INNER-CITY INNER-CITY
Malloy To Dems: Ignore “Tough On Crime” Malloy To Dems: Ignore “Tough On Crime”
Big Check Comes With Big $ For Police
by THOMAS BREEN
Nearly a $1 million worth of federal earmarks are en route to the city’s police department to help pay for a virtual reality driving simulator, an expanded police training center library, and a revived local law enforcement “cadet” program.
Mayor Justin Elicker, Police Chief Karl Jacobson, Asst. Police Chief Bertram Ettiene, and U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro detailed that federal funding award and those local spending plans during a Monday afternoon press conference at 200 Wintergreen Ave.
Standing in the police department training center’s fitness room, surrounded by intimidatingly heavy workout equipment, DeLauro handed over an oversized check for $963,000 secured as part of over $16 million inlocal “community project funding,” formally known as “earmarks,” that DeLauro’s office first announced in March.
According to Jacobson and Elicker, this funding will support:
• A new virtual reality driving simulator, designed to help police officers train how
to get safely to emergency calls without actually wearing down physical vehicles for practice. Jacobson said that far too many police officer injuries and deaths occur during vehicle crashes while responding to calls for help. This simulator will allow officers to learn how to drive safely to such calls, while doing all the other things that need to be done while driving including putting on the vehicle’s lights and sirens and answering other urgent calls.
• An expanded police training center library. Jacobson said New Haven already has such a library at its Sherman Parkway police building. He said such libraries are required by Connecticut’s Police Officer Standards and Training Council (POST). They include not just law enforcement training manuals and other job-specific texts for officers, but also books on a variety of topics designed to be useful for community members, he said. The expanded library will move from Sherman Parkway to Wintergreen Avenue.
• A revived “cadet” program that will be open for 12- to 18-year-old New Haveners, and, as Jacobson and Ettienne put it,
will serve as a sort of local ROTC for local kids who one day, after they turn 21, might want to become a city police officer. They described this as a transitional program between the existing Police Athletic League (PAL) programs, which already serve hundreds of kids, and the testing and training and certification required to become an actual police officer. Ettienne said that local “cadets” will learn everything about the daily operations of the police department, and will be uniquely prepared to try out for the department when they turn 21.
Elicker and DeLauro added that these funds will also go to support the police department’s “FUSUS real-time video and data fusion system,” allowing for the department to receive video footage from privately owned cameras around town where the private operators voluntarily opt in.
Along with the recently ratified police union contract which is now before the Board of Alders for review and a final vote Elicker described this federal grant as providing a “huge help” for supporting community policing, police officer training, and police officer recruitment.
Creative U Brings The Masterclass To Artists
By Abiba Biao
Petra-Ann Brown was dropping knowledge left and right, and an audience of two dozen arts entrepreneurs held onto every piece of it. One minute, she urged attendees to track their expenses. The next, she pointed to the importance of finding resources—especially those that already exist—to fund projects. Before finishing, she noted the importance of having an emergency savings fund.
Last Saturday, Brown joined artists, activists, and creative entrepreneurs at the first annual Creative U, a two-days arts leadership conference held between the Canal Dock Boathouse, Southern Connecticut State University (SCSU) and several arts locations in the city. A celebration of art and artists in Connecticut, the conference marked a burgeoning collaboration between Sweets & Sounds Entertainment, New Haven’s Department of Cultural Affairs and the Connecticut Office of the Arts.
Meant to mirror a university welcome week, participants picked one of three “majors” to specialize in: the creative workforce major, the creative leadership major, or the entrepreneurship major. From their selection, they received corresponding workshops and lessons based on their discipline. It is an outgrowth of the Sweets & Sounds Convention, which most recently came to New Haven in a day-long conference at NXTHVN last year.
“It's just focused on, at the core, giving people everything they need for them to
succeed, in whatever field that they decide to go to,” said Sweets & Sounds Founder Angel Dahfay, who has been growing the brand since 2020. “[Whether] that's being an entrepreneur or trying to take your talent somewhere else and working for a company and doing that.”
“We're here to really bring community together, to help inspire and enliven the creative ecosystem through this collaboration,” added Kolton Harris, himself an artist and a program associate at the Connecticut Office of the Arts.
In Brown’s workshop on financial literacy—part of the entrepreneurship major— that vision was in full swing. As she spoke at the front of a room in the Adanti Student Center, Romeo(who declined to give their last name) took notes feverishly. An actor based in Hartford, Romeo said they were inspired to attend Creative U based on a suggestion from Dahfay.
Originally in the nonprofit sector, Romeo first changed their career outlook in 2018 when they enrolled in a college-level acting class in California. There, they discovered their love for being in front of the camera and grabbing the attention of onlookers.
“Over the course of my first year there, I was like, ‘Oh, I'm an artist. This is, this is something I was born to do,’ and started that very fulfilling but vulnerable journey of betting on myself in the smallest and biggest increments that I could every step of the way,” they said.
As a multidisciplinary artist, Romeo credited Creative U with helping them find
their next creative steps, adding that they released their new line of handbags over the summer. They also mentioned that they found the lectures in the creative leadership major helpful.
“It's been so good to be around other creatives, and it's helping me take myself more seriously in the areas that I need to,” they said. “It was just really great to get tangible [advice and] not [focus on] this
ethereal concept of like, ‘Oh yeah, I'm an artist,’ but being like, ‘Okay, what do you actually need to do? What are the steps you need to take to make this shit happen?’”
Leaving the financial workshop, paraprofessional Mike Lasky also found himself more aware of resources around him. Following Brown’s teaching, he said he plans to place a stronger emphasis on creating connections and collaborating with others.
“It's really about knowing whatever you don't know, like, the lack of knowledge is ignorance, right?,” he said. “So I'd say, like we're ignorant to the programs we could receive, or we're ignorant to opportunities that we could have just from knowing someone that might be doing something that's in the same realm of what we do, right?”
A Bridgeport native, Lasky works in education as a paraprofessional, but hopes to pivot into the music industry on a managerial level. He wants to offer a friendlier alternative to artists in comparison to signing exploitative record deals, he said. More specifically, he hopes to help small artists find creative direction, market their products, and solidify profitable distribution deals.
“If the artist is up for it, and they have a strong work ethic, they're good at building community, then they can go direct to consumer instead of going through these different [channels], it's a better way to build community,” he said.
While parental responsibilities have hindered him from embarking on his entrepreneurial journey, Lasky now says he feels equipped to start his own music promotion business and had some advice for others.
“For anybody that's really trying to do something and is creative, be outside and be accessible, talk to people,” he said, “because if you're not talking to people and you're not moving around, or you're talking to the same group of people and doing the same thing all the time, you're not going to figure out anything else.”
THOMAS BREEN PHOTO Chief Jacobson, Rep. DeLauro, Mayor Elicker, and Asst. Chief Ettienne: Show me the money.
Angel Dahfay and Kolton Harris. Abiba Biao Photos.
The new haven independent
The new haven independent
A Writer Turns Her Lens On Spiritual & Mental Health
Lucy Gellman
It wasn't Sunday morning, but church was fully in session. Stefon Hawkins lifted the mic to his lips, ready to sing. "Hallelujah! Glory to ya!" he proclaimed. The words, sweet and round, drifted through the building, weaving through keys and percussion. "Hallelujah!" In the first pew, Wydell Sims and Brenda Ward rose to their feet, the music flowing through them. "We magnify your name!"
Between the pews, Isaiah Providence bent at the waist, steadied his hands, and began to film. From the side of the church, it looked like he was praying.
That was the scene on Shelton Avenue Monday afternoon, as work began on the film Pastors Cry In The Dark at St. Mary's U.F.W.B. Church. Written and directed by Andrea Daniels-Singleton, the film aims to spread a mental health message to churches across Connecticut, where faith leaders may be holding more than they can carry on belief alone.
Last week, she welcomed New Haveners into the process, blending real-life faith and family ties with hours of filming. For her, it's the only way to do this kind of work. The film lives under her production company, A2A Productions, and is supported by the New Haven Artist Corps.
"In my professional and personal life, I've encountered many people suffering silently, afraid to seek professional help, and or not willing to acknowledge the need due to shame, pride, or lack of education and resources," she said by email after a full afternoon of filming. "A2A's motto is, 'We'll put a face to your pain' ... I pray this project promotes the importance of self-freedom, self-care, and healthy mind health."
Work around Pastors Cry In The Dark began in 2018, when Daniels-Singleton launched a series of monologues called "The Cry Within Project." Designed to shatter stigma and educate listeners around social taboos, the project grew steadily each year, as she added both new writing and new voices to the work. No theme was off limits: Daniels-Singleton wrote about molestation, HIV and AIDS, divorce, domestic violence, LGBTQ+ acceptance and suicidality among other topics.
At some point, she began to explore the heavy weight that often falls on faith leaders, sometimes the only confidantes and counselors that their congregants turn to. She learned that "75 percent of pastors report feeling severe stress and 70 percent don't have close friends," she said. What she discovered both surprised her and seemed obvious, like it had been there all along. A daughter of West Hills, Daniels-Singleton grew up in the church, surrounded by faith leaders and gospel musicians. Several of her elders were preachers or pastors; so was her mom, the late Predency Daniels. Her aunt, 102-year-old Apostle Martha V. Green, founded St. Mary's 52 years ago. The church has al-
ways been her second home. "Witnessing the responsibility and expectations assigned to pastors grieved my heart," she said. When she started to do research, she found that stress, burnout, exhaustion and physical isolation remained extremely high among pastors, particularly during the Covid-19 pandemic.
And yet, "admitting it [that stress] is almost non-existent in conversation," she said. She wanted to change that at the pulpit. The arts were just her vehicle to do that.
On a recent Monday, that vision was well underway by early afternoon, as bright October sunlight streamed through the stained glass windows of the church, and Providence began setting up equipment on the sides of the sanctuary. In a back room, makeup artist Latonya Daniels-Jackson set down her tools on a counter, and got to work.
Tanya E. Randall, a real-life minister who also runs a production company, sat down in front of her. She closed her eyes, and Daniels-Jackson got to work.
"This means a lot because she's getting the message out," said Randall, who took over Hamden's Wayfaring Ministries when her father retired last year. "Exhaustion is something that's big in the faith community—you are not always able to bow out. You do need those channels to talk about it."
As a minister herself, she doesn't just appreciate the film: she understands it on a level that is nearly cellular. When she took the role, Randall was in the midst of Interruptions, an eight-part course from Rev. Odell Montgomery Cooper on trauma-informed healing. It helped her understand the heavy—and dangerous—burden that faith leaders often tried to shoulder alone.
"A lot of times, people may not receive something across the pulpit," she said.
But when it comes to the big screen, that understanding shifts. For better or worse, they may be more receptive to the message through film.
The words echoed for Daniels-Jackson, a self-described "God girl" who believes that her faith saved her life. Born and raised in New Haven, Daniels-Jackson grew up doing hair and makeup for her three younger sisters, her mom and her friends. But after leaving the Elm City for Atlanta, she started working as a stripper, and felt like she was coming apart at the seams.
"I was wilin'," she said. It was religion that led her back to the work that gave her meaning.
"God saved me girl," she said to Randall as she grabbed a pair of tweezers off the counter, and gently approached one eyebrow. "He gently tapped me on the
"It means that I have a desire and a calling to reach out to those that need help," he said. "This conversation should happen! We carry our own personal lives, the burden of our family, our friends, our siblings and the church. It feels overwhelming."
Back in the sanctuary, two dozen parishioners-turned-extras filled the pews, dressed in long dresses, crisp suits and a few wide-brimmed church hats trimmed with ribbon. Seated in the first pew with her daughter, church Elder Lillie Raper, Apostle Green soaked in the scene around her, watching as Providence checked in with Daniels-Singleton and musicians took their places across from the choir. Over five decades ago, Green started the church on her faith, and the belief that people needed the spiritual community. She still remembers her first sermon, on the moment God promises that he will be with Joshua just as he was with Moses. The rest was history: she served as pastor until her 98th trip around the sun four years ago. It was a given that she would be front and center in the film.
"It's awesome to look at where we came from and where we are now," she said. "You see the fruit of our work. When you look back over the years and see what God brought you, you thank God for what you came through."
Up front, Daniels-Singleton called the room to attention: the filming was about to begin. Holding his camera, Providence looked out over the crowd with an easy smile. Last year, he met Daniels-Singleton after she reached out, looking for someone to film her annual monologues. While he attends church elsewhere in the city, he was interested in Daniels-Singleton’s message, and excited to help.
"Just act as if the camera is not here," he said. He comes by a measured, methodical sort of patience naturally: when he’s not filming out in New Haven, he’s a teacher at Cooperative Arts & Humanities High School. "And you're praising the most high power."
shoulder and he said, 'You wilin.'" She felt a calling to go home. The rest is history.
Now "it's not really the makeup and hair that I love, it's the way that it makes people feel," she said. "It's the conversations."
She kept those going as Randall rose, a vision in emerald green, and Apostle J. Kelly Edge II took her place. Born and raised in the church—"it was chosen for me," he said with a laugh—Edge plays the titular Pastor Blake, whose discussion of stress and isolation comes in the form of a sermon.
It's a role that feels natural: Of the 58 years he's lived in New Haven, he's been speaking in churches for 47 of them, including at Pitts Chapel when he was just 11 years old. He's now a pastor at Breaking Chains Cathedral of Miracles Church, which operates out of a storefront on Treadwell Street in Hamden.
With that single direction, a praise team assembled, Hawkins leading the charge. As he brought the mic to his mouth, a spirit began to move through the space, sound welling up from the floor and radiating out from the singers gathered at the front. Marissa Kendrick turned her head, voice lifted, and raised her outstretched hands toward the ceiling.
Beside her, Izaiah Brockington closed his eyes for a moment and let the music move through him without missing a note. Among the pews, people had begun to dance, some brought to their feet by the sound. Beneath the neat brim of her hat, Monya Saunders swayed from side to side, pointing to the ceiling as Hawkins sang “We praise your naaaaame!” Four rows back, Marisol Wilk jumped up and began to groove, as if it was a party. With assistance, Green stood and wrapped her arms around herself.
Self-described church mother Loretta Samuels and Elder Donald Brown.
Green with Goldie Toney and Lillie Raper.
Dems Rally On Dixwell For Harris
by JABEZ CHOI
With a closing pitch centering abortion access and worker power, local and state elected officials gathered on Dixwell Avenue to rally for Democratic candidates up and down the ballot especially Vice President Kamala Harris in her presidential contest with former President Donald Trump.
That rally, which was organized by New Haven’s Democratic Town Committee, was held at 9 a.m. outside Dixwell Avenue’s Q House and saw the congregation of around 100 New Haveners, labor organizers, and staunch Democratic voters.
The rally took place less than two weeks before election day on Nov. 5, when Harris squares off against Republican nominee and former President Donald Trump. Nationwide, and in seven key swing states, that race is effectively tied. “We cannot stand on the sidelines when we see what is going on around the nation. It is a weird group of people that is running for office,” Mayor Justin Elicker said, referencing Trump. “We have an incredible woman in Kamala Harris that has fought her entire life to support the underserved in our community.”
At the front of the crowd watching each speaker was Cherene Cotter, who enthusiastically shouted as each official gave their pitch. Sporting a bright red UNITE HERE Local 217 shirt, Cotter had traveled down from Hartford to New Haven Saturday morning to attend the rally. Though no longer a hospitality service worker, Cotter wears the shirt to show her solidarity for the hospitality workers union group, which represents the new-contract-winning Omni hotel workers.
Right now, Cotter is most concerned about abortion protections and immigration rights. In 2003, she immigrated from Jamaica to the United States, where she would start a new life.
“When I look at America, [it] represents freedom to me. When I was back in Jamaica, I didn’t have a lot. I was so humble,” Cotter said. “But when I got the opportunity to come to America, that was the beginning of my family. So to have a president come in and deport immigrants… I can’t do that.”
Besides immigration and women’s rights, U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro reminded rally-goers on Saturday about the dangers of Project 2025, a far-right think tank’s proposal that calls for federal policy changes like dismantling the Affordable Care Act, cuts to social security, eliminating the Department of Education, and enforcing a national ban on abortion.
“This is not a wish list. It is a to-do list,” DeLauro warned audience members, noting that she sees bills of similar
nature come across the House Appropriations Committee, where she is the ranking member (and former chair).
Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz emphasized the mistakes of the Democratic party in 2016 in the first battle against Trump with then-Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton. At the time, Bysiewicz said that the party became “complacent.”
“The polls looked really good,” Bysiewicz said. “We didn’t do the doorknocking. We didn’t do the phone calls, the texting that we should have done.”
Bysiewicz then noted that Harris would sign a federal abortion rights bill to restore abortion access. She also pointed to the power of labor organizing efforts, highlighting the recent victories for workers at the Hyatt Regency Greenwich and the Omni Hotel in New Haven. And after ending her speech with a plea for all voters to vote “Row A all the way,” she emphasized early voting, which started on Oct. 21 and will continue until Nov. 3.
Toward the end of the rally, 14 alders, led by Board of Alders Majority Leader Richard Furlow, spoke of the rhetoric of voting for the “lesser of two evils.” Furlow disagreed with this sentiment.
“There’s nothing evil about our party,” Furlow said. “We are fighting for freedom.”
Other speakers included Gov. Ned Lamont, U.S. Sens. Chris Murphy and Richard Blumenthal, state Treasurer Erick Russell, state Comptroller Sean Scanlon, and State Sen. President Martin Looney, among others.
After speeches, rally-goers signed up for neighborhood routes and grabbed green bags with campaign literature drops to leave on doorsteps. Others returned to DeLauro’s headquarters to make more literature to disperse. And some left to phonebank New Haven residents to sway more votes to the blue ticket.
R. Michelle said she came to the rally skeptical. Michelle identifies as neither a Democrat nor a Republican. She said she’s not “hardcore” against any particular person, and she wanted to hear the rally speakers and see if her opinions would be swayed. The pressing topics for Michelle are the economy and abortion, but not in the same way they’re pressing for Cotter. She’s a self-identified pro-life Christian.
“As a woman, I understand and I’ve had some thoughts and questions on it,” Michelle said. “But at the end of the day, if we can save the lives that are coming into this world, then I believe you should.”
But ultimately, Michelle said she doesn’t want to see differences turn into hatred: “We need everybody to come together and really see the value in each other.”
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JABEZ CHOI PHOTOS Cherene Cotter: "To have a president come in and deport immigrants… I can’t do that.”
U.S. Sen Blumenthal (right) addresses Saturday's crowd.
Non-partisan R. Michelle: “We need everybody to come together and really see the value in each other.”
New Haven congresswoman Rosa DeLauro: "[Project 2025] is not a wish list. It is a to-do list."
The new haven independent
Mzansi Magic where she played ‘Winnie.’
November 05, 2024
Her international debut was in ‘The Underground Railroad’ an American fantasy historical drama series based on the novel ‘The Underground Railroad’ written by
“I love to worship,” Wilk said, joking that she was grateful for an unexpected kind of bonus day after Sunday. “I love to praise the Lord. He’s my everything. He’s my life, my healer, my deliverer.”
sion series ‘The Underground Railroad.’ She won the ‘Critics Choice Television Awards’ for ‘Best Actress in a Miniseries or Television Movie’ for her role ‘Cora Randall’ in ‘The Underground Railroad.’
In her keynote speech at TheWrap’s Power Women Summit, Thuso Mbedu tearfully spoke of how she overcame the loss of her dear parents, grandmother, and aunt. But her role in Amanda Lane’s ‘IS’THUNZI’
Performance by an Actress’ for her role ‘Winnie Bhengu’ in the television drama series ‘IS’THUNZI.’
posed to feel like,” she said.
In 2021, she was nominated for the ‘Television Critics Association Award’ (Individual Achievement in Drama), the
Back at the front, Hawkins finished on a triumphal note, and watched as Daniels-Singleton jogged to the front of the church. After a hushed tete-a-tete with Providence, she announced that attendees were going to do the scene again. Nobody seemed to mind.
“My hope for this project … is that it encourages pastors all around the world, to know you're not alone,” she said afterwards. As sheaves of light came through the window, those words came to life over and over again. No sooner had the praise team finished, for instance, than the choir rose, and Melissa “MeMe” Johnson took the mic. As Daniels-Singleton appeared ready to conduct them, Johnson burst into song, the sound coming from somewhere deep in her ribcage.
It was enough to catch Loretta Samuels and Elder Donald Brown by divine surprise. Both sprang to their feet, arms raised to the ceiling in praise, As she listened, percussion came back in under Johnson’s voice with a jingling, rhythmic tambourine. Samuels began to weep openly. After attending the church for 23 years, she can’t enter the space without feeling “the holy spirit coming around,” she said.
Further back, Dawn Herring let the spirit move her too. While St. Mary's isn't usually her church—she attends St. Matthew's nearby on Dixwell Avenue—she was intrigued when she heard about the project from Daniels-Singleton, who is her fiancé's cousin. Monday, she brought her daughter, seven-year-old Kiarra Henry, and a five-week-old child who she is fostering.
"I think it's very interesting!" she said. "We think about our point of view when we come to church, but the pastors—who do they turn to? They just have a lot of weight on them.”
“It feels like a Sunday,” Kiarra chimed in.
Herring smiled. “And that’s what it’s sup-
“…my world was that blur, until Amanda Lane happened in 2016. The role that Amanda Lane gave me was the difference between life and death for me. Receiving that audition brief, I told myself that I would audition like it was my last audition. I gave it the last of everything that I had, that at the time I got the callback, I had nothing left. I secretly made the decision not to do the callback because I had nothing left to give. But fortunately, I received the callback. So I didn’t do the callback because the role was mine. I had given up. I was in a very dark place at the time, and the character, the role, the opportunity, was a much needed light. And I told myself that I will act as if it was the last character that I will play. And through a great script and an amazing director, I earned two International Emmy Awards for that role…”
Her words rang true moments later, as Edge II took a seat behind the pulpit, Randall on one side and Sampson Denny on the other. Gone were his soft, long-sleeved t-shirt and slacks, replaced with thick, blue-and-silver vestments that glowed beneath the light. When he stood, it felt like the whole church momentarily held its breath.
He greeted the congregation, then pressed his palms to the pulpit. Providence silently adjusted his equipment, getting the whole thing on camera.
“Praise the Lord everybody,” he began, and already there were murmurs of Mmmmm and yes yes in the pews, drifting forward from all sides. “God is good, isn’t he?”
Edge let himself step into the transformation, becoming Pastor Blake. He told the congregation he would be vulnerable, and received nods and murmurs of approval in return. In the sanctuary, attendees were suspended between two worlds: their reallife churches, where their pastors may be facing severe stress and emotional burnout, and St. Mary’s, where they were extras in an afternoon film shoot.
“Every Sunday I say let Jesus fix it for you,” he continued, and congregants hung onto every word. “When I really should be saying, let Jesus fix it for us! Yeah, you heard me, let him fix it for us!”
He described the levels of burnout and exhaustion that pastors often carry— a topic that is so taboo, he had declined to comment on it even in private, during an interview before the camera started rolling. In the pews in front of him, the murmuring was now a humming, buzzing thing, alive and ready to receive his words. He asked for the recognition that he, too, was human—even if he had a direct line to the divine.
“God chooses imperfect people for leadership,” he said, his voice rising with the words. In the church, now bathed in late afternoon light, it felt like a call to action. “Cover us in prayer, not gossip. Before you disgrace, embrace, and extend grace.”
Sugar & Spice & Sometimes Some Feist
by Trish O’Leary-Treat
Many of the most wonderful mothers in the world never gave birth to a child of their own; instead, they nurtured other people’s children. One of those wonders is Pat Dillon, a 92-year old retired LPN who lives in downtown New Haven.
Pat was born in New Haven, daughter of a mother descended from Native Americans and a father whose grandparents had been slaves from the Caribbean .Now a sole survivor, she grew up in Oakville CT as the second oldest of six children: four sisters and one brother.
Pat says that while her mother and siblings all loved cooking, from a very young age she herself always wanted to become a nurse. When the rest of her family moved to New York while she was in high school, she went to live with her father’s mother and stayed in Oakville until she graduated from high school in the early 1950’s.
Grace Memorial Hospital’s LPN program was begun around that time and Pat, one of three women of color in a class of 40, graduated from their year-long LPN program in 1953. During that year, she lived with other LPN trainees at the New HavenYWCA on Chapel St. Pat says she found her nurse’s training challenging. For one thing, she found it hard to read a mercury thermometer. Told by her teacher she had to master that skill or else flunk out, she drew for herself a giant thermometer and marked the various degrees in red. She practiced looking at it to become more comfortable reading it. photo of her graduating class is available).
has lots of happy memories of the babies she cared for and their grateful parents and of the doctors she taught how to hold a newborn and change a diaper. She cherishes the photos of many little ones whose families she stayed in touch with. She has kept many letters from parents who would send her updates on their children, and she was sometimes became godmother to the babies she helped to thrive. Not all her memories of her nursing career were pleasant. Racial discrimination was a reality. There were hard times when she developed carpal tunnel syndrome and her supervisors tried to force her out. Eager to get the pension for which she had worked so long, Pat fought back, armed with many letters of praise for her work sent by grateful parents to the YNHH president at the time.
her retirement: one to Bermuda, two to Italy and two others to the Caribbean. She traveled in the days of fancy dining, and her sewing skills produced some elegant outfits she wore onboard.
Pat’s political activism continues today, and she can often be found tracking the presidential campaigning on her tv. Next to her calendar highlighting notable women of color throughout American history is a shiny toaster decorated with a photomagnet of Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Jackson
She is an aunt to many of her siblings’ children, and she was particularly fond of her nephew, the late Wilbur Freeman, who was a family researcher and a poet in Oakville.
After a brief marriage that ended, Pat bought a house for herself on University Place and became a landlady to many students over the years before she sold her house and moved to Tower East. In the 1980’s, when inner city life was sometimes rough, Pat became block watch captain to help keep her street safe from drug dealers.
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In her nursing career there,Pat says she
After a few years in New York looking after her other grandmother and working in her new career, Pat returned to CT and began working in Yale New Haven Hospital’s new unit for premature Infants. She continued working for YNHH for over 40 years until her retirement in 1996.
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 in-person at Yale New Haven Hospital once a month.
Date: Monday, November 18, 2024
Time: 5 - 7 pm
Location: Children’s Hospital, 1 Park St., 1st Floor, Admitting
Parking available (handicapped accessible)
An appointment is necessary. Please call 855-547-4584. Spanish-speaking counselors available.
These days, her flower-filled apartment overlooks downtown New Haven’s rooftops and church steeples. She enjoys sharingwith visitors photos of the five ocean cruises she took on her vacations before
After moving to Tower One, she became friends with Jason, a neighbor’s son. He walks her rescue dog Princess and she enjoys cooking outstanding chicken and dumplings and other favorite dishes for him. On Sunday mornings she can be found at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church on Dixwell Avenue, Over her years there, she could often be found helping to look after altar cloths and vestments.
Pat recently sent her DNA sample to be analyzed so that she can learn at long last which tribe her father’s parents are descended from. She is hoping to find out in time for Thanksgiving.
Connect to the people, places and things that keep you thriving. If you’re an older adult or person with a disability, we have information about resources to help you live your best life.
Pat Dillon
“Turnaround” Troup Principal Honored At Gala
by MAYA MCFADDEN
As more than 90 percent of Troup School’s students have been showing up for classes so far this year, Troup School Principal Eugene Foreman showed up to a Morris Cove gala to be recognized for helping turn around the reputation of a state-designated “turnaround” school.
Foreman earned that public-service honor Thursday evening during the 13th annual Black and Hispanic Caucus gala, hosted at Anthony’s Ocean View in Morris Cove.
The 2024 award winners were nominated for their local and state efforts in education, housing, arts, and more. In addition to Foreman, Thursday’s honorees included city Director of Arts, Culture, and Tourism Adrienne Jefferson, Casa Otonel Executive Director Elmer Rivera Bello, S.P.O.R.T Academy founder Edward Trimble, Fair Rent Commission Director Wildaliz Bermudez, and the Connecticut Democrats’ Black Caucus.
Amongst the hundreds that turned out for the celebration, Foreman had a large entourage made up of family, colleagues, and friends, who described him as not only deserving of Thursday’s recognition but also as an educator who doesn’t care to be in the limelight and instead does his job because of his passion for supporting youth.
“I don’t do for the recognition. I do it because the kids keep me going,” he said.
Troup, a K 8 neighborhood school on Edgewood Avenue in the Dwight neighborhood, is undergoing a number of changes this year: It has seen the return a uniform policy (green shirts and khaki pants); it is adopting Yondr pouches to limit smartphone use in class; and it is newly a Commissioner’s Network school, a state designation and program designed to improve student achievement in low performing schools.
Foreman, a New Haven native, is in his sixth year of being at the helm of Troup He began his career as a New Haven teacher back in 1995.
Foreman thanked his leadership team at Troup, which has taken him some years to arrange. Now that he has the “committed and dedicated” staff to support his mission to transform Troup, he said, the school has been off to a great start with attendance two months into this school year.
So far Troup has only had a few days its daily attendance rates have dropped below 90 percent. On Thursday, before attending the gala, Foreman reported that Troup had only a total of 11 students absent of its total 304 students.
One long-term goal for Troup, Foreman said, is to “see us off the turnaround list.” Over the past six years, Foreman has worked creatively to shift the school’s “bad reputation.”
One way Troup has been able to continue to work toward its goal is by applying to be a Commissioner’s Network school with a turnaround plan in direct collaboration with the Connecticut State Department of Education (CSDE).
So far joining the state’s Commissioner’s Network has provided Troup with monthly walkthroughs by a CSDEstaffer, an executive coach to support Foreman, and professional development for educators twice a week.
Thursday’s emcees included Metropolitan Business Academy senior Makayla Kidd and sophomore Board of Education representative Jonaily Colon. The duo worked alongside alders and gala organizers to present honorees with their awards.
Kidd shared about her appreciation for Thursday’s opportunity to network. It’s an opportunity New Haven students don’t get enough, she said. “I’m here to show other kids in New Haven that they can do this,” she added. “We can have important roles, and every kid deserves the chance to network and be leaders.”
She concluded that Foreman’s recognition Thursday was significant because of the lack of consistent recognition for New Haven Public Schools (NHPS) educators. “They put so much effort in and don’t get the recognition, then it makes them leave,” she said. “It’s im-
portant to show someone you honor and appreciate them.”
NHPS Assistant Superintendent Kristina DeNegre directly oversees Foreman and other K 8 school leaders. She applauded Foreman’s push this year for joining the commissioners network as it showed his dedication to “always putting kids first,” she said. She added that as a leader Foreman is great at balancing the work of supporting his staff as well as his students. He is collaborative, always open to feedback, “leads with conviction and integrity,” and is always thinking outside of the box she concluded.
“I knew he was going to lead the school in a great direction,” DeNegre said.
NHPS Executive Director of Student Services Typhanie Jackson recommended Foreman’s nomination for Thursday’s awards because he exemplifies the “notion of an unsung hero.” Assistant Superintendent Keisha Redd Hannans presented Foreman with his award Thursday after recalling his years of supporting her when she was the principal of Celentano Biotech Health and Medical School. While Foreman was a sixth grade teacher, Redd-Hannans said, “he never let me down, and I gave him my toughest kids.”
Foreman’s remarks Thursday recalled that he never had plans to become a school principal, but with the endless support of his mother and grandmother he discovered his passion to provide an example to youth and advocate for their development. “I do this for my students,” he concluded. “I will continue as long as I can with my amazing team.”
Attendees enjoyed saxophone renditions of “Isn’t She Lovely” and a live band performance that brought dozens on the dance floor.
Thursday’s dignitaries, including U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal and U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro, offered brief remarks thanking the alders for arranging the annual gala to recognize local leaders’ neighborhood, community, and statewide strides.
“They are working hard to make New Haven the best city in the United States of America,” Blumenthal said. The duo also cheered with the crowd as DeLauro declared ““Kamala Harris is going to be the next president of the United States.“
Before the night’s end, Board of Alders President Tyisha Walker-Myers held a moment of silence Thursday for former and current alders who have passed this year and other loved ones.
MAYA MCFADDEN PHOTO Principal Foreman: On a mission to "Transform Troup."
Just a few NHPS staffers and students showing support for Foreman Thursday.
WHEN WE VOTE, WE WIN.
When our rights are on the line we fight and when they’re on the ballot we vote, because we’re not going back.
The economy is on the ballot.
Health care is on the ballot.
Criminal justice reform is on the ballot.
Reproductive freedom is on the ballot.
Environmental justice is on the ballot. The right to vote is on the ballot.
If we do our part and show up to the polls, we will make history (again)!
Let’s vote for progress and the future we deserve. Vote for the leader who’s been fighting for us for years.
Election Day is November 5th. Vote for Kamala Harris.
Photo Credit: National Archives (Top)
Community Violence Prevention Group Receives $198K in Federal Funding
by Jamil Ragland
A nonprofit Hartford violence prevention organization announced Thursday that it had received nearly $200,000 from the federal government as part of a $4-billion investment in safer communities.
Compass Youth Collaborative, an organization specializing in violence reduction and providing wraparound services to victims of violence, received $198,992 from the US Department of Justice. The funds will be used to support culturally responsive care and services including wound care supplies, transportation, food, clothes, hygiene products, and temporary housing or home safety repairs, in partnership with local hospitals.
“Every loss of life is a tragedy for the family of the victim and the community,” said Jacquelyn Santiago Nazario, CEO of Compass Youth Collaborative. “That’s why Compass is committed to our hospital violence intervention program. This grant will strengthen our program. Compass will use this grant to meet the basic needs of youth who are victims of violence. Youth need to know we care before they care about what we know. Providing them with clean clothes to wear home from the hospital so they don’t have to wear the bloody clothes they were injured in shows we care.”
Hartford Mayor Arunan Arulampalam, Office of Violence Prevention Director Chavon Campbell, US Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-CT, and Kevin Borrup, director of the Injury Prevention Center at the Connecticut Children’s Medical Center, were on hand to attend the announcement.
“$200,000 will enable these folks to reach out to young people, especially young males of color, who are victims and sur-
vivors of serious violence and crime and help them rebuild their lives,” Blumenthal said. “And rather than going back on the street and seeking revenge with more violence, enabling them to go for education, skill training and housing, whatever they need. That outreach, that peace building, is essential.”
Arulampalam said that the work Compass performs serves as a model for the entire nation.
“We’ve got an incredible peaceforce
here and there’s so much that they’re doing to interrupt violence, to react proactively and to police intelligently,” Arulampalam said. “Our men and women in blue are backed up by an army of men and women in orange, and we’re so proud of the work that they do every day.”
In addition to political leaders, one of the beneficiaries of Compass’ wraparound approach shared his story. Andel Ortiz, a sophomore at AI Prince Technical High School in Hartford, was shot in the hip during a robbery. He described how Connecticut Children’s Medical Center con-
nected him with Compass, who sent Shakira Givens, a social worker at Compass, and Janet Rice, a crisis specialist, to work with him. He says that since he was shot, they’ve come to his house every week.
“They helped me get clothes and a uniform for school and other basic needs that will help me heal,” he said. “They check up on me to make sure I am eating and sleeping well. Ever since I was shot, I have been having trouble sleeping and lost my appetite. I felt very weak from the amount of blood I lost.”
He credits them both with helping him
through the healing process, and with learning to move forward and focus on the future.
“Shakira and I talk about how I am doing in school, and how I am processing what happened to me,” he said. “I have a lot of goals for my future. One day I’d like to do something in the medical field. My life was almost taken from me before I even had a chance to accomplish my goals.”
The funding is part of $4 billion the Justice Department is awarding to communities across the nation, to support public safety and community justice activities
The grants come from the Department’s Office of Justice Programs (OJP) and are designed to fund efforts across the country to reduce violence, expand services for crime victims and survivors, and improve outcomes for youth and adults involved in the criminal and juvenile justice systems.
“The Justice Department is working together with our law enforcement and community partners across the country to turn the tide in the fight against violent crime,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland in a statement. “This $4 billion investment across more than 3,800 different programs will advance our efforts to drive down violent crime, support victims, build trust between law enforcement and the communities we serve, and ensure that all Americans feel safe and are safe in their communities.”
Violence prevention programs appear to be having a positive effect on gun violence in Hartford. Nazario pointed out during the press conference that by October 2023, Hartford had 33 homicides and 88 shootings. This year, those numbers are down to 15 homicides and 61 shootings.
Murphy: Harris & Cheney, “Unusual Partners,” Are Both Defending Democracy
by NATHANIEL ROSENBERG
But, when faced with the prospect of another Trump presidency, “there’s a lot of unusual partners being joined together today in defense of democracy. That is the actual stakes today.”
U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy offered that national political assessment Friday afternoon during an unrelated visit to New Haven.
Connecticut’s junior U.S. senator, a Democrat, came to town to tour MakeHaven and ClimateHaven on Chapel Street, before heading out to The Shack community center in West Hills.
He’s currently seeking a third six-year term in office, and faces challenges by Republican candidate Matthew Corey, Green Party candidate Justin Paglino, and Cheaper Gas Groceries Party candidate Robert Hyde, in the Nov. 5 general election. Early voting has already begun.
At the end of his Chapel Street visit, Murphy, a potential contender for Secretary of
State in a Harris administration, answered questions about what he’s seeing in the final two weeks of the presidential race between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump.
In particular, he was asked about the Democratic nominee campaigning so closely with Cheney, an anti-abortion Republican whose father was one of the architects of the Iraq War. Could this bid for suburban conservatives’ votes harm Harris’s support with the anti-war left and other members of the Democratic base?
“Democracy is on the line,” Murphy replied. “Of course I disagree with Liz Cheney on lots of things, but I won’t be able to have an open disagreement with anybody in this country if Donald Trump wins and does what he says he’s going to do, which is to punish people who disagree with him.”
Thus the unusual partnerships like Harris and Cheney.
“I just want to preserve my ability to be
able to object to my government when they do something I don’t want,” Murphy continued. “And I think that’s what Liz Cheney is interested in as well.”
He said she likely worries that, if Donald Trump becomes president, “we lose our democracy, and so she will lose her ability to protest what Kamala Harris does as president, because everybody loses their ability to protest if Donald Trump makes good on his promise to use law enforcement and use the U.S. military to incentivize his political opponents to remain silent.”
Murphy pressed on that critique of Trump’s threats to use the levers of government to exact retribution on his political enemies when asked if he is worried if Trump’s rambling speeches indicate diminishing mental acuity. Murphy focused instead on the message Trump is delivering.
“What he has been saying recently about using the military in order to punish his political opponents is the scariest stuff that he has said over the course of his short,
disastrous political career,” he said. “That should be bone-chilling to everybody in this country.”
Trump has repeatedly suggested using the military to target domestic political opponents, including in an Oct. 13 Fox News interview, where he described congressional Democrats and election protesters as “the enemy from within.”
For Murphy, that rhetoric is one reason he is backing Harris, and why he sees the campaign as a broader “defense of democracy.”
A second Trump term, the senator warned, would see him surrounded by “MAGA sycophants” with no one inclined to check his most extreme impulses.
The senator is confident that Democrats will deliver a “big victory” for Harris in Connecticut, but acknowledged that the race is in a dead heat nationally. Ultimately, he predicted that voters would rally around the Harris in the race’s final 11 days.
Click on the video below to watch the Independent’s full interview with Murphy.
Jacquelyn Santiago Nazario, CEO of Compass Youth Collaborative, speaks to reporters
Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024, about a $198,992 grant from the US Department of Justice to help provide wraparound services to victims of violence in Hartford. Credit: Jamil Ragland / CTNewsJunkie
NATHANIEL ROSENBERG PHOTO
U.S. Sen. Murphy (right): Harris's campaign represents broad "defense of democracy." Kamala Harris and Liz Cheney aren’t the most natural of political allies.
The new haven independent
Voters ‘Happy To Have Options’ As Over 313,000 Cast Ballots In First Half Of Early Voting
by Viktoria Sundqvist
HARTFORD, CT – Connecticut may see slightly lower voter turnouts on Election Day this year than in prior presidential elections thanks to the success of early voting, officials said Monday.
But that’s because voters for the first time in a general election can vote when it’s convenient for them – whether that’s on the way to the grocery store or on the way home from church on a Sunday morning.
“Voters are just happy to have options,” Secretary of the State Stephanie Thomas said during a news conference Monday.
As of Monday morning – halfway through early voting – 313,550 voters had already cast their ballots. Combined with the number of absentee ballots received so far, Thomas estimates that about 17% of registered voters across the state have already voted.
Towns with the highest number of early voters so far include: West Hartford (7,304); Fairfield (7,036); Stamford (6,627); Norwalk (6,538) and Hamden (6,222). Those numbers do not include absentee ballots.
On the first day of early voting, Oct. 21, more than 56,000 people cast their ballots.
Participation tapered off a little after the first day but remains high, Thomas said.
Based on what officials saw in the primaries this year, the early voting turnout is higher than anticipated, Thomas said, but it’s also not a complete surprise based
on the high interest (60%) from Connecticut voters who approved a constitutional amendment allowing early voting in 2022.
“I’m not surprised it’s popular,” Thomas said, “but I’m surprised enough people knew about it to show up.”
There was no budget for public education or outreach about early voting this year,
she said, but word has gotten out, for the most part. Except many are still unaware that polls were open all weekend and will be open again next weekend, she said.
The early voting period is 14 days, running Monday, Oct. 21, through Sunday, Nov. 3. Each municipality in Connecticut has designed at least one early voting poll-
ing location, which can be found online here. Polls for in-person early voting are open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., with extended hours from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Oct. 30 and Oct. 31.
Feedback from local registrars so far is that people are positive and happy about being able to vote early, and more seniors and people with physical disabilities have shown up to vote than in prior elections, Thomas said.
While some lawmakers have raised concerns raised about having adequate staffing at the polls, Thomas said there has been no problem finding poll workers. About 2,800 volunteers across the state are helping this year, and registrars and poll workers have been preparing for this for at least a year and are working “tirelessly around the clock” to make sure things run smoothly.
“Make sure you thank your poll workers,” she said.
A few hiccups have been reported so far. Some towns were running short on ballots, but had time to request more before they ran out, Thomas said.
In Stonington, a poll worker mistakenly handed out ballots for the wrong district.
Just over 500 had been given out, but because it was caught fairly early and because the sealed ballots have everyone’s name on the outside of the envelopes, voters were contacted and given the chance to come back and cast a correct ballot, Thomas said.
Early voter ballots cannot be opened until
6 a.m. on Election Day. That’s when ballots will be fed into tabulators, and towns already have plans for processing them as soon as possible to avoid any delays in getting votes counted by the midnight deadline, Thomas said.
Under state law, absentee ballots cannot be opened until 10 a.m., and they may take longer to process because they come in two envelopes – a mailing envelope that needs to be opened, then the ballot envelope, and then the ballot itself.
Thomas stressed that election security is a high priority, with national agencies sharing concern about foreign actors focusing on destabilizing American elections. She also cautioned that there will be an uptick in misinformation after the elections, and for everyone to be vigilant.
“We are working tirelessly to make sure our elections are secure,” Thomas said. “But we need members of the public to speak up and report issues when they see something.”
Anyone who has concerns about election interference or any other issues at the polls – for early voting or on Election Day – can call the SEEC elections hotline at 1-866733-2463.
The sign behind Secretary of the State Stephanie Thomas on Monday, Oct. 28, 2024, reads “VOTE = VOICE, DON’T LOSE YOURS” at a news conference in Hartford. Credit: Viktoria Sundqvist / CTNewsJunkie
At a news conference in Hartford on Monday, Oct. 28, 2024, Secretary of the State Stephanie Thomas tells reporters that at the halfway mark of the state’s first early voting period, over 313,000 people have cast ballots. Credit: Viktoria Sundqvist / CTNewsJunkie
Green Homeless Encampment Dismantled
by PAUL BASS and THOMAS BREEN
Police made seven arrests of activists for the unhoused and removed four tents on the Upper Green Monday after a weekend of negotiations over the city’s latest homeless encampment.
The takedown and arrests began around 11 a.m. The seven were charged with trespassing, disorderly conduct, and interfering with an officer, according to top Downtown cop Lt. Brendan Borer.
For hours before that, officials and cops spoke with activists and homeless people who had set up camp behind the United Church on the Green.
Dozens of people have been sleeping there since the Wednesday before last, some mostly in sleeping bags.The city had asked the group not to erect tents.
On Saturday morning, when a parks crew came to clean that area of the Green, police asked people to clear tables, and other equipment from the area. Campers removed tables and bins and propane tanks, which they were asked not to use for safety concerns, Elicker said, but then returned with them. “There was a lot of human waste on site that parks cleaned up” as well, he said. Crews powerwashed feces and urine off the church wall.
Police returned Monday morning and again asked people to remove their belongings. With the permission of United Church, they piled their belongings against the back outer wall. Outreach crews from the city and the COMPASS non-police emergency team visited with the campers Saturday and Monday to help them find shelter; 13 agreed to stay at a city shelter on Grand Avenue, and a couple with pets went to a city facility on Route 80.
Meanwhile four tents went up. Organizers with U ACT (Unhoused Activists Community Team) stayed inside.
Officers under the direction of Lt. Borer and Sgt. Justin Cole approached each of the activists one by one, asking them in a calm tone to move. Meanwhile, two dozens activists holding signs reading “Stop The Sweeps” and “Compass=Cops” chanted “From New Haven to Palestine / Displacement is a Crime!” and called for defunding the police.
“I need you to move,” Sgt. Cole told Alexis Terry, who had been calmly smoking a joint waiting for her turn. Like the other activists, Terry said she would be arrested instead.
Cole asked her to walk along with him to a waiting cop car. Terry said she didn’t want to walk, that her back hurt. She asked for a stretcher; officers brought a bag, sat Terry inside, then carried her to one of the cruisers waiting nearer to College Street.
“You’re not the enemy, bro,” Terry told the officers en route. “My back is fucked
up, feet fucked up … There are people out here with cancer …”
In a conversation before the arrest, Terry, who is 39, said she has been homeless on and off for eight years. She has family in New Haven with whom she has religious and political differences, she said. She stopped staying in shelters after bad experiences with the staff at Columbus House, she said; she praised the warming shelters the city and nonprofit partners set up in the winter, when people can come and go at will.
“We’re trying to keep it as orderly as possible,” she said of U ACT’s encampment. “We have clean-up committees.” Terry said she was supposed to be at work at Walmart in West Haven Monday morning, but chose to stay with the group on the Green.
“I’m going to be arrested,” and then “I’m coming back down here after I get out,” she said.
Other arrestees said they have housing, and were camping out and getting arrested in solidarity. They criticized the city for not providing more housing instead of clearing encampments. They also criticized COMPASS for working alongside police.
In a conversation afterwards with the Independent, Mayor Elicker accused the arrested organizers of “doing a real disservice to people experiencing homelessness in the city. We had to expend a lot of resources on Saturday and Monday that we should be spending helping people out.”
As the arrests unfolded, Richard (pictured below), 66, sat in a red foldout lawn chair a few feet away from the semi-circle of chanting protesters. Since he didn’t stay in a tent, he wasn’t arrested.
He said he and his girlfriend slept on the Green last night, and, despite the police’s clearing of the encampment Monday, they plan on sleeping outdoors on the Green tonight as well.
“It is what it is,” he said about the folding up of tents and arrests of protesters. He praised the Yale students for sticking up for the homeless; he expressed frustration at not being able to find housing he can afford in town.
Ideally, Richard said, he and his girlfriend would be able to get a spot at the Amistad House encampment on Rosette Street. But, until space opens up there, “I’m gonna stay” on the Green.
He then gestured towards the mounds of black plastic garbage bags piled against the back of the United Church on the Green. All of his clothing and other personal belongings are over there, he said. “I got all my stuff here.” How can he just pick up and leave without taking his stuff somewhere else?
PAUL BASS PHOTO Officers arrest homeless advocate Mark Colville.
Richard: "I'm gonna stay."
PAUL BASS PHOTO Alexis Terry: "We're trying to keep it orderly."
The new haven independent
Tong Calls For Maximum Rehabilitation Terms For Woman Convicted Of Animal Abuse, Neglect
by Brian Scott-Smith
The new haven independent
Connecticut Attorney General William Tong took the unusual step of appearing at Danbury Superior Court on Monday, Oct. 28, to argue for maximum penalty conditions associated with proposed accelerated rehabilitation in the criminal case against Nancy Burton, of Redding.
Burton was charged with animal cruelty in 2021 following an investigation of severe animal neglect at her home, where authorities found 65 live goats and over 40 others that had died.
Tong told reporters after the hearing why he decided to speak up.
“It’s really a sad case of animal abuse and animal cruelty and I just
wanted to make it clear, which I know the judge knows and knew but I thought it was important for the State to speak through me that animal abuse and animal cruelty in the state of Connecticut is never OK.”
Earlier this year a Superior Court judge considered granting Burton 30 days of accelerated rehabilitation in her criminal case, a move that would have enabled her to clear her record and own animals again after only one month.
Tong successfully argued that due to the extreme nature of Burton’s case that the maximum term under state law of two years should be applied in the case, meaning Burton is not allowed to own any animals during this time.
Tong said he hopes Burton will abide by the judge’s decision.
“This is not the first time we’ve been here with Miss Burton. This is the culmination at this point of years and years of litigation, not just in this case but other cases. I hope it’s the end of this matter and that frankly she gets the help and support that she needs. I think it’s pretty clear based on the condition of the animals, the condition of her property, that her home has been condemned as uninhabitable that this is not a place for a person who can care for animals.”
Burton was also ordered by the court to undergo psychiatric or psychological counselling as deemed appropriate by probation as part of her two-year rehabilitation after which she will again be able to own animals, and her record will be cleared.
Attorney General William Tong speaks to reporters outside Danbury Superior Court on Monday, Oct. 28, 2024. Credit:Contributed photo / Attorney General's office
What Went Down When 911 Went Down
by LAURA GLESBY
By 11:50 a.m. on Tuesday, it was clear: the city’s 911 operators had a problem. When they tried to make calls from the system’s landline phones whether to check in on a civilian in trouble or connect with another department they were met with a fast stream of discordant beeps. The Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) phones were still ringing with incoming calls, and texts to 911 were still working. But a monitor showed that every successful caller was using a T Mobile- or AT&T affiliated cellphone. No landlines and no Verizon Wireless calls were coming through.
“We figured out that something wasn’t working. We didn’t even know what was wrong,” said Joe Vitale, the head of the city’s PSAP team.
Vitale and his colleagues first had to figure out how to contact others in the city and state for assistance. His office landline couldn’t make calls. “We’ve got a communications problem, and how do you make notifications to your partners and your vendors over the phone?” he recalled.
His team quickly worked out that at least some cellphones were still functioning, and the department had access to functioning radio communication devices. They reached City Hall, technology vendors, and the state’s emergency services department, and discovered that towns across the state were experiencing the same problem.
“We’re making all sorts of notifications and we’re starting to realize that the problem’s bigger than our building,” he said.
According to Mayor Justin Elicker, if the city’s 911 system goes temporarily offline, calls get automatically re-routed to PSAPs in other towns. The backup to that backup is the department’s nonemergency line (also operated by PSAP), at 203 – 946-6316.
But on Tuesday midday, “all of the 911 centers were down,” Elicker said, and the non-emergency line wasn’t working. “Which is why we were fortunate that the Yale Police Department call center hap-
pened to not be affected by this.”
As state officials and telecom carriers worked to identify the problem, the city decided to direct residents to call the Yale Police Department’s direct phone number instead. City PSAP operators physically relocated to the Yale Police call center.
The city sent out press releases and circulated instructions on social media with the Yale Police number, 203 – 432-4400.
The statewide outage lasted for under three hours, with normal functioning appearing to resume at 2:10 p.m. “We’re still getting information,” Vitale said on Wednesday, about what exactly went wrong.
During that time, about 130 calls to 911 were able to come through from AT&T and T Mobile-affiliated phones, Vitale said.
Texts to 911 were also functioning until right after an alert went out to cell-
phone users notifying them of the outage, he said. It’s possible, he added, that so many people tried to test out whether texts to 911 would go through that they crashed the system and he urged the public not to contact 911 through any method unless they are experiencing a true emergency.
Elicker reported on Tuesday afternoon that the Yale Police Department received about four emergency calls that would have otherwise gone to 911 all from other towns. “None of them were New Haven-related,” he said. Out-of-towners may have called “because we put out pretty broadly that if people had an emergency in New Haven, they should call [that] number.”
As of Wednesday morning, Vitale said he does not know of any local emergencies that went unaddressed due to the outage.
“In my recollection, we have never had
a statewide 911 outage,” said Elicker. “There was a nationwide AT&T outage in February that had a minor impact on our operations, but I can’t recall ever having a major incident like this.”
“We try to work really quickly to respond, and I’m proud of our team,” he added.
According to Vitale, the technical snafu appears to have affected telecom carriers rather than 911 itself. “What we believe happened was an equipment failure within Frontier,” he said. (Frontier did not respond to a request for comment; Verizon referred the Independent to the state’s press release.)
Vitale noted that his team had difficulty using landline phones or calling landlines from Verizon-affiliated devices that were not connected to PSAP’s technology.
Vitale said on Wednesday morning that early indications suggest that there was a
problem “within the transmission system of getting a call from Point A to Point B.” The state police department referred the Independent to a press release, which stated, “The issue was identified to be affecting the ability of customers to complete calls to certain state operated networks as well as 911 emergency lines. The carriers have worked to diagnose and resolve the issue.”
The press release indicated that the problem did not seem to be deliberately caused: “The outages appear to have been technical in nature at this time and not the result of any form of malicious cyberbased outage.”
Going forward, Elicker said he intends to regroup with the state and with other towns to create additional contingency plans in case of another incident like Tuesday’s. That may include “having an alternative emergency line with another telecom network, so that we’re not reliant” on one company.
The city of New Haven received 165,932 calls in 2023, per state data significantly more than any other municipality in the state.
Vitale, meanwhile, is working on further analyzing data about the calls that were dropped and the calls that did come through, as he puts together an “action document” about preventative steps to take.
Elicker advised residents to make plans for emergencies that don’t involve calling 911 not because he necessarily expects outages like these to be a common occurrence, but because cell phones can run out of battery or malfunction when their users may need them most. “For example, my family always talks about meeting at a certain place if we’re at a big busy event and we can’t get in touch with each other,” he said.
Vitale, meanwhile, urged the public not to call 911 unless they have a true emergency.
“Please do not call 911 as a test whether it be over your phone, or a text to 911 because that’s what presented some difficulties up here” with the emergency text service, he said.
PAUL BASS FILE PHOTO
PSAP chief Joe Vitale (center): Frontier "equipment failure" potentially to blame.
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• Columbarium in the Most Beautiful Cremation Garden
• Reserve your Niche in a secure location pre-need.
• Reserve a Niche for family and friends or purchase at-need to safely place your Loved One in the Columbarium.
• Burial Lots (infant, single, two-grave, or four-grave)
• Monuments & Markers (black, gray, or pink granite)
• Flower placement (single or multiple placement)
• All orders can be placed at the Evergreen office or the website.
Kamala Harris Draws Historic More than 75,000 at D.C. Rally, Pledges’ We Won’t Go Back’
. Initially planned as an intimate gathering of around 8,000, the rally quickly transformed into a record-breaking show of support, highlighting Harris’s momentum in the final days of her campaign as she aims to become the first woman, and first Black woman, to serve as President of the United States.
By Stacy M. Brown NNPA Newswire @StacyBrownMedia
With just one week to Election Day and over 51 million ballots already cast, Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris delivered a historic closing argument before an enthusiastic crowd estimated at over 75,000 at the Ellipse in Washington, D.C. Initially planned as an intimate gathering of around 8,000, the rally quickly transformed into a record-breaking show of support, highlighting Harris’s momentum in the final days of her campaign as she aims to become the first woman, and first Black woman, to serve as President of the United States.
At 7:37 p.m. EST, Harris took the stage to a thunderous, rockstar-like reception, complete with red and blue lights strobing and a standing ovation that roared on. “Good Evening America!” Harris greeted the crowd. “Thank you for taking the time out of your busy lives,” she said, as chants of “Kamala, Kamala” echoed through the crowd. “One week from today, you will have a chance to make a decision that directly affects your lives, the lives of your family, and the future of this country. It will probably be the most important vote you’ve ever cast,” she continued. “It’s more than just a choice between two parties and two different candidates. It’s about a choice of whether you have a country of freedom, or one ruled by division.”
Harris drew a sharp contrast between herself and her opponent, former President Donald Trump, who held his farewell rally at Madison Square Garden two days prior, a gathering that featured racially charged rhetoric. Standing at the same Ellipse
where Trump, on January 6, 2021, encouraged his supporters to march to the Capitol, Harris recalled that tragic day.
“We know who Donald Trump is. He is the person who stood at this very spot nearly four years ago and sent an armed mob to the U.S. Capitol to overturn the will of the people in a free and fair election — an election that he knew he lost,” Harris said during her 30-minute speech. “Americans died as a result; 140 law enforcement officers were injured.” The crowd’s response was electric as Harris continued, “While Donald Trump sat in the White House watching as the violence unfolded, he was told the mob wanted to kill his own vice president, and he responded with two words: ‘so what.’ That’s who Donald Trump is. He
wants you to give him another four years.”
In an unflinching critique, Harris called Trump “unstable, obsessed with revenge, and out for unchecked power,” and warned that a Trump administration would mean more division, chaos, and retribution. “Donald Trump wants to avoid his problems. He intends to use the U.S. military against Americans who simply disagree with him,” Harris charged. “He’s not focused on making your life better. He’s consumed by grievance.”
Harris emphasized her dedication to uniting the country, saying her focus was on “common ground and common-sense solutions.” She pledged to be president for all Americans, a theme underscored by banners reading “Freedom” and “USA” that
adorned the event space. “I am not looking to score political points; I am looking to make progress,” she asserted. “Unlike Donald Trump, I don’t believe people who disagree with me are the enemy. He wants to put them in jail.” Harris assured the crowd, “We have to stop pointing fingers and start locking arms. It’s time to turn the page on the drama, conflict, fear, and division.”
The atmosphere, likened to a festival with loudspeakers blaring upbeat music and flags distributed to attendees, deeply moved Southeast D.C. resident Fatimah Glasnow, who arrived five hours early to secure her spot. “The feeling here is hope, love, and peace,” Glasnow said. “An America where we can all thrive, regardless of our race or
gender. I needed this kind of energy in my life.” She expressed confidence in Harris’s promises, particularly on issues of social and maternal justice. “She’s advocated for social justice and, really, justice itself.”
For Harris, the event carried personal significance, serving as a moment to explain what drives her as a leader. “There’s something about people being treated unfairly or overlooked that, frankly, just gets to me,” she shared. “I don’t like it. It’s what my mother instilled in me — a drive to hold accountable those who use their wealth or power to take advantage of others.”
Addressing the fall of Roe v. Wade, Harris assured the crowd that she would fight to restore the reproductive rights she argued Trump and his Supreme Court appointees had taken away. “I will fight to restore what Donald Trump and his handselected Supreme Court justices took away from the women of America,” she declared, reiterating her commitment to preserving and expanding civil rights.
Capitol Hill resident Leander Davis, a social services worker, said Harris’s words resonated deeply. “She’s all of us,” Davis said. “She’s been criticized, ostracized, demonized, and called all sorts of names, yet she hasn’t stopped fighting for what’s right. When she’s president, we will all be better off.”
Harris emphasized that her campaign was about more than just policy changes; it was about ensuring fairness and justice for every American. “If you give me the chance to fight on your behalf, there is nothing in the world that will stand in my way,” she promised, highlighting her experience as a prosecutor who fought against cartels, Con’t from page 18
Kamala Harris to Spend Election Night at Howard University
The historic decision reflects her deep connection to the renowned HBCU, where she spent her formative years and says shaped her into the leader she is today
By Stacy M. Brown NNPA Newswire @StacyBrownMedia
Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee, has chosen her alma mater, Howard University, as the site for her election night headquarters, according to campaign sources. The historic decision reflects her deep connection to the renowned HBCU, where she spent her formative years and says shaped her into the leader she is today. Plans indicate that Harris’s event will likely be held in the Quad, though the exact campus location is subject to change.
In anticipation of the event, Howard University has announced that classes will be held remotely on Monday, November 4, and the campus will be closed with no classes on Election Day, November 5, accommodating the heightened security and activity expected around the high-profile gathering. The event’s timing aligns with Harris’s recent reflections on her Howard years, shared in The Hilltop’s student
newspaper. “I recognize my time at Howard shaped me into the person I am today,” Harris wrote. “At Howard, we learn that we have the capacity to be great and also that we have the responsibility to work hard to live up to that potential each day.”
Harris, who pledged Alpha Kappa Alpha, the first historically Black sorority, at Howard in 1986, has frequently described her time at “The Mecca” as pivotal in her journey toward public service and leadership. Her campaign’s decision to hold election night at Howard symbolizes her commitment to empowering historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) nationwide.
While Harris celebrates her roots at Howard, her election night plans starkly contrast her Republican opponent, Donald Trump, who will host a watch party at a convention center near his resort in West Palm Beach, Florida. Trump’s plans for election night remain unconfirmed, but his campaign’s choice of Florida—a critical battleground state—signals his focus on
shoring up support in a region where he has long enjoyed influence.
Harris has championed HBCUs throughout her campaign, often citing the Biden administration’s historic investment in higher education institutions that serve underrepresented communities. “We have taken historic actions to ensure all students have the resources they need to thrive,” Harris said. “This includes increasing the size of Pell Grants, forgiving more student debt than any other administration in history, and investing an unprecedented $17 billion in HBCUs.” Yet she acknowledges the need for continued progress, pledging, “We know more needs to be done, and we look forward to continuing to work alongside you as we build a brighter future for all,” she stated.
If elected, Harris would be the first woman to capture the Oval Office. “I am proud to be an alumna of Howard University, and I send you all my best wishes for a wonderful homecoming celebration,” she said.
Bad Bunny supports Kamala Harris following offensive remarks by comedian at Trump rally
by Prosper Kuzo, Face2FaceAfrica.com
Bad Bunny supports Kamala Harrisoriginal photo credits: @badbunnypr, U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Kevin Tanenbaum
Puerto Rican superstar Bad Bunny voiced his support for Vice President Kamala Harris on Sunday after he shared a video on social media of the Democratic candidate’s plans for Puerto Rico.
Bad Bunny’s post came following controversial remarks made about the island at a Donald Trump rally, which has now sparked widespread outrage.
His support is seen as crucial for the U.S. Vice President, as both the Trump and Harris campaigns were vying for the Puerto Rican vote, especially in battleground Pennsylvania, which is home to around 500,000 Puerto Ricans.
Originally known as Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, Bad Bunny shared Harris’ campaign video with his more than 45 million Instagram followers. In the video, Harris condemns Trump’s handling of Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria in 2017.
“I will never forget what Donald Trump did and didn’t do when Puerto Rico needed a competent leader,” Harris says in the video, which Bad Bunny reshared multiple times. “He abandoned the island, tried to block aid after devastating hurricanes, and offered nothing more than paper towels and insults.”
Back in 2017, thousands of Puerto Ricans died following Hurricane Maria, only after Hurricane Irma left much of the island without power.
Trump at the time faced criticism when he visited the island and tossed supplies, which included paper towels to residents of the island.
Bad Bunny’s post marks the first visible support from the artist as Harris’s campaign seeks celebrity endorsements. According to a CNN report, his post came as backlash mounted over comedian Tony Hinchcliffe’s remarks at Trump’s Madison Square Garden rally.
Over 100 Black Students and Youth Leaders Organize National Reparations Summit
By BlackNews.com
The National Reparations Institute along with 100 Black students and youth leaders will convene a National N’Daba (Great Gathering) Reparations Summit on Friday and Saturday, November 1-2nd, 2024 at the Atlanta University Center in Atlanta, Georgia. This year’s fourth annual National N’Daba (Great Gathering) will include a diverse and evolving group of committee members, presenters, and youth advocates within the existing Complete Reparations Movement.
Recent events have catapulted the long, complicated, and often brutal history of the treatment of Blacks in America to the forefront. As a result of the historic and current impact on Black Americans’ inability to achieve and maintain equality in this country, the time is now for not only a discussion on complete reparations but a custom model and application of the National Reparations Declaration led by youth organizers and an experienced committee.
This year, the youth and attendees will benefit from this national N’Daba/summit on reparations in four ways:
• The practice and strategy of functional unity and co-leadership within the existing complete reparations movement.
• A diverse cross-section of the nation’s leading Black students, Black youth, and
Black scholars reflecting diverse theological, political, philosophical, and ideologies will participate.
• The “Collective Culture Model” will be instituted to ground us in the actual process and methodology of securing complete reparations. Select committees in education and culture, economics and investments, state and land acquisition, public and mental health, and public policy and legislation will be established.
• The introduction, organization, and implementation of local organizing com-
mittees for complete reparations will be incorporated.
• Training on organizing sustainability and wellness for co-leadership of traumabased work.
Please prepare yourself to participate in this year’s N’Daba (Great Gathering) to ensure long-term educational, economic, cultural, and political success and sustainability for the remainder of the 21st century. Register as a student, individual, or as an organization at NationalReparationsInstitute.org
banks, and for-profit colleges.
Harris’s electrifying rally at the Ellipse, with its powerful visuals of American flags and banners of unity, drew a clear contrast with Trump’s rhetoric. “If elected, Donald Trump would walk into that office,” Harris said, gesturing toward the White House, “with an enemies list. When elected, I will walk in with a to-do list.” She stressed that her administration would prioritize solutions to lower costs, support working families, and restore a sense of unity and purpose.
Harris emphasized that, despite her time serving under President Joe Biden, her presidency would take a different course because of the unique difficulties that America is currently facing. “I have been honored to serve as Joe Biden’s vice president,” she said. “But I will bring my own experiences and ideas to the Oval Office. My presidency will be different because the challenges we face are different.”
The vice president also tackled the political lightning rod of immigration. “Politicians have got to stop treating immigration as an issue to scare up votes in an election, – and instead treat it as the serious challenge that it is,” Harris said, “that we must finally come together to solve.”
“There’s a lot going on; I don’t know if you know this, but there’s literally a floating island of garbage in the ocean right now. Yeah, I think it’s called Puerto Rico,” Hinchcliffe said. Puerto Rico is a U.S. territory.
Harris’s campaign had reportedly been in talks with Bad Bunny’s team, hoping he would back her plan for Puerto Rico.
“This has been a thoughtful and deliberate approach focused on the issues,” said a source familiar with the discussions.
A representative for Bad Bunny told CNN that his reposting of Harris’s video on Instagram was “not an endorsement” but showed “support” for Harris’s efforts.
“Benito’s political focus has always been on Puerto Rico,” the representative said, without confirming a formal endorsement.
For Kamala Harris, securing Bad Bunny’s endorsement has been a priority for her campaign, especially given his influence within the Latino community. Campaign insiders believe his support could help sway young Latino men, a demographic that had shown some support for Trump.
The Harris campaign also noted support from other Puerto Rican stars, including Jennifer Lopez, Ricky Martin, and “Despacito” singer Luis Fonsi.
Fonsi reacted to Hinchcliffe’s comments by posting, “Are you serious?” to his 16 million Instagram followers, and added, “It’s ok to have different views, but going down this racist path ain’t it.”
Earlier on Sunday, Harris visited Freddy & Tony’s Restaurant, a Puerto Rican spot in North Philadelphia, where she addressed the challenges facing Puerto Rico and discussed her plans for the island.
“I’m going to create an opportunity economy task force for Puerto Rico,” Harris said, adding that she aims to boost economic opportunity and improve the island’s electrical grid.
“I will work with Democrats and Republicans to sign into law the border security bill that Donald Trump killed,” she demanded.
Harris said while she will focus on prosecuting cartels and transnational gangs, “we must acknowledge we are a nation of immigrants.”
“And I will work with Congress to pass immigration reform, including an earned path to citizenship for hardworking immigrants, like farmworkers and our laborers.” At the close of her speech, Harris delivered a final rallying cry. “America, for too long, we have been consumed with division, chaos, and mutual distrust. But it doesn’t have to be this way,” she asserted. “It is time for a new generation of leadership in America, and I am ready to offer that leadership as the next President of the United States.” She said she “grew up as a child of the civil rights movement, my parents would take me to marches in a stroller where crowds of people of all races, faiths and walks of life came together to fight for the ideals of freedom and opportunity. I’ve lived the promise of America.”
“I saw how hard our mother worked to give her daughters the same chances this country gave her,” Harris said. “Growing up, I was blessed to have family by blood and family by love, who instilled in me the values of community, compassion and faith that have always defined our nation at its best. I’ve lived the promise of America.” “I’ve spent my life fighting for the people who have been hurt and counted out, but never stopped believing that in our country anything is possible,” Harris said. “I have lived the promise of America, and I see the promise of America in all of you. In all of you, I see it.”
As the crowd’s cheers filled the night, Harris left her supporters with a message of hope and unity. “Together, we will turn the page and build a country that rises together.”
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October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month: What
Black Women Should Know About Aggressive Breast Cancer
by BlackHealthMatters.com
Black women are no strangers to developing aggressive breast cancer—both inflammatory and triple-negative. These cancers are harder to treat and impact our survival rates. Read more about the types of aggressive cancers out there, how they impact black women, and new treatment developments.
A new study from Duke University School of Medicine, published last fall, delved into why younger Black women are disproportionately impacted by triplenegative breast cancer. Their findings point to one possible factor involving a molecular distinction in African American women under 50.
The exploratory study analyzed clinical, demographic, DNA methylation, and gene expression data from publicly available data repositories. The investigators found that African American women under age 50 had a unique DNA methylation profile compared to older African American women and white women of all ages. Maggie DiNome, MD FACS, the study’s lead author, says, “This study shows us that we need to look a little closer at the molecular differences of breast cancers by race and ethnicity and not just assume that triple-negative breast cancer is necessarily the same cancer in all people.” The findings may help in the development of targeted treatments for younger Black women with aggressive breast cancers.
What is Inflammatory Breast Cancer?
Inflammatory breast cancer is a rare form of breast cancer that accounts for less than 5 percent of all breast cancer diagnoses. It blocks the vessels in the skin that carry lymph fluid throughout the body. This form of cancer causes the breasts to look swollen and red. Patients with inflammatory breast cancer may experience red and swollen breasts,
bruised skin around the breasts, swollen lymph nodes in the underarms, burning sensations, and increased breast size. The skin may also look pitted like an orange because the fluid is all backed up, and the nipple may face inward.
How serious is it? Very. Women diagnosed with this form do not live as long as women with other types of this disease. Inflammatory breast cancer can develop and progress in a few weeks or months. For many women, when they are diagnosed with this form, they are already in stage III or IV, and the cancer may have spread to other lymph nodes or other parts of the body.
Even though it can be harder to treat, usually the first step is chemotherapy—a drug treatment that uses powerful chemicals to kill fast-growing cells—then surgery to remove the tumors, followed up with radiation therapy. There has been a call by many researchers to get more funding to advance the current treatment According to the NIH, 20% to 40% of patients with inflammatory breast cancer have triple-negative breast cancer.
What is Triple-Negative Breast Cancer?
Triple-negative breast cancer lacks the most common receptors that fuel most breast cancer growth—estrogen, progesterone, and the HER-2/neu gene—making it “triple negative.” Because these tumors lack these receptors, it’s harder to treat this form of cancer with traditional hormone therapy. This cancer accounts for 10 percent to 20 percent of all diagnoses.
This particular cancer doesn’t really look much different from other forms; it just has some different characteristics. Only testing will tell you if you have this form.
–Breast Cancer Awareness 2024′ is brought to you in partnership with Merck
AVISO DE AUDIENCIA PÚBLICA PARA
Town
of Bloomfield
NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING FOR
NOTICE
LA AUTORIDAD DE VIVIENDA DE NEW HAVEN (ECC/HANH)
INFORME ANUAL DE TRABAJO (MTW) DEL AÑO FISCAL 2024
VALENTINA MACRI RENTAL HOUSING PRE- APPLICATIONS AVAILABLE
Salary Range:
HOME INC, on behalf of Columbus House and the New Haven Housing Authority, is accepting pre-applications for studio and one-bedroom apartments at this development located at 108 Frank Street, New Haven. Maximum income limitations apply. Pre-applications will be available from 9AM TO 5PM beginning Monday Ju;y 25, 2016 and ending when sufficient pre-applications (approximately 100) have been received at the offices of HOME INC. Applications will be mailied upon request by calling HOME INC at 203-562-4663 during those hours. Completed preapplications must be returned to HOME INC’s offices at 171 Orange Street, Third Floor, New Haven, CT 06510.
NOTICIA
VALENTINA MACRI VIVIENDAS DE ALQUILER PRE-SOLICITUDES DISPONIBLES
La Sección II y la Sección VII del Acuerdo de Trabajo de la Autoridad {el "Acuerdo") exige que antes de que la Agencia pueda presentar su Plan y Informe Anual de Trabajo Aprobado al Departamento de Vivienda y Desarrollo Urbano de los EE. UU. (el "HUD"), debe realizar una audiencia pública, considerar los comentarios del público sobre las enmiendas propuestas, obtener la aprobación de la Junta de Comisionados y presentar las enmiendas al HUD. El período de comentarios de treinta (30) días comienza el viernes 1 de noviembre de 2024 y finaliza el sábado 30 de noviembre de 2024. Se pondrán a disposición copias del Informe Moving to Work (MTW) del año fiscal 2024 en el sitio web de la agencia www. elmcitycommunities.org o a través de Twitter, www.twitter.com/ECCommunities o a través de Facebook www.facebook.com/ElmCityCommunities. Se le invita a enviar comentarios por escrito dirigidos a: ECC/HANH, Moving to Work FY2024 Annual Report, Attn: Evelise Ribeiro, 360 Orange Street, New Haven, CT 06511 o por correo electrónico a: eribeiro@elmcitycommunities.org. De conformidad con las Secciones II y VII mencionadas, se ha programado una audiencia pública en la que se aceptarán y registrarán los comentarios públicos para el martes 25 de noviembre de 2024 a las 3:00 p. m. a través de RingCentral: https://v.ringcentral. com/join/185686287?pw=d7db4e4f735df6289ed5adfb24f3f113
ID de la reunión: 185686287
Contraseña: yaw6Zk28PK
O marque:
+12679304000 Estados Unidos (Filadelfia, PA)
Código de acceso/ID de la reunión: 185686287
Contraseña de acceso telefónico: 9296952875
HOME INC, en nombre de la Columbus House y de la New Haven Housing Authority, está aceptando pre-solicitudes para estudios y apartamentos de un dormitorio en este desarrollo ubicado en la calle 109 Frank Street, New Haven. Se aplican limitaciones de ingresos máximos. Las pre-solicitudes estarán disponibles 09 a.m.-5 p.m. comenzando Martes 25 julio, 2016 hasta cuando se han recibido suficientes pre-solicitudes (aproximadamente 100) en las oficinas de HOME INC. Las pre-solicitudes serán enviadas por correo a petición llamando a HOME INC al 203-562-4663 durante esas horas.Pre-solicitudes deberán remitirse a las oficinas de HOME INC en 171 Orange Street, tercer piso, New Haven , CT 06510
Números internacionales disponibles: https://v.ringcentral.com/teleconference
Cualquier persona que requiera una adaptación razonable para participar en la audiencia puede llamar al Gerente de adaptaciones razonables (203) 498-8800, ext. 1506 o al número TDD (203) 497-8434.mber (203) 497-8434.
NEW HAVEN
$87,727 to $136,071 Deputy Finance Director/Controller
Pre-employment drug testing. AA/EOE.
For Details go to www.bloomfieldct.org
Steel Fabricators, Erectors & Welders
Top pay for top performers. Health Benefits, 401K, Vacation Pay. Email Resume: Rose@qsrsteel.com Hartford, CT
Construction
Section II and Section VII of the Authority's Moving to Work Agreement {the "Agreement") requires that before the Agency can file its Approved Annual Moving to Work Report and Report to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (the "HUD") that it must conduct a public hearing, consider comments from the public on the proposed amendments, obtain approval from the Board of Commissioners, and submit the amendments to HUD.
The thirty (30) days comment period begins on Friday, November 1, 2024 to Saturday, November 30, 2024 and copies of the Moving to Work (MTW) FY2024 Report, will be made available on the agency website www.elmcitycommunities.org or via Twitter, www.twitter.com/ECCommunities or via Facebook www.facebook.com/ElmCityCommunities.
You are invited to provide written comments addressed to: ECC/HANH, Moving to Work FY2024 Annual Report, Attn: Evelise Ribeiro, 360 Orange Street, New Haven, CT 06511 or via email to: eribeiro@elmcitycommunities.org.
Pursuant to said Sections II and VII), a public hearing where public comments will be accepted and recorded is scheduled for Tuesday, November 25, 2024 at 3:00pm via RingCentral: https://v.ringcentral.com/join/185686287?pw=d7db4e4f735df6289ed5ad fb24f3f113
Meeting ID: 185686287
Password: yaw6Zk28PK
Or dial:
+12679304000 United States (Philadelphia, PA)
Access Code / Meeting ID: 185686287
Dial-in password: 9296952875
International numbers available: https://v.ringcentral.com/teleconference
Any individual requiring a Reasonable Accommodation to participate in the hearing may call the Reasonable Accommodation Manager (203) 498-8800, ext. 1506 or at the TDD Number (203) 497-8434.
Health Educator/Public Health Emergency Preparedness (PHEP) Coordinator
242-258 Fairmont Ave
2BR Townhouse, 1.5 BA, 3BR, 1 level , 1BA
All new apartments, new appliances, new carpet, close to I-91 & I-95 highways, near bus stop & shopping center
Pet under 40lb allowed. Interested parties contact Maria @ 860-985-8258
Seeking to employ experienced individuals in the labor, foreman, operator and teamster trades for a heavy outside work statewide. Reliable personal transportation and a valid drivers license required. To apply please call (860) 621-1720 or send resume to: Personnel Department, P.O. Box 368, Cheshire, CT06410.
Invitation to Bid: 2nd Notice
SAYEBROOKE VILLAGE
Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer M/F/V Drug Free Workforce
Old Saybrook, CT (4 Buildings, 17 Units)
Tax Exempt & Not Prevailing Wage Rate Project
CT. Unified Deacon’s Association is pleased to offer a Deacon’s Certificate Program. This is a 10 month program designed to assist in the intellectual formation of Candidates in response to the Church’s Ministry needs. The cost is $125. Classes start Saturday, August 20, 2016 1:303:30 Contact: Chairman, Deacon Joe J. Davis, M.S., B.S. (203) 996-4517 Host,General Bishop Elijah Davis, D.D. Pastor ofPitts Chapel U.F.W.B. Church 64 Brewster St. New Haven, CT
The Town of Wallingford Health Department is seeking a highly skilled administrator to coordinate and evaluate population-based health promotion strategies as well as coordinate the activities for an all-hazard response to public health emergencies. Annual salary: $74,039 to $93,880 plus an excellent fringe benefits package that includes pension plan, paid sick and vacation time, individual and family medical insurance, life insurance, and 13 paid holidays. To view the minimum qualifications for the position and apply online by the closing date of November 12, 2024, please visit: www.wallingfordct.gov/government/departments/human-resources/. Applications are also available at the Department of Human Resources located in Room #301 of the Town Hall, 45 South Main Street, Wallingford, CT 06492. Phone: (203) 294-2080; Fax: (203) 2942084. EOE
New Construction, Wood Framed, Housing, Selective Demolition, Site-work, Castin-place Concrete, Asphalt Shingles, Vinyl Siding, Flooring, Painting, Division 10 Specialties, Appliances, Residential Casework, Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing and Fire Protection.
Galasso Materials LLC, a quarry and paving contractor, has positions open for the upcoming construction season. We are seeking candidates for a variety of positions, including: Scalehouse Dispatcher/ Equipment Operators and Laborers. NO PHONE CALLS. Please email resume and cover letter to “Hiring Manager”, Galasso Materials LLC, PO Box 1776, East Granby CT 06026.
This contract is subject to state set-aside and contract compliance requirements.
SEYMOUR HOUSING AUTHORITY
Wastewater Treatment Plant Operator (Attendant III)
Galasso Materials is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer. All applicants will be considered for employment without attention to race, color, religion, sex, orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran or disability status.
Bid Extended, Due Date: August 5, 2016
Anticipated Start: August 15, 2016
Sealed bids are invited by the Housing Authority of the Town of Seymour until 3:00 pm on Tuesday, August 2, 2016 at its office at 28 Smith Street, Seymour, CT 06483 for Concrete Sidewalk Repairs and Replacement at the Smithfield Gardens Assisted Living Facility, 26 Smith Street Seymour.
A pre-bid conference will be held at the Housing Authority Office 28 Smith Street Seymour, CT at 10:00 am, on Wednesday, July 20, 2016.
Bidding documents are available from the Seymour Housing Authority Office, 28 Smith Street, Seymour, CT 06483 (203) 888-4579.
The Town of Wallingford is seeking qualified applicants to perform skilled duties associated with the operation and maintenance of its modern, upgraded Class IV wastewater treatment facility. Applicants should possess a H.S. diploma or equivalent, plus three (3) years of experience in the operation of a Class II or higher wastewater treatment facility, with one (1) year in a supervisory capacity of foreman level or higher. Must possess a State of Connecticut DEEP Class III Operator or higher, or a Class III Operator-in-Training or higher certification. Must possess and maintain a valid CT driver’s license. Wages: $32.24 to $36.79 hourly plus on-call pay when assigned. The Town offers an excellent fringe benefits package that includes pension plan, paid sick and vacation time, individual and family medical insurance, life insurance, 13 paid holidays, and deferred compensation plan. To apply online by the closing date of November 5, 2024, please visit: www.wallingfordct.gov/government/departments/human-resources/. Applications are also available at the Department of Human Resources located in Room #301 of the Town Hall, 45 South Main Street, Wallingford, CT 06492. Phone: (203) 294-2080; Fax: (203) 294-2084. EOE
The Housing Authority reserves the right to accept or reject any or all bids, to reduce the scope of the project to reflect available funding, and to waive any informalities in the bidding, if such actions are in the best interest of the
Project documents available via ftp link below: http://ftp.cbtghosting.com/loginok.html?username=sayebrookevillage
MANAGEMENT GROUP, CO.
& Preventative Maintenance. A complete copy of the requirements
be obtained from 360 Management Group’s vendor Collaboration Portal. https://newhavenhousing.cobblestonesystems.com/gateway beginning on Monday, September 23, 2024, at 3:00 PM.
REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS (RFP) FAIRFIELD HOUSING CORPORATION
NOTICE
The JUDD HOMESTEAD at RUSSO ESTATES FAIRFIELD, CONNECTICUT
VALENTINA MACRI RENTAL HOUSING PRE- APPLICATIONS AVAILABLE
Request for Proposals from Builders
HOME INC, on behalf of Columbus House and the New Haven Housing Authority, is accepting pre-applications for studio and one-bedroom apartments at this development located at 108 Frank Street, New Haven. Maximum income limitations apply. Pre-applications will be available from 9AM TO 5PM beginning Monday Ju;y 25, 2016 and ending when sufficient pre-applications (approximately 100) have been received at the offices of HOME INC. Applications will be mailied upon request by calling HOME INC at 203-562-4663 during those hours. Completed preapplications must be returned to HOME INC’s offices at 171 Orange Street, Third Floor, New Haven, CT 06510.
NOTICIA
The Fairfield Housing Corporation (FHC) is seeking a Builder (General Contractor) to develop the property known as the Judd Homestead at Russo Estates located at 980 High Street, Fairfield, CT. The proposed affordable rental housing development project includes removal/demolition of two small sheds, a barn, and the back portion of the existing home, and then renovations/additions to the existing home and construction of 40 new residential units contained in the five new buildings. The Project includes the installation of all necessary site infrastructure to support the development in strict accordance of all land use approvals. The Project is anticipated to be funded in part by the Connecticut Housing Finance Authority (CHFA) through the use of Federal Low Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC) and the State of Connecticut, Department of Housing (DOH).
VALENTINA MACRI VIVIENDAS DE ALQUILER PRE-SOLICITUDES DISPONIBLES
RFP submission responses shall be delivered to the Fairfield Housing Corporation’s offices located at 15 Pine Tree Lane Fairfield CT 06825 with one original and three (3) copies on or before Friday, November 8, 2024 at 3 PM. Faxes or electronic submissions will not be accepted.
Steel Fabricators, Erectors & Welders
Top pay for top performers. Health Benefits, 401K, Vacation Pay. Email Resume: Rose@qsrsteel.com Hartford, CT
The State of Connecticut, Office of Policy and Management is recruiting for a Planning Analyst in the Health and Human Services Policy and Planning Division.
Police Accreditation Manager
The Town of Wallingford Police Department is seeking a skilled administrator to oversee and manage its accreditation process. Applicants should possess an Associate's degree in business administration, criminal justice, police administration, planning, public administration or related field plus 10 years of experience in police work with 1 year of experience in police accreditation work, or any equivalent combination of experience and training substituting on a year-for-year basis. Must have current or previous certification as a Police Officer from POST, current certification as a Police Accreditation Manager, and a CT driver’s license. Annual salary: $74,039 to $93,880 plus an excellent fringe benefits package that includes pension plan, paid sick and vacation time, individual and family medical insurance, life insurance, 13 paid holidays, and deferred compensation plan. To apply online by the closing date of October 30, 2024, please visit: www.wallingfordct.gov/government/departments/human-resources/. Applications are also available at the Department of Human Resources located in Room #301 of the Town Hall, 45 South Main Street, Wallingford, CT 06492. Phone: (203) 294-2080; Fax: (203) 294-2084. EOE
NOTICE OF REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL
HOUSING AUTHORITY OF THE CITY OF DANBURY
Information Technology Services RFP No. P24004
HOME INC, en nombre de la Columbus House y de la New Haven Housing Authority, está aceptando pre-solicitudes para estudios y apartamentos de un dormitorio en este desarrollo ubicado en la calle 109 Frank Street, New Haven. Se aplican limitaciones de ingresos máximos. Las pre-solicitudes estarán disponibles 09 a.m.-5 p.m. comenzando Martes 25 julio, 2016 hasta cuando se han recibido suficientes pre-solicitudes (aproximadamente 100) en las oficinas de HOME INC. Las pre-solicitudes serán enviadas por correo a petición llamando a HOME INC al 203-562-4663 durante esas horas.Pre-solicitudes deberán remitirse a las oficinas de HOME INC en 171 Orange Street, tercer piso, New Haven , CT 06510
Interested firms will be provided the complete RFP Information & Instructions by requesting a package via email to the attention of Carol J. Martin, authorized representative of the FHC, at HYPERLINK "mailto:cmartin14@snet.net" cmartin14@snet.net or by requesting in person at the Fairfield Housing Corporation’s office.
Fairfield Housing Corporation and its affiliates are Equal Opportunity, Affirmative Action Employers and conduct its business in accordance with all Federal, State and Local laws, regulations and guidelines. Small, Minority, Women Business Enterprises and Disabled are encouraged to participate in this process.
NEW HAVEN
Fairfield Housing Corporation
Carol J. Martin
Authorized Representative
242-258 Fairmont Ave
2BR Townhouse, 1.5 BA, 3BR, 1 level , 1BA
Fairfield Housing Corporation
Further information regarding the duties, eligibility requirements and application instructions are available at: https://www.jobapscloud.com/CT/ sup/bulpreview.asp?b=&R1= 241008&R2=6297AR&R3=001
The State of Connecticut is an equal opportunity/ affirmative action employer and strongly encourages the applications of women, minorities, and persons with disabilities.
WANTED TRUCK DRIVER
Please register here to obtain Bid Package: https://ha.internationaleprocurement.com/ requests.html?company_id=49968
PROPOSAL SUBMITTAL RETURN:
Housing Authority of the City of Danbury, 2 Mill Ridge Rd, Danbury, CT 06811 Envelope Must be Marked: RFP No. P24004, IT Services Attn: Lisa Gilchrist, Purchasing Agent
SUBMITTAL DEADLINE
November 20, 2024 at 10:30am (EST)
CONTACT PERSON FOR IFB DOCUMENT: Lisa Gilchrist – Purchasing Agent
Telephone: 203-744-2500 x1421
Invitation to Bid: 2nd Notice
SAYEBROOKE VILLAGE
E-Mail: lgilchrist@hacdct.org
[Minority- and/or women-owned businesses are encouraged to respond]
All new apartments, new appliances, new carpet, close to I-91 & I-95 highways, near bus stop & shopping center
Pet under 40lb allowed. Interested parties contact Maria @ 860-985-8258
INVITATION TO BID
CT. Unified Deacon’s Association is pleased to offer a Deacon’s Certificate Program. This is a 10 month program designed to assist in the intellectual formation of Candidates in response to the Church’s Ministry needs. The cost is $125. Classes start Saturday, August 20, 2016 1:303:30 Contact: Chairman, Deacon Joe J. Davis, M.S., B.S. (203) 996-4517 Host,General Bishop Elijah Davis, D.D. Pastor ofPitts Chapel U.F.W.B. Church 64 Brewster St. New Haven, CT
The Whiting-Turner Contracting Company (WT), the construction manager, is currently accepting bids for ConnCAT Place on Dixwell – Phase 1A for the following bid packages: 04A – Masonry, 05B – Misc. Metals, 06A – Millwork, 07A – Roofing, 07B – Exterior Façade, 08A – Storefront, 08B – Doors, Frames, Hardware, 08C – Operable Partitions, Coiling Door, 09A – Carpentry, 09B – Flooring, 09C – Tile, 09D – Painting, 09E – Acoustical Ceilings, 10A – Bathroom Partitions, Accessories, 10B – Signage, 11A – Kitchen Equipment, 12A – Window Treatments, 21A – Fire Suppression, 22A – Plumbing, 23A – Mechanical, HVAC, TAB, Controls, 26A – Electrical, Fire Alarm, Security, 27A – Communications, AV, 32A – Landscaping, 32B – Site Improvements for the new ~70,000 SF two-story ConnCAT headquarters which will contain teaching spaces, kitchen, offices, and daycare/early childhood facility. Interested firms may obtain a bid package and instructions to bid by emailing 020822@whiting-turner.com.
SEYMOUR HOUSING AUTHORITY
Sealed bids are invited by the Housing Authority of the Town of Seymour until 3:00 pm on Tuesday, August 2, 2016 at its office at 28 Smith Street, Seymour, CT 06483 for Concrete Sidewalk Repairs and Replacement at the Smithfield Gardens Assisted Living Facility, 26 Smith Street Seymour.
Prevailing Wage | Tax-Exempt | CHRO and City of New Haven
Subcontracting Requirements will apply | Section 3 HUD
A pre-bid conference will be held at the Housing Authority Office 28 Smith Street Seymour, CT at 10:00 am, on Wednesday, July 20, 2016.
Truck Driver with clean CDL license
Old Saybrook, CT (4 Buildings, 17 Units)
Tax Exempt & Not Prevailing Wage Rate Project
Please send resume to attielordan@gmail.com PJF Construction Corporation AA/EOE
New Construction, Wood Framed, Housing, Selective Demolition, Site-work, Castin-place Concrete, Asphalt Shingles, Vinyl Siding, Flooring, Painting, Division 10 Specialties, Appliances, Residential Casework, Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing and Fire Protection. This contract is subject to state set-aside and contract compliance requirements.
The Glendower Group, Inc. is currently seeking proposals for Construction Manager at Risk for Newhall Ville Development. A complete copy of the requirement may be obtained from Glendower’s Vendor Collaboration Portal https://newhavenhousing.cobblestonesystems.com/gateway
Bid Extended, Due Date: August 5, 2016
Anticipated Start: August 15, 2016
The State of Connecticut, Office of Policy and Management is recruiting for an Associate Research Analyst in the Data and Policy Analytics Division.
Project documents available via ftp link below: http://ftp.cbtghosting.com/loginok.html?username=sayebrookevillage
Fax or Email Questions & Bids to: Dawn Lang @ 203-881-8372 dawnlang@haynesconstruction.com
Bidding documents are available from the Seymour Housing Authority Office, 28 Smith Street, Seymour, CT 06483 (203) 888-4579.
Bids wills be accepted at The Lab at ConnCORP located at 496 Newhall Street, Hamden, CT 06517, no later than 10AM on 10/11/24. This contract is subject to state set-aside and contract compliance requirements. WT and the Owner reserve the right to amend this invitation to bid, reject bids, waive minor irregularities in the bid, and award the contract to the proposer that is deemed to be the best interest of the Owner, ConnCORP. WT is an EEO/AA; Disadvantaged, Small, Minority and Women Business Enterprises are encouraged to bid.
The Housing Authority reserves the right to accept or reject any or all bids, to reduce the scope of the project to reflect available funding, and to waive any informalities in the bidding, if such actions are in the best interest of the
Further information regarding the duties, eligibility requirements and application instructions are available at: https://www.jobapscloud.com/CT/ sup/bulpreview.asp?b=&R1= 241003&R2=6856AR&R3=001
The State of Connecticut is an equal opportunity/ affirmative action employer and strongly encourages the applications of women, minorities, and persons with disabilities.
Glendower Group, Inc. is currently seeking bids for General Contractor for Westville Manor. A complete copy of the requirement may be obtained from Glendower’s Vendor Collaboration Portal https://newhavenhousing.cobblestonesystems.com/gateway
beginning on Wednesday, October 30, 2024, at 3:00PM.
Garrity Asphalt Reclaiming, Inc seeks:
NOTICE
Construction Equipment Mechanic preferably experienced in Reclaiming and Road Milling Equipment. We offer factory training on equipment we operate.
Location: Bloomfield CT We offer excellent hourly rate & excellent benefits
VALENTINA
Contact: Tom Dunay Phone: 860- 243-2300
MACRI RENTAL HOUSING PRE- APPLICATIONS AVAILABLE
Email: tom.dunay@garrityasphalt.com
Women & Minority Applicants are encouraged to apply
Affirmative Action/ Equal Opportunity Employer
Garrity Asphalt Reclaiming, Inc seeks:
Reclaimer Operators and Milling Operators with current licensing and clean driving record, be willing to travel throughout the Northeast & NY. We offer excellent hourly rate & excellent benefits
HOME INC, on behalf of Columbus House and the New Haven Housing Authority, is accepting pre-applications for studio and one-bedroom apartments at this development located at 108 Frank Street, New Haven. Maximum income limitations apply. Pre-applications will be available from 9AM TO 5PM beginning Monday Ju;y 25, 2016 and ending when sufficient pre-applications (approximately 100) have been received at the offices of HOME INC. Applications will be mailied upon request by calling HOME INC at 203-562-4663 during those hours. Completed preapplications must be returned to HOME INC’s offices at 171 Orange Street, Third Floor, New Haven, CT 06510.
Contact: Rick Tousignant Phone: 860- 243-2300
The State of Connecticut, Office of Policy and Management is recruiting for an Information Technology Senior Policy Advisor to the Secretary in the Office of Finance.
Further information regarding the duties, eligibility requirements and application instructions are available at: https://www.jobapscloud.com/CT/ sup/bulpreview.asp?b=&R1= 241015&R2=5571MP&R3=001
Assistant Finance Director:
The Town of East Haven is holding an open competitive examination to fill the position of Assistant Finance Director. The salary range for the position is $103,140-$118,094, 35 hours per week and the Town offers an excellent benefits package and pension. Qualified candidates must possess a Bachelor’s Degree in accounting or finance, 3 years of experience in accounting or finance and municipal accounting or finance experience is preferred along with knowledge of MUNIS software. Interested candidates can view a complete job description and Notice of Testing online at https:// www.townofeasthavenct.org/civil-service-commission/pages/job-notices-andtests. Please submit resume with cover letter and references to the Civil Service Commission, 250 Main Street, East Haven or aliquori@easthaven-ct.gov by November 15, 2024. The Town of East Haven is committed to building a workforce of diverse individuals. Minorities, Females, Handicapped and Veterans are encouraged to apply.
NOTICIA
The State of Connecticut is an equal opportunity/ affirmative action employer and strongly encourages the applications of women, minorities, and persons with disabilities.
Email: rick.tousignant@garrityasphalt.com
Women & Minority Applicants are encouraged to apply
Andrea M. Liquori Chief Examiner Civil Service Commission 250 Main Street East Haven CT 06512 (203)468-3375
Affirmative Action/ Equal Opportunity Employer
VALENTINA MACRI VIVIENDAS DE ALQUILER PRE-SOLICITUDES
DISPONIBLES
Union Company seeks:
Tractor Trailer Driver for Heavy & Highway Construction Equipment. Must have a CDL License, clean driving record, capable of operating heavy equipment; be willing to travel throughout the Northeast & NY. We offer excellent hourly rate & excellent benefits
Contact Dana at 860-243-2300
Email: dana.briere@garrityasphalt.com
HOME INC, en nombre de la Columbus House y de la New Haven Housing Authority, está aceptando pre-solicitudes para estudios y apartamentos de un dormitorio en este desarrollo ubicado en la calle 109 Frank Street, New Haven. Se aplican limitaciones de ingresos máximos. Las pre-solicitudes estarán disponibles 09 a.m.-5 p.m. comenzando Martes 25 julio, 2016 hasta cuando se han recibido suficientes pre-solicitudes (aproximadamente 100) en las oficinas de HOME INC. Las pre-solicitudes serán enviadas por correo a petición llamando a HOME INC al 203-562-4663 durante esas horas.Pre-solicitudes deberán remitirse a las oficinas de HOME INC en 171 Orange Street, tercer piso, New Haven , CT 06510
Women & Minority Applicants are encouraged to apply Affirmative Action/ Equal Opportunity Employer
Construction
NEW HAVEN
Seeking to employ experienced individuals in the labor, foreman, operator and teamster trades for a heavy outside work statewide. Reliable personal transportation and a valid drivers license required. To apply please call (860) 621-1720 or send resume to: Personnel Department, P.O. Box 368, Cheshire, CT06410.
242-258 Fairmont Ave
2BR Townhouse, 1.5 BA, 3BR, 1 level , 1BA
Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer M/F/V Drug Free Workforce
All new apartments, new appliances, new carpet, close to I-91 & I-95 highways, near bus stop & shopping center Pet under 40lb allowed. Interested parties contact Maria @ 860-985-8258
WANTED TRUCK DRIVER
Truck Driver with clean
CDL license
Please send resume to attielordan@gmail.com
PLUMBING WORKERS NEEDED. Have you ever wanted to become a plumber or work in the plumbing field? LBR Mechanical Corp is seeking plumbing mechanics, journeymen and helpers for a construction project located in Bridgeport, CT. Experience in plumbing/heating, construction and roughing a plus. Will train the right candidates. Driver’s license and proof of citizenship required. Please call 914-276-1493 for an application to start your new career.
Listing: Maintenance
Immediate opening for a full-time maintenance person for ground and building maintenance. Position requires flexible work schedule. Some heavy lifting required. Must have a valid driver’s license to run errands in company vehicle. Computer knowledge a plus. Send resume to HR Department, hrdept@eastriverenergy.com, 401 Soundview Road, Guilford, CT 06437.
Invitation to Bid: 2nd Notice
****An Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer, including Disabled and Veterans****
SAYEBROOKE VILLAGE
PJF Construction Corporation AA/EOE
Old Saybrook, CT (4 Buildings, 17 Units)
Senior Sales Representative Wanted
Tax Exempt & Not Prevailing Wage Rate Project
Advertising and the cultivation of existing and new advertising clients is key to the growth and continued success of The Inner-City News. The paper is delivered weekly to businesses, schools, shopping outlets and wherever newspapers can be found. This is a remote sales position.
Work closely with the Publisher and editor to create a successful sales strategy. Must
SEYMOUR HOUSING AUTHORITY
Sealed bids are invited by the Housing Authority of the Town of Seymour until 3:00 pm on Tuesday, August 2, 2016 at its office at 28 Smith Street, Seymour, CT 06483 for Concrete Sidewalk Repairs and Replacement at the Smithfield Gardens Assisted Living Facility, 26 Smith Street Seymour.
New Construction, Wood Framed, Housing, Selective Demolition, Site-work, Castin-place Concrete, Asphalt Shingles, Vinyl Siding, Flooring, Painting, Division 10 Specialties, Appliances, Residential Casework, Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing and Fire Protection. This contract is subject to state set-aside and contract compliance requirements.
Bid Extended, Due Date: August 5, 2016
Anticipated Start: August 15, 2016
Salary (base pay) + Commission to be discussed
Project documents available via ftp link below: http://ftp.cbtghosting.com/loginok.html?username=sayebrookevillage
Fax or Email Questions & Bids to: Dawn Lang @ 203-881-8372 HCC encourages the
A pre-bid conference will be held at the Housing Authority Office 28 Smith Street Seymour, CT at 10:00 am, on Wednesday, July 20, 2016.
Bidding documents are available from the Seymour Housing Authority Office, 28 Smith Street, Seymour, CT 06483 (203) 888-4579.
The Housing Authority reserves the right to accept or reject any or all bids, to reduce the scope of the project to reflect available funding, and to waive any
Breast Cancer Turned RHOM Guerdy Abraira’s Life Upside Down
Now She Has Landed Back on Top Empowering Black Women to Take Charge of Their Health!
by Margaret Wildon, BlackHealthMatters.com
Guerdy Abraira is widely known as a celebrity event planner and breakout cast member on The Real Housewives of Miami. However, behind the scenes, she faced an unexpected battle. In 2023, Guerdy shared her breast cancer diagnosis with RHOM audiences and the world. In this candid discussion with Black Health Matters, Guerdy opens up about navigating cancer as a Black woman in the public eye and using her platform to empower women to take charge of their health.
BHM: Many of our readers are familiar with your stardom from Real Housewives of Miami, but can you briefly share your career journey and what led you to the hit TV network and franchise show?
GA: My journey to Real Housewives of Miami has been colorful! I started as a wedding and event planner, driven by a passion for creating unforgettable experiences. When RHOM approached me, it felt like the perfect platform to bring my personality, culture, and life journey to a broader audience. I wanted to show that being a Black Haitian woman in Miami could bring a fresh perspective to the show and allow me to represent my community authentically.
BHM: Can you share your initial breast cancer diagnosis and how it affected your life, particularly as a Black woman in the public eye?
GA: Receiving my breast cancer diagno-
sis was a moment of shock and disbelief. I was busy balancing my career, role on RHOM, and responsibilities as a mother and wife when the news hit me, which brought my life to a halt.
I was forced to confront my vulnerability and the reality that cancer affects Black women in unique ways. Being in the public eye added pressure, but I felt a responsibility to be transparent.
I’ve tried to show the raw reality of facing cancer, using my story to promote early detection and self-advocacy.
BHM: What were some of your biggest fears and concerns (if any), considering the unique challenges faced by Black women with breast cancer in the US?
GA: My biggest fear was becoming a statistic and leaving my family behind. I worried about the impact on my family—
how would my children cope if my health deteriorated, and how would my husband manage everything?
Hearing that Black women have a 40% higher breast cancer death rate despite a slightly lower incidence rate compared to White women was alarming. The thought of navigating this journey in a system that has historically failed Black women weighed heavily on me. But I was determined to advocate for myself and ensure I received the best possible care.
BHM: As a woman of color (and public persona), how did you navigate the healthcare system and access the treatment and resources you needed?
GA: Navigating the healthcare system was a mix of advocating for myself and being surrounded by a solid support system. I spent time finding the right doctors who specialized in breast cancer treatment and had experience with Black women’s unique health concerns. Being in the public eye added a layer of urgency to my situation—I knew people were watching, and I wanted to set a positive example for other women.
BHM: What were some of the most supportive resources or organizations that helped you during your treatment and recovery?
GA: “To be honest, I leaned heavily on my family throughout my treatment journey. The support of my husband and children was my anchor. I also had incredible care at Memorial Regional Health System, where the staff went above and beyond for me.
Organizations like the Susan G. Komen
Foundation, Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF), and the American Cancer Society (ACS) have been invaluable in providing resources, and I’m particularly connected to SurviveHer, which is a cause close to my heart.”
BHM: What final message do you wish to convey to Black women who are currently diagnosed and looking for support balancing healthcare, family, and work?
GA: My message is simple: prioritize early detection and make your voice heard. A breast cancer diagnosis can be overwhelming, but there is a strong community here to support you.
Your health is your most important priority, and everything else can wait. Finally, know that by taking care of yourself, you’re setting an example for other women who need to see that it’s possible to come out on the other side stronger and more empowered.
Guerdy Abraira’s health journey is a powerful reminder that despite life’s obstacles, resilience and advocacy can light the pathway forward. Her battle with breast cancer has deepened her sense of purpose, motivating her to use her platform to break down stigmas surrounding breast cancer and empower women to prioritize their health. Her message is simple but powerful: you are not alone, and with early detection, self-advocacy, and support, there’s always hope. Guerdy Abraira’s voice carries far beyond reality TV – it calls for resilience and courage to meet life’s challenges head-on.
Long COVID ‘Brain Fog’ – a Frustrating New Brain Health Issue that Doctors Say Can be Managed
By Hazel Trice Edney
(TriceEdneyWire.com) - Approximately 97.9 out of every 100,000 African Americans have died from COVID-19, according to the National Institute of Health (NIH). That COVID mortality rate is a third higher than Latinos (64.7 per 100,000), and more than double the rate for Whites (46.6 per 100,000) and Asians (40.4 per 100,000).
“The overrepresentation of African Americans among confirmed COVID-19 cases and number of deaths underscores the fact that the coronavirus pandemic, far from being an equalizer, is amplifying or even worsening existing social inequalities tied to race, class, and access to the health care system,” the NIH states.
The death rates are measurable because they are physical and must be reported. But what could not be fully predicted was all of the intangible fall out from COVID such as grief, depression, fear, anxiety, and even “brain fog”, a brain health condition that is a symptom of what physicians are now calling “long COVID.”
A study by NIH has shown that “Black and Hispanic people who develop COVID-19 are more likely than White people to experience certain symptoms linked to Long COVID. This may affect how people
are being screened, diagnosed, and treated for Long COVID,” the NIH states.
Long COVID is described as a condition in which the coronavirus itself is no longer present in the body, but symptoms continue even after the illness is over. Brain fog – forgetfulness, inability to concentrate or think clearly - is one of those symptoms. It can affect anyone, regardless of age or severity of physical illness.
According to an article published by AARP, so-called "long-haulers", people suffering long COVID, may experience symptoms such as "brain fog, shortness of breath, fatigue, muscle weakness, heart palpitations, and mood and sleep disturbances. Many have been unable to return to their normal daily activities."
The Yale School of Medicine, reports that “an estimated 7% of adults—or about 17 million people—in the United States reported having Long COVID in March 2024, based on data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).”
“Estimates vary as to exactly how many of those people struggle with cognitive function,” Yale reports. “But in one study of people with Long COVID, close to half reported having poor memory or brain fog.”
Given the disparate COVID mortality
and illness rates suffered by Blacks, it is clear that long COVID, including brain fog, is also likely a serious issue in the Black community. But it can be dealt with.
“It’s definitely not subtle,” says neurologist Lindsay McAlpine, MD, who directs the Yale Medicine NeuroCovid Clinic.
“People have told me they used to be amazing at multitasking, but with brain fog they can do only one thing at a time. Other patients have switched jobs because they could no longer handle the tasks, stress, or
thought-load of their previous job.”
Yale researchers are quoted discussing the brain health issues related to COVID.
The following are some of the notable observations of Yale experts that might be helpful to people suffering from brain fog:
Here are several notable findings by medical experts:
· Brain fog is considered a Long COVID symptom if it’s present three months after the person had COVID and has persisted for more than two months.
· For most people, Long COVID brain fog eventually goes away on its own. To go away completely, it can take as long as between six and nine months after the infection, although in some people it lasts as long as 18 months or more.
· Exercise is one thing that boosts cognition in most individuals, even in patients with dementia.
· Patients with brain fog have responded well to two medications—N-acetylcysteine (NAC) and guanfacine.
· There has also been evidence of COVID vaccines helping with Long COVID symptoms like brain fog, but there are no guarantees.
· While some people experience more se-
vere brain fog than others, many find there are strategies that can help, such as letting other people know about their limitations due to brain fog.
• For memory difficulties, try “visualization techniques (picturing the thing you want to remember in your head), auditory rehearsal (repeating the thing, such as a short list, in your head), and active listening (repeating back what a person you are talking to has said).
• For inability to focus during moments of brain fog, take “a low-stimulation break,” like finding a quiet, maybe darker environment in another room (if possible), close your eyes, and take a few minutes to regroup. It may help to do this four times a day to prevent brain fog rather than using breaks as a time to recover from feeling overwhelmed.
Brain fog related to COVID-19 is still relatively new given that the pandemic just ended in 2023 and coronavirus cases are still prevalent across the U. S. But despite research that is ongoing, doctors say this frustrating brain health issue can still be managed.
This article is part of a series powered by AARP for the purpose of brain health education. Here's more information.
Where personal breakthroughs are powered by medical ones.
At Yale New Haven Health, we’re delivering pioneering research from Yale School of Medicine to improve people’s lives every single day. Like Dr. Roy Herbst, an international leader in innovative research, who leads clinical trials that have advanced the use of immunotherapy and gene-targeted therapies to personalize treatment for lung cancer. Together, we’re powering breakthroughs with the greatest of care.
Creating Support to Combat Our Rising Suicide Rates
by Fajr Eutsey, BlackHealthMatters.com
Our community has seen a concerning rise in suicide rates. We need mental health interventions and support systems that resonate with our community and acknowledge the specific barriers we face. We spoke with Dr. Jill Harkavy-Friedman, Senior Vice President of Research at the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP). Drawing from the 2024 Public Perception of Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Poll, she shares key findings from the study. And discusses the resources AFSP is developing to promote mental well-being within the Black community.
BHM: Can you provide an overview of the current landscape of suicide within the Black community, including any notable statistics that highlight the severity of the issue?
Dr. Harkavy-Friedman: Suicide is a leading cause of death in the United States. It’s concerning that suicide is a health issue in the Black community, and the rates are trending upward. This loss of life is tragic and creates suffering for those who lose loved ones to suicide.
BHM: Can you elaborate on the key findings of the recent national poll regarding perceptions of mental health and suicide prevention, particularly among Black respondents?
Dr. Harkavy-Friedman: The 2024 Public Perception of Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Poll found overall that nine out of 10 people in the US believe that suicide can be prevented at least sometimes, showing an incredible shift in public understanding about suicide from decades ago when society viewed suicide as an inevitable outcome. There is a growing willingness to talk about mental health and suicide, signaling that negative attitudes are decreasing. Still, there is more work to do in the face of barriers to help-seeking for all communities.
The poll was intentionally doubled this year to study a larger group of respondents from underrepresented ethnic and racial communities so we can look more closely at diverse groups in the US population. The data revealed some specific insights about the Black community, which in turn can help the suicide prevention community understand the unique challenges this community faces in accessing mental health care, as well as to create culturally relevant strategies. Key findings included:
• Respondents across racial and ethnic groups equally reported suicide can be prevented for at least some time.
They would reach out to someone who they thought may be experiencing mental health problems or thinking of suicide, and they would reach out for help if needed.
• A High Likelihood of Using 988: 79% of Black respondents said they are likely to contact 988.
• Differences emerged regarding perceived barriers to help-seeking: A more common barrier to seeking crisis services for several underrepresented populations is the fear of what family, friends, or others might think, including Black respondents (33%).
BHM: What specific challenges do Black individuals face when seeking mental health support, and how can these challenges be effectively addressed?
Dr. Harkavy-Friedman: Black individuals often face significant challenges when seeking mental health support because of negative attitudes around mental illness and cultural beliefs within the community. Other factors include the mistrust of the healthcare system due to historical racial disparities; culturally competent providers are an essential need for any group of individuals, and the availability of culturally competent care is often limited for Black communities. To effectively address these issues, the suicide prevention community must work with the Black community, and organizations and policymakers must engage
in efforts to ensure that culturally relevant mental health resources are equitably available across the nation.
BHM: How does the AFSP plan to develop and promote relevant resources that are effective for the mental health needs of the Black community?
Dr. Harkavy-Friedman: AFSP is committed to working with the Black community, organizations, and policymakers to ensure that culturally relevant mental health resources are equitably available nationwide. This includes:
• LETS (Listening, Empathy, Trust, Support) Save Lives: An Introduction to Suicide Prevention for the Black Community is a presentation created by and for Black people. It is designed to be culturally sensitive, foster conversations about mental health, and raise awareness of suicide prevention for individuals who identify as Black or African American. The program is grounded in research and delivered by trained presenters with lived experience within Black and African American Communities.
o Soul Shop™ for Black Churches, a training to help faith leaders, including church staff, pastors, faith-based clinicians, and other lay leaders in Black and African American churches, minister to those in their congregations who may be struggling or who have been impacted by suicide.
o Research studies about and by Black people such as The HAVEN (Helping
cial groups, as well as factors that may moderate potential disparities. This study explores Black parents’ experiences with program receipt and firearm storage decision-making processes.
• BHM: In what ways can community leaders and organizations within the Black community contribute to reducing the negative attitudes associated with mental health issues and suicide?
Dr. Harkavy-Friedman: Fortunately, we’ve been witnessing people talking more openly about mental health and offering support to one another. This is powerful and can help save lives. Hearing stories of those addressing their mental health needs helps empower us to do the same. Education and awareness also play an essential role in changing attitudes about mental health and suicide. Some resources that are focused on supporting individuals in the Black community include:
o The Boris Lawrence Henson Foundation’s vision is to eradicate the stigma around mental health issues in the African American community.
to Alleviate Valley Experiences Now) Connect program, a depression and suicide prevention program for Black youth ages 13-19 in 12 churches across New York State. The HAVEN-Connect program builds on natural cohesive networks, enhances positive coping skills, promotes help-seeking acceptance through its Youth Connect program, and reinforces these protective factors through sermons, Bible study, and Sunday school activities.
o Another study is the Racial Discrimination, Emotion Reactivity and Dysregulation, and Suicide Risk in a Clinical Sample of Black and Latinx Adolescents. To address the racial and ethnic disparity in youth suicidal behaviors, this study uses behavioral tasks and inflammation-related biomarkers to explore potential pathways through which experiences of racism may increase suicide-related risk among Black and Latinx adolescents from an under-resourced community. Findings will help improve the cultural responsiveness of suicide prevention strategies.
o Promoting Equity in Firearm Safety and Suicide Prevention to Reduce Suicide in Black Youth. This study leverages a large implementation trial in Michigan and Colorado to examine if the implementation of an evidencebased safe firearm storage program as a universal suicide prevention strategy in pediatric primary care differs across ra-
o Lee Thompson Young Foundation envisions a world in which all recognize mental illness as a treatable, biopsychosocial disorder, and the stigma associated with it no longer exists; a world that supports and encourages wholeness and well-being at every stage of life. They focus on mental health education for African American communities.
o Black Emotional and Mental Health Collective is a collective of advocates, yoga teachers, artists, therapists, lawyers, religious leaders, teachers, psychologists, and activists committed to Black communities’ emotional health, mental health, and healing. They envision a world where there are no barriers to Black healing. Their mission is to remove the barriers Black people experience accessing or staying connected with emotional health care and healing. They do this through education, training, advocacy, and the creative arts.
o AFSP also has local chapters in all 50 states, including DC and Puerto Rico, that invite supporters to help transform their communities into ones that are smart about mental health and where everyone has support when needed.
Remember to check in on our friends and family. A simple “How are you doing?” can make a big difference. If you’re feeling down, try to reach out for support; resources are available to help. Taking care of ourselves and each other is essential.
