Three honored for carrying on Dr. King’s legacy

Honored at the Feb. 27, 2013 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Distinguished Service Award Reception at Eastern Connecticut State University are (L-R) the event’s keynote speaker, author and poet Billie Jean Young, Eastern student Soely Barros, Connecticut Supreme Court Justice The Honorable Lubbie Harper Jr., Assistant Dean of the School Continuing Education Indira Petoskey; and Eastern’s President Elsa Núñez. Contributed photo.

Eastern Connecticut State University presented the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Distinguished Service Award to senior Soely Barros, Indira Petoskey, assistant dean of the School Continuing Education and the Honorable Connecticut Supreme Court Justice Lubbie Harper Jr. at a reception on Feb. 27 in the J. Eugene Smith Library.

The awards recognize members of the campus community and community-at-large whose actions demonstrate distinguished service in promoting the ideals of Dr. King, and to further the goals of diversity and social equality.

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WHALES ink multi-year deal to play XL Center

The CT Whale contract calls for the team to play at the XL Center in Hartford, CT for the 2013-2016 seasons, and includes a provision that could extend the term for an additional two years. Photo source: The Whale newsletter

Gov. Dannel P. Malloy and Michael Freimuth, Executive Director of the Capital Region Development Authority (CRDA), announced today (Feb. 26) that a multi-year deal has been reached between Global Spectrum and Madison Square Garden (MSG) for the American Hockey League’s (AHL) Whale to play at the XL Center in Hartford.

The contract calls for the team to play at the XL Center for the 2013-2016 seasons, and includes a provision that could extend the term for an additional two years.

The agreement is an early critical milestone as contract negotiations progress between CRDA and Global Spectrum for management of both the XL Center and Rentschler Field.

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Congressman Joe Courtney on looming budget cuts

Connecticut Congressman Joe Courtney.

Dear Friend,

Last Friday, with sequestration’s across-the-board, indiscriminate cuts looming and a host of outstanding issues still unaddressed, Speaker Boehner called a vote on whether the House should adjourn and return home for the week.

I voted against adjourning and said, “As precious seconds tick away, the House should be in Washington doing its job and finding a compromise to protect our economy. Speaker Boehner should reverse course, and keep the House in session.”

Sequestration was designed to spur bipartisan action in Congress to address our long-term fiscal outlook. When used in the past, that is precisely what happened. In fact, former-Sen. Phil Gramm (R-TX) said: “It was never the objective of Gramm-Rudman [legislation that used sequestration in 1985] to trigger the sequester; the objective of Gramm-Rudman was to have the threat of the sequester force compromise and action.”

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Attn actors – East Haddam Stage Co to hold auditions

The East Haddam Stage Co. will hold auditions for upcoming performances from 7 to 9 p.m. on Friday, March 8 and from 1 to 3 p.m. on Saturday, March 9. Pictured here is the 2012 summer production of “Sherlock Holmes and the Adventure of the Speckled Band” at Gillette Castle State Park. Courtesy photo.

The East Haddam Stage Co. will hold auditions for upcoming performances from 7 to 9 p.m. on Friday, March 8 and from 1 to 3 p.m. on Saturday, March 9.

Auditions will be held at Hadlyme Public Hall , 1 Day Hill Road, in Hadlyme, CT.

Actors and actresses – age 18 to 60 – are sought for two upcoming projects:

• Art as Muse, original works based on abstract art, to be performed May 16-19 (6 shows) at the Hadlyme Public Hall. Rehearsals begin April 22.

• The company’s fifth summer season of outdoor theater at Gillette Castle State Park – the live action ‘radio’ show, “Sherlock Holmes and the Adventure of the Speckled Band.”  This 30-minute show runs twice a day – on weekends only – from July 6- Aug. 11. Rehearsals begin June 24.

The company is looking for a variety of actors for these projects.

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Connecticut militia members sue state

Photo courtesy of 1st Company Governor’s Foot Guard

By Zachary Janowski | Raising Hale

Members of one of Connecticut’s ceremonial militia units are suing the state for allegedly seizing $10,000 worth of private ammunition, terminating a lease and failing to pay members for training.

State officials claim the unit – the 1st Company Governor’s Foot Guard – has not kept its weapons and ammunition secure, and that it was within the state’s right to terminate the lease and not pay the members for training.

The militia unit’s board of trustees do not control the 1st Company; under a unique statutory arrangement dating back to 1885, the state created a special corporate entity so the trustees could own and maintain the unit’s armory.

Although the unit is ceremonial in function today, it still falls under the command of Brig. Gen. Thaddeus Martin, adjutant general of the Connecticut Military Department.

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Employers – register now for CT Dept of Labor job fairs

“Our Connecticut Career Fair series traditionally attracts thousands of job seekers and hundreds of businesses each year …” – CT Labor Commissioner Sharon M. Palmer. Photo source www.careerguidetips.com

The Connecticut Department of Labor’s “Connecticut Career Fair” series returns this spring, with regional events scheduled for Manchester, East Hartford and Danbury – including one specifically for Connecticut residents who have served in the Armed Services, the Connecticut National Guard and the Reserves.

“This is the agency’s 17th year providing job and career fairs with the goal of matching employers with potential employees,” said State Labor Commissioner Sharon M. Palmer.

“Our Connecticut Career Fair series traditionally attracts thousands of job seekers and hundreds of businesses each year, and each event offers excellent opportunities for companies to meet qualified, job-ready candidates who have technical, administrative, managerial or production backgrounds,” Commissioner Palmer said.

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UConn plans to revive Spring Weekend

By Brenda Sullivan | HTNP News Editor

For decades, Spring Weekend – the celebration enjoyed by the Storrs UConn campus in the days between the end of the spring semester and the beginning of final exams – has been a black eye for the university.

Over the years, Spring Weekend became synonymous with binge drinking, off-campus (including out-of-state) party crashers, cars set on fire, reports of rape, and even violence resulting in death.

The problem wasn’t with the university-sanctioned events carefully organized by students. Trouble brewed in the mobs that congregated over the three days, mainly at apartment complexes on Hunting Lodge Road adjacent to UConn’s north campus (as well as within UConn’s X-Lot.) Triage units were stationed at Carriage House Apartments, for example, to deal with injuries and other emergencies, such as alcohol poisoning.

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Gov Malloy – Storm Charlotte points to climate ‘turmoil’

The intersection of Valley Street Ext. and Milk Street in Willimantic buried beneath about three feet of snow left behind by Storm Charlotte on Feb. 9, 2013. Photo copyright 2013 by Brenda Sullivan.

By Brenda Sullivan | HTNP News Editor

At a press conference Monday evening (Feb. 11), Connecticut Gov. Dannel P. Malloy fielded questions from reporters, including one about whether the state was adequately prepared for Storm Charlotte – in light of recommendations made by the Two Storm Task Force that looked at problems that arose during Tropical Storm Irene and the recent hurricane, Storm Sandy.

Gov. Malloy responded by saying that while his opinion might make some people unhappy, “we’re in a time of climate turmoil,” and that planning needs to get underway “on an expedited basis” for more of these kinds of events.

“We need to make sure we have the resources to respond to these kinds of incidences,” he said, and pointed to the fact that this is the fifth emergency/disaster declaration within a period of months.

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CT Dept of Motor Vehicles closed Feb 11-12

The Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) will be closed Monday and Tuesday, Jan. 11 and 12 in observance of Lincoln’s Birthday, which is a legal State holiday.

Update – The CT Department of Motor Vehicles has cancelled road skills testing at all offices Wednesday, Feb.13 as a safety precaution, due to snow piles/snow banks that can create hazards for pedestrians and blind spots for motorists at intersections. Road tests are expected to resume Thursday, Feb. 14.

The Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) will be closed Monday and Tuesday, Jan. 11 and 12 in observance of Lincoln’s Birthday, which is a legal State holiday.

The DMV will re-open for business at 7:45 a.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 13.

Also, on Friday, Feb. 15, DMV major customer service offices will close at 12:30 p.m. to observe President Washington’s Birthday; offices will reopen Tuesday, Feb. 19 at 7:45 a.m.

Some AAA offices will be open for processing license renewals on Monday and Tuesday, including Manchester, 1500 G Pleasant Valley Road.

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Gov Malloy lifts travel ban, asks President to declare emergency

Gov. Dannel P. Malloy has asked President Obama to declare an emergency in Connecticut in the wake of the blizzard that hit the Northeast Feb. 8 and 9, 2013.

By Brenda Sullivan | HTNP News Editor

Gov. Malloy has submitted a request that President Obama declare an emergency in the state of Connecticut in the wake of the blizzard that hit this state Feb. 8 and 9.

“As we continue with the recovery from this historic winter storm, I am asking the federal government to provide us assistance with this process,” said Gov. Malloy. “If granted, this declaration would provide much needed help to our state.”

An emergency declaration allows for direct federal assistance, including possible snow removal equipment and personnel, power generation, and commodities but does not provide federal disaster funding.

However, since most, if not all, counties in Connecticut are digging out from record or near record snow fall, a preliminary damage assessment will be conducted to determine which counties may be eligible for disaster funding.

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