The Cheshire Citizen

KINGS

OF THE GRIDIRON

Youth football squad claims conference crown

Record-Journal report

Cheshire claimed the seventhgrade Shoreline Youth Football Conference title Nov. 20 at Southington High School. The local squad, coached by Jeff Plouffe, opened the season 0-2, then reeled off nine straight wins, capped by a 14-0 victory over Guilford in the finals.

The champs went 6-2 in the reg ular season, thumped Madison 36-8 in the quarterfinals and out lasted Southington 33-24 in the semifinals.

“We played Southington Week 1 and they embarrassed us, so it was special to win that game,” said Plouffe, who was assisted by Jason Tracy, Rich Roberts, Pe te Selmecki, Tyler Selmecki, Mike Bowman and Sean Roberts. Plouffe has been coaching this team since the players were in third grade.

They reached the championship game that year and lost 13-12. In the intervening years, they were knocked out in the semis.

This fall, they weathered a rough first few weeks.

“After we started 0-2, we re mained unified and we went on a winning streak. We were fight ing for each other and we were playing for each other,” Plouffe

PZC approves Stonebridge housing project

Record-Journal staff

The Reserve at Stonebridge Crossing, a housing and commerical development project in Cheshire’s north end, re ceived unanimous approval at the Nov. 14 meeting of the Planning and Zoning Commission.

said. “We had a good combina tion of great defense, good spe cial teams and our offense aver aged close to 30 points per game.

Contributed See Champs, A8

While the commission has heard objec tions by some members of the public, the project will now move forward adding 300 apartment units to Cheshire’s housing stock, along with unspecified commercial properties, just

See Stonebridge, A11

Cheshire claimed the 2022 Shoreline Youth Football Conference seventh-grade championship, beating Guilford 14-0 in the final.

This rendering, courtesy of EG Home, shows part of the outline of The Reserve at Stonebridge Crossing. Contributed

Despite Apple Classic loss, Rams make playoffs

By Ron Buck Special to the Record-Journal

CHESHIRE Make it 10 straight for the Southington football team.

But there were more than a few anxious moments down the stretch for the Blue Knights, who held on to beat Cheshire 21-14 in the 26th Apple Valley Classic on Thanksgiving morning at Alumni Field.

Up 21-0 entering the fourth quarter, Southington’s com fort level lessened as Cheshire scored 14 points and had the ball with under four minutes to play.

But the Blue Knights (9-1) prevailed for a 10th win in a row over Cheshire (6-4) in the Apple Valley Classic. And, as a result, SHS players posed with 10 fingers raised in celebration, or crossed arms to form the Roman nu meral “X,” in post-game cel ebration photos.

Southington now leads the annual Thanksgiving morn ing affair 17-9 and the alltime series against Cheshire 26-18.

The Blue Knights’ victory, combined with Greenwich’s 39-38 loss to Staples on Thanksgiving morning, moved SHS to No. 1 in the CIAC Class LL playoff points. Southington was to host No. 8 seed Trumbull (7-3) in a quarterfinal game Tuesday night at Fontana Field.

While Southington was as sured of a Class LL playoff spot win or lose on Thanks giving, that wasn’t the case for Cheshire.

But about 30 minutes after losing to their rival, and after crunching some CIAC play off points, Cheshire head coach Don Drust and his

Rams found out they would be playing on Tuesday night as well.

As something of a silver lin ing, Cheshire qualified for the Class L playoffs as the No. 8 seed. Its postseason spot was made possible by Darien’s 13-10 loss to New Canaan in the Turkey Bowl.

The Rams were to hit the road Tuesday night to play at top-seeded St. Joseph (9-1), which beat Trumbull 20-17 with a field goal with two seconds to play last Thurs day.

“Losing stinks; it hurts to lose to your rival on Thanks giving morning,” Durst said. “But it won’t hurt quite as bad (knowing we made the playoffs).

“Obviously you want to win on Thanksgiving, but at the end of the day, to get a few more days with those guys is the most important thing to me, ” Durst added.

As for the Thanksgiving matchup, Southington con

trolled the game for the first 36 minutes and led 21-0. Cheshire, however, ran 20 of 27 plays in the final 12 min utes of the game and had the ball with 3:39 to play.

After cutting the deficit to 21-7 with 7:02 to go on the first of two Matt Jeffery touchdown runs in the fourth quarter, Cheshire re covered the ensuing onsides kick and made it 21-14 on another 4-yard Jeffery TD run with 4:12 remaining.

Cheshire’s defense then forced a 3-and-out and the Rams took over at their own 35 after a Southington punt.

With just over two minutes to play, and the Rams facing a third-and-15, running back Jeffery Gonzalez’s knee was ruled down as he made a catch.

Cheshire argued the call, which brought an ensuing unsportsmanlike penalty, pushing the ball back to the Cheshire 15.

Down 21-0 heading into the fourth quarter, Matt Jeffery and the Cheshire Rams weren’t through in Thursday, Nov. 24’s Apple Valley Classic.

Jim Brandolini, Special to the Record-Journal

Divorce mediation – do I need a lawyer?

By Lisa Cappalli

For some divorcing couples mediation is an attractive al ternative to traditional litiga tion. In a mediation, the couple works direct ly with a me diator to craft a settle ment of property di vision, al imony, child custody and other issues. It is very rare for lawyers to represent the spouses in mediation ses sions. So, why would you hire a lawyer if you intend to mediate?

Initially, a consulting lawyer can help you decide whether mediation is the best option in your situation. If it is, the lawyer can recommend me diators with appropriate ex pertise, experience and tem perament. Your lawyer can provide a preliminary case evaluation and give you a range of likely outcomes if the case had to be decided in court. That knowledge would help you have reason able expectations and a baseline for terms of an agreement. That makes me diation success more likely.

The mediator has to be neu tral and, even if a lawyer, is not obligated to keep infor mation secret from the other spouse and can’t provide le gal advice. Your lawyer has a duty to you, an obligation to keep conversations with you confidential. He can provide legal advice and rec ommend negotiation strate gies.

When a mediated settlement is reached, your lawyer can evaluate the written agree ment prepared by the medi ator to be sure that it is clear, complete and adequately protects you or make sug gestions so that it is. If me diation fails, you will have developed a relationship with her and she will be up to speed on the facts and can efficiently transition to

litigation or collaboration.

Obviously, there is a cost. In some cases where I was con sulting counsel, the expense was modest because only a few hours of my time was re quired. In other cases, the client needed greater assis tance so the expense was more. The extent and ex pense of consulting counsel involvement depends, as you would expect, on a number of factors, like the complexity of the situation, the relationship with the

spouse, the skill of the medi ator and, of course, your budget. You need to decide for yourself if the benefits are worth the investment. In virtually every case, it is.

Lisa J. Cappalli is Of Counsel at Cappalli & Hill, LLC and Freed Marcroft LLC. She can be reached at lcappalli@cap pallihill.com or 203-2713888. This column should not be construed as legal advice or legal opinion by Attorney Cappalli, Cappalli & Hill,

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Access Health CT insurance enrollment period open

By Cris Villalonga-Vivoni Record-Journal staff

As the deadline for open en rollment approaches, the chief executive officer of Ac cess Health CT, James Michel, stressed the impor tance of getting health insur ance as soon as possible.

"Having a plan to protect you and your family is one of the best investments you can make because anything can happen to anybody at any time,” he said.

Insurance basics

Open enrollment is an an nual period between Nov. 1 to Jan. 15 when residents can shop and enroll (or reenroll) in health insurance with coverage starting Feb. 1. Enrollment applications submitted before Dec. 15 have insurance coverage by Jan. 1.

Access Health CT is the state’s primary resource and marketplace to compare health insurance options with the help of its enroll

ment special ists and certi fied insur ance brokers, said Michel.

According to the Access Health CT website, its goal is to de crease the uninsured rates in the state by making shop ping for insurance more ac cessible and affordable.

A survey by the Kaiser Fami ly Foundationfound 5.1% of

Connecticut residents didn’t have health insurance in 2021, with people of color more likely to be uninsured. For example, 13% of Hispan ic individuals in Connecticut are uninsured compared to 3.4% of white residents.

In 2020, New Haven county had an uninsured rate of 5.6%, higher than the state rate, according to the US Census Bureau. Similarly, the census estimated that Meriden had a 4.7% unin surance rate in 2020.

What to know

Access Health CT works with three insurance companies: Anthem, ConnectiCare and HUSKY (Medicaid), said outreach coordinator Luiz Irizarry.

Available enrollment plans include qualified health plans (QHP) and standalone dental plans (SADP).

To enroll in insurance and apply for financial assis tance, consumers must give Access Health their date of birth, social security num ber, most recent W2 or form 1040, 1099, current insur ance coverage, pay stubs/ projected income and immi gration documents (if appli cable).

Access Health CT then veri fies and uses the provided information to choose a few plan options to compare and enroll.

For any questions or help, consumers can connect with an enrollment specialist or certified broker through three mediums online, over the phone or in-person for free, said Irizarry. He also added that Access Health hosts enrollment fairs regularly that are free to the public.

"There’s no stupid ques tions. All questions are im portant,” he said. "If you have a question, I’m sure there’s 10 other people be hind with the same ques tion."

When choosing a plan, Iriz zary recommended antici pating what medical services you may need during the coming year, such as up coming surgeries or pre scription drugs.

Financial assistance

Michel explained that many individuals worry about the cost of insurance and are de terred from getting it. How ever, more people qualify for financial assistance through the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) than in previous years.

Michel

Holiday fair

First Congregational Church’s Christmas Fair is scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 3, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the church, 111 Church Drive.

Ever-popular attractions in clude a gift basket raffle, handcrafted items, the Cookie Walk, poinsettias, boxwood trees, chocolates, Granny’s Attic (household and holiday items), the Trea sure Room, jewelry, a $1 “surprise jar” for kids, and the church’s signature corn

chowder. All are welcome. Masks must be worn except when eating.

For more information, call the church office at 203272-5323.

Door decoration

The Cheshire Garden Club will conduct its 68th annual Holiday Door Decorating Contest.

The contest is open to all members of the community as well as public establish ments.

Holiday Happenings

Choose from the following categories to enter: 1. Holi day Door; 2. Entire Front Yard; 3. Holiday Youth Motif; 4. Vintage Home (older than 100 years); 5. Garden Club Member-only; 6. Public/ Business.

All entries must be received by Thursday, Dec. 8. Judging will begin Friday, Dec. 9 dur ing daylight hours and will be based on artistic beauty and creativity. Photos will be taken of the winning entries and will be published. To enter, call Inge at 203-2711296.

Holiday stroll

The Second Annual Holiday Stroll and Third Annual Wreath Auction will be held at the Watch Factory Shoppes Saturday, Dec. 3.

There will be specials of fered by Watch Factory Shoppe businesses all day, including at Olive & Henry Fine Foods.

There will also be a toy drive, sponsored by the Sal vation Army.

From 4 to 8 p.m., activities will include a visit from San

ta and his elves, perfor mance by the Cheshire Voice Choir and the Bell Choir, singing by carolers, a holiday Wreath Walk and Auction, and happy hour specials of fered at 122 Elm Street Tav ern.

In addition, there will be music from by the local Strolling Minstrel and hot cocoa and cookies from Ma bel’s Tables. Artists and ven dors will be showcasing/sell ing a variety of items: sweets and treats, home goods, handmade pottery, handpoured candles, jewlery, or naments, and more.

For more information, con tact ReRead Books & More at 203-250-3312 or Olive & Henry at 203-806-1450.

Press Release

The following tips will help keep you and your pets safe in cold weather situations.

Suiting up

When going outdoors, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends wearing a hat, scarf or knit mask to cover face and mouth; long sleeves that are snug at the wrist; mittens (which are warmer than gloves); and water-resistant coat and boots. Also, layer clothing strategically. When choosing an inner layer, wear fabrics that hold more body heat and do not absorb moisture. Wool, silk and

polypropylene hold more body heat than cotton.

An insulation layer of cloth ing will help retain heat by trapping air close to the body. Natural fibers, like wool, goose down and fleece work best.

The outermost layer of clothing helps protect from the elements. It should be tightly woven and preferably water- and wind-resistant to reduce loss of body heat.

And try to stay dry outdoors, as wet clothing chills the body quickly. Excess sweat ing will cause your body to lose more heat, so remove extra layers of clothing when you feel too warm.

Cold weather-induced con ditions such as frostbite can occur even in temperatures above 40 degrees if a person becomes chilled by rain or sweat, or is submerged in cold water. Do not ignore shivering, as it’s an impor tant first sign that your body is losing heat. Constant shiv ering is a sign that it is time to go inside.

Ice safety

The Department of Energy and Environmental Protec tion recommends measuring ice in multiple places before testing it with your weight. Ice that is four inches thick or less should be avoided. Four inches or more is con

sidered safe for ice fishing or any other activity on foot. Five to seven inches of ice is recommended for snowmo biles or ATVs. It is illegal to drive a car or truck on the ice in Connecticut.

Remember that air tempera ture and recent weather pat terns can impact ice quality. Just because the ice was safe on a certain date last year doesn’t mean it will be safe this year.

When going out on the ice, it’s advised to let someone

know when you expect to be back.

Also, carry a cell phone and wear a life jacket or float coat. And bring along an ice safety kit including rope, ice picks, a whistle and spiked shoes/creepers.

If you fall through the ice, try not to panic. Turn toward the direction you came from. Place your hands and arms on the unbroken surface, working forward by kicking

See Protocols, A13

Quality customized.

Our defense had several shutouts and forced a lot of turnovers.”

“This team showed dedica tion and a work ethic and never got discouraged,” Plouffe added. “We got it to gether. It was just an overall team effort.”

Cheshire is a run-first team that threw the ball as the season went on and ulti mately ended with a massive celebration on a frigid Sun day afternoon.

“The kids went nuts,” Plouffe said. “We rented a bus to go back and forth and we had a police escort into town, and the kids just had a blast. The

kids showed great commit ment from August 8 to November 20.”

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Rams

Now facing fourth-and-30 with 2:08 to play, Southing ton’s Rashard Williams in tercepted an Aniston Marsh pass to ease the SHS faith ful’s mind and silence the Cheshire sideline.

Williams returned the ball to the Cheshire 3. From there, the Blue Knights simply ran out the clock.

“I wish it didn’t take as long as it did for us to get going and get some traction,” Drust said. “But at the end of the day, I’m really proud of those guys. I’m really proud of those seniors.

“They gave us everything they had; they played for 48 minutes, and that’s all you can ask for,” Drust added. “They played 48 minutes against a really good football team.”

Drury expected nothing less from Cheshire, which was led on defense by MVP end Brett Rochford.

“We told the guys that we were on a 5-, 6-game skid to them early in my career,” Drury said. “I said, ‘They are going to be hungry.’ We were in that position.”

Prior to the Blue Knights’ run of wins, Cheshire had beaten SHS five straight times, including in Mike Drury’s first Apple Valley Classic as Southington head coach in 2011. Drury is now 10-1 against Cheshire.

“(Cheshire) came out and played really hard, but our guys made great plays when they had to,” said Drury. “(Momentum) changed there (in the fourth quarter) a little bit, but we had some big penalties on defense and offense. That allowed them to stick around a little bit when we could have taken it away. ”

Up until the fourth quarter, Southington dominated the game on both sides of the ball.

Senior Lincoln Cardillo, who was named the game’s Most Outstanding Player, scored the first and third Blue

Knights’ touchdowns.

Junior quarterback C.J. DiBenedetto, Southington’s Offensive Player of the Game, threw for 219 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

One of DiBenedetto’s touch downs was to Williams with 36 seconds to play in the first half to put SHS up 14-0 at the break.

Williams, who battled illness along with 18 other SHS players, finished with six catches for 93 yards.

“I was feeling pretty good all week, but went to bed last night and sort of felt it; then I woke up this morning feel ing terrible,” said Williams.

“My head hurts a little now, but I feel a lot better.

“Going into the game, I just had to forget about it; I wasn’t going to sit out,” Williams continued. “I feel like when others are hurt, we just have to step up and do our jobs.”

Williams was alluding to

SHS playing last Thursday without starting wide re ceivers Kam Beaudoin and Evan Anderson.

Beaudoin missed his second game with a shoulder injury, while Anderson is out for the season with a torn ACL. With those two out, Williams played a bigger role in the SHS offense.

“Ray’s a great player; he stepped up big,” Drury said. “He made big plays when needed. We had actually played him out of position most of the game and he did a great job adapting.”

Cardillo’s second TD came after DiBenedetto hooked up with Williams for a 50yard gain that saw Williams take a swing pass and race down the sidelines into the end zone.

Williams, however, stepped out of bounds at the Cheshire 28.

No matter. DiBenedetto hit Cardillo out of the backfield

on the next play for a TD. Cardillo broke a tackle at the 5, then ran into the end zone for his 22nd touchdown of the season.

“C.J. just threw a beautiful ball,” Cardillo said. “It was a fake screen and he threw it perfectly over the lineback er. ”

While SHS was taking a 21-0 lead, Cheshire’s offense was pretty much a one-man show.

Jeffery accounted for 78 of the Rams’ 91 total yards heading into the fourth quarter. The junior, who lined up at quarterback and wide receiver, was named Cheshire’s top offensive player.

Jeffery finished with 66 yards rushing and caught nine passes for 87 yards.

“We were scheming (on Jef fery) because we knew he was very athletic,” Matias said. “We were trying to find ways to slow him down.”

When Cheshire got within 21-14 on Jeffery’s second TD, Matias was there to keep spirits high.

‘Everyone was down, but I was just trying to pick up my brothers,” said Matias of Cheshire’s fourth-quarter rally. “We had to stay fo cused. We just got it done.”

The Rams started senior Michael Simeone at quarter back, but Marsh moved to quarterback in the first half when Jeffery wasn’t taking direct snaps.

Marsh, a sophomore, fin ished the game 14 of 21 for 113 yards.

After Connor Moran recov ered the fourth-quarter on sides kick, Marsh hit Luke Wiedemann for 11 yards and a first on fourth down. He then found Jeffery on a pair of passes for 17 more yards to set up Jeffery’s second TD of the fourth quarter.

“Scoring two touchdowns is always awesome; I do what ever I can do to make the team win,” said Jeffery.

As for rallying late?

“I told the guys, ‘Just believe in yourself, believe in the team,’” Jeffery said. “We score a touchdown, get the onsides kick, then score an other touchdown. We got the momentum, and we be lieved.

“But things happen (at the end) for a reason,” Jeffery added.

“We never quit; we never stopped,” said Drust. “That’s our character coming through. Those last 12 min utes, we really played our butts off.”

The first half started with Southington marching 80 yards on 14 plays. Cardillo was the workhorse on the drive, carrying the ball 11 times for 40 yards.

The effectiveness of the SHS run game opened things up for DiBenedetto.

“I feel like they threw a lot at us on that first drive,” Cardil lo said. “So, we got to see how they were going to do things. But we always want to establish the run before we go to the pass option.”

Cheshire’s Matt Jeffery takes a handoff from quarterback Michael Simeone during the AppleValleyClassicThursday,Nov.24atAlumniField. Jim Brandolini, Special to the Record-Journal

He estimated that 85% of Access Health consumers qualify for subsidies.

"We believe [the IRA] is go ing to help us address health disparities as it was meant to make health in surance more affordable for more people,” Michel said.

Access Health CT has nu merous types of financial aid that are picked for the consumer based on their household’s tax informa tion, such as annual and projected income, house hold size and home ad dress.

For those enrolled in a qualified health plan, Irizarry said that they are eligible to receive one of two financial aids pre mium tax credits or costsharing reductions. The former reduces a con sumer’s monthly payment, also known as premium, by receiving a subsidy di rectly paid to their insur ance company. Mean while, cost-sharing reduc tions help lower out-ofpocket deductibles, copay ments and coinsurance.

In addition, Irizarry said that individuals who don’t qualify for HUSKY, may be eligible for Covered CT in stead. Covered CT is a comprehensive plan where the state pays for a con sumer’s insurance and all

out-of-pocket costs. Irizarry added that Cov ered CT also helps with transportation for medical visits.

Undocumented individu als are not eligible to apply for financial assistance or HUSKY. However, Irizarry said that it’s still possible to enroll in health insur ance by connecting with insurance brokers and paying the total price.

Why is it important?

From experience, Michel stressed the importance of getting health insurance since it’s a financial safety net if a medical emergency occurs.

He explained that his son was born a month and a half early and kept in the NICU for two weeks.

"When I saw the bill I couldn’t believe how much it cost,” he said. "Imagine if I did not have health in surance, I would have probably lost the house."

cvillalonga@ record-journal.com 203-317-2448

Latino Communities Reporter Cris Villalonga-Vivoni is a corps member with Report for Ameri ca, a national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms. Support RFA re porters at the Record-Journal through a donation at https:// bit.ly/3Pdb0re

Stonebridge

From A1

south of the Southington town line.

Developers still need to file an additional application in regards to a state statue re quirement that involves the property and open space.

Before the latest approval, the PZC asked for additional information about potential

traffic and pedestrian access issues.

While the Office of the State Traffic Administration has granted approvals, attorney Anthony Fazzone, who rep resents the developers, not ed that local traffic authori ties can weigh in on issues and relay these to the state traffic authority. However, the process is substantially along, according to Fazzone.

The plans for school buses,

which was a topic of con cern at the meeting of Oct. 24, remained unclear and Commissioner Jeff Natale asked why renderings shown at the meeting did not in clude sidewalks. However, Fazzone said the plans weren’t updated at this point but that sidewalks were a re quirement. Further discus sion detailed where side walks would be needed and where school buses would pick up students.

Heating costs, concerns soar

By Michael Gagne Record-Journal staff

As outdoor temperatures dip, energy suppliers and advocates have renewed concerns about whether the state’s most vulnerable resi dents will be able to afford to keep their homes heated this winter. Those concerns come amid the simple fact that home heating costs are soaring. As of Nov. 14, home heating oil prices across Connecticut had averaged around $5.64 a gallon, ac cording to the state Depart ment of Energy and Environ mental Protection. A year earlier, the average cost of home heating oil was $3.28 per gallon, the agency re ported. So within a one-year span home heating oil costs have risen nearly 72%.

The amount of federal fund ing the state has received to administer the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Pro gram, referred to as LIHEAP, this winter now stands at

around $99 million, following Gov. Ned Lamont’s an nouncement on Thursday, Nov. 17 that the state’s feder al delegation had secured an additional $19 million in funding to the state through that program.

Increased costs, declining benefits

The state’s Department of Social Services developed a tiered plan to distribute funds based on residents’ in come and the previous fund ing level of $79 million. That plan would provide $550 worth of heating oil to nonvulnerable residents and $600 to vulnerable residents whose incomes are at or below federal poverty levels.

The plan factors in an antici pated caseload of 96,600 res idents statewide. The plan includes crisis assistance de liveries, with the first benefit being $430.

The amounts of funding to be distributed through that

plan are far below the amounts the state had doled out to LIHEAP participants a year earlier when offi cials supplemented the state’s LIHEAP funds with federal coronavirus relief funds.

State Rep. Mary Mushinsky said she has been in contact with the state Office of Fiscal Analysis and reached out to U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro’s of fice. Mushinsky noted that with the influx of federal re lief funds, the state’s total LI HEAP funds in 2021 totaled around $120 million.

“So we’ve got $21 million less than during the pan demic year and there’sa price increase in fuel,” Mushinsky said, adding that the number of applicants for the program is expected to increase by 5%.

Mushinsky said typically the state gets a supplemental LI HEAP payment from the

See Heating, A13

Senior Health

Exercise and stress

Wednesday, Dec. 7, from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m., learn more about what stress is, how physical activity can help reduce stress and what exercises are best at helping to reduce it.

Presented by Christine Soli mini-Swift, exercise physiol ogist, GoodLife Fitness. Reg istration required. Call 1855-442-4373 or go to Hart fordHealthCare.org/Virtual Classes.

Awareness training

Wednesday, Dec. 7, from 2 to 3 p.m., learn how you can avoid slips, trips and falls for an overall safer environ ment.

Presented by Lisa Murawski, exercise physiologist, GoodLife Fitness. Registra tion required.

Call 1-855-442-4373 or go to HartfordHealthCare.org/ VirtualClasses.

Cedar Mountain

Cedar Mountain Commons, an independent and assisted living community located at 3 John H. Stewart Drive in Newington, will host an open house Wednes day, Dec. 7, from 3 to 7 p.m. Registration is recommend ed. Call 860-665-7901.

Caregiver support

Do you care for someone di agnosed with dementia? Join a support group.

A support group meets virtu ally the second Wednesday of the month from 6 to 7:30 p.m.

Facilitated by Patty O’Brian, CDP, dementia specialist, Hartford HealthCare Center for Healthy Aging. Registra tion required.

Call 1-855-442-4373 or go to HartfordHealthCare.org/ VirtualClasses.

Protocols

From

your feet. Once out, remain lying on the ice and roll away from the hole. Crawl back to your tracks, keeping your weight distributed until you return to solid ice.

Winter pet care

According to the American Veterinary Medical Associa tion, cold tolerance varies from pet to pet, and owners should be aware of their pet’s tolerance and adjust their activities accordingly.

No pet should be left outside for long periods of time dur ing below-freezing weather. Check dogs frequently for signs of cold-weather injury, such as cracked paw pads or bleeding. Following a walk, dog owners should wipe down their pet’s feet, legs and belly to remove chemi cals such as deicer or an tifreeze.

federal government in Jan uary. She doesn’t anticipate that changing even with the Republicans taking control of the U.S. House of Repre sentatives in January.

Bracing for increased need

A12 ~ ENTER TODAY! ~

“I don’t think either side is going to want to have the states run out of LIHEAP money, ” Mushinsky said.

“Doing the math, you can see that there’s more ex pense on the price of the fu el and then slightly less money in 2021 that means we won’t have enough. We’re going to be short on the funding,” Mushinsky said.

The funding is distributed to qualifying residents through community action agencies, like New Opportunities Inc., which serves 60 communi ties.

Joanne Balaschak, New Op portunities’ director of ener gy programs, noted that last year residents who qualified for benefits were able to re ceive up to $3,000 worth of home heating oil. This year, those same residents may only be eligible to receive $730 in benefits, factoring in their initial deliveries and crisis deliveries, Balashack noted. “It’s going to be un believable,” Balaschak said.

Gannon Long is policy and public affairs director for an other program, Operation Fuel, which provides yearround energy and utility as sistance to state residents, including those who may not qualify for relief under LIHEAP.

Long said in 2021 the orga nization served more than 9,000 households.

This year, Operation Fuel is on track to process even more assistance applica tions. During the summer alone, the agency served 4,500 residents an un precedented number, Long said. The agency is bracing for a winter with potentially greater numbers.

Long noted that even in years less impacted by infla tion and soaring heating costs, LIHEAP funding has been insufficient, not just in Connecticut, but nation wide.

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“In a typical year, LIHEAP is enough to cover 25% of the people who actually qualify for it. That’s a really low per centage,” Long said. “Opera tion Fuel and other advo cates had pointed out for a long time that this is not suf ficient.” Heating List Your Items To Over 300,000 Local Readers. 257041 TO ENTER YOUR PHOTOS VISIT myrecordjournal.com/holiday

EDITORIAL

It’s time to root for Miss Connecticut

It’s been 21 years since the former Marissa Perez was crowned Miss Connecticut. Her path shows that a pageant contestant can achieve great things, far be yond the glitz, glamor and gowns that such events pre sent. Perez now Marissa Cardona works as a col lege and career coordinator for Meriden Public Schools. She’s also the wife of Miguel Cardona, U.S. Education Secretary.

In those intervening 21 years, there has not been an other Latina crowned as Miss Connecticut and as such, going on to represent the state at the national Miss America competition.

Until now. Enter Sylvana Maria González, of New Britain, Miss Connecticut 2022. “I felt at first an im mense amount of joy, a little bit of pressure, but then a lot of excitement knowing that I am what I needed to see when I was younger,” Gonzá lez said, as reported by the Record-Journal’s Lau Guz mán. Guzmán caught up with González at the Aqua Turf Club when González was there to present at the 2022 Readers’ Choice Awards held by the RecordJournal.

Guzmán described some of the ways González will high light her heritage at the competition: “She will be the first person to present Latin Jazz as her talent on the main stage of Miss America, and the only Puerto Rican who will compete this year.” González plans to wear her natural curly hair to chal lenge traditional Latin American beauty standards.

Her platform is domestic vi olence and she’s launched a social impact initiative called “With Heart, Redress ing the Run of Abuse” with outreach to the Latino com munity. “We’re experiencing a cultural revolution in our country with women finding the courage to stand up and

have their voices heard on many issues. Miss America is proud to evolve as an orga nization and join this em powerment movement,” said Gretchen Carlson, chair of the Board of Trustees, in a 2018 statement that an nounced changes to how the organization would operate.

That rebranding of Miss America means the “pageant” is now framed as a competition and functions as a 501 c(4) Social Organi zation. There’s no swimsuit parade and contestants are no longer judged on physical appearance. The emphasis is on scholarships. González received $10,000 as Miss Connecticut, helping her to return to college.

Guzmán wrote about Maris sa Cardona’s reflections on her experience as Miss Con necticut in 2001. “Represent ing Connecticut as a Latina

is something I will forever be grateful for. My parents came to Connecticut leaving the beautiful Isla del Encan to to achieve the American dream. Representing my family and the state of Con necticut is something I will forever hold close to my heart.”

It’s uplifting to hear these women speak about their pride in who they are, both in terms of their individuali ty and their heritage. And to hear their pride in repre senting their communities and the state. The final phase of the competition is scheduled for Dec. 15 at Mo hegan Sun. While all the contestants represent as women of achievement and no doubt are worthy of the crown, we’ll be rooting for Sylvana Maria González.

Previously published in the Record-Journal.

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Crystal Elescano interviews Miss Connecticut, Sylvana Maria Gonzalez, on the red carpet during the 2022 RecordJournal Readers' Choice Awards at the Aqua Turf Club in SouthingtonFriday,Nov.4. Richie Rathsack, Record-Journal

State Historical Society debuts Bicycle Game

By Francesca Fontanez Special to the Record-Journal

For bicycle-lovers who are meeting recent colder tem peratures with disdain, the Connecticut Historical Soci ety has just launched an ex citing new exhibit that brings the heat, both on and off the street.

The Bicycle Game delves in to a unique moment in his tory and brings visitors back to 1890s America, a moment in history that observed a surge in bicycle populari ty.Through an intricately de signed interactive exhibition created for visitors of all ages, visitors find the history of the bicycles as we know it

meddled reconstructed by an salty scoundrel. Barnabus Boggs, whose name was se lected through a “Name the Villain” campaign, is the mischievous rascal who’s meddled with art, facts, and more in an attempt to erase bicycles from Connectut’s history. Through a series of games, puzzles and races, visitors can put their skills to the test and work their way through the game. If successful, the icon ic era can be saved from the wrath of Barnabus Boggs, and Connecticut’s bicycle history can exist in peace.

The Connecticut Historical Society held an opening re ception Nov. 17 to celebrate the hard work and dedica tion of all who pitched in to make The Bicycle Game a reality. After opening re marks, delivered by Rob Kret, Executive Director of the Connecticut Historical Society and C.E.O. and Katie Heidsiek, attendees were in

The Bicycle Game merchandise.

Francesca Fontanez, Special to the Record-Journal

vited to enjoy some refresh ments and explore the ex hibit at their own pace.

Starting with an introductory video featuring Kara Sund lun and Scot Haney of Eye witness 3 News, folks of all ages worked their way through The Bicycle Game’s various activities.

From cracking codes, to rac ing other attendees, every one who experienced the ex

hibit left with a newfound appreciation for all-things bicycles. The attention to de tail, cultural and historical accuracy, and engaging fea tures within The Bicycle Game are awe-inspiring this exhibit is the quintessence of learning made fun. The Bicycle Gamess is sponsored by Me dia Partner Eyewitness 3 News, Premier Community Partner RMC Investment Advisors, Supporting Com munity Partner Stanley Black&Decker, Supporting Sponsor Barnes Group Inc., Contributing Sponsor Ellen M. Brown.

The exhibit is open from now through autumn of 2023. Access to The Bicycle Game is included in the tick et price when visiting the Connecticut Historical Soci ety. Be sure to stay on the lookout for other upcoming events by Connecticut His torical Society they never disappoint.

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