INNER-CITY NEWS

INNER-CITY NEWS July 27, 2016 - August 02, 2016 THE INNER-CITY NEWS August 16, 2017 - August 22, 2017

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THE INNER-CITY NEWS August 16, 2017 - August 22, 2017

Jerk Chicken & Reggae Vybz Roll To Green

by MARKESHIA RICKS New Haven Independent

In the last three weeks, you’ve probably smelled one of the newest food trucks to enter the city’s foodie scene downtown. The aroma is the tantalizing smell of jerk chicken.

Francena Parker, a self-described country girl, originally from Manchester, Jamaica, is responsible for that aroma, as the owner of the Reggae Vybz food truck. She and her family are dishing up traditional Jamaican food like jerk chicken, snapper escovitch, and oxtails near the intersection of Elm and College streets.

“We have jerk chicken every day,” Parker said with a laugh. “People love the jerk chicken.”

Parker is a licensed practical nurse Monday to Wednesday and a cook and food truck operator Wednesday to Fri-

Parker: Food truck is the first step in her culinary aspirations.

day and some Saturdays. She said she was surprised much of hit her chicken

was with people who have lined up at the window of her big black food truck with its Jamaican flag flying under the canopy of trees lining the upper Green.

She’d intended to serve only occasionally the succulent pieces of chicken, which she cooks on a grill that attaches to her custom-made truck and then covers in her homemade jerk sauce.

But on days she didn’t have it on the truck, customers asked after it so much that she decided it would be a menu staple even if everything else on the menu changes. And she does have plans to introduce New Haveners to the wonder of Jamaican cuisine beyond jerk chicken.

“It’s baby steps,” she said. “Pretty much my whole goal is to have authentic Jamaican food with a twist to it. We’re trying to figure out what the people like, but eventually, we’re going to have traditional American food with a Jamaican flavor.”

That twist might come in the form of a jerk chicken pizza, a roti wrap with jerk or curry chicken, and maybe even some chili.

“My family goes crazy about my chili,” she said. “Eventually we will have that on the truck as well. But we’ll still have our traditional stuff.”

And eventually, the 29-year-old Parker, who moved to New Haven 12 years ago, said she plans to expand her food empire. She can already picture it.

“There is a bigger dream, definitely,” she said. That dream starts with this first truck, then a second truck or a smaller food cart, possibly a year from now, in one of the city’s other mobile food locations near the hospital or Yale University’s Ingalls Rink. And then, a sit-down bar and grill.

“I can envision it,” she said. “It will not be a restaurant where you order your

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food and go. You’ll sit down, maybe there will be a live band and stuff like that on the weekend.

“Listen,” she said, “I have dreams.

This is the first step.”

The first step involves turning out delicious food with her mom, Terri Jackson, who moved to the Elm City two years ago to help with the business. The Reggae Vybz truck appears to be one of the first up and running downtown, particularly around the Green, under the city’s new food truck laws, which went into effect July 1. Parker also has the distinction of running the only downtown food truck featuring Jamaican cuisine.

(There is a Caribbean restaurant downtown, Ninth Square Market II Caribbean Style restaurant, that focuses on all food from that region of the world. The owners, who also happen to be Jamaican, had so much success with their vegan and vegetarian options that they decided to stop serving meat, leaving a niche for Parker.)

Parker said she learned to love cooking out of necessity. When she was a child and her mom had to work, there was no sitting around waiting for food to magically appear.

In the morning somebody had to make breakfast if her mother had already gone to work by the time Parker and her siblings got up. And if she beat her mom home, somebody had to start dinner.

The necessity of cooking could have been a total turnoff to a life in the kitchen, but not for Parker.

“I love food way too much,” she said with a laugh.

Though she’s fully invested in seeing her food truck succeed, she’s not giving up on her nursing career.

She’s working toward becoming a registered nurse.

“This is my family’s future right here,” she said of the food business.

“You have to have your own something that you’re working toward— something you’re building as a family. My nursing? I’ll have that to fall back on and why not? Why not be a boss and an employee too?”

“I think the sky is the limit and once you have that mentality to want to move forward and building something you just do it,” Parker added.

“It just so happens it’s two things that I’m passionate about. I love food and I also love helping people.

It’s the best of both worlds for me.”

Dem Primary Battle Is On

PAUL BASS PHOTO

Paca

by MARKESHIA RICKS Candidates vying to be the city’s next mayor and probate court judge successfully petitioned their way onto the upcoming Sept. 12 Democratic Party primary ballot.

Marcus Paca is challenging incumbent Toni Harp to be the city’s next mayor, while attorney Americo Carchia is taking on Clifton Graves, Jr. to finish the term of retiring Probate Judge Jack Keyes. Both Harp and Graves received the endorsement of the Democratic Town Committee, leaving Paca and Carchia to petition their way onto the Democratic primary ballot.

Both men submitted petitions with thousands of signatures last week in hopes of making the ballot. On Tuesday, just before 5 p.m., Democratic Registrar Shannel Evans brought the petition pages to City Clerk Michael Smart for certification after a few days of combing through the thousands of signatures collected by the candidates.

Paca submitted some 3,200 signatures, but only 1,910 were deemed valid, according to the certification notice signed by City Clerk Smart. Three of Paca’s 212 pages of signatures were rejected, but he more than met the threshold of 1,852 signatures needed to make the primary.

So did Carchia, who submitted more than 2,000 signatures. Of his signatures collected, 1,982 were found to be valid.

Only one of the 158 pages of signatures that he submitted were rejected.

Mayoral candidate Paca also is certified to have his name appear on the Nov. 7 general ballot, while Carchia is not.

On Elm Street, A Leap Of Faith THE INNER-CITY NEWS August 16, 2017 - August 22, 2017

by Lucy Gellman, Editor The Arts Paper

If you want to walk on the water, there is only one way. We need to get out of our boat … and jump into the sea. - Juhye Hahn, First and Summerfield United Methodist Church It is 10 a.m. on a warm, sun-soaked Sunday morning, and Pastor Juhye Hahn is tired.

She has had a week, she tells the congregation. Many of them have.

On Tuesday morning, members of her flock at First and Summerfield United Methodist Church welcomed Marco Antonio Reyes Alvarez, a Meriden father of three fleeing Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers, into their sanctuary. After a 2:30 a.m. call came in from Pastor Paul Fleck, a committee comprising the church’s congregants jumped into action, preparing a room for Reyes in just under four hours.

The church is a safe haven for him: ICE is encouraged not to enter houses of worship.

The committee that welcomed him Tuesday is a well-oiled machine; it has prepared for this moment for months. In late April, First and Summerfield joined Iglesia de Dios Pentecostal, Hamden Plains United Methodist Church, and Congregational Mishkan Israel as a sanctuary congregation.

Hahn was not yet with First and Summerfield — she began as pastor in early July, replacing Pastor Thomas Gye Ho Kim — but said she considers it part of her faith to welcome immigrants into the sanctuary, because “we are all children of God.” Last month, those congregations began to make good on their word when Norwalk mom Nury Chavarria defied an immigration order to return to Guatemala, taking refuge in Iglesia de Dios Pentecostal.

One week in, Chavarria was granted a stay from ICE. There has not yet been any word on whether the same will be true for Reyes, who is originally from Ecuador but has lived in the United States for 20 years.

In that sense, Hahn says, it has been a revitalizing week. Messages of support have come in from spiritual leaders, legislators and activists across the state, including Bishop Thomas J. Bickerton. But there are also daily messages tinged with anger, and bitter “words that I’ve never heard in my life.”

None of that is supposed to intrude today. It is Sunday, quiet and bright on the church’s corner in downtown New Haven, and she is ready to lead a small congregation in worship.

After a week filled with media, legislators and organizers, the sanctuary has been returned to its original purpose. A congregation of around 30 has entered, fidgeting with their

hymnals and purses as organ music fills the space. It is hard to believe that almost 300 parishioners belonged in the 1980s, until a choir of just nine begins to sing, and wraps the whole room in sound, and their small size is rendered irrelevant.

Hahn smooths her tunic, straightens her starched, upright collar. A heavy turquoise cross hangs from her neck and sways as she brings the microphone to her mouth. Just as she is welcoming, congregants — Rejoice in the Lord. Call God’s holy name — Reyes enters with his wife Fanny and daughter Adriana. Adriana’s hand juts out from a crushed velvet jacket to grab her father’s palm, and they head to a row of chairs. Just moments later, Hahn asks him if he would like to say a few words. He strides toward the front of the sanctuary in a striped polo.

“I just would like to thank all the members of this church, and especially Pastor Hahn, for allowing me to take sanctuary in this place,” he says. “My family and I really appre-

3

ciate it …Thank you, and God bless you.”

Hahn takes a minute to soak in the words. And then, she is full speed ahead. The gospel reading this week is Matthew 14:22-33, a passage that she says she knows well. It picks up right as Jesus walks on water, frightening his 12 disciples when they see him from afar. Bobbing atop a stormy sea in a small boat, they take him for a ghost, and shrink back in fear.

Take heart, Jesus comforts them.

It is I. They remain fearful. Except Peter, who asks for a directive, and puts his faith in whatever words may come from the figure on the water.

Come, Jesus urges him. At first, Peter slips beneath the black surface of the water, sinking like an anchor.

Undeterred in his faith, he cries out to Jesus, who extends a hand. And then, just for a moment, Peter is walking on water too.

“A kind of experience that Peter could never forget,” Hahn says. An experience, she continues, that rings strikingly true to her own life, and a trip to the amusement park she took with her daughter and husband some time ago.

At first, it’s unclear where the story’s going, or where Peter comes in.

There is a roller coaster, a stomachchurning several-foot drop called the “Free Falling” ride, and an innocuous choo-choo train. Hahn begs her husband to mount “Free Falling” with their daughter; she opts for the train instead. When they regroup, Hahn has taken a choochoo loop around the park, and her husband and daughter have bonded over the scary ride. And she wonders: should I have banished my fear and taken that free-fall after all?

By this time, it’s clear that she’s not talking about amusement parks.

She’s talking about the family nestled back in the fifth row, arms around each other. She’s talking about why she’ll protect them with her faith, which is her life.

“I kept wondering, what if?” she says. “What if I had gotten out of my boat?”

A few mmms and yeses go up around the congregation.

“In the sea, risky waves and wind will rise,” she presses on. “Sometimes, like the 11 disciples, we just want to stay inside of the boat because we feel safe there, and don’t want to try anything new.”

“But we have to know that when we follow Jesus Christ, we live in tension between two different choices.

One is desire of staying in the boat safely. The other one is a desire of taking a leap of faith and getting out of the boat, [out of] our comfort zone, despite of fear.”

Then, straight to the heart of the matter. In another world, Peter is getting out, and swimming until he walks.

“At our church, we also face a moment that we have to make decision whether we will stay in our safe boat or get out of our boat, and start walking on the water … Our boat was in the middle of the sea.

We could stay in the boat with the other11 disciples. However, if you want to walk on the water, there is only one way. We need to get out of our boat … and jump into the sea.”

“Many people … supported our action of getting out of the boat,” she says, already looking toward the day’s later prayer vigil outside of the church.“But not everyone is supporting what we are doing.

Many people left hostile messages on our church answering machine. I saw the wild wind riding and battering our boat. When we see the world in cold and dark, we don’t want to get out of our boat … Sometimes we wish our boat is just a kind of cruise, so that we can enjoy our ride.

“But the boat Jesus made us get into is a mission boat. Our mission boat is the vehicle that helps us to go where Jesus is. Brothers and sisters, Jesus is not sitting inside of the boat.

He is standing in the middle of the stormy sea, and calling his disciples to come where he is.”

This article is part of our “News From The Pews” series, exploring the intersection of religion and spirituality and current events. If you’re a member of a congregation — any denomination, anywhere in New Haven — and think your institution should be profiled, send an email to lucy@newhavenarts.org.

THE INNER-CITY NEWS August 16, 2017 - August 22, 2017

CBO: Insurance Premiums Would Increase and Federal Deficit Worsen

by Christine Stuart

HARTFORD, CT — Ending billions in federal insurance subsidies would worsen the federal deficit and increase insurance premiums, the Congressional Budget Office warned Tuesday in its report.

Nonpartisan budget analysts said the Trump administration’s pledge to end Affordable Care Act insurer subsidies means premiums will rise by 20 percent in 2018 and 25 percent in 2020.

The cost-sharing reductions, which help insurance companies lower deductibles, co-pays, and coinsurance for low-income individuals, are estimated to cost $7 billion for 2017. But ending them would drive up the federal deficit by an estimated $194 billion through 2026.

“There are no upsides to the Trump administration discontinuing these payments, it will only result in higher premiums, add to the deficit, and further drive insurers out of the marketplaces, leaving the American people with fewer options for health insurance,” U.S. Rep. John B. Larson said Tuesday. “Having failed at taking health care away from millions of Americans, the Administration and Congress must move forward to build upon the success of the Affordable Care Act, rather than seeking to tear it down. I call on President Trump to stop playing politics and do what is right for the American people.”

About 40,000 of the 98,000 individuals enrolled in Connecticut’s health insurance exchange qualify for cost-sharing reductions (CSRs) and 25 percent are qualified for advanced premium tax credits. About 25 percent are receiving no financial assistance.

Insurance companies are paid one

month in advance by the federal government for what it anticipates the spending will be for the CSR customers. The payments are then reconciled at the end of the year.

Connecticut insurance carriers receive about $40 million to $50 million per year in cost-sharing reduction payments, James Wadleigh, CEO of Access Health CT, has said.

“Because they would still be required to bear the costs of CSRs even without payments from the government, participating insurers would raise premiums of ‘silver’ plans to cover the costs,” the CBO report states.

Attempts to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, along with repeated threats to end the cost-sharing reductions, have left Connecticut’s two insurers pondering their future participation in the marketplace.

Anthem Health Plans and ConnectiCare Benefits are the last two insurance companies participating in Connecticut’s individual market and both have said they would have to reconsider their rates and possibly their participation if the cost-sharing reductions disappear.

The next federal CSR payments to insurers are expected to be made on Aug. 21.

Both companies have submitted their proposed rates for 2018, but Insurance Department regulators are waiting to see what happens over the next few weeks. Regulators anticipated finalizing rates for 2018 by Sept. 1, but will wait until Sept. 30, if necessary.

Gov. Dannel P. Malloy maintained his position that President Donald Trump owns the ACA if he’s going to make sure it collapses.

4

“Make no mistake, we are no longer living under the Affordable Care Act — this intentional destabilization of the markets is Trumpcare in action, recklessly risking the lives of Americans,” Malloy said.

Connecticut’s governor, who is also head of the Democratic Governors Association, said the CBO report “confirms that the President’s threat to cut subsidies to insurers, which offset costs for affordable coverage to lowincome individuals, will drive up premiums for all. Let’s be clear — this is not a failure of the Affordable Care Act, it is a deliberate effort of President Trump to sabotage healthcare for millions of Americans in an attempt to fulfill an impetuous campaign promise.”

Lt. Gov. Nancy Wyman, who also co-chairs Access Health CT, Connecticut’s insurance exchange, said “threatening to remove the cost-sharing options not only destabilizes the marketplaces, but also guarantees cost increases for everyone. It’s going in the wrong direction rather than working to improve a law that is already serving hundreds of millions across the country.”

Statement from SCSU President Joe Bertolino:

“In light of the events of the past few days in Charlottesville, VA, the Southern community joins with so many across the country in unequivocally condemning statements and acts of racial hatred and bigotry, as well as all acts of violence. While free speech is a sacred right, it does not afford anyone the right to willfully provoke rioting, or engage in physical violence.

We offer our thoughts and prayers to the victims of violence and their loved ones.

“As we approach the start of the fall semester, I can’t think of a better time to underscore that the university is committed to both social justice and free speech. We strive to create a culture where people are willing to share their multiple points of view on myriad topics and participate in constructive dialogue. At the same time, we encourage the members of our campus community to treat each other with dignity, respect, kindness, compassion and civility. It is by joining these two values -- social justice and free speech -- that we can best have respectful and truly productive conversations.”

John P. Thomas Publisher / CEO

Babz Rawls Ivy

Editor-in-Chief Liaison, Corporate Affairs Babz@penfieldcomm.com

Advertising/Sales Team Trenda Lucky Keith Jackson Delores Alleyne John Thomas, III

Editorial Team Staff Writers

Christian Lewis/Current Affairs Anthony Scott/Sports Arlene Davis-Rudd/Politics

Contributing Writers David Asbery Tanisha Asbery Jerry Craft/Cartoons Barbara Fair

Dr. Tamiko Jackson-McArthur Michelle Turner Smita Shrestha William Spivey Kam Williams Rev. Samuel T. Ross-Lee

_______________________

Contributors At-Large

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

Memberships

National Association of Black Journalist National Newspapers Publishers Association Greater New Haven Chamber of Commerce Greater New Haven Business & Professional Association Greater New England Minority Supplier Development Council, Inc.

The Inner-City Newspaper is published weekly

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

THE INNER-CITY NEWS August 16, 2017 - August 22, 2017

For more information on ACES schools, programs and services, please visit our website.

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THE INNER-CITY NEWS August 16, 2017 - August 22, 2017

School Officials Pressure Lawmakers To Reach A Budget Deal

by Christine Stuart CT. Junkie News

MERIDEN, CT — School superintendents from throughout Connecticut gathered Tuesday in front of Maloney High School for a press conference to highlight the problems they’re facing because the state has yet to pass a budget.

The beginning of the school year should be a time for celebration, but without knowing how much education aid their schools will get the superintendents — members of the Connecticut Association of Public School Superintendents who had just completed their annual meeting said they are filled with a sense of dread and concern.

Milford Superintendent Elizabeth Feser said under the governor’s budget proposal they would lose $10 million in education funding from the state.

“Kids are coming a week from Monday and we don’t know how much money is coming into the city,” Feser said. “... If the governor’s proposal came through it would be devastating to the city, as well as the school system.”

Part of the problem is that the General Assembly failed to adopt a twoyear budget. As such, there is no education cost sharing formula at the moment, so it’s unclear how money will be distributed to schools.

Gov. Dannel P. Malloy has been running the state by executive order since July 1. He has said he would make

CHRISTINE STUART / CTNEWSJUNKIE

Meriden Superintendent Mark Benigni

sure the neediest school districts get enough funding to start the year.

Malloy’s executive order cuts $515 million in Education Cost Sharing funds.

Fran Rabinowitz, executive director of the Connecticut Association of Public School Superintendents, said she’s spoken with legislative leaders who have told her they are getting closer to finalizing a two-year state budget, “but closer isn’t good enough.”

“They need to sit down and come up with a budget before school starts,”

Rabinowitz said.

Bristol Board of Education Chairman Chris Wilson said they are frustrated with how long the budget process is taking.

He said they were one of the school districts last year that received a midyear cut, so they know how difficult it is to manage.

While admitting that schools aren’t businesses, he said that no business would want to run itself without knowing its revenue sources.

He said it’s time for all the stakeholders to get in a room and give

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communities some cost certainty moving forward.

But the fight isn’t about just education funding.

Rabinowicz said it’s her understanding that the budget debate is much larger than education funding, but that doesn’t mean the education part of it doesn’t need to be resolved.

Superintendents, school board members, and teachers called on state legislators to fulfill their constitutional duty to adopt a state budget that funds free education for all the state’s children.

Most communities have adopted their

local budgets, including their school budgets.

Rabinowitz said that in the 30 suburban, rural, and urban districts that she surveyed Monday, 67 positions were eliminated and 372 have been placed on hold.

Meriden Superintendent Mark D. Benigni said they’re concerned they might have to collapse classes, cut teachers, and move students around in the middle of the year.

“This should not be occurring and it’s time to come together, come up with a budget that recognizes the great gains we’ve made in this state,” Benigni said.

Meriden is one of 30 “Alliance Districts,” which receive more support from the state because they have a student population with greater needs.

Meg Green, a spokeswoman for Malloy, said they agree with the urgency of the situation.

“As Governor Malloy has said many times, the Executive Order Resource Allocation Plan was not his preference, but unfortunately, the legislature did not elect to take up the minibudget that would have made drastic cuts to municipalities less severe,” Green said. “We will be re-evaluating how aid to communities is distributed under the executive order in the coming weeks to ensure we honor our constitutional requirements.”

Green said they have advised municipalities not to make assumptions about their level of education funding in the absence of a state budget.

Con’t on page 10

THE INNER-CITY NEWS August 16, 2017 - August 22, 2017

Even Without A Budget Connecticut Shoppers Get a Tax Break

by Cara Rosner CT. Junkie News

One of the biggest shopping seasons of the year - second only to the holidays - is here: back to school time.

As consumer confidence grows, spending for school and college is poised to reach an all-time high of $83.6 billion this year, up 10 percent from $75.8 billion last year, according to the National Retail Federation (NRF).

“Families are now in a state of mind where they feel a lot more confident about the economy,” NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay said in a statement. “With stronger employment levels and a continued increase in wages, consumers are spending more and we are optimistic that they will continue to do so throughout the rest of the year. As students head back to the classroom, retailers are prepared to meet their needs whether it’s for pencils and paper, shirts and pants or laptops and tablets.”

A separate survey by Stamford-based Synchrony Financial, which polled more than 1,850 parents of K-12 and

college students in July, found 63 percent of K-12 parents feel confident about their overall financial condition, and 75 percent feel confident about their job. Additionally., 63 percent said their household finances have improved this year.

With confidence rising, the NRF survey found families with children in el-

ementary through high school plan to spend an average of $687.72 each, for a total of $29.5 billion - up 8 percent from $27.3 billion.

Those shoppers plan to collectively spend $10.2 billion on clothes, $8.8 billion on electronics, $5.6 billion on shoes, and $4.9 billion on school supplies.

Spending across all categories is poised to increase this year over last year. On average, the NRF found parents expect to spend $238.89 on clothes, $204.33 on electronics, $130.38 on shoes and $114.12 on school supplies.

For the 17th year, Connecticut will hold its annual “tax-free week” from Aug. 20-26. During that week, most individual clothing and footwear items priced less than $100 will be exempt from state sales and use tax. Typically, the 6.35 percent sales tax is applied to most clothing and footwear purchases.

The sales tax holiday is timed every year to coincide with back-to-school shopping, and many retailers run additional sales and promotions to further entice shoppers.

“Retail sales are an important part of any state economy, including the jobs involved,” state Department of Revenue Services Commissioner Kevin Sullivan said in a statement. “While the research is mixed on whether there is actually more business done over time due to sales tax holidays, it’s a helpful way to promote retail shop-

ping - all of which employ people that support the sales.”

This year the state expects to forego about $4.1 million in sales and use tax revenue during the sales tax holiday week. Sullivan said the economic boost the holiday provides more than compensates for the cost.

The state doesn’t have a two-year budget in place to account for the revenue loss, but the sales tax free week is written into statute so there’s nothing stopping it from happening.

Some families got an early jump on shopping long ago, while others are procrastinating. The NRF survey found 27 percent of families nationwide began back-to-school shopping two months before the start of school, while 21 percent expect to wait until the last week or two before the school year begins.

Consumers plan to shop at various places, the NRF found, with 57 percent heading to department stores, 54 percent looking at discount stores, 46 percent going to clothing stores, 46 percent shopping online, and 36 percent heading to office supply stores.

Courtney, Larson Propose Medicare Buy-In

by Christine Stuart CT. Junkie News

MANCHESTER, CT — Following the failure of the U.S. Senate to repeal the Affordable Care Act, small groups of Congresspeople have been working to fix the problems that exist and proposing solutions.

U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney said the legislative proposal he’s putting forward with U.S. Rep. John B. Larson seeks to create stability in the individual marketplace and would allow 50 to 64 year olds buy into the Medicare system.

The two discussed their draft legislation outside Manchester Memorial Hospital Monday morning.

The proposal also reestablishes reinsurance for the marketplaces, maintains the cost-sharing reductions, which are payments that go to insurance companies to reduce the deductibles, co-pays, and co-insurance for low-income individuals, and reinstates risk corridors that expired in 2015 under the ACA. It would also allow those age 50 to 64 to buy into the Medicare system without impacting the federal budget.

CHRISTINE STUART / CTNEWSJUNKIE

U.S. Reps. Joe Courtney and John Larson

“All of this is budget neutral. It does not cost one penny in terms of a budget score,” Courtney said. “There’s no new public subsidy or cost the taxpay-

er would incur as a result of our plan.”

People in the 50 to 64 age group could use the qualifying subsidy to lower the cost of the Medicare premium.

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“That would give people an option that’s far more affordable than what exists today,” Courtney said.

Currently, those who are 60 years old and purchase a gold plan are paying about $13,308 per year in premiums.

Under the Medicare buy-in program that same plan would cost about $8,200 a year in premiums.

Courtney said because the Medicare population is so huge it’s ability to spread risk keeps premium payments lower than they are in the individual marketplace.

James Wadleigh, CEO of Access Health CT, said right now 50 to 64 year olds account for 35 percent of all of their enrollment in Connecticut’s exchange.

Allowing the 50 to 64 year old population to buy into Medicare would reduce costs to Medicare because the people entering the pool would be younger and healthier, and it would stabilize the individual marketplaces because those remaining would be younger and healthier.

By moving this population outside of the individual marketplace, “it would bring down the cost of healthcare for everybody else,” Wadleigh said.

Courtney and Larson were optimistic about Congress having an “appetite for targeted fixes.”

“I think it’s time now rather than swinging for the fences we ought to be hitting singles and doubles in terms of trying to fix and improve the healthcare system,” Courtney said.

He said everyone understands what will happen to insurance rates if they don’t work together on a solution.

Larson said they expect when they return to Washington D.C. on Sept. 5 for this to be viewed as a “common sense, straightforward approach,” to resolving some of the nation’s healthcare problems.

“I hope one thing everyone in Congress can agree on is the need to drive down the costs,” Larson said.

He said he thinks they can get beyond the politics and focus on a healthcare system that serves the American people. He recalled that back in 2009 they were only a few votes away from lowering the age of Medicare to 55.

“We think there’s a strong base to start from here,” Larson said.

Congress returns on Sept. 5 and that’s when the legislation will officially be introduced.

THE INNER-CITY NEWS August 16, 2017 - August 22, 2017

New Haven Mayor Toni N. Harp’s

Charlottesville, VA Statement

Hundreds Rally in New Haven,

across state against racial violence in Charlottesville

I am still shocked by the violence in Virginia on Saturday, still saddened by the tragic loss of life in Charlottesville.

We stand together with fervent hope the hatred and violence will end. I grew up during Jim Crow. While I know that there were others who benefited from bigotry and discrimination, until Saturday I never thought for one minute that they were proud of their racism, prejudice, and hatred. I am sickened that they have started a movement in opposition to the human values I believed most Americans had finally come accept as American values although uncomfortable for some. That we are one human race. What we have seen is that there are those who wish to return this country to the darkest chapter of American history, a chapter where hatred and prejudice reign.

Those of us who work in politics debate over policies, tactics, and priorities everyday. That is not what the mob in Virginia was engaged in this weekend.

This white nationalist movement by the ‘Alt-right,’ Neo-Nazi, and white supremacists challenges the very foundation of our civilization. Will we value every citizen? Will all Americans have a chance to participate in the benefits of our country? How we choose to answer these questions will determine the future of American life. I stand with those on the side if freedom, justice and equality and against those rallying for hate. Faith in the core values of this nation, and live those values day after day in each exchange and transaction of the day.

My friends, your presence at Sunday’s rally gives me great faith in our future, more strength to carry on in the face of such bitter divisiveness, and best of all: fervent hope that a more peaceful, civil, respectful normal will once again, and soon, carry the day and bring out the best of what this nation can be.

Thank you again for your commitment to these ideals. Please keep the faith.

Thank you very much.

Hundreds of people turned out across Connecticut Sunday to express outrage at racially tinged violence in Charlottesville, Virginia that led to the deaths of three people and injuries to dozens of others.

From some of Connecticut’s largest cities to quiet bedroom suburbs, a clarion call in opposition to the actions of white supremacists in Virginia and beyond was sent forth. Vigils were held in New Haven and other Connecticut major cities as well as in towns such as West Hartford and Cheshire.

“It is our duty to fight back in the face of hatred,” Jesus Morales Sanchez, an organizer associated with Unidad Latina en Accion, told a crowd of about 600 people gathered on the New Haven Green.

Many who attended the vigil carried homemade signs with slogans like “Bigotry isn’t Patriotic” and “White

Silence = Violence.”

Gov. Dannel Malloy participated in the West Hartford vigil, held earlier in the day. Malloy used his participation in the vigil to criticize President Donald Trump for failing to speak out definitively against the violence by white supremacists in Virginia.

A variety of statewide groups issued statements in support of the vigils being held around the state and against the violence and racism in Virginia.

“This display of hate, bigotry, racism, xenophobia and anti-Semitism by white supremacists has no place in America,” said Judy Alperin, chief executive officer of the Jewish Federation of Greater New Haven, which is based in Woodbridge. “We are horrified and sickened by the messages spewed at the rally, and by the deaths and injuries sustained.”

Mongi Dhaouadi, executive director

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of the Connecticut chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said people of good will across Connecticut “are morally responsible to speak out against white supremacy and racism whenever it rears its ugly head.” Dhaouadi spoke before the start of the vigil held in New London.

Amanda Skinner, president and chief executive officer of Planned Parenthood of Southern New England, said the gathering of white supremacists in Virginia “was not an exercise of free speech.”

“It was an explicit display of the racism that still exists in our nation, led by people who came prepared for confrontation,” Skinner said in her statement.

“Planned Parenthood of Southern New England condemns the ideology of white nationalism and neo-Nazism, and its tactics of intimidation through racist violence, fear, and hate. Our strength

and commitment to southern New England is built on the diversity of our staff, the patients we serve and the communities where we live and work.”

The New Haven vigil also included a separate gathering for Marco Reyes Alvarez.

The Meriden man is seeking sanctuary in the First and Summerfield United Methodist Church from federal immigration officials seeking to deport him. The prayer vigil for Alvarez was held outside the church.

Alvarez spoke to the crowd via a microphone positioned inside the church’s vestibule.

“Everyone being here gives me motivation, motivation to keep on fighting,” he said.

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THE INNER-CITY NEWS August 16, 2017 - August 22, 2017

Black CEO quits President Trump’s manufacturing council

our fundamental values by clearly rejecting expressions of hatred, bigotry and group supremacy, which run counter to the American idea that all people are created equal. As CEO of Merck and as a matter of personal conscience, I feel a responsibility to take a stand against intolerance and extremism,” Frazier wrote.

In an earlier photo, Trump and Frazier sat next to each other at the White House and shared a laugh, but the congeniality is over.

Trump angrily tweeted, “Now Ken Frazier of Merck Pharma has resigned from the President Manufacturing Council, he will have more time to LOWER RIPOFF DRUG PRICES!”

By Frederick H. Lowe

Kenneth C. Frazier, chairman and CEO of Merck & Co. Inc., a Kenilworth, N.J., pharmaceutical firm, today resigned from President Donald Trump’s American Manufacturing Council to protest the president’s refusal to denounce a rally organized by white nationalists in Charlottesville, Virginia. The rally turned violent, and one counter-protester was the victim of a vehicular homicide perpetrated by a white supremacist.

“Our country’s strength stems from its diversity and the contributions made by men and women of different faiths, races, sexual orientations and political beliefs. America’s leaders must honor

CEO Kenneth Frazier with President Trump in happier times.

Man Accused of Driving into Protest Crowd, Killing Protester, Denied Bond

By BRIAN WITTE and SARAH RANKIN, CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) — A man accused of ramming his car into a crowd of counter-protesters at a White nationalist rally in Virginia was denied bond Monday after the public defender’s office said it couldn’t represent him and the judge was forced to find a local attorney to fill in.

James Alex Fields Jr. was not present in the courtroom but appeared via video monitor dressed in a black-andwhite striped uniform. Seated, he answered questions from the judge with simple responses of “Yes, sir” when asked if he understood what was being explained to him. Fields also replied “No, sir” when asked if he had ties to the community of Charlottesville.

Judge Robert Downer set an Aug. 25 hearing for the 20-year-old Fields, who has been charged with seconddegree murder and other counts.

Downer said the public defenders’ office informed him it could not represent Fields because a relative of someone in the office was injured in Saturday’s protest. He appointed local attorney Charles Weber to represent him. Weber couldn’t immediately be reached by The Associated Press.

Fields is charged in the death of Heather Heyer, 32, of Charlottesville, who died after a car that police say Fields was driving slammed into a crowd of people protesting the nationalist rally Saturday. Fields was arrested shortly afterward and taken into custody.

Fields was fascinated with Nazism, idolized Adolf Hitler, and had been singled out by school officials in the 9th grade for his “deeply held, radi-

Susan Bro, the mother of Heather Heyer, holds a photo of Bro's mother and her daughter, Monday, Aug. 14, 2017, in Charlottesville, Va. Heyer was killed Saturday, Aug. 12, 2017, when police say a man plowed his car into a group of demonstrators protesting the white nationalist rally. Bro said that she is going to bare her soul to fight for the cause that her daughter died for. (AP Photo/Joshua Replogle)

cal” convictions on race, a former high school teacher said Sunday.

Fields also confided that he had been diagnosed with schizophrenia when he was younger and had been prescribed an anti-psychotic medication, Derek Weimer said in an interview with The Associated Press.

In high school, Fields was an “average” student, but with a keen interest in military history, Hitler, and Nazi Germany, said Weimer, who said he was Fields’ social studies teacher at Randall K. Cooper high school in Union, Kentucky, in Fields’ junior and senior years.

“Once you talked to James for a while, you would start to see that sympathy toward Nazism, that idolization of Hitler, that belief in white supremacy,” Weimer said. “It would start to creep out.”

Police say Fields drove his silver Dodge Challenger through a crowd of protesters in Charlottesville, killing Heyer and wounding 19 other people.

A Virginia State Police helicopter deployed in a large-scale police response to the violence then crashed into the woods outside of town and both troopers on board died.

Fields had been photographed hours earlier with a shield bearing the emblem of Vanguard America, one of the hate groups that took part in the “take America back” campaign to protest the removal of a Confederate statue.

The group on Sunday denied any association with the suspect.

Meanwhile, a message posted Saturday night on a leading neo-Nazi website called The Daily Stormer promised future events that would be “bigger than Charlottesville.”

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The mayor of Charlottesville, political leaders of all political stripes, and activists and community organizers around the country planned rallies, vigils and education campaigns to combat the hate groups. They also urged President Donald Trump to forcefully denounce the organizations, some of which specifically cited Trump’s election after a campaign of racially charged rhetoric as validation of their beliefs. Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced late Saturday that federal authorities would pursue a civil rights investigation into the circumstances surrounding the crash.

Weimer recalled that school officials had singled out Fields when he was in 9th grade for his political beliefs and “deeply held, radical” convictions on race and Nazism.

“It was a known issue,” he said.

Weimer said Fields left school for a while, and when he came back he was quieter about politics until his senior year, when politicians started to declare their candidacy for the 2016 presidential race. Weimer said Fields was a big Trump supporter because of what he believed to be Trump’s views on race. Trump’s proposal to build a border wall with Mexico was particularly appealing to Fields, Weimer said. Fields also admired the Confederacy for its military prowess, he said, though they never spoke about slavery.

As a senior, Fields wanted to join the army, and Weimer, a former officer in the Ohio National Guard, guided him through the process of applying, he said, believing that the military would expose Fields to people of different races and backgrounds and help him Con’t on page 20

Con’t from page 6

School Officials Pressure Lawmakers To Reach A

Budget Deal

But many communities have been forced to adopt budgets and set tax rates.

In Westport, one of the wealthier towns in Connecticut, town officials assumed they wouldn’t be getting any education funding from the state.

In Malloy’s executive order, 163 towns would see a cut in their education cost sharing grant. Westport was among the 34 towns that would receive zero education cost sharing funds under Malloy’s order.

Last year the town received $465,000 in ECS funding.

Rep. Jonathan Steinberg, D-Westport, said the education funding isn’t necessarily holding up budget negotiations. He said he doesn’t trust a proposal that would ask all municipalities to contribute to teacher retirement costs for the first time.

“We don’t trust the state to not increase that amount,” Steinberg said.

Democratic legislative leadership in the House has been trying to find ways to make up for the loss in funding the proposal would create.

However, their proposal to increase the sales tax from 6.35 percent to 6.99 percent hasn’t won over enough Democratic lawmakers to finalize a budget that’s unlikely to receive any Republican votes.

Steinberg said he thinks legislative leaders are getting closer to a budget deal and he’s encouraged that Republican legislative leaders are part of those conversations.

“As fleeting as that might be, it’s encouraging,” Steinberg said.

Meanwhile, education officials said they are doing what they can to pressure legislative leaders to reach an agreement.

House Speaker Joe Aresimowicz, DBerlin, said Tuesday that their priority is to make sure they are providing the necessary resources for all students.

“We have been in contact with superintendents, teachers, and school administrators throughout this process as we continue to work tirelessly to finalize a budget agreement as quickly as possible to limit the negative impact and provide stability to our municipalities and school systems,” Aresimowicz said in a statement.

Senate Democrats did not respond to requests for comment

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Inner-City News 11

THE INNER-CITY NEWS August 16, 2017 - August 22, 2017

The presidents of the Virginia State Conference of the NAACP and the Albemarle-Charlottesville NAACP have issued the following joint statement regarding the senseless racist hate rally, violence and loss of life in Charlottesville, Virginia:

“As people can see now very clearly, not voting has consequences,” stated Janette Martin, president of the AlbemarleCharlottesville NAACP. “On numerous occasions the city of Charlottesville has spent thousands of dollars to support KKK rallies - and city merchants have expressed their dissatisfaction with the loss of revenue that occurs during these rallies.”

Martin added. “Violence did not have to be demonstrated in order to express freedom of speech. It appears that free speech was secondary to their main purpose which was to wreak havoc and violence in the community.They have been emboldened by the words and vocabulary of elected officials at the highest levels.” Martin concluded, “ we commend the people of faith here in Charlottesville for working hard to set a moral tone, and sacrificing themselves and their safety to drown out the message of hate especially as we have students and parents returning to the UVA campus for the start of the school year.”

“The terrible incidence of violence in Charlottesville is a painful reminder of the blatant racism, unbridled lynchings and other violence against citizens of African descent that permeated the history of this country,” said Linda Thomas, president of the Virginia State Conference of the NAACP. “This goes to the very core of the existence of the NAACP and our continuing struggle against forces of hate.”

“White supremacists and today’s purveyors of hate should find no shadows in which to hide. Our forefathers shed blood so that in 2017, this type of violence would be a footnote of the past.” Added Thomas, “We applaud our governor, Terry McAuliffe, whose statement today is in alignment with the NAACP mission. And we encourage the Governor to use the full force of his executive powers to eradicate race based barriers in all areas of life within the state. The Virginia State Conference will remain steadfast in our advocacy and activism as we push forward in our fight for legislative changes, expansion of voting rights and sound public policies that equally serve and protect all citizens within the commonwealth.

And we will persist until we drive racism, and racist behavior from our midst.”

“We call on President Trump to denounce this act as an act of terrorism and condemn the repeated rhetoric which has helped to fuel this climate of division and derision,” said Derrick Johnson, interim president and CEO of the NAACP. “ Our hearts and prayers are with the families of those who lost their lives in Charlottesville. We stand firm with our commitment to acknowledge our differences, to embrace them as the richness of the American mosaic and we’ll continue to lead the fight for the right to peaceably assemble.”

In Our Own Voice: National Black Women’s Reproductive Justice Agenda Condemns Racist Violence, Calls on Trump administration to take action Statement of Founder and Executive Director Marcela Howell issued the following statement:

WASHINGTON—In response to the deadly attack on civil rights protestors in Charlottesville, Virginia today, In Our Own Voice: National Black Women’s Reproductive Justice Agenda Founder and Executive Director: “Our hearts go out to those who were injured or killed as they stood against hate and rallied for equality and justice in Charlottesville. We call on President Trump to fire the alt-right white supremacists on his staff and we demand that Attorney General Sessions investigate the hate crimes perpetrated against the civil rights protestors today. The country needs moral leadership exhibited by action, not empty rhetoric, which is only a tacit endorsement of racism and hate” In Our Own Voice: National Black Women’s Reproductive Justice Agenda is a national reproductive justice organization focused on lifting up the voices of Black women at the national and regional levels in our ongoing policy fight to secure reproductive justice for all women and girls. Our eight strategic partners include Black Women for Wellness, Black Women’s Health Imperative, New Voices for Reproductive Justice, SisterLove, Inc. and Women With A Vision.

Vancouver NAACP.

On Monday the Vancouver NAACP released the following statement on this weekend’s events in Charlottesville, Va.: The Vancouver NAACP is saddened by the action of the terrorist groups in Charlottesville. We should all be concerned that these groups have decided to unite and terrorize citizens of the United States.

A terrorist is a person who uses unlawful violence and intimidation, especially against civilians, in the pursuit of political aims. Derrick Johnson, interim president and CEO of the NAACP stated “The blatant racism on display in Charlottesville is absolutely disgusting. It’s hard to believe that in 2017 we are still plagued by so much race-based hatred. The NAACP will always stand against hate and any persons who threaten the moral right of our community.”

Many of the faces seen on television were young. Racism is a disease and many of our youth are being infected. These groups, like most terrorist groups, recruit the young according to Dr. John Horgan, a forensic psychologist and expert in analyzing terrorist behavior at Georgia State University in Atlanta “[It’s] that feeling we all had as teenagers: ‘I don’t fit.

I don’t belong here. I want something bigger. I want to do something better with my life,’” explained Horgan. “Those are the types of things recruiters latch onto and exploit, and they’re very good at it. They are able to exploit teenage angst and the fact that adolescents are still finding their place in the world.”

As Mr. Johnson stated “NAACP, as an organization, stands strong with our brothers and sisters in Charlottesville who are gathering, marching and singing for peace. We are and will continue to be steadfast and immovable in the fight against discrimination, prejudice and hatred – and we are not afraid.”

The Vancouver Chapter encourages our state and local citizens and communities to continue moving forward in a positive direction to stand and live stronger together.

Vancouver NAACP members attend a vigil held Sunday evening in Vancouver in support and sympathy for victims and family killed in Charlottesville Aug. 13.

12

THE INNER-CITY NEWS August 16, 2017 - August 22, 2017

13

THE INNER-CITY NEWS August 16, 2017 - August 22, 2017

White Supremacist Murder Suspect Jailed after Charlottesville Attack

By Freddie Allen, Managing Editor, NNPA Newswire James Alex Fields Jr., a 20 year-old from Ohio, who drove his dark gray Dodge Challenger into a crowd of people protesting a White nationalist march in Charlottesville, Va., on Saturday, August 12 showed a deep interest in Nazism and Adolph Hitler in high school. Fields is being held on suspicion of second-degree murder, malicious wounding and failure to stop in an accident that resulted in death, according to CNN. ABC News reported that Derek Weimer, Fields’ former world history teacher at Randall K. Cooper High School in Union, Kentucky, said that Fields was “fairly quiet,” “smart,” and also an open admirer of Adolf Hitler and the Nazis.

Weimer also told ABC News that Fields thought the Nazis “were pretty cool guys.”

According to ABC News, “Some of Fields’ classmates at the school recalled a trip to Europe a group of students took after graduation in 2015, when they visited the Dachau concentration camp. Two of the students on the trip said when they arrived at the concentration camp, Fields said, ‘This is where the magic happened.’”

The ABC News report continued: “Weimer noted that Randall K. Cooper High School is not particularly

diverse, and said that as a result, he didn’t have many opportunities to see Fields interact with many non-whites or Jewish people.”

Weimer told ABC News that the student body at Randall K. Cooper High School was about four percent Black.

Last weekend, White nationalists descended on the college town to protest the removal of a statute of Robert E. Lee, the infamous general of the Confederacy.

“A career army officer, Lee didn’t have much wealth, but he inherited

a few slaves from his mother. Still, Lee married into one of the wealthiest slave-holding families in Virginia— the Custis family of Arlington and descendants of Martha Washington,” the Chicago Tribune reported. “When Lee’s father-in-law died, he took leave from the U.S. Army to run the struggling estate and met resistance from slaves expecting to be freed.”

According to the Tribune, “Documents show Lee was a cruel figure with his slaves and encouraged his overseers to severely beat slaves cap-

tured after trying to escape. One slave said Lee was one of the meanest men she had ever met.”

Fields’ mother, Samantha Bloom, told the Associated Press, that she thought her son was attending a political rally, “that had something to do with Trump” and that she tried to stay out of her son’s political views.

Media reports have described Heather Heyer, the lone fatality in Saturday’s tragedy, as a 32 year-old paralegal from Greene County, Va., and a supporter of Senator Bernie Sanders

(D-Vt.). Heyer was in Charlottesville to protest against the White nationalist rally in Charlottesville.

Charlottesville Mayor Mike Signer called Heyer’s killing and the injury of others by a vehicle at a rally in the city a “terrorist attack with a car used as a weapon,” according to ABC News.

In a statement about the violence and the White nationalist march in Charlottesville, Neera Tanden, the president and CEO of the Center for American Progress, said that events over the weekend are another stark and disturbing reminder that violent extremism continues to exist in our neighborhoods and communities.

“All of us at the Center for American Progress condemn in the strongest possible terms the racist and derogatory rhetoric and behavior on display,” said Tanden.

In a statement from his New Jersey golf club, President Donald Trump said that he condemned the “egregious display of hatred, bigotry and violence on many sides, on many sides.”

Former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke said that the White nationalists’ protest represented a turning point for this country.

We are determined to take this country back. We’re gonna fulfill the promises of Donald Trump. That’s what we believed in,” Duke said in a video Con’t on page 18

Under Trump, Justice Department Resumes Fight for White Privilege

By Charlene Crowell, NNPA Newswire Columnist As millions of students return to school, the nation’s Justice Department (DOJ) is beginning an investigation that could potentially sue universities over affirmative action admissions policies. As first reported by “The New York Times,” the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division will carry out this effort to determine whether White applicants were discriminated against.

For Black people and other ethnic and racial minorities, this investigation seems like window-dressing to deny millions of students a qual-

ity education in the name of injustice.

Such actions also signal a more subtle message is to roll back to the progress achieved in broadly affording students of all races and ethnicities the benefits that higher education derives. Among education and civil rights advocates a strong belief holds that everyone benefits when obstacles to educational opportunity are overcome.

“The American Dream offers each new generation the opportunity to build on the successes of previous ones,” wrote Nikitra Bailey, an executive vice president with the Center for Responsible Lending, in a related op-ed. “However, if you are African-American, the nation’s history of enslavement and legal bigotry consistently requires each generation to start anew.”

Bailey is correct.

Despite the vigilance of civil rights heroes over multiple generations, the heralded 1954 Supreme Court ruling in “Brown v. Board of Education,” or a series of 1960s laws that were enacted

to guarantee full and first-class citizenship to every Black American, even more work remains to be done before everyone is afforded the promises of America.

It’s been several years since the antiaffirmation action crusade took its venomous campaign to states across the country. Beginning in California in 1996 and continuing through 2010, Ward Connerly, a former University of California Regent, led a series of statewide campaigns to constitutionally ban affirmative action in Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Washington State. Regardless of the state, the goal was always the same: make it illegal for public colleges and universities to include consideration of race or ethnicity in college admissions.

Only in Colorado was the effort turned back by voters. In all of the other locales, the measure passed with broad support, often despite many business and corporate leaders joining

14

with civil rights advocates in opposition.

For example, prior to the November 2006 “Proposal 2” ballot vote in Michigan, Paul Hillegonds, a White Republican and former Speaker of the State House, helped to lead a statewide coalition of more than 200 organizations pledged to defeat the measure.

“If it passes, we are announcing to the world that women and minorities will not be given an equal opportunity to succeed in business in our state,” said Hillegonds. “This is the wrong message to send at a time when we are trying to attract new businesses and develop a talented, multicultural workforce ready to meet the demands of the 21st century economy.”

State-approved bans on affirmative action in higher education also led to fewer Black students in the University of California system as well as at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor.

Today the real difference between then and now is that the U.S. Justice

Department is resuming a fight for the preservation of White privilege that is armed with resources and personnel that taxpayers of all colors provide.

“President Trump’s Justice Department has hardly been worthy of its name,” said Sherrilynn A. Ifill, president and director-counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund. “It has retreated from meaningful police reform, argued on behalf of state laws that suppress minority voting rights, directed prosecutors to seek harsh sentences for nonviolent drug offenses, and extended the federal government’s power to seize the property of innocent Americans.”

Ifill continued: “Each of these steps disproportionately and systematically burdens people of color, denying them their constitutional rights and widening the racial divides that this country has struggled for so long to close.”

The United States Supreme Court

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THE INNER-CITY NEWS August 16, 2017 - August 22, 2017

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THE INNER-CITY NEWS August 16, 2017 - August 22, 2017

Sen. Elizabeth Warren Prepares for GOP Challenge in 2018

By STEVE LeBLANC,

BOSTON (AP) — U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren won’t face voters for more than a year, but the broad outlines of the effort to unseat the Massachusetts Democrat, and her re-election pitch to voters, are taking shape.

Two Republicans have announced their candidacies, two others are said to be weighing runs, and conservative political groups are chipping away at the candidate.

Still, Warren enjoys enormous advantages, including a national base of support, a fat campaign account and solid poll numbers.

Hanging over everything is the question of whether Warren will run for the White House in 2020.

After she was first elected in 2012, Warren generally shied away from town hall events and the press. With a looming campaign, that’s all changed.

On Friday, the 68-year-old held her 10th public town hall this year in Revere, just north of Boston.

“I love the town meetings. It’s a chance to hear from people all across Massachusetts,” Warren told The Associated Press. “They stand up. They ask questions in the town meeting and I stay afterward for everybody who wants to take a picture, shake hands, tell me something personally that they want me to hear.”

She said the top concern is the same: “Health care, health care, health care.”

“Right now we have huge fights in front of us and we’ve got to say focused on those fights,” she said.

Warren is also busy honing her campaign pitch.

She points to legislation she championed aimed at reducing the cost of hearing aids by letting them be sold over the counter. President Donald Trump was expected to sign the measure.

Warren ran through other wins, from debt relief for Massachusetts students cheated by for-profit colleges to helping secure federal dollars to dredge Boston Harbor, rebuild sea walls, extend the Green Line subway route and pay for firefighting equipment.

She also cited her stiff opposition to the GOP effort to repeal former President Barack Obama’s health care law — an effort that might not be over.

“Health care could come back at any moment. It’s been the zombie bill that after it’s killed it comes back from the dead,” she said.

Two Republican candidates have officially entered the race, neither of whom are household names in Massachusetts.

State Rep. Geoff Diehl announced his candidacy Tuesday in his hometown of Whitman.

Diehl, who served as co-chair of Trump’s campaign in Massachusetts, criticized Warren for failing to deliver for Massachusetts while pursuing her own agenda in Washington.

“Where are her tangible results?”

Diehl said. “She had a record that shows no ability to work with Republicans.”

Shiva Ayyadurai, a Cambridge technology entrepreneur, is also seeking the GOP nomination.

Other possible Republican candidates include former Mitt Romney aide Beth Lindstrom and businessman John

Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., center, smiles during a small business roundtable discussion in Lawrence, Mass., March 3, 2017. At left is Rep. Niki Tsongas, D-Mass., and at right is Lawrence Mayor Daniel Rivera. The Senator won't face re-election until November2018, but two Republicans have announced their candidacies, two others are said to be weighing runs and conservative political groups are chipping away at the candidate. Still, Warren enjoys enormous advantages, including a national base of support, a fat campaign account and solid poll numbers. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola, File)

Kingston.

As of the end of June, Warren reported having a hefty $11 million in cash in her campaign account.

Nearly 67 percent of the money she raised during the first half of 2017 came in smaller donations under $200, according to a review of Federal Election Commission records. Since the maximum donation per election is $2,700, Warren can reach out that base of smaller donors for additional contributions.

Donors who gave more than $200, and whose home states are included in the FEC reports, hailed from virtually every state.

By contrast, Diehl had just $260,000 in cash and Ayyadurai just $28,000.

Warren has also been adept at capitalizing on unintended fundraising opportunities.

When Republican Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell silenced her in February for reading from a letter

by Coretta Scott King during a debate on the nomination of Jeff Sessions for attorney general, Warren fired off a fundraising appeal, raking in hundreds of thousands in donations.

Warren insists the only campaign she’s focused on is next year’s.

“No. I am not running for president,” she told the AP. “I have a race in 2018 and I take nothing for granted.”

Die-hard supporters and opponents both of whom view Warren as a fiery liberal alternative to middle-of-the-

road Democrats may not be listening.

Both see the 2018 campaign as a prelude for a possible 2020 presidential bid.

The conservative political action committee America Rising has been dogging Warren, most recently charging her with waffling about whether she supports a single payer health plan.

Even Trump, who’s taunted Warren for claiming she’s part Native American, has suggested she may challenge him in 2020 if he seeks a second term.

“I have a feeling that in the next election, you’re going to be swamped with candidates,” Trump said in April. “It may be Pocahontas, remember that.”

Barack Obama just got his very own holiday in the state of Illinois

Breanna Edwards,

The state of Illinois has decided to recognize the G.O.A.T., former President Barack Obama, with his own state holiday.

Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner signed “Barack Obama Day” into law on Friday. The newest state holiday will be cebrated across Illinois on Aug. 4 (Obama’s birthday) every year, starting in 2018, NBC Chicago reports.

The holiday be “observed throughout the State as a day set apart to honor the 44th President of the United States of America who began his career serving the People of Illinois in both the Illinois State Senate and the United

States Senate, and dedicated his life to protecting the rights of Americans and building bridges across communities,” the bill notes.

And as the news station notes, although several lawmakers abstained from voting on the measure, it passed both houses without a single vote against it.

The bill was originally stalled after some lawmakers had concerns about celebrating Obama’s birthday being celebrated as a legal state holiday - during which schools and state offices would close while banks and other businesses could close, but did not have to - while other Illinois presidents, like Ronald Reagan did not have to. (That sounds like a personal

16

problem to me, but this is why we can’t have nice things.)

And of course Republicans, Rauner included, pointed at the economic cost of closing state buildings on the holiday and the impact of having the day off.

“It’s incredibly proud for Illinois that the president came from Illinois.

I think it’s awesome, and I think we should celebrate it,” Rauner said back in February. “I don’t think it should be a formal holiday with paid, forced time off, but I think it should be a day of acknowledgment and celebration.”

So now Barack Obama Day will join the other commemorative days, including Ronald Reagan Day, for which workplaces do not close.

THE INNER-CITY NEWS August 16, 2017 - August 22, 2017

It’s not too late to Fall in love with your future!

Super Saturday, One-Stop Registration August 19 from 9am to 2pm CLASSES BEGIN AUG. 29

Come early to avoid the rush w meet faculty w academic advising w on-site placement testing w financial aid assistance w campus tours Parking available in the GCC Garage and we validate for the Temple Street Garage

17

THE INNER-CITY NEWS August 16, 2017 - August 22, 2017

“Spiral Freedom: A Solution to High Tech and Low Touch” Celebrating the 23rd Annual International Locks Conference: Natural Hair, Wholistic Health, and Beauty Expo

Nationwide — Much is said about the convenience of the digital age which is full of advanced, ever evolving technology, yet with all the computers, digital gadgets, and electronic means of communication, the quality and quantity of human interaction is suffering. With all the turmoil in the world, it sometimes gets difficult to see good things, to know what is real and what is propaganda, to remain strong in the face of nonsensical debates and confusion. To help reduce the tendency to heavily rely on high tech resulting in low touch, the Kuumba Family Institute (formerly the Kuumba Family Organizing Committee) suggests taking a moment to break away from the digital, high tech habit and focus on healthier more positive vibrations. Each of us needs a moment to recharge, to reevaluate our relationships, and to safely release stress and feelings of isolation and loneliness.

Even the fiercest advocate of social change needs a momentary break from the front lines.

As a way of providing that momentary break from madness while celebrating and preparing for the 23rd Annual International Locks Conference (AILC) Natural Hair, Wholistic Health, and Beauty Expo, the Kuumba Family Institute chose “Spiral Freedom” as its theme this year. One might ask how does spiral freedom solve the dilemma of high tech resulting in low touch? How is spiral freedom connected to natural hair, wellness, or beauty?

If one takes a moment, he or she would notice the spiral design in flowers, trees, plants, leaves, sea shells,

waves, lightening, peacock feathers, waterfalls, even in the pattern of aboriginal indigenous hair, in DNA, and often reproduced in architectural structures. Simply put, one can find the free-flowing spiral design in nature, and much like cries for freedom globally or even the need to promote harmony, the uniqueness of the spiral is often overlooked or ignored. The spiral freedom is symbolic of the continuous moving away and then toward a center point/a higher level.

Awareness of the need for centering/ balance and to connect or reconnect to positive human interaction and life affirming energy has for decades been a motivating factor in the Kuumba Family Institute planning and presenting the original Annual International Locks Conference: Natural Hair, Wholistic Health, and Beauty Expo.

In addition to informative and provocative panel discussions, workshops, a marketplace for fantastic shopping, alluring fashion, natural hair and skin

care products and notable stylists, and a host of authors, guest presenters from around the country, this year the focus will be also be on independent education and healthy relationships.

Talking face-to face, experiencing warm greetings and receiving sage advice all in a safe, comfortable and welcoming atmosphere will go a long way toward solving the dilemma of high tech and low touch.

The AILC, affectionately called the Philly Locks Conference, is more than a fall event; it is an exhilarating experience one that helps to create fond and healing memories, promote cultural and spiritual renewal, and productive business and networking opportunities. It will be held Saturday and Sunday, October 7 & 8, 2017, at the Universal Audenried Charter High School.

For more information and/or tickets, visit Eventbrite and/or www.LocksConference.com or call 800-890-5159 /215-438-8189.

The Tradition Continues!

Con’t from page 14

White Supremacist Murder Suspect Jailed after Charlottesville Attack posted to Twitter. “That’s why we voted for Donald Trump because he said he’s going to take our country back.”

Facing sharp criticism for the president’s initial response to the tragedy, the White House issued a follow-up statement that included a stronger rebuke of “White supremacists, the Ku Klux Klan, Neo-Nazis and all extremist groups.”

Tanden said that throughout the campaign and in his brief presidency, Trump has had many opportunities to not just fully distance his administration from those allied with Nazi sympathizers and the KKK but also to denounce them.

“To be clear, there is only one side that wishes to provoke hate and violence, and there is only one side that committed an apparent act of terrorism [in Charlottesville,” said Tanden. “Nazis and White nationalists showed up to cause harm and unrest in Charlottesville. Their racism, hatred, and bigotry have no place in our society.”

Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr., the president and CEO of the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) tweeted that the Black Press condemned the racial hatred and violence in Charlottesville.

“Love presupposes justice, equality, freedom, and empowerment. Hate renders only more hatred,” Chavis tweeted.

Echoing Tanden’s concerns about the president’s dithering remarks about the White nationalist movement, Congressman Cedric Richmond, (D-La.)

said that since the campaign, President Trump has encouraged and emboldened the type of racism and violence that occurred in Charlottesville.

“This is a president after all who has two White supremacists working for him in the White House—Steve Bannon and Stephen Miller,” said Richmond. “For these reasons, we weren’t surprised President Trump couldn’t bring himself to say the words ‘White supremacy,’ ‘White supremacists,’ and ‘domestic terrorism’ when he addressed the nation’ on Saturday. He instead chose to use racially coded dog whistles like ‘law and order’ and false equivalencies like ‘many sides.’

Richmond continued: “Where is Attorney General Sessions? Instead of suppressing votes and dismantling affirmative action, he should be working with the Department of Homeland Security to investigate today’s crimes.

Where is the chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security?”

Richmond noted that the CBC urged Congressman Michael McCaul (RTexas), the chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security to investigate this sort of domestic terrorism, months ago.

“As 49 members who represent and are part of a community who has for centuries been victimized by White supremacists, we strongly condemn what happened in Charlottesville,” said Richmond in the statement. “We also condemn the Administration’s poor response to it.”

Saint Aedan School

School Readiness/Pre-Kindergarten Program 351 McKinley Ave., New Haven, CT 06515

Now accepting applications for both 3 and 4 year old programs starting in September Accepting New Haven and Out Of District Students The Saint Aedan Readiness Program, based on Creative Curriculum allows children to learn based on the uniqueness of each child. Building self esteem, friendships and a sense of community, Saint Aedan School is committed to providing a safe and nurturing environment.

Full Year/Full day (7:30-5:30) Parent Fees-sliding scale Care4kids Available

NAEYC Accredited

For enrollment information, contact Dr. James Acabbo, Director drashsp@yahoo.com Mr. Michael Votto, Principal mvotto@staedan-brendanschool.org Call the school at 203-387-5693 or visit us at: www.staedan-brendanschool.org

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THE INNER-CITY NEWS August 16, 2017 - August 22, 2017

TV Producer/ Screenwriter Shonda Rhimes Signs Major Deal With Netflix 47-year old Shonda Rhimes has just signed a multi-year production deal with Netflix, making her production company, ShondaLand, one of the most powerful woman-owned companies in the television industry!

An impressive career Born and raised in Chicago, Shonda began her career at ABC about 15 years ago. She began by writing “The Princess Diaries” sequel for the company’s movie studio, then produced other winners like the medical dramas “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Private Practice.”

She is also the creator, head writer, and executive producer of the political thriller series “Scandal” and has served as the executive producer of the ABC television series “Off the Map,” “How to Get Away with Murder,” and “The Catch.”

She has been named one of TIME magazine’s 100 People Who Help Shape the World, and has won numerous prestige awards for her productions including a Golden Globe award, and awards from the Writer’s Guild of America, Producer’s Guild of Ameri-

ca, and Director’s Guild of America.

She has also been nominated for three Emmy Awards!

The Netflix deal The terms of the deal with Netflix have not been disclosed, but it was reportedly worth more than $10 million dollars and all of her future productions will be Netflix Original series.

Shonda will also reportedly continue to oversee the ABC hits, including development of a spinoff for “Grey’s Anatomy.”

Ted Sarandos, Chief Content Officer

of Netflix, is glad to have her on board, calling her “one of the greatest storytellers in the history of television.”

How does Shonda feel about her new deal with Netflix? “The future of Shondaland at Netflix has limitless possibilities,” she exclaims.

For more details about Shonda Rhimes and her current/ upcoming TV projects, follow her on Facebook at www. facebook.com/ShondaRhimes/ or Twitter at www.twitter.com/shondarhimes

No good guys here

Admit it: We all love Cersei Lannister. The arrogance, the ruthlessness, the way she sipped wine from her goblet as her enemies burned. We want her on the Iron Throne, in the same way we wanted Walter White to escape the DEA and we admired Gordon Gekko’s command of that Wall Street room while proclaiming that greed is good.

That’s because rooting for the bad guys is fun when the villainy is makebelieve and the stakes aren’t real. But when we root for guys who are actually bad, our choices get complicated.

I’m not watching Conor McGregor fight Floyd Mayweather because there is no satisfying outcome for me. After all, the guilty pleasure of rooting for the “bad guy” implies there’s a “good guy” in the picture. Whom do I want to see win: the convicted domestic abuser with a thing for homophobic slurs or the Irish guy who uses racist barbs to antagonize his black and Latino opponents? I understand the appeal of seeing two of the greatest athletes in their respective sports go mano a mano. What I can’t accept is their choice to use bigotry and intolerance to help sell this spectacle.

Some fans contend that McGregor’s use of “dancing monkeys” and May-

N O T WO C AREER P ATHS A RE T HE S AME

weather’s retort of “faggot” shouldn’t be taken seriously. They say it’s all a show and the two men are simply hyping up their impending battle.

McGregor’s and Mayweather’s words could very well be designed to promote the fight. That doesn’t mean they are removed from the sort of despicable thinking we claim is in our rearview. When people use one truth to negate the existence of another,

it’s often done to justify their beliefs.

Take the name of Washington’s NFL team. Some say it is tradition—which is true. Others point out that it is a racial slur—which is also true. Those who deny the legitimacy of the latter viewpoint do so because they don’t want to feel bad about their tradition.

Likewise, those who defend Mayweather’s and McGregor’s antics are

19

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Visit www.workforcealliance.biz/services/wheredoistart Be Part of the South Central CT Economy

*There is never a fee for the jobseeker or the employer. Services are funded through state and federal grants.

THE INNER-CITY NEWS August 16, 2017 - August 22, 2017

Con’t from page 14 Con’t from page 19 In Just 12 Years, This Black-Owned Company Has Produced No good guys here Justice Department 300 Films and TV Specials -- and Made $750 Million in Revenue! making excuses for themselves, sooth-

Film companies targeting AfricanAmerican audiences are making a big name for themselves, and at the top of the list is CodeBlack Entertainment. It is the first independent, vertically integrated film studio owned by an African American entrepreneur, producing $750 million in home entertainment revenue.

Founded in 2005 by Jeff Clanagan, CodeBlack Entertainment produced straight-to-DVD films for years before they finally signed a major distribution deal with Lionsgate, for which they now produce feature theatrical films and television series.

More than 300 titles To date, Jeff and his company have produced and distributed over 300 movies and television specials.

Some of their home entertainment (DVD and streaming) releases have included Mr. Church starring Eddie Murphy; Kevin Hart: Let Me Explain,

starring the comedian himself; The Inevitable Defeat of Mister & Pete starring Jennifer Hudson; Fire & Ice starring Kadeem Harrison and Lark Voorhies, and many other.

Their theatrical releases have included Frankie & Alice, a drama starring Halle Berry; Woman Art Thou Loosed starring Blair Underwood; Hair Show starring Mo’Nique; Repentence starring Forest Whitaker; Don’t Trip...

He Ain’t Done With Me Yet starring Steve Harvey; and most recently, All Eyez on Me, a biopic about rapper Tupac Shakur.

Many of their films are initially released at the annual Sundance Film Festival and the American Black Film Festival.

How he got started Jeff began his career in entertainment as a successful concert promoter in the music business. Back in the

1980’s, he promoted sold-out national concert tours featuring high-profile rappers such as LL Cool J, Run DMC, NWA, the Fatboys, MC Hammer, and even Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince.

He later promoted R&B acts like New Edition, The Isley Brothers, and Luther Vandross. Later, he shifted to promoting hit stage plays and comedy tours.

Then, he finally entered the film industry after being appointed as President of No Limit Films, rapper Master P’s groundbreaking film company. His expertise helped that company to become a $40 million dollar multimedia enterprise, giving Jeff the confidence to one day form his own company.

And that’s exactly what he did in 2005, and until today, his company continues to thrive!

For more details about CodeBlack, visit www.codeblackfilms.com

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ing their consciences about embracing the spectacle in all its ugliness.

Sure, sometimes you just want to get drunk and see a good fight. And there are certainly areas in my life where I overlook the bad to enjoy the good. I still watch Woody Allen movies despite the sexual abuse allegations, but I haven’t played one Chris Brown song since Rihanna. I attribute my inconsistency to an inability to escape what I’ve seen or heard directly. Woody Allen was accused of doing something terrible. I saw Rihanna’s face after the attack. Like it or not, the adage of “seeing is believing” still carries great weight. The NFL took serious action on Ray Rice’s domestic violence case only after the public saw the video of him hitting his then- fiancée in an elevator—seven months after the news first broke. Similarly, the conversation surrounding police brutality changed drastically when the world heard Eric Garner say “I can’t breathe.”

I saw what McGregor and Mayweather did. So did everyone. But if fans acknowledge that ugliness, it’s no longer OK to pretend that McGregor’s chances against Mayweather are the only thing that matters. It’s much easier to counter with “stick to sports” than it is to engage in how the fight is being sold.

The heart of this conversation is not about the athletes. It’s about us. What does it say about our society when racist and homophobic rhetoric is considered entertainment? McGregor and Mayweather are toying with centuries of prejudice that have led to immeasurable hardships and countless deaths. All to make a profit.

What exactly am I supposed to be rooting for?

Under Trump

recently affirmed the use of affirmative action in admissions decisions in the “Fisher v. University of Texas” case. In that ruling, the importance of diversity as a compelling state interest was affirmed as settled law. The decision was also a victory for equal opportunity and recognized again that it is critical for schools to create diverse and inclusive student bodies.

As the cost of higher education tends to increase every year, students of color are the ones most likely to go into debt in search of a degree that will deliver a middle class standard of living. Even four years after graduation, Black college graduates earning a bachelor’s degree owe almost double the debt of their White classmates, according to CRL research.

“The U.S. Justice Department must enforce inclusive educational policies as they open the doors of opportunity for all,” said Bailey.

Charlene Crowell is the communications deputy director for the Center for Responsible Lending. She can be reached at charlene.crowell@responsiblelending.org.

Con’t from page 10

Killing Protester, Denied Bond

dispel his White supremacist views.

But Fields was ultimately turned down, which was a big blow, Weimer said. Weimer said he lost contact with Fields after he graduated and was surprised to hear reports that Fields had enlisted in the army.

“The Army can confirm that James Alex Fields reported for basic military training in August of 2015, said Army spokeswoman Lt. Col. Jennifer Johnson. “He was, however, released from active duty due to a failure to meet training standards in December of 2015,” she said.

Fields’ mother, Samantha Bloom, told the AP late Saturday that she knew her son was going to Virginia for a political rally, but she had no idea it involved White supremacists.

“I just told him to be careful,” she said, adding she warned him that if there were protests “to make sure he’s doing it peacefully.” ___ This story has been edited to clarify who participated in the white nationalist rally and who posted the message promising future events.

THE INNER-CITY NEWS August 16, 2017 - August 22, 2017

Housing Authority of the City of New Haven Invitation for Bids Plumbing Services- West Side Properties

The Housing Authority of the City of New Haven d/b/a Elm City Communities is currently seeking Bids for Plumbing 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, July 26, 2017 at 9:00 AM

Diesel Mechanic 3-5 years min. exp. 40-Hr. Hazwoper Repair/maintain triaxles, roll offs, heavy equipment.

Kenworth, Mack, John Deere, Cat. FAX resumes: 860.218.2433; or Email: Info@redtechllc.com.

RED Technologies, LLC is An EOE.

Housing Authority of the City of New Haven Invitation for Bids Plumbing Services- Scattered Sites

The Housing Authority of the City of New Haven d/b/a Elm City Communities is currently seeking Bids for Plumbing 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, July 26, 2017 at 3:00 PM

The Town of East Haven is currently accepting applications for the following positions: Firefighter D/Paramedic-Lateral Transfer: Salary- $48,972/year Firefighter/Paramedic-New Recruit: $48,972/year Requirements for both positions and the application is available online at www.FirefighterApp.com/EastHavenFD. East Haven is committed to building a workforce of diverse individuals. Minorities, Females, Handicapped and Veterans are encouraged to apply.

The Town of East Haven is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Town of Bloomfield Entry Level Police Officer $70,202.00 For more information visit www.policeapp.com/bloomfield Deadline to apply 8/22/17

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

Mechanical Insulator position.

Insulation company offering good pay and benefits.

Please mail resume to above address.. MAIL ONLY This company is an Affirmative Action/ Equal Opportunity Employer.

POLICE OFFICER

Competitive examinations will be held for the position of Police Officer in the Orange, Torrington and West Haven Police Departments.

Candidates may register for the testing process at www.policeapp.com/southcentral.

Application deadline is Thursday, August 17, 2017.

The physical performance, written, and oral board exams will be administered by the South Central Criminal Justice Administrations.

THE DEPARTMENTS PARTICIPATING IN

THIS RECRUITMENT DRIVE ARE EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYERS.

Listing: Receptionist/Office Assistant Petroleum Company has an immediate full time opening. Previous experience in a very busy office handling multiple telephone lines and dealing with customers required. Excellent customer service skills a must. Previous petroleum experience a plus. Applicant to also perform administrative/clerical tasks as assigned. Please send resume to: H.R. Manager, Confidential, P O Box 388, Guilford CT 06437. ********An Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer**********

Construction Truck and Equipment Head Mechanic Large CT based Fence and Guard Rail contractor looking for experienced, self-motivated, responsible Head Mechanic. Responsibilities will include maintaining and repairing all company equipment and vehicles, updating asset lists and assuring all rolling stock is in compliance with state and federal regulations. Must have extensive diesel engine, electrical wiring and hydraulic systems experience.

Top wages paid, company truck and benefits.

AA/EOE

Please send resume to Mpicard@atlasoutdoor.com

21

Town of Bloomfield

Deputy Town Engineer Salary $72,606 - $112,067 For Details go to www.bloomfieldct.org Deadline to apply 9/05/17

Electric

GENERAL MANAGER

-The Town of Wallingford is seeking a highly experienced leader to manage the Town’s, Electric Utility. This is very responsible public utility executive work involving directing the daily, short term, and long term operations and activities of the Wallingford Electric Division. Work involves responsibility for planning, directing, coordinating all of the activities needed for the effective and efficient operation of the Wallingford Electric Division (WED). The General Manager should possess A bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering or related field such as mechanical, civil, or environmental engineering or business or public administration from a recognized college or university, plus twelve (12) years of progressively responsible experience in the electric utility field including at least five (5) years in a management position, or an equivalent combination of education and qualifying experience substituting on a year-for-year basis. The Town offers a competitive salary range of $122,942 - $157,308 per year plus an excellent fringe benefit package. Applications or resumes will be accepted until August 28, 2017 at the following address: Personnel Department, Town of Wallingford, 45 South Main St., Wallingford, CT 06492, (203) 294-2080. Fax: (203) 294-2084. EOE.

Diesel Mechanic 3-5 years min.

exp. 40-Hr. Hazwoper Repair/maintain triaxles, roll offs, heavy equipment.

Kenworth, Mack, John Deere, Cat. FAX resumes: 860.218.2433; or Email: Info@redtechllc.com.

RED Technologies, LLC is An EOE.

THE INNER-CITY NEWS August 16, 2017 - August 22, 2017

Help Wanted:

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

Please call PJF Construction Corp. @ 860-888-9998. We are an equal opportunity employer M/F.

ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT - Portland Administrative Assistant for reception, phones, filing, and corporate staff support. Working knowledge of Haz. Waste Regs., Manifests, AP & billing. OSHA certification a +. Forward resumes to RED Technologies, LLC Fax 860-218-2433; or Email to HR@redtechllc. com RED Technologies, LLC is an EOE. VNA Community Healthcare is searching for Certified Home Health Aides (HHA). Must have 6 months – one year of experience as a HHA. Several opportunities for full and parttime flexible schedules. Submit resume and cover letter to jobs@vna-commh.org. Visit our website www.connecticuthomecare.org for other opportunities. EOE/M/F

TRANSFER STATION LABORER

Off load trailers, reload for trans/disp. Lift 50 lbs., operate industrial powered trucks and forklift. Asbestos Worker Handler Training a +. Resumes to RED Technologies, LLC, 173 Pickering St., Portland, CT 06480; Fax 860-342-1022; or Email to lkelly@redtransfer.comRED Technologies, LLC is an EOE.

Listing: Senior Accountant 2+ years public accounting or 4 + years corporate accounting experience. CPA preferred.

Monthly tax prep, assist w/monthly closing, account analysis/reconciliation, maintain subledgers, assist managing network and system projects. Must be able to work independently with little/no supervision. Report to Dir. of Acctg. w/heavy exposure to CFO. Strong Excel and analytical skills a must. Great growth potential! Benefit package. Petroleum industry experience a plus. Send resume to: Human Resource Dept. P O Box 388, Guilford CT 06437. **An Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer**

NOTICE OF INVITATION FOR BID HOUSING AUTHORITY OF THE CITY OF DANBURY BOILER PREVENTATIVE MAINTENANCE AND REPAIR SERVICES IFB NO. B17003

CONTACT PERSON

Ms. Devin Marra, Director of Procurement Telephone: 203-744-2500 x141 E-Mail: dmarra@hacdct.org

HOW TO OBTAIN THE IFB DOCUMENTS:

Contact Ms. Devin Marra, via phone or email.

BID SUBMITTAL RETURN

Housing Authority of the City of Danbury 2 Mill Ridge Rd, Danbury, CT 06811 Envelope Must be Marked: IFB No. B17003 Boiler Services

BID SUBMITTAL DEADLINE/BID OPENING

August 31, 2017 at 10:00am (EST)

[Minority- and/or women-owned businesses are encouraged to respond]

Field Engineer

BA/BS in Civil Engineering or Construction Management.

2-5 yrs. experience. OSHA Certified.

Proficient in reading contract plans and specifications.

Resumes to RED Technologies, LLC, 10 Northwood Dr., Bloomfield, CT 06002; Fax 860.218.2433; Email resumes to info@redtechllc.com. RED Technologies, LLC is an EOE.

Project Manager Environmental Remediation Division 3-5 years exp. and Bachelor’s Degree, 40-Hr. Hazwoper Training Req. Forward resumes to RED Technologies, LLC, 10 Northwood Dr., Bloomfield, CT 06002;

Fax 860.218.2433; or Email to HR@redtechllc.com

RED Technologies, LLC is an EOE.

Class A CDL Driver

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

Common Ground High School

has a part time opening (29 hours per week) for a Math Teaching Assistant (TA). The Math TA is responsible for supporting Math teachers in the classroom during the school day, providing targeted supports in academic labs both during and after school, and assisting with a four week summer school in 2018. For a complete job description, please visit http://commongroundct.org/2017/07/ common-ground-seeks-part-time-math-teaching-assistant/ for a complete job description. Common Ground is particularly eager for candidates who help us fulfill our commitment to building a racially and culturally diverse faculty and staff.

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

Mechanical Insulator position.

Insulation company offering good pay and benefits.

Please mail resume to above address.. MAIL ONLY This company is an Affirmative Action/ Equal Opportunity Employer.

Account Associate – Town of Manchester

37.50 hrs. - $41,651.58 CLOSING DATE: August 25, 2017 Call HR Recruitment Line at (860) 647-3170 for info or visit: www.townofmanchester.org.

Town of Bloomfield

Tax Clerk II Salary $27.76 For Details go to www.bloomfieldct.org Deadline to apply 8/29/17

The Housing Authority of the City of Norwalk, CT

is requesting qualifications from experienced firms for Internet, Internet Voice Bundle and Hosted Voice service. RFQ documents can be viewed and printed at www.norwalkha.org under the business tab, RFPs/RFQs. Norwalk Housing Authority is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Curtis O. Law, Executive Director

Truck Mechanic

Immediate opening for a truck mechanic. Maintenance “hands on” to be done on petroleum trucks and trailers. Must have commercial truck repair experience. Send resume to: Attn: HR Dept, P O Box 388, Guilford, CT 06437. **An Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer**

TRANSFER STATION LABORER Off load trailers, reload for trans/disp. Lift 50 lbs., operate industrial powered trucks and forklift. Asbestos Worker Handler Training a +. Resumes to RED Technologies, LLC, 173 Pickering St., Portland, CT 06480; Fax 860-342-1022; or Email to lkelly@redtransfer.com

Listing: Receptionist/Office Assistant

Petroleum Company has an immediate full time opening. Previous experience in a very busy office handling multiple telephone lines and dealing with customers required. Excellent customer service skills a must. Previous petroleum experience a plus. Applicant to also perform administrative/clerical tasks as assigned. Please send resume to: H.R. Manager, Confidential, P O Box 388, Guilford CT 06437.

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

THE INNER-CITY NEWS August 16, 2017 - August 22, 2017

SERVING UP THE BEST OF SUMMER AUGUST 18–26 CT TENNIS CENTER AT YALE, NEW HAVEN TICKETS ON SALE NOW! 855-464-8366 SPECIAL EVENTS SHOPRITE KIDS DAY Sunday, August 20 AGNIESZKA RADWANSKA

2016 CONNECTICUT OPEN CHAMPION

OPENING NIGHT presented by Yale Monday, August 21 Featuring mixed doubles with Martina Navratilova and Mats Wilander

POWERSHARES MEN’S LEGENDS Thursday and Friday, August 24-25 Thursday: James Blake vs. Michael Chang Friday: John McEnroe vs. Mark Philippoussis

WTA SINGLES AND DOUBLES FINALS and UNITED TECHNOLOGIES MILITARY APPRECIATION DAY Saturday, August 26

THE INNER-CITY NEWS August 16, 2017 - August 22, 2017

Keep your kids way ahead of the curve Introducing XFINITY xFi: amazing speed, coverage and control With XFINITY xFi, get your kids up to speed to surf, stream and download super fast. Plus, with the most in-home WiFi coverage, studying happens anywhere in your house. With xFi, you can now pause WiFi to any or all devices on your home network – for bedtime, dinnertime, or anytime. This school year, xFi will change the way you WiFi.

XFINITY X1 Double Play

79

$

Includes up to 200 Mbps download speeds Free for a year

99

a month for 24 months with a 2-year agreement

Call 1-800-XFINITY, go to xfinity.com or visit your local XFINITY Store today

Offer ends 8/27/17. Restrictions apply. Not available in all areas. New residential customers only. Limited to the X1 Starter XF Double Play with Digital Starter TV and Performance Pro Internet. Early termination fee applies if all XFINITY services are cancelled during the agreement term. Equipment, installation, taxes and fees, including regulatory recovery fees, Broadcast TV Fee (up to $7.00/mo.), Regional Sports Fee (up to $5.00/mo.) and other applicable charges extra, and subject to change during and after the promo. After 12 months, regular rate applies for upgrading from Performance Pro to Blast! Internet. After applicable promo, or if any service is cancelled or downgraded, regular rates apply. Comcast’s service charge for upgrading from Performance Pro to Blast! Internet is $13.00/mo. (subject to change). Service limited to a single outlet. May not be combined with other offers.

TV: Limited Basic service required to receive other services. Internet: Most WiFi coverage based on March 2016 study by Allion Test Labs, Inc. Actual speeds vary. xFi control applies to home network. Does not apply to WiFi hotspots. © 2017 Comcast. All rights reserved.

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