Pictures from Divinity Street/Peck Lane area

Here are a few pictures that Nina Dubay generously shared of storm damage this afternoon in the area of Divinity Street and Peck Lane:

Thank you for sharing, Nina!
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Copyright 2010. All rights reserved. Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com

Storm damage on Blakeslee Street

Pictures from Blakelee Street, courtesy of Gary Hamel:

Thank you for sharing, Gary!
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Copyright 2010. All rights reserved. Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com

Storm pictures near Birge Pond

My friend Danielle Letourneau took these pictures this afternoon of storm damage on Beech Street and by Birge Pond:

Thanks for sharing them, Danielle!
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Copyright 2010. All rights reserved. Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com

Storm pictures from Huntington Woods area

Here are some pictures that Joe Bak took in Huntington Woods and nearby:

Thank you, Joe, for sharing your pictures!

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Copyright 2010. All rights reserved. Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com

Wicked storm

The storm that slammed Bristol really did a number on the town.
There are trees and limbs down all over the place, including one that clobbered the sign for the Congregational Church on Federal Hill and another that splintered the outfield fence at Muzzy Field.
It looked like Rockwell Park got the worst of it.
To Theresa Jarry, it looked like "a war zone" with all the trees shattered.
The basketball court got two different limbs crashing through parts of its fence. Two trees beside Muzzy Field buried someone's pickup truck. And dozens of trees were tossed hither and yon.
"I'm very surprised with all the trees down," said Christa Finn, who lives beside Muzzy Feld. She said that during the storm she could see wind and rain spinning outside.
Brendan Finn woke up from a nap after hearing a loud crack outside. He peered out the window to see "rain spinning" like a whirlwind.
Martin Finn was coming over Rattlesnake Mountain on Route 6 when the storm hit. He said he saw a big power line come down, arcing electricity in a spectacular show.
He said it took him an hour to find a route home because "every road was cut off" by all the fallen trees and power lines.
Morgan Finn said she was rehearsing at the Congregational Church for the Get Up Stage Company's summer production of "Rent" when the storm hit.
Someone called to warn of a tornado watch, she said, but the company kept on singing.
Then the storm hit, with lights flickering "like something out of a horror movie."
A tree fell outside, she said, and everyone screamed.
Power went out in many places, including the library and City Hall, where the Park Board meeting got KO'd by the storm.
Park employees trying to clean up said they'd rarely seen such a mess.
Police said there were tons of trees down but they didn't think anyone got hurt.

Note: The picture at the top was taken by Angela Ziogas, who kindly gave me permission to post it here.
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Copyright 2010. All rights reserved. Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com

New Tattoo issue covers Arcadia, Paris and Brisbane

Youth Journalism International writer Kayley Willis doesn't let a couple of ornery alligators stop her from showing off her YJI t-shirt in Louisiana.

A new Tattoo issue -- available at www.ReadTheTattoo.com -- has several top travel pieces. One is a hometown story about Brisbane, Australia by Youth Journalism International newcomer Nancy Hsu. Another features photographs from Paris on Bastille Day, taken by YJI veteran Caroline Nelissen of the Netherlands. And finally we have a story on what makes Acadia National Park in Maine such a wonderful spot.

YJI Senior Reporter Kiernan Majerus-Collins writes in his Acadia story that he "can understand why President Barack Obama and his family chose to vacation at Acadia National Park on Mount Desert Island in Maine. The real question is, why would they want to go back to Washington?" There are lots of photographs as well, by both Kiernan and Mary Majerus-Collins.

We're so blessed to have all these wonderful, talented, idealistic and energetic young journalists spread across the globe, working together to showcase a new generation on the rise. They are learning to reach out to one another to create a more diverse and stronger world. YJI, with its firm faith in the future, is doing everything it can to give a voice to the teens and students who are going to inherit our institutions and our world.

Youth Journalism International is a 501(c)(3) public educational charity, which allows donors to get a tax deduction for contributions and opens the door for possible grants to help YJI flourish as never before. If you're in a position to help financially, you can find information on how to donate at www.youthjournalism.org.

The Tattoo, which started in The Bristol Press in 1994, has become the world's leading online teen-written newspaper. We've had 218 issues so far and won tons of journalism awards -- 17 first-place awards from the Connecticut Society of Professional Journalists since 1998; 34 National Gold Key awards from the National Newspaper Association and the Quill and Scroll Society since 1997; 55 Scholastic Press Forum awards since 1999; and the Suburban Newspapers Association's award for Best Young People's Coverage in both 2002 and 2005, as well as its feature writing award in 2007; along with a Distinguished Service Award from the Connecticut Committee for Youth Suicide Prevention in 1997.

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Copyright 2010. All rights reserved. Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com

Crocodile Club 2010 Roll Call

With the return of the Crocodile Club this year, it's time to start rounding up the politicians who have always made the nation's oldest eating club something extraordinary. I'm not sure who's been asked and whether anyone has said they're coming, but I figured an online roll call would be a nice way to keep tabs on them.

So I've started a list of people who should be here for the grand occasion at Lake Compounce on August 31, where politicians fill the room but politics as a serious topic is not allowed.

What is allowed are good times, warm beer, cheap cigars and old-time grub. If somebody wants to bring a 'gator, that is also allowed. Small ones are best.

This is a preliminary list of possible attendees. I'll update it as readers remind me of others who should be listed. I'll also indicate responses as I learn about them so we all know who's coming - and who's snubbing Central Connecticut's most time-honored political event.

President Barack Obama
Vice President Joe Biden
Gov. Jodi Rell --- YES
Lt. Gov. Michael Fedele
U.S. Sen. Chris Dodd
U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman
U.S. Rep. John Larson --- YES
U.S. Rep. Chris Murphy
Gubernatorial hopeful Tom Foley --- YES
Gubernatorial hopeful Dan Malloy --- YES
U.S. Sen. contender Linda McMahon -- YES
Attorney General Richard Blumenthal --- YES
Lt. Gov. hopeful Mark Boughton
Comptroller Nancy Wyman -- YES
Secretary of State Susan Bysiewicz
Secretary of State hopeful Jerry Farrell
Secretary of State hopeful Denise Merrill
Attorney General contender George Jepsen -- YES
Attorney General contender Martha Dean
State Treasurer Denise Nappier
State Treasurer candidate Jeff Wright
State Comptroller candidate Kevin Lembo -- YES
State Comptroller candidate Jack Orchulli
U.S. Rep. hopeful Anne Brickley -- YES
U.S. Rep. hopeful Sam Caligiuri

Candidates: Let me know if you're coming ... or not. Drop me a line at scollins@centralctcommunications.com.
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Copyright 2010. All rights reserved. Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com

Brickley blasts Larson's use of campaign dollars

Press release issued this morning by Republican congressional hopeful Ann Brickley, a Wethersfield Republican:

Brickley Questions Larson’s Fundraising and Campaign Spending Decisions
Cites Larson’s use of PAC funds for Congressmen’s Legal Defense Funds
(Wethersfield, CT) July 21, 2010– Ann Brickley, the Republican convention-endorsed candidate, is questioning Congressman Larson claims of being a leading supporter of campaign finance reform while milking the system for every possible dollar. Larson reports raising $1.8 million thru June and having $900,000 on hand. The fact that he has spent $900,000 on his campaign to date should raise the question "on what"?
“While Larson advocates for getting special interests out of politics, one of the most complete lists of special interest groups in Washington is the lists of donors to Larson's Political Action Committees,” Brickley said. “It is interesting to note that a substantial number of donors only report a P.O. Box as their address and contribute thousands of dollars.”
Based on May figures, Larson had spent more than $531,685 on his campaign, having given colleagues who elect him to his leadership position $236,500 and donated $286,750 to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.
“Clearly these PACs are huge political slush funds with no restrictions that are taken seriously,” Brickley stated.
According to campaign filings, these funds are even used to finance legal defense funds for congressmen who are charged with violating the law. Larson's committees are a prime source of funds for Democrats colleagues in need regardless of the situation.
Larson’s leadership PAC expenditures include contributions to the Legal Defense Funds of Congressmen William Jefferson, Brad Miller and Jim McDermott. William Jefferson is the Democratic Representative from Louisiana who was charged with accepting a bribe when authorities found that he placed the cash bribe in his refrigerator.
“I have questioned how contributions of this nature could be permitted under any rules but learned that PACs are regulated by the theory that anything that is not specifically prohibited is permitted,” Brickley said. “On that basis the rules would have to address the possibility that Representative Jefferson would need legal help to contest a bribe allegation in order to regulate this donation.”
Another aspect of PACs that Brickley also expressed her concern about is the frequency that some Congressmen hosts events. Several events per week is not unusual and may explain why they are voting on bills without having read them. Again Congressman Larson has hosted numerous events including Bocce ball tournaments in DC attorney's offices, wine tasting at exotic locations, and the recent Mohegan Sun extravaganza which was one of the most lavish and financially successful.
“As your Congressperson I will lead the campaign to abolish "Leadership PACs" and bring serious reform to all political committees,” Brickley said. “Until we do that, meaningful Campaign Finance Reform is simply rhetoric. At present, Larson is one of the biggest offenders and has put out some of the most effective rhetoric to date.”
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Copyright 2010. All rights reserved. Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com

Larson way ahead with campaign cash

Veteran U.S. Rep. John Larson has 15 times as much campaign cash on hand as both of the Republicans vying to unseat him have between them.
Larson, an East Hartford Democrat who has represented the 1st District since 1998, has raised $1.8 million for this year’s campaign and still has half of it in his campaign treasury, according to the Federal Election Commission.
On the GOP side, the two competitors in an Aug. 10 primary, Ann Brickley and Mark Zydanowicz, together raised $80,000, which includes $61,237 in loans from Brickley to her campaign.
Brickley, the party’s endorsed candidate, still had $55,000 of her campaign cash on hand at the end of June.
Zydanowicz, a West Hartford dairy executive, raised $7,195 as of May 1. The FEC hasn’t yet posted his campaign finance information through June.
Neither of the Republicans reported receiving any political action committee cash. Larson, on the other hand, has collected $759,000 from scores of groups.
Larson also got more than $1 million from individual donors. Click here for full story.
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Copyright 2010. All rights reserved. Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com

City cracking down on stray shopping carts

A new city law prohibits people from taking shopping carts off store premises and cracks down on establishments that let it happen.
City Councilor Kevin McCauley said the new ordinance, which takes effect in two weeks, imposes a “very stringent” standard on the use of shopping carts.
“We’ve been very lax” to this point, said McCauley, who heads the Ordinance Committee.
Municipal officials have long complained that shopping carts wind up littering the sides of roads, dumped in waterways and otherwise become eyesores. Collecting them is, at best, a hassle for public works.
The new law allows police to charge anyone caught off-site with a shopping cart that belongs to a store with an infraction that carries a $90 fine.
Property owners will be held responsible when a cart is found on their land. They, too, can be slapped with an infraction.  CLICK HERE FOR STORY.
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Copyright 2010. All rights reserved. Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com

School panels say no to unions

Leaving scores of union workers who packed the Board of Education Tuesday frustrated and angry, both of the city panels overseeing construction of two proposed schools gunned down a request to mandate the use of union workers on the project.

Though the construction managers on both the Forestville and West Bristol schools each said the enacting a project labor agreement would add little or no cost to the $110 million project to add classrooms for 1,800 students, members of the panels said they didn’t want to shut the door on bids from non-union construction firms.

Board of Finance member John Smith, who serves on both school building committees, said he did not believe officials should cut a deal with unions that would ice out companies and workers who also pay taxes and have a stake in the community.  CLICK HERE FOR STORY.

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Copyright 2010. All rights reserved. Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com

Larson touts job creation by feds

Press release from U.S. Rep. John Larson, the East Hartford Democrat whose 1st District includes Bristol:

LARSON: RECOVERY ACT CREATED OR SAVED 33,000 JOBS IN CONNECTICUT
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Congressman John B. Larson (CT-01) announced that the Recovery Act has created or saved over 3 million jobs nationwide, including more than 33,000 jobs in Connecticut. The latest quarterly report from the Council on Economic Advisers also shows that our economy is on track to create an additional 500,000 jobs nationwide by the end of the year.
“We already knew that the Recovery Act lowered taxes for 98% of Americans. Now we know it is responsible for creating or saving more jobs than originally thought. My number one priority is keeping jobs in this country and putting Connecticut back to work,” said Congressman Larson. “Eight years of failed economic policies pushed our economy to the brink of disaster, and the Recovery Act is digging us out of Bush’s recession. We still have a long way to go to put more Americans back to work, but we’re clearly moving in the right direction.”
These job figures were released this week in the latest quarterly report by the Council on Economic Advisers (CEA). The CEA estimates that the Recovery Act has raised the GDP by 3 percent, and has created economic development and private investment across the country.
Congressman Larson also highlighted projects in his district that have created jobs and spurred the local economy thanks to the Recovery Act.
Charter Oak Health Center, Inc. in Hartford will create or sustain 360 jobs and expand access to health care services for the city’s underinsured and uninsured residents. A recent report stated that $24 million in Recovery Act funding to community health centers in the Hartford region, will put $40 million back into our local economy.
“Community health centers stimulate economic growth, and this funding will create quality jobs and provide essential health services to the uninsured and underinsured residents of the region,” said Congressman Larson.
In addition, Joining Technologies of East Granby, a small business specializing in precision welding and laser applications, received over one million dollars in Recovery Act SBA loan funding to create fifteen new highly-skilled technology jobs and support the growth of their emerging business.
Congressman Larson added, “I want to see ‘Made in America’ make a comeback. Our nation can and should be a global leader in cutting-edge industries like clean energy and high-tech. The Recovery Act is sparking American innovation, creating jobs immediately and making our local economy stronger for the future.”
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act cut taxes for 98% of working Americans, offered tax cuts and loans to millions of small businesses, extended unemployment and COBRA health benefits for those looking for work, and started to lay a new foundation for our economy with key investments in high speed rail, clean and efficient energy, high-speed broadband and wireless communications, and electronic medical records.
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Copyright 2010. All rights reserved. Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com