Hartford Shooting Team Task Force Report

Hartford Mayor Pedro Segarra and Police Chief Daryl Roberts announced "significant progress with the Shooting Team Task Force efforts to increase public safety and the perception of public safety, reduce homicides and other gun-related violent crimes, and arrest those who violate the law and endanger others."

Since the Shooting Team Task Force was re-instated by Mayor Segarra on July 5, the overall reduction in shootings over the past four months is 35.1 percent. This means that compared to last year, shootings have gone from 13.9 percent above last year to 21.2 percent below this time last year.

“When the shooting team was reconvened, there were 19 homicides in the first six months of 2011. Since July, that number has been reduced to 3. While one homicide is one too many, our team is making people safer and helping them to feel safer. These numbers aren’t just a positive reflection on the city, they have a positive impact on the region as well as this truly is an inclusive effort,” said Mayor Segarra.

“Murder arrests are up almost 110% percent, 80 arrests (mostly firearm related) have been made and over 30 guns have been seized; there is no doubt that this is a reflection of the maximum effort this team gives each and every day,” the Chief added.

The Hartford Shooting Team is a partnership between the HPD, Offices of the Chief State’s Attorney and Hartford State’s Attorney, the Connecticut State Police and State Department of Correction, Board of Pardons and Paroles and Office of Adult Probation, Federal Drug Enforcement Administration, and the East Hartford, West Hartford and Manchester Police Departments.

The Task Force investigates gun violence and brings those responsible for such violence to prosecution. It also collaborates with the Violent Crimes Bureau and the Witness Protection Unit in the Office of the Chief State’s Attorney and works in conjunction with the Central Connecticut Cold Case Task Force.

29th Annual Mark Twain Holiday House Tour

The Friends of The Mark Twain House & Museum will deck the halls of five elegant homes in Hartford and West Hartford for the occasion. Tour the private homes, plus Mark Twain's magical mansion and enjoy live music in each locale on Sunday, Dec. 6, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Tickets are $30 each in advance; $35 day of the tour. For more information see www.marktwainhouse.org.

Samuel Colt, Hartford - Columbus Day Discovery

That distinctive blue onion dome seen to the right in this image is topped with the figure of a rampant colt, the original symbol of the Colt Manufacturing Company. That building under the dome? The Colt Armory, where the "gun that won the West" was born and manufactured. Read more about re-discovering Connecticut, at www.corpct.com.

Boardman Silversmiths Inc. To Grow, Move

The state of Connecticut will aid Boardman Silversmiths Inc.'s move from Meriden to Wallingford, ensuring the company and its 11 employees stay in Connecticut. The company also plans to create 10 more jobs within three years.

The company was looking for a larger facility to expand its line of silver and pewter products by as much as 33 percent and plans to add new and more efficient tools and dies to its inventory of equipment. Georgia officials contacted Burton Boardman about moving his business there, but after working with Connecticut officials, a Wallingford site was chosen as a prime location.

The state Department of Economic and Community Development (DECD) is assisting this project with a $147,512, low-interest loan through the Small Manufacturers Competitiveness Fund to help the company purchase machinery and equipment and upgrade their new facility.

T.D. and Sherman Boardman first established a pewter and silver business in Hartford along the Connecticut River in 1798. Eventually other family members set up shop in other cities. These businesses have been passed down through nine generations of Boardmans, with the name becoming is synonymous with quality and fine craftsmanship in silver and pewter manufacturing. Burton Boardman, who purchased his business from his father Joseph in 1985, plans to sell to his sons, daughter, niece or nephew.

Unforgettable Gettysburg - July 1, 2, 3

Gettysburg commemorates the battle, July 1-3, and include "real time" ranger-led programs following the progress of the battle in chronological order.

In addition to these programs, the park offers three-hour battle walks on the anniversary dates. All are free. For details visit www.nps.gov/gett.

It now costs more to visit the Cyclorama, museum and film at the year-old visitor center at the Gettysburg National Military Park.

Adult tickets are now $10.50 (formerly $7.50). Youth tickets now cost $6.50. Discounts are available for advance tickets sold through the Gettysburg Foundation site, www.gettysburgfoundation.org.

July Reenactments

July 3-5
Gettysburg (PA)

July 10-12
Battles at Wise (VA)

July 11-12
Rich Mountain (WV)

July 11-12
Gilmor's Raid (MD)

July 25-26
Civil War Days at the Grove (IL)

Connecticut residents can view artifacts relating to the state's contribution to the Civil War at the Museum of Connecticut History at The Connecticut State Library in Hartford. On display are uniforms and weapons; an original diary and other mementos preserved by Connecticut soldiers in the infamous Andersonville prison.

Top image, CivilWarTraveler.com

Cink, Connecticut, Championship PGA

Stewart Cink is defending champion of the Travelers Championship PGA Tournament.

This year he returns for play, June 22 through 28 at TPC River Highlands in Cromwell, Connecticut.

The PGA event purse is $6 million; winner's share is $1.08 million.

The golf tournament began in 1952 as the Insurance City Open in Connecticut, later became the Greater Hartford Open (GHO).

When Canon opted out as title sponsor after 2002, Buick stepped in to keep the event at TPC River Highlands.

Travelers then agreed to become the title sponsor for the 2007, and the Hartford-based insurance company solidified a corporate commitment to sponsor the golf tournament through 2014.

New this year is a practice facility, an expanded "Fan Zone" with attractions such as a rock climbing wall, miniature golf and free concerts in the evening after play wraps up.

The PGA Tour and corporate partners contributions to charitable donations total more than $1 billion.

UConn Women 2009 NCAA Champs Parade

The State of Connecticut and the City of Hartford will host a parade for the University of Connecticut women's basketball team for winning the 2009 NCAA National Basketball Championship on Sunday, April 19.

The UConn women won their sixth NCAA Basketball Championship on April 7 by beating the Louisville Cardinals in St. Louis. They finished the season undefeated and were the regular season champions of the Big East and the winners of the conference tournament championship.

The 3 p.m. parade, which will take place near the Bushnell Park, Main Street and Capitol Avenue areas of the city, will begin and end at the State Capitol. A rally will take place on the north steps of the Capitol immediately following the parade.

The UConn parade planning committee is coordinated by Governor Rell's office, the Hartford Business Improvement District and the MetroHartford Alliance and consists of representatives from the Office of the Governor, the State of Connecticut, the City of Hartford, the University of Connecticut, the Hartford Hospitality Task Force and civic organizations and businesses from throughout the Greater Hartford region.

For parade sponsorship opportunities, contact Michael Zaleski at the Hartford Business Improvement District at (860) 728-2274.

Rampant Colt Presides Over Connecticut History

The rampant colt that adorned the very top of the Colt armory dome now rears over the Samuel Colt collections at the Museum of Connecticut History in Hartford (part of the Connecticut State Library).

Inside are stories that are truly legendary. Story continues, here.

Network Links City For Emergencies

The City of Hartford is launching a new community-wide emergency communication preparedness network using an advanced peer-to-peer multi-media communications solution from Mutualink, Inc., a firm headquartered in Wallingford.

The new network will enable Hartford police, schools, and hospitals to seamlessly communicate with each other in times of emergency. Among the emergency communication platform’s capabilities, schools can share live video feeds with public safety agencies.

Most recently, Mutualink successfully linked together five law enforcement agencies at President Obama’s inauguration, including the Department of Defense Force Protection Agency, the U.S. Park Police, the Washington, D.C. transit police agencies, the Washington Metro Police and the New Jersey Transit Police.

Hartford joins other Connecticut communities including Cromwell, Rocky Hill, Berlin and the City of Stamford using a Mutualink communications network.

The company will be at the Connecticut Emergency Management Symposium on May 12, held at Cromwell Hotel and Conference Center. For more information, see www.ccm-ct.org; the event is free, but registration is required.

Eminent Domain, Little Pink House

The Fort Trumbull area could have been a mix of old and new - the fort as a park, a neighborhood of homes that had weathered everything from neglect and the nearby sewage treatment plant to redevelopment efforts. Small stores and a walkable area to enjoy water breezes and saying hello to people on their porches, just think about it.

But today, like Constitution Plaza in Hartford, a real neighborhood area was wiped clean (except for the Fort Trumbull, now a state park) in anticipation for building corporate headquarters, high-end housing, hotel and marina, none of which has been built, or even started. Like a habitat being clear cut, the thought was to erase what was there (some of which, such as the sprawling junkyard, brownfields, old Navy housing etc. was not the most desirable) and instead, create a new environment.

Eminent domain is a powerful force in Connecticut.

"My neighborhood was not blighted. None of us asked for any of this. We were simply living our lives, working, taking care of our families, paying our taxes . . . This battle against eminent domain abuse may have started as a way for me to save my little pink cottage, but it has rightfully grown into something much larger - the fight to restore the American Dream and the sacredness and security of each one of our homes." - Susette Kelo in Little Pink House, published by Grand Central Publishing, written by Jeff Benedict.

Susette Kelo once lived in a pink cottage of a home that overlooked the waters of the Thames River in New London, side by side with homes that had been in the same families for decades.

Today Kelo's name is now synonymous with eminent domain at its worst application.

The physical house that stood alone still exists, but was moved piece by piece after the legal settlement. The land where homes stood is now an empty lot amid acres of emptiness.

The story about why this land grab happened (corporate short-term housing, Pfizer campus, and high-end apartments with a marina were viewed as the better use of private land for the public's good, in this case, the potential of more taxes) is told in Little Pink House: A True Story of Defiance and Courage.

The author builds the facts in the tale of Kelo and her neighorhood. How was it possible that everyday people and their modest homes became embroiled in a court case that led to the Supreme Court in a fight that lasted more than 9 years? Benedict skillfully tells the story by letting the people speak and bring details into the light

The Supreme Court ruling became one of the most unpopular rulings of all time in this case. Since then some states are considering amendments to the eminent domain law which prohibit the state turning over land seized under the guise of public use over to private corporations. Connecticut is not one of those states.

Film, Digital Media Tax Credit Hearing, Feb. 23

A public hearing on whether the Connecticut Film & Digital Media tax credit will be eliminated is Monday, Feb. 23, at 11:30 a.m. in Room 2E of the Legislative Office Building in Hartford.

For the economic importance of the tax credit, see Connecticut Production Coalition (CPC) fact sheet at this link.

The Legislative Office Building is located at 300 Capitol Ave., Hartford. For tips on parking, who to talk with, key points to know and more, see this document.

The state is looking to cut a program that costs $90 million. According to CPC key points, "offsetting tax revenues are generated through direct expenditures and payroll taxes and substantial indirect tax revenues created by the increased economic activity. Over the past two years, Connecticut went from $750,000 to more than $600 million [in film and digital media production], which brought estimated $1.5 billion in economic activity to the state.

"For every dollar of incentive paid, more than $16 of economic activity was generated, translating into significant tax revenues."

To compare other states efforts:

New York: Tax credit generates 19,500 jobs; 7,000 direct production jobs and 12,500 from directly related economic activity. State yields $404 million in tax revenue, at a cost of $215 million in credits. Source: Ernst & Young; January 2009.

New Mexico: Tax credit created total employment of 9,210 jobs. State receives $1.50 in tax revenue for every dollar invested in production tax credits. Source: Ernst & Young; Prepared for the New Mexico State Investment Council; January 2009.

Massachusetts: $545 million spent on film production yields economic impact of $1.36 billion. Cost to state is five cents for every new dollar of economic activity. Source: Massachusetts Film Office; www.mafilm.org; January 2009.

Going, Gone. Sold to Germany

Germany's Munich Re AG has bought American International Group (AIG) Inc.'s Hartford Steam Boiler (HSB) for $742 million.

The acquisition is funded entirely from cash and is subject to regulatory approval.

Hartford Steam Boiler, based in Connecticut and founded in 1866, helps insure power plants, inspecting boilers, pressure vessels, nuclear components, and process and power components for corporations. Corporate headquarters is located in Hartford.

The company is a wholly owned subsidiary of AIG.

Hartford Steam Boiler Inspection and Insurance Company is one of the largest insurance and inspection companies specializing in engineering risks in the USA. It is a market leader, and is accredited by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME).