You can leave a bag of non-perishable food items on your front steps by 9 a.m. and tie a ribbon on your mailbox to indicate that food is ready for pick-up, or leave the bag by the mailbox.

Some of the most needed items right now are:

• juices, all kinds
• tomato & spaghetti sauce
• canned tomatoes
• canned meat
• peanut butter & jelly
• bread
• bread crumbs
• Pastaroni
• toiletry items
• fresh produce
• all types of cereal
• rice
• canned fruit
• sugar
• cookies
• applesauce
• pie fillings
• jello, puddings
• ketchup, barbecue sauce
• pickles

You can also bring food donations to the Hebron Interfaith Human Services offices at 20 Pendleton Drive between 9 a.m. to 3:30 p. m. Mondays through Thursdays.

The food is distributed to residents of Hebron who need assistance due to loss of job, illness or or other economic hardships.

For more information about the food pantry, call (860) 228-1681. Or visit their Web site at http://www.hebroninterfaithhumanservices.org/index2.html

Posted March 17, 2010

Tell them you read about it in Hebron Today! Have an event you want published here, where your neighbors can find it 24/7? Simply email it to HTNP.com Editor Brenda Sullivan at eheditor@htnp.com

Donnell Leahy and Natalie MacMaster are 'Masters of the Fiddle' at Jorgensent Center for the Performing Arts on March 19-20. Photo courtesy of MacMaster and Leahy

Natalie MacMaster and Donnell Leahy, two of the world’s most celebrated fiddlers, also happen to be married. Together, these Masters of the Fiddle will create a whirlwind of Celtic music, dance, and song at 8 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, March 19 and 20 at Jorgensen Center for the Performing Arts on the UConn campus.

The foot-tapping rave-ups, heart-wrenching ballads, and world-class step dancing of this Celtic collaboration will leave you breathless.

In the blood

Donnell Leahy is eldest of the eight musically talented siblings of the Canadian powerhouse that bears the family name.

Each of the Leahy children learned to play fiddle from their father. Their mother, a champion step-dancer, taught them to sing, dance and play piano in their rural Ontario home.

Donnell’s Irish background is evident in his fiddling, which is also mixed with influences from Quebec and Cape Breton.

Natalie MacMaster’s impressive musical lineage includes her uncle, prodigy Buddy MacMaster, and the great Canadian folk icon John Allan Cameron, and she is firmly grounded in the Cape Breton style.

However, she began to forge her own sound with a concert debut at age nine-and-a-half.

Together, MacMaster and Leahy’s music combines the influence of their Irish and Scottish roots with their inherent desire for new sounds.

Cabaret seating

The concert is presented cabaret-style with light dinner fare and dessert ($3-$10; cash bar), and the best entertainment around in a candlelit nightclub setting.

Doors open at 7 p.m. Tickets are $34, $38 and $45.

For more information, call the Box Office between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday at 860.486.4226. You can also order online at jorgensen.uconn.edu. Enjoy free parking across the street in the North Garage.

Posted March 17, 2010

This fundraising event, which supports the charitable projects of the council, will include freshly cooked pancakes, french toast, sausage - served with real maple syrup provided by the Hope Valley Sugar House in Hebron - three kinds of muffins, juice, milk and coffee.

The cost is $7 for adults, $5children (under 12).

This traditional feast is a great way to start your day of activities at the Hebron Maple Festival, which was rescheduled to March 20-21 because of forecasts of a downpour.

Take-out is also available. For more information, call (860) 228-1618.

Posted March 17, 2010

Have a community event, fundraiser or other news item you’d like to share with your neighbors here 24/7?  Simply email your information to HTNP.com Editor Brenda Sullivan at eheditor@htnp.com

Robert Siminski, the superintendent for the school system overseeing RHAM middle and high schools, presented three budget options to the board of education for review.

The first option, Siminski said, is a continuation budget,” consisting of a 2.52 percent increase over the 2009-10 approved budget of $23,895,792.

This budget reflects increases in fixed costs such as salaries and benefits as outlined in current collective bargaining agreements.

Siminski said that if the economy were better, his preferred budget would have included more staff in order to make some of the larger classes smaller… but it’s not. ”

The second budget he presented to the school board is what Siminski calls a ” mid- point” budget, which starts with a 2.52 percent increase over the 2010- 11 budget, and contains reductions that bring it down to 1.49 percent.

This is accomplished by reducing one of the three fulltime school psychologists from full-time to part-time, eliminating salary increases for administrators, reducing health insurance premiums and making reductions in supplies.

The third option Siminski presented is a zero-percent increase, which keeps the budget at $23,895,792.

Hebron officials have asked that all agencies keep their budgets flat, including the RHAM school board.

Hebron, Andover and Marlborough are RHAM’s sending towns.

On Feb. 1, Hebron officials sent a letter to the District 8 board requesting that the bottom line be kept the same as their current budget.

“We realize this request will challenge everyone in the school system and on the board,” the letter from the Hebron Board of Selectmen reads, in part. “We understand that there are contracts in place and ask that you consider the reality of the current economic conditions.”

Siminski understands that request, he said, although he also decided to give the board alternatives. “It’s a tough time for everybody,” Siminski said. “The board has some options to choose from and they’re in the process of making decisions.

The school board will hold special meetings for the budget process on Monday, March 22, March 29 and April 5.

It will also discuss the budget at its regular monthly meeting on Monday, March 15. Meetings are held at RHAM High School at 6:30 p.m.

The budget is slated to go to a public hearing on April 12 and then to a referendum on May 4. In order for a budget to pass, a cumulative majority of voters in the three towns must vote “yes.”

Information about the RHAM budget is available on the school’s Web site - click here.

Posted March 14, 2010

There has been an extensive advertising campaign selling the urgency of having young women vaccinated to prevent HPV (Human Papillomavirus) infection and cervical cancer.

The introduction of this new vaccine has required parents, young women, doctors, health officials and legislators to assess individual healthcare needs, patient healthcare standards and overall healthcare policy.

The controversy prompted by this vaccine will be explored by Scott L. Wetstone, M.D., Associate Professor at the UConn School of Medicine’s Department of Community Medicine and Health Care at 3 p.m. on Sunday, March 21 in the Biology/Physics Building, Room 130, on UConn’s Storrs Campus.

In his talk, Dr. Wetstone will demonstrate how using the basic tools of epidemiology can help each of us assess the true level of risk for any health issue and to help make prudent healthcare decisions.

This program is open to adults and children ages 10 and older. Children must be accompanied by an adult.

The program is free. Advanced registration is not required.

For additional information about the series, visit http://www.cac.uconn.edu/mnhcurrentcalendar.html or call 860.486.4460.

The talk is presented by the Connecticut State Museum of Natural History and UConn School of Medicine’s Department of Community Medicine and Health Care.

Posted March 12, 2010

Some related links:

Gardasil Web site

http://www.gardasil.com/

Legal actions regarding Gardasil – http://www.yourlawyer.com/topics/overview/gardasil_side_effects

Wikipedia entry

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gardasil

FDA and CDC information about safety of Gardasil

http://www.fda.gov/BiologicsBloodVaccines/SafetyAvailability/VaccineSafety/ucm179549.htm

Judicial Watch Investigates Side-Effects of HPV Vaccine

http://www.judicialwatch.org/gardasil

It is a true story penned by Ronald Winter who will launch hold a book-signing on Saturday, March 13 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Douglas Library in Hebron.

Winter’s mother, Ella, was admitted to a hospital in New York in 2008 because she was dehydrated, feverish and suffering a potassium deficiency that affected her mental state.

Two other family members used that diagnosis to try to commit Ella Winter to an Alzheimer’s facility and have themselves named as guardians of her assets, although she didn’t actually have the disease.

Ronald Winter offered his mother his own home. A month after she arrived, both she and her son were served a summons to appear at the New York Supreme Court. Winter and his mother eventually prevailed after a year of legal wrangling.

Winter is making his story public to highlight what he calls a “growing national phenomenon” of family members institutionalizing older relatives to control their assets.

Winter is a communications professor at the University of Hartford.

His book is available online through www.ronaldwinterbooks.com or www.nightengalepress.com .

Posted March 13, 2010 as edited by HTNP.com Editor Brenda Sullivan

The Task 9 Search & Rescue dogs are among the favorites returning for the 20th annual Hebron Maple Festival - now scheduled for March 20-21. File photo © by Brenda Sullivan – Hebron Maple Festival 2009.

The number of times the Hebron Maple Fest has been canceled due to bad weather can be counted on one hand - or maybe even just a few fingers. One winter, the event was called by the State Police who feared the roads were too slippery - and after all the vendors and civic groups had packed up to go home, the sun came out and everything melted.

This year, the 20^th annual Hebron Maple Fest has been postponed from March 13-14 to March 20-21 because of forecasts of heavy rains and wind gust of up to 50 mph.

This enormously popular festival normally draws thousands of people not only from around the state, but from as far as Massachusetts, Rhode Island and even that state famous for its own maple syrup, Vermont.

It is an old-fashioned, down home event where you can buy a box of Girl Scout cookies, enjoy a cheeseburger cooked over a flaming grill by a red-faced and smiling member of the American Legion accompanied by a bowl of chili made by volunteers from the VFW Post 8776.

You can catch up on your reading at the book sale sponsored by the Friends of the Douglas Library, and then begin your tour of the more than 40 events on the two-day schedule.

Of course, at the center of the whole event is the self-guided tour of the sugar shacks where visitors can see how it’s done, and if they like, purchase a supply of locally “brewed” maple syrup. Some of the sugar shack owners also will share their tips on cooking with the sweet brown stuff.

And there will be plenty of maple-this and maple-that to eat, from maple cotton candy to homemade maple cake with ice cream.

Among those events that regulars look forward to will be the Shack Out Back chainsaw carver, the Siberian Husky dogs, the quilt show at the Hebron Historical Society (the old town hall, next to the Douglas Library), the Task 9 Search & Rescue dogs, (as well as the greyhound rescue and the Fidelco Guide Dogs), the child ID program, the blacksmith demonstration at Country Carpenters and the ice cream-eating contest.

Local art studios also open their doors for tours.

New this year are free H1N1 vaccinations, “Intro to African Rhythm” presented by AHM Youth Services, a “buy-a-brick” scavenger hunt, a demonstration of “letterboxing” (another kind of scavenger hunt very popular with hikers), and a tour of historic churches.

A complete listing of events for both Saturday and Sunday, as well as a map and directions, can be downloaded from the Hebron Maple Festival Web site at http://www.hebronmaplefest.com/

Proceeds are used for program scholarships. Last year, three to summer theater programs and three to the Hebron Park & Recreation summer camp.

Posted March 13, 2010

Dr. H. Wayne Carver told prosecutors, the defense and Judge William Bright he had not seen other children sustain the same type of injuries 7-month-old Michael Brown Jr. sustained from his reported “fall” while in foster care in Mansfield.

Monday was the sixth day of an originally scheduled 10-day trial in Rockville Superior Court against 44-year-old Suzanne Listro, of 260 Stearns Road, Mansfield.

Listro was charged July 16, 2008, with first-degree manslaughter and risk of injury to a minor for the death of Brown Jr. and pleaded not guilty in December.

Bright has offered to extend the trial until March 16 due to witness scheduling conflicts from both the prosecution and the defense.

If the trial is extended, Listro’s bench trial - in which Bright will hear and try the case alone - will have lasted 12 days. All trial proceedings are taking place in Rockville Superior Court.

Carver conducted the autopsy on Brown Jr. and reported the infant died of a “blunt traumatic head injury.” He ruled the death a homicide.

“Most of my contact with kids (who suffered from) short falls is in the emergency department stitching up their scalps,” he said.

During his testimony, Carver showed Brown Jr.’s autopsy photos to describe the bleeding, retinal hemorrhaging and optic nerve damage Brown sustained.

Listro wiped away tears from her eyes after she looked at the graphic medical photos of Brown’s injuries.

Brown Jr. was in Listro’s care for a week when he “fell off the bed” and died May 19, 2008, according to Listro’s statement to police.

According to Carver, if Brown Jr. did fall, he should have had a “marker” on the back of his head from the impact.

“It should have left a marker,” he said. “It should have left visible bleeding under the scalp.”

However, Brown Jr. suffered a subdural hematoma at the top of his skull - near his “soft spot” - but there were no other injuries found on the child.

In previous testimony, Dr. Paul Kanev, director of pediatric neurosurgery at the Children’s Medical Center in Hartford, testified he had withdrawn almost 5 ounces of blood from the child’s head to reduce the pressure on his brain.

During cross-examination, Carver told Hubert Santos, one of Listro’s attorneys, that he did not know the exact cause of Brown’s death, but he believed Brown Jr. did receive “blunt force” to the head.

“My opinion is a great deal of energy went into this kid’s head,” he said. “I don’t know how.”

He said shaken baby syndrome - which is what prosecutors are indicating as the cause of death in this case - is one of several ways the infant could have sustained the deadly subdural hematoma.

Santos focused on those other conclusions to emphasize Brown Jr.’s exact cause of death had not been determined.

“The bottom line is we don’t know all we should know about how the brain reacts to trauma,” said Santos.

Under cross-examination, Carver said he did not see “grip marks,” inexplicable cruising or contusions that would directly identify the infant had potentially been shaken or struck against any item.

In addition to Carver - who is scheduled to continue testimony today in Rockville Superior Court when court reopens at 2 p.m. - child-care providers who saw Brown Jr. the day he died also testified Monday.

According to Linda Kelly, infant teacher at the Mansfield Discovery Depot, Brown Jr. appeared “normal” that Monday and was settling in at the daycare center well.

“I didn’t see anything unusual about him,” she said.

Kelly said the infant had the “wide-eye look” of the new kid in class.

She said he was “observing the whole time” and was not “fussy” during the day unless he was hungry.

The half-court drills were intense. The red squad consisting of substitutes also featured former Husky standout Donny Marshall.

One white squad of Donnell Beverly, Darius Smith, Gavin Edwards, Ater Majok and Jamal Coombs-McDaniel stood out by swinging the ball for open perimeter looks. The other white squad of Jerome Dyson, Alex Oriakhi, Charles Okwandu, Kemba Walker and Stanley Robinson displayed a bit more dashing, driving and dumping for layups and dunks.

Was Calhoun tipping his hand in reference to which white-clad unit might start today at approximately 2:30 p.m. (ESPN, WILI 1400-AM, WTIC 1080-AM) when the 12th-seeded Huskies (17-14 overall, 7-11 league) tangle with No. 13 St. John’s (16-14, 6-12) in a first-round Big East Conference tournament game at Madison Square Garden in New York?

To be honest, not even Calhoun knows who will start. More importantly, he’s just looking for someone to finish strong as the reeling Huskies enter another stretch where they hope to salvage a season gone horribly awry.

“As far as the starting team, we keep changing that today based on what individuals are doing in certain drills,” admitted Calhoun, who will take a squad that limped to an 0-3 finish to the regular season, losing Big East games to Louisville, Notre Dame and South Florida, to The World’s Most Famous Arena where the Huskies have not won a tourney title game since 2005, a span of four consecutive first-game losses. “As I think more about it, I don’t know if that’s important.

“I think it’s more important how we play the game, whoever’s on the court, that will be determined by me watching how they’re playing. You’ve got to play hard.”

Three days after Calhoun pulled his starters from the floor with 16:04 remaining in Saturday’s eventual loss to South Florida and kept seniors Jerome Dyson, Stanley Robinson and Gavin Edwards on the bench to the final buzzer, the Huskies will look to somehow realize their unrealized potential of a season gone bad.

A team that has shown flashes of inspired play - remember the wins over Texas and Villanova? - as well as mind-boggling stretches of laissez faire hoop - pick any one of at least a dozen contests - could come home tonight or advance all the way to Saturday night’s title tilt.

“You know, if I could ever figure this team out, then I probably wouldn’t be losing my mind,” said Calhoun. “But I have not figured them out. As I’ve said numerous times, I really like them. It’s a great group of kids, but it’s been a really different basketball team.”

“We’ve put three good games together before against really good teams so we can do that again,” said Edwards, who holds no animosity for his benching on Saturday.

Today’s winner advances to Wednesday’s second round against fifth-seeded Marquette, again at approximately 2:30 p.m.

According to the web site www.webster’s-online-dictionary.org, history is “…the aggregate of past events; the continuum of events occurring in succession leading from the past to the present and even into the future.”

Well, that road to history, that road to 71, that magical number that has been asked about in so many ways by so many, was precarious at halftime.

There was no explosive scoring run. The shots from the perimeter? They weren’t falling.

Take away Caroline Doty and Tina Charles and the top-ranked University of Connecticut women’s basketball team was shooting just 21 percent (4-of-19) from the floor.

The halftime lead stood at just three points, 25-22.

Needing to find some kind of spark, the Huskies turned to one of their biggest strengths.

That strength? Defense, defense, defense…….

And it all adds up to history in the making.

That’s the way it was at 7:55 p.m., March 8, 2010.

Senior Kalana Greene shot 6-of-9 from the floor in the second half while scoring 13 of her 15 points as history was completed for top-ranked UConn (32-0) on Monday night at the XL Center with a 59-44 defeat of No. 6 and fifth-seeded Notre Dame (27-5) as the Huskies earned their NCAA Division I record-breaking 71st consecutive victory in the semifinals of the Big East Conference tournament.

“I was non-existent in the first half,” Greene said. “I look at like I was 6-for-9. We didn’t have a great offensive night. When we play defense like we did in the second half, we’re guaranteed to win.”

The victory advances UConn to its 20th Big East title game in 22 seasons where the Huskies will face No. 9 and second-seeded West Virginia (28-4) tonight at 7 p.m. (ESPN2, WILI 1400-AM, WTIC 1080-AM).

The Mountaineers advanced to the title game with a 56-49 victory over Rutgers (19-14) in Monday’s semifinal nightcap.

Several moments stood out in the second half as UConn looked to get energized.

Leading by five points, 36-31, Greene provided two of those moments on consecutive possessions.

First, Doty stole a pass in the paint, looked up and found Greene in a full sprint the other way for a break-away layup.

Then, Greene grabbed an offensive board over Notre Dame’s Erica Williamson, faded away and banked in a 6-foot jumper, was fouled by Devereaux Peters and slid towards the UConn bench while opening up a 40-31 lead with 13:14 remaining.

All this from Greene, who was 1-for-8 from the floor in the first half.

“I can’t just sit there and shoot shots,” Greene said. “I have to find other ways to score. One of the ways I know I can score is to get on the glass and try to put it back up, keep fighting and tip balls to keep our team up.”

It was all part of a 14-3 run that ended with UConn up 49-35 with nine minutes remaining.

The Fighting Irish got no closer than 10 points the rest of the way.

“Greene hurt us a little bit and that was kind of our game plan to see if somebody else could beat us besides Charles and Moore,” Notre Dame coach Muffet McGraw said. “We gave her some easy around-the-basket shots.”

Husky coach Geno Auriemma said that Greene had the most shocked look on her face when assistant coach Shea Ralph said in the locker room that she was 7-for-17 from the floor.

“Kalana just had the look in her eye,” Auriemma said. “I’m not sure she’d be able to pull that off a couple of years ago.”

The 25 points scored by UConn in the first half was its lowest output in a half since the 2007 NCAA tournament Fresno Regional final against Louisiana State when the Huskies produced just 22 points.

Freshman Skylar Diggins led Notre Dame with 10 points, all in the first half.
The final minute of play saw Doty (9 points, 4 assists, 2 rebounds, 2 steals) get hit in the back of the head while being inadvertently elbowed by Notre Dame’s Ashley Barlow.

Doty was down on the floor for several minutes before being led to the locker room by team trainer Rosemary Ragle and team doctor Tom Trojian. Doty is questionable for tonight’s title game.

Charles, who did not take an official shot until 9:37 remained in the first half, finished with her 10th double-double of the year while scoring 16 points and adding 17 rebounds. Junior Maya Moore added 11 points, 10 rebounds and six assists for UConn.

And what about the streak, which began with an 82-71 victory over Georgia Tech at Gampel Pavilion on November 16, 2008?

“After the season, the last game we play we can look back and see what we’ve done,” Greene said. “You don’t want to celebrate about wins. We don’t plan on our season being over any time soon.”