified SBE/MBE contractors. EBI is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer.

Help Wanted –

VALENTINA MACRI

VIVIENDAS DE ALQUILER PRE-SOLICITUDES DISPONIBLES

Please submit resumes to HR@LAROSABG.COM or stop by our main office to fill out an application: 163 Research Parkway Meriden, CT.

Salary Range - $101,455 to $156,599 (expected starting pay maximum is mid-range)

Salary will be commensurate with experience and best fit for the positions. Health plan; 401K; company-paid holidays in addition to paid time off. LaRosa Groups is an Affirmative Action/ Equal Opportunity Employer who values diversity and encourages all qualified applicants to apply.

HOME INC, en nombre de la Columbus House y de la New Haven Housing Authority, está aceptando pre-solicitudes para estudios y apartamentos de un dormitorio en este desarrollo ubicado en la calle 109 Frank Street, New Haven. Se aplican limitaciones de ingresos máximos. Las pre-solicitudes estarán disponibles 09 a.m.-5 p.m. comenzando Martes 25 julio, 2016 hasta cuando se han recibido suficientes pre-solicitudes (aproximadamente 100) en las oficinas de HOME INC. Las pre-solicitudes serán enviadas por correo a petición llamando a HOME INC al 203-562-4663 durante esas horas.Pre-solicitudes deberán remitirse a las oficinas de HOME INC en 171 Orange Street, tercer piso, New Haven , CT 06510

ELM CITY COMMUNITIES

Invitation for Bids

Scattered Site Homes Exterior and Interior Renovations – Group D

Fully Benefited – 35 hours weekly Pre-employment drug testing. For more details, visit our website –www.bloomfieldct.org

Portland

Police Officer full-time

Lg CT fence company looking for an experienced foreman in CT and surrounding states who will work as a leader of small crews. Individual will be responsible for all types of fencing installation. Specific tasks include but are not limited to: May be responsible for crew(s) of two or more individuals, manage and troubleshoot problems that arise on site and notify superintendent when needed, ensures employees adhere to all safety and company policies and practices, able to perform fence installation and setting posts as indicated by plans, project site clean-up. Job requirements include the following: preferably have up to 5 years’ experience, have a valid driver’s license with acceptable driving record, must be able to get a DOT medical card, OSHA safety training required prior to start of employment, pass drug screening and a physical test. Pay Rates: Non Davis Beacon Work - 33.00 in state, 52.75/hr. out of state. Davis Beacon Work in CT 32.25 + 24.40 Fringe. Medical, vacation, 401K and other benefits included, all necessary equipment provided. We are an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity employer. Send resume to gforshee@atlasoutdoor.com

ELM CITY COMMUNITIES

Invitation for Bids

Bid Package #1 Scattered Sites East – CO and Smoke Detectors

NEW HAVEN

Elm City Communities is currently seeking bids for Scattered Site Homes Exterior and Interior Renovations – Group D. A complete copy of the requirement may be obtained from Elm City Communities’ Vendor Collaboration Portal https://newhavenhousing. cobblestonesystems.com/gateway beginning on

242-258 Fairmont Ave

2BR Townhouse, 1.5 BA, 3BR, 1 level , 1BA

Wednesday, February 22, 2023 at 3:00PM.

All new apartments, new appliances, new carpet, close to I-91 & I-95 highways, near bus stop & shopping center

Go to www.portlandct.org for details

QSR STEEL CORPORATION

Invitation to Bid: 2nd Notice

Elm City Communities is currently seeking bids for bid package #1 scattered sites east – CO and Smoke Detectors. A complete copy of the requirement may be obtained from Elm City Communities’ Vendor Collaboration Portal https://newhavenhousing.cobblestonesystems.com/gateway beginning on

SAYEBROOKE VILLAGE

APPLY NOW!

Old Saybrook, CT (4 Buildings, 17 Units)

Monday, February 6, 2023 at 3:00PM.

Pet under 40lb allowed. Interested parties contact Maria @ 860-985-8258

The Guilford Housing Authority is currently accepting applications for one bedroom apartments at Sachem Hollow in Guilford, CT. Applicants must be age 62 and over or on 100% social security or federal disability and over the age of 18. Applications may be obtained by calling the application line at 203-453-6262 EXT: 107. Applications will be accepted until end of business day or postmark of March 20, 2023 4PM. Credit, police, landlord checks are procured by the Authority. Smoking is prohibited in the units and building.

Steel Fabricators, Erectors & Welders

Tax Exempt & Not Prevailing Wage Rate Project

Top pay for top performers. Health Benefits, 401K, Vacation Pay. Email Resume: Rose@qsrsteel.com Hartford, CT

ELM CITY COMMUNITIES

Invitation for Bids

New Construction, Wood Framed, Housing, Selective Demolition, Site-work, Castin-place Concrete, Asphalt Shingles, Vinyl Siding, Flooring, Painting, Division 10 Specialties, Appliances, Residential Casework, Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing and Fire Protection. This contract is subject to state set-aside and contract compliance requirements.

State of Connecticut Office of Policy and Management

Bid Package #3 Chamberlain and Essex Townhouses – CO and Smoke Detectors

Elm City Communities is currently seeking bids for bid package #3 Chamberlain and Essex Townhouses – CO and Smoke Detectors. A complete copy of the requirement may be obtained from Elm City Communities’ Vendor Collaboration Portal https://newhavenhousing.cobblestonesystems.com/gateway beginning on

360 MANAGEMENT GROUP, CO. Invitation for Bids TEMPORARY STAFFING SERVICES

SEYMOUR HOUSING AUTHORITY

Sealed bids are invited by the Housing Authority of the Town of Seymour until 3:00 pm on Tuesday, August 2, 2016 at its office at 28 Smith Street, Seymour, CT 06483 for Concrete Sidewalk Repairs and Replacement at the Smithfield Gardens Assisted Living Facility, 26 Smith Street Seymour.

360 Management Group, Co. is currently seeking bids for temporary staffing services. A complete copy of the requirement may be obtained from 360 Management Group’s Vendor Collaboration Portal https:// newhavenhousing.cobblestonesystems.com/gateway beginning on

A pre-bid conference will be held at the Housing Authority Office 28 Smith Street Seymour, CT at 10:00 am, on Wednesday, July 20, 2016.

Bidding documents are available from the Seymour Housing Authority Office, 28 Smith Street, Seymour, CT 06483 (203) 888-4579.

Monday, March 13, 2023 at 3:00PM.

The Housing Authority reserves the right to accept or reject any or all bids, to reduce the scope of the project to reflect available funding, and to waive any informalities

Bid Extended, Due Date: August 5, 2016

Anticipated Start: August 15, 2016

Monday, February 6, 2023 at 3:00PM.

Project documents available via ftp link below: http://ftp.cbtghosting.com/loginok.html?username=sayebrookevillage

ELM CITY COMMUNITIES

Invitation for Bids

Fax or Email Questions & Bids to: Dawn Lang @ 203-881-8372 dawnlang@haynesconstruction.com

The State of Connecticut, Office of Policy and Management is recruiting for a Lead Planning Analyst-Juvenile Justice. Further information regarding the duties, eligibility requirements and application instructions for this position are available at: https://www.jobapscloud.com/ CT/sup/bulpreview.asp?R1= 230127&R2=0007AR&R3=001

HCC encourages the participation of all Veteran, S/W/MBE & Section 3 Certified Businesses Haynes Construction Company, 32 Progress Ave, Seymour, CT 06483

Scattered Site Homes Exterior and Interior Renovations – Group A – Re-Bid

The State of Connecticut is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer and strongly encourages the applications of women, minorities, and persons with disabilities.

Elm City Communities is currently seeking bids for Scattered Site Homes Exterior and Interior Renovations – Group A – Re-Bid. A complete copy of the requirement may be obtained from Elm City Communities’ Vendor Collaboration Portal https://newhavenhousing.cobblestonesystems.com/gateway beginning on

Monday, February 13, 2023 at 3:00PM.

Multiple grammy award winner Pharrell Williams is the new creative director of Louis Vuitton menswear

by Abu Mubarik Face2Face.com

Multiple grammy award winner, artiste, and record producer, Pharrell Williams, has been named creative director of Louis Vuitton menswear, making him the second black person to hold the position after former creative director, Ghanaian-American-born, Virgil Abloh, sadly passed away in November 2021.

Louis Vuitton announced that Williams’ title would be instated “effective immediately” and his first collection will be in June 2023 during the menswear season at Paris Fashion Week.

The menswear department had been without a director since Abloh died of cancer two years ago.

Williams emerged as a surprise candidate for the job. According to Dezeen, it was a two-horse race between LiberianAmerican fashion designer, Telfar Clemens, and Jamaican-British fashion designers, Grace Wales Bonner and Martine Rose.

Williams, a two-time Oscar nominee, has been involved in the fashion industry for almost as long as his music career. In 2013, he co-founded the streetwear label, Billionaire Boy’s Club. He was also in

According to Euronews, he has worked with brands like Chanel and collaborated with luxury brand designer, Marc Jacobs, to design eyewear for the label in 2004, and again in 2008.

What’s more, he has partnered with top fashion brands like Moncler and Adidas for a number of projects.

“I am happy to see Pharrell return home after our collaborations in 2004 and 2008,” Euronews quoted Pietro Beccari, CEO of Louis Vuitton. “His creative vision beyond fashion will undoubtedly lead Louis Vuitton to a very exciting new chapter.”

In a statement, Louis Vuitton said Williams’ vision in the creative industry expands from music to art and fashion, and

has established himself as a cultural global icon over the past twenty years.

“The way in which he breaks boundaries across the various worlds he explores aligns with Louis Vuitton’s status as a Cultural Maison, reinforcing its values of innovation, pioneer spirit, and entrepreneurship,” the statement added.

The “Happy” singer was born on April 5, 1973, in Virginia Beach, Virginia, to Pharaoh – a handyman, and Carolyn Williams – a teacher. He is the oldest of three children. Music was quite instrumental for young Williams, it was not surprising that he played the snare drum in the marching band while at Princess Anne High School.

He proceeded to Northwestern University, but dropped out two years later to pursue music with his childhood friend, Chad Hugo. They formed an R&B group, The Neptunes, and were eventually discovered by record producer, Teddy Riley, while performing at a high school.

Williams launched his solo career in 2013 with his debut single, “Frontin’,” and a debut album, “In My Mind.” In 2014, he launched his second album, “Girl,” which reached No.1 on the US R&B chart as well as in Australia, Denmark, Switzerland, and the UK.

OP-ED: President Biden is Investing in America’s Underserved Communities

NNPA NEWSWIRE — Thanks to the historic Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, Inflation Reduction Act, American Rescue Plan, and executive orders signed by the president, historic investments are being made in cities like Atlanta – and everybody has a shot at participating and benefiting from these investments.

By BlackPressUSA

Atlanta City Mayor Andre Dicens

Atlanta has a proud legacy as the cradle of the civil rights movement. Throughout our history, Atlantans from Martin Luther King, Jr. to the trailblazers of Sweet Auburn not only helped birth the modern movement to create justice for all but had a laser focus on economic empowerment for everyone

When I ran for mayor, I made a commitment to end the tale of two cities in Atlanta. I promised to fight for an economy that grew in a balanced way, so that workers could get trained for family-sustaining jobs, small businesses could participate in our city’s growth and all of Atlanta could rise together. More plainly, I wanted to ensure that Atlantans from all backgrounds have a shot at fully participating in Atlanta’s economy.

Atlanta is one of the most diverse cities in America, so the economic mobility of all Atlantans is of extraordinary importance to me. It matters to President Joe Biden, too. In fact, President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris have proven this time and again by delivering federal resources. Thanks to the historic Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, Inflation Reduction Act, American Rescue Plan, and executive orders signed by the president, historic investments are being made in cities like Atlanta – and everybody has a shot at participating and

benefiting from these investments.

This month, Vice President Harris joined me in Atlanta to celebrate federal dollars coming to electrify Atlanta-area school buses. We’re moving away from the hazardous fumes of diesel school buses, which are disproportionately used in underserved communities, toward cleaner energy that’s better for the environment and better for our children’s health. And with these investments, we’re ensuring Atlantans in all zip codes have access to apprenticeships and good-paying job opportunities.

These investments are just the beginning when it comes to ensuring all of Atlanta participates in our economy. Within days of taking office, President Biden signed an executive order which requires the federal government to live up to the Justice 40 Initiative. Justice 40 is an effort to ensure that at least 40 percent of certain federal investments go to communities that have faced a disproportionate burden of environmental harms and pollution. That means more improvements and more jobs in our communities. Plus, thanks to the Biden-Harris Admin-

istration working alongside Sen. Ossoff, Sen. Warnock and Rep. Williams, Atlanta will receive $30 million to improve safety along Pryor Street and Center Avenue through the Safe Streets and Roads for All Program. This program will allow the city to hire workers from our communities to build protected bike lanes and pedestrian facilities, making the area safer and more accessible while connecting the Southside and the Southside Beltline. This is in addition to $40 million delivered to upgrade Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport and millions of American Rescue Plan funds the City has already put to work on pre-arrest diversion services, combatting homelessness, job training and so much more.

We have a lot more work to do before every family in Atlanta has the same access to economic mobility, but change is happening right now – and a lot of that progress is due in large part to the priorities of the Biden-Harris Administration. Here’s the bottom line: as mayor, my job is to show up and deliver. President Biden and Vice President Harris make that job easier – they are providing the resources to create jobs, contract with women and minority-owned firms, and make real improvements in our communities. In the cradle of the civil rights movement, we’re benefitting from allies in the White House who are laser focused on economic empowerment.

by LAURA GLESBY

New Haven tenants are squeezed by too high rents, too little pay, too dangerous living conditions, and too few apartments. A panel of housing experts probed how the city got to this predicament and how the state can take action so renters can find some relief.

Dozens of elected officials, mayoral candidates, community organizers, and tenants living paycheck to paycheck filled a Q House conference room at 197 Dixwell Ave. on Thursday evening for the first in a series of panel discussions on housing policy hosted by the Housing Authority of New Haven and its umbrella organization, Elm City Communities (ECC).

“Housing is a basic need and we’re not going to meet any of the other goals for our community if we don’t address the issue of housing affordability,” said Housing Authority/ECC president Karen DuBois Walton, introducing the event. “I believe we won’t craft the right solutions unless we understand the roots of the problem that’s facing us.”

The panel, moderated by ECC Housing Policy Manager Will Viederman, featured ECC Executive Vice President Shenae Draughn, Yale Law Professor Anika Singh Lemar, and Planned Parenthood community organizer Kerry Ellington.

Viederman said he titled the event “The Rent Is Too Damn High” in an echo of the New York City-based political party founded by housing activist Jimmy McMillan, who unsuccessfully ran for both mayor and governor. “The rents in New York City when he was running in 2010 are lower than the rents in New Haven now,” Viederman said.

After dramatic pandemic-era rent spikes, New Haven’s median rent has cooled slightly to about $1,700 monthly for all kinds of apartments, according to an analysis of current apartments on the market by Zillow.

That amount is still much higher than the median rent in 2019, which the Census’ American Community Survey calculated to be $1,273 in New Haven.

The three panelists sketched out the policies and absent regulations that led to New Haven’s affordability crisis. Among the takeaways?

Public housing development won’t be enough to combat the dearth of affordable apartments. Current systems of regulating housing code are falling short for low-income tenants. And while municipal and federal efforts are important, the state government may have the most power to impact affordable housing development in Connecticut.

After hearing these ideas, pastor and former certified nursing assistant Jessie Gates shook with fury as she raised her hand to ask a question. She pleaded for policymakers to address the dearth of affordable housing with more urgency. “Let them live like we live now and I bet you something will get done,” she said.

Atlanta City Mayor Andre Dicens

Photo via @pharrell on Instagram charge of a sublabel of Billionaire Boy’s Club named Ice Cream.

New Haven Public Schools Early Childhood Programs

FREE and Sliding Scale 6-hour Programs for 3 and 4 Year Olds of low-income New Haven families

Available in the following New Haven Public Schools:

• Benjamin Jepson Multi-Age School

• Dr. Mayo Early Childhood School

• Fair Haven School

• John Martinez Sea & Sky STEM School

• Lincoln-Bassett Community School

• Truman School

• Additional community locations also participate in the program.

Contact: Esther Pearson-Pinckney, Head Start Social Service Coordinator at 475-220-1462/1463 or email: esther.pearson-pinckney@nhboe.net

We are Accepting Applications (for NOW & in the Fall )

How to Apply

Parents of 3 and 4 year olds are encouraged to apply.

Application begins with a phone call

Contact the Head Start Program or School Readiness Program at 475-220-1462/1463.

What you will submit with your Application

1)Proof of Age

Child’s Birth Certificate OR Legal Custody/Guardianship Papers

2)Proof of Address

Current utility bill (Gas, Electric, Phone, Cable) in your name

3)Proof of Income

• 2 months of Current & Consecutive pay stubs OR W-2 or 1040 Tax Return

• Budget Statement from the CT Department of Social Services or Social Security Office or Child Enforcement Bureau

• Notarized Statement indicating Parent is unemployed

• Additional forms may be requested

4)Proof of a Physical (within one year-to-date)

• CT Department of Education Early Childhood Health Assessment Record

• Anemia and lead level test results

• TB assessment

• Immunizations records

• Seasonal flu vaccination

• Health insurance card

5)Proof of a Dental Exam (within 6-months-to-date)

Dental Exam record