THE INNER-CITY INNER-CITY NEWS May 27, - 202016 , 2020- August - May 02, 26, 2016 2020 NEWS- July
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THE INNER-CITY NEWS -
May 20, 2020 - May 26, 2020
Back Pay Withheld From Bus Drivers by SAM GURWITT
New Haven I ndependent
School bus driver Santia Bennett stopped getting a paycheck from First Student March 13, and her unemployment insurance application is still pending. After fighting for a contract amendment with Hamden that should allow it to pay its drivers for April, First Student kept Bennett waiting even longer, saying she cannot get back pay until the Department of Labor denies her unemployment claim. Last week, after weeks of negotiations, the Hamden Board of Education finally approved the contract amendment with First Student. First Student had originally asked for $2.19 million for the period from March 13, when school closed due to the Covid-19 pandemic, to the end of the school year. Hamden negotiated the total down to $1.18 million, with the amendment effective starting April 1. Under the amendment, the company can bill the board monthly for employee salaries and certain other expenses for the period starting April 1. The April 1 start date corresponded with when Gov. Ned Lamont issued an executive order directing boards of education to pay its bus contractors, though drivers were laid off March 13. The intent of the order was to allow companies to continue paying their employees. On May 8, all employees at the Hamden yard got their first paycheck from First Student since March. It covered the week from April 27 until May 3. Many had managed to get unemployment insurance starting in March, and did not need back pay from First Student. Some, however, have been trying unsuc-
Bennett: When choice is rent or food, you pay for food.
cessfully to get unemployment insurance for two months. Now First Student has told them they cannot get back pay for April until they have an actual denial notice from the Department of Labor. Only a handful of drivers — six, according to one driver with knowledge of the payments — have been paid for the rest of April. On May 7, two days after the BOE approved its contract amendment with First Student, Bennett got a call from the dispatcher at the Hamden yard. The dispatcher told her that she would be getting a check the next day. It would be for $333: one
week of pay. Bennett said she asked why she was not getting pay for all of April. “You negotiated a contract that allows you to pay back pay,” she recalled saying. She said the company told her that she could not receive payment for April until she had a letter of denial showing she could not get unemployment benefits. Bennett said she started the unemployment filing process on March 13, right after she was laid off. When she logs into the system now, it still shows “Code 108,” meaning the application is still being processed. Bennett said she may not be able to get unemployment at all because she works
two other jobs. She’s a part-time caretaker at a group home in Hamden; she also works part-time at a retail clothing store in Milford. Her group home job has given her some work, but otherwise she has had no income since March. She may still get unemployment insurance, but she said she can’t wait any longer. “I would rather [get back pay] than sit around and wait for a check that may or may not come,” she said. With little income for two months, she has stopped paying rent. Though her landlord has been accommodating, she said, it still feels bad. “When I go get groceries, I feel like I’m slighting him because I haven’t paid rent,” she said. But what can she do? she asked. When the choice is between paying rent and buying food, you buy food. Another employee who witnessed conversations regarding Bennett’s situation said that after Bennett hung up the phone, management caved and cut her a check for back pay. On Friday, she may become the seventh employee to get back pay, but not without putting up a fight. The other employee spoke on the condition of anonymity because employees are not supposed to speak to the press. First Student’s corporate office did not respond to a request for comment for this article. Nor did Hamden Location Manager Anthony Pacheco. Hamden Public Schools Chief Operating Officer Tom Ariola, who negotiated the contract amendment for the district, said it’s a company decision how much First Student pays its drivers. The contract with the board simply allows the company to bill the board for its expenses up to $1.18 mil-
lion starting April 1, but does not require it to pay drivers for April. If First Student does not incur the full $1.18 million by paying back pay, then Hamden will owe it less. Bennett is not the only driver who has been unable to get unemployment insurance and can’t get back pay either. The Independent spoke with three employees who are in this situation. All said they had been told they needed to show a denial from the Department of Labor in order to get back pay. The reasons various employees said they had heard for that policy differed. And some have received a denial but have been asked to try again. “According to what I was told, they are protecting us from being penalized if we get paid by First Student and the Department of Labor,” said one employee, who spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear they would lose their job. That was the same explanation Bennett said she had received. She said the location manager told her the company was trying to prevent its employees from being penalized for receiving both back pay and unemployment benefits. Unlike Bennett, the other employee did not have a “Code 108” on their unemployment application. They have applied multiple times and have been rejected each time, receiving an actual letter of denial. They said it may be because they had already exhausted their normal unemployment benefits earlier in the year, though the federal stimulus allows laid-off employees in that situation an additional 13 weeks of benefits. Con’t on page 06
Lamont Extends Free Plastic Bag Use, Eyes June 20 for Phase 2 by Christine Stuart Ct. News Junkie
HARTFORD, CT — As Gov. Ned Lamont looks to begin reopening the economy next week, there are some deadlines he’s had to reconsider — like the suspension of the tax on plastic bags. In his 41st executive order Lamont extended the suspension of the tax on single-use plastic bags until June 30. It was originally set to expire on May 15. Support authentic, locally owned and operated public service journalism! Become a member Lamont suspended the tax at the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak because there were too many questions about how long the virus could live on certain surfaces and whether bringing reusable bags into stores would further community spread. “During the height of things we didn’t want all that touch going on,” Lamont said. The suspension paved the way for stores to provide single-use plastic bags to customers for free. Wayne Pesce, president of the Connect-
icut Food Association, thanked Lamont for extending the suspension of the tax. Pesce said he’s not sure consumers were ready for the change.
“They need time to adjust to rules so I think it’s a good thing the governor extended the executive order,” Pesce said. Pesce said safety and economic concerns are still on people’s minds and you have to be “careful about throwing too much at citizens at one time.” As of Wednesday, there were 34,855 Connecticut residents who have tested positive for COVID-19. There are 1,158 patients hospitalized and 3,125 people have died. While hospitalizations have continued to decrease, the number of tests performed on a daily basis is still below the 6,000 tests per day Dr. Albert Ko, who is chairing the Reopening Connecticut Advisory Committee, has said are necessary for him to feel comfortable reopening on May 20. On Wednesday, the state reported that it tested 4,122 people since the previous
day. A total of 142,943 tests have been given since the state first started reporting the numbers in mid-March. Lamont is planning to move forward with the first phase of the reopening on May 20. The first phase will allow restaurants with outdoor seating to open for more than take-out and delivery and it will allow hair salons and barbers to reopen. Retail locations like malls will also be able to reopen at half their capacity with appropriate social distancing. He said Wednesday that the second phase will likely begin on June 20. Sen. Paul Formica, R-East Lyme, who owns a restaurant, said the industry is asking for dine-in service to begin sooner, on June 3. Lamont said the state is allowing outside dining starting on May 20 because you’re 90% less likely to catch the infection outside than inside. “I think we’re going to get to inside dining, but it’s not simply a matter of the state saying June 20. It’s also a matter of giving the consumers confidence,” Lamont said. “Let’s err on the side of
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JACK KRAMER / CTNEWSJUNKIE FILE PHOTO
Plastic bags
caution here.” Formica said he doesn’t want to give up July and August, if there’s a second wave of the virus, for a hurried opening in June, but it’s up to people to take personal responsibility “if we’re going to make this work.”
He said he would like Lamont to take a look at June 3 for dine-in service, but wants to “proceed cautiously.” Lamont said next Wednesday will not be a “light switch” that turns on, “I think it will phase in over a period of time.”
THE INNER-CITY NEWS - May - 20, 2020 - May 26, 2020
GOP Endorses Logan For 3rd Term by LAURA GLESBY
New Haven I ndependent
State Sen. George Logan accepted the Connecticut Republican Party’s endorsement Monday night to continue representing Connecticut’s 17th District with a promise to support businesses and oppose tax increases. Logan is running for a third two-year term to represent the district, which stretches from Eastern Hamden to Beacon Falls to Ansonia, encompassing constituents from across the political spectrum. He received the party’s nomination uncontested at a speedy convention held Monday evening over RingCentral. Democrats Justin Farmer and Jorge Cabrera are competing for the Democratic Party’s endorsement on Tuesday night to challenge Logan. (Read more about that here.) Logan ran against Cabrera for the seat in 2018, defeating him by just 77 votes. Logan’s fellow Republicans praised his hard work and determination. Logan is an omnipresence at diners and community events throughout the district, documented in an active Instagram account. “He listens. He cares. He goes from morning ‘til night reaching out to residents of the towns he represents,” said Kristi Pistarelli, who nominated Logan for the endorsement. “I really don’t think he sleeps. I really don’t.” David Papcin, who seconded the nomination, added that Logan is “deeply embedded in the community.” “Whether it is something like calling you back, or something major like providing
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PPE [personal protective equipment] to essential healthcare workers, I know that every single resident in our community has an advocate in Senator Logan,” Papcin said. As he accepted the endorsement, Logan promised to “work harder than ever” to accomplish his legislative goals of stopping tax increases and promoting businesses’ growth. Logan touted his record of voting and advocating for those priorities, including his resistance to a proposal to add tolls to Connecticut highways last year. He warned Democrats would seek to impose new taxes and tolls in the next
legislative term. “I’m looking forward to going back and stopping all of the bad policies that you’ve heard of before,” he said. “We need to make Connecticut more affordable for our residents,” he said. “We hear over and over again how the increase in taxes is really hurting the abilities of people to live well.” Logan also mentioned promoting manufacturing industries in order to build a “vibrant business economy.” He spoke further about these goals and debated tax and toll issues on a recent (pre-pandemic) episode of Dateline New Haven.
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THE INNER-CITY NEWS -
May 20, 2020 - May 26, 2020
Dalio, Lamont Disband Partnership for Connecticut by Christine Stuart Ct. News Junkie
After 15 months, Dalio Philanthropies and Gov. Ned Lamont announced Tuesday they were ending the Partnership for Connecticut, the joint public-private venture created to help at-risk youth. Barbara Dalio, co-founder and director of Dalio Philanthropies, blamed Republican lawmakers. Support authentic, locally owned and operated public service journalism! “Our dream of working together in a bipartisan way to help the disengaged and disconnected youth of Connecticut came to an end because politicians like the two leading Republicans of the House, Rep. Klarides and Rep. Candelora, want to fight in the media rather than debate issues and resolve them with other board members,” Dalio said. “They sought to sabotage The Partnership. It can’t go on like this, so I suppose they ‘won.’” The Partnership for Connecticut was expected to dole out about $20 million in state funds in addition to $100 million from Dalio Philanthropies. The 13-member board that oversaw The Partnership is expected to vote to disband it. At a press conference on the north steps of the state Capitol, Lamont said “due to a breach of trust,” he and Dalio agreed
it’s time to “disband The Partnership.” He said in order to be a member of the board “it really is important to have trust there and make sure nobody is trying to undermine the core mission.” Last week someone “leaked” an email to the Hartford Courant that detailed discussions between the board and Mary Anne Schmitt-Carey, who was hired on March 23 as CEO. In the email, SchmittCarey complained of a May 4 attempt to fire her less than two months into her $247,500-a-year job. “A lot of members really wanted to undermine the mission of the board. A lot that was reflected in leaks,” Lamont said Tuesday. “Some of that was reflected in the leak just this past week of a very sensitive personnel matter.” The Partnership, which was created by the legislature, exempted itself from Freedom of Information laws and faced criticism resulting from that decision. “The Partnership, well-intentioned as it was, came into existence under a cloud no public hearing, and the ability to conduct its business behind closed doors,” Rep. Vincent Candelora, R-North Branford, said. “It became the brightest example of state government’s growing disconnect with the people it serves, and like the push for tolls before it, this
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development should be a flashing signal to the governor that an overall change of approach is desperately needed as he takes on his biggest and most important policy endeavor yet the process of reopening our state.” Dalio said her and her husband, Ray Dalio, will still commit $100 million over the next four years to address the
needs of young people who are disengaged or disconnected here in their home state. Lamont said the matching state funds will be deposited in the general fund. “We are disappointed that The Partnership didn’t work out, but we are excited to continue the mission that we believe deeply is so important,” Dalio said.
NHPS: Covid $ Not A Blank Check by EMILY HAYS
New Haven I ndependent
Laptops are a yes, teacher salaries likely a no. These are some of the early guidelines for which gaps $8.5 million in federal Covid-19 relief dollars can fill, New Haven Public Schools administrators explained to the Board of Education Finance and Operations (F&O) Committee on Monday. “We’re going to sink a lot of that into a 1:1 student to technology ratio, so we’re not having problems of students without devices. That for me is the number one priority,” said Interim Superintendent Iline Tracey. Gov. Ned Lamont announced on Thursday that Connecticut has received $111 million through the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Security (CARES) Act to distribute to school districts throughout the state. This announcement unleashed confusion in New Haven, according to the members of the F&O committee. Committee Chair Matthew Wilcox said that his neighbor thought the CARES dollars settled the gap between the draft budgets proposed by district and city leaders. This perception particularly worried the F&O committee, given that Board of Alders Finance Committee recently
Interim Superintendent Iline Tracey: Buying laptops would be first priority.
proposed slimming the district’s budget further. The district has been planning to handle the mayor’s proposal by eliminating teacher positions after resignations and retirements, which would mean larger class sizes and fewer electives, among other measures. “We need to make sure that every alder knows that a vote for the funding amount that the Finance Committee recommend-
ed is a vote for everything on our mitigation list, plus,” Wilcox said. “If you vote for it, you’re voting for fewer teachers.” Chief Financial Officer Phillip Penn said that clearing up the misunderstandings around the CARES Act dollars would help with that mission. The district still needs to apply to receive the grant earmarked for them, Tracey said. “We probably do not want to spend
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the whole grant at once. We don’t know whether there will be a second wave [of infections],” Penn said. Penn explained that schools are supposed to spend the Covid-19 relief aid on certain focus areas, like technology for distance learning, supplemental programs to decrease learning gaps between students and mental health support. “The intent of the grant is to cover Covid-19 related costs and the recovery/ restoration process. It’s not intended to be a replacement for general education funding,” Penn said in a follow-up email to the Independent. The parent and teacher group NHPS Advocates wrote to the Board of Education before Monday’s meeting to ask that the process of deciding how to spend CARES Act dollars be transparent and inclusive. That could mean a public presentation on the district’s plans plus a public comment period, the email said. On Monday evening, Penn said that administrators would not have a plan for how to spend the money until they saw the grant application guidelines. This is unlikely to happen by the full board meeting next Monday, he said. Wilcox asked Penn and Tracey to update the full board on Monday regardless of whether they have new information.
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THE INNER-CITY NEWS - May - 20, 2020 - May 26, 2020
HSC Students Turn Crisis Into Memoir
Telehealth. Care, wherever you are.
CONTRIBUTED PHOTOS HSC seniors Carlomagno Villanueva Torres, Emma Bender and Simone Henderson.
by EMILY HAYS
New Haven I ndependent
High School in the Community senior Simone Henderson had worried about how as an introvert she would handle her graduation party. “Now there has been some shift in the cosmos.” she wrote, Would she even have a graduation ceremony at all? Henderson wrote about these worries as her first response to an assignment from her English teacher, Jen Sarja. Sarja has asked her students to journal four days a week during the semester marred by the Covid-19 pandemic. The entries can be either personal or responses to current events and articles Sarja posts for the class. “It’s been almost the ideal assignment in the sense that it is giving them something meaningful to do. I wanted it to be something that would be of value to them someday,” Sarja said. “Everybody knows where they were during 9/11. Someday their kids are going to ask them about 2020, and they’re going to have these.” When New Haven schools closed in March to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus, the small, Wooster Squarebased magnet school had a leg up. The school already had enough devices for every student to use at school, according to HSC Curriculum Leader Cari Strand. The scramble was to get those devices to students before they left school on the day New Haven Public Schools closed. HSC students were also already using the district’s preferred distance learning software, Google Classroom. Students knew how to log in and were used to getting notifications through the system, Strand said. More than 80 percent of HSC students are logging onto Google Classroom every week. The school has contact with those struggling to keep up, Strand said. She said that Sarja’s journal assignment has a high participation rate but a few students still need extra encouragement. “To my mind, access to technology has been the easiest part of this. The harder part is students being worried about family members or taking care of younger siblings,” Strand said.
Sarja’s journal assignment helps students grapple with these challenges while acquiring the skills HSC aims for them to have. This is a perfect example of the school’s focus on project-based learning, which allows students to work through class materials in the way that makes most sense to them, Strand said. Students have created wildly different journal entries from one another, both in terms of content and visuals. They create each entry on a Google Slide and are encouraged to include images, quotes and videos. This helps them practice realworld ways of persuading and expressing themselves. “If you are discussing an issue, you are not going to hand someone an MLA style paper. You have to be able to communicate with images and quotes,” Sarja said. Sarja herself has kept a journal since 7th grade. She used her journal this weekend to think about the students and experiences she misses during the pandemic. She wrote about a bubble drink one of her students loved and how she used to bring the drink to class for him. “For me, honestly, it was therapeutic. The best part of HSC is being around these guys and seeing them every day. I miss that so much,” Sarja said. Senior Emma Bender handwrites her entries and scans them online. She adds a Polaroid picture to each slide. The images are of her parents, board games and craft projects like the teddy bears she has crocheted. “Her entries have a time capsule-y feeling. From my perspective as a reader, I just think it’s fantastic. It feels really authentic. You can hear her voice,” Sarja said. Bender found the first journal entries important, as she realized that the pandemic would cause a major disruption to her life but she would be able to handle it. The assignment has also helped Bender learn about current policies, like how phone apps could help public health officials track transmission. The technology is unlikely to work, Bender decided, because many will not want to use the app or will not have access. The policy discussions about how the
medical field and politicians are handling coronavirus fit with HSC’s social justice theme, Sarja said. All of the students in this English class are seniors and will be able to vote soon. “This is their chance to get an understanding of what’s on the line,” Sarja said. Carlomagno Villanueva Torres said that the journal entries help him deal with the pandemic time warp many students are experiencing. “It’s the only thing that’s keeping me on schedule. Normally, I would probably waste my whole day,” Villanueva Torres said. Villanueva Torres includes images from comics and television as backgrounds on many of his slides. He has preserved his worries about the risks of his mother’s job cleaning offices in the journal. He has also memorialized the good moments, like this Mother’s Day when he ate burgers, corn tortillas, chimol and bean sauce with his family. Staying on top of school assignments was one of Henderson’s worries too. She needed help from her advisory teacher on how to balance school and her work at Target in North Haven. At first, Henderson stayed out of work to avoid bringing Covid-19 home to her great-grandmother. When Target had convinced her they were taking measures to prevent the spread of the disease, she was assigned to hours that conflicted with her online class times. Now, Henderson has her schedule under control and her journal entries have become one of the activities she uses to stay present with the people she loves. Henderson writes poetry and exchanges poems with her mother over the phone. She uses FaceTime to paint with her grandmother. She writes stores about her little brother, who she calls Biscuit. She plays online games with her friends. “Putting myself on the slide and on paper has helped me to be in the moment. It has helped me focus on the fact that even with the whole pandemic, I still have a community. I still have people that are listening to me. We’re still here,” Henderson said.
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THE INNER-CITY NEWS -
May 20, 2020 - May 26, 2020
State Reps Visit Incarcerated Youth Online by EMILY HAYS
New Haven I ndependent
Two New Haven state legislators went online to kick off a new state prison policy aimed at slowing the spread of Covid-19. The Connecticut Department of Corrections suspended visits from friends and family during the pandemic, which has already taken a toll on prison staff and employees. In response to worries from inmates’ loved ones, the state began to allow virtual visits to juvenile offenders this month, the department announced in a press release on Thursday. State Reps. Robyn Porter and Toni Walker conducted the first of these Zoom-based visits on May 1. They called three young men at the Manson Youth Institution, two of whom they had met on a previous visit. Walker said that those two were happy to see the representatives again. “They’re adorable — they’d just got haircuts. You couldn’t help but want to hug them. When we were there we were able to hug them, but this was better than
nothing,” Walker said. Walker said that she asked about how their studies and families were doing. She did not want to ask much about the conditions during the pandemic, both because the teens were supervised during the call and because she did not want to give them additional stress. “I did not want to restart their fears or anxieties of ‘Is it going to get me? I’m here by myself,’” Walker said. “Hope is the main thing that you provide, and expectations of success when they come back out.” Walker said that this social connection helps youths remember to focus on their studies and remember that they will have support when they leave the criminal justice system. She said that this is an argument for giving them as much time to talk with their families as possible. So far, the state is only allowing young men and women at the Manson Youth and York Correctional Institutions to Zoom with authorized visitors for 30 minutes a week. The visits can happen Monday through Friday and are free to
CONTRIBUTED PHOTO A teen in the Manson Youth Institution Zooms with Rep. Toni Walker.
the inmates. “We’re talking about teenagers. Do you think 30 minutes is enough for a teenager? Let’s be real. One of the things they love is the phone,” Walker said.
The Department of Corrections plans to eventually expand beyond these two facilities, according to the Thursday press release.
A Death Sentence I Didn’t Deserve by ALEXANDER LACKS New Haven I ndependent
(Opinion) I’m at the Osborn Correctional Institution. My story begins on April 20, well after the prison knew about the seriousness of the coronavirus. I was housed in the B-41 working unit. Even though all religious programs and visits were cancelled, the facility was not practicing safe distancing. We were still having recreation, where at any given time 30 to 35 inmates were out together. People were working their third shift in the factory with other units. People were in and out of the unit at all times. On April 20, I started to feel sick. That morning I was taken from my floor, because I was freezing with a very high temperature. I was taken to the medical team and placed in punitive segregation, where the medical staff comes to see you twice a day to take your vitals. It’s like you’re being punished for them getting you sick. The correctional officers are scared and don’t want to be bothered with you. Two days later, I tested positive for Covid-19. The next day, on April 24, I was moved to the maximum security Northern Correctional Institution, which holds death row inmates and the baddest inmates in Connecticut. They have created a medical unit there for anyone who tests positive for the coronavirus. Let me say that it’s the worst experience for someone who has something that can possibly take your life. You are placed
Alexander Lacks
in a cell where the air is always blowing so hard that you are always cold. This is why inmates are afraid to say anything when they are feeling unwell. The medical staff comes in the morning and evening to take your vitals. The 16 days that I spent in quarantine, no one ever came through to check on my mental state. The state has mental health
workers everywhere doing nothing. I asked for a pen and paper for two weeks. Nothing. No one can use the phone to speak to their loved ones. I hear the Department of Correction commissioner speaking on TV about what he is trying to do for inmates who are close to going home. I guarantee you this man has not toured any facility in
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Connecticut since the outbreak. So how can he relate to what is going on? I was sentenced to 35 years in 1994. I’ve been incarcerated for 26 years. I was not sentenced to death. I’ve paid my debt to society. I have a family that loves me and, yes, places to stay upon my release. What I went through with this virus, I pray I don’t have to go through again, because I may not make it this time. We have staff looking at us as though testing positive is our fault. We have no contact with the outside world, so one of them has to have brought the virus in. I want my story to be told, because it is wrong to be punished for something we have no control over. I know a couple of the brothers that passed away (alone). I feel for their families. No one should have to go through unnecessary suffering. Alexander Lacks was convicted of a felony charge in connection with aiding in a 1994 murder in New Haven. State Department of Correction spokesperson Andrius Banevicius offered this response to the above article: “To date, 434 offenders (including Mr. Lacks) of the approximately 530 who contracted the novel coronavirus have recovered, thanks in no small part to the dedication of the Department of Correction’s healthcare professionals.” On Friday the state put Osborn on lockdown after 105 asymptomatic inmates tested positive for Covid-19. Read a press release about that
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Back Pay Withheld
Even with multiple rejections, management told the employee they needed to keep trying before they can get back pay from First Student. “They have decided that they want you to wait it out, knowing that we’ve had no income coming in for nearly two months. They want us to basically wait it out until if and when the Department of Labor decides to pay,” the employee said. They said they have managed to scrape by because their spouse still has a job, but that they have started relying on food pantries. Attorney Eric Brown, a labor lawyer based in Farmington, said that if an employee is on unemployment insurance and then receives back pay, the employee must report it to the Department of Labor. The department then adjusts benefits accordingly, and may ask the employee to return past unemployment payments. If employees fail to report income, that could be considered fraud, but as long as employees accurately report everything, they should be safe. While First Student management told some employees that the company is trying to protect them from penalties by not giving back pay and instead encouraging them to continue seeking unemployment insurance, the company gave different explanations to other drivers. It told at least one that they could get back pay and still get unemployment benefits. Driver Scott Van Fleet also applied for unemployment insurance and was denied because of an error in his application. On May 8, he went to the office to pick up what he hoped would be a check for all of April. He, too, was told he needed to present a denial from the Department of Labor. But management did not say anything about protecting him from penalties, he said. “They said no, no, don’t you want that extra $600 a week?” he recalled, referring to the extra $600 tacked onto state unemployment benefits by the CARES Act. Management then helped him file his unemployment application again, he said, even though he told them he doesn’t want to get unemployment and just wants back pay. He said he asked how it would work for him to get paid going forward and also get unemployment insurance. Management did not give a clear answer, he said. One employee who got back pay said management had told them they should still keep trying to get unemployment insurance because they might still be eligible for the $600 extra benefit, contradicting the concern management had told other employees about penalties for getting both. Some drivers said management may have also encouraged employees to seek unemployment because they have the potential to make more money that way. One driver who successfully started getting unemployment benefits in March said he makes more money on unemployment than if First Student were paying him his base pay. Base pay for experienced drivers is $525 a week. The state’s regular unemployment benefits plus the extra $600 from the CARES Act brings the total for many experienced drivers on unemployment to around $800 a week.
THE INNER-CITY NEWS - May - 20, 2020 - May 26, 2020
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THE INNER-CITY NEWS -
May 20, 2020 - May 26, 2020
COMMENTARY:
Old, Sick and Incarcerated
By Julianne Malveaux, NNPA Newswire Contributor There were 4623 incarcerated people over 65 in federal prisons during the first week of May. Until May 12, Paul Manafort, Mr. Trump’s one-time campaign manager, was one of them. The 71-year-old petitioned the court for release to home confinement because of his age, heart condition, and “fear of coronavirus.” Yet the federal correctional institution that housed Manafort had no coronavirus cases, and Manafort had served fewer than two years of his more than seven-year sentence. Recently developed federal guidelines suggest athome confinement for those at risk who have served more than half of their sentence or have less than eighteen months of jail time left to serve. Manafort meets none of these criteria, but he apparently had enough high-priced lawyers to push his case aggressively. I’m not as outraged at Manafort’s early release as I am disturbed about the other 4622 elderly inmates, most who lack the resources and access that Manafort had. Nearly forty percent of those incarcerated in federal prisons are African American, many serving very long sentences for drug-related crimes.
Many have some of the same underlying medical conditions and “fear of coronavirus” that Manafort had. How many of them will get an early release and the relative luxury of home confinement? The treatment of a wealthy, older white man and a poor, older Black man is vastly different. Prisons are a breeding ground for the coronavirus. Prisons are overcrowded with social distancing an impossibility since an average cell, about five feet by five, does not allow six feet of distancing. Recent studies show that the COVID-19 germs from a loud conversation or a cough linger for minutes, sufficient time to infect another person. The notorious Riker’s Island prison has eight times the COVID-19 infection rate of the New York City rate. Infection is not a possibility, but a near-certainty. Prison infections are so widespread that some activists describe them as “death camps.” Older people don’t commit violent crimes (although they commit financial crimes and perjury). Releasing those over 65 who were convicted of drug crimes and other nonviolent crimes saves money and has little social cost. But incarceration is an economic driver for some communities. Federal prisons employ tens of thousands of people. In some isolated communities, these prisons are a significant source of employment. Releasing prisoners early may cause layoffs. Is this why we insist on keeping so many people locked up for such long periods?
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Parole was eliminated in federal prison in the mid-1980s, allowing “good behavior ” only after 85 percent of a sentence has been served. But Manafort, citing “fear of coronavirus,” ended up serving less than a quarter of his sentence. Can an old Black man get the Manafort treatment and serve the rest of his sentence in a cushy condo in Northern Virginia? Manafort had a lot less to fear, at his minimum-security prison, than a Black inmate might. Other countries have reacted to coronavirus crowding by releasing inmates in the tens of thousands. According to David Anderson of the International Legal Foundation, Iran released more than half of its prisoners – 100,000 of 189,000. Palestine is holding emergency court sessions to allow inmates to petition for release. Other countries seem to understand that COVID-19 and crowding don’t work and are releasing prisoners. Meanwhile, our country, in Anderson’s words, is “addicted to punishment.” In keeping nonviolent inmates incarcerated, we are “prioritizing punishment over public health.” The inmates aren’t the only ones at risk. Correctional officers, lawyers, and visiting family members are also vulnerable. We are so committed to getting a “pound of flesh” from those incarcerated that we refuse to consider the high costs of incarceration. Consider the case of former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick. Convicted of perjury, obstruction of justice, and other crimes, Kilpatrick was sentenced to 28 years for his crimes. He is not scheduled to be released until 2037! While Kilpatrick certainly deserved to be convicted, a 28-year sentence is excessive. Recently an inmate at his Oakdale, Louisiana prison died from the coronavirus. I’m sure Kilpatrick is as frightened of the coronavirus as Manafort is. He is not likely to be allowed home confinement. Unless there is intervention, Kilpatrick will be eligible for Social Security before he is released! What is the purpose of such a long sentence? How much does it cost to incarcerate someone for 28 years? Is it worth it? The coronavirus magnified our nation’s inequality. Manafort is out after less than two years’ incarceration. Thousands who are old and poor remain incarcerated and vulnerable to coronavirus. Our criminal injustice system is in dire need of reform. Julianne Malveaux is an author and economist. Her latest project MALVEAUX! On UDCTV is available on youtube.com. For booking, wholesale inquiries or for more info visit www.juliannemalveaux.com
THE INNER-CITY NEWS - May - 20, 2020 - May 26, 2020
A Mermaid’s Guide to Surviving a Pandemic by Markeshia Ricks, Writer, Blogger, Podcast host
I would not have guessed that I would be thinking and writing about swimming during a global pandemic. But here we are. I write this on a Friday, at the end of my seventh week in isolation since COVID-19 swept into the United States and forced us to participate in a global timeout. Unlike millions of Americans who find themselves unemployed because of this pandemic, I am still working. I’m grateful for that up to a point. There is a difference between working from home because you want to and working at home because you are forced to work. A big difference. I’ve been working more or less from home since I rejoined the working world in February. For those that don’t know, I left my fulltime gig as a daily journalist back at the end of May 2019. I left because burnout and grief are a powerful cocktail and I was standing at the corner of hope and despair pretending that it was all fine and it wasn’t. I’ve tried despair. It tastes like what I imagine a bleachtini with a shot of Fabuloso tastes like. (Don’t drink that.) But back then, I promised myself that I would not simply push through my despair this time. I would heal it. I also promised myself that I would finally learn to swim. And that I wouldn’t just learn to swim for survival. I wanted to get in touch with my inner mermaid. I wanted to swim and love it. I spent the entire summer going down to Sarasota, Fla. for a week at a time to do just that. When I wasn’t in Sarasota I was in the adult swim classes at LEAP, heading to the pool at Conte School, the Orange town pool, one trip to the pool at Hillhouse High School, and eventually finding a pool home at the Jewish Community Center of Greater New Haven. I learned to swim through a program called Miracle Swimming for Adults. And a graduate of the program told me and my classmates in our beginner course that what we were learning would be useful to us in the pool and outside of it. I believed him then. And now that my pool is closed because of the pandemic I believe him even more. Around self-isolation week three I started to ask myself: why are you so calm? Now listen, there are a million reasons why I should be calm. All my basics are covered. Food, shelter, water, clothes? Check. Heat, electricity, Internet access, and a safe environment? Check. Physically distant from my loved ones but still able to keep in touch? Check. But during a global pandemic, even the privileged get nervous. When there is no toilet paper or disinfectant on the shelves for months you get nervous. When you read stories about farmers plowing under their crops and businesses sacrificing their underpaid, under-protected employees, you get nervous. In the face of a silent killer that has struck the physically weakened and the strong, the young and the old, the rich and the poor -- by no means in equal fashion -- you get nervous. You get nervous because you know as the country dissolves into what seems like anarchy little by little every day, all of these things could be happening more directly to you. Only time will tell.
Photo credit: Karen King
But I really wanted to get to the root of why someone who started having panic attacks a year ago, who had been battling bouts of insomnia long before that was now experiencing an unprecedented, for her, level of calm. And the answer floated to the surface: it’s the swimming. You are a mermaid. I became a mermaid through a system that teaches adults panic prevention in deep water. It is taught through a concept pioneered by Miracle Swimming founder Melon Dash called the 5 Circles Mindfulness Method. And much like near-drowning experiences, a global pandemic is built for panic. It is the deep end of the pool. It is the bottomless lake. A global pandemic is the vast ocean where you can’t put your feet down or cling to the perimeter. Through the 5 Circles method, I learned the stages that lead to panic and how to prevent them. The short version is you want to remain in your first circle in most situations. You might be able to manage if you are in your second circle. But you don’t want to stay there because it can easily spin out to circles three through five and then PANIC! I’ve been in what we in the swim program would call my first circle for much of the seven weeks. The first circle is your most comfortable, relaxed self. You’re in your body and feeling all the things. When we first got in the pool, for many of us, being in our first circle was standing with our feet firmly planted on the ground in the shallow end of a heated swimming pool. Learning to swim in an outdoor, heated pool in Florida in the middle of summer might sound like madness. But there is a method. Fear can feel cold. Fear will make you shiver, even in a heated pool. Fear will make you feel cold when you consume too much news. In these weeks of self-isolation, I realized that when I am over stimulated from consuming
too much news (sorry, journalism friends) I actually tend to physically shiver. And what I was doing to compensate was putting on all my warm soft things and a heated blanket. When what I needed to do was all of that plus limit my consumption of news. As my swimming lessons progressed last year, being in my first circle was about my ritual for entering the swimming pool. That ritual includes entering the pool slowly. Having a nose clip and goggles. Wearing a rash guard or neoprene swim vest for warmth. Getting my face wet first. Spending some time submerged. Noticing where in my body I felt tension. Eventually, it became floating on my back with my hands behind my head, and my legs crossed. During this pandemic, it looks like noticing my cold hands and feet AND the tightness I felt in my chest. The tightness that would cause me to look up the symptoms of COVID-19 and heart attack if I read the news for an hour. It looks like limiting my news intake to 30 minutes at the top of my day and returning to a land-based meditation and mindfulness practice because I can’t go for a relaxing float. It has looked like identifying what we learned in our swim classes as speeding. In class, that meant doing a skill so fast that you couldn’t remember how you did it or recall the steps. Or being so freaked out doing something that you scared yourself. In a drowning situation, most people can’t recall what happened. If they survive, they might tell you it happened so fast. And even if their terrified mind can recall the details they will not be able to recall if they could feel the buoyancy of their body or that their flailing arms were actually holding them underwater. Or even that they were far closer to the surface and the precious air their lungs
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craved than their scared mind could fathom. They had no awareness of all of that because their mind had completely left their body. That’s classic circle-five behavior. That’s panic. Interestingly enough, the way that the novel coronavirus can attack and damage the lungs, closing off the ability of a person to breathe, sounds a lot like drowning to me. And when I imagine what it must feel like, and then read about what it actually feels like, I get scared. On land, speeding is probably most akin to busyness. Do you remember the mad dash of the first couple of weeks as everybody tried to pivot to a home-based operation? I certainly do. The flurry of meetings. All of the emails. And the beginnings of everything moving to Zoom. For this introvert, the first couple of weeks were mentally and emotionally exhausting. We probably realize now at week seven that we could have done a great many of those things a little slower. Many of us who don’t have frontline jobs — essential jobs that are saving lives — could have been untethered for a week to grapple with the fact that we don’t know when we will see our coworkers again without the mediation of our computers. When our kids will see their teachers. When we will see our loved ones in person again. We traded our emotions and acknowledging our fear for a semblance of normalcy and productivity. For we collectively believed that if we just keep moving it will all be OK. We were desperately treading water. Don’t beat yourself up. I did it too. But then I remembered that rushing around with my hair on fire, even from home, wasn’t going to save anyone’s life, not even my own. Collectively, we were all in circles three through five, panic shopping and working too much. Our week-long swimming program was highly structured. We had dry land class time for at least an hour each day before we stepped foot in the pool. We also had home-fun (sounds nicer than homework) to complete after every class. The program also included deliberate downtime and rest so we could digest what we learned in class. Some days, our swimming courses were twice a day. That meant up to four hours in one day facing for many of us what was up until then our deepest fear — the fear of drowning. And some days there were setbacks. A skill that you learned in the morning might fall apart during the afternoon class. And you’d be heartbroken because you knew you could do it. Everybody saw you do it. Our instructors would kindly and compassionately suggest to us not to practice frustration. They’d gently guide us to return to a skill we could do. That might look like practicing something so easy we could do it with our eyes closed or simply taking a moment to play a pool game. We called this changing the subject. I have found during this practice of self-isolation that I have to change the subject often. Too often, everything we talk about is heavy with pandemic speak. But guess what? The ordinariness of life is still happening for better or worse. People are celebrating milestones like birthdays and anniversaries. Some people’s marriages are still falling apart. People are still having babies. People are still moving, tak-
ing on different jobs. People are still dying of things other than the novel coronavirus as I brutally found out this week when I learned of a former childhood neighbor’s tragic death in a car crash. I also got the news that yet another former newspaper colleague was losing his job to budget cuts. These painful things hit me on the same day when I was personally having a very good quarantine week. People are still peopling. But it has been the first circle rituals that I have established in these weeks that have kept me grounded when it feels like the wildfire is far too close to my house. Like the water is rising. I can tell you what those rituals are but my rituals don’t matter. Your rituals matter. What works for you matters. Having an awareness that every day those rituals can change because the circumstances change matters. I’m doing more reading during the quarantine. Ironically, I was reading Octavia Butler’s Parable of the Sower and it’s sequel Parable of the Talents when we went into collective self-isolation mode. And part of the way I am “shaping change” is by remembering again something I learned in swim class: every day at the pool, every day at the ocean, is a different day. Some days, you have the whole pool to yourself. Some days it is filled with rambunctious little kids, some days it’s teenagers trying to become lifeguards. Some days the Atlantic is calm and placid as a lake. Most any other day? Not so much. Every day of this pandemic will bring something different. How I choose to stay present for it all will determine if I meet it with some sense of calm or panic. Some level of grace. And I’ll be honest, going to stores takes me out of my first circle. In fact, the first couple of times I did it was right around when we began voluntarily masking. Of course, it is the law now. But when I tell you it was a speedy, feral-eye darting from here to there, dodging those who were still browsing instead of being deliberate ...whew. My heart rate speeds up just thinking about it. I left those stores feeling like a hot and sweaty, frustrated mess. So of course, my trips to the store are fairly limited and even more specific these days. When I stopped focusing on all the ways I felt people were doing it wrong and that I couldn’t control, I began focusing on what I could. I noticed that the CVS I frequent is almost always nearly people free during the times I am able to go. But I had to slow down to notice that. And I had to learn to breathe with my mask on even though breathing feels like one of the scariest things in the world right now. What I eventually learned as I progressed to where I am now — someone who can confidently say she can swim — is what my instructors told me then. The water in the shallow end and what you can do in it works the same way in the deep end or even the ocean. Your body works the same way. Your breath works the same way. All the skills you know for dealing with this moment work the same way. All those real self-care things we all know we need to do more of but don’t, work the same way. And these are the things that I remind myself as I stay safe at home. This pandemic is the deep end of the pool. Be well and may the first circle be with you.
THE INNER-CITY NEWS -
May 20, 2020 - May 26, 2020
10 Black Scholarship Programs in 2020 That Are Still Open Despite COVID-19 BlackNews.com
Nationwide — Every year, there are many programs that give away scholarships to thousands of African American and other minority students. In 2020, though, many of these programs have been cancelled and/or postponed because of the worldwide Coronavirus pandemic. However, we were able to find at least 10 Black scholarship programs that are still open. Here they are: #1 – Jack and Jill of America Foundation Need-Based Scholarships: Offered to high school seniors who will attend and maintain a full-time status at an accredited, four-year post-secondary institution, starting in the fall of the year and working toward a bachelor’s degree. Learn more at https://www.blackscholarships.org/2018/10/jack-and-jill-of-america-foundation-providing-need-basedscholarships.html #2 – Walmart Foundation First Generation Scholarship For HBCU Students: Offered through Walmart’s foundation, the program specifically helps students who are enrolled at any HBCU or PBI (Primarily Black Institution) across the country. Learn more at https://www. blackscholarships.org/2019/04/walmartfoundation-first-generation-scholarshiphbcu-students.html #3 – Jay-Z’s Shawn Carter Scholarship Fund: Founded by Jay-Z and his philanthropist mother, Gloria, this program helps low income students advance their education by giving them the resources they need to enroll in college, pay the tuition, and successfully finish college on
time. Learn more at https://www.blackscholarships.org/2019/04/jay-z-shawncarter-scholarship-fund.html
#4 – Jesse Jackson’s PUSH Excel Scholarship Program: This program encourages servant leadership potential in scholars, and pushes students to develop a passion for social justice and social change. Learn more at https:// www.blackscholarships.org/2018/10/ jessie-jackson-push-excel-scholarshipprogram-three-awards.html
Scholarship Programs still open
#5 – McDonald’s Black and Positively Golden Scholarships: This partnership between McDonald’s and the Thurgood Marshall Fund gives scholarship awards to deserving students that are attending HBCUs and PBIs across the United States. Learn more at https://www.blackscholarships.org/2019/03/tmcf-mcdonalds-black-positively-golden-scholarship-program.html #6 – Apple’s HBCU Scholarship Program: Program for exceptional students currently attending an HBCU with a minimum GPA of 3.0. Applicants must be working towards earning a Bachelor’s degree, Master’s degree, or a Ph.D. Learn more at https://www.blackscholarships.org/2018/09/apple-40-millionhbcu-scholarship-program-summer-internship.html #7 – Coca-Cola Scholars Program Scholarship: A program for graduating high school seniors who can demonstrate their ability to lead and serve their communities. Students are also expected to be able to demonstrate a level of com-
mitment to making a significant impact at their school and society in general. Learn more at https://www.blackscholarships.org/2018/10/20k-scholarshipsfrom-coca-cola-program-foundation. html #8 – Gucci Changemakers Diversity and Inclusion Scholarship Program: A global program that promotes unity, diversity and inclusion through it’s Gucci Changemakers program. The program offers more than $1 million in scholarships that will be allocated to financing the education of at least 70 fashion students. Learn more at https://www.black-
scholarships.org/2019/04/gucci-changemakers-diversity-inclusion-scholarship. html #9 – Foot Locker/ United Negro College Fund Scholarship Program: A partnership between the Foot Locker Foundation, Inc. and the United Negro College Fund (UNCF) to fund a scholarship program for students attending a UNCF member college or university during the fall of the current year. Learn more at https://www.blackscholarships. org/2020/05/foot-locker-united-negrocollege-fund-scholarship-program.html
#10 – Davis Scholarship For Women in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math): Willma H. Davis has partnered with the United Negro College Fund (UNCF) to establish a scholarship to encourage minority female students to pursue a future career in the STEM fields. Candidates must be classified as sophomore, junior, or senior in the Fall and attend a UNCF-member institution. Learn more at https://www.blackscholarships.org/2020/05/willma-h-davisscholarship-for-women-in-stem.html For more 2020-2021 scholarships, visit BlackScholarships.org
6 Black Patients Who Died From Coronavirus — After Being Denied a Test!
Nationwide — Federal data has already confirmed that most of the deadly victims of COVID-19 in the United States are African American. However, many news reports are failing to report that many of those who have died from the virus were also denied tests. In fact, some were denied a test multiple times. Here are six cases: #1 – Bassey Offiong: a 25-year old Nigerian American college student at Western Michigan University who died from the virus just a few weeks before his graduation. Detroit News reports that he was denied a test multiple times. #2 – Gary Fowler: a 56-year old from Detroit who died at home from the virus. USA Today reports that he literally “begged” for a test, but was rejected on multiple occasions. #3 – Rana Zoe Mungin: a 30-year old social studies teacher from Brooklyn who died from the virus after being on life support for almost a month. CBS News reports that she was rushed to the
nied a test. WTKR reports that Thomas took care of his mom when she was sent home untested, but sadly he contracted the virus from her. As she got better, he got worse. Had she been given a test, she would have been in the hospital and would not have exposed her son to the virus.
hospital three different times and was denied a test each and every time. #4 – Kayla Williams: a 36-year old mother from London, UK with three children who died from the virus just 24 hours after she called for an ambulance. The Guardian reports that was initially
told that she was not a “priority”. #5 – Deborah Gatewood: a 63-year old from Detroit who died from the virus just two weeks after testing positive. NBC News reports that she was denied a test three times from the very hospital where she worked.
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#6 – Thomas Fields Jr: a 32-year old Navy sailor who was stationed in Norfolk, Virginia, who died from the virus. However, his story is a bit different. He himself was not denied a test, but prior to him feeling sick, his mom began to show the symptoms of the virus and was de-
There’s even a song about it As to be expected, these stories have created a national uproar within the nationwide Black community. Activists, educators, preachers and even media personalities have been speaking up about it. One musician, whose son was denied a test, even talks about it in a viral R&B song he wrote (Listen to the song at CoronavirusSong.com). The way of delivery may be different, but their message is the same: Black and brown people are being discriminated against when it comes to who gets or doesn’t get a COVID-19 test… and it’s killing them!
THE INNER-CITY NEWS - May - 20, 2020 - May 26, 2020
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5/5/20 3:11 PM
THE INNER-CITY NEWS -
May 20, 2020 - May 26, 2020
The Black crisis in the midst of the coronavirus crisis Pandemic brings years of healthcare disparities to the forefront
By Lisa Fitch, OW Editor-in-Chief Dr. Maulana Karenga, chair of the Department of Africana Studies at CSU Long Beach, wants the Black community to make sure that physical distancing during the pandemic does not interfere with relationships or establishing networks. “We’ve got to shop for each other, we have to pick up prescriptions for each other,” Karenga said. “We’ve got to talk; we’ve got to share information, so we don’t have to be afraid unnecessarily.” Karenga was recently featured on the Carl Nelson Show and conducted a phone conference with Nelson and his radio audience at WOL radio in Washington, D.C. “There’s no real denying of the damage and destruction that this coronavirus has done to our lives,” Karenga said. “We can’t even worship in the same way anymore.” During the show, Karenga admitted that there is a lot of fear and confusion out in the world now, and he warned against buying into the conspiracy theories which can pit persons against each other. He also expressed his dismay with the information the government issues to the public. “They don’t have culturally competent messages for us,” Karenga said, claiming that at least 46 percent of coronavirus victims are Black. “Even though Black people are in the emerging hot zones… Chicago, Detroit, Milwaukee, New Orleans…we lack the ethnic data. Who’s tested positive? Who has died? We don’t have any of that.” “Why do we need this data?” he asked. “It saves lives. We could target resources where they’re most needed. Help slow down the virus. We need culturally responsible education and mobilization.” The Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) has called for the Centers for Disease Control to collect and report racial data for COVID-19. As of April 8, only nine states and the District of Columbia released data based on race. “We need full disclosure of racial data to identify and prioritize the areas of greatest impact,” the letter stated. Former President Barak Obama agreed, raising the issue at a virtual meeting with mayors, local leaders and members of response teams from around the world. “When you start looking at issues of domestic abuse and you start looking at racial disparities that are popping up in your cities, paying attention to that is the kind of leadership I know all of you aspire to,” Obama said. “You have to be intentional about these issues.” Rep. Karen Bass (CA-37), chair of the Congressional Black Caucus holds fre-
accountability. “More specifically, I am requesting data including, but not limited to, a breakdown by ethnic groups related to rates of death, the number of tests, the results of those tests, the number of those in quarantine and the data on individuals who have tested positive and have recovered. I am also requesting that this information be included with the Public Health Department’s regular updates.” The message was received, as during one of the recent briefings, Ferrer noted that the ethnic data was often no filled in on the forms that the county collected for daily statistics during the crisis, but that the department would do its best to get the requested data. Data from April 9, there were 7,574 laboratory confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 384 of them were Black. There were 212 deaths and 23 of them were African American.
quent town hall teleconferences on various subjects. “Healthcare disparities in our country have been a long-standing issue and concern for the Congressional Black Caucus,” Bass said. “The spread of the coronavirus has compounded these issues, leaving Black people even more vulnerable. We need to urgently address these disparities with a targeted response to our community.” Los Angeles County released figures amid a national conversation on how COVID-19 is affecting racial groups differently. The city’s racial breakdown of coronavirus deaths shows the majority of people who died were White or Latino. However, Black people accounted for a disproportionate 17 percent of the deaths while making up only 9 percent of the county’s population. Across the nation, the numbers reveal similar racial disparities. Blacks are at greater risk, mostly because many have a greater burden of disease. The problem is especially acute in Louisiana, Illinois and Michigan. In Louisiana, 70 percent of people who died were lack, but African Americans make up only a third of the population “It’s not that [Blacks are] getting infected more often,” said Dr. Anthony Fauci during a recent With House briefing. “It’s that when they do get infected with their underlying medical conditions — diabetes, hypertension, obesity,
asthma – those are the kind of things that wind them up in the ICU and ultimately death.” Fauci says the pandemic is shining a bright light on the healthcare disparities which have always existed in the country and added that efforts to limit these disparities should resume after this global crisis. “Many of the social structures in our country have long placed African Americans in disadvantageous positions,” said Dr. Marjorie Innocent, senior director of NAACP Health Programs in a recent teleconference. “At the same time, African Americans are more likely not to have regular sources of healthcare and tend to rely far too much on emergency center care.” NAACP Director of Environmental and climate justice, Jacqui Patters, noted that the most vulnerable and most marginalized populations often end up falling through the cracks during an emergency. NAACP President Derrick Johnson agreed, adding that the government’s response to the Black community reminded him of the Katrina crisis. “People were left stranded on rooftops,” he said during the teleconference. “Are we going to leave a significant portion of the population stranded?” Johnson later sent an email reiterating the “deep-seated racial inequities embedded in everything from healthcare to the economy are compounding the
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effects of the coronavirus pandemic for Black, Brown, Asian and indigenous communities.” “This is a pivotal moment for our communities, our country and our future,” Johnson continued. “This is the moment when we unmask those inequalities and injustices and chart a new path toward a more just nation.” California Gov. Gavin Newsom said he was wary of publicizing incomplete information, as not every health facility was completing demographic information. Last week, County Supervisor Herb Wesson penned a letter to fellow board members and Dr. Barbara Ferrer, the director of the county’s Department of Public Health. “The COVID-19 pandemic is presenting many compelling challenges. An important challenge is transparency in the reporting of data on how this pandemic is impacting communities and ethnic groups in Los Angeles County. “It is vital that while our emergency public health mobilization gathers momentum that we have the needed data that is key to understanding the impact and the response that is aimed at addressing the crisis. “This data is critical to the effective deployment of needed resources and the shaping of public education and communications, particularly in communities of color. It is also vital for the purpose of
“Early data on deaths show that no group is immune from COVID-19,” said Mayor Eric Garcetti in his recent news briefings. “We need every community to understand this can affect you. No matter what community you live in or come from, this can affect you.” “Long-term racial disparities still exist,” Garcetti said. “The effect it has on communities can be disproportionate.” Garcetti also mentioned that it is important to be conservative when it comes to judging the peak of the crisis. Lawmakers don’t want to cause a second virus surge by lifting the social distancing order too soon. The mayor has ordered all residents to don non-medical masks when out in public. These can be scarves or purchased coverings for the nose and mouth. “Keep your masks very secure and sterile,” Garcetti said. “Wash them at night. Don’t lay them down anywhere, they can pick up germs.” Karenga, who spoke at the 1995 Million Man March, reminded his radio listeners that he wrote the mission statement for the march, which included the reaffirmation of and strengthening of the Black family, based on principals of shared responsibility. That strength will help conquer “the awesome task before us,” he said. “We are the people who survived the holocaust of slavery,” Karenga noted. “We have no business thinking we cannot handle this.” Karenga referred to Kwanzaa and pointed to the fourth principle of the holiday, Ujamaa, cooperative economics. “That’s central to this,” said Karenga, who stressed the need to find a common ground in our blackness. “We need a collective approach where everybody benefits.”
THE INNER-CITY NEWS - May - 20, 2020 - May 26, 2020
Reflects on Surviving Nigerian Civil War
2020 Howard Grad Earns Ph.D. at Age 73
WASHINGTON – On April 26, 2020, Florence Nwando Onwusi Didigu, 73, defended her dissertation to earn her Ph.D. in Communication, Culture and Media Studies. Her dissertation and future book titled, “Igbo Collective Memory of the Nigeria – Biafra War (19671970): Reclaiming Forgotten Women’s Voices and Building Peace through a Gendered Lens,” is a reflection of the Igbo women who, like herself, survived the war. Didigu, who is the oldest of five sisters, is graduating from Howard University with her fourth degree as a prestigious Sasakawa and Annenberg Fellow. She is thankful to have made it across many hurdles. “In my second year at Howard, and very close to my screening test, I lost my mother and my father within months,” said Didigu. “I had to return to Nigeria each time to perform the demanding burial ceremonies for each. I was completely deflated, both physically and emotionally, but I persevered because my father always wanted me to be a ‘Doctor.’” Didigu also battled shingles, which paralyzed the right side of her face and she lost her voice. It was symbolic, because it’s her life’s work is to elevate more Igbo women’s voices. “I was unable to
speak clearly; this was the greatest tragedy of all, since I was teaching a sophomore research course! The day I started speaking again and was discharged from the hospital was a special life moment.” Yet, what she overcame 50 years ago, the Nigerian-Biafra War, a civil war between the Igbo people and the Nigerian government, is one challenge she will never forget. “The day the Nigeria-Biafra War ended, I, like everyone was wallowing in anxiety and fear about what would happen to us as the vanquished. A very optimistic gentleman came over to me and asked: ‘Why are you so sad; can’t you see you have survived this terrible war?’ I stood up, even though the Nigerian Airforce was on its last bombing raid, and leaped up in the air in mad glee, repeating to myself and others: ‘Yes, I have survived, I am a survivor!’ This powerful survival instinct in me, which I call daring, and God’s help, are what made me overcome all personal challenges during my doctoral program and get to where I am today!” She was once a producer and writer at the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), and a broadcast regulator at the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) in Nigeria prior to 2000. Upon
(Pictured: Florence Didigu at her doctoral candidacy ceremony at Howard University. Photo credit: Florence Didigu)
graduation, Didigu plans to enter the professoriate and become a book author. She recently took courses at Howard in the Preparing Future Faculty (PFF) program. She plans to continue research and scholarly writings, as well as mentoring students to inspire and educate “the future generation that will move this discipline forward and tackle the communications-oriented challenges of the future.” Carolyn Byerly, Ph.D., Didigu’s advisor and chair of the Communication, Culture and Media Studies doctoral program, noticed the excellence within her, noting that “she embodies endurance and intellectual determination.” “I admire the way she delved inside the most painful period of her life to find the focus of her research on women, war and peace. While a personally-driven project, she maintained the highest level of integrity and never made the research outcome about herself. Florence received the Sasakawa Peace Foundation Fellowship in her last year to conduct interviews with 10 female survivors of that war, and she used feminist standpoint theory to interpret their stories. It is a beautifully researched, theorized and written dissertation that demonstrates exceptional Howard scholarship.”
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THE INNER-CITY NEWS -
May 20, 2020 - May 26, 2020
Up to 60% of COVID-19 Deaths in Some Counties Are African Americans Nationwide — African Americans are reportedly dying at higher rates from coronavirus in the United States compared to whites and other ethnic groups, according to a new study. One of the main cited reasons is racial disparities in access to health care. A new study and racial data from John Hopkins University has determined that in some counties across the U.S., mostly those with higher black populations, African Americans comprise 52% of all COVID-19 cases and 58% of COVID-19 deaths. That is despite US Census Bureau noted African Americans only represent 13.4% of the population in the United States. The researchers, in collaboration with amfAR, the AIDS research non-profit, and Seattle’s Center for Vaccine Innovation and Access, analyzed COVID-19
cases and deaths using county-level comparisons from data from more than 3,100 counties from late January to midApril. After comparing counties that have higher numbers of Black residents (with a population of 13% or more) with counties that have lower numbers of Black residents, it was revealed that counties with higher black populations account for more than half of all COVID-19 cases and almost 60% of deaths “Social conditions, structural racism, and other factors elevate risk for COVID-19 diagnoses and deaths in black communities,” wrote the scientists from the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, the University of Mississippi Medical Center and Georgetown University’s O’Neill
Institute for National and Global Health Law. “Structural factors including health care access, density of households, unemployment, pervasive discrimination and others drive these disparities, not intrinsic characteristics of black communities or individual-level factors.” The research also showed that while a larger percentage of disproportionately black counties were in the South, “COVID-19 deaths were higher in disproportionally black rural and small metro counties,” the study cited. Moreover, the research found that by April 13, there were 283,750 COVID-19 cases and 12,748 deaths in disproportionately black counties while only 263,640 COVID-19 cases and 8,886 deaths in all other counties.
The 18th U.S. Surgeon General and American Heart Association Board Member, Dr. Regina Benjamin joins National Newspaper Publishers Coronavirus Pandemic Task Force
Regina Benjamin, M.D., MBA, 18th U.S. surgeon general and member of the American Heart Association’s National Board of Directors joins the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) Coronavirus Task Force and Resource Center providing expertise on the COVID-19 and its disproportionate effect on African American communities. The NNPA, the trade association of African American-owned newspapers and media companies, established the Coronavirus Pandemic Task Force to provide timely and up-to-date Coronavirus information and resources for the African American community. “I am honored to collaborate with the NNPA on behalf of the American Heart Association to share facts and insights to support the health news and resources shared directly with African American communities,” said Dr. Benjamin, who is
Regina Benjamin, M.D., MBA, 18th U.S. surgeon general and member of the American Heart Association’s National Board of Directors.
also Founder and CEO of BayouClinic/ Gulf States Health Policy Center in LaBatre, Alabama. This pandemic is uncovering what health experts have known for years. Access to health care, healthy food, education, and family income are the basis of poor underserved communities. In addition to social factors, health factors such as high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease and stroke tend to plague underserved communities at high rates and it seems that these populations are at increased risk for contracting the coronavirus. “We are grateful that Dr. Benjamin has joined the NNPA’s Coronavirus Task Force, which is made up of top infectious disease doctors, medical and health experts from various organizations, and public officials. As a trusted source in African American communities and other communities of color, it is important that
we are at the helm with updates and information from reliable top officials and organizations about how the coronavirus is impacting communities of color across the nation,” said Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr, president and CEO, NNPA. The task force sends out periodic national COVID-19 alerts to all in the NNPA database, and establishes ongoing coordination between the NNPA and the National Medical Association (NMA), National Black Nurses Association (NBNA), and medical schools at HBCUs to collaborate on best practices and other vital information to assist Black America throughout the pandemic. Daily briefings of the pandemic and original and pertinent content about COVID-19 would be published at www.BlackPressUSA.com. For more information about COVID-19 from the American Heart Association, visit heart.org.
Meet the Founder of Ghana’s Newest University For Leadership and Technology
Nationwide — Chief Nana Obokese Ampah, founder and CEO of a Year of Return Legacy Project and The Asebu Pan African Village Project, announces the launch of a new institution in Ghana called the Obokese University of Excellence. Obokese University, launching in September 2020, will operate at the intersection of ecommerce and will strely be an online digital platform with master classes, touring and event experiences, and remote learning. Then as it grows, it will progress into limited classes. The University will include, among others, the following platforms: 1. An Afrocentric focused entrepreneurial, educational, cultural and historical institution.
2. Leadership Master classes and certifications including; business, political science, African history, business/entrepreneurship etc. ss Leadership and Education, Engaging Culture, History, Technology, and Tourism. It will initial3. An eCommerce offering branding solutions and a rich array of digital display advertising solutions, strategic marketing, and promotions with the goal of having global buyers discover anything they want to buy – Made in Africa, created in Africa. 4. One of the beneficiaries of the future Motherland Trust initiative that offers a revenue generation tool that is sustainable and financesObokese University and local infrastructure.
5. A strategic partner with the AAGMA (Africa America Global Media Association) for media outreach, branding, and publicity. Programming will include event experiences like: Guided Tour of Moree, Tour of Asebu Pan African Village, Visit site of Obokese University at Asebu Mframandwe, Visit site of Asebu-Cleveland Juice Factory, Arts and Cultural Introductions and Orientations, Ghanaian Drum/ Dance Presentations, Workshops, Lessons and other cultural experiences, including Asebu Bamboo Orchestra, at Asebu Ebu, Cultural Festivals, Protocols, Rituals, Ceremonies and Spiritual Beliefs and Practices. Abangye – Moree second week August. Apayamkese – The Festival of the Asebu
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People Third week November. All of the Asebu towns and villages. Land for U.S. Citizens to Develop Okatakyi Dr. Amanfi VII, Paramount Chief of the Asebu Traditional area, has set aside 5,000 acres of land for development of the Asebu Pan-African Village Project (PA Village). They envision this project as the catalyst for encouraging development, resettlements and collaborations with African descendants throughout the diaspora, but primarily from the United States. To date, the PA Village has been endorsed by the president of Ghana and has generated considerable press, social media coverage and excitement from all. For more details, visit https://obokese. org/university/
THE INNER-CITY NEWS - May - 20, 2020 - May 26, 2020
Our hearts go out to the afflicted. Our appreciation goes out to the caregivers. Every day, we’re seeing incredible acts of courage and strength in patients and healthcare providers alike. You all are a source of inspiration to our doctors, nurses and staff — and to the community at large. And the more examples we see, the more committed we are to providing world-class care, right here. 833-ASK-YNHH (833-275-9644) | ynhhs.org/covid19
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THE INNER-CITY NEWS NNPA Exclusive:
May 20, 2020 - May 26, 2020
Iconic Entertainer and Entrepreneur, Ice Cube, Speaks to the Black Press of America
By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior Correspondent
Like very few others, Ice Cube is celebrated for his groundbreaking accomplishments in music, film, sports and entrepreneurship. The legendary South-Central Los Angeles-born megastar is currently celebrating the 30th anniversary of his debut solo album, Amerikka’s Most Wanted, and the release of his 31st feature film, The High Note, which stars Cube, Tracee Ellis Ross and Dakota Johnson. On Thursday, May 21, at 1PM ET, Cube will sit for an exclusive interview with the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA). The discussion will be broadcast live on Facebook and YouTube (facebook.com/blackpressusa/live and youtube.com/nnpa) and archived to various platforms, including Facebook, YouTube, and Vimeo.com. “The NNPA is pleased excited to do this live stream with our Brother Leader Ice Cube on behalf of the Black Press of America,” said Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr., NNPA president and CEO. “Cube continues to spit truth to power in his lyrics, videos, music and the genius of his creative talent and high energy. In addition to learning more about his latest project, our discussion is especially important in light of the devastating COVID-19 pandemic and the increased racial tension between African Americans and the police.” “Thirty years ago, Ice Cube dropped his debut solo album, Amerikkka’s Most Wanted. After leaving N.W.A., he became an instant solo star, and his first video for Who’s the Mack, even takes a shot at Trump,” noted Andrew Barber, the founder of the influential music blog, Fake
Shore Drive, in a tweet this week. “A true visionary and trendsetter.” Born in 1969, Cube’s rise to superstardom began in the 1980s as a member of the group, N.W.A., which featured Dr. Dre, Eazy-E, DJ Yella, and MC Ren. As young visionaries, N.W.A. took the music world by storms with cutting and hardhitting lyrics that included the 1988 blockbuster, Straight Outta Compton, which sold north of 3 million copies. One of N.W.A.’s most successful and controversial singles, F… tha Police, delved into the divide between young Black men and law enforcement. A divide
that has evolved into a chasm with police shootings of unarmed African Americans occurring almost daily. When asked in a recent interview about the song, Cube reiterated why he and his bandmates believed the song was important in 1988, and why it still resonates today. “At the time, Daryl Gates, who was the chief of police over at the LAPD, had declared a war on gangs. A war on gangs, to me, is a politically correct word to say a war on anybody you think is a gang member,” Cube told the website, Colorlines. “So, the way we dressed and the way we
looked and where we come from, you can mistake any kid for a gang member. Any good kid. Some of them dress like gangbangers, and they go to school every day because that’s the fashion in the neighborhood,” Cube stated. “So, to declare that, it meant a war on every black kid with a baseball hat on, with a T-shirt on, some jeans and some tennis shoes. So, it was just too much to bear, to be under that kind of occupying force, who was abusive. It’s just; enough is enough. Our music was our only weapon. Nonviolent protest.” After his debut solo album, Cube took
the big screen by storm with a stirring performance in John Singleton’s 1992 movie, Boyz n the Hood. Cube has established a long-standing reputation for developing film franchises that are both critically-acclaimed and commercially successful, including Barbershop, Friday, Ride-A-Long, and Are We There, Yet? “I keep the fire in me,” Cube has said. “You gotta be able to survive in whatever environment you find yourself. The ‘hood means everything to me. You never know when you could wind up back there.”
26-Year Old Future Black Nurse Shot 8 Times By Louisville Police By BlackNews.com
Louisville, KY — Breonna Taylor, who was working as an EMT in Kentucky when the coronavirus pandemic started, was reportedly killed after being shot 8 times by police who mistakenly entered her apartment. Her family is filing a lawsuit accusing the officers of wrongful death, excessive force, and gross negligence. Back in March, Taylor, who was only 26-years old, was shot and killed by Louisville Metro Police officers while serving a drug warrant at her apartment, but nothing illegal was found there. It was eventually found out that the police went to the wrong home and the real suspect was actually already in custody before the raid. Taylor’s family is suing the LMPD officers, saying they “blindly fired” into the home, firing shots into Taylor’s house and neighboring apartments “with a total disregard for the value of human life,”
according to the lawsuit. Taylor’s boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, who was at the apartment thought they were being robbed so he fired at the officers who forcefully entered. He was arrested and charged with the attempted murder of a police officer. Sgt. John Mattingly, who was shot in the leg during the incident, detectives Myles Cosgrove and Brett Hankison were placed on administrative reassignment in connection to the incident. More than that, Taylor’s family is seeking justice. The lawsuit her family filed demands a trial by jury. “Not one person has talked to me. Not one person has explained anything to me,” Tamika Palmer, Taylor’s mother, told The Courier Journal. “I want justice for her. I want them to say her name. There’s no reason Breonna should be dead at all.” National civil rights attorney Ben Crump is joining local attorneys Sam Aguiar and Lonita Baker in the legal
team to help Taylor’s family find answers. Crump has represented in several big cases including the recent shooting of Ahmaud Arbery.
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Meanwhile, the LMPD has not made a comment regarding the incident, stating “the Public Integrity investigation into this case remains ongoing, therefore
it would be inappropriate for us to comment beyond what we already have said immediately following the incident.”
THE INNER-CITY NEWS - May - 20, 2020 - May 26, 2020 INNER-CITY NEWS July 27, 2016 - August 02, 2016
STAIN/PAINT CREW:
ELM CITY COMMUNITIES
Large CT fence contractor seeking experienced painters. Must have at least 5 years’ experience staining and/or painting wood and cellular products. Work available 10-12 months per year. All necessary equipment provided. Medical, holiday, sick and vacation pay provided. Must pass a physical and drug test, have a valid CT driver’s license and be able to obtain a DOT medical card. Rates from $18.00 - $22.00 VALENTINA MACRI RENTAL HOUSING PRE- APPLICATIONS AVAILABLE per hour plus benefits. OSHA 10 training required. Please email resume to gforshee@atlasoutdoor.com AA/EOE/M-F HOME INC, on behalf of Columbus House and the New Haven Housing Authority, is accepting pre-applications for studio and one-bedroom apartments at this development located at 108 Frank Street, New Haven. Maximum income limitations apSeeking to employ experienced individuals in the foreman, operator and teamster ply. Pre-applications will be available from 9AMlabor, TO 5PM beginning Monday Ju;y trades for a heavy outside workand statewide. personal transportation (approximately and a valid drivers 25, 2016 ending Reliable when sufficient pre-applications 100) license have required. To apply please (860) 621-1720 or send resumeINC. to: Personnel Department, P.O. Box beencall received at the offices of HOME Applications will be mailied upon368, re- Cheshire, CT06410. Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer M/F/V quest by calling HOME INC at 203-562-4663 during those hours. Completed preDrug Free Workforce applications must be returned to HOME INC’s offices at 171 Orange Street, Third Floor, New Haven, CT 06510.
NOTICE
Request for Proposals Indefinite Quantities Contract for Certified
Hazardous Materials Abatement & General Contractor Services
Construction
The Housing Authority of the City of New Haven d/b/a Elm City Communities is currently seeking Proposals for Indefinite Quantities Contract for Certified Hazardous Materials Abatement & General Contractor Services. A complete copy of the requirement may be obtained from Elm City Communities’ Vendor Collaboration Portal https://newhavenhousing.cobblestonesystems.com/gateway beginning on
Monday, May 11, 2020 at 3:00PM.
Listing: Commercial Driver
Waste Treatment
Immediate need for a full time Class A driver for liquid asphalt deliveries for nights and weekends. Previous experience required. Competitive wage, 401(k) and benefits. Send resume to: HR Manager, P. O. Box 388, Guilford, CT 06437.
NOTICIA
Wastewater Treatment Plant Operator (Attendant I): Operates and maintains equipment and processes in a municipal sewage treatment plant. Requires a H.S. diploma or GED plus a State of CT Dept. of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) Class I Operators License or higher certification, or a Class I Operator-in-Training certification. Must possess and maintain a valid driver’s license. $ 21.79 to $ 25.76 (hourly) DE / $ ALQUILER 20.70 to $ 25.76 (hourly) based on DISPONIBLES certifications & experience plus an excellent VALENTINA MACRI VIVIENDAS PRE-SOLICITUDES fringe benefit package. Apply: Department of Human Resources, Town of Wallingford, 45 South Main Street, Wallingford, CT 06492. The closing date will be that date the 50th application form/resume is received, or May 11, 2020 whichever occurs first.HOME EOE INC, en nombre de la Columbus House y de la New Haven Housing Authority, está
aceptando pre-solicitudes para estudios y apartamentos de un dormitorio en este desarrollo ubicado en la calle 109 Frank Street, New Haven. Se aplican limitaciones de ingresos máximos. pre-solicitudes disponibles 09 a.m.-5 Driving p.m. comenzando MartesWe 25 will consider those Looking forLas a Laborer with estarán experience in Crane/Pile operations. julio, cuando se han recibidoskills/qualifications suficientes pre-solicitudes (aproximadamente 100) with no 2016 priorhasta experience. Required include: OTC 105 OSHA10 hour Certificaen Valid las oficinas de HOME INC. Lasbe pre-solicitudes serán 50 enviadas por Minimum correo a petición tion, Drivers License, Must able to lift over pounds, age of 18, Must Provide llamando a HOME INC alto203-562-4663 durante esas horas.Pre-solicitudes deberán remitirse personal transportation and from the jobsite. a las oficinas de HOME INC en 171 Orange Street, tercer piso, New Haven , CT 06510 . Please contact: Eric Bombaci Bombaci Construction 8605754519 Bombaciconst@aol.com
********An Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer**********
Project Manager, Superintendent, Equipment Operator, Laborers, M/F Solid 3+ yearsCTDOT Exp. 40 hr Hazwhopper, 10 hr OSHA, Statewide Work. Females and Minorities are encouraged to apply. email resume to occllchr@gmail.com Great Pay for Great Work
Constuction Laborer
Listing: Commercial Driver
NEW HAVEN
Driver for petroleum and liquid asphalt deliveries. Position: day, evening and/or weekends. Previous experience required. Competitive wage,Fairmont 401(k) and benefits. 242-258 Ave Send resume to: HR Manager, P. O. Box 388, Guilford, CT 06437.
AA EOE
Construction
Seeking to employ experienced individuals in the labor, foreman, operator and teamster trades for a heavy outside work statewide. Reliable personal transportation and a valid drivers license required. To apply please call (860) 621-1720 or send resume to: Personnel Department, P.O. Box 368, Cheshire, CT06410. Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer M/F/V Drug Free Workforce
Invitation to Bid: nd Notice 2The Housing Authority of the City of Norwalk, CT
is requesting proposals for SAYEBROOKE VILLAGE Construction/Permanent Lender.
2BR Townhouse, 1.5 BA, 3BR, 1 level , 1BA
All new********An apartments,Affirmative new appliances, new carpet, close toEmployer********** I-91 & I-95 Action/Equal Opportunity highways, near bus stop & shopping center Pet under 40lb allowed. Interested parties contact Maria @ 860-985-8258
Old Saybrook, CT can be viewed and printed at www.norwalkha.org under the Business secRequest for Proposal documents (4 Buildings, 17 Units) Norwalk Housing is an Equal Opportunity Employer. tion RFP’s/RFQ’s. Adam Bovilsky, Executive Director. Tax Exempt & Not Prevailing Wage Rate Project
NOTICE OF REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS The Housing Authority of the CT. Unified Deacon’s Association is pleased to offer a Deacon’s Selective Demolition, Site-work, Cast-City of Norwalk, CT HOUSING AUTHORITY OF THE CITY OF DANBURY New Construction, Wood Framed, Housing, Certificate Program. This is a 10 month program designed to assist in the intellectual formation of Candidates is requesting proposals for Management & Saturday, Planning Services in response to the Church’s Modernization Ministry needs. The cost is $125. Classes start August 20, 2016 1:303:30 Contact: Chairman, Deacon Joe J. Davis, M.S., B.S. (203) 996-4517 Host, General Bishop Elijah Davis, D.D. Pastor of Pitts Chapel U.F.W.B. Church 64 Brewster
in-place Concrete, Asphalt Shingles, Vinyl Siding, Web Site Redevelopment Flooring, Painting, Division 10 Specialties, Appliances, Residential Casework, and Rebranding. Request for Proposal documents can be viewed and printed at www.norwalkha.org under the Business secSCOPE: Mechanical, Electrical,tion Plumbing and FireNorwalk Protection. St. New Haven, CT RFP’s/RFQ’s. Housing is an Equal Opportunity Employer. The Housing Authority of the City of Danbury and its affiliates hereby issue this Request for This contract is subject to state set-aside and contractAdam compliance requirements. Bovilsky, Executive Director.
RFP No. P20001
Proposal from qualified Proposers to provide Modernization Management and Planning Services and act as the agency Modernization Specialist.
Diesel Mechanic
SEYMOUR HOUSING AUTHORITY
Bid Extended, Due Date: August 5, 2016 Anticipated Start: August 15, 2016 Sealed bids are invitedPROPOSAL by the HousingSUBMITTAL Authority of theRETURN: Town of Seymour Project documents available via ftp link below: Housing Authority of the City of Danbury, 2 Mill Ridge Rd, Danbury, CT 06811 Our team is currently looking for an experienced Diesel Mechanic to keep up our level of commitment to until 3:00 pm on Tuesday, August 2, 2016 at its office at 28 Smith Street, Envelope Must be Marked: RFP No. P20001 Modernization Management http://ftp.cbtghosting.com/loginok.html?username=sayebrookevillage safety and customer service. In this role, the successful candidate will perform truck repair and maintenance Seymour, CT 06483 for Concrete Sidewalk Repairs and Replacement at the work in accordance with factory and industry standards, run diagnostics on vehicles and work closely with Smithfield Gardens Assisted Living Facility, 26 Smith Street Seymour. Fax or Email Questions & Bidsteam to: Dawn Lang @ 203-881-8372 dawnlang@haynesconstruction.com other members to meet company goals. Responsibilities may include but not be limited to perform-
SUBMITTAL DEADLINE June 19,at2020 at 2:00pm (EST) A pre-bid conference will be held the Housing Authority Office 28 Smith
HCC encouragesing the participation of all Veteran, S/W/MBE Section 3and Certified Businesses minor and major repairs on&trucks trailers, conduct regular preventative maintenance on service Haynestrucks, Construction Company, 32 Progress Ave, Seymour, 06483 and maintain accurate records of each repair performed on perform regular diagnostic tests onCTtrucks AA/EEO EMPLOYER vehicles. Experience is a plus, but willing to train the right candidates. Apply in person or apply online at americanind.net. American Industries, Inc. is an AA/EOE.
Street Seymour, CT at 10:00 am, on Wednesday, July 20, 2016. CONTACT PERSON FOR RFP DOCUMENT: Ms. Devin Marra, of Procurement,Telephone: 203-744-2500 x141 Bidding documents are Director available from the Seymour Housing Authority OfE-Mail: dmarra@hacdct.org fice, 28 Smith Street, Seymour, CT 06483 (203) 888-4579.
American Industries, Inc.
630 Plainfield Road, Jewett City, CT 06351
[Minority- and/or women-owned businesses are encouraged to respond]
The Housing Authority reserves the right to accept or reject any or all bids, to reduce the scope of the project to reflect available funding, and to waive any
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THE INNER-CITY NEWS - May 20, 2020 - May 26, 2020 INNER-CITY NEWS July 27, 2016 - August 02, 2016
Garrity Asphalt Reclaiming, Inc seeks:
DELIVERY PERSON
Construction Equipment Mechanic preferably experienced in Reclaiming and Road Milling Equipment. We offer factory training on equipment we operate. Location: Bloomfield CT We offer excellent hourly rate & excellent benefits VALENTINA MACRI RENTAL HOUSING PRE- APPLICATIONS AVAILABLE Contact: Tom Dunay
NOTICE
NEEDED
Phone: 243-2300 HOME INC, on behalf of860Columbus House and the New Haven Housing Authority, Email: tom.dunay@garrityasphalt.com is accepting pre-applications for studio and one-bedroom apartments at this develWomen Minority Applicants are New encouraged to apply income limitations apopment & located at 108 Frank Street, Haven. Maximum rmative Action/ Opportunity Employer ply.Affi Pre-applications willEqual be available from 9AM TO 5PM beginning Monday Ju;y 25, 2016 and ending when sufficient pre-applications (approximately 100) have been received at the offices of HOME INC. Applications will be mailied upon request by calling HOME Reclaiming, INC at 203-562-4663 during those hours. Completed preGarrity Asphalt Inc seeks: applications must be to HOMEwith INC’s offices at 171 Orange Street, Third Reclaimer Operators andreturned Milling Operators current licensing Haven, CTbe06510. andFloor, cleanNew driving record, willing to travel throughout the North-
Part Time Delivery Needed
east & NY. We offer excellent hourly rate & excellent benefits
NOTICIA
Contact: Rick Tousignant Phone: 860- 243-2300
One/Two Day a Week,
Must Have your Own Vehicle
Email: rick.tousignant@garrityasphalt.com VALENTINA MACRI VIVIENDAS DE ALQUILER PRE-SOLICITUDES DISPONIBLES Women & Minority Applicants are encouraged to apply Affirmative Action/deEqual Opportunity Employer HOME INC, en nombre la Columbus House y de la New Haven Housing Authority, está
If Interested call
aceptando pre-solicitudes para estudios y apartamentos de un dormitorio en este desarrollo ubicado en la calle 109 Frank Street, New Haven. Se aplican limitaciones de ingresos máximos. Las pre-solicitudes estarán disponibles 09 a.m.-5 p.m. comenzando Martes 25 Tractor Trailer Driver for Heavy & Highway Construction Equipjulio,Must 2016have hastaacuando se han recibido suficientes pre-solicitudes ment. CDL License, clean driving record, capable of(aproximadamente 100) en las oficinas HOME INC. Las pre-solicitudes serán enviadas operating heavydeequipment; be willing to travel throughout the por correo a petición llamando a HOME INC al 203-562-4663 durante esas horas.Pre-solicitudes deberán remitirse Northeast & NY. We offer excellent hourly rate & excellent benefits a las oficinas de HOME INC en 171 Orange Street, tercer piso, New Haven , CTQSR 06510 .STEEL
Union Company seeks:
(203) 387-0354
Contact Dana at 860-243-2300
Email: dana.briere@garrityasphalt.com Women & Minority Applicants are encouraged to apply Affirmative Action/ Equal Opportunity Employer
HELP WANTED:
NEW HAVEN
Large CT guardrail company looking for Laborer/Driver with valid CT CDL Class A license and able to get a medical card. Must be able to pass a drug test and physical. Compensation based on experience. Email resume to dmastracchio@atlasoutdoor.com AA/EOE M-F
CORPORATION
APPLY NOW!
360 MANAGEMENT GROUP COMPANY Request for Proposals Legal Services for Nonpayment Summary Process 360 Management Group is currently seeking Proposals for legal services for nonpayment summary process. A complete copy of the requirement may be obtained from 360 Management’s Vendor Collaboration Portal https://newhavenhousing. cobblestonesystems.com/gateway beginning on
Wednesday, May 27, 2020 at 3:00PM.
Dispatcher
Galasso Materials is seeking a motivated, organized, detail-oriented candidate to join its truck dispatch office. Responsibilities include order entry and truck ticketing in a fast paced materials manufacturing and contracting company. Must be available to work nights and/or days. We are willing to train the right individual that has a great attitude. NO PHONE CALLS PLEASE. Reply to Hiring Manager, PO Box 1776, East Granby, CT 06026. Galasso Materials is an equal opportunity employer. All applicants will be considered for employmentwithout attention to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran or disability status.
Centrally Located Construction Company in Connecticut has positions
available for experienced project managers, laborers and truck drivers. This company is an Affirmative Action / Equal Opportunity Employer M/F. Females and Minorities are encouraged to apply. Please fax resume to ATTN: Mike to 860-669-7004.
Electric
Chief Engineer – The Town of Wallingford Electric Division is seeking a highly qualified engineer
with strong technical and leadership/management skills that will be responsible for the planning, designing, and maintenance of the electric generation, transmission, and distribution systems and related facilities of the Electric Division. Must possess a bachelor’s degree from a recognized college or university in electrical, mechanical, or civil engineering, plus eight (8) years of progressively responsible engineering managerial work for electrical utilities or an engineering consulting firm doing work for electric utilities. An Associates Degree in one of these fields may substitute for two (2) years of the work experience requirement. One year of supervisory experience as a supervisor is preferred. In adInvitationdition, to Bid:must possess and maintain a Connecticut Motor Vehicle Operators License. Salary: $97,203 nd - $124,140 plus an excellent fringe benefit package. Application forms will be mailed upon request 2 Notice from the Human Resources Department. Phone: (203)-294-2080. Fax (203)-294-2084 Email wlfdhr@ wallingfordct.gov . The closing date will be June 2, 2020. EOE
Steel Fabricators, Erectors & Welders Top pay for top performers. Health Benefits, 401K, Vacation Pay.
242-258 Fairmont Ave Email Resume: Rose@qsrsteel.com Hartford, CT 2BR Townhouse, 1.5 BA, 3BR, 1 level , 1BA SAYEBROOKE VILLAGE AFFIRMATIVE ACTION/EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER
All new apartments, new appliances, new carpet, close to I-91 & I-95 highways, near bus stop & shopping center
Old Saybrook, CT (4 Buildings, 17 Units) Pet under 40lb allowed. Interested parties contact Maria @ 860-985-8258 Tax Exempt & Not Prevailing Wage Rate Project Seeking qualified condidates to fill numerous vacancies to include,
CITY OF MILFORD
Director of Operations Milford Landing Marina, Recreation Director, and more. For New Construction, Wood Framed, Housing, Selective Demolition, Site-work, Castinformation and detailed application instructions, visit WWW.ci.milford.ct.us in-place Concrete, Asphalt Shingles, Vinyl Siding,
CT. Unified Deacon’s Association is pleased to offer a Deacon’s Certificate Program. This is a 10 month program designed to assist in the intellectual formation of Candidates in response to the Church’s Ministry needs. The cost is $125. Classes start Saturday, August 20, 2016 1:303:30 Contact: Chairman, Deacon Joe J. Davis, M.S., B.S. (203) 996-4517 Host, General Bishop Elijah Davis, D.D. Pastor of Pitts Chapel U.F.W.B. Church 64 Brewster
INVITATION TO BID Flooring, Painting, Division 10 Specialties, Appliances, Residential Casework, Westbrook Village Phase 3 Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing and Fire Protection. Hartford, CT Construction Passive House project: LEGAL NOTICE This contract is subject to state set-aside and contract complianceNew requirements. Six (6) buildings, 65 units, 71,675sf
St. New Haven, CT
State of Connecticut Office of Policy and Management
SEYMOUR HOUSING AUTHORITY
Request for Proposals for Services
and
Community Building 4,880 gsf Bid Extended, Due Date: August 5, 2016 Project is Taxable Anticipated The State of Connecticut, Office of Policy and Management, is seeking Start: August 15, 2016 The State Connecticut, Office Residential Wage Rate Project Sealed bidsofare invited by theofHousing Authority oftotheprovide Town certain of Seymour proposals services related to state and federal taxaProject documents available via ftp link below: Policy and Management is recruiting for until 3:00Development pm on Tuesday, August 2, 2016 at with its office at 28ofSmith Street, is to identify individuals or firms with tion the intent the request Bid Due Date: June 2, 2020 @ 5 pm a Policy Coordinator http://ftp.cbtghosting.com/loginok.html?username=sayebrookevillage Please price each building separately theRepairs necessary expertise to provide Seymour, CTposition. 06483 for Concrete Sidewalk and Replacement at the an analysis of an employer payroll tax26 within a stated Further information regarding the duties, Smithfield Gardens Assisted Living Facility, Smith Street timeframe. Seymour. Project documents available via ftp link(s) below: Fax or Email Questions & Bids to: Dawn Lang @ 203-881-8372 dawnlang@haynesconstruction.com
eligibility requirements and application instructions for this position is available at: A pre-bid conference will be held
Six Buildings link:
the participation of all Veteran, S/W/MBE & Section 3 Certified Businesses The request for proposals is available onlineHCC at encourages https://biznet.ct.gov/ http://ftp.cbtghosting.com/loginok.html?username=westbrookvillage3
Haynes Construction Company, 32 Progress Ave, Seymour, CT 06483 at the Housing Authority Office 28 Smith SCP_Search/Default.aspx?AccLast=2 and http://ct.gov/opm/cwp/ Community Building link: AA/EEO EMPLOYER view.asp?a=3006&Q=383284&opmNav_GID=1386 or from Ebohttps://www.jobapscloud.com/ Street Seymour, CT at 10:00 am, on Wednesday, July 20, 2016. http://ftp.cbtghosting.com/loginok.html?username=westbrookvillage3communitybldg CT/sup/bulpreview.asp?R1= 200506&R2=1581MP&R3=001
ny Hargrove, Office of Policy and Management, Budget and Financial Management Division, 450 Capitol Ave., MS# 53BUD, Hartford, Bidding documents areis an available from theConnecticut Seymour Housing Authority Of- ebony.hargrove@ct.gov. Telephone The State of Connecticut equal 06106-1379. E-mail: opportunity/affirmative action employer fice, 28 Smith Street, Seymour, CT 06483 (203) 888-4579. (860) 418-6255. Deadline for response submission is 3:00 p.m., and strongly encourages the applications Monday, June 16, 2020. of women, minorities, and persons with disabilities.
The Housing Authority reserves the right to accept or reject any or all bids, to reduce the scope of the project to reflect available funding, and to waive any informalities in the bidding, if such actions are in the best interest of the Housing Authority.
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This contract is subject to state set-aside and contract compliance requirements as well as, City of Hartford set-aside and contract requirements. Fax or Email Questions & Bids to: Estimating @ 203-881-8372 estimating@haynesct.com HCC encourages the participation of all Veteran, S/W/MBE & Section 3 Certified Businesses Haynes Construction Company, 32 Progress Ave, Seymour, CT 06483 AA/EEO EMPLOYER
THE INNER-CITY NEWS - May - 20, 2020 - May 26, 2020
VIRUS PREVENTION
AVOID
AVOID
COVER
close contact with people who are sick.
touching your eyes, nose and mouth.
your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.
CLEAN
WASH
STAY HOME
and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.
your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.
19
when you are sick.
THE INNER-CITY NEWS -
May 20, 2020 - May 26, 2020
When staying home is important, staying connected matters. Whether you need to check in on family, video-chat with coworkers or just take a minute to relax with your favorite shows and movies, Xfinity has you covered with fast, reliable Internet. We’re now offering contactless service visits and equipment drop off to have you up and running quickly and safely. Plus, our simple digital tools will help you manage your account online from the comfort of your home.
Get started with Xfinity Internet
$39 99
a month/ 12 mos.
Enjoy the best in-home WiFi experience
No-contact equipment delivery available
Equipment, taxes and other charges extra, and subj. to change. See details below.
Go to xfinity.com to learn more.
Offer ends 6/15/20. Restrictions apply. Not available in all areas. Limited to Performance Pro Internet 100 Mbps Internet service for new customers. Equipment, taxes and other charges extra, and subject to change. After promo, regular rates apply. Actual speeds vary and not guaranteed. For factors affecting speed visit www.xfinity.com/networkmanagement. All devices must be returned when service ends. Call for restrictions and complete details. Š2020 Comcast. All rights reserved. NPA231210-0001 NED AA Q2 CVDPP V10
137107_231210_0001 W COVID ad 9.25x10.5 New Haven Inner City V10.indd 1
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