INNER-CITY NEWS

INNER-CITY NEWS July 27, 2016 - August 02, 2016 THE INNER-CITY NEWS December 06, 2017 - December 12, 2017

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Volume 27 . No. 2258 Volume 21 No. 2194

Malloy Dems: Malloy To Dems: New HavenTo Boogies Ignore “Tough On Crime” Ignore “Tough On Crime” Scott Esdaile For AIDS Awareness

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THE INNER-CITY NEWS December 06, 2017 - December 12, 2017

$5M OK’d “Just In Time” For Housing

by PAUL BASS

New Haven Independent

As New Haven debates how to preserve affordable housing, the state came through with money to ensure that a new apartment complex in the Hill will include homes for people earning less than the area median income.

The money comes in the form of a $5 million grant from the Connecticut Department of Housing’s Just in Time fund, designed to enable developers to include lower-income housing in new market-rate complexes.

The state Bond Commission voted to approve the money Wednesday for the first phase of developer Randy Salvatore’s plan eventually to transform 11.4 largely vacant acres of land in the Hill into 140 apartments, 7,000 square feet of stores, 120,000 square feet of research space and 50,000 square feet of offices between Congress Avenue and Church Street South. The city has tried since the mid-1980s to get someone to rebuild that area, which was devastated by mid-20th century urban renewal.

The city had already approved the Salvatore plan. The Harp administration then went to the state seeking the $5 million to bridge a financing gap and enable Salvatore to make 30 percent of the first phase’s apartments “affordable.”

The approval of the money means that 33 of the 110 apartments that are planned for phase one will have lower rents, Salvatore said in an interview.

“I would expect we can start excavating in two weeks” and complete the first phase by “the end of 2018,” said Salvaote, who built the Novella apartments at Chapel and Howe streets.

The first phase involves building the 110 apartments atop first-floor neighborhood-oriented retail at 22 Gold St., where the Prince School Annex used to stand.

Under guidelines for the Just In Time program, the 33 subsidized units will be rented to households earning no more than 80 percent of area median income, or $70,480 out of an $88,100 benchmark for a family of four. The above chart details the full range of income limits. (Thanks to Independent readers who in comments to past articles on this project have asked for those details.)

Salvatore’s project fits into a broader Hill-to-Downtown Plan the city has drawn up for the area between the train station and Yale’s medical district. At the urging of the neighborhood, the city committed to making 30 percent of new housing complexes subsidized or otherwise lower-rent as opposed to market-

RMS COMPANIES; BASS PHOTO

Salvatore (inset) and preliminary design for his project.

PAUL BASS PHOTO

Mayor Harp, Neal-Sanjurjo, Salvatore, and Hill Alder David Reyes at the deal-signing.

rate. Officials are pressing that same goal for the planned rebuilding of the Church Street South housing complex; it is trying for a second time to obtain a federal CHOICE grant fothat plan.

“We’re real excited” about the $5 million grant, said Serena Neal-Sanjurjo, who as executive director of city government’s Livable City Initiative (LCI) took the lead on seeking the state money. She called it “the beginning of the implementation of the Hill-to-Downtown Plan. ... We have worked hard in the last year and a half; we are seeing

that come to fruition now. “ The quest for the $5 million fit into a larger Harp administration strategy for responding to public demands to enable working-class people to continue renting in a city where builders like Salvatore’s RMS Companies are on a tear constructing market-rate apartments. Mayor Toni Harp has called for a public hearing on how to preserve single-room occupancy facilities and affordable housing in general; alders are considering a proposal to declare a six-month moratorium on convert-

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ing SROs into market-rate housing. (A planned public hearing on the proposal by an alder committee, planned for Thursday night, has been postponed.)

Cities around the country are wrestling with the same challenge. They tend to choose among three main strategies, as observed by New Haven Development Administrator Matthew Nemerson: • Constructing government-built public-housing complexes.

• Promoting “micro” apartments that squeeze people into, say 300 square feet of living space, in buildings that

have larger shared spaces for eating, exercise and hanging out.

• Finding state or federal subsidies for private developers to include affordable housing in otherwise market-rate developments and having higher rates “cross-subsidize” lower rents in the same complex.

New Haven has focused on the third option in recent decades. The Ninth Square development of the 1990s and then the construction of the 360 State St. tower are examples. Nemerson called them models for how best to include subsidized housing into marketrate housing: weaving both categories of apartments together make the demarcations “invisible” so you can’t tell which is which.

Mayor Harp has expressed reservations about micro-apartments, arguing that New Haven isn’t dense enough to need to warehouse people in tiny spaces.

In pursuing the mixed-income model, New Haven is now competing for subsidies with suburbs pushed by the state to build new affordable housing, Nemerson noted. He credited LCI’s “great work” in succeeding in obtaining competitive money for the Salvatore Hill project.

Construction at a separate Salvatore/ RMS project in town on a new “boutique” hotel on a former car-rental lot caused the city to close part of High Street Thursday.

City Engineer Giovanni Zinn sent out the following email at 9:49 a.m. explaining what happened: “We have determined that the northbound lane of High St between George and Crown must be closed to traffic immediately due to unacceptable settling and shifting of the roadway. This settling appears to be related to the deep excavation for the development at the corner of George and High by RMS. “[The Department of Public Works (DPW)], Engineering, and Building met on-site this morning to examine the situation immediately after receiving a report from LCI of a deepening crack in the road. DPW will immediately begin installing jersey barriers to protect the area from traffic. [Transit, Traffic and Parking] has contacted affected properties on the block and will assist with signage. Building is requesting a meeting at the site with the developer and their structural engineer ASAP with the relevant City parties. Engineering has contacted [United Illuminating], as they have a distribution duct bank in the affected area.”

Civic Job Requirement: Show Up THE INNER-CITY NEWS December 06, 2017 - December 12, 2017

by MARKESHIA RICKS New Haven Independent

Dolores Colon usually grills Andrew Orefice at public meetings about how Yale-New Haven Hospital deals with the Hill neighborhood.

But when she vetted him Monday night for an appointment to a city commission, she didn’t ask about that. Instead, she noted that he has an excellent attendance record at Hill community meetings.

That was the main concern raised about several citizens appearing at City Hall before Colon and fellow members of the Board of Alders Alder Affairs Committee for, in essence, a job interview.

They were questioned at a hearing on proposed appointments to city boards and commissions, unpaid jobs that involve making important public decisions, often out of the limelight.

The committee ended up approving several nominees Monday night, forwarding their names to the full Board of Alders for a final vote. (The alders expressed support for the other nominee, too, but are seeking to clarify a technical point about the appointment, advancing the nomination without a recommendation.)

And the central concern in many cases appeared to be whether the appointees would show up to those sometimes long night meetings of the commissions on which they’d serve.

MARKESHIA RICKS PHOTO

Alders to appointees: attendance matters.

Colon, who represents part of the Hill, has in the past butted heads at such meetings with representatives of Yale-New Haven Hospital including Orefice over its employees taking street parking from people who live in the neighborhood. Orefice is a regular at community meetings, including Hill Community Management Team meetings, where he is often defending his employer’s parking policies.

Offering a little light ribbing, Colon Monday night reminded Orefice of their occasional differences on parking.

Orefice had been recommended by Mayor Toni Harp’s administration to serve on the New Haven Parking Authority board. Ultimately, Orefice’s 17 years of civic service and his stellar attendance tipped the scales as experience did for other appointees for Colon

when it was time to vote.

“I think they’re good appointees,” she said. “I know Mr. Orefice has excellent attendance. He never misses a management team meeting.”

Colon also sought to make sure that Orefice would have no conflict making sound decisions about the fate of parking in the city. He assured her that he would have no such problem.

“We have discussed parking until we’re blue in the face so I think he is an excellent addition to this board,” she said.

“We don’t always agree on everything, but he’s consistent.”

“It says a lot, being there,” she added.

The same question was raised during considerations for appointments for the Fair Rent Commission and the Board of Zoning Appeals and a reappointment to the Aging Commission.

The alders made no recommendation on the appointment of local carpenter Ernest Pagan’s appointment to the City Plan Commission. Not because they didn’t think he could do the job. But because they asked for a clarification about whether his appointment would add one too many members to the commission. Aldermanic Committee Chair Rosa Santana said she anticipates having that information before the full board votes on the appointment.

Carolyn Scott, a member of the Aging Commission, was reappointed. She was given a ringing endorsement for her service — and stellar attendance.

When asked for his qualifications for serving on the Fair Rent Commission, Douglas Losty had plenty. He has been a landlord for more than 30 years, so, he said, he intimately understands the

issues from a landlord and tenant perspective. He also understands that affordable housing is a top concern in the city and serves as a community representative to a legal studies advisory group at the University of New Haven, he said.

Losty leads the Greater New Haven Property Owner’s Association, which was slated to meet in City Hall just 30 minutes after the start of the Aldermanic Committee meeting.

Edgewood Alder Evette Hamilton hit him with the big questions: Did he know when and what time the Fair Rent Commission meets? Will he be available?

“I don’t know the meeting times, but I will make myself available,” he assured her.

Anne Stone, who is slated to serve as an alternate member on the Board of Zoning Appeals, said she used to serve on Guilford’s Zoning Board of Appeals. In addition to regular meetings, that board had a practice of taking one Saturday a month to tour the properties where they were making zoning decisions. An attorney by trade, Stone has been in New Haven 19 years and actually enjoys the intricacies of zoning regulation, she said.

Santana praised her for being willing to take on the important work of New Haven’s BZA, noting, “I wouldn’t be interested.”

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THE INNER-CITY NEWS December 06, 2017 - December 12, 2017

“Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.” — Deuteronomy 31:6.

When I first heard Superior Court Judge Thomas Moukawsher’s bold ruling in the historic CCJEF v Rell ruling, I thought it was courageous step in the right direction to ensuring all of our children have access to an excellent education. Our state needs more leaders like Judge Moukawsher who are not afraid to take the brave actions needed to set our children up for a successful future. Too many of our state’s children are forced to remain in failing schools with their fates predetermined for them, while others are given the education every child deserves. I know we can do better. We must do better.

Last year, I was heartened to hear that Governor Dannel P. Malloy was seeking to adopt a new school funding formula under a new state budget.

The current way Connecticut funds

Pastor Donald Morris is pastor of New Light Kingdom Outreach Ministries in New Haven.

its public schools results in our most vulnerable students being left behind.

I felt a sense of hope that state leaders would work together to develop a fair and predictable funding formula. However, I was disappointed after watching our legislators debate for months — in the longest budget impasse in our state’s history — that the budget put forth still is not the fix our kids need. This budget does not fairly fund all students across all types of public schools. It continues Connecticut’s confusing policy of funding public schools differently based not upon need but by political decisions.

No school funding formula should treat public school students differently based on the school their family has chosen. At schools of choice — both charter public schools and magnets

— students receive an unequal, fixed amount of funding that fails to provide additional funding for students with heightened learning needs. This is unfair, unequitable, and unacceptable to me.

Despite our state leaders failing to treat all students fairly, the Supreme Court still has a chance to make this right. I encourage the Supreme Court to uphold judge Moukawsher ruling to develop a fair, rational, and predictable school funding formula; with Connecticut’s future at a crossroads, now is the time for us to come together and fight for a better future for us all.

If our state leaders are not able to get it right, the court must take the bold actions needed to provide all students with the fair education funding they need and deserve.

Guamans To Move To Extended-Stay Hotel

by CHRISTOPHER PEAK New Haven Independent By a judge’s order, the Guamans, a fivemember family whose youngest child is sick with lead poisoning, should relocate to an extended-stay hotel in Long Wharf Monday night until their litigation against the city concludes.

That deal, hashed out between city attorneys and legal aid lawyers in the 235 Church St. state courthouse’s library on Monday afternoon, was approved by Superior Court Judge Shiela Ozalis.

It’s the city’s first gesture of cooperation in a months-old legal challenge accusing the Health Department of shirking its duty to keep the Elm City’s children safe from lead paint poisoning by not following the law in its inspections at 1323 Whalley Ave. The lawsuit, filed by New Haven Legal Assistance Association (NHLAA), asks the judge to compel the city to move the family and take over responsibility for abatement at the apartment in Amity. In court, the testimony has included reasons the landlord should be arrested, charges of corruption in a bid-rigging scheme for federal funds, and off-the-charts lead levels in a 5-yearold boy that trigger state law and city ordinances.

NLAA got its first win with the judge’s short-term relocation order, but it will now need to convince Ozalis that the property needs to be fixed up and that the city should be the one in charge of finding a contractor.

In a sign of how she might rule on repairs, Ozalis encouraged the city to file its own application for federal abatement funds, rather than waiting on the landlord to submit his own paperwork.

“The city should be moving on a parallel track,” she said.

“We’ll certainly be doing that,” answered

CHRISTOPHER PEAK PHOTO

Gloria Montero and Walter Guaman, the parents of a lead-poisoned child.

John Rose, Jr., the city’s corporation counWhile that drama unfolds at 235 Church sel.

St., with the next hearing scheduled for “Inside as well as outside,” Ozalis added.

Wednesday morning, the Guamans will “Sure,” Rose replied. move to Village Suites. Rafael Ramos, Outside the courtroom, Amy Marx, an NHdeputy director of the Livable City InitiaLAA attorney who’s been arguing the case, tive (LCI), the government agency that said she was pleased by the judge’s sugenforces parts of the housing code, found gestion. “Our position is that enough time the spot over the weekend. On Long Wharf has passed,” she said. “Your conversations Drive, the family will get a room with two with the landlord have no bearing on your double beds and a pullout couch, along responsibilities.” with a kitchenette. Before relocation be-

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gins, the agency needs an intake form back from legal aid lawyers, Rose said in court.

The city’s costs can then be recovered through a lien against the property.

The living situation is only temporary, Ozalis noted. The Guamans have said they plan to move back into the apartment, especially after recently having trouble finding an apartment for the “right cost” in the “right neighborhood,” Marx said.

The one outstanding question is what to do about relatives who rent out the firstfloor unit but don’t have lawyers of their own. They have a child of their own under 6 years old, whose blood tests haven’t shown elevated levels but who could be at great risk of ingesting chips or dust through hand-to-mouth behavior that’s normal at that age.

“Even if it’s [chipping] on the exterior, they could track [lead-paint chips] into the apartment, and the child plays in the front yard,” said Shelley White, NHLAA’s director of litigation, arguing that state law likely requires relocation. “It’s disturbing that the city doesn’t know for a fact whether they’re required to move [the family downstairs] when they’re here today for a lead case [for the family upstairs] where they know for a

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THE INNER-CITY NEWS December 06, 2017 - December 12, 2017

New Haven Boogies For AIDS Awareness

Karina Danvers took the stage and warned the audience about the tale she was about to tell. It was titled “From Serial Monogamy to Threesome to Thensome.”

“This is going to be a little spicy, a little humorous, but very real,” she said.

Friday marked “Boogie For Awareness,” New Haven’s World AIDS Day party and the culmination of a week of panels, rallies, fundraisers, and film screenings in support of New Haveners living with AIDS. Sponsored by the Mayor’s Task Force on AIDS and held at Terminal 110 on Long Wharf, the retro-themed celebration featured a polaroid picture booth, t-shirt crafting activities, and a Soul Train dance line.

There was also time for remarks from figures in the city’s HIV/ AIDS and LGBTQ community, as well as a bit of oral storytelling from Danvers, director of the AIDS Education and Training Center at Yale School of Medicine.

Danvers, herself a woman living with AIDS, gushed about her main man in shining armor—a creamcolored AZT pill that fit in the palm of her hand, its coat embossed with a prancing steed.

“It looked like the celebrity medication they were showing on TV,” she recalled. “They looked just like the capsules on TV! We were mesmerized.”

Her relationship with the sexy white knight AZT, however, didn’t last for long. Their breakup was the starting point for a long, storied history of failed romances on the pharmaceutical scene.

“I wouldn’t date another medication until 1994,” said Danvers, explaining how she fell next for the antiretroviral D4T. After Danvers dumped D4T, “my choice of eligible dates vanished,” and she had to put up with some sordid new bachelors.

“Like with any relationship,” Danvers explained, “you have to take the good with the bad.” One drug asked her to “drink gallons, and gallons, and gallons of water.”

Another was like a “moody boy-

Photo Credit Mayor’s Task Force on AIDS.

friend.” If she washed it down with something too cold, the pill would catch in the back of her throat and nearly choke her. If the meal she ate before taking the medication was too warm, the drug would fall apart in her stomach.

“I felt like a battered wife,” Danvers confessed.

She looked up from her notes, pausing to check if everyone understood her story’s basic metaphor. “Is everyone getting this—?”

The crowd gave a unanimous, “Yeah!” Terminal 110 was apparently a Broken Hearts Club on World AIDS Day. Danvers continued on to describe her hunt for true love: detailing the foursome between her, carbohydrates, a vintage pillbox, and yet another medication; glowing about how she imagined her latest squeeze to be a lady.

“I have been in a relationship for so long,” Danvers concluded, “I can’t remember being single.”

Kyle Rodriguez from AIDS Project New Haven and resident HIV physician Dr. Christopher Alonzo reminded people that they had wingmen in New Haven’s hospi-

tals who could back them up, date after date.

“Take a look around the room and appreciate each other,” Rodriguez said, crediting the long-term advocates who had put in work for 10, 20, 30 years at a time. Alonzo asked his fellow doctors to help replenish those ranks.

“We need to get ourselves out of the clinic and into the community because that is where we can make a difference, and lobby!”

Artist Luis Antonio repeated Alonzo’s call for continued activism and outreach. Antonio described how he and drag queen Kiki Lucia had danced “an incredible 10 minute performance” in makeup and in honor of World AIDS Day before The Arts Council of Greater New Haven’s 37th Annual Arts Awards.

“Which is a very heteronormative, old, white audience,” Antonio said.

Antonio seemed to regret that “they scared a lot of people,” but felt certain “that’s what we can do to keep the movement alive… pushing us all to do better to address this ongoing crisis.”

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“The most important thing we can do,” Antonio said, “is to live our lives and live them well.”

He unknowingly provided the rallying cry on the dance floor that night.

“Let’s enjoy life,” howled one attendee tapping out a cha-cha, flagging down the crowd, waving folks onto the stage. “We can do this!”

“Show us what you learned at Alicia’s House of Salsa,” echoed the emcee. “Come on, now: I know we have more people who know how to do this!”

Many of the party guests were still hard at work on their t-shirts. The Mayor’s Task Force had provided boxes of white garments, emblazoned with a puffy black decal of a spray can crossing out the word “stigma.” Every square inch of available workspace was in use, as participants colored in the design with fabric markers and Styrofoam plates of screen-printing paints.

They hunched over the broad, flat bannisters of the platform where the evening’s teaching artist had set up shop, blank shirtsleeves hanging down.

“Come on, give me two lines,” the

emcee asked again. “You got to go down around one time—don’t try to sneak out that door!”

The Soul Train gradually took shape. Its two parallel rows of eight to twelve dancers faced one another. Participants two-stepped left and right with a clap in unison to the rhythm of The Commodores’ “Brick House.”

“Hey, come on ‘Run DMC’—you hangin’ on the wall,” the emcee called out, brandishing his mic at a dude in a fedora and black shirt sporting gold chains, his arms coolly crossed. “Come on people at the bar, come down and Soul Train dance!”

The dancers at the top of the Soul Train individually peeled off, running the gauntlet made by the train’s two rows. They freely improvised to chants of “Work that body, work that body!” and returned to the train at its tail end.

Soon, everyone had gone “down around one time” and the Soul Train came to a halt. The crowd dissipated.

“Everybody take five,” the emcee relented. “Everybody take five, do a bathroom break. Then: we dance!”

THE INNER-CITY NEWS December 06, 2017 - December 12, 2017

SCSU Science Squad Brings “Flame Challenge” To King Robinson

by ALLAN APPEL

New Haven Independent

A tube from a vacuum cleaner was the neuron or nerve cell. Green pipe cleaners were the dendrites. And a set of dominoes stood in for how the “action potential” resets the cell so that a new memory can be created.

Those simple props were enlisted by JohnPaul Deviglia, Jasmin Haffees and other engaging biology majors from Southern Connecticut State University as they administered a “Flame Challenge” to groups of seventh and eighth-graders in John Garcia’s science class Wednesday afternoon at the King-Robinson Inter-District Magnet School on Fournier Street.

The Flame Challenge is an annual contest organized by actor Alan Alda and his foundation to inspire scientists to explain complex ideas in terms that a bright 11-year-old might understand.

As a student earning her PhD at the University of Florida in 2011, Meghan Barboza participated in the challenge.

Now, as an assistant professor at Southern, she modified the approach — the official competition is restricted to professional scientists — by incorporating as part of her physiology class a requirement that her students stand in as scientists and explain a complex scientific phenomenon to middle-school Barboza chose “memory.” That’s why the class Wednesday ended up sniffing from four different vials being passed from hand to hand.

ALLAN APPEL PHOTO

Seventh-grader Saad Ourodjeri explores smell and memory.

The exercise, organized by Chris Wojtas and his team — including Mohamed Khatib and Stephany Santibanez — was designed to demonstrate the differences between short-term, working, and longterm memory.

Wojtas called the vials “essential oils”— rose, lime, peppermint, and orange.

They were teaching tools designed to trigger memory of mints or sweets or whatever was associated with each.

“Oils act on the limbic system to trigger memory,” Wojtas said.

Ariana Davis said one reminded her of

window cleaner.

Stephany Santibanez said in her part of the presentation, she labored not to use the phrase “limbic system,” because avoiding complicated terminology and especially jargon is at the heart of the Flame Challenge.

She said preparing for the lesson did enable her to stick with essentials and to check her understanding.

That was particularly the case for Jessica Surrat, who with Deviglia, Caroline Klepacky, and Haffees, led them through not only becom-

ing explainers, but learning themselves through the act of explaining.

“You get to a point in college when you want to pass the tests, but for this project I had to go more in depth for my understanding, You can think you know something [deeply] but you really don’t.”

For example, until she helped prepare the ten-minute lesson she and her team presented, she thought the neuron was the seat of the memory. That is, more neurons, more memories.

“I learned more receptors, not more

neurons,” she said. That is, that each time chemicals send a charge through the neuron, they create a receptor related to what the stimulus is — like rose oil or apple pie, or the food aromas from Thanksgiving that the kids mentioned to their young teachers.

When that aroma is inhaled again, that receptor that was created is triggered once again. The more triggering, that is, the more repetition, the stronger that receptor is. That took explainer Mohamed Khatib to remind the students that when they want to do well on a test—which uses short-term memory—it’s best to practice a week before, so that the receptors that hold the info will be there and strong.

“If you repeat it, it lasts,” he said.

Barboza said her students came away from the experience with a deeper understanding indeed: not only of how the chemicals in the cell and the physiology of the parts work, but also that a “memory” is not a gauzy, funny, spiritual-type thing floating around in there, but an actual physical change in the brain.

She plans to repeat the challenge she said in the future, incorporating it into her curriculum in years to come at Southern.

King/Robinson science teacher John Garcia also said he “absolutely” wants the young teachers back in his classroom. The seventh-grade science curriculum calls for kids to learn the structures of the body and the various cell types, so the day’s lesson was spot on, he added.

Mid-Year Car Tax Increase Coming

by THOMAS BREEN New Haven Independent

New Haveners will receive a slightly higher mid-year car tax bill in January 2018 as the city looks to stay within budget without cutting social services, in the face of reduced state aid.

Board of Alders President and West River Alder Tyisha Walker-Myers revealed that news to neighbors at Tuesday night’s Dwight Community Management Team meeting, which was held at its regular monthly location in the gymnasium of Amistad Academy on Edgewood Avenue.

Walker-Myers told the two dozen attendees that the city will send out semi-annual car tax bills in January

2018 that will reflect a mid-year increase in the local motor vehicle mill rate from 32 to 37 mills. That means that residents will pay $37, rather than $32, for every $1,000 worth of assessed value for their cars.

That’s a mid-year adjustment for the fiscal year that began July 1. Taxpayers have already paid a car tax bill for the first half of the fiscal year based on the 32 mill rate.

“Depending on what kind of car you have, what year and all of that stuff, some people might see a $12 difference or an $18 difference,” WalkerMyers said. “But if you have a Benz or a BMW, I don’t know how much you’re going to pay, but it’s going to be more.”

Mayoral spokesperson Laurence

Grotheer Wednesday confirmed the plan, which hadn’t yet been publicly announced. He said that the motor vehicle mill rate will be adjusted to 37 mills effective Jan. 1, 2018, and will apply only to the second half of the fiscal year.

Grotheer said that the city expects to raise an additional $978,000 in revenue this fiscal year through this tax increase.

The city currently allows residents to pay their annual car tax bill in two installments: half in July and half in January. Grotheer said that this upcoming motor vehicle mill rate increase will apply only to the January payment, which covers the latter half of the fiscal year.

He said that the increase from

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32 to 37 mills means that motor vehicle owners will pay $5 more per $1,000-worth of assessed value.

For example, if a person has a car that is assessed at $10,000, then the supplemental bill at the new 37 mill rate in January, covering the car tax for just the latter half of the fiscal year, would be $25. That would be on top of the $160 January tax bill that the city had already sent out based on the 32 mill rate.

“Everyone knows that this has been a challenging year at the state for resources,” Walker-Myers said at Tuesday night’s meeting, alluding to the 17-week-late Connecticut budget that state legislators passed at the end of October after months of fractious Con’t on page 9

THOMAS BREEN PHOTO

Alders prez Walker-Myers breaks news to neighbors Tuesday night.

THE INNER-CITY NEWS December 06, 2017 - December 12, 2017

Mini-Apartment Boulevard Battle Brews

by MARKESHIA RICKS New Haven Independent

The president has his war room.

Boulevard neighbors have Doris and Edward Zelinsky’s dining room table.

The Zelinskys and 14 of their neighbors gathered there this past week to strategize about how to stop a national bank from selling out an iconic piece of their neighborhood to a Long Island developer known for building microapartments. They argue that it will crowd too many apartments into the building and reverse a positive family trend in their area.

They plan to bring their case next week to a public hearing of the Board of Zoning Appeals, which will consider whether to grant developer Eyal Preis a special exception to create seven apartments in an existing residence at 1377 Ella T. Grasso Blvd.

The dispute raises the question of how best to preserve homes and build up the Edgewood area. It also touches on a citywide debate over where to promote dense development in New Haven, how to preserve affordable housing, and what role if any microunits tiny apartments should play.

The home is zoned RM-1, or lowmiddle density, district. Preis plans to create one three-bedroom apartment, two two-bedroom apartments, and five one-bedroom apartments. The square

Neighbors hash out zoning board strategy.

footage per apartment varies from as little as 575 square feet to as much as 1,890 square feet.

At least that’s the latest version of his plans.

Previous versions of the plan indicated that he sought to create nine units and needed relief from the BZA for parking, but that has since been taken off the table. To get the exception, Preis must convince the BZA that his plans are “in accord with the public

Rooming House Condemned

The city padlocked a rundown Fair Haven home Tuesday and temporarily placed its seven occupants in hotel rooms.

A medical call alerted officials to dangerous conditions at the single-family home at 342 Grand Ave., according to Rafael Ramos, deputy director of city government’s anti-blight agency, the Livable City Initiative (LCI).

Firefighters and cops who responded to the scene then alerted LCI to unsafe building conditions. “The health violations there were pretty severe,” said top Fair Haven cop Lt. David Zannelli.

“We don’t want anybody getting sick.”

After finding sewage in the basement, a leaky roof, exposed electrical wiring, a lack of heat, and padlocked doors —and unrelated adults living there despite the lack of a rooming house license LCI condemned the building and had it boarded up. It arranged for the occupants to spend seven days in local hotel rooms while it tries find

them permanent housing or other accommodations, Ramos said.

Zannelli credited his officers and Fair Haven LCI specialist Laurie Lopez for identifying a serious problem and taking action.

Frank McWeeney inherited the house two years ago from his late mother, according to his friend and roommate, Ronda Schloemann, a former home health aide who said he hasn’t worked for a while. McWeeney was at one point living on disability, she said, and the house had debts on it. The city placed a tax lien on the property earlier this year and is suing for foreclosure.

She said she doesn’t expect that she and McWeeney will be able to return to the Grand home.

“They got us the hotel room for a week. After that, I don’t know what else we will do,” she said. “It’s said.

The house has been in the family for 45 years.”

welfare,” according to Section 63(d) of the city’s zoning ordinance.

Preis said in an email that his proposed plan takes a “currently vacant ... increasingly in disrepair building, with boarded-up windows” and makes it an asset to the community again.

“Our plan will restore the building and bring a vibrant residential community to the neighborhood,” he argued. “We think our project will fit quite well with New Haven which is a growing and changing city. By restoring an old home, which is currently derelict, and bringing back the original residential use of the structure, we see a positive return for the neighborhood and the city.”

Preis said based on his reading of the zoning regulations for the RM-1 district, conversions like his proposed one can have one unit per 1,000 square feet of existing gross floor area. The house is more than 9,000 square feet, but only 7,000 of that counts for gross floor area, he said. He needs a special exception because he wants to build more than three residential units.

The neighbors gathered at the Zelinskys said that whether for seven or nine apartments, such an exception would be out of character for an area brimming with single-family homes, and specifically for a historic home that was never a multi-family house, let alone a multi-unit apartment building.

They’ve circulated a petition that they hope to submit to the BZA in December. They also plan to be out in droves to testify against the proposed exception.

7

Built around 1900, the three-story single-family home was formerly a part of the Old Alms Farm House complex. The house was last owned and occupied by now-deceased attorney William Gallagher. For many years, the once head of the state bar association had his office on the first floor and lived upstairs. When he died in 2013, the house ultimately was thrown into foreclosure when it was discovered that Gallagher owed clients nearly $2 million.

For the last four years, the house, which is now owned by Wells Fargo Bank, has been vacant and left to rot, neighbors said.

Then Preis stepped into the picture.

“The bank has shown the house several times over the years” but found little interest, Doris Zelinsky said.

Neighbor Stephanie Fitzgerald questioned how hard Wells Fargo, which has a reputation in the neighborhood for letting its properties sit, has worked to find a buyer who wanted to live in the house and possibly rent the first floor. She knew a neighbor who was interested in the house and tried to reach out to the bank but could not get a response, she said.

That sounded familiar to Zelinsky.

Neighbors once had to formally intervene in the foreclosure of another house on the block because Wells Fargo had failed to maintain it.

Even now, the house at 1377 Ella T. Grasso Blvd. has been vandalized by graffiti and copper thieves — a common problem in New Haven with properties owned by and controlled by liens held by negligent out-of-state

banks.

Neighbors said that they hope to convince BZA members that an outof-touch bank and an out-of-town developer with no ties to the community might not have the city’s best interest in mind.

Preis’ proposed plan for parking to accommodate the new units on Boulevard includes paving the side yards around the house and creating an entrance on Maple Street and an exit onto Boulevard. That is another sore point for neighbors, particularly those who live in adjacent properties.

“I can’t see how they’re going to fit seven cars in that backyard,” said Michael Hanson, who would be living next to that parking lot. “What happens to the quality of life for neighbors who live there?”

At the strategy meeting, neighbors zeroed in on what they don’t like about the proposed development: too many units, out of character with the neighborhood, and subjecting neighbors to the ills of a parking lot.

Trina Learned, who serves on the city’s Historic District Commission, challenged her neighbors to be solutions-focused. She said as a commissioner she often hears concerns, but what she’d rather hear is an alternative.

“Do you know someone who will buy the property?” she asked. “Is there someone else who could use it?”

The prevailing preference among neighbors is that it either be used as it has been — office space on the first Con’t on page 9

THE INNER-CITY NEWS December 06, 2017 - December 12, 2017

Yale Rep’s “Native Son” Hits The Ground Running Battle Brews Con’t from page 7

The cast of Native Son. JOAN MARCUS PHOTOS

by BRIAN SLATTERY Just minutes into Yale Repertory Theatre’s kinetic production of Native Son adapted by Nambi E. Kelley from the novel by Richard Wright — a woman has been smothered in her bed and a man is on the run. And he never stops running.

Native Son tells the story of Bigger (Jerod Haynes), a black man living in Chicago who accepts a job working for a wealthy white family. Part of his job is to chauffer Mary (Louisa Jacobson), the family’s young heiress around town. Mary has fallen in with the Communist Party, and she and young ideologue Jan (Joby Earle) are ready for a night on the town with Bigger as driver. Mary gets really drunk and needs to be taken home. Bigger carries her into her house, up to her bedroom, where she seduces him.

The noise wakes up Mary’s mother, Mrs. Dalton (Carmen Roman). In his panic at possibly being discovered— because it’s Chicago in 1939—Bigger tries to stifle Mary’s cries and accidentally kills her. He hides Mary’s body and flees the scene. He knows he’s all but a dead man walking if he’s found out. What is he going to do?

Native Son is at its best in its deft handling of the social forces arrayed against Bigger. As a young black man, Bigger knows he has almost no pros-

pects to improve his life. Being in Chicago is better than being in Mississippi, where he spent his childhood, and where his father was killed in a riot when Bigger was 8 years old. But it’s still grindingly difficult. Racism in Chicago is openly, bluntly accepted. The private detective (Michael Pemberton) investigating Mary’s murder takes it as a matter of fact that Bigger is inferior to him. As the papers get a hold of the story, they fall all too easily into the narrative that Bigger must also be a rapist. Even the Communists who consider themselves Bigger’s allies can’t escape it. In one of the play’s most effective scenes, Mary and Jan attempt — and fail painfully — to show that they understand Bigger’s problems when it’s all too obvious that they can’t.

They don’t even know how condescending they are.

In Chicago’s Black Belt, where Bigger lives, his family, friends, and acquaintances simply perceive themselves as already doing the best they can. Hannah (Rosalyn Coleman), Bigger’s mother, is just trying to keep a roof over her family’s head. Bigger’s lover Bessie (Jessica Frances Dukes) is barely making ends meet. Bigger’s friend Buddy (Jasai Chase-Owens) likes to talk about grand schemes to get ahead, but he doesn’t quite share Bigger’s deep sense of injustice and ambition — which we get at through a clever device of making Bigger’s internal monologue a dialogue, between him and a character listed as the

Black Rat (Jason Bowen) but who, it turns out, has a closer relationship to Bigger than it first appears. As we’re taken — nonlinearly — through the paces of the mixture of desperate decisions and crushing social pressure that closes in on Bigger, the Black Rat is Bigger’s only constant companion, a presence who sometimes commands Bigger and sometimes serves as his foil.

The energy that drives the play is in large part its greatest strength. The tightly wound plot the play is a fleet 90 minutes with no intermission — unfolds at the pace of a thriller and keeps the actors moving. There is not a moment of slack. For this director Seret Scott and the uniformly excellent ensemble of actors can take a great deal of credit, as they shift seamlessly from scene to scene and ratchet up the emotion seemingly with every line. It’s helped by the smart decision to make scenery changes almost exclusively through lighting (by Stephen Strawbridge) and sound (by Frederick Kennedy) the use of sound in a pool hall to convincingly portray a pool game with only pool cues, no pool table or balls, is particularly delightful).

As the story takes on the panic of a runaway train, we are with Bigger and the Black Rat the entire time, and through the tension between them, we understand why he decides

8

what he decides, even as we know — and, from the beginning, he knows — they will probably doom him. That Bigger is an agent in his own downfall is something that the play doesn’t shy away from. Native Son presents the problem in full, and doesn’t offer easy answers. As such, it’s a great piece of social theater. You’ll want to talk about it afterward.

Yet the play’s speed works a little bit against it, too, and Kelley’s script, as it’s presented, is aware of that.

Whether they see him as subhuman or a noble savage, none of the white characters the people holding all the power ever see past Bigger’s skin color. They make Bigger into a symbol. Hannah, Bigger’s mother, makes an impassioned plea for everyone to see past that to Bigger’s humanity, as narrative after social narrative is imposed on him. “That is not my son,” she says through tears, and there’s no doubt she’s right. As actors, Haynes and Bowens together make the most of what they have, portraying Bigger’s ambitions and intelligence, his strengths and his flaws. But the play moves so fast that Bigger has no more than a few seconds to make his decisions. Then he must act. As a result, he’s always a man in motion. He’s gone beforen.

floor, living space above — or that it be a two-family home. Learned encouraged neighbors to reach out to organizations like Neighborhood Housing Services that might be interested in taking on such a project. She also volunteered to pull the historic documents on the house and the neighborhood to present to BZA members.

“Our neighborhood is not obvious,” she said. “A lot of people drive down the Boulevard and don’t see it as a neighborhood but it is.”

Neighbors like Learned and the Zelinskys and others at the table have raised their children in the area. They said the kind of density proposed by Preis belongs downtown, not on the Boulevard.

Neighbor Michael Hanson said that he has noticed more families — families with young children—in the area.

He said the city should encourage that trend. “Halloween was a blast this year,” he said. “I had like 55 kids come by for candy.”

Preis said he would like to market the apartments to “professionals, such as a medical secretary, a doctor, a young couple with a child,” which he called a “net positive for the neighborhood.”

Preis said the proposed conversion includes façade improvements and no expansion of the existing building.

Seven parking spaces, including one van-accessible handicapped space, would be provided behind the building. He said his plans now call for closing off the existing paved area and curb cut along Maple Street, returning it to lawn and a walkway. Preis said that modification will add back two additional on-street parking spaces that don’t exist now. He noted that the original zoning exception that allowed the office required 29 parking spaces, so he argued his proposal will limit the number of cars.

“We think our project will fit quite well with New Haven which is a growing and changing city. By restoring an old home, which is currently derelict, and bringing back the original residential use of the structure, we see a positive return for the neighborhood and the city.”

“Due to the size of the proposed units, we do not expect our tenants to have more than one vehicle and will include a prohibition on more than one vehicle in our leases,” he said. “In short, we believe that we have proposed a plan which will not have any adverse impact on the parking situation in the neighborhood, and in fact will result in additional spaces being available.”

THE INNER-CITY NEWS December 06, 2017 - December 12, 2017 Con’t from page 7

Mid-Year Car Tax Increase Coming said how big the current projected deficit could be even after the raised tax.

They did both say that the mayor has spoken with each city department head about freezing hires for all but absolutely necessary positions.

Walker-Myers also said that the city recently refinanced some of its bonds and is focusing on reducing its health care-related debt, as health care is one of the city’s most rapidly rising costs.

Dwight management team Chair Florita Gillespie asked Alder WalkerMyers if the new state budget would result in any cuts to education or to the police.

“In a way, I guess you could say that the school budget did get cut because a line item got cut,” Walker-Myers replied.

She said that the state ultimately agreed to keep funding the rent rebate program for seniors, by which the elderly and the disabled receive financial support from the state if they spend over a certain amount of their income on rent. But she said the state then cut out a line item worth the exact same amount as the rebate program from the education budget, effectively foisting the same reduction on the city in a slightly different location.

“They just move the line items, like you can do with budgets,” she said.

“Budgets are tricky things. It’s all illusions, actually. The state made a decision that they weren’t going to cut this program for the elderly, but then they took from education.”

But, Walker-Myers said, the city is committed to maintaining its current level of social services. No matter the cuts at the state level, the city will continue to provide its residents with the services on which they rely, she promised.

“We’ll definitely be cutting back,” she said. “But we won’t cut back on the services coming to the residents.

We need our cops. We need our firefighters. Your trees will continue to get trimmed. You’ll still have your garbage pick up and all of those things.”

“But I would like for everybody to really come out when the budget hammers start happening,” she continued.

“Come out and voice your opinion.

Because we are dealing with difficult times at the state, and we need to hear from you.”

OV 24-DEC

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A R T & D E S I G N B Y P A U L E VA N J E F F R E Y | P A S S A G E D E S I G N

debate.

Much of the debate came down to how much of the brunt cities and towns should shoulder of the state’s looming multi-billion dollar projected deficit.

When the state Senate and General Assembly finally passed a two-year budget for Fiscal Years 2018 and 2019, Mayor Toni Harp and her budget team estimated that the city could face as much as a $10 million gap in expected municipal aid.

Without sharing many details on the current state of the city budget in relation to the state budget, Walker-Myers did say on Tuesday night that the motor vehicle mill rate increase would help shore up some of the reductions in state aid. She also argued that the increase was not as bad as it could have been.

In fact, she said, the Board of Alders voted to set the motor vehicle mill rate at 37 mills when they approved the city’s budget back in June 2017.

But that desired rate was thrown off kilter by a provision in a previous state budget that set a car tax cap of 32 mills for all cities and towns in Connecticut starting in July 2017.

Instead of pursuing an underfunded state reimbursement program that would have allowed the city to set its car mill rate higher than 32 mills and then seek state aid for the difference between the cap and the actual local rate, the city decided to send out its car tax bills this summer at the optimistic maximum of 32 mills.

But then the new budget dropped, and with it came a higher cap at which municipalities could set their car mill rates.

According to the new budget, cities and towns can now charge up to 39 mills on motor vehicles, a full seven mills higher than the state had allowed (and the city had sent out in tax bills) earlier this fiscal year.

“In my opinion, from the beginning, the 37 would have been the best thing, because we kind of knew it was going to end up there,” Walker-Myers said, implying that the city acted a bit rashly when it sent out car tax bills earlier this year at the 32-mill rate.

“That said, we actually can go up to 39 mills with this new budget. But then that would be a big jump, from 32 to 39.

So we made a conscious decision to go with what we voted on in the original city budget [i.e. 37], because that was in the public, and everything was already out there.”

Neither Walker-Myers nor Grother

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THE INNER-CITY NEWS December 06, 2017 - December 12, 2017

Black Women Lawyers Go Viral: “Spread Positivity & Inspire”

by T. R. Causay, Social Reporter

According to the American Bar Association, only 5 percent of the practicing attorneys in the U.S. as of 2010 were Black.

In 2016, Black women made up 0.64 percent of law firm partners and 2.32 percent of law firm associates.

At the associate level, the number of Black women lawyers at law firms peaked in 2008, just before the financial crisis, at 2.97 percent, according to the National Association of Law Placement (NALP).

Well, while those numbers may seem dismal, one group of women at Elon University in North Carolina didn’t let that deter them and are among the largest group of African American women graduating in law from the school.

The women took a picture together to celebrate their acheivement and the photo quickly went viral.

Ashley Williams, one of the women set to get her Juris Doctor degree in

December, shares with Yahoo Lifestyle that the group was inspired to collaborate on a photo shoot together to celebrate their accomplishments.

“We are all friends, we have Sunday dinner together, we also study

together. So we spend a lot of time with one another,” she shares. his support system has helped Anika Bailey, 24, overcome challenges.

“Our law school is a predominately white institution, so there aren’t

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Now, this is the outcome.”

The 25-year-old says that besides the 11 women photographed, there are seven other women from their crew who are not pictured but who will also walk the graduation stage Dec. 16.

“As we began discussing what we were going to do, we realized that the pictures meant so much more than a typical graduation picture,” he says. “Most of the girls are the first in their families to obtain a professional degree, so they wanted to commemorate the occasion with a positive image.”

After years of early classes, hours of homework, plenty of all-night study sessions, and countless gallons of coffee, all that hard work paid off. Congratulations ladies and congratulations to the Elon Law class of 2017!

THE INNER-CITY NEWS December 06, 2017 - December 12, 2017

Commodores Legend Thomas McClary Talks Reunion, New Book McClary counts as one of the Civil Rights Movement’s unsung heroes.

The first African American to integrate Lake County Public Schools in Eustis, Fla., amidst formidable racial tension, McClary walked with boldness when entering the doors of the all-White school.

He also fought to open doors of opportunities for other African Americans and he continues to work to help others overcome racial bigotry and other obstacles.

By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Contributor

Thomas McClary, the legendary founder of the super group the Commodores, has a new book that takes readers on a journey through Motown, the Civil Rights Movement and a backstage war for the ages.

McClary, who co-founded the group with Lionel Richie, recently released “Rock and Soul,” a stirring autobiography where readers also learn about his activism.

“I kept getting questions as to when are the original Commodores going to do reunion and, after hearing that for the ‘umpteenth’ time I realized that people wanted to know,” said McClary. “So, I started to think about it and started writing things down.”

The book details McClary’s recruitment of Richie, one of the biggest selling artists in the history of Motown Records.

“When I met Lionel, he was a very shy guy and I had to convince his grandmother and parents to allow him to play in the band,” McClary said. “I pushed him out to become the lead singer after our initial lead singer was drafted into the Vietnam War. I overheard Lionel singing in the shower one day and I said, ‘hey, you can sing.’”

When the book begins, McClary is

McClary said it’s as important today as ever before.

“Man, I never thought I’d be appreciative of a president like George W. Bush,” he said. “To compare him to what we have in office today, I never thought I’d long for a George Bush.”

in a courtroom.

One of the members secretly trademarked the Commodores name, barring McClary’s use, while performing separately.

“I think readers will be surprised at how perseverance played a role in our success and they will also be surprised to know that, even though we had a very united front, behind the scenes things weren’t so kosher,” he said. “I’m the founder and all of us

were equal as it relates to corporate ownership and the name. One of the guys decided he was going to take it on his own to trademark the name and I’m still handling it.”

The singer, musician and songwriter is credited along with Richie for writing nearly all of the Commodores music, a bevy of hits that’s led to multiple Grammy nomination and induction into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame.

In addition to his musical prowess,

McClary said fans have repeatedly asked about a possible reunion of the original Commodores, a group that turned out such iconic and time-tested hits as “Brick House,” “Easy,” and “Just to be Close to you.”

“It’s going to happen. I’ve spent 30 years trying to make it happen and Lionel and I recently performed together in New Zealand and at the Superdome, so I’m optimistic that a reunion with the five living original members will happen,” said Mc-

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Clary, whose recollections about the great “Motown Sound” is recorded in the new book that has others taking notice.

“It’s captivating and awe inspiring,” singer Ray Parker Jr. said.

Kool & the Gang Founder Robert Bell wrote a moving review of “Rock and Soul” calling it “an emotion filled memoir of a cherished walk and a celebration of life, through the highs and lows of a natural born star. Thoroughly entertaining and moving.”

Hall of Fame NBA Star Julius “Dr. J” Erving also praised McClary’s memoirs.

“A resounding testament of the resilience of the force that is Thomas McClary,” Erving said. “This book gave pure energy to my soul.”

Riveting, rousing, and outright inspiring, Rock and Soul is an intimate portrait of McClary, said the book’s publishers, 13th & Joan.

The 362-page book recounts the Civil Rights Movement, and McClary’s early days of leaving home to attend Tuskegee University where he met Richie.

It highlights McClary’s rise from the concrete of societal imposed standards to musical genius.

McClary relentlessly laid the foundation to form a sound and a family of talent that the world had yet to witness.

Countless hours with his guitar, and blood, sweat, and tears became synonymous with crafting a sound that intricately fused rhythm and blues, funk and rock, pop and jazz, and moved audiences to undeniable emotion with a language that knew no barriers.

“Obviously I have a lot of respect for Berry Gordy and what he did at Motown and for Black people,” McClary said. “Stevie Wonder has always been incredible, as has Smokey Robinson and Suzanne de Passe. We learned a lot from all of them, the likes of Norman Whitfield and Marvin Gaye all of whom had an open door policy, where we could ask how they did what they did and what we could use to improve our situation.”

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THEINNER-CITY INNER-CITYNEWS NEWS November December 22, 06, 2017 -- December THE November12, 28,2017 2017

He wants to be the best-Scot Esdaile breaks Connecticut’s glass ceiling

By Grant Miller

There are two things Connecticut is not known for: racial diversity and combat sports. Yet one man has made history in both. He looks younger than the “fifties” age range he provided, and he speaks with a booming New England accent and bluntness mixed with the swagger of a brother from New Haven.

So far, that swagger has changed a few things around his state.

Connecticut NAACP president Scot X. Esdaile ruptured the glass ceiling to become the first African-American chairman of the Connecticut Boxing Commission and removed legal barriers for combat sports in the state, but he won’t stop until Connecticut dominates boxing in the Northeast.

“I don’t know any boxing commissioner who’s doing what I’m doing,” Esdaile said.

Esdaile grew up in New Haven during the 1960s, and he said he often snuck into New Haven Coliseum as a teenager to watch the Sugar Ray Leonard and Larry Holmes fights on the big screen. He also admired Muhammad Ali for the way he fought in and out of the ring.

“I try to use a lot of his attributes as an activist in my own life,” Esdaile said.

During the 2000s, Esdaile traveled with former light heavyweight champion, and New Haven native, Chad Dawson and made connections throughout the industry until Senator Martin Looney asked him to join the Connecticut Boxing Commission in 2011. By 2016, Esdaile became its chairman.

“I wouldn’t be in the boxing commission if it wasn’t for Chad,” Esdaile said.

On December 12, 2016, Esdaile and Bridgeport Mayor Joe Ganim hosted a boxing retreat at Bridgeport’s Webster Bank Arena for lawmakers to brainstorm ways to change the state’s boxing environment. By June 2017, Connecticut’s legislature passed Public Act No.17–116, which reduced the cost of health insurance and death benefits for boxing and mixed martial arts matches and removed the five percent gross receipt tax promoters had to pay under the prior law.

Esdaile then organized another retreat at Webster Bank Arena on September 13, 2017, where lawmakers, promoters, and media executives sat down to discuss the best ways to bolster the state’s boxing industry. During this meeting, Esdaile held the micro-

Introducing Scot X. Esdaile. (Bill Costen) phone by a podium in front of black tables where his peers were seated and repeated that he wanted to make Connecticut the “boxing capital of the Northeast Corridor” with “up to 15 fights a year.”

Last year, Connecticut venues scheduled only six professional fights according to Boxrec.com, but Joe DeGuardia, president and CEO of Star Boxing in New York, said Connecticut is in a “great position right now” during Esdaile’s second retreat. Smaller shows are the key to building a grassroots fan base and attracting more promoters moving to Connecticut, which would only help Esdaile achieve his goals.

“Sharks smell blood,” DeGuardia said.

“Once you do a show, the competition will come.”

Esdaile said he has already reached out to big promotion companies including Roc Nation, who recently signed New Haven native and undefeated junior featherweight boxer Tramaine “The Mighty Midget” Williams, in the hopes of organizing professional fights Bridgeport, New Haven and Hartford. He said he wants Connecticut venues to compete with the Barclays and Madison Square Garden for wealthy Fairfield County residents.

Charlie Dowd, vice president of events and operations at Webster Bank Arena,

said he is optimistic about Esdaile’s economic impact in Connecticut if they attract fans to events “that make sense dollar wise.”

“At the end of the day everyone wants to make money,” Dowd said. “Boxing can happen in Connecticut because Scot has been incredibly bullish on getting it done.”

Esdaile also has amateur boxing goals, including renewing Golden Gloves in the state and organizing a Connecticut Boxing Open Pro-Am tournament in New Haven. Vega, 35, from Hartford, won the junior Olympic national championship in 1997 and was ranked first in the country by USA Boxing. He said he would have benefitted from a chairman like Esdaile.

“If I had a Scot Esdaile…I probably would’ve turned professional,” Vega said.

But Esdaile still has obstacles to overcome. Connecticut’s casinos dominate combat sports in the state (they hosted all six pro fights last year). Esdaile said Kenneth Reels, vice-chairman of the Pequot Tribal Gaming Commission that oversees combat sports events at Foxwoods Casino, has been “very supportive.” Mike Mazzulli, director of the Mohegan Tribe’s Department of Athletic Regulation and president of the Association of Boxing Commissions and Combative Sports, has been

13

a different story, according to Esdaile.

He said he was offended that Mazzulli organized the 29th Annual Association of Boxing Commissions Conference this year and didn’t invite him.

Mazzulli held the conference in Connecticut. Esdaile said when he confronted him about this, Mazzulli referred him to the association website.

“I’m not saying that I have to be invited, but you know I’m the chairman, it’s in my state, you don’t reach out to invite me?” Esdaile asked.

Mazzulli said the conference was open to the public “anyone can attend, and it’s not by invitation only,” but according to Esdaile, this example was only a “part of the conversation.” He also took issue with an October article in the Hartford Business Journal that covered the financial woes of mixed martial arts in Connecticut. The story mentioned H.B. 6266 (which became Public Act №17–116) and interviewed promoters interested in organizing fights in Connecticut, but it made no mention of Esdaile.

“It’s just the good ol’ boy network,” Esdaile said. “Those in power don’t like to recognize black men in power.”

John Stearns, the author of the story, said the piece was more focused on how Connecticut’s budget issues affected the industry, and he meant no intentional slight to Esdaile.

“Not every story can have every voice,” Stearns said.

New York City poses a financial obstacle because its venues still get the prime time fights in the Northeast. The Barclays Center hosted Adrien Broner vs. Mikey Garcia with Irish gold medalist Katie Taylor, who sometimes trains in Connecticut, fighting on the undercard in July of 2016.

“Are we going to host the heavyweight world championship here?”

Dowd said. “Probably not.”

But Esdaile’s supporters still have faith. Jeffrey Dressler, 68, from Hartford, has been a ring announcer and education advocate in Hartford for 25 years. He said Esdaile has his finger on the pulse of Connecticut boxing and knows how to fill a venue. On October 20, Esdaile organized the Connecticut NAACP’s ninth annual “The Great Debate,” and filled Webster Bank Arena with 8,000 people, per the Connecticut Post. The venue’s max seating capacity is up to 10,000 people according to its website.

Esdaile said he has accomplished more in one year than previous chairmen have in 20, and he expects to achieve all of his goals in the next three to five years.

“I want to be the best boxing commissioner in the country,” Esdaile said.

“Hands down.”

Sunday, December 10th, 2017 Southern Connecticut State university, in collaboration with the New Haven Police Activity League (PAL) is sponsoring the Friends of Rudolph on Sunday,December 10th,2017 Children up to 13 years old, from the New Haven Community can participate in 90 minutes of holiday Craft activities and recieve gift from Santa!

First Student Bus Company will provide FREE transportation to and from SCSU. Children on buses will be our first Priority.

Times and pick up locations throughout the city are listed on the back of this flyer.

Pick up times are approximate and locations will be in accordance to City Districts.

Please be at your location at least 15 minutes prior to pick up.

Walk-ins will only be accepted at 2:00pm Southern Connecticut State Univeristy 501 Cresent Street New Haven, CT 06515

THE INNER-CITY NEWS November December 06, 22, 2017 2017 -- December November 12, 28, 2017 2017

How Much Exercise Does It Really Take to Burn Off Your Holiday Meal?

by Sharita Jennings, BlackDoctor.org They say that ignorance is bliss… but this couldn’t be further from the truth when it comes to thinking you can just exercise away your holiday feasts in no time. Before you grab a second helping of Patti’s Pies, thinking you’ll walk it off the next day, you should know that it might take more than one, two, or three sweat sessions to truly burn off your family dinner. Keep reading to learn how many calories are in some of your favorite holiday eats and to get an idea of how much sweat it actually takes to burn them off.

Okay, turkey isn’t all that bad – when it’s baked. Three ounces of baked turkey breast, which is about the size of a deck of cards, is roughly 90 calories. To burn off those calories, you can jump rope for 9 minutes straight, or take a brisk one-mile walk or jog.

Don’t forget to count the gravy, too! If you decide to add gravy, that’s about 50 calories for a quarter cup, or another minute of jump rope.

If you’re trying out deep-fried turkey, however, the same 3 ounces can have about 220 calories, so you’d need closer to 25 minutes of jumping rope or 2.5 miles of a fast-paced walk or jog to burn it off.

Greens have a lot of health benefits since they’re packed with vitamins like vitamin C and K, along with a healthy amount of fiber. But those benefits can start to go down once you soak your

greens with ham hock or other fatty meat for a boost of flavor. No shade to your secret recipe, but it’s probably not as healthy as you may have hoped.

Once you add the meat, sodium and oil to your greens, you can add roughly 150 calories to your plate, per serving.

If you want to sweat these calories off, you can lift weights for 30 minutes or go for a bike ride for the same amount of time.

Smoked Ham If you like ham with your holiday feast, you can rest easy knowing that this option is pretty low in calories and high in protein, much like turkey. Three ounces of ham is

about 100 calories, which you can sweat off by running one mile or doing 20 minutes of yoga.

Buttered Rolls It’s really not a holiday feast until you get your hands on a few golden, hot, buttery rolls. Even though it’s easy to munch on freshbaked rolls all holiday long, it may not be so easy to shake the calories that come with your rolls. One fluffy, buttery roll can set you back over 200 calories, give or take a few calories depending on how much better you like to add.

To keep the rolls from turning into belly rolls, you can play a friendly

game of flag football for 20 minutes, or run stairs for 15 minutes, for every roll you eat.

Candied Yams In researching this article, I came across recipes for “sweet potato casserole” and “baked yams.”

But we’re not talking about sweet potatoes or basic yams sprinkled with brown sugar. We are talking about your grandma’s candied yams. That probably means half a bag of brown sugar and a whole bag of marshmallows to top it off. One serving of candied yams can add up to more than 400 calories, which is going to take a little more than a walk around the block to

burn off after dinner.

To work off these calories in the gym, you can try an hour-long Zumba class, or an hour of circuit training, which is a mix of strength training and cardio moves.

Sweet Potato Pie Sweet potato pie has been a staple in most black family holidays for generations. It was a thing long before pumpkin came into style for the cold season. While you can’t stop tradition, just be aware that that dense delicacy can 420 calories to your holiday. That means on top of all the workouts you need to burn off your dinner, you can now add running a 5k to the list. You could also take a highintensity class like kick-boxing for 45 minutes to make that pie disappear.

While you should absolutely enjoy every bite of your holiday meal and the people who pour their love into preparing them, be careful not to go too far overboard. If you have one serving of every food in this article, your meal could add up to at least 1700 calories, and that’s not including sweet tea or the wine! Try to balance out this heavy meal with high fiber veggies during the week leading up to the holiday, and think about adding some extra workouts to burn off some of these additional calories.

Sharita Jennings is a health policy attorney, ACE certified group fitness instructor and nutrition specialist. She leads fitness classes in Washington, DC and provides online coaching and tips on her site, GetFitLikeThat.com.

The Best Way To Prevent High Blood Pressure

by Constance Brown-Riggs, MSEd, RD, CDE, CDN

High blood pressure, also called hypertension, is known as a “silent killer” because often there are no symptoms. African Americans develop high blood pressure at a higher rate than any other racial group in the United States. Moreover, high blood pressure tends to occur at younger ages and to be more severe in African Americans. If not properly cared for high blood pressure’s progressive effects can strain the heart, damage blood vessels and increase your risk of heart attack, stroke, and even kidney disease.

According to the new 2017 guidelines published by the American Heart Association (AHA) and the American College of Cardiology (ACC) for de-

stress. You should aim for at least 150 minutes per week of moderate-intensity physical activity, such as brisk walking or bicycling 5 – 9 mph. That’s just 30 minutes a day on at least five days a week. If you can’t carve out 30 minutes daily for your physical activities, you can break it up into three 10 minute segments, or two 15 segments.

Making healthy food choices can help lower blood pressure. You should aim for a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole-grains, low-fat dairy products, skinless poultry and fish, nuts and legumes, and oils like olive or canola. A diet that is high in salt, calories, saturated fat, trans fat, red meat, sweets and sugar-sweetened beverages can increase your risk of high blood pressure.

Being overweight or obese puts an extra strain on your heart and…

tection, prevention, management and treatment of high blood pressure, high blood pressure is now defined as readings of 130/80 mm Hg and higher.

Anyone can develop high blood pressure; however, age, race or ethnicity, being overweight, gender, lifestyle habits, and a family history of high blood pressure can increase your risk.

You can’t control who you are—your age, gender, race, or family history.

But, you can control your lifestyle habits—being physical activity, eating a healthy diet, maintaining a healthy weight, and limiting alcohol consumption.

Not getting enough physical activity increases your risk of getting high blood pressure. On the other hand, regular physical activity helps to strengthen your heart, lower blood pressure, control weight and reduce

14

…increases your risk of developing high blood pressure. It also increases your risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Losing as little as between 10 and 15 pounds is enough to help manage or prevent high blood pressure.

Drinking too much alcohol can cause your blood pressure to increase dramatically and can also increase your risk of cancer, obesity, alcoholism, suicide, and accidents. On the other hand, limiting alcohol consumption can help to prevent high blood pressure. If you drink, limit your alcohol consumption to no more than two drinks per day for men and no more than one drink per day for women. A drink is one 12 oz. beer, 4 oz. of wine, 1.5 oz. of 80-proof spirits or 1 oz. of Con’t on page 22

THE INNER-CITY NEWS December 06, 2017 - December 12, 2017

Dental Services are now available at our Dixwell Health Center

Questions about your bill?

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

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

Date: Monday, December 18 Time: 5 - 7 pm Location: Children’s Hospital, 1 Park St., 1st Floor, Admitting Parking available (handicapped accessible) An appointment is necessary. Please call 203-688-2046.

Spanish-speaking counselors available.

Call 203-503-3420 to make your appointment today!

10652 (06/16)

226 Dixwell Avenue, New Haven • cornellscott.org 15

THE INNER-CITY NEWS December 06, 2017 - December 12, 2017

Jay-Z On Marriage: “It’s The Hardest Thing I’ve Ever Done”

by Carter Higgins, BDO Special Contributor

Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter goes by many names: Jigga, J. Hov, Hova, and more.

We all know him as the platinumselling rap artist turned businessman who started his music career by selling CDs out of his car. Then subsequently co-launched Roc-A-Fella Records as an independent label (because at the time no major was willing to sign him). Within a short few years, Jay went from being a locally-known rapper to a nationally-celebrated bonified star. Hov even helped propel the careers of others like Kanye West, Rihanna, Ne-Yo, Swizz Beatz, Timbaland and more. JAY was a calculated artist and a forward-thinker which led him to many business moves including, the 40/40 clubs, Rocawear, Roc Nation Sports Management, Armand de Brignac champagne, TIDAL music streaming service and his latest venture, Arrive, a venture capital platform that works with early-stage startups, offering investment capital and assistance with business development, branding and more.

But the father of three and husband to superstar Beyonce says that handling all of that and a music career wasn’t hard. Building something out of nothing from the projects wasn’t hard. It was actually repairing his broken marriage that was the hardest thing for him to do.

On the title track of his latest album,

4:44, Jay, said that he could have lost it all due to his infidelity.

“And if my children knew I don’t even know what I would do If they ain’t look at me the same I would prob’ly die with all the shame “You did what with who?”

What good is a ménage à trois when you have a soulmate?

“You risked that for Blue?”

If I wasn’t a superhero in your face My heart breaks for the day I have to explain my mistakes And the mask goes away” “What I thought was when I finally met my dad, I’m free to love now,” explains Jay in the video below that accompany’s the song. “But I thought, ‘how are you going to do it. No one informed you how to do it. You don’t even have the tools to do it. How are you gonna do this?’”

“It’s hard,” exclaims Jay. “Remember, I’m from Marcy Projects. I’ve been shot at…all kinds of stuff. But nothing’s harder than this–by far! I’m telling you, it’s the hardest thing I’ve ever done.”

“Most people are willing to put ourselves through something like this.

That’s why most people give up.”

And he’s right, with the divorce rate in America being 50% in typical America, but in Hollywood and the music/entertainment business, divorce rate skyrocket to 70% and above.

Divorce and marriage rates vary drastically in different groups of people. The wealthy and well-educated tend to marry and stay together much

more than those who are less well-off.

The new divorce data show Washington, D.C., had the highest divorce rate in the country last year with nearly 30 marriages per 1,000 married women ending in divorce. Hawaii had the lowest. Conservative states like Utah and Alaska had the highest marriage rates in 2015, while Rhode Island had the lowest.

Now the thing Jay had to do was to make it through. But it was tough. So

tough, it almost broke him down.

“The strongest thing a man can do is cry. To expose your feelings, to be vulnerable in front of the world,” he reveals to T Magazine. “That’s real strength. You know, you feel like you gotta be this guarded person. That’s not real. It’s fake.”

“It happened — we were using our art almost like a therapy session. And we started making music together.

“And then the music she was mak-

ing at that time was further along. So her album came out as opposed to the joint album that we were working on.

Um, we still have a lot of that music.

And this is what it became. There was never a point where it was like, ‘I’m making this album.’ I was right there the entire time.”

“Both [of us were] very, very uncomfortable, but the best place in the, you know, hurricane is like in the middle of it.”

“And that’s where we were sitting.

And it was uncomfortable. And we had a lot of conversations. You know.

[I was] really… …proud of the music she made, and she was really proud of the art I released. And, you know, at the end of the day we really have a healthy respect for one another’s craft. I think she’s amazing.”

“You know, most people walk away, and like divorce rate is like 50 percent or something ’cause most people can’t see themselves. The hardest thing is seeing pain on someone’s face that you caused, and then have to deal with yourself.”

“We had to get to a place where everything we had together, was 100% real.

I mean, like nothing fake. Not one ounce,” continues Jay. “And of course it was uncomfortable. But because we’ve been doing this for so long, it was less uncomfortable.”

The two are reportedly still working to finish the joint album they both had been working on before the rift.

LL Cool J Graduates Harvard: “It Was A Life-Altering Experience” music definitely made me feel more empowered,” he told The Washington Post. “In the ’hood, you’re sitting in it like hot-dog water. It takes a certain amount of tenacity and creativity to pull your mind out of that water and dry it off.”

But it was at 13 that he began performing at parties and church basements using the name “LL Cool J” which we’ve all learned that it stood for “Ladies Love Cool James.” At 16, he sent a demo tape to music exec Rick Rubin, who was preparing to launch the now iconic Def Jam Recordings. And the rest, as they say, is history.

“Completed the Business of Entertainment media & sports program @harvardhbs. It was a life altering experience. Learning is cool…

by Carter Higgins, BDO Special Contributor

Born James Todd Smith on Jan. 14, 1968, LL Cool J was raised in a chaotic household in Queens. He was only 4 when his father shot his mother during an altercation — his mom survived and recovered; his dad fled to California — and in the years that followed, his mother’s new boyfriend physically abused and verbally belittled him.

As he grew up into his pre-teens and teenage years, listening to the big talk of the Sugarhill Gang, the Treacherous Three, Grandmaster Flash, the Cold Crush Brothers and the Funky Four Plus One helped him feel a few inches taller. “Rap

LL Cool J 16

#dreamsdemandhustle #dreamsdonthavedeadlines lets go!!!! Ps. The head of the program & my professor @anitaelberse was absolutely gangster. #ironsharpensiron.”

Harvard Business School is the graduate business school of Harvard University in Boston, Massachusetts.

The school offers… …a large full-time MBA program, doctoral programs, HBX and many executive education programs.

LL isn’t the only rapper that has ties to Harvard. Producer and husband to Alicia Keys, Swizz Beats also recently graduated from the school with his degree as well.

Go ‘head fellas! Keep pursuing excellence, not just in the studio, but in the business world as well!

THE INNER-CITY NEWS December 06, 2017 - December 12, 2017

HBCUs Generate $14.8 Billion in Economic Impact

By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Contributor

Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) generate $14.8 billion in economic impact annually, according to a stunning new report by the United Negro College Fund (UNCF).

The landmark study titled, “HBCUs Make America Strong: The Positive Economic Impact of Historically Black Colleges and Universities,” said that public HBCUs account for $9.6 billion of that total economic impact, while private HBCUs account for $5.2 billion.

“The estimate includes direct spending by HBCUs on faculty, employees, academic programs and operations, and by students attending the institutions, as well as the follow-on effects of that spending,” the report said.

The combined economic impact is equivalent to a top 200 ranking on the Fortune 500 list of America’s largest corporations.

“The presence of an HBCU means a boost to economic activity, on and off—and even well beyond—campus.

Stronger growth, stronger communities, more jobs and a more talented workforce,” UNCF authors wrote in the report.

Fact sheets for the economic impact of individual HBCUs are available at https://www.uncf.org/programs/hbcuimpact.

According to the UNCF report, Howard University generates $1.5 billion in total economic impact and 9,591 jobs for its local and regional economies.

“Every dollar spent by Howard University and its students produces positive economic benefits, generating $1.58 in initial and subsequent spending for its local and regional economies.

The study, conducted by the University of Georgia’s Terry College of Business Selig Center for Economic Growth, found that Hampton University generated $270 million in total economic impact and 2,249 jobs for its local and regional economies.

“For each job created on campus, another 1.7 public- and private-sector jobs are created off campus because of Hampton University-related spending,” study said. “Looked at in a different way: Each $1 million initially spent by Hampton University and its students creates 11 jobs.”

While Morehouse College generated a total economic impact of $188 Million and 1,580 jobs. Spelman College accounted for $199 million in total economic impact and 1,625 Jobs.

North Carolina A&T State University generated $488 million in total economic impact and 4,325 jobs for its local and regional economies.

“It’s the first time that we’ve had a study conducted by such a professional institution to recognize the importance of HBCUs and particularly the impact on our community,” Miles College President Dr. George T. French, Jr., told the NNPA Newswire. “We’ve talked in general terms, but to quantify this is important so that our partners can understand the value of our institution. It’s a win-win for our region and for government partners who look to partner with us.”

The report revealed that the 1,634-student Alabama school generated $67 million for its local region.

Each $1 million initially spent by Miles College and its students creates 16 jobs, according to the report.

“It’s eye-opening and, in addition to the 730 jobs created, there’s a 1-to1 match for every full-time job at Miles, we create another job in our region,” French said. “So, we have about 377 employees on campus, but because of that, we’ve created 350 off-campus jobs.”

The benefits flow to Miles College’s graduates, who’ll enter the workforce with sharper skills and vastly enhanced earning prospects, according to the report.

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

(203) 498-6800

|

www.aces.org 17

As an example, the 196 Miles College graduates from 2014 can expect total earnings of $497 million over their lifetimes—a stunning 77 percent more than they could expect to earn without their college credentials.

“What you’re looking at is, when you round it to 200 students, they already have over $2 million more in earning potential in their careers which increases by $1.1 million, because of having a degree from Miles College,” French said. “I think it’s important to have this conversation for young people, who must decide if college is worth it. At the end of the day, it’s a great economic decision.”

The figures also allow college officials to approach state and local government

officials, when funding for recruitment and other programs are needed, French said.

French said, adding that because of the report he believes the city will be even more cooperative with Miles College.

“With this study, we can go to the government and say we need additional money for cutting-edge programs and recruitment,” he said. “We’ve requested and will have a meeting with the city to compare our master plan with what the city is doing. Here we are, this economic engine with a $52 million annual budget and we can help this city with its master planning and their master plan may intersect with what we’re doing.”

THE INNER-CITY NEWS December 06, 2017 - December 12, 2017

ANSONIA HOUSING AUTHORITY 36 MAIN STREET ANSONIA, CT 06401

FIREFIGHTER / EMT / PARAMEDIC Firefighter - Paramedic 63,759.27 EMT-D 60,809.27 Annual Salary The West Haven Fire Department will be conducting an Entry Exam on Saturday December 16, 2017 at West Haven High School 9:00am. This exam will be for entry level Firefighter-Paramedic/EMT. This is a Fire Police Selection Inc. (FPSI) exam.

The fee for this exam is $65.00 and shall be submitted on line with the application and certification documents.

Application documents and fee must be submitted through www.FirefighterApp.com.

Application deadline is December 1, 2017.

Qualifications to sit for the exam: 18 years of age (by date of the exam) United States Citizen or legally authorized to work in the U.S The West Haven Fire Department is a progressive Class II Department providing fire suppression, fire rescue, hazardous materials intervention/protection, emergency medical care and mutual aid, responding to more than 6500 calls per year. The WHFD/ Center District has four twelve-person platoons, which rotate four 24/72 hour shifts. The department offers a competitive salary/benefit package. Health and dental benefits, annual health and fitness program and a retirement plan.

Applications can be submitted on www.FirefighterApp.com after November 4, 2017

The West Haven Fire Department is an equal opportunity employer.

The Housing Authority of the City of Bridgeport Invitation for Bid (IFB) Three Tab Roof Replacements at Various Sites Solicitation Number: 093-PD-17-S The Housing Authority of the City of Bridgeport d/b/a Park City Communities (PCC) is requesting sealed bids for Roof Replacements at Various Sites. A complete set of the plans and technical specifications will be available on October 23, 2017. To obtain a copy of the solicitation you must send your request to bids@parkcitycommunities.org, please reference solicitation number and title on the subject line. A MANDATORY pre-bid conference will be held at 150 Highland Ave, Bridgeport, CT 06604 on November 8, 2017 @ 10:00 a.m., submitting a bid for the project without attending conference is not in the best interest of the Offeror. Additional questions should be emailed only to bids@parkcitycommunities.org no later than November 20, 2017 @ 3:00 p.m. Answers to all the questions will be posted on PCC’s Website: www.parkcitycommunities.org. All bids must be received by mailed or hand delivered by December 7, 2017 @ 2:00 PM, to Ms. Caroline Sanchez, Sr. Contract Specialist, 150 Highland Ave, Bridgeport, CT 06604, at which time and place all bids will be publicly opened and read aloud. No bids will be accepted after the designated time.

KMK Insulation Inc.

PRE-APPLICATION FOR SECTION 8 HOUSING CHOICE VOUCHER POGRAM Instructions: Please read carefully.

Only substantially completed pre-applications will be processed.

Pre-applications must be postmarked no later than 12:00AM Midnight, Friday December 15th, 2017.

Envelope MUST be addressed as shown below: Ansonia Housing Authority Housing Choice Voucher Program Wait List P.O. Box 191, Ansonia, CT 06401 Only pre-applications mailed to: Ansonia Housing Authority, Housing Choice Voucher Program Wait List, P.O. Box 191 Ansonia, CT 06401 will be processed.

Faxed, emailed, or hand delivered applications will not be accepted.

Applicants who submit more than one pre-application will be disqualified. Envelopes containing more than one pre-application will not be considered for the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program.

Be sure that another individual is not submitting a pre-application on your behalf.

The Section 8 list will open on Friday, December 1st, 2017.

Random drawing of pre-applications will be, Friday, December 22nd, 2017 in accordance with HUD regulations and the Administrative Plan of AHA. Persons with disabilities who need assistance in completing pre-application may call or come to the Ansonia Housing Authority office, 36 Main Street, Ansonia, CT 06401, (203) 736-8888. Hearing impaired can use the TDD line at 1-800-842-9710.

1. To be qualified for admission to the Section 8 Program an applicant must: a) Be a family as defined in AHA’s Administrative Plan; b) Meet the HUD requirements on citizenship or immigration status; c) Have an Annual Income at the time of admission that does not exceed the income limits established by HUD, which are posted in the AHA office; d) Document Social Security Numbers for all family members, age 6 or older, or certify that they do not have Social Security numbers (Head of Household MUST have a Social Security number to qualify); and e) Pass the criminal history screening.

1. Completed pre-applications will be accepted by mail only until the application period closes on December 15th, 2017.

1. Pre-Applications will be accepted by mail only, sent to the following address, postmarked no later than 12:00AM midnight, Friday, December 15th, 2017.

Ansonia Housing Authority Housing Choice Voucher Program Wait List P.O. Box 191 Ansonia, CT 06401 1. Be sure to include the name, social security number, date of birth and all income for every family member who will live in the household.

1. Be sure to print legibly your complete address so we may contact you if you are selected for the waiting list.

1. IMPORTANT: Do not submit more than one Pre-Application. Applicants who submit more than one pre-application will be automatically disqualified.

1. In accordance with the Section 8 Administrative Plan, if neither the household head nor spouse had a legal residence in the jurisdiction of Ansonia on the date of their initial application (pre-application), they are required to reside in Ansonia for a period of 12 months before they are eligible for portability.

1. FAMILY INFORMATION: Please Print: Name of Head of Household: _____________________________________________________________________ Current Address, Street, Apt. #: ___________________________________________________________________ Current City, State, Zip Code: ____________________________________________________________________ Current Area Code and Phone #: _________________________________________________________________ Social Security Number: ________________________________________________________________________ First and Last Name of All Family Members Social Security Number

Date of Birth

Sex

H

Relationship to head of household

Person Disabled

Head of Household

Citizen or Eligible Alien?

Y or N

Y or N

2

Y or N

Y or N

3

Y or N

Y or N

4

Y or N

Y or N

5

Y or N

Y or N

9 Family Income Information: Please list the source and amount of all income received by all family members, including yourself. Include all earnings and benefits received from AFDC/TANF, VA, Social Security, SSI, SSID, Unemployment, Worker’s Compensation, Child Support, Alimony, etc.

Income Source

Amount $

Frequency

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.

Town of Bloomfield Maintainer II

Salary $26.64 hourly For Details go to www.bloomfieldct.org Pre-employment drug testing AA/EOE Deadline to apply 12/28/17

For statistical purposes only: (Please check a box for both Race and Ethnicity) Race of Head of Household:

Ethnicity of Head of Household:

•

Caucasian/White

•

African-American/Black

•

Native American/Alaskan Native

•

Asian/Pacific Islander

•

Hispanic/Latino

•

Non-Hispanic/Latino

I/We certify that the statements in this pre-application are true to the best of your knowledge and belief and understand that they will be verified. I/We understand that any false statement made on this pre-application will cause me/us to be disqualified for admission. Warning: 18 U.S.C. 1001 provides that whoever knowingly or willfully makes or uses a document or writing containing false, fictitious or fraudulent statement or entry in any matter within the jurisdiction of a department or agency of the United States shall be fined not more than $10,000 or imprisoned for not more than 5 years or both.

Head of Household Signature Other Adult

Date

__________________________________________________________________________________________

Date

For AHA use only: Random Application #: Postmark

The Ansonia Housing Authority is an Equal Housing provider and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, disability, religion, familial status or national origin.

18

THE INNER-CITY NEWS December 06, 2017 - December 12, 2017

ANSONIA HOUSING AUTHORITY 36 MAIN STREET ANSONIA, CT 06401

Maintainer II -Water Division Performs tasks required in the maintenance, installation, repair and construction of roadways, services, hydrants, and structures relating to facilities, lines and equipment of the water system. Requires at least three (3) years employment as a Maintainer in the Water Division or in construction involving the installation and maintenance of pipe lines and related equipment OR two (2) years training in plumbing plus one (1) year of employment as a Maintainer in the Water System OR an equivalent combination of experience and training. The Town offers a competitive pay rate of $23.12 - $28.06 per hour plus an excellent fringe benefit package. Applications or resumes will be accepted until December 26, 2017 (or the date of receipt of the 50th application) at the following address: Personnel Department, Town of Wallingford, 45 South Main St., Wallingford, CT 06492, (203) 294-2080. Fax: (203) 294-2084. EOE The Wallingford Police Department is seeking qualified applicants for Police Officer. $1,206.80 weekly plus an excellent fringe benefit package. The physical performance, written and oral board exams will be administered by the South Central Criminal Justice Administration. Candidates must register at: www.PoliceApp.com/WallingfordCT. Registration/Application deadline is Wednesday, January 17, 2018. The registration requires a fee of $85.00. EOE

Assistant Facilities Manager Common Ground seeks an Assistant Facilities Manager/Custodian to be responsible for the care, upkeep and maintenance of Common Ground’s facilities. The Assistant Facilities Manager/Custodian will supervise part time custodial staff.

This is a full time, year round 40-hour per week position with benefits. Work hours will generally run from noon until 8 pm with some weekend hours required. For a more detailed job description and how to apply, please visit http:// commongroundct.org/2017/10/common-ground-seeks-an-assistant-facilitiesmanager/Common Ground seeks an Assistant Facilities Manager/Custodian to be responsible for the care, upkeep and maintenance of Common Ground’s facilities. The Assistant Facilities Manager/Custodian will supervise part time custodial staff. This is a full time, year round 40-hour per week position with benefits. Work hours will generally run from noon until 8 pm with some weekend hours required. For a more detailed job description and how to apply, please

Public Notice The Connecticut Airport Authority (CAA) hereby announces its 49 CFR Part 26 Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) plans related to FAA-assisted contracts for professional services and construction projects for federal fiscal years 2017-2019 for Bradley International and federal fiscal years 2018-2020 for the five General Aviation Airports. The proposed plan, which includes the 3-year goal and rationale, is available for inspection between 8:30 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday at Bradley International Airport, Administration Office, Terminal A, 3rd Floor, Windsor Locks, CT 06096 or on CAA’s website http://www.ctairports.org, the Bradley International Airport website http://www. bradleyairport.com for 30 days from the date of this publication.

Comments on the DBE goal will be accepted for 45 days from the date of availability of this notice and can be sent to the following: Laurie A. Sirois Manager of Grants, Procurement and Insurance Programs Connecticut Airport Authority Bradley International Airport Administration Office Terminal A, 3rd Floor Windsor Locks, CT 06096 lsirois@ctairports.org

or

Mr. Thomas Knox DBE & ACDBE Compliance Specialist FAA Western-Pacific Regional Office Los Angeles, CA 90009-2007 thomas.knox@faa.gov

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 RED Technologies, LLC is an EOE.

PRE-APLICACIÓN PARA EL PROGRAMA DE VOUCHER DE ELECCIÓN DE LA VIVIENDA DE LA SECCIÓN 8 Instrucciones: Por favor, lea con cuidado.

Solo se procesarán las aplicaciones previas sustancialmente completadas.

• Las aplicaciones previas deben tener sello postal a más tardar a las 12:00 a.m. (medianoche) del Viernes 15 de Diciembre de 2017.

• El sobre DEBE dirigirse como se muestra a continuación: Ansonia Housing Authority Housing Choice Voucher Program Wait List P.O. Box 191, Ansonia, CT 06401 • Solo se enviarán por correo las solicitudes previas a: Ansonia Housing Authority, Housing Choice Voucher Program Wait List, P.O. Box 191, Ansonia, CT 06401.

• No se aceptarán las aplicaciones enviadas por fax, correo electrónico o entregadas personalmente.

• Los solicitantes que presenten más de una pre-solicitud serán descalificados. Los sobres que contengan más de una pre-solicitud no serán considerados para el Programa de Vales de Elección de Vivienda de la Sección 8.

• Asegúrese de que otra persona no envíe una pre-solicitud en su nombre.

• La lista de la Sección 8 se abrirá el Viernes 1st de Diciembre de 2017.

• El sorteo aleatorio de pre-solicitudes será el Viernes 22 de Diciembre de 2017 de acuerdo con las regulaciones de HUD y el Plan Administrativo de AHA. • Las personas con discapacidades que necesiten asistencia para completar la preinscripción pueden llamar o presentarse en la oficina de la Autoridad de Viviendas de Ansonia, 36 Main Street, Ansonia, CT 06401, (203) 736-8888. Las personas con problemas de audición pueden usar la línea TDD al 1-800-842-9710.

1. Para ser calificado para la admisión al Programa de la Sección 8, el solicitante debe: a) Ser una familia como se define en el Plan Administrativo de AHA; b) Cumplir con los requisitos de HUD sobre ciudadanía o estado migratorio; c) Tener un Ingreso Anual en el momento de la admisión que no exceda los límites de ingresos establecidos por HUD, que se publican en la oficina de AHA; d) Documente los Números de Seguro Social para todos los miembros de la familia, de 6 años o más, o certifique que no tienen números de Seguro Social (el Jefe de familia DEBE tener un número de Seguro Social para calificar); y e) Pasar el examen de antecedentes penales.

1. Las solicitudes previas completadas solo se aceptarán por correo postal hasta que el período de solicitud se cierre el 15 de Diciembre de 2017.

2. Las solicitudes previas solo se aceptarán por correo postal, enviadas a la siguiente dirección, con sello postal a más tardar a las 12:00 a.m. la (medianoche) del Viernes 15 de Diciembre de 2017.

Ansonia Housing Authority Housing Choice Voucher Program Wait List P.O. Box 191 Ansonia, CT 06401 1. Asegúrese de incluir el nombre, número de seguro social, fecha de nacimiento y todos los ingresos de cada miembro de la familia que vivirá en el hogar.

2. Asegúrese de imprimir legiblemente su dirección completa para que podamos contactarlo si es seleccionado para la lista de espera.

3. IMPORTANTE: No envíe más de una solicitud previa. Los solicitantes que presenten más de una pre-solicitud serán automáticamente descalificados.

4. De acuerdo con el Plan Administrativo de la Sección 8, si ni el jefe de familia ni el cónyuge tenían una residencia legal en la jurisdicción de Ansonia en la fecha de su solicitud inicial (pre-solicitud), se requiere que residan en Ansonia por un período de 12 meses antes de que sean elegibles para la portabilidad.

1. NFORMACIÓN FAMILIAR:

Nombre del jefe de familia: _____________________________________________________________________ Dirección actual, Calle, Apt. #: ___________________________________________________________________ Ciudad actual, estado, código postal: _______________________________________________________________ Código de área actual y número de teléfono: _________________________________________________________ Número de seguridad social: ______________________________________________________________________ Nombre y Apellido de Todos los Miembros de la Familia Número de Seguridad Social

Fecha de nacimiento

Sexo

H

Relación con el jefe del Hogar Jefe del Hogar

Persona discapacitada

¿Ciudadano o Alienígena Elegible?

Sí o No

Sí o No

2

Sí o No

Sí o No

3

Sí o No

Sí o No

4

Sí o No

Sí o No

5

Sí o No

Sí o No

9.Información sobre el ingreso familiar: Indique la fuente y la cantidad de todos los ingresos recibidos por todos los miembros de la familia, incluido usted.

Incluya todas las ganancias y beneficios recibidos de AFDC / TANF, VA, Seguro Social, SSI, SSID, Desempleo, Compensación al Trabajador, Manutención de menores, Pensión alimenticia, etc.

Fuente de Ingresos

Monto $

Frecuencia

Solo con fines estadísticos: (Marque una casilla para Raza y Etni Raza de cabeza de familia:

Origen étnico del jefe del hogar:

•

Caucásico / Blanco

•

Afro-Americano/Negro

•

Nativo Americano / Nativo de Alaska

•

Asiático / Isleño del Pacífico

•

Hispano/Latino

•

No Hispano/Latino

Certifico / certificamos que las declaraciones en esta pre-solicitud son verdaderas según su leal saber y entender y entiendo que serán verificadas. Entiendo / entendemos que cualquier declaración falsa hecha en esta pre-solicitud me hará / nos descalificará para la admisión. Advertencia: 18 U.S.C. 1001 establece que quien intencionalmente o intencionalmente haga o use un documento o escritura que contenga una declaración o entrada falsa, ficticia o fraudulenta en cualquier asunto dentro de la jurisdicción de un departamento o agencia de los Estados Unidos será multado no más de $ 10,000 o encarcelado por no más de 5 años o ambos. _________________________________________________________________________________________ Jefe de la Firma del Hogar

Fecha

__________________________________________________________________________________________ Otro Adulto

Fecha

Para uso AHA solamente: Aplicación Aleatoria #: Sello postal

La Autoridad de Vivienda de Ansonia es un proveedor de Equal Housing y no discrimina por motivos de raza, color, discapacidad, religión, estado familiar u origen nacional.

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THE INNER-CITY NEWS December 06, 2017 - December 12, 2017

Most Millennials Feel Insecure About Finances & Life. Our Mental Health Is Suffering.

By Kelsey Stone, BlackDoctor.org

As a millennial, I always hear about mental health and mental illness. From my friends, other millennials, from the older generations, we talk about the importance of mental health all the time and how we need to confront and heal our internal wounds. Ironically, under the same breath, I constantly hear the banter of generations before us (even of those who are only 10 years old than me), about how millennials are soft, lazy, and have no sense of work ethic. It’s exhausting, to be honest. It’s

tiring having to defend your generation, and bring up facts and receipts (like people ask for), just to have our struggles and views turned down, belittled, and minimized. This only adds to the struggle millennials carry when it comes to mental health.

As we close out 2017 and enter into 2018, I think it’s time that we start taking the mental health of millennials seriously. Millennials are becoming more vocal about the mistreatment and mental abuse we’re facing and we just seem to be getting swept under the rug and ignored. When-

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ever millennials voice the struggles we’re facing, we’re always deemed as dramatic and complaining, when in reality, we’re dealing with issues (and sometimes in silence) that are crippling our ability to maneuver at work, in social settings, or just society in general.

Millennials are living in a confusing time right now. We are constantly being told to achieve higher, yet generations before us aren’t giving us the opportunity to do so. Every day someone is calling us lazy and entitled, while many of us can barely make ends meet. When we do have a job, we get paid the bare minimum, we barely have health coverage, and most likely it’s not related to the area we earned our degree in.

How can we take mental health, especially in the Black community, seriously if our issues are being seen as less than?

Millennials are facing challenges that most people from older generations can’t fathom. For starters, millennials can’t afford higher education. The cost of college is getting out of control. Millennials are the most educated, yet the most underpaid generation in history. The percentage of us living at home with our parents is on the rise.

Millennials have two or three streams of income not because we want to, but because we have to. When the only jobs we can get are those that only pay $10 per hour with no health benefits, that only leads us to buy our basic (and I do mean basic) needs of living: soap, beauty products, and clothes. If we want to move out of our parent’s home and afford the extended necessities (as I call them) in life such as a car and medical expenses, we need to think beyond society’s norm to attain the lifestyle we want and to build wealth. This is daunting and mentally draining in a time when there aren’t

20

that many job opportunities.

Due to us being paid at such a low rate, most millennials still depend on… ….our parents for financial and emotional support. It can be embarrassing for some because they’ve worked so hard for so little. What’s even more daunting is when your parents, older relatives, or elders, in general, talk to millennials about their life endeavors as if they’re doing something wrong.

Many elders love to compare generational lifestyles and talk about how millennials aren’t ready for the real world when that’s simply not true.

We are ready. We are ready to work and we want to work. We, millennials, will not settle for less, nor will we work jobs that don’t fulfill us. We’ve watched our parents and grandparents live in the “real world,” working jobs that hate and leaving behind dreams due to financial and emotional restraints.

The problem is no one wants to talk about to root of the complications within millennials. Elders love talking how when they were in their 20’s they could buy a house, buy a car, pay for school, etc., but somehow manage to forget the economy and job market in the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s was drastically different from what it is in 2017.

It’s easy to talk about all your accomplishments when you didn’t have to go through the same obstacles to achieve them. Elders can’t belittle millennials and treat us as if we’re unsuccessful when we’re put in a position not to grow.

It’s bad enough we deal with these type of scenarios from relatives and their friends, but social media sends millennials the same messages our elders send us. Social media has become a breeding ground for insecurities. Every day, there’s a chance millennials come across a post that will trigger a

current or past emotion. Whether it’s the praising of women who have unrealistic standards of beauty, people (making illegal money sometimes) flaunting their vacations, or even the number of likes someone gets on a post, the activity on social media has discreetly become a determining factor of success.

With all of this going on, I think it’s time that we become more understanding and no so hard on millennials. We’re already at a disadvantage, and the added commentary and judgment doesn’t improve our situation, it adds to it. I’m pretty sure elders didn’t have their lives altogether by the time they were 25, so why is there such a demand for millennials to be perfect? This pressure put on it affects our mental health and our opportunity to grow. Times are changing; the economy, the job market, the lifestyle, and the gender roles of the world aren’t what they used to be in the 60’s. It was easy for the elders to go to school, find a job, and have kids because they grew up in more stable time.

Millennials are dealing with the fact we are the most vacation-deprived generation of all time, we are in the most student debt, we usually don’t know if our jobs (if we have any) will last long or if there’s any growth in the company, and it’s crazy that we live in a time when a white high school dropout can make more money than college graduates of color. We are in a position where we have to unlearn traditional gender norms, reteach older generations how their religious actions were problematic and caused trauma to us, and teach the future generation how to convey their feelings and stress in a healthy way.

Before you ask about our life, before you compare generations and why don’t we have a job or aren’t in a relationship, please understand that most millennials are already feeling insecure about finances and life. Don’t pass judgement, lend a hand.

THE INNER-CITY NEWS December 06, 2017 - December 12, 2017

Robert Saulsbury aul h s sb

al

in

vi

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coac

Basketball Invitational

tat i o n

12:00 pm - 1:30 pm Career High School Vs. Weaver High School 1:45 pm - 3:00 pm Creed High School Vs. Amistad High School 3:30 pm - 4:45 pm Career (girls) High School Vs. Mercy (girls) High School 5:00 pm - 5:30 pm Awards Ceremony Honoring Wanda Gibbs

•

Judge Ed Dolan

•

Coach Jim Calhoun

5:30 pm - 7:00 pm Hillhouse High School Vs. Windsor High School 7:15 pm - 8:45 pm Wibur Cross High Vs. Roosevelt High, New York

Wilbur Cross High School 181 Mitchell Drive, New Haven, CT 06511 Wednesday, Dec. 27, 2017 - 12:00 pm - 8:45 pm Donation: $5.00 Students • $10.00 Adults Proceeds to Benefit The Robert H. Saulsbury Scholarship Fund Refreshments available for sale

Contact: 203-376-1385

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Michel’le:

THE INNER-CITY NEWS December 06, 2017 - December 12, 2017

Whose Streets?

A Survivor 30 Years In The Making

by T. R. Causay, Social Reporter, BDO

DVD Review by Kam Documentary Revisits Police Shooting That Launched Black Lives Matter Movement On August 9, 2014, Mike Brown was shot a half-dozen times by police officer Darren Wilson on the streets of Ferguson, Missouri, a predominantlyblack suburb of St. Louis. Because several eyewitnesses said the 18 yearold had his hands up at the time, the incident triggered nationwide civil unrest which gave rise to the Black Lives Matter movement.

But Wilson was not even indicted by the grand jury which deemed his testimony credible. He claimed to have pulled the trigger in self defense after Brown had punched him and tried to grab his gun. The legal case divided the country along color lines in the same way as the O.J. Simpson trial, with African-Americans generally feeling that cops are too quick to shoot young black men, and most whites being inclined to give law enforcement the benefit of the doubt.

Co-directed by Damon Davis and Sabaah Folayan, Whose Streets? is an incendiary documentary which revisits the tragedy in partisan fashion, arguing entirely in favor of Brown’s innocence while conveniently ignoring the mountain of evidence which ultimately exonerated Wilson. Granted, this provocative polemic might serve as a Black Lives Matter recruiting tool, but it is likely to be of little value to any truth seeker interested in an impartial investigation.

After all, there was video proof that

Brown and Dorian Johnson had robbed a convenience store just 3 minutes before the encounter with Wilson who was summoned to the scene by a police dispatcher. Furthermore, the county, federal and independent autopsies corroborated the cop’s story while simultaneously refuting Johnson’s claim that his accomplice had been shot in the back and with his hands up. After an exhaustive investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice, even Attorney General Eric Holder concluded that Wilson was innocent.

So, what’s dismaying about Whose Streets? is how its presentation of a thief as an altar boy flies in the face of Dr. Martin Luther King’s appeal that black people be judged not by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. Why make Mike Brown the poster child for the Black Lives Matter movement, when there are so many martyrs far more deserving, like Trayvon Martin, Jordan Davis and Tamir Rice, to name a few?

A soulful cinematic sermon elevating a sinner to sainthood for the sake of an uncritical Amen choir still in denial about the truth of the Mike Brown case!

Good (2 stars) Rated R for ethnic slurs, mature themes and pervasive profanity Running time: 101 minutes Distributor: Magnolia Home Entertainment

Michel’le Denise Toussaint, better known simply as Michel’le is the platinum recording artist, songwriter, and author you probably remember during the early to mid 90’s. During the height of her success she had hits with N.W.A., Ruthless records and by herself like, “Nicety” and “Something In My Heart.”

But her soft, sweet voice and buttery R&B vocals hit the pain of an abusive relationship that took time to heal.

Michel’le was originally a featured female vocalist on World Class Wreckin’ Cru’s 1987 single “Turn Off the Lights.” Soon she caught the attention of Eazy-E and signed to his label. Dr. Dre served as the sole producer on the South Central native’s self-titled debut album and because they worked so closely in a professional manner, their relationship soon became intimate.

During their relationship, which included parenthood and an engagement, Dre raised his hand to Michel’le several times. According to Michel’le he broke her nose, cracked her ribs and blackened her eyes. The relationship prompted a downward spiral into substance abuse for the singer.

“When you’re living in it, you can’t see it. But I couldn’t believe that I was really living like that,” she recently said during an interview with The Huffington Post. “And it really resonated with me. Never did I wake up and ask Dre, ‘Why did you hit me?’”

Michel’le detailed the abuse in a recent interview with The Breakfast Club. “When he gave me my very first black eye, we laid in the bed and cried,” she said on the morning show.

“He was crying and I was crying because I was in shock, hurt and in pain.

I don’t know why he was crying, but he said ‘I’m really sorry.’ That was the only time he ever said he was really sorry. And he said, ‘I’ll never hit you in that eye again, okay?’“ She said in the interview that he kept that promise, but hit her in other places — “I have scars that are just amazing,” she told the show.

“I never went to the police because –” Toussaint paused to collect herself before continuing. “Because I didn’t know any different and I thought it was a form of love and I didn’t know any better. Can I just leave it right there?”

Dr. Dre confronted abuse allegations

22

during the Straight Outta Compton press tour, telling Rolling Stone, “I made some f**king horrible mistakes in my life…

“I was young, fucking stupid,” he continued. “I would say all the allegations aren’t true — some of them are. Those are some of the things that I would like to take back. It was really fucked up. But I paid for those mistakes, and there’s no way in hell that I will ever make another mistake like that again.”

In 1999, Michel’le found some peace with Death Row Records founder Suge Knight. The two married and welcomed a daughter Bailei, now 14.

Although, the marriage was invalid because Knight was still married to another woman.

Since then, Michel’le’s story was told in a Lifetime movie and she continues to tour and sing all over the country.

Con’t from page 14

The Best Way To Prevent High Blood Pressure 100-proof spirits.

The connection between high blood pressure and smoking has not been determined. However, every time you smoke, it causes a temporary increase in your blood pressure. Smoking also increases the risk for the buildup of plaque (fatty substances) inside the arteries and high blood pressure is known to accelerate that process.

The Number One Modifiable Risk Factor Of all the controllable risk factors, maintaining a healthy weight throughout life may be your best defense against high blood pressure.

In a recent study presented at the American Heart Association (AHA) Council on Hypertension, AHA Council on Kidney in Cardiovascular Disease, American Society of Hypertension Joint Scientific Sessions 2017 in San Francisco, researchers analyzed the impact of maintaining healthy lifestyle behaviors on blood pressure levels over 25 years. The lifestyle behaviors evaluated were: healthy body weight; never smoking; less than seven alcoholic drinks weekly for women and less than 14 for men;150 minutes or more moderate to vigorous physical activity per week; and eating a healthy diet, based on the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension eating plan.

At the end of the study, researchers found those who maintained optimal body weight were 41 percent less likely to have an increasing blood pressure as they aged. Also, those who maintained at least four health behaviors were 27 percent more likely to have a normal blood pressure from early adulthood through middle age.

Bottom Line. Maintaining a healthy body weight throughout life may be your best defense against high blood pressure. But that doesn’t mean you should forget about the other lifestyle factors that contribute to your risk for developing high blood pressure.

Moderate physical activity, eating a healthy well balanced diet, and limiting alcohol consumption are all linked to maintaining a healthy weight. Together all lifestyle factors can reduce your risk for high blood pressure.

Constance Brown-Riggs, MSEd, RD, CDE, CDN is a registered dietitian, certified diabetes educator, national speaker and author of The African American Guide to Living Well with Diabetes. She is a Dannon One Yogurt Every Day Nutrition Advisor.

THE INNER-CITY NEWS December 06, 2017 - December 12, 2017

BUSHNELL.ORG • 860-987-5900

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Cynthia Erivo and the cast of THE COLOR PURPLE on Broadway. Photo by Matthew Murphy, 2016.

DECEMBER 5-10

THE INNER-CITY NEWS December 06, 2017 - December 12, 2017

Is your home ready for the holidays? With Xfinity, it can be.

When all your guests arrive, will your home be ready? Xfinity is America’s Best Internet Provider, according to Speedtest.net, and delivers speed and reliability for everyone’s devices. And, by simply speaking into the X1 Voice Remote, your friends and family will have quick and easy access to Netflix and YouTube, and everyone can enjoy their favorite shows, movies and videos.

So who will have you ready for the holidays? Xfinity will.

S A L E E N D S D E C E M B E R 1 0 TH Xfinity TV & Internet

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Go to xfinity.com, call 1-800-XFINITY or visit your local Xfinity Store today.

Restrictions apply. Not available in all areas. New residential customers only. Limited to Digital Starter TV and Performance 25 Mbps Internet. Early termination fee applies if all Xfinity services (except Xfinity Mobile) are cancelled during the agreement term. Equipment, taxes and fees, including Broadcast TV Fee (up to $8.00/mo.), Regional Sports Fee (up to $6.50/mo.) and other applicable charges extra, and subject to change during and after promo. After applicable promo, or if any service is cancelled or downgraded, regular rates apply. Comcast service charge for X1 DVR service (including HD Technology Fee) is $19.95 more/mo. (subject to change). Service limited to a single outlet. May not be combined with other offers. TV: Limited Basic service subscription required to receive other levels of service. Access to Netflix on Xfinity X1 requires an eligible X1 set-top box with Xfinity TV and Internet service. Netflix and YouTube on X1 uses your Internet service and will count against any Xfinity data plan. Netflix requires streaming membership. Limited 4K programming available. Requires Netflix premium package, 4K capable TV Box and 4K capable television. Streaming content limited to the U.S. Internet: Best Internet service provider claim based on download speeds measured by over 111 million tests taken by consumers at Speedtest.net. Actual speeds vary and are not guaranteed. Mobile: New Xfinity Internet customers limited to up to two lines pending activation of Internet service. Prepaid card offer ends 12/10/17 and is limited to new residential customers. Must subscribe to Starter TV (or above) and Xfinity post-paid Internet service with term agreement. Limited to new Xfinity Mobile residential customers adding a new mobile line with purchase of mobile device. Porting existing mobile number required. Mobile order required within seven days of installation of Xfinity Internet. Call for restrictions and complete details. © 2017 Comcast. All rights reserved.

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11/21/17 6:29 PM