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THE INNER-CITY NEWS April 05, 2017 - April 11, 2017 INNER-CITY NEWS July 27, 2016 - August 02, 2016

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THE INNER-CITY NEWS April 05, 2017 - April 11, 2017

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THE INNER-CITY NEWS April 05, 2017 - April 11, 2017

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Schooner Inc. sent in the following information about camp this summer: Schooner Summer Camp is running again with sailing and coastal exploration programs available this summer for 192 children 6-12 years old. Registration for camp went live this week on the New Haven Land Trust website: http:// www.newhavenlandtrust.org/ Schooner. The Schooner Camp, operated by the New Haven Land Trust and directed by Sarah Morrison, will be open to children aged 6-12 and include a full range of handson coastal marine exploration and discovery including sailing for kids aged 9-12. Programs are run in two-week sessions from June 26-August 18. The camp will be run on the New Haven Land Trust’s Long Wharf Nature Preserve and, thanks to the generous support of the New Haven Board of Education and Sound School, on the Sound School campus and adjacent protected waters of the Long Island Sound. Scholarships will be available for many income-eligible participants thanks to the support of the Denali Foundation, Woman’s Seamen’s Friend Society, the Community Foundation for Greater New Haven, the Curran Foundation and other donors. The New Haven Land Trust continues to fundraise to increase the number of scholarships available so that all New Haven residents regardless of income have access to coastal programming and sailing programs offered as a part of the Schooner program. Schooner, Inc. and the New Haven Land Trust joined this past January and now Schooner is run by the New Haven Land Trust as a signature program. The combined organization is dedicated to protecting and promoting the natural and cultural resources of New Haven, Connecticut through access to outdoor environments, conservation, stewardship and education. The Schooner Program is focused on connecting kids, coastline and community. In the summer of 2016 Schooner,

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THE INNER-CITY NEWS April 05, 2017 - April 11, 2017

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61 Pass Sergeant Exam THE INNER-CITY NEWS April 05, 2017 - April 11, 2017

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The police department can now fill depleted sergeant ranks, thanks to a vote Tuesday afternoon by the Civil Service Commission. The commission voted unanimously at the meeting at 200 Orange St. to certify the results of a promotional exam, which 62 officers took — and 61 passed. The commissioners also unanimously certified the results of exams for deputy fire chief and assistant fire chief of operations. The lists remain in effect for a year, meaning officials can promote from them during that time. Assistant Police Chief Otoniel Reyes said the department will promptly fill seven sergeant vacancies from the list. He said that the department expects to fill up to 13 more slots that will soon open because of expected retirements and promotions to lieutenants. In the past the department has generally gone straight down the list of scorers. Officer Nicholas Katz scored highest on the exam, at 92.07 out of 100, followed by Brian McDermott, Shayna Kendall, Dana Smith and Yessennia Agosto. The full results appear lower down in this story. The test consisted of a written portion that counted for up to 35 points, and two “performancebased” sections worth up to 32.5 points each. Sixteen “assessors” with an average of 25 years or more in police work evaluated the latter two sections, city Personnel Director Noelia Marcano reported to the commission. The city hired the Virginia firm of Morris & McDaniel to help prepare and con-

Trenda Lucky 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

_______________________

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Christine Stuart www.CTNewsJunkie.com Paul Bass New Haven Independent www.newhavenindependent.org

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National Association of Black Journalist National Newspapers Publishers Association Greater New Haven Chamber of Commerce Greater New Haven Business & Professional Association 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. 203-3870354 phone; 203-387-2684 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.

PAUL BASS PHOTOS Asst. Chief Reyes and Oﬃcer Juan Monzon check out test results in Commission Chair James Williams’ hands.

duct the exam. Sergeants are the first level of supervision and serve on the front lines. Lieutenants have more people under their command and can supervise other supervisors as well as beat officers. Three battalion chiefs ended up taking and passing the deputy fire chief exam. Thomas Neville finished first with a score of 77.96 out of 100. William Gould came in second at 77.59, Benjamin Vargas third, at 75.93. They’re all in line to be promoted, since there are three openings. The department has one deputy chief on duty at all times to serve as “tour commanders for the entire city,” said fire union President Frank Ricci. Six applicants took the exam for the one open assistant fire chief of operations position. Mark Vendetto came in first at 87.28, followed by Antonio Almodovar (85.21), Benjamin Vargas (85.10), Timothy Kieley (76.72), William Gould (76.56), and Thomas Neville (71.64). An Appeal Rejected Police and fire tests have in the past provoked lawsuits and com-

plaints of bias. Marcano reported that 60 out of 61 applicants surveyed after this police exam called it fair. Fire union President Ricci, who in the past has taken the city all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court over promotional tests, praised these latest exams as fair and congratulated those now in line for promotions. “We are one step closer to filling the ranks which controls overtime and ensures the continuity of command,” Ricci stated. One cop, Sgt. Richard Miller, expressed concerns to the commissioners about allegations that two New Haven cops who served as “subject experts” in preparing the exam “shared information” with applicants. Interim Police Chief Anthony Campbell asked Assistant Police Chief Luiz Casanova to conduct a “preliminary inquiry” into that allegation, according to a March 7 memo Casanova subsequently wrote to Campbell. In the memo, Casanova wrote that the two cops denied the allegation of sharing information. “Based on my inquiry into the mat-

ter, information obtained from the testing company, and statements from the accused, I believe that the alleged improprieties regarding the sergeant exam are baseless, lack evidence, and are rumors without merit,” Casanova wrote. Miller said outside the civil service meeting Tuesday that he believes the department should have conducted a full internal affairs investigation. Miller began to say that to the commissioners during the formal meeting, but they told him to stick to the separate topic he had brought before them: his own disqualification from taking the promotion exam for lieutenant, which occurs this Friday and Saturday. The city disqualified Miller from taking the test because it received his application after the Feb. 3 deadline. Under civil service rules, staff must disqualify candidates who miss that deadline but applicants have the right to appeal the disqualification, as Miller did Tuesday. “I mailed my application in. It got in late. I’m not denying that,” Miller told the commissioners. He said he mailed it from the hospital, where he was visiting a sick aunt who has since died. He also said that two other applicants were allowed to fix problems with their applications and are allowed to take the exam. He argued he should have the same opportunity. “What’s fair is fair,” he said. Marcano and city attorney Kathleen Foster told the commissioners that civil service rules allow for applicants to remedy certain problems with their applications, but that doesn’t hold true for missing the application deadline. They said they know of no previous case where the commission granted an appeal based on a late filing. “I feel for you, Mr. Miller. I understand how a death in the family can mess up your timing,” Commissioner John Cirello told the sergeant. But he said he believes the commission should honor the rules as well as precedent. His fellow commissioners agreed; they voted 3-0, with one abstention, to reject Miller’s appeal.

THE INNER-CITY NEWS April 05, 2017 - April 11, 2017

“Milk Like Sugar” Finds Nourishment in Teenage Drama by THOMAS BREEN NEW HAVEN INDEPENDENT

A red lollipop dangling between her fingers like a cigarette, her braids perched like a crown above her leopard-print dress, one teenage girl took a long, searing look at another. “If you back out now, life’s gonna get very lonely,” threatened Talisha, staring down her high-school classmate and lifelong friend Annie. “You’re gonna do this. It’s called friendship. Look it up: It’s called loyalty.” As the pop music swelled and the lights began to fade, director Jenny Nelson called for her team to stop. “Can we do that one more time?” she said. “But this time I’d like the music to drop in right between ‘friendship’ and ‘look.’ And let’s hold that pose all the way until the lights fade. Thank you!” Actors Sharece Sellem and Malia West paused before returning to character.“Wow,” Sellem leaned toward West. “‘It’s called friendship. It’s called loyalty.’ That just sounds so good!” Such was the scene at Erector Square in Fair Haven on Monday night as the team behind Collective Consciousness Theater ran through their first full rehearsal of Kirsten Greenidge’s Milk Like Sugar, the next and last play in the local theater’s 2016-17 season. The play opens Thursday night and runs through April 9 at Col-

THOMAS BREEN PHOTO

West, Sellem, and Castro in Milk Like Sugar.

lective Consciousness Theater’s studio performance space in Erector Square. Greenidge’s Obie-award winning play tells the story of three high school friends who have made a pact to get pregnant before they graduate. Unable to see a future beyond negligent parents, fairweather teachers, and dismal job prospects, Annie, Talisha, and Marjorie (Betzabeth Castro) idealize pregnancy as the natural, and inevitable, solution to all of life’s problems. Here is an action that gives life purpose. Here is a way to be in control of one’s body. Here is a

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commitment that will forever ensure against loneliness and uncertainty. “We’ll be like Beyonce,” they smile at one another. “We’ll be like lions, surrounded by our little cubbies.” The play then follows Annie as she explores what she can and should expect from her life, and how her relationships with her mom and her girlfriends and a potential child can limit or expand that path. This drama of a socioeconomic divide playing out in high school hallways is exactly what director Jenny Nelson wanted to bring to the stage with Milk Like Sugar. “This play is really about choices,

and about a lack of choices,” said Nelson, who is the associate director of Collective Consciousness Theater and a high school theater teacher at Regional Center for the Arts in Trumbull, Ct. “Although the pregnancy pact is the inciting incident of the play, the playwright really wants us to focus on the limited options available to these girls.” Those limited options refer to a lack of access to money, education, attention, and guidance. They also mean an incomplete grasp on words themselves. The teenagers struggle with how best to communicate the ideas and feelings burst-

ing inside of them, and their language of fragments and fumbling articulations is only exacerbated by the constant interruptions of cellphones. As the actors worked their way through the dialect of the script, stopping and starting and repeating the lines with the intense vulnerability that defines teenage life, Nelson relished the language as both artfully written and accurately reflecting what she hears at work. “The voices ring so true to what I hear all the time in the halls from my male and female students,” she said. “It just felt very authentic and very earnest in telling a story that isn’t being told enough on the stage right now.” “We’re treating it a little like Shakespeare,” she continued, “with the verse and the musicality and the rhythms of the way they speak.” Over the course of the play, Annie, Talisha, and Marjorie lunge, parry, dodge, and embrace one another with all the passion of Romeo and Juliet, the hysteria of Hamlet and Ophelia. In front of set designer David Sepulveda’s vivid backdrops of candy-colored tattoo parlors and iridescent starry nights, the high schoolers’ desperate yearnings for purpose manage to embody a specific present and an eternal adolescence all at the same time. “These girls feel like getting pregnant is the only way they can get out of their limited situation and receive love,” Nelson said. “Which at the end of the day is what every play is about: giving and receiving love.” For Annie, Talisha, and Marjorie, and for Collective Consciousness Theater as a whole, the conditions under which love is given and received in Milk Like Sugar can mean the difference between friends and family, between youth and adulthood, between being stuck and being free. Milk Like Sugar runs at Collective Consciousness Theater in Erector Square, 315 Peck St. (Studio D, Building 6 West, 2nd floor) from Thursday, March 30 to Sunday, April 2, and from Thursday, April 6 to Sunday, April 9. Tickets are $25 for adults, $10 for students.

THE INNER-CITY NEWS April 05, 2017 - April 11, 2017

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A Reading Locomotive Turns 15 THE INNER-CITY NEWS April 05, 2017 - April 11, 2017

gains to be made.” Gains that tutors like Mi-Ch-El West, Sally Thach, and Jailene Garzon are working towards with their students—and feel a personal connection to. All alumni of the program, the three have returned to the organization, ready to roll up their sleeves with young students of their own. West, a sophomore at Western Connecticut State University studying social work and community health, said he can remember the boost of confidence he got from new reading comprehension skills as a third grader, and wants to pass that on to as many new students as he can. Because he’s no longer in New Haven during the week, he tutors when he’s home for a vacation, or for the summer. Garzon, a student in graphic design at Gateway Community College, works with a student who has trouble with reading. As someone

by LUCY GELLMAN NEW HAVEN INDEPENDENT

A celebrated literacy not-forprofit founded in a New Haven garage is celebrating its 15th birthday and working to ensure at least 15 more years. That organization is New Haven Reads, a literacy-based notfor-profit that collects books and offers after-school and Saturday tutoring to New Haven kids in phonics and reading. Thursday evening it kicked off its 15th year with a celebration at Yale’s Sterling Library, where several speakers lauded the organization for its work—but warned that there is a lot of work yet to be done, and staying open is about to get much harder. About 100 board members, staff, longtime volunteers and alumni attended. Founded by the late Christine Alexander in 2001, New Haven Reads has grown from a book pile in Alexander’s garage to a foursite operation, with locations in Dixwell, East Rock, and Science Park. To date, it has tutored and graduated 3500 students and collected 1,600,000 books. Hundreds of those go to students each month, when they come in for field trips or tutoring sessions and are allowed to take up to five home. The celebration of those numbers—and the 400-some tutees the organization looks after right now—was contagious as attendees crowded into the library’s side room to watch a slideshow and video, and listen to speakers. Declaring March 30 a citywide “New Haven Reads Day,” Mayor Toni Harp pledged to keep New Haven “the city that reads,” noting that she saw Alexander’s memory living on “with each and every book mastered” by a student in the organization. So too did New Haven Reads Executive Director Kirsten Levinsohn, noting the transformation in some of the students—and volunteers working with them—as their comprehension grew week by week. Speakers also warned of choppy seas ahead. Some 70 percent of third graders in New Haven

Levinsohn hugs retired police Det. Stacy Spell at celebration for his 10 years of volunteering.

who began as a second-language learner, she said it’s a way for her to give back to the community that so nurtured her. “It’s just really cool,” said Thach, who started at New Haven Reads when she was four, and struggling with English skills outside of her Chinese-speaking household. Currently working with a first and third grader, she recalled a moment earlier this month when she watched a concept click in her student’s head. The two had been going over words that had vowel blends—oe, for instance—and the student had been tripping over the words. Then Thach had tried explaining that often, those blends just sounded like the first letter. Like toe—it just sounded like t, plus the letter o. She saw a light go. “That feeling—it’s the coolest,” she said.

A Life Lost, A Life Gained

Spell, with Yale hiring director Chris Brown.

still read below grade level, said Levinsohn and funds to help them may be shrinking. In the past year, New Haven Reads has lost a $30,000 chunk of a two-year grant that was promised in the state’s last budget year. (It was supposed to be $80,000 each year; the New Haven delegation secured $50,000 of that funding for New Haven Reads this year but the rest was reappropriated.) The organization also isn’t sure if $120,000 that usually comes from Youth Violence Prevention,

Community Development Block Grant funding, and Title I school funding—all federal grant programs—will come through under the new administration. And the program’s waitlist is still at 150 students, and shows no sign of shrinking. “Christine Alexander would be proud,” said Stacy Spell, a program manager with Project Longevity who has also been a New Haven Reads tutor for over 10 years. “But we haven’t reached the summit yet and there are still great

Among the relatives paying tribute to Tommy Clayton Brown Jr. was one he never got to meet. Brown died Jan. 2 at the age of 23 when the Toyota he was driving at over 100 miles an hour hit a median on Whalley Avenue and flew into a nearby synagogue. Family members gathered at the spot Sunday afternoon to place five balloons on a tree and 54 memorial candles below it to commemo-

rate the three-month mark of his death. Among them was Brown’s daughter Tommie Brown (pictured above held by his mother Tanajah Jackson and his aunt T’aura Penn). Tommie was born a month ago. “We miss him,” Tommy Brown’s mother Tytesha Henderson said as she added a candle to the temporary memorial.

Students March On City Hall THE INNER-CITY NEWS April 05, 2017 - April 11, 2017

by PAUL BASS

NEW HAVEN INDEPENDENT

A hundred high school students hit the streets instead of classes Monday to demand more say in their education, including having student Board of Education members gain voting privileges. Some of the demonstrators now face possible discipline for missing class. The students from High School in the Community, Wilbur Cross, Metropolitan Business Academy, High School in the Community, and Cooperative Arts held a rally on the Green, then began marching through downtown as cops blocked traffic. They were inspired by Donald Trump’s election to form a group called Fighters For Justice, said HSC senior Jeremy Cajigas (pictured), who organized the walkout ..... along with Wilbur Cross senior Cowiya Arouna (who said she’s hoping to attend Barnard, Columbia or George Washington University next year). Cajigas said the students want to see more teachers of color in their classrooms and more black history beyond the fact “that we were slaves.” The group turned from High Street onto Elm back toward the Green around 10 a.m. ... ... as cops separately sealed off Elm between York and High, where a CT Transit bus had collided with Evan Pinero’s Ford. “I’m in my lane ... taking my wife to work,” Pinero said, when “this long-ass bus” wove into his lane. Meanwhile, Black Lives Matters New Haven co-founder Sun Queen marched alongside the students onto the Green. “The youth is our revolution,” she said. “They are going to be our next alderman, our next mayor, our next police chief. We have to support them.” Chanting “Hey hey/ Ho ho / Board of Ed/ has got to go!,” the students headed to to City Hall, where they gathered on the steps. New Haven Academy senior Wendy Marte read aloud the group’s list of demands. In addition to the request that the Board of Ed’s two elected non-voting student members be allowed to vote (“We must stop

New Haven Academy junior Autumn Gibbs.

excluding the student voice!”), the demands include involving students in the search for a new superintendent of schools, diversifying the curriculum to include more black and Latino and history, taxing Yale more, equal funding for schools (“We need to see receipts, y’all!), and opposition to President Donald Trump’s education, health care and immigration policies. Click on the above video to hear Marte read the full list.

An hour later, on WNHH radio’s “Mayor Monday” program, Mayor Toni Harp said the protest reminded her of the time she and fellow Roosevelt University students walked out off campus in the early 1970s into downtown Chicago to demand passage of the Equal Rights Amendment. She also said she sees the value in their demand to allow student members to vote on Board of Ed matters. “The students have been very mature,”

Harp said. “Their voice is important.” When she served until recently as board chair, she said, she routinely asked the student members how they would vote on matters before calling the question. Demonstrators form HSC and New Haven Academy said officials at their schools warned them they could be suspended if they participated in Monday’s rally. Asked later for comment, New Haven Academy Principal Greg

Baldwin said his school’s official policy states that the school records absences as unexcused without a note or phone call from a parent. If a student leaves school during the day without permission, the school contacts a parent and requires time to be made up with a teacher. No one walked out of the school Monday, Baldwin said. HSC “Facilitator” (aka Principal) Matthew Brown said his staff explained to students on Friday that they “don’t support students skipping school regardless of the reason,” and that the school district’s code contains “a range of possibilities” for consequences. He added that HSC has “tons of outlets for students to pursue” social justice and social change. The school district released this statement from Superintendent Reggie Mayo: “New Haven Public Schools is committed to finding avenues for the expression of student voice. New Haven Public Schools also has the responsibility of the safety of students and staff and doing our best to supervise the school day and student activities in a manner which is safe and is not disruptive to school operations and the school day. Student walk outs create a complex set of concerns relative to the safety of students. Working with our students and student organizations as well as School leaders and teachers to find creative outlets for student voice on critical subjects and getting their active engagement on issues that affect them is a part of their overall education. Having an open dialogue on these issues is critical. Just as critical is attendance at school and following school rules and schedules which are designed to allow every student to be educated to their fullest potential. Unauthorized absences during the school day or leaving school during the school day without permission and a safety plan is disruptive. Such actions are subject to review and the imposition of appropriate corrective action at the school or district level, including suspensions if circumstances warrant discipline.”

SCSU_GOH_InnerCity_5.472x5.1.qxp_Layout 1 3/9/17 2:18 PM Page 1 THE INNER-CITY NEWS April 05, 2017 - April 11, 2017

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Anti-Trans Bus Transitions To Philly THE INNER-CITY NEWS April 05, 2017 - April 11, 2017

by PAUL BASS

NEW HAVEN INDEPENDENT

New Haven finally had its encounter Friday with an anti-LGBTQ “free speech” bus and it ended practically as soon as it began. Since last Friday the city has been gearing up for the arrival of the bus, which is festooned with antitransgender-rights messages and funded by conservative political groups. Its operator drives into cities to spread its message. After opponents broke a windshield and sprayed graffiti on the bus in New York, New Haven officials started planning for potential trouble when the bus made its planned stop here during an East Coast tour. Last Friday officials met in the Emergency Operations Center at 200 Orange St. to plot strategy to avoid trouble, while local LGBTQ rights activists geared up for counterprotests. The bus with the claim that “boys are boys ... and always will be” emblazoned on its flank — was scheduled to arrive here last Sunday afternoon. It didn’t show up. Local pro-trans-rights demon-

Bus and counter-bus navigate the Broadway-Elm-York merge.

strators held a rally in its stead. Then it was believed to be on its way Tuesday. It didn’t show. Protesters did again. One hundred strong. The bus finally did make a brief stop Friday afternoon on Elm Street. Police arrived at the scene, expecting to find protesters, according to Assistant Chief Otoniel Reyes, who oversees patrol.

Instead, they saw only the bus. The driver asked the cops for an escort to the highway so it could head to its next stop in Philadelphia. Officers in two squad cars complied, leading the bus down Elm Street to State to Union Avenue, then over to the Sargent Drive I-95 entrance on Long Wharf. Along the way, they noticed a big

U-Haul truck behind the anti-LGBTQ bus. At first the cops figured the U-Haul was connected to the “Free Speech” bus. But the bus driver phoned the sergeant handling the escort, Wilfredo Cruz, to let him the U-Haul on its tail “is not with us,” Reyes said. In fact the U-Haul had a large tarp on its side with the message:

“TRANSPHOBIA OUT OF CT.” The Free Speech bus made it onto I-95, the U-Haul in hot pursuit. The cops phoned the state police to let them know the two-vehicle debate convoy was heading toward Fairfield County. And New Haven’s brush with the latest Divided America political drama came to an end.

He Didn’t Pull The Trigger by LUCY GELLMAN NEW HAVEN INDEPENDENT

Marine veteran Thomas Burke will never forget cleaning up the remains of Afghan children after an explosive device ended their lives. Now, U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy is promising to help less-than-honorably discharged vets like him get the mental health care they need. Murphy delivered that message Monday morning at New Haven’s City Hall. Sharing a podium with Burke, Iraq And Afghanistan Veterans Of America (IAVA)-CT team leader Steve Kennedy, Connecticut Veterans Legal Center Executive Director Margaret Middleton and Marine Corps veteran turned legal advocate Jonathan Petkun, Murphy spoke on the Honor Our Commitment Act of 2017, which he introduced with U.S. Sens. Jon Tester

Burke with Murphy Monday.

of Montana and Michael Bennet of Colorado and U.S. Rep. Beto O’Rourke of Texas. Currently before the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, the bill proposes that the Department of

Veterans Affairs “provide mental health and behavioral health services” to former combat members who have received Other Than Honorable (OTH) discharges and are suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress

Disorder (PTSD), Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and other behavioral and mental health issues. The bill does not cover dishonorable discharges, which are different from OTH or less-than-honorable discharges, also called “bad papers.” Murphy said “tens of thousands” of veterans annually go without the mental and physical health care that they need, including treatment for PTSD and the neurological attention necessary to diagnose and treat TBI. Self-Medicating T hat’s what happened to Burke, an Iraq and Afghanistan veteran turned Yale Divinity School student who also serves as the president of the Yale Student Veterans Council. Burke’s Marine Corps and Arabic-speaking background brought him to Iraq during the George W. Bush presidency; his Pashtun then

brought him to Afghanistan as a marksman and team leader during the Obama years. In Nawa, Afghanistan, he said, his unit worked with local kids who would often find explosive devices, and bring them to American soldiers. In January 2010, they found a RPG (Rocket-propelled grenade) near a canal where they were swimming. They were bringing it back to the soldiers when it exploded, killing several of them instantly. Burke was one of the troops charged with cleaning up those remains. Through his Pashtun skills, he had gotten to know those kids. The carnage of the scene followed him, growing into undiagnosed and untreated PTSD. He began smoking hash that he could find locally. A month later, he found himself at Con’t on page 21

THE INNER-CITY NEWS April 05, 2017 - April 11, 2017

Barnard School Transformed Into Seussville by ALLAN APPEL

stitute a “t” and make top. Then other sounds and words come. In that manner, kids are learning phonics and other skills, without even knowing it. “Even if they can’t read, they read the pictures,” she added. Dr. Seuss night in this second edition is only one of the family engagement events held throughout the year, said Assistant Principal Eugene Foreman. The others include movie nights, fitness-themed nights, caring and social action nights, and nights devoted to activities around STEM (science and math) subjects. While the events are open to all the kids in the school, Dr. Seuss is pitched to the little ones. That pleased first-time attendee Melissa Glazier. While she waited in line to get her raﬄe and dinner tickets in the lobby of the school, her daugh-

NEW HAVEN INDEPENDENT

Although it could not be independently verified — not even by her mother first-grader Michelle Mapuvire revealed that she has read Dr. Seuss’s Horton Hears A Who 79 times. Not 78 times and not 81 times. That admission emerged Wednesday at a Dr. Seuss Literacy Family Night at the Barnard Environmental Studies Magnet School on Derby Avenue in the West River neighborhood. There the second annual Dr. Seuss-themed event attracted 265 pre-K to second grade readers and their parents, families, and friends to the school’s cafeteria. The room was festooned, ballooned, and gazooned with a dozen stations, each one organized by one of the school’s pre-K-2nd grade team of teachers around a game or activity inspired by one of the Doc’s more than 60 books. Last year the inaugural Seuss event to promote family engagement, reading, and general academic success attracted 230 people, said kindergarten teacher Kelleigh Thompson, one of the chief organizers along with fellow teacher Julie McLaughlin. This year the event featured a Dr. Seuss photo booth, the ever-popular face painting — cats as in A Cat In The Hat appeared to be the number one choice for masking — free books for every kid, and dinner provided by the parent teacher organization (PTO). The PTO worked with the teachers and utilized the school’s Title One funding to help purchase the gazillions of pizzas, wizzas, and dizzas, along with bowls of salad and other elements of the dinner that was being provided, along with the free books. A Lorax bowling alley was set up in the corner of the cafeteria and was attracting some of the most competitive of the first-grade bowlers. Thompson said that The Lorax, whose protagonist speaks for the trees and nature in the eponymous book, is read by everyone in the environment-themed school. Wednesday night was dedicated to pure Seuss fun. At the Ten Apples On Top table, for example, Mi-

ALLAN APPEL PHOTO Michelle gets all literary with apples.

ter Julissa Oliveraswas reading The Cat In The Hat with a parent volunteer and the school’s physical education teacher Elisa Basini, who was in costume and character of the famous Cat. The evening’s activities bolstered an already strong reading component in Julissa’s life, said her mom. They read three books every night before bed. “I like to read stories after bed,” Julissa said. “Before,” said her mom. Julissa’s current Seuss favorite and, full disclosure, this reporter’s top rating for a Seuss title is Hark! A Shark. Barnard, a K-8 magnet school, has 560 students. Its magnet status provides money for a photography club and teacher. Half a dozen members of the club were also running around gleefully taking pictures of the Seussiacs.

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Teacher/organizer McLaughlin, at right.

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chelle Mapuvire was able to pile three apples on top of each other. Then her pal Layla Russ did the same and almost got the fourth on before her creation toppled. The kids next drew pictures of what they had just done, adding to stick-on dots, one for each apple. When I asked the teachers why the Seuss books are so perennially

popular, they cited not only the famous silly rhyming but also the neologisms and the invention of a fun language. “As we read it, it sounds so crazy, his own way,” said McLaughlin. She pointed out that once kids hear a word like “pop” in, for example, Seuss’s Hop On Pop, they can easily sub-

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THE INNER-CITY NEWS April 05, 2017 - April 11, 2017

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THE INNER-CITY NEWS April 05, 2017 - April 11, 2017

New Hub Lands In New Haven For Brazilian Start-Ups by MARKESHIA RICKS NEW HAVEN INDEPENDENT

New Haven’s ties to Brazil are getting a little stronger thanks to the start of a new venture that seeks to help businesses from that country gain a foothold in the U.S. City and state officials joined Pamela Ariane da Silva of Paseli Consulting and Brazilian dignitaries Monday at 195 Church St. to cut the ribbon on Hub55, an incubator space for Brazilian companies starting up in New Haven. Hub55 is the brainchild of Ariane da Silva, a Brazilian who got the idea while she was pursing a degree at the Yale School of Management four years ago. Through her consulting business, which she manages here and in Brazil, she discovered that Brazilian businesses wanted to enter the U.S. market but lacked the local support and physical space to get started. That’s where Hub55 will step in, particularly for Brazilian companies doing business in information technology, aerospace and medical equipment. Da Silva said she found New Ha-

hand the state of Connecticut have a lot to offer,” she added. That’s good news to state Department of Economic and Community Development Commissioner Catherine Smith, who told the crowd gathered for the ribbon cutting Monday what the 55 in Hub55 stands for: It is the country telephone code for Brazil. “We are grateful to Brazil for its interest in Connecticut,” Smith said. “I think it’s a natural fit. Brazil is one of a limited number of countries that Connecticut targeted for working more closely to find opportunities to export out of our country as well as finding more opportunities for companies MARKESHIA RICKS PHOTO At the ribbon cutting. that want to establish a foothold in ven to be a wonderful place to ship with city and state economic tries (ABIMO), and the Technol- U.S.” She said natural strengths make build a life and run a business and development officials including ogy Park of Sao Jose dos Campus, she saw a natural synergy for other the Connecticut Economic Re- which represent’s the country’s such a partnership a good fit for the state and even more so for New Brazilian entrepreneurs who want sources Center Inc., and Brazil- aerospace sector. to get a foothold in the country. ian entities like the Ministry of Some eight companies have Haven with its link to Yale Univer“I’ve always had great support and Science, Technology and Inno- signed on to work with Hub55, but sity. I truly believe the hub is the proof vation and Communications, the Ariane da Silva envision working Mayor Toni Harp agreed, pointing out the city’s proximity to capital. that Connecticut is the prefect Association for the Promotion of with many more. place for Brazilian companies that Excellence in Brazilian Software “I believe the opening of Hub55 “One third of the U.S. economy [want] to establish themselves and (SOFTEX), the Brazilian Associa- shows on the one hand that Brazil- and two-thirds of the Canadian thrive in the U.S.,” she said. tion of Medical, Dental Hospital ian companies are willing to invest economy are within 500 miles of RP inner city news 6 x 5.1 .qxp_Layout 1 3/27/17 10:17 AM Page 1 The hub was created in partner- and Laboratory Equipment Indus- in Connecticut and on the other New Haven,” she said. “I think all

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THE INNER-CITY NEWS April 05, 2017 - April 11, 2017

Trump’s Budget Blueprint Cuts Close to Home By Charlene Crowell, NNPA Newswire Columnist From youth yearning for the time to have their own place, to older Americans hoping to age in place, the need to have a home is a shared concern of consumers of all ages and locales. It’s where children are raised and memorable moments dwell. It’s also where many people rest, reflect, and shut out the worries of the day. Right now, the future of our country’s commitment to housing is in jeopardy. In the recently-released White House Budget Blueprint, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) will not resemble its former self. While some programs are proposed to become smaller, others are identified for extinction. Fortunately, while the President proposes a budget, Congress must hold hearings that offer opportunities to amend what some would deem indefensible. The irony is that so many HUD programs and services that have enjoyed longstanding, broad and bi-partisan support across the country are among those proposed to end. For example, since 1974, HUD’s Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program has provided local and state officials the flexibility to fund local priorities for services, projects and partnerships. Whether the need was affordable housing, blight removal, community supportive services or a way to leverage capital in redevelopment projects, local concerns have guided how to make the best use of federal funds. According to the White House Budget Blueprint, CDBG would absorb $3 billion of HUD’s proposed $6.2 billion agency cut. Reactions from municipal leaders and organizations were swift. “From CDBG block grants, to Community-Oriented Policing Services, the programs targeted for cuts provide support for millions of working Americans and help cities invest in public-good projects like police stations, food banks and domestic violence shelters,” said Matt Zone, a Cleveland city councilmember and president of the National League of Cities (NCL), an organization that advocates for 19,000 cities, towns, and villages. “These unprecedented

cuts would be devastating to all our nation’s cities—with the worst impacts felt in small towns and rural communities.” Yana Miles, a policy counsel with the Center for Responsible Lending noted that, “In housing, the proposed budget would end some of HUD’s most successful programs that help underserved communities including: Community Development Block Grants, the HOME Investment Partnerships, and Choice Neighborhoods.” Two of the HUD programs that Miles cites are the focus of another proposed $1.1 billion in cuts: Choice Neighborhoods and the HOME Investment partnerships program. The Choice Neighborhoods program provides funding and technical assistance to support local community efforts to improve struggling neighborhoods dotted with distressed public or HUD-assisted housing. Like CDBG, eligibility is formula-based and requires a formal revitalization strategy or Transformational Plan. This past December, HUD announced that from 34 competitive applications, five cities were selected to receive grants totaling $132 million: Boston, Camden, Denver, Louisville, and St. Louis. An estimated 1,853 units of severely distressed public housing will be replaced by nearly 3,700 new, mixed-income, mixed-use housing units as part of an overall effort to revitalize neighborhoods For every $1 in Choice Neighborhoods funding, awardees and their partners typically leverage for their projects an additional $5 in public and private funding. Together, the five cities are expected to leverage $636 million through other public/ private sources and expect to stimulate another $3.3 billion indirectly to magnify their impact. The HOME Investment Partnerships program focuses exclusively on creating affordable housing opportunities for low-income families. Until now, it has also been the single largest block grant dedicated to expanding this housing sector. Formula grants for states and local communities are often awarded in partnership with local nonprofit organizations to build, buy, and/or rehabilitate affordable housing for either rent or homeownership. For the nation’s 1.2 million families who live in public housing, the proposed budget blueprint will take $1.3 million from facility improvements, and another $600 million in operational costs.

These and other severe funding cuts proposed are the exact opposite of what Dr. Carson testified to during his confirmation hearings. On January 12, before the Senate’s Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee, he said, “[I]t’s difficult for a child to learn at school if he or she doesn’t have an adequate place to live. In these situations, government can and should help. However, I believe we need to ensure that the help we provide families is efficient and effective.” By his own admission, Secretary Carson has never worked in govern-

ment before. Now as the head of a key cabinet agency, he and his senior staff would be well-served by learning which programs work well and should be preserved from heavyhanded budget cuts. Since post-World War II, FHAbacked mortgage loans have provided funding for millions of Americans. With down payments as low as 3.5 percent, families who cannot afford a large down payment for a conventional loan, can make that important transition from renter to homeowner. In recent years, FHA-backed loans

are the most used by Black and Latino consumers. HUD’s history of service has many more examples of how modest public investments have and can continue to leverage larger private funds. The programs that fostered this success deserve to be supported and funded at levels that will continue to benefit the nation. Charlene Crowell is communications deputy director for the Center for Responsible Lending. She can be reached at charlene.crowell@responsiblelending.org.

THE INNER-CITY NEWS April 05, 2017 - April 11, 2017

Black Women Publishers Drive the Black Press By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Contributor

In 1827, with the publication of the “Freedom’s Journal,” John Russwurm and Reverend Samuel Cornish established the Black Press and boldly declared their mission: to be the voice of the African-American community, standing up for victims of injustice, and championing the unsung. Dedicated, resilient and strong Black women, who account for a significant number of the 211 African-American owned newspapers and media companies that are members of the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA), stand at the forefront of that mission, today. As Women’s History Month concludes, NNPA President and CEO Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis Jr., said that it’s important to recognize publishers like Rosetta Perry of “The Tennessee Tribune,” Elinor Tatum of the “New York Amsterdam News,” Janis Ware of “The Atlanta Voice,” Joy Bramble of “The Baltimore Times,” Brenda Andrews of the “The New Journal and Guide” and the many Black women that own and operate media companies in the United States and around the world. Chavis said that it’s also important to acknowledge the role that women play as leaders of the NNPA. “Four out of five members of the NNPA executive committee are women and, in 2017, that shows that the NNPA, as a national trade organization, is out in front of all other organizations when it comes to putting women in the top positions,” said Chavis. Denise Rolark Barnes, the publisher of “The Washington Informer,” serves as chair of the NNPA; Karen Carter-Richards, publisher of the “Houston Forward Times” holds the position of first vice chair; Atlanta Voice publisher Janis Ware serves as treasurer; and Shannon Williams, the president and general manager of the “Indianapolis Recorder,” serves as the organization’s secretary. “For the Black Press, Women’s

_1655 Denise Rolark Barnes is the publisher of The Washington Informer and chairwoman of the NNPA This photo was taken as Rolark Barnes addressed participants at a session on the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), during the NNPA’s 2017 Mid-Winter Conference in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

7205 Karen Carter-Richards, the publisher of the “Houston Forward Times,” said that the publishing business is not for the faint of heart. This photo was taken during an enshrinement ceremony honoring Lenora “Doll” Carter, Carter-Richards’ mother and former publisher of the Forward Times, at Howard University’s Andrew Rankin Chapel in Washington, D.C. (Freddie Allen/AMG/NNPA

History Month becomes more noteworthy, because of the women of the NNPA and their very important roles,” Chavis said. Still, the pressure of operating a newspaper isn’t lost on publishers like Carter-Richards of the 57-year-old Houston Forward Times. Carter-Richards took over the Forward Times after the death of her mother, Lenora “Doll” Carter, whom she shadowed at the paper

for more than 30 years. “The business isn’t for the faint of heart and being a female publisher requires you to be even stronger,” Richards said. “Because of what my mother taught me, Forward Times Publishing Company has grown to become a multimedia company and an award-winning national publication.” Chida Warren-Darby, the managing editor and co-publisher of the “Voice & Viewpoint” in San

Diego, said that being a female publisher has proven to be an “amazing experience.” Warren-Darby also offered advice to the next generation of women. “[Women publishers] should always remain true to themselves and never conform. There’s a lot of authenticity missing in the world of journalism and the media industry as a whole,” WarrenDarby said. “I believe it’s slowly returning, but it will take the next generation to maintain that authenticity. I would also encourage them to know that their voices and ideas matter, to never underestimate what they bring to the table, and to never feel like it’s too late.” Others have spelled out what the Black Press has brought to the table. “The New York Times” noted that, well before the Civil War, publications and, more recently, radio and television stations owned and operated by African-Americans have provided an important counterweight to mainstream media, simultaneously celebrating and shaping Black culture—from politics and government to fashion and music. It all starts with the Black Press and many of its talented and savvy female publishers. “The Black Press has been the heartbeat of Black America since its inception,” said Tatum, publisher and editor-in-chief of the New York Amsterdam News, one of the most influential Blackowned and operated media businesses in the world, which ran its first edition in 1909. “From the abolition movement to the Civil Rights Movement to the Women’s Rights Movement, the Black Press has been our voice, a voice not heralded anywhere else.” Tatum continued: “It’s a voice so true to itself, that our community still heeds the call today. A voice in many cases owned by women, run by women and nurtured by women.” About 190 miles south of New York, Bramble founded The Baltimore Times on the premise that they’d publish only positive stories about Black people. After

more than 30 years, Bramble said that The Baltimore Times paper, and its companion, “The Annapolis Times,” haven’t wavered. “I am extremely proud to be a part of the long tradition of respected women publishers. My challenges as a publisher have not come from my gender, but rather my race,” Bramble said. “Black newspapers must jump through ridiculous hoops to receive or even be considered for advertising and promotional dollars.” Women are changing the world and represent an important audience that should not be taken for granted, said Natalie Cole, publisher and CEO of “OurWeekly Los Angeles” which was formed in 2004 and boasts a readership of more than 200,000 weekly. “The challenges that exist today are challenges to doing business successfully in our global marketplace,” said Cole. “Yes, racism and, in many cases institutional racism is evident…some will never buy what we are selling.” Cole continued: “However, we must continue to educate our loyal readers as to major players or companies that support our communities as well as those that don’t support us with an emphasis on companies to which AfricanAmericans are their core customers.” NNPA member newspapers and media companies continue to deliver news, information and commentary each week to more than 20 million readers and the NNPA has been lauded for consistently being the voice of the Black community, reporting on events that make history. “Our papers are trusted, read from cover to cover, and are a vital part of the community—190 years and still going strong,” Bramble said. “I am sure that we will still be around for another 190 years, as we continue to be the standard bearer for all the good news that’s happening in our communities.” SEO KEYWORDS: Black Women Publishers, Women’s History Month, Stacy Brown, national, NNPA Newswire Contributor

Maxine Waters:

THE INNER-CITY NEWS April 05, 2017 - April 11, 2017

Unapologetically For The People

by Evelyn Carter, BlackDoctor.org Who really is Maxine Waters? To be honest, I didn’t really know until I started writing this article. Of course I knew she was in politics and an elected official, but who was she really? How did she come into office and what are her views really. In recent news headlines, I’ve seen her stand tall against President Trump and his allies and essentially try to do what is right for the every day man and woman. So that piqued my interest even more and decided to find out for myself. In looking at her track record, throughout her 37 years of public service, Maxine Waters has been on the cutting edge, tackling difficult and often controversial issues and has been an advocate for international peace, justice, and human rights. She has combined her strong legislative and public policy acumen and high visibility in Democratic Party activities with an unusual ability to do grassroots organizing. Waters was born 1938 in Kinloch, Missouri, the daughter of Velma Lee (née Moore) and Remus Carr. Fifth out of thirteen children, Waters was raised by her single mother once her father left the family when Maxine was two. She graduated from Vashon High School in St. Louis, and moved with her family to Los Angeles, California, in 1961. She worked in a garment factory and as a telephone operator before being hired as an assistant teacher with the Head Start program at Watts in 1966. She later enrolled at Los Angeles State College (now California State University, Los Angeles) and graduated with a sociology degree in 1970. In 1973, she went to work as chief deputy to City Councilman David S. Cunningham, Jr.. Waters entered the California State Assembly in 1976. While in the assembly she worked

for the divestment of state pension funds from any businesses active in South Africa, a country then operating under the policy of apartheid, and helped pass legislation within the guidelines of the divestment campaign’s Sullivan Principles. According to her website, the current issues Congresswoman Waters and her legislature focus on are: – Consumer Protection – Minority and Women Inclusion – Housing – Foreign Affairs – Criminal Justice – Immigration – Transportation – Health Care – Higher Education & Student Loans – Veterans – FCC and Communications Policy – Economic Stimulus and Job Creation Prior to her election to the House of Representatives in 1990, Congresswoman Waters had already attracted national attention for her no-nonsense, no-holds-barred style of politics. During 14 years in the California State Assembly, she rose to the powerful position of Democratic Caucus Chair. She was responsible for some of the boldest legislation California has ever seen: the largest divestment of state pension funds from South Africa; landmark affirmative action legislation; the nation’s first statewide Child Abuse Prevention Training Program; the prohibition of police strip searches for nonviolent misdemeanors; and the introduction of the nation’s first plant closure law. As a national Democratic Party leader, Congresswoman Waters has long been highly visible in Democratic Party politics and has served on the Democratic National Committee (DNC) since 1980. She was a key leader in five presidential campaigns:

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THE INNER-CITY NEWS April 05, 2017 - April 11, 2017

Places Where Democracy Happens: Photographers’ Presentation at New Haven Museum

Sometimes the best partnerships develop from being in the right place at the right time. The synchronicity of photographers Robert Lisak and David Ottenstein, and the resulting exhibit, “Capitol America,” will be detailed first hand as the two artists present “Capitol America: Places Where Democracy Happens” on Thursday, April 20, at 5:30 p.m. at the New Haven Museum, 114 Whitney Ave., New Haven. Admission is free of charge. The two professional photographers have been acquainted since meeting at Yale University 30 years ago. When viewing Ottenstein’s photos of the Ohio state capitol building—taken in 2012 while heading home from photographing farmlands of the American Midwest—Lisak was reminded of a seminal photographic work from the 1970s, “Courthouse,” a book of photos documenting county courthouses from across the U.S. With one of Lisak’s children recently relocated to California, and the likelihood of him traversing the country to visit, and Ottenstein regularly returning to the Midwest for more photos, the two agreed it was a good idea to visually document the nation’s capital buildings with the goal of creating a photography book of their own. During their presentation, the two will share tales of how their project was conceived and executed, in addition to showing photos not included in the exhibit. They will also discuss insights gained while working, the techniques they used, and their growing awareness during the process that they were photographing more than just the grand architecture, that what they were documenting “sites of rich and sometimes contradictory history, the places where democracy happens.” “Capitol America” is a show of contrasts—black and white, light and dark, workaday function and Gilded-Age splendor—with

large-format photographs encircling the New Haven Museum’s elegant rotunda, and a slideshow on a tablet computer. The “secular, civic temples” featured in the photographs range in style and feeling from classical elegance, to robber-baron ostentation, to practical simplicity, reﬂecting the historical moment in which they were built—during times of budgetary excess or restraint— and something of the nature of the people of the state. The show will remain open through Friday, June 30, 2017. While the exhibition’s images are full of arresting detail—an unusual view of the rotunda in the capitol building in Hartford, taken from behind the statue, “The Genius of Connecticut,” for example—Ottenstein and Lisak view the collection as photo-

graphic exploration, not documentary. “Photographs have their own language,” Lisak explains. “It’s not always literal, the content of the photo, but how the content resides within the photograph.” As artists, their aim is to get past the notion that a photo is a literal mechanical reproduction of “some piece of the world.” Lisak summarizes, “We are trying to make each photo interesting and compelling as a two-dimensional image, a visual artifact, regardless of the subject matter.” About the Artists David Ottenstein has worked as a free-lance photographer in New Haven, since 1982. His commercial work includes architectural, product, editorial and people photography on location and in the studio. His interest in American history and

culture is reflected in his fine art/documentary work, and led him to photograph interiors of decaying industrial buildings in the northeast U.S., to the Midwest, and more recently, to the mountains and Great Plains of the American West. Photographs from these projects are part of the Western Americana Collection at Yale University’s Beinecke Library, the Permanent Collection of Grinnell College in Grinnell, Iowa, the Nelson-Atkins Museum of American Art, Kansas City, Missouri and the New Britain Museum of American Art, among others. He received a degree from Yale University in American studies with a concentration in photography. Robert Lisak is a photographer and videographer based in New Haven. He has done a wide range of work for commercial, architectural, and non-profit clients, as well as pursuing his personal work for more than 25 years. He is a member of the American Society of Media Photographers and has an MFA in photography from the Yale University School of Art. He taught photography for more than 20 years at Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, Connecticut, where he created the digital photography courses in the Media Studies Department. About the New Haven Museum The New Haven Museum has been collecting, preserving and interpreting the history and heritage of Greater New Haven since its inception as the New Haven Colony Historical Society in 1862. Located in downtown New Haven at 114 Whitney Avenue, the Museum brings more than 375 years of New Haven history to life through its collections, exhibitions, programs and outreach. For more information visit www.newhavenmuseum.org or Facebook.com/NewHavenMuseum or call 203-562-4183.

Con’t from page 19

Sen. Edward Kennedy (1980), Rev. Jesse Jackson (1984 & 1988), and President Bill Clinton (1992 & 1996). In 2001, she was instrumental in the DNC’s creation of the National Development and Voting Rights Institute and the appointment of Mayor Maynard Jackson as its chair. Following the Los Angeles civil unrest in 1992 after the Rodney King verdict, Congresswoman Waters faced the nation’s media and public to interpret the hopelessness and despair in cities across America. Over the years, she has brought many government officials and policy makers to her South Central L.A. district to appeal for more resources. They included President Clinton, Vice President Al Gore, Secretaries of Housing & Urban Development Henry Cisneros and Andrew Cuomo, and Alan Greenspan, chairman of the Federal Reserve System. Following the unrest, she founded Community Build, the city’s grassroots rebuilding project. She has used her skill to shape public policy and deliver the goods: $10 billion in Section 108 loan guarantees to… … cities for economic and infrastructure development, housing and small business expansion; $50 million appropriation for “Youth Fair Chance” program which established an intensive job and life skills training program for unskilled, unemployed youth; expanded U.S. debt relief for Africa and other developing nations; creating a “Center for Women Veterans,” among others. Rep. Waters continues to be an active leader in a broad coalition of residential communities, environmental activists and elected officials that aggressively advocate for the mitigation of harmful impacts of the expansion plan for Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). Furthermore, she continues initiatives to preserve the unique environmental qualities of the Ballona wetlands and bluffs, treasures of her district. She is a co-founder of Black Women’s Forum, a nonprofit organization of over 1,200 African American women in the Los Angeles area. In the mid-80s, she also founded Project Build, working with young people in Los Angeles housing developments on job training and placement. As she confronts the issues such as poverty, economic development, equal justice under the law and other issues of concern to people of color, women, children, and poor people, Rep. Waters enjoys a broad cross section of support from diverse communities across the nation.

AWESOME! First Black Woman THE INNER-CITY NEWS April 05, 2017 - April 11, 2017

With A Patent For All Natural Ingredients by Aria Ellise, BDO Special Contributor In her late twenties, Gwen Jimmere, CEO & Founder of Naturalicious, has become the first African American woman in history to own a U.S. patent on a product made with all-natural ingredients. News of this groundbreaking moment in history has been highlighted across the country in media such as Entrepreneur Magazine, Black Enterprise, Fast Company, and the Tom Joyner Morning Show to name a few. Jimmere received a patent for her Moroccan Rhassoul 5-in-1 Clay Treatment – the first hair care product that allows you to wash, condition, deep condition, leave-in condition and detangle all at once, thereby saving you significant time–nearly 80%– and money without sacrificing healthy and safe ingredients. With over one hundred 5-star reviews across the web, the product is exceptionally popular amongst the natural hair community. This innovative hair product can be purchased separately or as part of her #1 selling OooLaLocks Hair Box – the first and only hair care system that does the work of 13 products in only 4 steps. Customers report that their wash day time has gone from three hours to as quick as 40 minutes after using the Naturalicious system! The revolutionary product’s smart marketing and efficient customer service have fueled Naturalicious’ increasing popularity. It’s available nationwide and on three continents. Upon hearing about Jimmere’s remarkable accomplishment, the Walker Theatre, home to Madam CJ Walker’s historic company headquarters (yes, THAT Madam CJ Walker) and manufacturing facility, reached out to her to congratulate her – letting her

know that Madam Walker would be especially proud of her. For Jimmere, this was sweet validation and a welcome surprise. Jimmere comments, “Madam CJ Walker has always been a huge inspiration to me. Having defied the odds–at a time when she was expected to be a washer woman at best—she was always proof to me that impossible is nothing. So for her headquarters to reach out and give me their blessing… that was enormous and I am definite-

ly humbled.” Jimmere, who is based in Detroit, was subsequently invited to Indianapolis for a private tour of the historic… … building that housed the brainchild of America’s first selfmade female millionaire almost 100 years ago. “I already knew a lot about this great woman, but I learned so much more about her business acumen, how far into the future she planned for, and how she created self-sufficiency 21

and career opportunities for over 30,000 other black women. She’s the epitome of the greatness I strive toward,” she says. In addition to Naturalicious, Gwen is also is the co-founder of Pitch Proof, where she coaches and trains entrepreneurs on how attain to capital for their multimillion dollar ideas without going into debt by preparing for, entering and ultimately winning business pitch competitions, and attracting equity investments.

Con’t from page 11

Trigger

the Helmand River, with the barrel of his rifle in his mouth. He didn’t pull the trigger, and he finished out his deployment in Afghanistan. In May of that year, he was charged with smoking marijuana while serving. Months later, he was given an OTH discharge, and was unable to access VA benefits beyond a month in the Department of Defense’s (DoD) psychiatric unit. It took seven years, fighting for recognition of his PTSD diagnosis with other veterans, before he received health care benefits. “I owe my life to Sen. Murphy and his staff,” Burke said. “These are not men and women who are taking advantage of the system. These are men and women who are broken.” He added that “reintegrating to society is a perilous journey” after the military, and there is “no chance of resiliency” for veterans who are unable to receive the treatment they need. “If You Fight ...” Petkun estimated that OTH discharges affect between 800 and 1,000 veterans in Connecticut who are unable to receive benefits and services from the Department of Veterans Affairs. Those include veterans from the Vietnam War era up to more recent conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. Veterans with OTH discharges are three times as likely to commit suicide as those with general discharges. As of 2016, a VA Study suggested that 20 veterans commit suicide each day. “At the heart of this bill is a very simple premise,” said Murphy Monday. “If you fight for this country ... then you are due benefits.” Arguing that “we are breaking our promise to veterans,” Murphy explained that the bill aims to push the military to treat rather than stigmatize or dismiss mental health problems among soldiers receiving other than honorable discharges. If service members show behavioral discrepancies, suicidal ideations or behavior, or go AWOL, they are often handed OTH discharges, and return home both severed from their military units and unable to receive health care. That’s because only veterans who receive honorable or general discharges are granted access to VA services.

THE INNER-CITY NEWS April 05, 2017 - April 11, 2017

Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee to Black Press: Trump has Endangered America By Harry Colbert, Jr., Insight News/NNPA Member WASHINGTON, DC—On a day that honored a stalwart of the Black Press and saw a liaison of the Trump Administration walk out on a breakfast with members of the Black Press, it was the words of Representative Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas) in a university library that rang the loudest. Rep. Jackson Lee delivered remarks on March 23 in memory of Lenora “Doll” Carter, long-time publisher of the “Houston Forward Times,” who was just enshrined in the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) Gallery of Distinguished Publishers at Howard University’s Founders Library. The enshrinement ceremony is one of the signature events of Black Press Week, an annual celebration in Washington, D.C., attended by NNPA members, partners, sponsors and Black Press contributors.

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The NNPA is a trade group of more than 200 Black-owned media companies operating in 70 markets in the United States.

During her impromptu talk after the enshrinement ceremony, Jackson Lee dropped a bombshell. In talking about the nation’s current president, Jackson Lee minced no words. “This is not a government, right now,” said Jackson Lee in front of nearly 50 members of the Jackson Lee added: “I’m on the route of impeachment.” Jackson Lee said there are a litany of reasons that should disqualify President Donald Trump as president including his potential ties to Russia and its interference in November’s election, but she also said America is unsafe under Trump. “I’m concerned about our nation. I’m concerned about what happens when we get that call about North Korea in the middle of the night,” said Jackson Lee. “You have in office an individual that is unread and unlearned.” Jackson Lee’s statement rang loud, because she is also a member of the House Judiciary and Homeland Security Committees. Some have expressed concerns that an impeachment of Trump would leave the nation under the control of Vice President Mike Pence, who is seen as a staunch conservative with far right-wing views. Jackson Lee does not share in those concerns. “At least he understands governCon’t on page 27

THE INNER-CITY NEWS April 05, 2017 - April 11, 2017

Married in Medicine: From College Sweethearts To Healing A Community

by Ashley White, BlackDoctor.org

A couple that slays goals together, stays together. No one understands that more than Angela Holliday and her fiancé Eldred Bell, whom are both soon to be doctors. Holliday, 26, and Bell, 26, met in 2008 during their freshman year at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign, but they got closer as Bell began tutoring her in organic chemistry during their junior year. The two spent a lot of time studying together and grew closer as friends until they decided to start a relationship. While their relationship continued to blossom, they stayed focused on their academics. During his third year in pharmacy school, Bell, a Chicago native, was inducted into the Phi Lambda Sigma Pharmacy Leadership Society. During her fourth year at medical school, Holliday of Rockford, IL, was the only African American in her class to be inducted into the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society, which recognizes the top 16% of medical students from all UIC campuses. Fast forward to Match Day, March 17, 2017, Holliday and Bell both matched into their number one ranked residency programs. Holliday will complete her pediatrics residency at Children’s National Medical Center in Washington, D.C. Bell will complete his pharmacy residency at Inova Fairfax Hospital in Falls Church, VA. When asked what inspired her to become a doctor, Holliday said: “I made the decision to become a doctor at the very young age of 6 years old. I had an African American female pediatrician who inspired me to become a pediatrician as well. She was so intelligent, compassionate and kind. I was able to see myself in her. From that time on, I made the decision that I would be a ‘baby doctor.’ I loved science and learning about the human body. I took a medical science class in high school where I trained to become a CNA and I loved being in the hospital and interacting with patients. I think becoming a pediatrician is my calling and I’m extremely blessed to live my dream.”

Bell also knew at a young age that he wanted to become a pharmacist. “During high school I had the opportunity to participate in a summer internship at UIC’s College of Pharmacy that exposed me to the many career possibilities in pharmacy. During this time I became fascinated with how medications alter the body and treat diseases. I spent my senior year working at CVS Pharmacy and that solidified my passion for the field. During undergrad, I became more interested in the clinical aspects of pharmacy and decided that I wanted to pursue a residency after pharmacy to further my therapeutic expertise.” Bell will graduate May 4 and Holliday will graduate May 5. Although it would be easy to assume that the pressures of completing their residencies may impact their relationship significantly, the couple will make it a priority to keep each other first. “We cook and eat dinner together and make it a point to have date nights where we spend time just focusing on one another,” says

Holliday. “We also both enjoy working out and try to go to the gym together as often as we can. Professional school is often very demanding but we just try to find as many ways to connect and enjoy one another’s company as possible.” After getting married in June, the newlyweds will be moving to Washington D.C., to complete their residency training. The future Dr. Holliday-Bell plans to work as a primary care outpatient pediatrician in undeserved communities. “The best part of our relationship has been accomplishing our goals together,” says Holliday. “We remember back in undergrad when becoming a doctor was just a dream for both us. We were in the grind together day in and day out, supporting and encouraging one another and believing each other’s dream. From walking across the stage together to earn our Bachelor’s degrees in Molecular and Cellular Biology to being handed our first white coats together, to becoming doctors together, it has been an amazing journey.”

Rep. Jackson SPRING JAZZLee SERIES Con’t from page 23

ment,” said the Texas representaMARCHothy Leavell said Carter lived up to FOURPLAY tive. “And I’m focused on getting her nickname. Live in Concert! him (Pence) out in 2020, anyway. ” FRI “I know why they called her ‘Doll,’” Jackson Lee also remembered “She was beautiful on APRILsaid Leavell, “Doll” Carter, fondly. PETER the outside and WHITE she was beautiful DOUBLE BILL! “Doll was larger than life,” re- on theSPECIAL inside, as well. guest LINDSEY” WEBSTER marked Jackson Lee. Carter lived SAT special Insight News is a member pubin Jackson Lee’s district. of the National NewspaMAY lication MARION MEADOWS Carter, who died in 2010, also per Publishers Association. Learn served as the treasurer of the more&about PAUL TAYLOR becoming a member at NNPA. She was rememberedSAT as www.nnpa.org. a powerful businesswoman and a JUNE CANDY DULFER loving friend. SPECIAL DOUBLE BILL! Colleague and close friend Dorspecial guest GRACE KELLY FRI

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THE INNER-CITY NEWS April 05, 2017 - April 11, 2017

Help Wanted:

Immediate opening for construction laborer for Heavy and Highway Construction. Please call PJF Construction Corp.@ 860-888-9998. We are an equal opportunity employer M/F Help Wanted: Immediate opening for Dump Truck Driver for Heavy and Highway Construction. CDL A license and clean driving record required. Please call PJF Construction Corp. @ 860-888-9998. We are an equal opportunity employer M/F.

The Housing Authority of the City of Bridgeport Request for Proposal (RFP) for Security Guard Services Solicitation Number: 077-SEC-17-S The Housing Authority of the City of Bridgeport d/b/a Park City Communities (PCC) is currently requesting proposals from qualified security firms to provide security guard services at various public housing complexes throughout the city of Bridgeport. Solicitation package will be available on April 3, 2017. To obtain a copy of the solicitation you must send your request to bids@parkcitycommunities.org, please reference solicitation number and title on the subject line. A pre-proposal conference will be held at 150 Highland Ave, Bridgeport, CT 06604 on April 12, 2017, @ 10:00 a.m. Although attendance is not mandatory, submitting a bid for the project without attending conference is not in the best interest of the Offeror. Additional questions should be emailed only to bids@parkcitycommunities.org no later than April 21, 2017 @ 3:00 p.m. Answers to all the questions will be posted on PCC’s Website: www.parkcitycommunities.org. Proposals shall be mailed or hand delivered by May 2, 2016 @ 3:00 PM, to Ms. Caroline Sanchez, Contract Specialist, 150 Highland Ave, Bridgeport, CT 06604. Late proposals will not be accepted. Resident Services & Administration Assistant The Housing Authority of the Town of Westport Minimum Salary: $42,500 annual Application DEADLINE is MARCH 24, 2017 General Description of Work:

The Resident Services & Administration Assistant is a key Westport Housing Authority (WHA) staff position that insures residents’ services are the Authority’s first priority. In addition, the Resident Services & Administration Assistant is responsible for initial and ongoing engagement of residents and related administrative duties. The Resident Services & Administration Assistant is also responsible for assisting the Director of Programs and Resident Services in the administration, monitoring, and oversight of resident files and records; applicants’ eligibility determinations; waiting list inquiries; and other tasks required insuring 100% occupancy at the WHA and its affiliates’ housing properties. A full job description and employment application is available at www.westportct.gov or by calling 203-227-4672 x 12. Applications must be postmarked on or before March 24, 2017 to be considered and the WHA reserves the right to be begin interviewing candidates prior to the application deadline. Employment is contingent upon the successful completion of: (1) a background check, (2) a physical examination, including drug screening, and (3) a 90-day probationary period. Applications & job descriptions are available at the Westport Housing Authority’s office located at 5 Canal Street, Westport, CT 06880, Monday-Friday, 11 A.M. to 4 P.M, or downloaded from the website listed above. To be considered for this position, the applicant must complete the job application and attached a Resume which should be mailed to the address above. Fax, email or hand delivered applications will not be accepted. Minority and Bilingual applicants are encouraged to apply. The Housing Authority of the Town of Westport is EOE, M/F/D employer.

CDL CLASS A TRACTOR TRAILER DRIVER NEEDED. F/T SEND RESUME: GWF@SNET.NET OR CALL 860-274-9668 Thank you, Susan

American Industries is hiring CDL drivers for our fleet of 2017 Mack Granite Tri- Axle Dump trucks for the up coming paving season.Applicants must have a clean driving record and be able to pass a pre-employment drug and alcohol screening. Experienced in tri-axle dump truck is helpful, but willing to train the right candidates. . Applications are available at

American Industries Inc.

630 Plainfield Rd Jewett City, CT 06351 Job Type: Full-time Preferred experience: • Tri-axle Dump truck w/ paving: 1 year Required license or certification: • Current CDL License and Medical Card Class A Driver

Class A CDL Driver

with 3 years min. exp. HAZMAT Endorsed. (Tractor/Triaxle/Roll-off ) Some overnights may be required. FAX resumes to RED Technologies, at 860.342-1042; Email: HR@redtechllc.com Mail or in person: 173 Pickering Street, Portland, CT 06480. RED Technologies, LLC is An EOE.

KMK Insulation Inc. 1907 Hartford Turnpike North Haven, CT 06473

Mechanical Insulator

Insulation Company offering good pay and benefits. Please forward resume via REGULAR MAIL only. This company is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer

TOWN CLERK ASSISTANT TOWN CLERK - Assists in the administration and supervision of the

Town Clerks Office. Supervises clerical workers and others assigned. Position requires H.S. graduation or GED and 6 yrs. experience office work of which one (1) year involved supervision. College level training in business or public administration or related field may be substituted for work experience on the basis of one (1) year of college for one (1) year of work experience up to four (4) years. Must possess and maintain State of Connecticut certification as a Municipal Clerk within three (3) years of hire. Salary: $23.52 to $28.48 hourly, plus an excellent fringe benefit package. Apply: Personnel Department, Town of Wallingford, 45 South Main Street, Wallingford, CT 06492. The closing date will be that date the 75th application form/resume is received, or March 15, 2017, whichever occurs first. EOE

New Reach Inc., with its Managing Agent DeMarco Management Corporation are pleased

to announce that applications are being accepted March 15, 2017 through April 28, 2017 for the Geller Commons Apartments located at 135-145 Sanford St., Hamden, CT. We have spacious one-bedroom units. Amenities include all new appliances, handicap accessible units, heat and hot water is included. Geller Commons is a smoke free community. Certain program and income limit restrictions apply. Applications are available at DeMarco Management Corporation, 117 Murphy Rd, Hartford, CT 06114 or you can request an application either by phone (860)951-9411 email at: compliance@demarcomc.com or by AT&T relay service by dialing 711. All applications must be returned to DeMarco Management by midnight on April 28, 2017. **APPLICATIONS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED AT THE PROPERTY** Project Financed by Connection Housing Finance Authority Equal Housing Opportunities

New Reach Inc., con su Agente Gerente DeMarco Management Corporation, se complace en anunciar que las solicitudes serán aceptadas entre el 15 de marzo de 2017 y el 28 de abril de 2017 para los Geller Commons Apartments ubicados en 135-145 Sanford St., Hamden, CT. Tenemos amplias unidades de un dormitorio. Las comodidades incluyen todos los electrodomésticos nuevos, unidades accesibles para discapacitados, caliente y agua caliente está incluido. Geller Commons es una comunidad libre de humo. Ciertas restricciones de límites de ingresos y programas se aplican. Las solicitudes están disponibles en DeMarco Management Corporación, 117 Murphy Rd, Hartford, CT 06114 o al (866) 951-9411 correo electrónico: compliance@demarcomc.como por servicio de retransmisión AT & T marcando 711. Todas las solicitudes deben devolverse a DeMarco Manejo a medianoche del 28 de abril de 2017. ** APLICACIONES NO SERÁN ACEPTADAS EN LA PROPIEDAD ** Projecto de Finanzas por CHFA Igualdad de Oportunidades de Vivienda

Construction oriented company seeking full-time Accounting/Administrative Assistant to answer phones, schedule sales appts, filing, typing & other general office duties. Will also have accounting responsibilities-data entry, sales order billing, and processing A/P transactions, supporting our overthe-counter sales person, the controller & CFO. Min 5 yrs. Related experience, excellent written & verbal skills, ability to multitask, knowledge of basic accounting principles, excellent computer skills (5+ yrs. Experience) with Excel & Word, accounting software knowledge a plus. $31,200 annual salary-negotiable based on experience & qualifications. AA/EOE Email resume to mmunzner@atlasoutdoor.com

Request for Specialty Crop Block Grant Concept Proposals The Connecticut Department of Agriculture is seeking concept proposal for projects that solely enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops. Specialty crops are defined by the USDA as fruits and vegetables, dried fruit, tree nuts, maple syrup, honey, horticulture, and nursery crops. Projects must impact and produce measurable outcomes for the specialty crop industry and/or the public. Projects cannot begin until after January 1, 2018, and must be completed by September 29, 2020. The maximum award is $75,000. More info and complete application guidelines are available at www.CTGrown.gov/grants, or by contacting Jaime Smith at 860-713-2559 or jaime.smith@ct.gov. Concept proposals are due to the Connecticut Department of Agriculture by 4:00 p.m. on March 29, 2017.

THE INNER-CITY NEWS April 05, 2017 - April 11, 2017

ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS FOR THE TRUMBULL HOUSING AUTHORITY – STERN VILLAGE

The Glendower Group, Inc Invitation for Bids

Accepting Applications for NON-SMOKERS ONLY

Starting April 3, 2017 at 9 AM & Ending on April 30, 2017 at 4 PM Applications postmarked before April 3 or after April 30 will not be accepted. Eligible applicant households must have a head, co-head, or spouse age 62 or older, or eligible disabled, at least 18 years old to qualify. Applicants who meet the criteria which are: national credit & criminal background checks, landlord verification and interviews will be selected randomly for a place on the waiting list by a lottery system.

OPENINGS ARE FOR NON-SMOKERS ONLY!

Income Cannot Exceed:

$46,000/YEAR FOR 1 PERSON $52,600/YEAR FOR 2 PEOPLE

For one person the base rent is $400. For two people the base rent is $450.

Code Compliance Consultant

The Glendower Group, Inc an affiliate of Housing Authority City of New Haven d/b/a Elm city Communities is currently seeking BIDS for Code Compliance Consultant. A complete copy of the requirement may be obtained from Elm City’s Vendor Collaboration Portal https://newhavenhousing.cobblestonesystems.com/gateway beginning on Wednesday, April 5, 2017 at 3:00 PM, EST.

The Glendower Group, Inc Invitation for Bids

Tenant cannot pay lower than the base rent. Tenant pays for utilities (except water) and cable TV. Rent calculation is based on 30% of adjusted monthly income. Applications can be downloaded at www.sternvillage.com, or can be obtained at The THA Office, located in the Stern Village Community Room, at 200 Hedgehog Circle, Trumbull, CT between 9 am and 4 pm weekdays. -Apply by mail or drop off your completed application to the THA. -For an application to be mailed back, address an envelope to the THA and include a prestamped, self-addressed envelope.

Phone, fax, email or voice-mail applications will NOT be accepted. Only one application per family; one family submitting more than one application will be disqualiﬁed. The Trumbull Housing Authority does not discriminate in admission or access to its housing programs on the basis of race, color, creed, national origin, ancestry, sex, marital status, age, mental retardation, mental or learning or physical disability, handicapped condition, and hearing impairment, lawful source of income, familial status, and sexual orientation. Both State & Federal Law contain specific exceptions for certain protected classes.

For additional information, please call the Main Ofﬁce: 203-261-5740 x1 for Heather LeMoult, Ofﬁce Assistant

Landscaping Services

The Glendower Group, Inc an affiliate of Housing Authority City of New Haven d/b/a Elm city Communities is currently seeking BIDS for Landscaping Services . A complete copy of the requirement may be obtained from Elm City’s Vendor Collaboration Portal https://newhavenhousing.cobblestonesystems.com/gateway beginning on Wednesday, April 5, 2017 at 3:00 PM, EST. KMK Insulation Inc. 1907 Hartford Turnpike North Haven, CT 06473 Mechanical Insulator Insulation Company offering good pay and benefits. Please forward resume via REGULAR MAIL only. This company is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer

TRUMBULL HOUSING AUTHORITY 200 HEDGEHOG CIRCLE

The City of Norwalk Housing Authority of Norwalk, CT

is seeking bids for (1) F250 pickup truck and (1)Transit Connect Van. Bidding documents can be viewed and printed atwww.norwalkha.org under the Business tab, RFPs/RFQs. Norwalk Housing Authority is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Curtis O. Law, Executive Director

The GUILFORD HOUSING AUTHORITY is currently accepting applications for COUPLES ONLY for its one bedroom apartments At Guilford Court and Boston Terrace 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. An information packet will also be provided with the application. Applications will be accepted until June 30th , 2017. Credit, Police and Landlord checks are procured by the authority. Smoke Free Housing.

THE COVENTRY HOUSING AUTHORITY Pre-applications for waiting list at Orchard Hill Estates I & II Housing Complex will be accepted until June 30, 2017. To qualify, you must be at least 62 years old or disabled by Social Security. Current income limits are determined by the Office of Housing and Urban Development. Interested parties may pick up an application online at coventryct.org, or at 1630 Main St., Coventry, CT 06238 or have one mailed by calling 860-742-5518.

Elementary Café Manager

10 months per year – 20 hours per week The Town of Wallingford Board of Education Food Service Department is seeking a skilled individual to coordinate and manage the activities of the other foodservice employees within the facility. Applicants must have a high school degree or equivalent. Ability to read, write, and speak English. Individuals must have experience in food service with school food service experience preferred. Supervisory experience also preferred. Special Requirement: Must possess sanitation certification from an approved Dept. of Education source. Hourly Rate of $16.41 per hour plus an excellent fringe benefit package. Apply to: Personnel Department, Town of Wallingford, 45 South Main Street, Wallingford, CT 06492. Fax #: (203) 294-2084. Closing date will be March 1, 2017 or the date the 50th application is received, whichever occurs first. EOE.

Town of Bloomﬁeld

Assistant Director of Public Works Salary $74,337 - $114,743 For details and how to apply, go to www.bloomfieldct.org Pre-employment drug testing required AA/EOE

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY HOUSING

THE INNER-CITY NEWS April 05, 2017 - April 11, 2017

The Housing Authority of the City of Bridgeport

Laborers/Pipe Layers

Currently seeking laborers/pipe layers; 5 years min. exp., OSHA 10 preferred. Please forward resumes to RED Technologies, LLC, 10 Northwood Dr., Bloomfield, CT 06002; Fax 860.218.2433; visit RED for an application or Email resumes to info@redtechllc.com. RED Technologies, LLC is an EOE.

Construction Inspector (temporary) – Town of Manchester $30/hr - 40 hrs/wk approx. 20 wk duration CLOSING DATE: Friday, March 17, 2017 Call HR Recruitment Line at (860) 647-3170 for info or view website: www.townofmanchester.org.

Fireﬁghter/Paramedic – Town of Manchester

$54,496.45 Paramedic Lic./CPAT cert. req’d CLOSING DATE: March 31, 2017 Call HR Recruitment Line at (860) 647-3170 for info or view website: www.townofmanchester.org

The GUILFORD HOUSING AUTHORITY is currently accepting applications

for COUPLES ONLY for its one bedroom apartments at Guilford Court and Boston Terrace 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. An information packet will also be provided with the application. Applications will be accepted until March 31, 2017. Credit, police and landlord checks are procured by the authority. Smoke free housing. EQUAL OPPORTUNITY HOUSING

Mechanical Insulator

Insulation Company offering good pay and benefits. Please forward resume to P.O. Box 475, North Haven, CT 06473 This company is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer American Industries is hiring CDL drivers for our fleet of 2017 Mack Granite Tri- Axle Dump trucks for the up coming paving season. Applicants must have a clean driving record and be able to pass a preemployment drug and alcohol screening.Experienced in tri-axle dump truck is helpful, but willing to train the right candidates. .Applications are available at

American Industries Inc.

630 Plainfield Rd Jewett City, CT 06351 Job Type: Full-time Preferred experience: • Tri-axle Dump truck w/ paving: 1 year

Invitation for Bid (IFB) Trumbull Gardens – Building 10 & 11 Roof Replacement Solicitation Number: 075-PD-17-S The Housing Authority of the City of Bridgeport d/b/a Park City Communities (PCC) is requesting sealed bids for the replacement of roofs at Trumbull Gardens building 10 & 11. A complete set of the plans and technical specifications will be available on February 15, 2017. To obtain a copy of the solicitation you must send your request to bids@parkcitycommunities.org, please reference solicitation number and title on the subject line. A pre-bid conference will be held at 150 Highland Ave, Bridgeport, CT 06604 on March 1, 2017 @ 2:00 p.m. Although attendance is not mandatory, submitting a bid for the project without attending conference is not in the best interest of the Offeror. Additional questions should be emailed only to bids@parkcitycommunities.org no later than March 10, 2017 @ 2:00 p.m. Answers to all the questions will be posted on PCC’s Website: www. parkcitycommunities.org. All bids must be received by mailed or hand delivered by March 21, 2017 @ 2:00 PM, to Ms. Caroline Sanchez, Contract Specialist, 150 Highland Ave, Bridgeport, CT 06604, at which time and place all bids will be publicly opened and read aloud. No bids will be accepted after the designated time.

CONTRACTOR OPPORTUNITY - BRIDGEPORT

Construction Resources, Inc., an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer, seeks certified MBE/WBE/SBE Subcontractors and/or suppliers and local business enterprises to bid applicable sections of work/equipment/supplies for the following construction project: Project known as South End Commons - Demolition of existing properties and new construction of eight (8) residential two-family dwellings and site improvements located on Columbia Street and Johnson Street in Bridgeport, CT. Bid Date and Time: Tuesday, February 21, 2017 by 12:00 noon. Electronic Plans and specifications can be obtained at no charge by contacting Mark Rubins at Construction Resources Farmington office at (860) 678-0663 or by email to mark@corebuilds.com.

Electrical Apprentice Maintenance Electrician - The Town of Wallingford Public Utilities, Electric Division is seeking an individual to perform maintenance and installation of electrical equipment such as but not limited to maintaining and repairing high and low voltage equipment. Position requires completion of high school, technical high school or trade school plus two (2) years’ experience in electrical maintenance or construction OR an equivalent combination of education and qualifying experience substituting on a year-for-year basis. Must possess and maintain a valid State of Connecticut motor vehicle operator’s license. Wages: $24.63– $32.77 hourly and an excellent fringe benefit package. Apply to: Personnel Department, Town of Wallingford, 45 South Main Street, Wallingford, CT 06492. Fax #: (203) 294-2084. The closing date will be the date the 75th application or resume is received or January 30, 2017 whichever occurs first. EOE.

Common Ground High School Seeks Curriculum Development Consultant Common Ground High School is seeking an experienced, creative professional who can work with teachers, school leaders, students, families, and community partners to strengthen our curriculum and classroom teaching — ensuring it is driven by standards, rooted in our local community and unique site, culturally relevant and inclusive, contributing to social justice, and pushing students towards both environmental leadership and college success. For a complete job description and compensation information, please visit http:// commongroundct.org/2017/01/common-ground-seeks-curriculum-development-consultant

Required license or certification:

• Current CDL License and Medical Card

The Housing Authority of the City of Norwalk, CT

is seeking bids for Janitorial Services. Bidding documents can be viewed and printed at www.norwalkha.org under the business tab, RFPs/RFQs. Norwalk Housing Authority is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Curtis O. Law, Executive Director

ELECTRICIANS

Semac Electric is seeking Electricians (CT Licensed Journeymen & Foremen, E1 and E2) to join our team for medium & large commercial construction projects thru out the State of CT: Hartford, Fairfield & New Haven Counties. We have excellent wages and benefits. We are an Equal Opportunity Employer. Applications available at our main office at 45 Peter Court, New Britain, CT or send resume to

Facilities Manager – Portland, CT:

Responsible for leadership, management & maintenance of plant infrastructure and all related/associated equipment. 5 plus years supervisory experience. Email: Info@redtechllc.com, Fax: 860-218-2433, RED Technologies, LLC is an EOE.

Class A Driver Class A CDL Driver with 3 years min. exp. HAZMAT Endorsed. (Tractor/Triaxle/Roll-off) Some overnights may be required. FAX resumes to RED Technologies, at 860.342-1042; Email: HR@redtechllc.com Mail or in person: 173 Pickering Street, Portland, CT 06480.

RED Technologies, LLC is An EOE.

THE INNER-CITY NEWS April 05, 2017 - April 11, 2017

Say Amen, Somebody

George T. Nierenberg, 1983 Screening and discussion with Mellonee Burnim

monday, april 10 · 6:30 pm

Whitney Humanities Center · 53 Wall St., New Haven Offered in conjunction with the symposium The Afterlives of Amazing Grace: Religion and the Making of Black Music in a Post-Soul Age (ism.yale.edu/PostSoul)

Free; no tickets required. ism.yale.edu 27

THE INNER-CITY NEWS April 05, 2017 - April 11, 2017

Always have the home field advantage There’s more to stream to any screen with XFINITY X1. Enjoy live TV, sports, thousands of XFINITY On Demand TV shows and movies, even your personal DVR library — all on the go with the XFINITY Stream app. Plus, XFINITY Internet delivers fast in-home WiFi with the most coverage for your home and access to millions of hotspots nationwide. No matter the score, you’re always up with X1.

XFINITY X1 Triple Play

Ask how to get a $200 Visa® Prepaid Card when you step up to a Complete HD Triple Play

a month for 24 months with a 2-year agreement

Call 1-800-XFINITY or visit xfinity.com today

Offer ends 6/21/17, and is limited to new residential customers. Restrictions apply. Not available in all areas. Requires subscription to Starter XF Triple Play with Digital Starter TV, Performance Pro Internet and XFINITY Voice Unlimited services. Early termination fee applies if all XFINITY services are cancelled during the agreement term. Equipment, installation, taxes and fees, including regulatory recovery fees, Broadcast TV Fee (up to $7.00/mo.), Regional Sports Network Fee (up to $5.00/mo.) and other applicable charges extra and subject to change during and after the promo. After promo, or if any service is cancelled or downgraded, regular charges apply (subject to change). Service limited to a single outlet. May not be combined with other offers. TV: Limited Basic service subscription required to receive other levels of service. On Demand selections subject to charge indicated at time of purchase. Internet: Actual speeds vary and are not guaranteed. Requires XFINITY service. WiFi claim based on March 2016 study by Allion Test Labs, Inc. of router performance period. Money-back guarantee applies to one month’s recurring service charge and standard installation charges up to $500. Voice: $29.95 activation fee applies. If there is a power outage or network issue, calling, including calls to 911, may be unavailable. Visa® prepaid card offer requires minimum term agreement. Cards issued by Citibank, N.A. pursuant to a license from Visa® U.S.A. Inc. and managed by Citi Prepaid Services. Cards will not have cash access and can be used everywhere Visa® debit cards are accepted. Money-back guarantee applies to one month’s recurring service charge and standard installation charges up to $500. © 2017 Comcast. NPA201403-0001 DIV17-2-203-AA-$89x24-A3

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