from a press release:

Hartford –

“Today’s announcement regarding West Nile virus positive mosquitoes underscores the importance for Connecticut residents to take necessary precautions to prevent mosquito bites,” said Department of Public Health (DPH) Commissioner Dr. J. Robert Galvin.  “In previous years, most West Nile virus infections were acquired during August and September.”

Monitoring and risk assessment for WNV emphasizes mosquito trapping and testing results.  The CAES maintains a network of 91 mosquito-trapping stations in 72 municipalities throughout the state.  Mosquito traps are set Monday – Thursday nights and conducted at each site every ten days on a rotating basis.  Mosquitoes are grouped (pooled) for testing according to species, collection site, and date.  Each pool is tested for the presence of viruses of public health importance.  Positive findings are reported to local health departments, in press releases and on the CAES web site.

For information on West Nile virus and what you can do to prevent getting bitten by mosquitoes, visit the Connecticut Mosquito Management Program Web site at www.ct.gov/mosquito.

Hitting the news earlier in the week from WTNH:

The leader of Bethel being arrested Monday caught many people by surprise.

Robert Burke, 62, who is up for re-election in the Republican primary, was arrested on a warrant Monday morning and charged with second degree harassment. News Channel 8 went to Burke’s home not far from his town office, but no one answered the door.

Alice Hutchinson, a Democrat who used to use this office and was replaced by Burke, says the news is disappointing.

I think it’s alarming for anyone who lives in town to realize that their chief elected official was arrested. It’s difficult, it’s painful, it’s tough, Bethel is full of good and decent people, none of us, needs to have news like this,” Hutchinson said.

But there are some voters who think Burke’s hard work in office since 2005 speaks for itself.

“Mr. Burke has been a staple of this town for many, many a year. He’s helped many a person out. Probably been the best first selectman in town, by far,” Brian Jones, of Bethel, said.

Burke’s potential Democratic opponent, Matthew Knickerbocker, is not asking for Burke’s resignation.

“It’s certainly going to be a distraction, the news will be a distraction, there will be an awful lot on his mind, and I think that will impair his ability to run the town,” Knickerbocker said.

Burke will appear in court next month to face his misdemeanor charge, which will be one week before the Republican primary.

The Danbury NewsTimes fills in more details:

Burke, who last month lost his party’s nomination for first selectman and is now in a primary race against a fellow Republican, has promised to continue his run to be the GOP candidate.

The state police reported that the arrest followed an investigation into harassing phone calls allegedly made to a victim in violation of state statute 53a-183.

Bethel Republications nominated Lawrence Craybas as their candidate for first selectmen earlier in the year.

Bethel Police Commissioner Nick Ellis, who was elected three and a half years ago, said he was sorry about the arrest but knew it was coming.

“I feel sorry for Bob and his family, but the victim has gone through a lot,” Ellis said Monday. “I’m sorry it had to happen this way.”

Ellis said Burke and the alleged victim had a personal relationship that was private between them and their families, but the issue became public after the individual went to the police department several times.

The alleged victim didn’t want to file a complaint initially but finally did last December, Ellis said.

He said the local police did what they were supposed to do, but the state’s attorney in Danbury thought the case was too close to home so it was moved to the state police.

Ellis said the alleged victim has moved out of the state.

Burke dismissed Ellis’ comments.

“He can say whatever he wants,” Burke said. “My lawyer will love that.”

Burke’s lawyer, Jack Garamella, could not be reached for comment Monday.

source: Danbury NewsTimes, Bethel First Selectman Burke arrested on harassment charge, By Eileen FitzGerald and John Pirro, August 25, 2009

Thank you Brian Lockhart for providing today’s imagery. But first, arrrgghhhh. The headline alone, “Wilton senator wants to end ‘Super 7′ project”, is enough to set the the pace for this slow motion zombie night of the financial axe flick. First Lockharts’s report:

A state senator from Wilton wants to put a stake in the long-dormant project to build the “Super 7″ expressway linking Norwalk to Danbury.

Toni Boucher, ranking Republican on the legislature’s Transportation Committee, submitted two bills that would allow the state Department of Transportation to get rid of about 890 acres it purchased to build “Super 7″ decades ago.

The property in Wilton, Redding, Ridgefield and Danbury cost about $29.4 million at the time of purchase. The four- to six-lane “Super 7″ highway was planned 50 years ago.

Rural towns and environmentalists have blocked the project, though it still has supporters, notably Sen. Bob Duff, D-Norwalk, a vice chairman of the Transportation Committee. But the consensus in Hartford is that “Super 7″ will not be built anytime soon, if ever.

The DOT instead moved ahead with widening Route 7.

Boucher wants to authorize the DOT to sell the land or transfer it to the state Department of Environmental Protection for open space.

“Given the long and tortuous history of this whole issue and the work we’re now doing to widen (Route 7) and improve the train line through there, it makes sense to look at this option, rather than just letting it lie,” Boucher said.

DOT spokesman Kevin Nursick said the agency last evaluated the value of the land in February 2007. The nearly 829 vacant acres were worth $149.7 million, he said.

The remaining 61 acres had about 20 houses when purchased, he said. He could not immediately provide details about the homes but said the value was $14 million in 2007.

Boucher said money from sale of the land is needed now that the state faces budget deficits in the billions of dollars.

We pause here, because is the only reason we are in deficit is because Hartford, and that means Jodi Rell this last time, refuses to adopt GAAP, (I am so endlessly repeating this I can start a yoga movement with this) and thus never know whether Connecticut is in technical� bankruptcy (it is, it was, it will be–latin is failing me this morning) and are responsible for reckless spending. So cut the freakin’ spending!

“The economic times call for us to look at any and all options for revenue sources,” Boucher said.

The other bill she submitted addresses Route 7 indirectly. If passed, it would require any land purchased for highway projects that has gone unused for 20 years to be transferred to the state DEP for open space.

As Boucher seeks support for her proposals, Duff tries to keep “Super 7″ on life support.

In 2007, Senate President Donald Williams, D-Brooklyn, promised Duff $10,000 to pursue an evaluation of the “Super 7″ project. The money was released in November to fund a University of Connecticut-Stamford survey to “understand residents’ opinions” about completing “Super 7.”

Duff said the survey has been pushed back.

“I honestly don’t know when it’s going to get done — could be this summer, could be toward the end of the year,” he said.

Duff said Boucher’s bills are “the same old song and dance.” Her predecessor, former Sen. Judith Freedman, has made similar attempts, Duff said.

Freedman said Boucher might have more success because of the fiscal crisis.

“Most of the other towns have already decided it’s not going to happen,” Freedman said. “The sale would make sense to me and I would think it would make sense to the governor and others up there who are looking for money.”

Barbara Quincy of Wilton, chairman of the Committee to Expand Route 7, opposes sale of the land.

“I guess you’d say I’m holding out hope they would someday finish the road. I don’t think this is the time to sell it or change its status,” Quincy said.

But Boucher’s “got some clout,” Quincy said.

Maybe there’s something in the water here in Connecticut (Goose poop?) that cuases the same people to have the same old arguments without bringing anything new to the table. Can we please have a real dicsussion on transportation in the southwest corner of Connecticut that belongs in teh 21st century? And adopt GAAP.

source: Advocate, Wilton senator wants to end ‘Super 7′ project, By Brian Lockhart, 01/25/2009

There’s a problem when candidates who are running for office don’t get the issue they are being asked about. That’s quickly apparent after reading the Advocate article on the State Senate race in the 26th District. That would be the Westport, and northern lands who don’t support Super 7 territory. Er, Wilton, Weston, Ridgefield, Bethel etc. for those keeping track.

So I once again state that the only numbers that are believable coming out of Hartford and Comptroller Nancy Wyman’s numbers, which have stated unequivocally that Connecticut has been running with a defecit for years. What, you say, what about that surplus we had at the beginning of the year? That would be the fantasy numbers that Governor Rell and the legislature announce because the state, unbleivable in 2008, does not follow generally accepted accounting principles which would require, like every municipality, to book revenues recieved, not revenues anticipated.

So the legislature spends money based on budgets created based on fantasy revenues and adds to that mix the idea of keeping expenditures off the books. Like pension funding obligations. And it all balances out so that more spending can happily go on in Hartford despite the mild budget bikcering we’ve grown accustomed to.

Hartwell though, takes the whole misunderestimation thing to a new level.

Hartwell wants to dip into the state’s $1.4 billion Rainy Day Fund.

“This is certainly serious, but it is not something we should panic about. I certainly don’t believe in slashing spending, because that will put people out of work,” Hartwell said.

“If the budget deficit is $300, $500 or $600 billion we can easily cover it. We have $1.4 billion in the bank. In bad times we should spend it,” Hartwell said.

Chris Powell, over at the Journal Inquirer, had it about right a couple of weeks ago:

Meeting with the General Assembly’s Banks Committee last Monday, state Treasurer Denise L. Nappier said the state pension fund had lost more than 10 percent of its value in recent months. But, she added, the people covered by the fund — state employees, municipal teachers, and retired state employees and teachers — shouldn’t worry about it. For state government’s obligations to them are set by law and contract, and so the beneficiaries are not on the hook — only Connecticut’s taxpayers are.

Over the rest of the week the stock market fell more than another 10 percent.

Nappier didn’t quite say it, but taxpayers should be more than worried; they should be freaking out. For even before the market crash the state pension fund did not have enough investment to meet its commitments, pension underfunding being a chronic scandal in Connecticut, most other states, and the federal government. And should the pension fund not cover those commitments, they would have to be met from the state’s general fund, which would mean more taxes.

If Hartwell had paid attention to what Nancy Wyman actually said he’d have been closer to what the issue actually is. Wyman released this statement:

State Comptroller Nancy Wyman today said the state should consider using a portion of the $1.4 billion Rainy Day Fund as part of a plan to address a budget imbalance that could exceed $800 million by the end of the 2009 fiscal year.

The estimated $806.5 million imbalance is composed of a current-year deficit of $302.4 million, plus a $504.1 million “structural” deficit caused by repeated use of past years’ surplus funds to pay for current expenses.

With no surplus funds remaining, Wyman said it would be appropriate to use the Rainy Day Fund to reduce about half of the $806.5 million shortfall. The other half would be addressed by measures created by the Governor and the General Assembly.

“The Rainy Day Fund was established to ensure that in periods of economic hardship the state is not forced to increase taxes or implement other policies that would delay economic recovery,” Wyman said. “Using a portion of the fund will allow the state to avoid major changes in its long-term policy objectives due to short-term economic conditions.”

So between Wyman and Napier we should have a pretty good idea that spending needs to be cut backup in Hartford. At least from the standpoint of assessing wants versus needs, and figuring out a way to reign in the high growth industry state programs have become. Which is what Toni Boucher essentially said on the issue:

“What happens if this (period of bad economics) lasts longer, and we have a $1 billion deficit, this year, the next year and the year after that?” Boucher said.

She said the state has to trim its budget, and she supported Gov. M. Jodi Rell’s cost-cutting measures to fight the deficit.

Hartwell is missing the boat by a mile on this one. I don’t think we need another legislator abdicating fiscal responsibility in Hartford.

source: Advocate, Candidates Boucher, Hartwell offer clear differences in District 26, By Frank MacEachern, 10/26/2008
source: Journal Inquirer, Rainy-day fund no good for the hurricane ahead, By Chris Powell, October 11, 2008

State Representative Jason Bartlett, it is safe to say, likes to speak his mind. He’s not afraid of controversy, in fact he sometimes courts it. While at the Democratic National Convention last week, he called on U.S. Senator Joe Lieberman to leave the Democratic Party.

In Bartlett’s view, the media is going easy on Sarah Palin, and Rep. Bartlett makes no bones about why:

… if the situation was reversed and this was an African American whose seventeen year old daughter was unwed, pregnant, and still in high school…

First of all, that person would not have been picked for the [Vice Presidential spot on the] ticket.

Second, the national media would have blown this up to much greater proportions than they seem to be doing now. And the right wing would be unforgiving – disparaging, then castigating; and stereotyping the black family.

It’s just unbelievable to me.

Bartlett went on to say that the Palin selection itself is entirely based on the issue of abortion. In his view it was this issue alone that was decisive in preventing McCain from selecting Joe Lieberman as his running mate. And had McCain wanted to select a woman with the gravitas to derail the Obama train, Texas Senator Kay Bailey Hutchinson would have been the choice. The reason she wasn’t, he says, is she’s pro-choice.

Meanwhile, apparently conflicting accounts of Palin’s position on the issue of birth control appeared online.
First, CNN reported Palin backed abstinence education

Posted: 02:00 PM ET
(CNN) � Sarah Palin, who announced on Monday that her 17-year-old daughter is pregnant, indicated during her run for Alaska governor that she was a firm supporter of abstinence-only education in schools.

In a 2006 Eagle Forum questionnaire, Palin indicated that she supported funding abstinence-until-marriage education programs instead of teaching sex-education programs.

“Explicit sex-ed programs will not find my support,” Palin wrote in the conservative group’s questionnaire.

Then, this report from Time

… Sarah Palin is a longterm member of a group called Feminists for Life, which is not opposed to birth control. So you probably can’t tag her for consigning young people to unwanted pregnancies.

The issues then – media bias, right-wing hypocrisy, Sarah Palin’s true position on birth control, or identify another.
But not Bristol Palin; thank you. Continue Reading

With long time State Senator Judith Freedman- R Westport retiring, a shift in local races is today’s news. State Rep Toni Boucher is jumping into the 26th Senatorial district race, which will now pit Boucher against John Hartwell. The 26th covers the towns of Bethel, New Canaan, Redding, Ridgefield, Weston, Westport and Wilton.

Boucher read this statement at the press conference held yesterday in Wilton.

Judi Freedman has been an absolutely outstanding senator who is beloved by her constituents.� I want to thank Senator Freedman for her dedication and long service to our district and for fighting the good fight for us for more than two decades.� She has earned our deep gratitude and respect and has provided a legacy and a role model that will inspire all of us in state and local government for many years to come.

You know, all of those things that Senator Freedman mentioned that she did during her 22 years in office � she really did them.� And they all took hard work.� Things like combating Super 7, creating Charter Schools, and improving our educational systems were initiatives that Judi was instrumental in getting off the ground, and then she stuck with them to make sure they came to fruition.� She has lived through so much with us, and we must all remember her many achievements.

I am truly honored by Senator Freedman’s endorsement.� In my decision to seek our party’s nomination as its candidate for the 26th district Senate seat, I am profoundly conscious of the enormous responsibility that comes with this office.� It has been a very great privilege for me to represent New Canaan, Norwalk, and Wilton in the House for the last 12 years.� I hope now that I may look forward to another great privilege � that of building on Senator Freedman’s solid foundation of trust and dedicated advocacy to represent the seven towns of the 26th district in the Senate.

Wilton and Norwalk Republicans will have to scramble to find a new candidate to seek Bouchers seat, the 143rd covers Wilton and part of Norwalk. No names have been put forth. On the Democratic side, Peggy Reeves, has announced she was seeking the Democratic nomination� to run for the seat.

source: Advocate, Veteran lawmaker Freedman won’t run, By Brian Lockhardt, April 22, 2008

In one of the more bizarre twists coming out of the binding vote today, $2.5 million is headed to Bethel & Danbury despite opposition from current Bethel First Selectman Bob Burke. In the waning days of the bonding package, State Senator David Capiello-R Danbury removed both the $500k for a library expansion in Bethel and $2 million for Danbury to use towards purchasing Terre Haute, undeveloped land in Bethel. Capiello maintained in his caucus that it was his funding requests to cut. The funding was actually requested by State Rep. Jason Bartlett-D.

Burke has other ideas about the property, including an expansion of industrial use that most Bethel residents oppose. Danbury Mayor Mark Boughton-R supports the purchase of Terre Haute.

In an earlier News-Time report”

Danbury Mayor Mark Boughton said purchasing the 200 acres of Terre Haute property that is located within the city is his No. 1 priority for open space acquisitions.

“We haven’t made it a secret that we would like to purchase the land,” Boughton said. “We would love to make some kind of deal with Bethel. But whatever deal we come up with, it has to work for both Bethel and Danbury, and I understand that.”

Boughton said he has made preliminary arrangements with Burke to meet in the next two weeks to further discuss their visions for the property and how it could be preserved.

Bethel resident David Olson, who is running for first selectman on the Democratic ticket, said he would be interested in meeting with Danbury and state officials about a possible sale if he were elected.

“I would work with all parties, regardless of their political affiliation, to make sure the property is preserved as open space,” he said. “Bartlett’s proposal has merit, but Burke seems to be allergic to making a decision on the issue. He says that he is for preserving it as open space, but he won’t act to guarantee that.”

The Terre Haute property became embroiled in controversy earlier this year when Bethel’s Economic Development Commission requested a zone change for a southern portion of the property in the hope of expanding the Francis J. Clarke Industrial Park.

That proposal, however, was withdrawn so a more complete application could be submitted sometime this fall. It would not be affected by a land sale to Danbury.

State Sen. David Cappiello, according to Bethel State Rep. Jason Bartlett-D did not even show up to vote today on the bonding package.

Cappiello has said in the past that the focus in Bethel should be on the 170 acres in Bethel known as Bogus Farm. The owner has rejected an offer from the DEP for $2.8 million, because he thinks his property is worth more if he sells it to a developer.

Jason Bartlett has said that Bethel could use the $2 million it could receive from Danbury to purchase additional open space, such as Bogus Farm. Bethel First Selectmen candidate David Olson supports the preserving of Terre Haute as open space. From Olson’s web site:

I personally support the proposal to sell the portion of the Terre Haute property within Danbury’s
borders to Danbury thereby permanently assuring it as open space guaranteed by the State of
Connecticut. This is a clear double win for Bethel. Our town derives nearly $3 million from the
sale of land that has been left fallow and unprotected for more than 30 years and the town gains
state-protected open space. I would reserve this money for conservation initiatives, preferably to
acquire additional open space in Bethel.

Source: Danbury News-Times, Terre Haute property’s fate sparking debate, by Dirk Perrefort, Aug 23 2007

This is Politics at work. There is a struggle going on in the little town of Bethel. Bethel is a great small charming town and the struggle over keeping Terre Haute preserved as open space.  There is a lot of misdirection and it has taken me about six months and a lot of conversations to try to understand the issues. The property is part of a larger chain of open space stretching from Bethel through Danbury’s Tarrywile Park, Wooster Mountain State Park and Ridgefield’s preserved lands. You can check out this site for maps and boundaries www.ctpath.org.

Terre Haute was set aside for thirty years and over the years developers have wanted to put a golf course and the community has fought against it. Today, the situation is that there is 208 acres of the property that are owned by Bethel, yet lie within Danbury’s city limits. A new proposal from State representative Jason Bartlett would provide Danbury with state funding to “buy back” the Danbury portion of the land and preserve it as open space. The State of Connecticut would place a conservation easement on the property, prohibiting future development and better yet Bethel would receive a multi-million dollar windfall in their general fund.

You may ask yourself what is the issue? Mr. Burke, Bethel Town Selectman has sent out a flyer of misdirection and does not want to sell back the land to Danbury. He would like to possibly develop the land for future mining and logging. This is the interesting thing – it is not zoned for those purposes and the town of Danbury does not want the land developed. In fact it is their top priority to preserve it. That is the struggle. If you want to see the land there is a hike on October 14th. More details will be posted.