INNER-CITY NEWS

THEINNER-CITY INNER-CITY NEWS June27, 12,2016 2019- August - June 02, 18, 2019 NEWS- July 2016

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Jeffie Frazier (right) at Thursday night’s hearing.

THE INNER-CITY NEWS -

June 12, 2019 - June 18, 2019

Co-Op Student: Is Central Office Listening?

by BENIE N’SUMBU

New Haven Independent

A Cooperative Arts & Humanities High School student wrote the following account of a sit-in in her school’s lobby last week, as students protested against a system-wide budget-cutting plan that involves eliminating 53 teaching positions.

On Friday, students at our school came together to protest the decision to transfer 53 teachers to different schools within the district and eliminate their positions.

Our protest, which consisted of over 30 upper- and lower-classmen peacefully and quietly occupying our school’s lobby, caught the attention of the assistant superintendent, Paul Whyte. In the middle of the protest, he and our principal, Val-Jean Belton, called in Lihame Arouna and I, Benie N’sumbu, due to our visibility in the news regarding this topic over the past week, to voice the students’ concerns.

Lihame and I said that students were upset that teachers were being taken away, despite being told that classrooms wouldn’t be affected when classes began in the fall. We also voiced our disapproval of how the di-

rectives to choose teachers to be transferred were given to administrators and how teachers were given the news. Lihame also echoed the idea that maybe cuts should also be made in central office. Whyte explained to us that schools were chosen because of enrollment and teaching positions were eliminated from classes that had low enrollment. He also informed us that cuts had already been made to central office.

We were also repeatedly told that when the maximum for students in one class is 27 and when a district is suffering from budget deficit, there is no justification why there should be multiple teachers teaching a course that has less than 15 students a class.

Our response to that is that a maximum requirement doesn’t always mean a good thing. No one has yet to acknowledge the fact that research has shown that smaller classes yield better education quality for students.

Bigger class sizes might be better for the district, but they won’t be for the students.

Decisions to move teachers and eliminate positions are not easy ones, especially when we are in a budget deficit. We don’t know

what the right answer is or the best path to take to get us out of this predicament, but what we do know is that this district has a problem with communication.

A decision to reassign 53 teachers shouldn’t have been made so clandestinely that even members of the Board of Education didn’t know what was happening until it was too late. It shouldn’t take students spending two class periods occupying a school lobby in order for an official to come down and explain to us the reasoning behind the decisions being made about our education.

Has Birks’s team done everything they possibly could to end this deficit before suggesting changes that will affect schools?

At the end of the day, we want student voices to be heard and while the adults in charge may say they hear us, no action has been taken to prove to us that they actually listened. We understand that this is a hard time for the district but there must be a better way to go about mitigation attempts, ones that are more inclusive to parents, teachers and students detailed, and accessible to the public in a way that can be understood fully.

CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

Friday’s sit-in at Co-Op.

Ethics Board Clears 2 Conflict Cases

by THOMAS BREEN

New Haven Independent

The sister of a city employee has no conflict buying a city-built two-family house, since that family relationship appears to have no bearing on the pending transaction.

Same goes for the husband of a city employee who has applied for a city architectural contract unrelated to his wife’s work.

The city’s two-member Board of Ethics came to those decisions during a 45-minute public hearing held in the Corporation Counsel office’s fifth-floor library at City Hall.

The board, which is charged with providing broad-reaching oversight over potential conflicts of interest regarding city employees, appointees, and elected officials, met this past Tuesday to hear testimony on three cases introduced at its last meeting on May 21. The board, which has met only a handful of times in the past six years, reviews complaints and concerns filed by city employees concerned about the appearance of a conflict of interest; it does not seek out complaints.

At the ethics board meeting, board chair Leslie Arthur and fellow member Roger Wilkins instructed board counsel Kathleen Foster to draft two opinions asserting no conflict of interest in two of the submitted cases.

One involves Marta Arroyo-Quirama, a Livable City Initaitive (LCI) administrative assistant whose sister Marisol Arroyo is looking to close on her purchase of an LCI-built two-family home at Judith Terrace. The other involves Kathleen Krolak, a city economic development officer whose husband Keith has applied for an architec-

THOMAS BREEN PHOTOBoard of Ethics member Roger Wilkins, counsel Kathleen Foster, and chair Leslie Arthur.

tural contract for an LCI housing rehabilitation project at 10 Orchard St. The board did not rule on a third case before them, involving Michelle Mateo, a Kaurus Property Group realtor whose sister Jasmine Gonzalez is interested in buying a LCI-built home at 110-112 Judith Terrace. Neither Mateo nor Gonzalez is a city

employee, but Mateo was hired by LCI to market the Judith Terrace properties.

The commissioners instead instructed Foster to research whether or not city contractors fall within the Board of Ethics’s purview before the board decides on whether or not there is a conflict of interest in this case.

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The board will next meet on June 18 to review Foster’s draft opinions.

If the commissioners sign off on the conflict of interest clearance language in the first two cases, Foster said, then the board will distribute those opinions to the relevant employees and department heads, formally giving them the go ahead to proceed with the relevant transactions.

LCI Employee’s Sister Cleared For the first case, the commissioners and Foster at the hearing interviewed Arroyo-Quirama and LCI Deputy Catherine Carbonaro-Schroeter, who oversees Arroyo-Quirama as well as the department’s property development efforts at Judith Terrace. Arroyo-Quirama’s sister, Marisol, has applied to purchase a LCI-built two-family home at Judith Terrace, and has also applied for LCI-funded downpayment assistance.

Arthur said right off the bat she saw no conflict of interest with the downpayment assistance application, since LCI has a separate loan underwriting committee that functions completely independently of the department. Arroyo-Quirama clearly has no decision-making power on that committee, she said.

So the only potential conflict of interest lay in whether or not the city employee has any influence over helping her sister purchase the house.

Arthur asked Arroyo-Quirama what kind of work she does at LCI. Typical executive assistant work, the latter replied, such as copying, scanning, filing, mailing. “I don’t do much more than regular administrative assistant work,” she said.

Schroeter added that, though Arroyo-

Quirama has worked for LCI for over a decade, the latter didn’t start working in the property development department until June 2018. The city-hired realtor had already started marketing the properties on Facebook at community management team meetings and through other real estate listings by that time, she said.

Furthermore, she added, Arroyo-Quirama’s sister is not jumping any other potential buyers on a wait list, since she was one of only two people to apply for that specific Judith Terrace house. The other interested applicant, Schroeter said, did not meet the project’s income and mortgage eligibility criteria. Applicants could earn no more than the area median income, which is $82,000 for a family of four, and their annual mortgage payments could not exceed 30 percent of their annual income.

Do you feel the five Judith Terrace twofamily homes built as part of this LCI project were properly advertised? Arthur asked.

“They were fully marketed,” Schroeter replied. LCI put out a RFP for a realtor in 2016, started Facebook posts and community outreach on the project in 2017, and posted the property on a multiple listing service (MLS) in 2018 to ensure a wide swath of interested homebuyers could find the new properties.

Arthur said that she has no problem with Arroyo-Quirama’s sister going forward with her purchase of the home. Wilkins agreed.

“The actual person making the decision is not directly connected in any way,” he said, noting that the city employee seems to have no influence over whether or not her sister Con’t on page 05

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THE INNER-CITY NEWS -

June 12, 2019 - June 18, 2019

Co-Op Actor Lands Role On Board Of Ed

by Lucy Gellman, Editor, The arts Paper www.newhavenarts.org

Lihame Arouna grew up problem solving through playbills and music scores, set changes, and careful choreography. Now, she’s stepping onto one of the city’s main stages to see how she can shift the script on public education.

A 15-year-old sophomore at Cooperative Arts & Humanities High School (Co-Op), Arouna is the newest student representative on New Haven’s Board of Education, a non-voting position to which she was elected earlier this month. She will be replacing Hillhouse High School senior Makayla Dawkins, who graduates in June.

“Students know the issues the best because we’re dealing with the issues every day,” Arouna said in an interview Friday morning at Co-Op. “I definitely think it would be beneficial to everyone to have students vote on the Board of Ed. It would put more power in the position that we have to speak for students. But, given the circumstances, I’m still going to advocate for students as best as I can.”

What led her there, she said, was an upbringing rooted in both arts and community organizing. Raised by West African immigrants, Arouna grew up in the city’s Hill neighborhood as the second youngest of four girls. Both of her parents are originally from Togo, and moved to New Haven after several years in New York. Her dad works in packing and shipping for warehouses and her mom owns an African hair braiding business in nearby West Haven.

From a very early age, Arouna was immersed in the arts. At home, there was never not music playing, her mom singing along to the tracks that filled the house and assuring Arouna “that I was going to be a star.”

When she started elementary school at John C. Daniels, Arouna jumped into every school play she could, starting as a munchkin in The Wizard of Oz, then Pepper in Annie, then various roles in Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King and The Little Mermaid. She also joined Music Haven, then a tiny organization operating out of John C. Daniels and Wexler Grant elementary schools.

“Theater, for me, has always been about expressing a greater message to society,” she said. “One musical that I really, really love is Hamilton—because it gets the message across in an entertaining way, with good music and good acting. That’s always been my main thing. To just get a greater message across to the audience. And that goes hand-in-hand with politics as well.”

Arouna was also starting to flex a political muscle. While she was still in middle school, she joined the student senate, interested in learning more about the educational ecosystem that surrounded her. She watched the organizing work that her older sister Cowiya was doing with Citywide Youth Coalition, attending several of the group’s “Dinner & Dialogue” events before joining herself.

“Lihame really took to the work,” recalled Citywide Youth Coalition Executive Di-

“Students know the issues the best because we’re dealing with the issues every day.”

Lucy Gellman Photo.

rector Addys Castillo. “She really got the analysis and she would come to our programming.”

When she entered Co-Op in 2017, Arouna’s life on stage kept intersecting with a growing interest in politics and social justice. In theater, she jumped into Heathers and then In The Heights, falling deeply in love with Lin Manuel-Miranda’s lyrical swerve and commitment to telling community stories—right from those communities.

In her theater classes this year year, she codirected 12 Angry Jurors, which follows an all-white, all-male jury as it decides the fate of a young Black man convicted of murder. The intersection that she saw between theater and social commentary pushed her to learn more about the medium, she said, which she hopes to keep expanding during her junior and senior years.

“She is a humble leader,” said Christi Sargent, one of Arouna’s theater teachers and the principal architect of a class called “Social Justice Theater” at Co-Op. “Like, you don’t realize she’s coming and then there she is. She has brilliant ideas and she voices them. We’re very proud of her.”

“She impresses me,” she added. “She’s an impressive human. I would gladly accept her as my boss.”

Off stage, Arouna became more involved with Citywide Youth Coalition, studying immigration justice during its 2018 summer program with Connecticut Students for a Dream. She did work with Students for Educational Justice, one of the partner or-

ganizations Citywide works with, to advocate for student power and better representation in Connecticut’s curricula. Several months ago, she made the decision to drop violin at Music Haven—for now—because she didn’t want to be “not doing the best I could” as politics pulled her away from practice.

Somewhere along the way she also met Coral Ortiz, a now-graduate of James Hillhouse High School who was one of the first students to serve on the Board of Education and then went on to Yale University.

Watching Ortiz call out the adults in the room, question city officials, and ask for better resources and greater civility inspired her. So did the call to intersectional justice that she was seeing all around her.

“Something that’s very popular in the organizing world is having where you come from as a big part of the reason that you’re doing what you’re doing,” she said. “I think that because my parents are from Africa and I live in the Hill, and I see mostly Black and brown children that are my age definitely has to do with why I’m doing what I’m doing.”

As the newest member of the Board of Education—and despite the non-voting role—she said that she wants to focus on a gap she sees between students, educators, Board of Education members and the city.

She noted that students don’t seem to know what decisions are being made about their own schools—a gulf she’d like to bridge with better social media use and greater transparency after meetings of the Board of Education.

“For me, it’s just knowing what’s really

4

going on with students’ education,” she said. “And being able to bring the students’ voice to it. I really think with technology, if we use social media more to connect the Board of Ed to the students, we could do that.”

“Students are very unaware of what’s happening,” she added. “I myself am not always aware of what’s happening. That’s been an issue. And there are always other things within the school—communication, buses, things like that.”

In particular, she said she believes schools aren’t equipping students with the tools they need to succeed. Even before she ran for the position, she was hearing transit horror stories from friends and classmates— about buses that drove past students who were waiting at their stop, and then had to find another way to get to school. She heard from classmates who were concerned about programs and teachers being cut, a fear that became true this month as 53 teacher positions were reassigned earlier this week.

She said she’s also invested in opening a conversation—or many—about better Black and Latinx representation in school faculty. During her freshman year, she dedicated her first argumentative essay to studying in-classroom representation, pulling apart the data on the number of white teachers in New Haven’s largely nonwhite classrooms. The more she found, the deeper she dug.

“That definitely is an issue,” she said. “I think students of color respond better to teachers of color. Representation is something that is … it’s important. It’ll help students learn better.”

When she finished and presented the essay, the data didn’t just stick with her. It also convinced at least one of her teachers to rethink the curriculum they were using.

“Lihame is an extraordinary student,” wrote Valerie Vollono, an English teacher who taught Arouna freshman year, and initially assigned that essay. “She excelled at written work and her thoughtful analysis went far beyond what you would expect from a freshman. The best example of this is her persuasive speech, which argued for more diverse representation in the school curriculum.”

“After listening to her present this speech to her English class, I made a decision to alter the books I teach in my Honors English 1 class,” she continued. “I feel that my curriculum this year better reflected the identities of the students in my classroom and I owe that to Lihame.”

This summer, Arouna will be juggling a Yale summer program and organizing with Citywide Youth Coalition. Reached by phone Friday, Castillo said she is excited to watch Arouna’s growth as she takes the skills she is already employing through organizing, and brings them to the educational table.

“Lihame has a very evolved understanding of what it is for young people to have power, and it’s not just about representation of young people at the table,” she said.

“She’s not interested in speaking about the work, she’s about doing the work. She’s been amazing. And I’m so looking forward

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THE INNER-CITY NEWS - June 12, 2019 - June 18, 2019

Con’t from page 2

Ethics Board Clears 2 Conflict Cases

is eligible for the home purchase.

Orchard Street Youth Homeless Project In the second matter before the board, Arthur and Wilkins interviewed economic development officer Kathleen Krolak, Krolak’s supervisor economic development deputy Steve Fontana, and Schroeter.

Krolak’s husband Keith, a local architect, has applied to do the architectural design work for a nascent LCI project to rehabilitate a vacant three-family house and adjacent garage at 10 Orchard St. in the Hill and convert the properties into a youth homeless shelter and job training site. Schroeter is overseeing the project for LCI as it gets off the ground.

Krolak explained that her role in the economic development department involves helping new businesses looking to come to New Haven navigate city regulations, figure out what they are allowed to open where, and then publicize their businesses once they are open.

She has a passing relationship with some employees in LCI, she said, but only insofar as many City Hall workers are on friendly terms with staffers in other departments. She in no way has any awardgranting power in LCI, she said, and has no influence over whether or not her husband can or will be picked for the Orchard Street contract.

Schroeter said the project in question will involve LCI building out a youth homeless shelter to accommodate 16 to 18 people per night. The building will include a kitchen, a dining room area, and general use space for job training services.

Schroeter reached out to five different architects in town to submit bids to do 40 percent of the project’s construction drawing (the rest will require another bid, she said) and to provide a cost estimate for the project. Keith Krolak was not one of those architects to whom she reached out, she said; he heard about the project from a developer friend and submitted an application.

Not only is he eligible to do the work, Schroeter said, but Krolak also submitted the lowest bid. Kathleen Krolak said that Tuesday’s meeting was the first time she learned any of the details of the project that her husband had applied for. It was also the first time she found out that he had submitted the lowest bid.

“Do you have any decision-making powers on any contracts,” inside or outside LCI? Foster asked again.

No, Krolak said.

Arthur and Wilkins instructed Foster to draft an opinion finding no conflict of interest in Keith Krolak’s application. Krolak’s husband appears to have found out about the contract independent of his wife’s work, they said. He appears to have submitted an application independent of his wife’s work.

And he will or will not be awarded the bid independent of his wife’s work.

“I don’t have any problems with [this application] at all,” Arthur said.

Bling! Retired Pol Eyes 2nd Career

by SAM GURWITT

New Haven Independent

Sir Elton John, take note: You’ve got glasses competition.

On Saturday, friends and family of Brenda Foskey-Hill, who served as a Newhallville alder in New Haven until retiring at the beginning of 2018 and moving across the town line, gathered for the launch of Hamden’s newest glasses line: BDH Designer Eyewear.

Foskey-Hill makes every pair herself.

Each one has a name, and each one is different.

“If you look, you can see that every single one is designed differently,” said Katerina Robinson, Foskey-Hill’s nail technician.

But they all have one thing in common. “If it’s not bling, she’s not using it,” Robinson said.

Foskey-Hill said some of her friends have told her the glasses look like something Elton John would wear.

Foskey-Hill retired from Equitable Life Insurance about 17 years ago, she said. She also worked at Department of Labor.

Her eyewear-design days started with a visit to Dr. Joel’s Family Eye Care Center in Amity. She was there to buy a new pair of prescription glasses.

“I was retired, and I found it hard to buy the type of glasses I was accustomed to,” she said. So she bought the ugliest pair she could find and took the decorations into her own hands. She said the person helping her tried to convince her not to get the ugly pair she had her eye on, but she insisted.

She took them home and got to work gluing clear Swarovski Crystals on every millimeter until she had transformed the glasses into shimmering halos around her eyes.

She then wore those glasses to her friend Margaret Erkard’s house, and BDH Designer Eyewear was born.

“She wore a pair of glasses to my house, and I flipped over them,” recalled Erkard, who is now BDH’s business manager. “I said: ‘Brenda, you need to get a patent for those.’ And the rest is history.”

Robinson helped Foskey-Hill in the beginning with her technique. She said she saw crystals falling off of the original pair so she showed Foskey-Hill how to attach them better, and “how to perfect” her glasses.

Robinson was there on Saturday to support Foskey-Hill. She also modeled the pair she bought.

The “BDH” stands for Brenda and Dan Hill. Dan Hill, Foskey-Hill’s husband, is the company’s vice president. FoskeyHill’s granddaughters, Tanasia and Special Foskey, have helped get the company up and running. They make the BDH shirts that they modeled on Saturday. Felicia Hill, Foskey-Hill’s step daughter, designed the website.

“Looking For Mario” Foskey-Hill sat on a yellow couch in her basement where she makes the glasses and demonstrated how she attaches decorations to frames.

PAUL BASS PHOTO Ex-Alder Foskey-Hill displays her new “BDH” frames.

In order to place glue exactly where she wants it, she fills a syringe and puts a fine tube on the end to get just a drop. She then picks up a crystal or stone with a stickytipped pen-like tool, and places it in the exact spot she wants it. If there’s extra glue, she trims it away with a pair of tweezers.

She said she gets most of her glasses from a private distributor — who, she would not say. Sometimes, if she’s at TJ Maxx and she sees a pair she wants to decorate, she said, she’ll snap it up.

Family and friends often inspire names.

One pair (pictured) she made for Mother’s Day and named it Marjorie, after her mother (and daughter).

Another is named Ashley, for another daughter. There’s also Ivan 1 and Ivan 2 for her son, as well as a line of Dans for her husband.

Then there are others that aren’t named for anyone in particular, but rather give a name to what the glasses evoke. One white rim with blue crystals is called “Heaven.”

A green-rimmed pair with black crystals is named “money.”

Another, Foskey-Hill named “Big Gurl.”

Felicia Hill, Dan Hill, and Brenda Foskey-Hill.

Granddaughters Tanasia Foskey and Special Foskey.

5

Prices for now range from $20 to $40, depending on the cost of the material (Swarovski crystals jack up the price). But those are just the June prices. Come July, she said, they will increase.

Foskey-Hill said she generally works in the evening because “I haven’t done anything all day.” Mondays she does not work.

Sometimes she works Tuesdays, sometimes she doesn’t. Come Wednesday, she said, the motivation has usually set in.

“If a flood comes in, I’ve got to be prepared for that, so I work,” she said. “It’s a tedious job, but it relaxes you. It’s therapy to me. I love it; this is my passion.”

She said she averages 12-13 pairs a week, though she said she has made as many as seven in one day. Sometimes, said her granddaughter Special, she stays up until midnight or 1 a.m. working.

BDH Designer Eyewear takes individual orders and if need be, ships them. FoskeyHill said she has also sold pairs at a bar in Norwich, Connecticut, and in South Carolina, where Special goes to college.

The next step, said Erkard, is getting the name out there and marketing the brand.

She said the target audience is “everyone.”

She said that she and Foskey-Hill have considered making a whole line for men.

Though neither Dan Hill nor Barry Sclar, the other man at the launch on Saturday, wore pairs, “there are a lot of men that are into bling,” she said.

But there’s one man in particular that Foskey-Hill would like to sell a pair too.

“You know what I’m looking for? I’m looking for Mario,” she said, referring to style-setting WTNH Reporter Mario Boone. “I just want him to buy glasses. I don’t need a story.”

THE INNER-CITY NEWS -

June 12, 2019 - June 18, 2019

Harp Administration Admits Relaxing Lead Standard To Save $$ did a lead inspector, Jamika Bogan. Under questioning by Marx, they confirmed that the city had changed its policy in November of 2018.

One parent of each of the toddlers – whose blood levels went up and down, always above 5 micrograms per deciliter but never as high as 20 — testified that the children have been having cognitive problems like delayed speech and lack of interest in eating. The city has not ordered inspections.

Sara’s dad Rukara Rugereza described his daughter’s condition as “blood poisoning.” Attorney Cohen objected. “I move to object to the use of the phrase ‘blood poisoning,” he said.

Marx rephrased her question to Rugereza, who sat in the witness chair with his daughter playfully in his lap.

“When were you told she had an ‘elevated blood level?” Marx pressed on.

by ALLAN APPEL

New Haven Independent

The families of two very small New Haveners will have to wait at least another another week to find out if a judge will order city officials to clean up the poisonous lead in their apartments.

Their lawyers from New Haven Legal Assistance (NHLAA) went to court Friday seeking a preliminary injunction to have the city stop using a new more relaxed standard for deciding when to order a landlord to clean up lead paint.

Legal aid and city lawyers ended up quizzing witnesses and arguing over the case all day in the third floor housing court of state Superior Court Judge John Cordani at 121 Elm St. Legal aid filed the class-action suit on behalf of two primary plaintiffs: 4-year-old Fair Haven resident Muhaweinmana Sara and 2-year-old Fair Haven resident Nyriel Smith.

The case in question is a class action lawsuit filed in May by NHLAA on behalf of two primary plaintiffs: 4-year-old Fair Haven resident Muhaweinmana Sara and 2-year-old Fair Haven resident Nyriel Smith. According to the complaint filed

by NHLAA’s lead attorney Amy Marx’s complaint, Mayor Toni Harp, outgoing Health Department Director Byron Kennedy, and Environmental Health Director Paul Kowalski stopped enforcing city lead laws for children with blood lead levels below 20 μg/dL, which is the state threshold for poisoning. The mayor and the health department directors did that, the complaint alleges, without going through the Board of Alders, the local legislative authority.

The complaint calls for the court’s recognition of a class of roughly 300 city children at or under 6 years old who have elevated blood lead levels (EBL) above 5 micrograms per deciliter (μg/dL), which is the local legal threshold that triggers a variety of city health department protective actions, including inspection and lead hazard abatement enforcement. That local limit is tied to the federal Centers for Disease Control’s (CDC) reference level for children whose blood lead levels put them at risk for developing life-long cognitive and behavioral disabilities.

For the first time, Harp administration officials acknowledged in court Friday that they did in fact change policy, in hopes of saving money. They raised the threshold to 20 micrograms per deciliter.

NHLAA was asking the judge Friday to issue an injunction requiring the city to immediately order a clean-up at the family’s homes based on the previous threshold.

After the day-long arguments, Judge Cordani ordered NHLAA lead attorney Amy Marx and the city’s hired outside counsel, Andrew Cohen of the law firm Winnick Ruben, both to present final briefs by end of day June 13 before he will decide.

City’s Lawyer Objects To “Poisoning” Earlier Friday, the city’s soon-to-depart health chief, Kennedy, took the stand, as

“I object to the phrase ‘elevated blood level,’” Cohen answered.

ALLAN APPEL PHOTO.

Jamika Bogan, health department lead inspector, testifies in court Friday.

City lawyer Roderick Williams confers with city-hired outside attorneys Andrew Cohen and Nancy Mendell.

New Haven Legal Assistance attorneys Amy Marx and Shelly White in court.

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“When did you hear about Sara’s blood level?” Marx tried for a third time.

The five-hour proceeding was collegial – with the two kids in the chambers, participants, even Judge Cordani shared knowing shrugs about trying to keep rambunctious children quiet.

But Cohen offered continual objections: To whether Rugazera, a recent immigrant from the Democratic Republic of Congo could really understand English well enough; why he was turning to Marx for his answers.

He also questioned intensely the qualifications of Marjorie Rosenthal, a Yale School of Medicine pediatrician, to be an expert on pediatric lead poisoning.

Called to the stand by Marx, Rosenthal said she was familiar with lead poisoning standards at the Centers For Disease Control.

When she began her career, the Center’s standard for inspection and alarm was 20 micrograms per decileter, she said. But in the years since, the CDC has lowered the standard to the current 5, on which city policy was based until this past November.

Friday’s arguments also turned on a second part of the city definition for the threshold for ordering enforcement action: that the standard be either 20 micrograms, or “any other abnormal body burden of lead.” NHLAA argues that, based on expert testimony and the CDC’s definition, that would lower the threshold to 5 micrograms. Rosenthal said that 5 constitutes the CDC standard for “abnormal body burden.”

“Five, any amount of lead is not normal,” Rosenthal said and the child should be removed from its source. The two children’s medical records, admitted into evidence, showed that when a child tests with a blood level above 5, it is marked “abnormal” to be flagged for a pediatri-

cian.

The city disagreed. Cohen, for the city, called as a witness Sherine Drummond, who oversees lead enforcement for the state Department of Public Health. He elicited from her that the state mandated level, 20 micrograms, to trigger enforcement, but that frequently calls for interventions short of removing a child from a house.

Marx objected: “That’s state law. That’s not an issue. What’s at issue is what the city law requires.”

Money Worries And why did that practice have to change? Kennedy and Bogan both pointed to a reduction of inspectors from five to just two in recent years, a demanding caseload for inspections that often take three hours or more, and a drying up of specialized funds from the federal government. But economics, Kennedy insisted, were not the only and not primary cause.

“We want to do what’s in the best interest of the community,” he concluded.

Marx and fellow NHLAA attorney Shelly White, weren’t buying.

“It’s upsetting that the city changed its practice as a political decision, and decided not to follow their own ordinance,” Marx said.

Marx said in her view it was an economic decision made behind closed doors without attempting to have a citywide conversation about how to do better for the city’s vulnerable kids with the dollars that are there. “It’s a legislative decision at what level to protect children. You can’t sell the children short,” she said.

The weary attorneys and judge agreed that in lieu of final arguments, they would submit written briefs to the court by June 13.

Cordani acknowledged the seriousness of the situation and promised a rapid response.

“The mayor and the health department have clearly made a policy decision to no longer protect the children who fall below 20,” Marx said afterwards. “The change was made with no transparency and public participation. The law clearly doesn’t allow that move.”

Even as the plaintiffs in this class action were being denied health department protections last year, NHLAA’s complaint alleges, three separate state judges were ordering the department to follow through on its legal obligations to children with similar blood lead burdens in separate lead poisoning-related cases.

Friday was the third pre-trial hearing date Cordani had set for the class action case. The city’s contracted attorney successfully delayed the first two hearings by filing motions to remove the case from state court to federal court on the grounds that the complaint concerned an alleged violation of CDC-set rules, rather than

THE INNER-CITY NEWS - June 12, 2019 - June 18, 2019

“Echoes Of Love” Dredges Up Decades Of Memory

by Lucy Gellman, Editor, The Arts Paper www.newhavenarts.org

Cynthia Watson-Johnson never imagined that taking care of an elderly relative would lead her to write her first personal narrative.

Now, she’s getting ready to tell that story to the New Haven community.

Watson-Johnson, who is now 62, is the author of Echoes Of Love: Loving The Unlovely. This weekend, she will hold a book release and book signing at the Hill Museum of Arts, home to the work of Hill-based artist Krikko Obbott. The book, which follows the life and death of her aunt Grace, is her first foray into personal narrative and creative nonfiction after decades of poetry.

“It’s different for me in not only the type of writing but the fact that it’s just ... about me,” she said in a recent interview at Koffee? on Audubon Street. “I’m bearing my soul whereas with poetry, it was a compilation of emotions. This was very revelatory.”

The story of the book goes decades back, to Watson-Johnson’s own upbringing in New Haven. Born and raised as the eldest of four kids in Newhallville, Watson-Johnson grew up thinking she wanted to be a secretary, because she saw them typing on television.

It wasn’t the work that called to her—she didn’t fully understand what a secretary did, she joked—but the fact that they spent their days writing. She wanted to know where she could find a job like that.

When she was 10, her dad gave her a typewriter on which she wrote her first poems—a book of limericks that she took to immediately. Poetry came easily to her: she recalled writing poems in school, whipping up rhymes during quiet class assignments, often praised by her teachers in the process. The craft became her refuge: she wrote to express herself and then hid in books of poetry, savoring every last word of Langston Hughes and Maya Angelou. She became obsessed with Ernest Hemingway’s life story, reading about his struggle with alcoholism and depression.

“The humanity of him—I sort of connected to that for some reason,” she said. “I don’t know if it was because I was this little black girl, coming from this sort of depressed neighborhood. I always thought when I grew up, I would have this room that would be dedicated to writing, and there would be this Ernest Hemingway-esque feel.”

If New Haven was changing, she said, she was largely oblivious to it. Outside the house, her mother fussed and fretted over the Black Panther Party, which had set up its headquarters nearby in the city’s Dwight neighborhood. The group terrified her, she said—but only because she misunderstood her mother’s warnings, and thought that huge, wild black cats were prowling the neighborhood looking for human prey. Inside, the house was full of laughter. There was always extended family coming to visit, with weekends doubling as day-long cookouts.

Watson-Johnson dreamed about pursuing a career in writing, but also “didn’t know that I could pursue it” as anything more than a self-taught hobby. When she

was a teenager, she became pregnant with her son, now a professor of history at Wesleyan University. Suddenly, people were urging her to find a reliable job to support her child, and writing got put on the back burner. But when she returned home, made dinner and put him to bed, she found time to put down poems before she drifted off to sleep.

“I would write and write and write,” she recalled.

Several years ago, she published her first two volumes of poetry. When she wasn’t writing or working, she was learning from the women in her family. She was moved particularly by her mother’s sister Grace, the second oldest of eight children who had grown up in Alabama and moved to New Haven seven decades into her life, to be closer to family as she began to suffer from advanced Parkinson’s.

“She was very outspoken, very strongwilled, a pretty happy and outgoing person,” Watson-Johnson said. “And then she got sick, and her whole personality changed. I just didn’t get the whole process there. I couldn’t understand how this woman that I used to enjoy so much could now be such a pain in my butt.”

After several years with Watson-Johnson’s sister, her aunt went into assisted living. She became angry and hard, verbally abusive with the family members who did come to visit her, and distraught about the ones that didn’t. Watson-Johnson said her faith carried her though those years: after a spiritual rebirth in 2003, she prayed with Grace and drove out to visit her even on the days that she did not want to.

“I felt like maybe she was testing me,” she said. “Because so many people that she thought would be there for her were not.

Maybe she had given herself to them, maybe she had given her heart to them. And then she had a need—where were they?”

In 2011, her aunt died peacefully. The following year, Watson-Johnson sat down to

write, and found that the story of Grace wouldn’t come out. When the words did come to her, they leaked out in fits and starts, often muddled and laced with frustrations. There was, she said, too much anger there—she kept telling the stories of the end of her aunt’s life, when she was in a great deal of physical pain and cold to those around her. She deleted sections and then started over again.

And then she heard a voice in her head— she said she believes it was God—that told her she was writing the story from the wrong perspective. It was supposed to be a love story.

“I just wrote and wrote and wrote,” she said. “And what I realized is that I was unlovely too. When I was being ungracious and stubborn, rebellious—all of those things—I was also being unlovely. Just as much as she was when she insulted me and criticized me.”

As she wrote, stories poured forward.

Grace in her younger years, before Parkinson’s began to take over her body. Grace leading the way for her siblings in the Deep South, and traveling North late in life to be with her surviving family one more time.

Grace after sickness claimed her limbs and then her mind, sitting in a nursing home in Southern Connecticut. For years, WatsonJohnson edited and edited again. On some days, she found that an hour she had earmarked for edits turned into six or seven.

But along the way, Watson-Johnson felt something open in her too: a kind of freedom with writing that she hadn’t experienced before. When she sent the manuscript to the printer last month, she said she felt exposed, aware that readers would get a deeper glimpse for her after years of poetry in which she was removed from the work.

Now, she said, she is excited for the reading as a sort of reveal on Saturday.

“It’s just that process that we’re all going through,” she said. “We don’t know how we’re going to end up, and what process it’s going to take us to get there. Maybe I was unlovely yesterday. But don’t judge me by

The author, Cynthia Watson-Johnson, in a recent interview at Koffee? on Audubon Street.

Lucy Gellman Photo. yesterday. Judge me by today. Just walk with me, because something’s happening.”

She added that she sees this imprint of Echoes of Love as the first in three volumes on the topic. Already, she has begun mapping the second book in the series, based on a dream that she had about dancing with her late father. She expects the third, about “the love of the father,” to drop sometime after that.

As I write, I feel the presence, and I hope it comes across on the page,” she said.

“Echoes of Love is definitely more tapped into that spiritual part of me than I would have expected. It’s not what I thought was going to come across. It’s been very enlightening for me.”

A release party and book signing for Echoes Of Love: Loving The Unlovely will take place Saturday June 8 at the Hill Museum of Arts from 4 to 6 p.m. For more information or to RSVP, contact cwjohnson065@gmail.com.

Mullins Announces Bid for Mayor efforts. “We are off to a strong fundraising start,” Mullins said, “and we have plans to run a very energetic, volunteer-oriented campaign that reaches out directly to the voters of West Haven.”

“Republicans may be outnumbered when it comes to party Registration,” Mullins continued. “But there are thousands of voters who agree with my vision for a more affordable West Haven, and are willing to look beyond political parties. As the campaign progresses, we will be detailing my economic plan which will lead West Haven out of its financial crisis and toward a more affordable and prosperous future.”

Mullins, 44, resides in Allingtown and is a Republican.

Mullins has a fundraising event scheduled

WEST HAVEN - Stating that “West Haven needs a new vision,” Planning and Zoning Commissioner Steven R. Mullins announced his campaign for Mayor on May 2 on a Facebook video. “West Haven is in a financial crisis,” Mullins stated in the video.

“Families are leaving town and businesses are closing. It just costs too much to raise a family and do business in the city.”

In the video, Mullins stated that West Haven has suffered under the one-party control of the Democratic Party for decades.

Despite internal Democratic divisions and fights every few years for control of the Party, Mullins said that the results were always the same, “financial disaster.”

Mullins has filed his campaign committee paperwork with the City Clerk’s Office and has begun raising money to fund his

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for May 30th at the Poli House. More information on Mullins can be found at his campaign’s website, https://mullinsforwesthaven.com, and on its Facebook page, “Steven Mullins for West Haven.” Voters may contact Mullins at Steven@MullinsforWestHaven.com.

Three Democrats are vying for their party’s nomination, including current Mayor Nancy Rossi, former Mayor Ed O’Brien, and City Clerk Debbie Collins. Rossi and O’Brien have formally announced their campaigns, while Collins is still exploring a run. All three can either contend for the Democrat primary, petition directly onto the November ballot, or do both. None of the candidates has indicated which course they will take.

Sheila Allen Bell, 68 THE INNER-CITY NEWS -

Sheila Faith Allen Bell was born on August 8, 1950 in Little Rock, Arkansas to the late Frank Allen and Flora Stringer Allen. She was the third of four children.

Later on, the family moved to Charlotte, N.C., which became her beloved hometown.

Sheila graduated from West Charlotte Senior High School In 1968 and attended North Carolina Central University and pursued a career in nursing.

Following her older sister, Marsha, Sheila relocated to New Haven, where she remained until her death. Sheila served New Haven well in many capacities, including as alder of the 2nd Ward.

Sheila completed her Bachelors Degree at New Hampshire College and received her Masters Degree in Public Health from Southern Connecticut State University. Sheila practiced as a Registered Nurse in psychiatry through the VNA and served as Unit Chief at Greater Bridgeport Mental Health Center until transitioning to a career in Medicaid Managed Care working for Physician Health Services and serving on the State of Connecticut’s Medicaid Managed Care Council.

Sheila was appointed by Mayor John DeStefano, Jr. to serve as the City’s

June 12, 2019 - June 18, 2019

MARKESHIA RICKS PHOTO

Colleagues congratulate Shiela Allen Bell at her HANH retirement party (above and in photo below).

Community Services Administrator. In this role, Sheila revamped the city’s early childhood programs, oversaw homeless services, governed elderly services and much more. She left city government to serve as the Assistant Executive Director of Elm City Communities/Housing Authority of the City of New Haven where she served until her retirement. At ECC/ HANH, Sheila built the Community and Economic Development Department providing direction to all resident services programs.

Sheila’s long and rewarding career demonstrated her commitment to serving our most vulnerable and marginalized populations and she did so in ways that conveyed respect, dignity and worth to every individual.

She devoted her time to service on many boards and commissions. Her most recent service included the Board of Directors for the Cornell Scott Hill Health Center, Elm Shakespeare, Liberty Community Services, the Boys and Girls Club of New Haven and Hemingway Cove Condominium Association.

Having given her life to Christ, she was a faithful Christian whose works reflect her beliefs. She was an active member of East End Baptist Church in Bridge-

port. She previously had served in the vineyards at Varick AMEZ Church and Immanuel Missionary Baptist Church in New Haven, CT. Sheila was a proud member of the Theta Epsilon Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. where she served as chair of several committees.

Sheila was known for her Southern Hospitality, engaging personality, infectious laugh and loving nature. Her giving spirit and fun-loving personality drew everyone to her and she made each one feel special in her life. She was a mentor, guide, support and caretaker for many.

She was a great friend who created family and community wherever she was.

Sheila leaves to mourn her son, Allen Bell of Las Vegas, Nevada, two loving nephews, George Allen, Jr. (Jessica) and Duane Allen (Tisha), a beloved grand nephew, Jelani Malik Allen, Marquis Holloway, a host of cousins, Sorors, special friends and loved ones who will miss her dearly. She was predeceased by her parents and her siblings George Allen, Sr., Marsha Allen Best and John Kelsey Allen.

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“Jeffie Frazier Way” Wins A Thumb’s Up

by THOMAS BREEN

New Haven Independent

Alders unanimously supported renaming a Dixwell corner outside Wexler-Grant in honor of the school’s retried longtime principal and a nationally celebrated neighborhood educator.

That latest street corner renaming recommendation came Thursday night, when the alders on the City Services and Environmental Policy (CSEP) committee endorsed designating the entry to the Wexler-Grant School parking lot on Foote Street, across from Adam Clayton Powell Place, “Jeffie Frazier Way.” The corner-renaming proposal, which had been drafted and submitted to the Board of Alders by Dixwell Alder Jeannette Morrison, now goes to the full board for a final vote.

Two dozen of Frazier’s former teachers, students, and sorority sisters filled the back rows of the Aldermanic Chambers on the second floor of City Hall to show their support for the corner renaming. They waved brightly colored signs that read “Jeffie Frazier Way” as the alders heard testimony about the lasting impact of the legendary teacher.

“There’s a passage that says, ‘You will know its tree by the fruit that it bears,’” said Khalilah Brown-Dean, associate professor of political science at Quinnipiac University. “And so tonight in this chamber, we have a sampling of the fruit that has been born from the tree that is Jeffie Frazier.”

A native of Minden, Louisiana, Frazier moved to New Haven in 1966, when she became a teacher at what was then called Helene W. Grant Elementary School on Goffe Street, according to Morrison’s write up in favor of the renaming.

“After long school days she found herself deeply involved in the Dixwell community,” Morrison wrote, “walking students home, visiting residents in the Elm Haven housing projects to see if families had enough to eat, and tutoring students who needed extra assistance.”

Frazier went on to become a Fulbright scholar, the principal at Grant School, and was recognized in 1996 as the Milken Educator of the Year.

“During her many decades as a distinguished educator,” Morrison continued, “Mrs. Frazier stressed high expectations and implemented numerous programs that emphasized community and parental com-

mitment, including requiring parents to gain firsthand experience with their child’s daily activities and creating the Mentoring Program for Black Males to increase the involvement of fathers and provide students with male role models.”

Morrison said Thursday night that her own son, a former student at Wexler-Grant, benefited directly from Frazier’s commitment and care for the children in her school. Morrison’s son needed a lot of extra support and attention, she said, and, on a limited budget, Frazier always found a way to provide it.

Now, she said, her son has just graduated from Southern Connecticut State University, and will be attending a social work master’s program at UCONN next school year.

“This is just one of thousands of examples” of the lives Frazier has changed for the better, she said.

Frazier retired from Wexler-Grant in 2008.

“She continues to volunteer at local schools and libraries,” Morrison wrote, “help educate parents in their duties at home and school, and work as a member of the local chapter of the Sickle Cell Disease Society of America to tutor kids with the disease.”

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THOMAS BREEN PHOTO

Jeffie Frazier (right) at Thursday night’s hearing.

THE INNER-CITY NEWS - June 12, 2019 - June 18, 2019

Murphy Continues Call for Gun Safety Votes

by Peter Urban Ct. News Junkie

WASHINGTON — U.S. Senator Chris Murphy is continuing to push Senate Republican leaders to debate universal background-check legislation that passed the House nearly 100 days ago.

The Connecticut Democrat who has championed gun safety legislation since the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in December 2012, spoke on the Senate floor and at a press conference outside the Capitol on Wednesday saying that the least Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell can do is to hold a debate on legislation that national polls suggest 97% of voters support.

“The background check legislation has been on the Senate calendar for 100 days.

In those 100 days 10,000 people have been shot. In those 100 days there have been over 100 mass shootings. In those 100 days over 700 teenagers have been killed by gunshot. We can’t wait another day for our colleagues to bring the background checks bill for debate,” Murphy said.

Most of those killed were not involved in mass shootings — like Sandy Hook in

2012 or last week’s in Virginia Beach — but were suicides, homicides, or accidental shootings that occur each day. Tightening background checks to keep guns out of the hands of criminals or others deemed dangerous to themselves or others wouldn’t prevent every gun death but it would stop some, Murphy said.

The bill, H.R. 8 “Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2019,” passed the House on Feb. 27 by a vote of 240-190, mostly along party lines. All but two Democrats voted in favor; eight Republicans supported it.

Murphy said that the Senate should not accept inaction when it comes to gun violence. Debate, he said, would allow the Senate to work out a bill that could have some positive impact.

“A bill that has 97% support should at least get a debate and a vote on the floor of the Senate,” he said.

Murphy was joined at the press conference by Sen. Richard Blumenthal and Rep. Jahana Hayes of Connecticut, and four other House Democrats who have championed gun safety: Reps. Robin Kelly of Illinois, Ted Deutch of Florida, Lucy McBath of Georgia, and Mike Thompson of

California.

Blumenthal said that Republicans who oppose gun safety legislation can’t dodge the issue because a growing number of American voters will hold them accountable in the 2020 elections.

“It will judge harshly colleagues who failed to vote. Republican colleagues cannot stand by idly while their leader protects them from taking a vote on this topic,” Blumenthal said.

The Democrats blame McConnell for not bringing the bill up in an effort to protect his Republican caucus from casting a controversial vote before re-election.

“Senator McConnell, do your job and take up this bill and make Americans safer,” urged Thompson, the author of the background check legislation and head of the House Gun Violence Prevention Caucus.

Kelly suggested McConnell has blood on his hands, saying: “His inaction on gun violence is keeping the Grim Reaper busy.”

Deutch complained that in “protecting his Republican colleagues from having to take a tough vote,” McConnell “puts at risk the lives of American kids around the country.”

PETER URBAN / CTNEWSJUNKIE

Sen. Chris Murphy speaks to reporters accompanied by Democrats (L to R) Robin Kelly, Richard Blumenthal, Mike Thompson, Lucy McBath and Ted Deutch in Washington on Wednesday, June 5, 2019

Lamont Promises To Continue Work on Health Reform

by Christine Stuart Ct. News Junkie

HARTFORD, CT — The Senate’s inability to pass a health reform bill that would help small businesses lower the cost of health insurance was “not a success” Gov. Ned Lamont admitted Thursday, but he said he’ll keep working on it.

The bill that Lamont and Democratic legislative leaders had pinned their hopes upon passed the House on Monday, but never got raised for a vote in the Senate.

“I was disappointed,” Lamont said.

He said that as a former small business owner he was paying a lot more in health insurance costs for his employees than the big guys he was competing against.

He said small business is the engine of economic growth and they want to bring down the costs, but they started the discussions about the bill much too late.

He said even the “skinnied-up bill” would have been beneficial. It included federal waivers for reinsurance, which would allow the federal government to cover the costs of some of the most expensive claims; a measure to allow Connecticut to import drugs from Canada, which would require federal approval; and it would have created a “cost containment commission” to monitor price changes by health care providers in an effort to keep prices low.

He blamed opponents of the legislation for threatening to talk it to death. At the same time, he admitted they should have started this conversation much sooner.

“I don’t think we tried to do too much, but we tried to do it too late,” Lamont said.

“It’s a big important reform and you want to get it right.”

The deal for a state-run health insurance pool unraveled on May 29 when state Comptroller Kevin Lembo walked into a Hartford Courant editorial board meeting and told the newspaper that Cigna’s CEO, David Cordani, had threatened to move his company out of Connecticut if the legislation was approved.

A spokesman for Cigna denied any such threat.

“The only option this proposal gives to the public is to pay more to get less from the health care system,” Brian Henry, a Cigna spokesman, said. “This option does not work for the public, for the state, or for the private sector.”

Lamont said given more time they might have been able to reach a deal.

Why was Cigna even at the negotiating table when it didn’t have any Connecticut customers in 2019 in the individual or small group marketplace that would have been impacted by the legislation?

Lamont said everybody deserves a seat at the table.

“I want the very best ideas so that we can come up with the very best solution,” Lamont said.

Lamont called Cordani a “good Connecticut citizen” who deserves a seat at the table like the advocates and small businesses.

Frances Padilla, president of the Universal Health Care Foundation, said they worked hard to pass a bold public option this session but their efforts “were blocked at every turn by vested interests

CHRISTINE STUART / CTNEWSJUNKIE PHOTO Gov. Ned Lamont

who prefer the status quo to offering residents access to quality, affordable health care choices.”

She said the goal was to offer meaningful relief to small businesses and the 500,000 people who work for them.

“The insurance lobby threw its weight around and won — facing meaningful competition was just too much for them,” Padilla said.

“Despite removal of the public option, important reforms to help tackle costs

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and expand coverage remained: allowing importation of prescription drugs from Canada; and establishing a new process for limiting cost increases by hospitals and other industry players. These measures would have made a real difference for many,” Padilla added. “But they, too, fell victim to powerful interests.”

Senate Republican Leader Len Fasano, R-North Haven, said Republicans like the idea of a reinsurance waiver, but the Democrats wanted to fund it with a tax

on premiums.

He said his caucus couldn’t understand how premiums were going to go down on one hand if you’re taxing them on the other hand. He said his caucus also was concerned about the amount of power being given to the Office of Health Strategy.

However, now that Republicans seem to have a seat at the table in these discussions moving forward he’s hopeful next year something will get done.

June Is Black Music Month: THE INNER-CITY NEWS -

June 12, 2019 - June 18, 2019

‘The Voice’s’ Denton Arnell Speaks On The Healing Power Of Music

by Jasmine Browley, BlackDoctor.org Denton Arnell, 32, has always used music as his safe space. The Chicago native started playing the piano at four years old, sang in the church his entire life and directed his college church choir. Like most talented singer/songwriters, he used his music as a form of catharsis. But unlike his musical peers, he didn’t seek stardom or share his work with others.

“My colleague at the time accidentally heard me singing one of my songs and convinced me that I should audition for The Voice,” said Denton. After some encouragement, he decided to submit an audition video to the hit television talent competition.

The next day, he got the call.

“I couldn’t believe that it was that easy,” he said. “I always hear about how tough it is to make it through to the top rounds of these types of things, so I was blown away by the opportunity.”

He wasn’t the only one that was blown away. Denton was a hit with the judges and even earned the support of one of the show’s musical mentors, John Legend.

The viewers and producers deemed him a hit. The showrunners even went as far as to allow him to use the show as a platform to propose to his longtime girlfriend on air.

“They asked me if I wanted to do it and I

said yes immediately,” he said. “I couldn’t wait to ask my best friend to share the rest of my life with her in front of everyone that she loved.”

But the proposal didn’t go as planned.

“When going down on one knee, she also bent over and our foreheads collided in a head bump that was heard around the world,” he said.

The moment immediately went viral and before Denton knew it, he was the butt of many jokes. Luckily, he was in on them.

“I didn’t care about that,” he said. “I had a new fiance and a great start to a career in music.” Although Denton had a great run on The Voice, he was eventually eliminated and sent home, which posed some challenges for him.

“It seemed like things started happening all at once,” he said. “Issues with family, my career among other things.”

But he found solace in his music.

“My music was a great form of therapy for me.”

Scientists agree.

According to the Berklee College of Music, different forms of making music can direct attention away from pain or anxiety and have been proven to help individuals

focus on positive thoughts and feelings and to celebrate life.

“We’ve found compelling evidence that musical interventions can play a healthcare role in settings ranging from operating rooms to family clinics,” says Daniel J. Levitin, Ph.D., who studies the neuroscience of music at McGill University in Montreal.

The analysis also points to just how music influences health. The researchers found that listening to and playing music increase the body’s production of the antibody immunoglobulin A and natural killer cells — the cells that attack invading viruses and boost the immune system’s effectiveness.

Music also reduces levels of the stress hormone cortisol.

Now back in Chicago, Denton does all he can to spread the healing power of music through his songs and mentorship.

“At one point, I was sitting in a family member’s basement and I was so, so low,” he said. “Then and there, I wrote my song ‘Today’ because I wanted to instantly change my life and I didn’t want anybody else to feel the way I was feeling.”

Currently, he teaches music theory to elementary and high school children in his hometown. But he’s also keeping his dream of being a singer alive. He recently performed at the famed Elbo Room in Chicago

and released a new R & B Soul project entitled Collision Volume I. “My music saved me…and I’ll continue to use it to save others.”

To find out more about Denton Arnell, follow him at @DentonArnell on Twitter and Instagram.

Advice you need for the mortgage you want.

Questions about your bill?

Yale New Haven Hospital is pleased to offer patients and their families financial counseling regarding their hospital bills or the availability of financial assistance, including free care funds.

By appointment, patients can speak one-on-one with a financial counselor during regular business hours. For your convenience, extended hours are available once a month.

Date: Monday, June 17 Time: 5 - 7 pm

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Location: Children’s Hospital, 1 Park St., 1st Floor, Admitting Parking available (handicapped accessible) An appointment is necessary. Please call 203-688-2046.

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THE INNER-CITY NEWS - June 12, 2019 - June 18, 2019

Destined to Succeed Whatever your child wants to be is within reach when you are involved.

Your engagement in their education will prepare them for the future.

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To learn more about the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) and how you can advocate for your children, visit us at www.nnpa.org/essa Sign-up for our ESSA alerts at www.nnpa.org/essa

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THE INNER-CITY NEWS -

June 12, 2019 - June 18, 2019

Smithsonian Institution Selects African American Museum Director Lonnie Bunch as Secretary

NNPA NEWSWIRE — “I will work tirelessly to build upon the traditions of the Smithsonian to help America better understand the changing world it faces in the 21st century,” Bunch said at an announcement of his appointment on the morning of May 28th. Bunch’s successor is David Skorton.

Bunch will begin his new job on June 16.

By Lauren Victoria Burke, NNPA Newswire Contributor In a historic selection, the Smithsonian has selected Lonnie Bunch, III as the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution. Bunch will serve as the 14th Secretary. Bunch, 66, is the Founding Director of the National Museum of African American History and Culture.

He will now oversee 19 museums, 21 librar-

ies, the National Zoo, numerous research centers and several education centers as the Secretary of the Smithsonian.

While most people know Bunch as the founding director of the National Museum of African American History and Culture, it wasn’t his first job at the Smithsonian.

He was an education specialist at The Air and Space Museum in the late 1970s and worked at the The Museum of American History’s office of curatorial affairs from 1989 to 2000. Bunch is also the former director of the Chicago History Museum.

“I will work tirelessly to build upon the traditions of the Smithsonian to help America better understand the changing world it faces in the 21st century,” Bunch said at an

announcement of his appointment on the morning of May 28th. Bunch’s successor is David Skorton. Bunch will begin his new job on June 16.

“The search committee unanimously felt that Lonnie was by far the best candidate of the many, many that we saw,” said David Rubenstein, the chair of the Smithsonian’s board.

“Mr. Bunch’s four decades of museum experience and his tremendous success in building the National Museum of African American History and Culture from the ground up make him the right person to lead our nation’s extraordinary federallysupported consortium of museums, research centers, and a zoo. The Smithsonian

Institution’s diverse holdings and rich treasures reflect the greatness of America, and I can think of no one better to serve at its helm,” said House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn in a May 28 statement.

“Mr. Bunch has demonstrated his ability to build and steward collections, fundraise to support the preservation of these remarkable artifacts, and to tell the story of our country’s artistic and human experiences.

Lauren Victoria Burke is an independent journalist and writer for NNPA as well as a political analyst and strategist as Principal of Win Digital Media LLC. She may be contacted at LBurke007@gmail.com and on twitter at @LVBurke

High Blood Pressure is Major Cause of Concern in African American Community

By Sentinel News Service

LOS ANGELES SENTINEL — Also known as hypertension, high blood pressure typically has no signs or symptoms, making it that much more dangerous. Unless treated, however, the consequences to your health can be serious.

May is National High Blood Pressure Month, and it’s important to understand this health condition, and know how to protect yourself from what’s often been called a “Silent Killer!”

Also known as hypertension, high blood pressure typically has no signs or symptoms, making it that much more dangerous.

Unless treated, however, the consequences to your health can be serious.

African Americans are more likely to suffer from hypertension, which can be attributed to that community’s extra sensitivity to salt, a major factor that can cause high blood pressure.

That’s why it’s important for African Americans to better understand this health condition, and know how to protect themselves. High blood pressure typically has

no signs or symptoms, which makes it that much more dangerous. In fact, it’s for that reason that hypertension is often called a “Silent Killer.”

African Americans have a higher prevalence of hypertension and are more likely to develop it at a younger age, according to data from the American Heart Association, said Dr. Jennifer Nguyen, a cardiologist with Kaiser Permanente Southern California.

“While there are a variety of genetic, environmental, social and lifestyle factors that can put individuals at an increased risk of developing hypertension, there are ways to help prevent and manage hypertension successfully,” Dr. Nguyen said. “Getting one’s blood pressure checked regularly, maintaining a healthy weight, eating hearthealthy and low-sodium foods, exercising regularly and limiting alcohol consumption are lifestyle changes that can aid in the prevention of hypertension, stroke, heart disease and other cardiovascular-related health problems.”

What is high blood pressure?

When a nurse takes your blood pressure, he/she measures the force of blood that’s being pushed against the walls of your blood vessels. If your blood pressure is high, this means the pressure of blood flowing in your arteries is higher than desired.

This causes your heart to work harder, which could eventually result in heart failure, stroke or a heart attack.

Ideally, normal blood pressure should be below 120/80 mm Hg. According to the American Heart Association, the following risk factors increase your probability of developing high blood pressure:

Physical inactivity Smoking and being exposed to secondhand smoke Being obese or overweight A diet high in salt Drinking too much alcohol High cholesterol Diabetes “If you have high blood pressure, whatever you do, don’t ignore it,” Dr. Nguyen

cautioned. “Hypertension is a health condition that can result in serious repercussions to your health. However, once diagnosed, it can be treated, which is why it should be monitored on a regular basis.”

Kaiser Permanente offers valuable infor-

mation on the subject of African Americans and heart disease, and how to best manage high blood pressure.

This article originally appeared in the Los Angeles Sentinel.

Black woman tapped to lead Bed, Bath, & Beyond

By Defender News Service

At Saint Aedan Pre School

We believe in supporting and valuing all families.

We believe that a parent is the child’s first and best teacher.

We are committed to providing a high-quality experience that enhances the overall development of the child and supports the family unit. We incorporate play in our detailed experience plans that are in line with the CT ELDS and CT DOTS.

** Our Program is Full Day / Full Year /Open from 7:30 am to 5:30 pm ** NAEYC Accredited ** Care4Kids accepted ** State mandated sliding scale fee based on income and family size ** Onsite Social Worker and Educational Consultant

https://catholicacademynh.org/pre-school/pre-school-overview Dr. James F. Acabbo, Director St. Aedan Pre School 203-387-0041

DEFENDER NEWS NETWORK — Bed, Bath & Beyond now has black girl magic on the executive board. The company has appointed a businesswoman named Mary Winston as their interim CEO according to USA Today.

Bed, Bath & Beyond now has black girl magic on the executive board. The company has appointed a businesswoman named Mary Winston as their interim CEO according to USA Today.

Before Winston took her talents to Bed, Bath and Beyond, she was the executive vice president and chief financial officer of Family Dollar Stores.

With Amazon continuing to dominate the retail industry, stores like BB&B are being hit hard. They were even forced to lay off 150 employees in March. Hopefully Winston can help the store recover

12

Mary Winston

from the brutal changes in sales.

“Together with the Board, including the members of the Business Transformation and Strategy Review Committee, the leadership team and our more than 60,000 associates, I look forward to building an even stronger future for Bed Bath & Beyond,” Winston said in a statement. “As we continue to review our business initiatives, we will be focused on driving continued margin improvement, enhancing the in-store and online experience, and accelerating our transformation to the benefit of our shareholders, customers and other stakeholders.”

Though Winston will only be in the CEO seat temporarily, many are hoping that she gets a permanent seat at the table.

There are no Black women helming Fortune 500 companies currently.

This article originally appeared in the Defender News Network.

THE INNER-CITY NEWS - June 12, 2019 - June 18, 2019

Celebrate summer on the New Haven Green with FREE weekend concerts, activities, and more!

MacArthur “Genius” award winner Michelle Dorrance’s boundary-pushing contemporary tap company

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JUNE 8–22

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SUN JUNE 9 7PM

KASHYAP JANI & FRIENDS

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THE INNER-CITY NEWS -

June 12, 2019 - June 18, 2019

COMMENTARY: U.S. Attempt to Erase Harriet Tubman

By A. Scott Bolden, NNPA Newswire Contributor NNPA NEWSWIRE — By erasing Tubman, the Trump forces again deploy their most effective weapon in the quest to maintain power— the unholy alliance of racism and misogyny.

With uniquely American hypocrisy, the Trump Treasury Department has pushed back the 2016 plan to put escaped slave and Underground Railroad heroine Harriet Tubman on the $20 bill. Tubman would be the first African-American woman featured on U.S. currency.

The $20 currently features a former president, Andrew Jackson, who not only owned slaves, but ordered the death march of thousands of Native Americans. Euphemistically called “Indian Removal,” the Trail of Tears made way for

white settlers to claim millions of acres of southern land.

The attempted erasure of Tubman represents yet another move in the Trump playbook to disconnect racial reality from white fantasy.

In the fantasy of white supremacy, traitors like Jefferson Davis and other Confederates are memorialized for being freedom fighters — the freedom of whites to own black human beings and work them to death — while a woman who risked her life time and again to free enslaved people is simply dismissed. Ignored. Erased.

In the fantasy of white supremacy, white people are always justified in killing unarmed black men, women and children, either with their own guns or by aiming the unquestioned power of the police. No act is too repugnant, even those resulting in the sexual abuse or death of immigrant children in American custody, if it can be framed as a defense of white superiority.

In the fantasy of white supremacy, the FBI spent millions in time and treasure to plant false evidence of Communist influence on Martin Luther King — while in reality, Russians today are using the

racial tension in American to incite violence and paralyze our society, while they work towards global dominance.

By erasing Tubman, the Trump forces again deploy their most effective weapon in the quest to maintain power— the unholy alliance of racism and misogyny.

Because in America, it seems, freedom is for whites only, and more specifically, for white men.

To be sure, Trump has ordered his own digital Trail of Tears, as he rolls back civil rights protections for people of color, for women, for immigrants fleeing starvation or oppressive regimes, for LGBTQ people, for the poor and the voiceless.

And currently, the cognitive dissonance in America has reached a new, critical level of psychosis. As a nation we exalt independence, freedom and equality— we boast of our shining city on the hill.

Yet our shining city was built on genocide of the native peoples, enslavement of Africans and exploitation of immigrants.

Without a doubt, every people and every culture on Earth have had to deal with unpleasant facts of its history—America is not special in that regard. Where most

of white America goes off the rails is in completely denying and minimizing the facts of racial oppression. This erasure makes racial reconciliation—and true equality—impossible to achieve.

In 2019, Harriet Tubman should be a respected and lauded icon for people of every race and ethnicity. Did she not personify American ideals, at the risk of her own life? As a black woman in antebellum times, she was vulnerable to capture, prison, assault or lynching, but did she falter? Did she not refuse to kneel to any man or any king? Did she not fight for freedom against overwhelming odds?

Are these not the qualities we hold dear in our American heroes?

Instead, Tubman is erased.

Instead, our current administration embraces the slave owner, the mass murderer, the white supremacist—and calls him a hero.

For a psychiatric patient—in this case, white America—the reality of racism, misogyny and oppression is incompatible with their self-identity as lovers of

freedom and defenders of equality. But instead of taking the painful but therapeutic steps to achieve reconciliation and closure, the patient has opted instead to self-medicate, and maintain the delusion of white supremacy at all costs.

Jackson, a president who authored one of the cruelest and most brutal acts in American history, is a Trump hero, which is perfectly logical — they share a deep, entitled belief in the superiority of white men, and a world order in which Manifest Destiny is not a just doctrine but a divine right.

Jackson should never be forgotten. He should be remembered always as an example of what kind of horrors our leaders can inflict when their values and morals are wildly askew.

Trump will be remembered in the same light— if enough of us survive to tell the story.

And despite their best efforts, the legacy of Harriet Tubman can never be erased.

She embodies the spirit of everything our nation claims to stand for, and each one of us — every race, every gender — should be proud to call her our fellow American.

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THE INNER-CITY NEWS - June 12, 2019 - June 18, 2019

AfricanAncestry.com to Host Historic Ancestral Reveal at Ghana’s ‘Door of No Return’ to Mark the 400-Year Anniversary of Africans to America.

By BlackNews.com Ancestry Pioneer Joins NAACP’s Jamestown to Jamestown Delegation and Ghana’s The Year of Return 2019 Washington, DC — Nearly four hundred years ago the first enslaved Africans were sold to America, losing much of their rich African heritage. This August, AfricanAncestry.com will correct history for many African Americans in an historic ancestral Reveal hosted on African soil. The event takes place in Accra, Ghana, and is a part of the NAACP’s Jamestown to Jamestown event in partnership with Ghana’s Year of Return 2019.

With dozens from across the U.S. already registered to take part, the Reveal ceremony is open to anyone interested in joining the transformative journey at Jamestown2Jamestown.com.

“I can think of only one thing as epic as learning your African roots and that’s learning your African roots while in AFRICA,” said AfricanAncestry.com President and Co-founder Dr. Gina Paige. “During this significant time in American history, we are also focused on Africa before America because our heritage is much more than 400 years.”

MILESTONE EXPERIENCE Jamestown to Jamestown starts August 18 in Washington, DC, travels to Jamestown, Va. and back to DC by bus and culminates in Ghana on August 25. The special delegation of dignitaries, NAACP leadership and members, partners and the African American community at large will take part in a mix of reflection and healing events along the way including the seven- to 10-day chartered trip to Ghana to take part in Ghana’s Year of Return 2019 events.

Highlights include:

• AfricanAncestry.com Reveal of trip participants including NAACP President & CEO Derrick Johnson at the Wall of No Return in Cape Coast Castle Dungeon • Business, Investment & Development Summit • Akwasidae Festival at Manhyia Palace in Kumasi • Visit www.Jamestown2Jamestown.com for the full itinerary JOIN THE VOYAGE Special tour packages to include the AfricanAncestry.com Reveal are available to the public at www.Jamestown2Jamestown. com, including full itinerary and payment schedules. The deadline for confirming packages is June 30.

For more information on AfricanAncestry. com, visit www.AfricanAncestry.com. For media requests, contact Nichole Taylor at Taylor@TaylorCommunicationsGroup. com.

JAMESTOWN TO JAMESTOWN PARTNERS: The Adinkra Group, South African Airways, Ministry of Tourism Arts & Culture, Ghana Tourism Authority, Diaspora Affairs, Office of the President – Ghana and Sunseekers Tours among others.

ABOUT AFRICAN ANCESTRY Founded in 2003, African Ancestry Inc. (AfricanAncestry.com) pioneered African lineage matching in the United States utilizing its proprietary DNA-database to more accurately assess present-day countries of origin for people of African descent.

African Ancestry’s products include the MatriClan™ and PatriClan™ ancestry tests and customized memorabilia and informative resources. African Ancestry is Blackowned and headquartered in Washington, DC. For general media inquiries, contact taylor@taylorcommunicationsgroup.com.

HazWaste Central Open for the Season Working with Communities to Protect Our Water Sources

SAFE & FREE DISPOSAL OF HOUSEHOLD CHEMICALS

SATURDAYS ONLY, 9 AM–NOON THROUGH OCT. 26, 2019 Closed Holiday Weekends of July 6 and Aug. 31, 2019

HazWaste Central is for residents of these participating towns: Bethany, Branford, East Haven, Fairfield, Guilford, Hamden, Madison, Meriden, Milford, New Haven, North Branford, North Haven, Orange, Wallingford, West Haven, Woodbridge.

Residential Waste Only

PARTIAL LIST OF WHAT TO BRING TO HAZWASTE CENTRAL Visit www.rwater.com/hazwaste for a complete list.

KITCHEN & BATHROOM Aerosols

Floor Care Products

Nail Polish Remover

Bathroom Cleaners

Metal & Furniture Polish

Oven, Drain, Tile Cleaners

GARAGE & WORKSHOP Antifreeze Auto Batteries Auto Body Repair Products

Brake & Transmission Fluid Gasoline Latex & Oil-Based Paints*

Paint Thinner & Stripper Used Motor Oil* Varnish

GARDEN & MISCELLANEOUS Batteries* Chemical Fertilizer Fluorescent Bulbs (Including CFL type)*

Herbicides, Fungicides Insecticides, Pesticides Mercury & MercuryContaining Items

Photographic Chemicals Propane Cylinders (Small 1 lb.)

Swimming Pool Chemicals

NO ELECTRONICS OR GAS GRILL-SIZE PROPANE TANKS Do not mix items or remove from their original package. * Local disposal options may be available. Please check with your public works department, local transfer station or the following resources: Batteries: call 1-800-8-BATTERY or log on to www.call2recycle.org (excluding alkaline and auto batteries).

Compact Fluorescent Light (CFL) Bulbs: call 1-800-CLEANUP or log on to www.earth911.com.

Paint: log on to www.paintcare.org and visit the Connecticut portion of the site to find a drop-off location for household paint.

Small Businesses: Call 203-401-2712 for Disposal Information

For more info and to sign in early visit rwater.com/hazwaste or call 203-401-2712.

Located at the Regional Water Authority, 90 Sargent Drive, New Haven, I-95 exit 46.

15

THE INNER-CITY NEWS -

June 12, 2019 - June 18, 2019

Scholarships Available for Young Black Boys’ Weekend Leadership Academy at Princeton University

by BlackNews.com

Nationwide — Scholarships are now available for the annual Weekend Intensive of leadership activities for 8th and 9th grade African American male students from across the country. Scheduled for August 2-4, 2019, the 3-day weekend boarding program will be held on the campus of Princeton University.

The Weekend Intensive seeks to empower young students locally to become effective leaders globally. By promoting excellence in education, young talent will transform their communities. At the Well Conferences, Inc. encourage girls and boys to live beyond their limitations, achieve beyond their dreams, and impact communities beyond their reach.

The Weekend Intensive was created out of a commitment to increase awareness of the essential tools required to aid students in becoming successful leaders. This program offers a glimpse of the two-week leadership

academies held each year for 10th and 11th grade students; At the Well Young Women’s Leadership Academy and From the Fire Leadership Academy for Young Men. Program Features: * Leadership Development * Critical reading and writing * Team building group projects * Motivational speakers and leaders * Mentor/mentee relationship building * Peer mentoring

How to apply: Space is limited and students are encouraged to apply as soon as possible. Scholarships are available. Learn more and/or apply online at https://atthewellconferences. org/application-9th-grade-intensive For more information, contact Toby Sanders at 609-213-0545 photo: Participants in last year’s program

Baltimore Brothers Set Free After 24 Years in Prison for Wrongful Murder Conviction

by BlackNews.com

Baltimore, MD — Two brothers, Kenneth “JR” McPherson and Eric Simmons, are finally walking free after spending 24 years in prison for a crime they never committed. They were recently exonerated after finding out that they were wrongfully convicted of murder conspiracy and sentenced to life in prison in May 1995.

Last month, McPherson, who is 45-years old, and Simmons, who is 48-years old, are welcomed by their family members following a hearing in Baltimore Circuit Court.

Simmons, who had a then-2-year old son at the time he was sent to jail, finally hugged his now grown son.

McPherson compared their life sentence to drowning in a swimming pool and their savior was Lauren Lipscomb, the chief of the conviction integrity unit of the Baltimore State’s Attorney’s Office. He

said, “She dove in and she grabbed me… grabbed us out and gave us CPR. You saved my life.”

In 1994, the brothers were arrested for allegedly killing 21-year old Anthony Wooden with at least over a dozen shots fired.

Police charged McPherson and Simmons with conspiracy to commit murder.

A 13-year old boy testified during the old trial that he saw the crime from a 3rd-floor window that’s about 150 feet away. He identified the brothers as the killers. But eventually, he recanted his statement and it was found that the boy was threatened with homicide charges.

Moreover, at the time of the shooting, McPherson was at a party and Simmons was in bed at home. Investigators confirmed it through evidence and another witness who said the brothers had no role in the shooting incident.

Two years ago, McPherson and Sim-

mons wrote to the state’s attorney office.

Lipscomb determined that the case should be investigated again. With the help of the innocence projects at George Washington University and the University of Baltimore, they have been exonerated.

“We’ve set another two innocent men free,” Baltimore State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby said. “On behalf of the criminal justice system, I apologize to you from the bottom of my heart.” She believed the two were victims of being mistakenly put among robbers and gunmen who really pursued and killed Wooden.

“JR and Eric deserve compensation from the state for the time they served in prison for a crime they didn’t do,” said Shawn Armbrust, executive director of the The Mid-Atlantic Innocence Project at George Washington.

‘When They See Us’ Series, actors revisit Central Park Five case

By Defender News Service

DEFENDER NEWS NETWORK — The case was drawn on racial lines from the outset, with the victim being a young white woman, and it drew worldwide attention.

Tabloid headlines compared the teens to a wolf pack, and Donald Trump took out newspaper ads calling for the return of the death penalty in New York state. It took years for the five to be exonerated, and they spent most of their youth in prison. Another man was found guilty of the attack.

Actor Jharrel Jerome, perhaps best known for his role in “Moonlight,” recalls walking to school a few years ago in his native New York City, worried about an upcoming test, when he was stopped by two police officers.

“Stop! Can I see your bag?” one asked him.

He immediately froze in fear. Jerome let them look through his notebooks, papers and

pens. Then they let him go. He was still shaking at his desk hours later.

Jerome, 21, drew heavily on that testy interaction to play Korey Wise, an innocent man who spent 12 years behind bars for a rape in Central Park he never committed.

Wise was one of five Black and Latino teenagers – the others were Antron McCray, Kevin Richardson, Yusef Salaam, Raymond Santana – who were coerced into confessing to the crime and are collectively known as the “Central Park Five.”

In Ava DuVernay’s new four-part Netflix series “When They See Us,” the horrific odyssey the five endured is shown over 25 years, from the night in 1989 when they were arrested to the day a settlement was reached with the city in 2014.

The case was drawn on racial lines from the outset, with the victim being a young white woman, and it drew worldwide atten-

16

tion. Tabloid headlines compared the teens to a wolf pack, and Donald Trump took out newspaper ads calling for the return of the death penalty in New York state. It took years for the five to be exonerated, and they spent most of their youth in prison. Another man was found guilty of the attack.

The five young actors who play the accused in the first half of the series were horrified to learn details of the case and hope it can lead to changes in the judicial system.

The two New York actors – Jerome and Rodriguez – were acquainted with the case before landing their roles, but the three others – Asante Blackk, 17, Caleel Harris, 15, and Ethan Herisse, 18 – hadn’t heard of the plight of the Central Park Five. Now they think it’s too important to forget.

“It’s something that needs to continue to be told, to remind everyone that miscarriages of justice can happen,” said Herisse. Harris

agreed, and said the case is about something else, too: “It is a story of survival.”

To get into character, all five actors met their counterparts, who charmed the young men with their cheer despite the hardships they faced.

The young actors seem changed by the experience of working on the project and said they wanted to find projects as meaningful down the road.

“I want to be a part of important stories and I want to be a part of the right stories and I want them to be told correctly and to be told with an inclusive mindset,” said Rodriguez, who is next off to work on the “Game of Thrones” prequel.

This article originally appeared in the Defender News Network.

THE INNER-CITY NEWS - June 12, 2019 - June 18, 2019 INNER-CITY NEWS July 27, 2016 - August 02, 2016

EMPLOYMENT SPECIALIST - (P/T)

Black & Boucher, LLC is looking for experienced milling

machine operators for our Wirtgen W220’s and W50 machines. Po- Assist individuals receiving services in identifying and making sitions are full time seasonal work. Starting pay is $38.87 an hour choices about their social, vocation and personal goals. Duties in(W220) and $38.20 (W50), includes benefits (Health, Pension, An- clude case management, job development/placement/retention sernuity). Must be willing to work nights and some weekends. Year- vices and job support as needed. Requires use of personal vehicle. in a related field; plus 2 yrs’ related experience or equivalent VALENTINA MACRIWe RENTAL PRE- APPLICATIONS AVAILABLE end Bonus also included. are anHOUSING equal opportunity employer, B.A. minority, female and veterans are encouraged to apply. Work is combination of education and experience. Pay rate $16.61/hr.

Apply to:Authority, GWSNE, 432 Washington Ave., North Haven, CT 06473/ in HOME the Southern England (Connecticut, and Housing INC, onNew behalf of Columbus HouseMassachusetts, and the New Haven Fax (203) EOE/AA - M/F/D/V Rhode Island) area.

Please emailforblackandboucher@earthlink.net is accepting pre-applications studio and one-bedroom apartments at this495-6108/hr@goodwillsne.org develif interested! opment located at 108 Frank Street, New Haven. Maximum income limitations ap-

NOTICE

DELIVERY PERSON NEEDED

ply. Pre-applications will be available from 9AM TO 5PM beginning Monday Ju;y

The Group in when N. Stonington, CT has Temporary, 12 25,Cooper 2016 and ending sufficient pre-applications (approximately 100) have

week positions for Finish Painters, starting 6/3/19. Requires min. been received at the offices of HOME INC. Applications will be mailied upon re2 years experience, ability to prep surfaces, brush paint and glaze quest by calling HOME INC at 203-562-4663 during those hours. Completed prewindows. Must have own tools and transportation. Fluency in Engapplications must be returned to HOME INC’s offices at 171 Orange Street, Third lish. We are an Affirmative Action/EOE. Send resume and referFloor, New Haven, CT 06510. ences to Employment@thecoopergroupct.com

Part Time Delivery Needed One/Two Day a Week,

NOTICIA Tree Company New Haven County looking for a bucket op-

Must Have your Own Vehicle

erator, climber and groundmen with Class B CDL. 2-4 years experience with large residential and commercial treePRE-SOLICITUDES removal. Full VALENTINA MACRI VIVIENDAS DE ALQUILER DISPONIBLES time with work year round. Experience with using a bobcat with grapple and everyday tree de removal equipment.

HOME INC, en nombre la Columbus House y de la New Haven Housing Authority, está Sign on bonus to the right person! Call (203) 466-2400 or email aceptando pre-solicitudes para estudios y apartamentos de un dormitorio en este desarrollo PCSLANDSCAPING@AOL.COM

If Interested call

(203) 387-0354

ubicado en la calle 109 Frank Street, New Haven. Se aplican limitaciones de ingresos máximos. Las pre-solicitudes estarán disponibles 09 a.m.-5 p.m. comenzando Martes 25 julio,Housing 2016 hasta Authority cuando se han of recibido pre-solicitudes The the suficientes City of Norwalk, CT(aproximadamente 100) en las oficinas de HOME INC. Las pre-solicitudes serán enviadas por correo a petición is requesting proposals for Financial Advisory Services. llamando a HOME INC al 203-562-4663 durante esas horas.Pre-solicitudes deberán remitirse Request for Proposal documents can be viewed printed at Haven Accounting Department has two immediate openings for full a las oficinas de HOME INC en 171 Orange Street,and tercer piso, New , CT 06510 . www.norwalkha.org under the Business section RFP’s/RFQ’s time Accounts Payable and Accounts Receivable professionals Norwalk Housing is an Equal Opportunity Employer. in a fast-paced office environment. Must be highly organized, Adam Bovilsky, Executive Director. possess good computer skills, be detail oriented, and able to manage multiple projects. Benefits include health, dental & Garrity Asphalt Reclaiming, Inc seeks: LTD insurance plus 401(k). Send resume to: Human Resource Dept. P O Box 388, Guilford CT 06437.

Construction Equipment Mechanic preferably experienced

Listing: Accounting

NEW HAVEN in Reclaiming and Road Milling Equipment. We offer factory

********An Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer**********

CARPENTRY SHOP

Large CT Fence Company looking for a full-time carpenter for our Wood Fence Production Shop. Experience preferred but will train the right person. Must be familiar with carpentry hand & power tools and be able to read a CAD drawing and tape measure. This is an inshop production position. Duties include mortising & drilling wood posts for fence panels, building fence panels, gates & more. Must have a valid CT driver’s license and be able to obtain a Drivers Medical Card. Must be able to pass a physical and drug test. Please email resume to pking@atlasoutdoor.com. AA/EOE-MF

HELP WANTED:

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

FENCE ERECTING CONTRACTORS

Large CT Fence & Guardrail Contractor is looking for Fence Installer foremen and helpers. Foreman must have at least 5 years’ experience. Helpers-no experience required, will train the right person. Work available 10-12 months per year. Valid Ct. Driver’s license required and must be able to get a DOT Medical Card. All necessary equipment provided.

Medical, vacation & other benefits included. Must be able to pass a physical and drug test. OSHA 10 training required. Please email resume to pking@atlasoutdoor.com AA/ EOE – M/F

Large CT. Fence Company is looking for an individual for our stock yard. Warehouse shipping and receiving and Forklift experience a must. Must have a minimum of 3 years’ material handling experience. Must be able to read and write English, and read a tape measure. Duties will include: Loading and unloading trucks, pulling orders for installation and retail counter sales, keeping the yard clean and organized at all times and inventory control. Individual will also make deliveries of fence panels and products, must be able to lift at least 70lbs. Required to pass a Physical and Drug test, have a valid CT. Driver’s License and be able to obtain a Drivers Medical Card. CDL B & A drivers a plus.

Send resume to pking@atlasourdoor.com AA/EOE/MF

The Cheshire Housing Authority

Invitationistocurrently Bid: accepting application for Foote Commons non-subsidized family one, two and three bedroom apartments. All applicants must meet the Income Limits set annually by the 2nd Notice

Fairmont AveCT training on equipment we242-258 operate. Location: Bloomfield U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). To qualify you must have a We offer excellent hourly rate & excellent benefits1 level , 1BA 2BR Townhouse, 1.5 BA, 3BR, maximum gross annual income of $50,350-one person $57,550-two people, $64,750-three Contact: Rick Tousignant Phone: 860243-2300

All new apartments, new appliances, new carpet, close to I-91 & I-95 people, Old Saybrook, CT$71,900-four people, $77,700- five people, $83,450-six people, $89,200-seven peoEmail: rick.tousignant@garrityasphalt.com ple, $94,950-eight people or be able to pay a rent of $794-$1,090 for a one bedroom, $930highways, near bus stop & shopping centerTown Engineer – Seeking a highly qualified professional engineer (4 Buildings,$1,278 17 Units) Women & Minority Applicants are encouraged to apply for a two bedroom, and $1,075-$1,500 for a tree bedroom. to direct the administrative and technical work a municipal Pet under 40lb allowed. Interested parties contact Maria @ 860-985-8258 TaxforExempt & Not enPrevailing Wageparties Rate Project Affirmative Action/ Equal Opportunity Employer Interested may pick up an application at 50 Rumberg Road or may have one mailed. gineering department. The position requires a Bachelor’s degree in Completed applications must be returned to the Cheshire Housing Authority 50 Rumberg Civil Engineering plus 10 years of progressively responsible civil Road, Cheshire, CT 06410.

The waitCastlist will open for 90 days (July, 19) or until the wait CT. Unified Deacon’s Association is pleased to offer a Deacon’s Newsupervisory Construction, Wood Framed, Housing, Selective Demolition, Site-work, engineering work with some experience.

Must be a Certificate Program. This is a 10 month program designed to assist in the intellectual formation of Candidates list has 60 applications or the required number by the State of Connecticut. If there are Connecticut Professional Civil Engineer.

Salary: in-place Concrete, Asphaltopen Shingles, VinyltheSiding, in response to the Church’s Ministry needs. The cost is $125. Classes start Saturday,licensed August 20,State 2016 of 1:30units and wait list does not have the required number of applications, The Hous3:30 Contact: Chairman, Deacon J. Davis, Operators M.S., B.S. $99,976 - $127,919 annually Flooring, plus an excellent fringe benefit packReclaimer Operators andJoeMilling with current Painting, Division 10 Specialties, Appliances, Residential ing Authority may fill those Casework, units on a first come first serve basis. Section 8 vouchers are (203) 996-4517 Host, General Bishop Elijah Davis, D.D. Pastor of Pitts Chapel U.F.W.B. Church 64 Brewster age. Applications or resumes will be accepted until July 5, 2019, licensing and clean driving record, welcomed.

Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing and Fire Protection.

St. New Haven, CT at the following address: Town of Wallingford, Human Resources Be willing to travel throughout the Northeast & NY. For more information call (203)272-7511 ext1 or 2 contract is subject to state and contract compliance requirements.

Department, 45 South Main This St., Wallingford, CT 06492, (203)set-aside 294We offer excellent hourly rate & excellent benefits 2080. Fax: (203) 294-2084. EOE Contact: Rick Tousignant Phone: 860- 243-2300 Bid Extended, Due Date: August 5, 2016 Email: rick.tousignant@garrityasphalt.com Anticipated Start: August 15, 2016 Women & Minority Applicants are encouraged to apply Fitzgerald & Halliday, Inc. (FHI) is seeking an experienced Urban Designer or Urban Sealed bids are invited by the Housing Authority of the Town of Seymour Affirmative Action/ Equal Opportunity Employer Project documents available via ftp link below: Planner for our Community Design Services team. Candidates should demonstrate their until 3:00 pm on Tuesday, August 2, 2016 at its office at 28 Smith Street, http://ftp.cbtghosting.com/loginok.html?username=sayebrookevillage ability to manage projects, lead a team, engage in all aspects of design, prepare projSeymour, CT 06483 for Concrete Sidewalk Repairs and Replacement at the ect visuals, maps, and renderings, and facilitate meetings for a variety of clients. Re1907 Hartford Turnpike Smithfield Gardens Assisted Living Facility, 26 Smith Street Seymour. sponsibilities will include leading community planning projects that town and village Fax or Email Questions & Bids to: Dawn Lang @ 203-881-8372 dawnlang@haynesconstruction.com North Haven, CT 06473 Tractor Trailer Driver for Heavy & Highway Construction planning design, transit-oriented development planning, municipal master HCC encourages the participation of all Veteran,center S/W/MBE & Sectionand 3 Certified Businesses plans, open space planning, Haynes Construction Company, 32 Progress Ave, Seymour, CT 06483 streetscape design, form-base codes and design, regional Equipment.

Must have awill CDL driving record, A pre-bid conference beLicense, held atclean the Housing Authority Office 28 Smith and statewide development plans. Additionally, the candidate must possess excellent capableSeymour, of operating equipment; be willing to travel AA/EEO EMPLOYER Street CT heavy at 10:00 am, on Wednesday, July 20, 2016.

Insulation company offering good pay oral and written communication skills. throughout the Northeast & NY.

and benefits.

Please mail resume to We offer excellent hourly rate & excellent benefits Bidding documents are available from the Seymour Housing Authority OfMinimum degree: Bachelor's degree in Urban Planning, Urban Design, Landscape ArContact Dana at 860-243-2300 above address. chitecture, or Architecture with a minimum of 5 years of experience. Candidates with fice, 28 Smith Street, Seymour, CT 06483 (203) 888-4579.

Email: dana.briere@garrityasphalt.com a valid driver's license preferred. Salary commensurate with level of experience. Send Women & Minority Applicants are encouraged to apply resume to designer@fhiplan.com or Claudia Massie, 416 Asylum Street, Hartford, CT This company is an Affirmative Action/ The Housing Authority reserves the right to accept or reject any or all bids, to Affirmative Action/ Equal Opportunity Employer 06103. Fitzgerald & Halliday, Inc. is an EEO/AA /VEV/Disabled employer.

Civil EngineerSAYEBROOKE VILLAGE

Garrity Asphalt Reclaiming, Inc seeks:

SEYMOUR HOUSING AUTHORITY

KMK Insulation Inc.

Union Company seeks:

Mechanical Insulator position.

MAIL ONLY

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.

17

Urban Designer/Urban Planner

THE INNER-CITY NEWS LEGAL NOTICE Request For Proposal for Services The State of Connecticut, Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, Water Permitting and Enforcement Division is seeking proposals from individuals, firms or corporations to provide technical consulting and advice related to implementing sections 316(a) and 316(b) of the Clean Water Act at Millstone Power Station located in Waterford, Connecticut. The Department wishes to retain a Contractor with considerable experience and the necessary expertise to assist the Department.

The request for proposal will be available online on June 3, 2019 at https://biznet.ct.gov/SCP_ Search/Default.aspx?AccLast=2 or from: Kim Hudak, Assistant Director Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Bureau of Materials Management and Compliance Assurance Water Permitting and Enforcement Division 79 Elm Street Hartford, Connecticut 06106-5127 Telephone (860) 424-3396 Fax (860) 424-4074 Deadline for submission of the Letter of Intent is July 8, 2019 at 4:00 P.M. Deadline for submission of Proposals is August 19, 2019 at 4:00 P.M. A Proposer’s conference will be held as set forth in the request for proposal.

Assistant Director of Public Works, Town of Groton, $85,753 - $98,616. Master’s degree with a minimum of eight years’ experience related to the management of Public Works operations, including a minimum of four years supervisory/administrative experience, or Bachelor’s and ten years’ experience. Applications at Groton Town Hall, Human Resources, 45 Fort Hill Road, Groton, CT 06340 or www.groton-ct.gov and must be returned by 6/21/19. EOE m/f NOTICE OF REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS HOUSING AUTHORITY OF THE CITY OF DANBURY HEARING OFFICER RFP No. P19006 Ms. Devin Marra, Director of Procurement CONTACT PERSON Telephone: 203-744-2500 x141 E-Mail: dmarra@hacdct.org HOW TO OBTAIN THE RFP Contact Ms. Devin Marra, via e-mail.

DOCUMENTS: Housing Authority of the City of Danbury 2 Mill Ridge Rd, Danbury, CT 06811 PROPOSAL SUBMITTAL RETURN Envelope Must be Marked: RFP No. P19006 Hearing Officer PROPOSAL SUBMITTAL July 9, 2019 at 10:00 AM (EST) DEADLINE [Minority- and/or women-owned businesses are encouraged to respond]

Finance Administrator Fitzgerald & Halliday, Inc., a transportation, community, and environmental planning firm is seeking a full-time Finance Administrator to provide general support for the finance and corporate service areas for the entire firm. This role is based out of our corporate headquarters in Hartford, CT. Responsibilities will include reviewing and processing accounts payable invoices and employee expenses and providing project invoicing and accounts receivable support. Additionally, the Finance Administrator will assist with project and financial reporting, support employee benefit assessments, and other miscellaneous related duties. Experience with Deltek/Ajera is preferred, a general understanding of GAAP (General Accepted Accounting Principles) and bookkeeping procedures, as well as strong proficiency with MS Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.

Minimum requirements: Associates Degree or Certification (Bachelor’s degree preferred) in finance, business, or economics. Candidates must have a valid driver's license. Salary commensurate with level of experience.

Send resume to financeadmin@fhiplan.com or Claudia Massie, Fitzgerald & Halliday, Inc., 416 Asylum Street, Hartford, CT 06103. Fitzgerald & Halliday, Inc. is an EEO/AA /VEV/Disabled employer.

June 12, 2019 - June 18, 2019

The Housing Authority of the City of Norwalk, CT The Cooper Group in N. Stonington, CT has Temporary, 12 week is requesting proposals for Financial Advisory Services.

Request for Proposal documents can be viewed and printed at www.norwalkha.org under the Business section RFP’s/RFQ’s Norwalk Housing is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Adam Bovilsky, Executive Director.

HELP WANTED:

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

positions for Finish Painters, starting 6/3/19. Requires min. 2 years experience, ability to prep surfaces, brush paint and glaze windows. Must have own tools and transportation.

Fluency in English. We are an Affirmative Action/EOE. Send resume and references to Employment@thecoopergroupct.com

QSR STEEL CORPORATION

APPLY NOW!

Steel Fabricators, Erectors & Welders Top pay for top performers.

Health Benefits, 401K, Vacation Pay. Email Resume: Rose@qsrsteel.com Hartford, CT

AFFIRMATIVE ACTION/EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

State of Connecticut Office of Policy and Management The State of Connecticut, Office of Policy and Management is recruiting for a Connecticut Careers Trainee position.

Further information regarding the duties, eligibility requirements and application instructions for this position is available at: https://www.jobapscloud.com/CT/ sup/bulpreview.asp?R1=190516& R2=2292AR&R3=001 The State of Connecticut is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer and strongly encourages the applications of women, minorities, and persons with disabilities.

The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven is seeking to fill the position of Program Director for New Haven Healthy Start.

Please refer to our website for details: http://www.cfgnh.org/About/ContactUs /EmploymentOpportunities.aspx. EOE. Electronic submissions only. No phone calls

Listing: Accounting Accounting Department has an immediate opening in Accounts Payable. This full time position in a fast-paced office environment could be an excellent entry to an Accounting career. Requires good computer and organizational skills, attention to detail, and multi-tasking. Benefits include health, dental & LTD insurance plus 401(k). Send resume to: Human Resource Dept. P O Box 388, Guilford CT 06437. ********An Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer**********

Town of Bloomfield Vehicle Mechanic Technician Full Time - Benefited $30.49 hourly

Pre-employment drug testing. For more details, visit our website – www.bloomfieldct.org

18

APPLY TODAY Town of Bloomfield

Youth & Family Program Assistant Part Time – Non benefited (5-15 hrs. wkly) $11.87 hourly Pre-employment drug testing.

AA/EOE For details and how to apply go to www.bloomfieldct.org

Elm City Communities

Request for Proposals IQC for Certified Hazardous Materials Abatement Contractor Services

Housing Authority City of New Haven d/b/a Elm city Communities is currently seeking Proposals for IQC for Certified Hazardous Materials Abatement Contractor Services. A complete copy of the requirement may be obtained from Elm City’s Vendor Collaboration Portal https://newhavenhousing.cobblestonesystems.com/ gateway beginning on Wednesday, June 12, 2019 at 3:00 PM

Social Services Provider II (Bilingual-Spanish) Full-Time Opportunity. Master's degree from an accredited college or university in an applied behavioral science discipline, plus three years of related work experience required. Must possess and maintain Connecticut state certification as a licensed clinical social worker. Detailed information about the Town is available on the Town’s website www.greenwichct.org Town of Greenwich, HR Department, 101 Field Point Road, Greenwich, CT 06830. EOE M/F/D/V

THE INNER-CITY NEWS - June 12, 2019 - June 18, 2019

NOW ACCEPTING PRE-APPLICATIONS FOR SASCO CREEK Affordable Rental Housing -ONE, TWO & THREE BEDROOM UNITS 1655 Post Road East, Westport CT

Preliminary Applications will be accepted beginning on 06/03/2019 AND ENDS with a postmark date of 06/28/2019. Pre-applications received after the end date as postmarked will be automatically rejected.

Pre-applications are to be mailed only to Owner’s offices located at 5 Canal Street, Westport, CT 06880.

LUXURIOUS RESIDENCES AVAILABLE

Owner: Sasco Creek Housing Associates Limited Partnership Managing Agent: Millennium Real Estate Services, LLC Applicants will need to meet the income requirements based on family size for 60% of Area Median Income, or less. Preliminary Applications will be received during the period noted above and placement on the wait list will be made through the random selection method, once the period has ended. The maximum number of pre-applications to be placed on the wait list is one hundred (100). Pre-applications will not be accepted by hand-delivery, facsimile, email or any other electronic transmission.

Four Person family 60% AMI Max limit $86,580/year: 2 Bedroom unit Maximum current rent- $1,010/month Six Person family 60% AMI Max limit $100,440/year: 3 Bedroom unit Maximum current rent- $1,215/month

The Glendower Group is currently accepting applications.

Pre-Applications will be provided to any & all interested persons. Individuals or families may pick up a hard copy of the pre-application at the Owner’s offices located at 5 Canal Street, Westport, CT or online at http://millennium-realty.com/.

You may request a pre- application be mailed to you by contacting us at 203-227-4672.

Located in revitalized neighborhoods, our deluxe townhomes feature 1, 2, 3 and 4 bedrooms, all with convenient access to transportation, great schools and amenities. Community features include 24-hour emergency maintenance, resident activities and access to playgrounds. Families who qualify for Section 8 assistance will pay no more than 30% of their adjusted annual income for rent.

For Additional Information Contact Carol Martin: Phone: (203)227-4672 TRS/TDD: (800) 842-9710

NOW ACCEPTING PRE-APPLICATIONS TREFOIL COURT, Fairfield, CT

REQUIREMENTS:

Preliminary Applications will be accepted beginning on 06/03/2019 AND ENDS with a postmark date of 06/28/2019. Pre-Applications received after the end date as postmarked will be automatically rejected.

Pre-Applications are to be mailed only to Owner’s offices located at 15 Pine Tree Lane, Fairfield CT 06825.

Earnings must be between 50-60% of the Area Medium Income (AMI). Please see the table below for specific income and household requirements. Selections will be made via a lottery system.

Owner: Trefoil, LLC Funded by:

Connecticut State Department of Economic and Community Development, and U. S. Dept. of Housing and Urban Development through its Section 8 housing program

# of people in household

Applicants will need to meet the income requirements based on family size for 50% of Area Median Income, or less. Eligible applicant households must have a head, co-head, or spouse age 62 or older, or a disability determination from the Social Security Admin. to qualify. Preliminary Applications will be received during the period noted above and placement on the wait list will be made through the random selection method, once the period has ended. The maximum number of pre-applications to be placed on the wait list is one hundred (100). Pre-applications will not be accepted by hand-delivery, facsimile, email or any other electronic transmission.

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

Minimum

$17,676

$20,201

$22,726

$25,226

$27,251

$29,276

$31,301

$33,301

Maximum

$42,420

$48,480

$54,540

$60,540

$65,400

$70,260

$75,120

$79,920

Applications may be picked up at: • 360 Orange St ● 3 Bosley St. ● 185 Eastern St. • Downloaded at http://www.cthcvp.org/ • Downloaded at http://www.elmcitycommunities.org Applications can be submitted: • Online at www.elmcitycommunities.org • In person at 360 Orange St, New Haven, CT 06511 • Mailed to PO Box 1912, New Haven, CT 06509

Income Limits: One Person - $35,950 Two Persons $41,050 Pre-Applications will be provided to any & all interested persons. Individuals or families may pick up a hard copy of the pre-application at the Owner’s offices located at 15 Pine Tree Lane, Fairfield, CT or online at http://millennium-realty.com/.

You may request a pre- application be mailed to you by contacting us at 203-366-6578.

For Additional Information Contact Carol Martin: Phone: (203)366-6578 TRS/TDD: (800) 842-9710

Applications will be ready for pickup on 5/27/2019 Applications must be submitted by 6/21/2019 19

THE INNER-CITY NEWS -

June 12, 2019 - June 18, 2019

NOW ACCEPTING PRE-APPLICATIONS

NOW ACCEPTING PRE-APPLICATIONS FOR HALES COURT Affordable Rental Housing -ONE, TWO, THREE & FOUR BEDROOM UNITS, 2-78 Hales Court, Westport CT

CANAL PARK, Westport, CT

Preliminary Applications will be accepted beginning on 06/03/2019 AND ENDS with a postmark date of 06/28/2019. Pre-Applications received after the end date as postmarked will be automatically rejected.

Pre-Applications are to be mailed only to Owner’s offices located at 5 Canal Street, Westport, CT 06880.

Preliminary Applications will be accepted beginning on 06/03/2019 AND ENDS with a postmark date of 06/28/2019. Pre-applications received after the end date as postmarked will be automatically rejected.

Pre-applications are to be mailed only to Owner’s offices located at 5 Canal Street, Westport, CT 06880.

Owner: Canal Park LLC

Owner: Hales Court Housing, LLC Managing Agent: Millennium Real Estate Services, LLC

Funded by:

Connecticut State Department of Economic and Community Development, and U. S. Dept. of Housing and Urban Development through its Section 8 housing program

Applicants will need to meet the income requirements based on family size for 60% of Area Median Income, or less. Preliminary Applications will be received during the period noted above and placement on the wait list will be made through the random selection method, once the period has ended. The maximum number of pre-applications to be placed on the wait list is one hundred (100). Pre-applications will not be accepted by hand-delivery, facsimile, email or any other electronic transmission.

Applicants will need to meet the income requirements based on family size for 50% of Area Median Income, or less. Eligible applicant households must have a head, co-head, or spouse age 62 or older, or a disability determination from the Social Security Admin. to qualify. Preliminary Applications will be received during the period noted above and placement on the wait list will be made through the random selection method, once the period has ended. The maximum number of pre-applications to be placed on the wait list is one hundred (100). Pre-applications will not be accepted by hand-delivery, facsimile, email or any other electronic transmission.

Four Person family 60% AMI Max limit $86,580/year: 2 Bedroom unit Maximum current rent- $1,070/month Six Person family 60% AMI Max limit $100,440/year: 3 Bedroom unit Maximum current rent- $1,190/month

Income Limits: One Person - $50,550 Two Persons $57,750

Eight Person family 60% AMI Max limit $114,300/year: 4 Bedroom unit Maximum current rent- $1,300/month

Pre-Applications will be provided to any & all interested persons. Individuals or families may pick up a hard copy of the pre-application at the Owner’s offices located at 5 Canal Street, Westport, CT or online at http://millennium-realty.com/. You may request a pre- application be mailed to you by contacting us at 203-227-4672.

Pre-Applications will be provided to any & all interested persons. Individuals or families may pick up a hard copy of the pre-application at the Owner’s offices located at 5 Canal Street, Westport, CT or online at http://millennium-realty.com/. You may request a pre- application be mailed to you by contacting us at 203-227-4672.

For Additional Information Contact Carol Martin: Phone: (203)227-4672 TRS/TDD: (800) 842-9710

For Additional Information Contact Carol Martin: Phone: (203)227-4672 TRS/TDD: (800) 842-9710

NOW ACCEPTING PRE-APPLICATIONS FOR HIDDEN BROOK APTS Affordable Rental Housing -ONE, TWO & THREE BEDROOM UNITS

NOW ACCEPTING PRE-APPLICATIONS FOR PINE TREE Affordable Rental Housing -ONE & TWO BEDROOM UNITS

1655 Post Road East, Westport CT

15 Pine Tree Lane, Fairfield CT

Preliminary Applications will be accepted beginning on 06/03/2019 AND ENDS with a postmark date of 06/28/2019. Pre-applications received after the end date as postmarked will be automatically rejected.

Pre-applications are to be mailed only to Owner’s offices located at 5 Canal Street, Westport, CT 06880.

Preliminary Applications will be accepted beginning on 06/3/2019 AND ENDS with a postmark date of 06/28/2019. Pre-Applications received after the end date as postmarked will be automatically rejected.

Pre-Applications are to be mailed only to Owner’s offices located at 15 Pine Tree Lane, Fairfield, CT 06825.

Owner: Sixteen Fifty- Five Post I Limited Partnership Managing Agent: Millennium Real Estate Services, LLC

Owner: Pine Tree Housing Limited Partnership Managing Agent: Millennium Real Estate Services, LLC

Applicants will need to meet the income requirements based on family size for 50% of Area Median Income, or less. Preliminary Applications will be received during the period noted above and placement on the wait list will be made through the random selection method, once the period has ended. The maximum number of pre-applications to be placed on the wait list is one hundred (100). Pre-applications will not be accepted by hand-delivery, facsimile, email or any other electronic transmission.

Applicants will need to meet the income requirements based on family size for 80% of Area Median Income, or less. Preliminary Applications will be received during the period noted above and placement on the wait list will be made through the random selection method, once the period has ended. The maximum number of pre-applications to be placed on the wait list is one hundred (100). Pre-Applications will not be accepted by hand-delivery, facsimile, email or any other electronic transmission.

Four Person family 50% AMI Max limit $72,150/year: 2 Bedroom unit Maximum current rent- $1,080/month

Four Person family 80% AMI Max limit $82,080/year: 2 Bedroom unit Maximum current rent- $1,058/month

Six Person family 60% AMI Max limit $83,700/year: 3 Bedroom unit Maximum current rent- $1,225/month

Pre-Applications will be provided to any & all interested persons. Individuals or families may pick up a hard copy of the pre-application at the Owner’s offices located at 15 Pine Tree Lane, Fairfield, CT or online at http://millennium-realty.com/.

You may request a pre- application be mailed to you by contacting us at 203-366-6578.

Pre-applications will be provided to any & all interested persons. Individuals or families may pick up a hard copy of the pre-application at the Owner’s offices located at 5 Canal Street, Westport, CT or online at http://millennium-realty.com/.

You may request a pre- application be mailed to you by contacting us at 203-227-4672.

For Additional Information Contact Carol Martin: Phone: (203)366-6578 TRS/TDD: (800) 842-9710

For Additional Information Contact Carol Martin: Phone: (203)227-4672 TRS/TDD: (800) 842-9710

20

THE INNER-CITY NEWS - June 12, 2019 - June 18, 2019

NEW HAVEN’S GRASSROOTS COMMUNITY RADIO STATION! www.newhavenindependent.org

JOE UGLY IN THE MORNING Weekdays 6-9 a.m.

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Mondays 11 a.m.

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Wednesdays 9 a.m.

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Thursdays 1 p.m.

Mondays-Fridays 9 a.m.

ALISA BOWENSMERCADO

Less Than $30 For All-Day Rides & Waterpark!

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Birthday Party Packages Start At Only $330 Purchase Daily & Season Passes Online quassy.com

Family Night Specials * 50-Cent Fabulous Fridays * Hot Dogs * Pepsi * Ride Tickets * 50 Cents Each (Rides take 1 & 2 tickets)

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Wristbands For Up 10 Persons In One Car (These specials offered Friday & Saturday after 5 p.m. May 24 through Aug. 31, 2019)

Fridays 11 a.m.

2132 Middlebury Road, Middlebury CT 21

1-800-FOR-PARK

THE INNER-CITY NEWS -

June 12, 2019 - June 18, 2019

Pelosi vs. Fellow Democrats on the Pros and Cons of Impeachment

By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Correspondent

NNPA NEWSWIRE — Since special counsel Robert Mueller spoke publicly for the first time about his finding that he could not exonerate the president, the number of House members calling for either the start to an official inquiry or an outright impeachment vote on Trump has grown to 52, according to a list maintained by NBC News.

Is Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi standing in the way of a potential impeachment of President Donald Trump?

Reports indicate that there are strong signs that the pro-impeachment forces in the House are both larger than what Pelosi portrays – and growing.

That is, there’s a lot of iceberg under the surface, according to NBC News Since special counsel Robert Mueller spoke publicly for the first time about his finding that he could not exonerate the president, the number of House members calling for either the start to an official inquiry or an outright impeachment vote on Trump has grown to 52, according to a list maintained by NBC News.

That includes several committee chairs, several members of the Judiciary Committee — which would consider possible articles of impeachment first — lawmakers from safe districts and swing districts, and one Republican: Rep. Justin Amash of Michigan, the network reported.

Still, not all citizens are onboard – even those who said they can’t wait until Trump leaves office.

“At this point in time, impeachment is a terrible idea and could potentially play into

President Trump’s own narrative – victimizers sometimes play the role of the victim in order to justify their own abusive behavior, reframe perceptions, establish false equivalence, energize advantageous divisions, and intensify or gain support,” David Pring-Mill, a consultant to startups, NGOs, and political causes, told NNPA Newswire.

“The President took advantage of shortcuts in human psychology. He used demagoguery to rile up the voters who could get him elected. But that shortcut became a long cut,” Pring-Mill said.

“His statements on race, Muslim bans, immigrants, and international relations have compromised his moral authority and severely impaired his ability to execute on an agenda and, instead of accepting some responsibility for disparaging others, he fires people ‘Apprentice’-style and claims that he has been disparaged,” he said.

Matt C. Pinsker, an Adjunct Professor in the Homeland Security & Criminal Justice Department at the L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs at Virginia Commonwealth University, said he’s read Mueller’s report and the evidence is insufficient to charge, let alone convict the president of collusion or obstruction of justice.

“It would be legal malpractice and grounds to bring a criminal charge,” said Pinsker, a former federal prosecutor who teaches criminal justice at VCU. “The reason why impeachment is talked about is simply for political reasons. Unlike the criminal justice system which requires a burden of proof and due process, impeachment is a political maneuver and there is no such thing as ‘malpractice’ for Congress,” he said.

Steven Isaac Azizi, a Senior Partner at Miracle Mile Law Group, said the Demo-

cratic majority in Congress is hesitant to impeach Trump for a couple reasons.

“I believe the foremost reason is that Congress is rejecting the idea is due to the sheer reputational damage it would instill in the international world’s eyes,” Azizi said.

“Another may be the ignition of proTrump supporters. These are without a doubt the cons of any potential impeachment,” Azizi said.

The attorney also speculated that a potential plus to a Trump impeachment would be the riddance of the rhetoric that he brings along with him.

“In any event, impeachment would be accompanied by severe consequences that would reverberate around the whole world,” Azizi said.

Pelosi has argued, to great effect with

her caucus, that there are significant risks in rushing toward impeachment when the public isn’t supportive of the move and it would take 20 Republican votes in the Senate to oust the president, NBC News reported.

Part of the Democratic strategy is rooted in concern that forcing an impeachment showdown, especially one that fails to result in Trump’s removal from office, would benefit the president politically.

Never mind the prospect — more unlikely than it is conceivable — that he could be impeached, removed from office and reelected.

But Pelosi has also said the House should not choose to impeach or avoid impeachment based on political considerations.

Mueller found that he could not exoner-

ate the president, and he has now given a near-equivalent of public testimony to that conclusion.

So, according to an NBC News analyst, it stands to reason that the longer Democrats wait to start a formal process, the more it will look like they are not confident the Mueller report includes evidence of possible high crimes and misdemeanors.

Perhaps most Democrats will, or already have, reached that conclusion.

“The 2020 election is fast approaching.

If Americans feel that Trump needs to be prosecuted, they should support Kamala Harris in the primaries and caucuses,” Pring-Mill said. “That [prosecuting crimes] is what she does best.”

Soy Milk Vs. Almond Milk: Which One Is Really Better For You?

by Jaena L. Mebane BlackDoctor.org

There has been an ongoing debate as to which is better or healthier, soy milk or almond milk. Studies have shown that cow’s milk is still the most complete and balanced source of protein, fats and carbohydrates but soy milk has come out on top when comparing the nutritional profiles of soy milk, almond milk and other plantbased milks. It was found to be the most comparable to cow’s milk in terms of overall nutrient balance. There are several differences. Let’s break it down: Soy milk contains more protein than almond milk. It has more heart healthy polyunsaturated fats or healthy fats as compared to saturated fats (these fats can cause high cholesterol and heart problems). It has less sodium than almond milk and both milks are lactose free. It is the only vegan dairy alternative that offers a similar amount of protein as cow’s milk.

The nutrient content is also comparable to that of cow’s milk. It is cholesterol free and contains phytonutrients known as isoflavones (a colorless, crystalline, bioactive

ketone which are antioxidants and can reduce inflammation in the body) which have been shown to have cancer-fighting properties. Soy protein may help reduce LDL or “bad” cholesterol.

There is also concern about “anti-nutrient”

substances naturally found in soy called phytic acid which can make it harder for the body to absorb and digest certain vitamins and minerals.

Almond milk is lower in calories than soy milk and contains more heart healthy

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monounsaturated fats which may help with weight loss and weight management and has also been shown to reduce LDL cholesterol.

Almond milk has more sodium than soy milk and contains less protein. If replacing cow’s milk with almond milk, the calories, protein and vitamins should be made up from other food sources. Both are vegan and low cholesterol. These two plant-based milk options are the most popular.

There are different brands of almond milk and soy milk in which the nutrient content differs. When comparing the two, some have added sugar, salt and preservatives.

These additions may change the carbohydrate content and the calories in the milk.

Most brands of plant-based milk will have added calcium and vitamin D to mimic cow’s milk.

Some brands of soy milk are lacking an essential amino acid called methionine due to the process manufacturers use to make soy milk. As a result, people may need to get it from other areas of their diet.

If a person is not able to do this then soy milk may not be a good substitute for cow’s

milk. If a person is allergic to soybeans they should avoid soy milk just as almond milk may be a poor substitution for cow’s milk if a person is allergic to almonds.

Why do people seek alternatives to begin with? For one, dairy is one of the most common allergens among infants and children.

Raw milk has been linked to outbreaks of salmonella and E. coli. There’s also the issue of lactose intolerance in which plantbased milk might be a better alternative.

Almond milk and soy milk can replace a glass of cow’s milk. It can be used in your coffee or in your favorite cereal, protein shakes, coffee, tea, etc. but keep in mind it is not a complete replacement for cow’s milk. You will still need to make up the loss of calories, protein and vitamins from other sources.

Jaena Mebane, a graduate of Fordham University-B.A., Fitness Professional, Bodybuilder and creator of GLUTEUS FABULOUS. My motto is “Inspiring Others to Live a Healthy Lifestyle, Mind, Body, and Soul.” You can find me on Instagram @gluteus_fabulous

THE INNER-CITY NEWS - June 12, 2019 - June 18, 2019

It’s Time to Put People Before Drug Company Profits.

While too many Connecticut residents struggle to make ends meet, the big drug companies continue to rake in billions. It’s no wonder, considering that they make Americans pay the highest prescription drug prices in the world.

That’s why it’s critical for all Connecticut lawmakers to put aside their differences and support commonsense solutions to lower drug prices, including: • Allowing our state to negotiate for lower prices.

• Preventing brand-name drug companies from paying off generic competitors to stop more affordable medications from reaching consumers.

People shouldn’t have to choose between buying medication and buying food for our families. To all state lawmakers: It’s time to work together and pass bipartisan legislation to lower prescription drug prices—now.

Visit aarp.org/StopRxGreedCT to learn more.

Facebook.com/AARPCT @AARPCT aarp.org/CT Paid For by AARP

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THE INNER-CITY NEWS -

June 12, 2019 - June 18, 2019

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