July 29, 2010

Second Congressional District Primary Debate

Republican Party Debate For Second Congressional District

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Ceremony will honor Frank McCoy 7/31/2010

Journal Inquirer Archives Sports Local Sports Ceremony will honor McCoy

VERNON — Frank McCoy, founder and longtime manager of the Vernon Orioles in the Greater Hartford Twilight League, will be honored with a monument at a dedication ceremony on Saturday at 3 p.m. at Henry Park.

McCoy, who died on April 6 at age 87 at his home in Naples, Fla., was a venerable institution in Vernon.

A World War II veteran, McCoy practiced law in Vernon for 53 years, served as mayor of the town for eight years, and founded and coached the Orioles, beginning in 1967.

McCoy touched thousands of lives through sports and public service in Vernon and throughout the state and town officials are hoping for a big turnout at the dedication ceremony to honor his memory.

The monument will be placed next to McCoy Field, home to the Orioles. Following the ceremony, the Orioles will play host to longtime rival Foss Insurance in a Twilight League game.

All former and present Orioles players who would like to share in this special day should contact Steve Krajewski (860-281-4097). Any Greater Hartford Twilight League players, former players, coaches, and league officers, as well as the general public, are also welcome.

Vernon Connecticut- Bridge construction closes roads

Bridge construction closes roads: "Bridge construction closes roads" Birdge.s are moving ahead towards completion

Vernon CT- Ground broken for in Talcottville historic project

Ground broken for in Talcottville historic project: "Ground broken for in Talcottville historic project"

Rockville Library gets $30,000 grant for new technology - Vernon Connecticut

Library gets $30,000 grant for new technology: "Library gets $30,000 grant for new technology"

July 25, 2010

Politics: Five Rising Stars Aged 25 and Under- Former Vernon CT resident

Politics: Five Rising Stars Aged 25 and Under: "John Kleinhans, 20, Vermont Politics

When John Kleinhans fidgets with his BlackBerry in class, it's possible that he's checking Facebook. But it's more likely that he's texting with Vermont state representatives, some of whom he taught how to text in the first place. Kleinhans is barely an upperclassman at Vermont's Lyndon State College -- he'll be a junior this fall -- but he is already a significant presence in the Vermont Republican Party." Kleinhans is barely an upperclassman at Vermont's Lyndon State College -- he'll be a junior this fall -- but he is already a significant presence in the Vermont Republican Party. He's spending the summer working as the campaign coordinator for Mark Snelling, a candidate for lieutenant governor. In that capacity, Kleinhans is with Snelling around the clock, doing a little of everything -- prepping the candidate for interviews, driving, sitting in on editorial meetings, working on strategy, and more. The two met on the campaign trail last fall, during Kleinhans's unsuccessful run for secretary of the Vermont Republican Party Executive Board.

"I saw him on the campaign trail a bunch and we got to talking," Kleinhans said. "It was a perfect fit. I think he respected my work for the College Republicans, which is how I wound up where I am."

In his freshman year of college, Kleinhans became the country's youngest state chairman of the College Republicans. Under his leadership, the Vermont College Republicans went from a membership of five to around 150 active students, Kleinhans said. He's also been named one of the top 12 college Republicans in the country by the College Republican National Committee, an organization for which he serves as Northeastern regional vice chairman. And in his spare time, Kleinhans is student body president of Lyndon College.

"All young people should be involved in politics because it's our future that people are deciding," Kleinhans said. "It's also a lot of fun. You can connect with leaders across the country, you can go and have conversations with the governor, the lieutenant governor, and they actually listen to you."

What's Next?

"In the direct future, I'm contemplating a run for chairman of the CRNC (College Republican National Committee) -- that's still in the very beginning thinking process, but we're working on it," he said. "I also plan to go to law school. At some point I may try to seek public office, but I love what I'm doing right now. I'm having a lot of fun."

July 23, 2010

Teachers Facing Weakest Market in Years

Teachers Facing Weakest Market in Years


By WINNIE HU

Published: May 19, 2010

In a profession long seen as recession-proof, applications far outnumber the jobs available for educators.

The recession seems to have penetrated a profession long seen as recession-proof. Superintendents, education professors and people seeking work say teachers are facing the worst job market since the Great Depression. Amid state and local budget cuts, cash-poor urban districts like New York City and Los Angeles, which once hired thousands of young people every spring, have taken down the help-wanted signs.


Even upscale suburban districts are preparing for huge levels of layoffs. School officials and union leaders estimate that more than 150,000 teachers nationwide could lose their jobs next year, far more than any other time, including the last major financial crisis of the 1970s.

Juliana Pankow, who just graduated from Teachers College at Columbia University, has sent out 40 résumés since January. A few Saturdays ago, she went to a school in Harlem because she heard the principal would be there (she was invited back to teach a demonstration lesson, but it may be for naught since the city has a hiring freeze). Now, Ms. Pankow said she might have to move back in with her parents in Scarsdale, N.Y., and perhaps take up SAT tutoring.

“I can’t think of anything else I’d rather do,” said Ms. Pankow, 23, as she waited outside the principal’s office at Pelham Memorial last week, among 619 people applying for one English position. “Which is a problem, because I might have to do something else.”

At Teachers College, so many students like Ms. Pankow are looking for work that two recent job fairs attracted a record 650 students and alumni, up from 450 last year. Last month, the college added a job fair focusing on schools in Harlem.

But job postings are down by half this year, to one dozen to two dozen a week, mostly in charter schools, said Marianne Tramelli, the college’s director of career services.

Charter schools, which are publicly financed but independently run, are practically the only ones hiring in New York and elsewhere because of growing enrollments amid expanding political and economic support for school choice. Even so, they do not have nearly enough jobs to go around.

In New York, where the Success Charter Network is hiring 135 teachers for its seven schools in Harlem and the Bronx, some of the 8,453 applicants have called the office three times a day to check on their status. Veteran teachers have also offered to work as assistant teachers.

“It’s heartbreaking — there’s much more desperation out there,” said Eva S. Moskowitz, a former councilwoman who is the network’s founder and chief executive.

KIPP, another charter school network with 82 schools nationwide, has received 745 applications since January at its seven schools in the San Francisco Bay Area, compared with 385 last year.

At the University of Pennsylvania, most of the 90 aspiring teachers who graduated last weekend are jobless. Many had counted on offers from the Philadelphia public schools but had their interviews canceled this month after the district announced a hiring freeze.

“We’re trying to encourage everyone to hold on,” said Kathy Schultz, an education professor at Penn. “But that’s very difficult because students have taken out loans and want to be assured of a job.”

Michigan State University has pushed its 500 teaching graduates to look out of state. As local jobs have dried up, it started an internship program in Chicago, a four-hour drive from campus. Professors now go with students to the annual campus job fair to make sure they do not hover around the Michigan tables, but walk over to, say, North Carolina, Texas or Virginia.

“We have a culture of people wanting to stay here and teach where they went to school, but we also want them to get jobs,” said Suzanne Wilson, the chairwoman of the department of teacher education.

Along with five other former teachers, Jade Stier, 27, finally gave up and enrolled in a nursing program last fall, after three years of looking for an elementary school job. She sent out hundreds of résumés, only to land one interview a year. She settled for working as a substitute teacher, earning $85 a day with no benefits.

“Spending $50,000 for an education you can’t use is really frustrating,” Ms. Stier said. “I definitely miss teaching, but I felt like I had no other choice.”


If there is an upside to the shortage of teaching jobs, it is that schools now have their pick of candidates.

Teach for America, which places graduates from some of the nation’s top colleges in poor schools, has seen applications increase by nearly a third this year to 46,000 — for 4,500 slots. From Ivy League colleges alone, there are 1,688 would-be teachers.

Here in Pelham, a well-regarded district where teaching salaries range from $50,000 to $134,000, high school administrators and teachers have spent recent weeks winnowing applicants’ résumés. Candidates with grade point averages below 3.0 were eliminated (3.3 in some departments), as were those who missed the April 30 application deadline. Almost 200 were invited for interviews.

“It’s very difficult,” said Jeannine Clark, the high school principal in Pelham. “More so than in years past because there are so many very qualified candidates.”

While Ms. Clark and the English supervisor were meeting with prospective teachers last week, candidates for the social studies job were down the hallway typing a 40-minute timed essay on the French Revolution. Upstairs, interviews for physics and biology teachers were being conducted.

“People will come in here begging for anything,” said Dennis R. Lauro Jr., the superintendent, who started closing his office door this year because out-of-work teachers would drop in unannounced to hand him résumés. “We’ve never seen these kinds of numbers before.”
Top candidates will be asked to return several more times to meet with Dr. Lauro, parents and students and to teach a demonstration class. Ms. Pankow is hoping she will be among them.

“It would be unbelievable,” she said. “I would love it here, but I’m not necessarily putting all my eggs in this basket.”




http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/20/nyregion/20teachers.html

July 15, 2010

Vernon CT Power Out Today July 15 2010

Power will be out for 400 residents today from 4 to 5 pm in Vernon because of an emergency repair on Talcottville Ave.

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July 10, 2010

DPS: State Police Unveil CT Alert Emergency Notification System

DPS: State Police Unveil CT Alert Emergency Notification System: "CT Alert Emergency Notification System
Safeguards Lives and Property throughout Entire State
Connecticut Officials Urge ALL Connecticut Residents to Sign Up for Emergency Alerts; Allowing Urgent Communications with EVERY CONNECTICUT Resident

The State of Connecticut today announced the opening of the registration website for CT Alert (http://www.ctalert.gov/), the nation’s first statewide emergency notification system (ENS) enabling Connecticut authorities to communicate critical information to hundreds of thousands of Connecticut residents and businesses before, during and after emergencies."


Connecticut Public Safety agencies (POLICE, FIRE, HOMELAND SECURITY, PUBLIC HEALTH, STATE & LOCAL OFFICIALS) will use the CT Alert system during hazardous events, such as natural disasters and public health emergencies. The CT Alert system was developed in partnership with state and local officials, as well as the emergency notification company Everbridge.

CT Alert enables state and local officials to provide potentially life-saving information to all Connecticut citizens quickly and efficiently across multiple communication devices, including cell phone, home phone, e-mail, text message, fax, pager, PDA, and more. Connecticut Public Safety agencies (POLICE, FIRE, HOMELAND SECURITY, PUBLIC HEALTH, STATE & LOCAL OFFICIALS) will use the CT Alert system during hazardous events, such as natural disasters and public health emergencies. The CT Alert system was developed in partnership with state and local officials, as well as the emergency notification company Everbridge.

CT Alert enables state and local officials to provide potentially life-saving information to all Connecticut citizens quickly and efficiently across multiple communication devices, including cell phone, home phone, e-mail, text message, fax, pager, PDA, and more.


For this system to be effective, it is vital for Connecticut residents to register on the site www.ctalert.gov to receive emergency alerts.

“We are proud that Connecticut is the first State in the nation to implement a statewide emergency notification system to protect the lives and property of all of our citizens,” said Lt. Governor Michael Fedele and Public Safety Commissioner James Thomas . “The State is committed to ensuring public safety, but we can’t alert you if we can’t reach you. We’ve signed up our families for CT Alert and urge all Connecticut residents and businesses to do the same.”

Some of Connecticut’s 169 towns, including Stonington, Mystic, and Pawcatuck have already utilized this CT ALERT system during the spring storms that left many residents stranded and in need of help.


“Having the emergency notification system in place allowed Connecticut to have a clearly defined and effective process to communicate everything from notifying volunteer and paid first responders and officials, to providing evacuation information to our citizens. We also can keep the public informed following any storms for recovery purposes,” said, Lt Governor Michael Fedele. “Communications tools and technology have made it easier for us to ensure the safety of our citizens at all times, but we urge our residents to do their part as well and sign up.”

For Connecticut citizens to sign up your cell phone, fax, home phone or any mobile device to the CT Alert EMERGENCY NOTIFICATION SYSTEM, you must visit the www.ctalert.gov website. The sign up is easy but necessary so you can be notified in the event of any emergency that affects our State.

Public Safety Commissioner James Thomas, Homeland Security Commissioner Peter Boynton, State Police Colonel Thomas Davoren, Ct Police Chiefs Association President Police Chief Lisa Maruzo-Buldec, Fire Chief Heather Burford, Public Health Operations Chief-E.M.S. Coordinator Leonard Guercia, and local And state government officials strongly encourage Connecticut residents To register so in an emergency you can be informed.

All contact information will only be used for emergency purposes, will be kept strictly confidential and will not be provided to any vendor or third-party organization.

For this system to be effective, it is vital for Connecticut residents to register on the site www.ctalert.gov to receive emergency alerts.

Vernon Blueberry Fest

The weather missed The Vernon Blueberry Fest. It's packed. Great rides and food.

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Vernon School Readiness Collaborative Receives Grant Award

Your Reader-Submitted Articles - Courant.com: "Vernon School Readiness Collaborative Receives Grant Award
Government Announcements
Mayor Jason L. McCoy is pleased to announce that the Vernon School Readiness Collaborative was recently awarded $15,500 by the William Caspar Graustein Memorial Fund to undertake a community planning process for Vernon children aged birth to eight."


Vernon
Vernon School Readiness Collaborative Receives Grant Award
Government Announcements


Mayor Jason L. McCoy is pleased to announce that the Vernon School Readiness Collaborative was recently awarded $15,500 by the William Caspar Graustein Memorial Fund to undertake a community planning process for Vernon children aged birth to eight.

This project will connect The School Readiness Collaborative and the Vernon Community Network, who is currently drafting a community plan for children, aged birth to 18. Vernon is one of 19 area communities undertaking community blueprints for early childhood.

In conjunction with this funding, several Vernon educators will be attending a Healthy, Safe and Ready to Learn! conference on July 19, 2010 featuring Dr. Joan Lombardi, Deputy Assistant Secretary & Interdepartmental Liaison for Early Childhood Development, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Dr. Lombardi will give an overview of early childhood development initiatives at the federal level and the importance of community planning.

For more information on this award, or the Vernon School Readiness Collaborative, please contact Alan Slobodien, Director of Youth Services at 860-870-3557.

July 7, 2010

Journal Inquirer > Letters To The Editor > July 6 Backing Mark Boughton for Connecticut

Journal Inquirer > Letters To The Editor > July 6: "Backing Boughton"

Backing Boughton

I want to tell you why I support Mark Boughton for lieutenant governor. Boughton is one of the great mayors in Connecticut. What makes Boughton a great chief executive officer has a lot to do with the fact that he has led the way to fundamental change in governmental management in Connecticut. Boughton’s record in Danbury of lower taxes, safer streets, responsibility in government, and the more efficient delivery of services speaks for itself.

Boughton has been solution-oriented through such innovations as being the leader in implementation of response-management solutions like q-send and the 311 program, where his city tracks request and complaints which hold city employees responsible and ensures timely responses to the public. The mayor’s city has turned around fiscal problems in the area of debt service, increased revenue without raising taxes on homeowners while actually improving services by attracting business and redevelopment. Boughton’s city has the lowest crime rate in Connecticut.

Boughton’s resume is full of those qualifications that are essential for the next lieutenant governor. Boughton has that understanding of making payroll every week as a small-business owner; he has the experience of running the city of Danbury; he has the communication skills and tolerance of a teacher because he was one once; he has fought labor during contract negotiations, while working with labor to get the citizens what they need.

Boughton has the knowledge of handling legislation, it impact on business, the fiscal costs of overregulation and impact on the public because he was a former legislator, as well as acting as the presiding officer over his City Council.

Boughton has the experience Connecticut needs right now. No matter who the next governor is, Boughton is the right choice for lieutenant governor.

Jason L. McCoy

Vernon-Rockville

www.boughtonforct.com/get_involved.php

The writer is the mayor of Vernon.