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.

Yesterday’s Tornado touchdown in Bridgeport has damaged the Barnum Museum:

Below is an excerpt of an e-mail sent by Kathy Maher, Executive Director of Barnum Museum, on the damage from the storm…..

“Yesterday, the Museum was hit hard by the storm that drove its way through Bridgeport, and we have had some significant damage to the building as well as the collection.  Two Main Street windows completely blew out, allowing all the storm water and wind to howl through the first floor exhibition areas.  Additionally, water at the North West corner of the building was then able to seep through the first floor into the basement storage area wetting the archival collection of Barnum books.

We had extraordinary help from many of our friends who came to assist with the recovery, and currently the building and collection are stabilized for the moment.  We will have to seek professional assessments to determine the extent of the damage to the building structure and to the collection of the display and storage items.  We photo and video documented the incident and we began doing written reviews…. ”

I spoke with Kathy this morning, the Barnum staff is pulling together and assessing the damage to the building and its collections and determining their next steps.  The Museum is closed today. They anticipate there will be a tremendous amount of work that will need to be done to mitigate the damage.

Stay tuned: in the near future, the Barnum Museum may put out a call for help to the history community to assist in their recovery efforts.  We all face potential threat and it is the goodwill from kind “neighbors” that help us get through the tough times.

1940′s Hangar Dance
A BENEFIT FOR THE DISCOVERY MUSEUM AND PLANETARIUM

Saturday, May 29, 2010
7:00 pm – Midnight

Take a step back in time to the 1940′s–
an era of big band swing music, dancing and patriotism

Cocktail Hour, Dinner and Dessert
by David Grant Catering

Continue Reading

The Right Smoke Detector Saves Lives

By Mike Ward

While I was driving my son to school, I heard a news piece on the radio. The Bridgeport Firefighter’s�Union�was teaming up with Domino’s Pizza to check existing smoke detectors and install new ones at customer homes on Friday’s. While this is admirable, my fear is that they will use inferior smoke detectors.

There are two different technologies used in smoke/fire detection. The first and most commonly purchased or given out is the Ionization technology. The second and newer technology is the Photo-electric principle. When I was a Supervising Fire Inspector with the New York City Fire Department, I studied the use and effects of both types. Let’s look at each individually:

Ionization smoke detectors use an ionization chamber and a source of ionizing radiation (Americium 241) to detect smoke. This type of smoke detector is more common because it is inexpensive and better at detecting the smaller amounts of smoke produced by flaming fires. Smoke entering the ionization chamber disrupts the electrical current causing it to go into alarm. It can be identified by the nuclear hazard trefoil icon on the backside of the device.

Photo-electric smoke detectors uses a beam of light and a sensor set at 90 degrees from one another in its smoke chamber. Smoke particles cause the light to scatter and reflect the light onto the sensor causing an alarm.

There are 4 stages to a fire:

1. Incipient stage – No visible smoke, no flame and very little heat. A significant amount of invisible (but sometimes smell-able) combustion particles may be created. This stage usually develops slowly.
2. Smoldering stage – Smoke, but no flame and little heat.
3. Flame Stage – Visible flame, more heat, often less or no smoke, particularly with flammable liquids and gas fires.
4. Large amounts of heat, flame, smoke and toxic gases are produced. The transition from the previous stage can be very fast. This is also where Flashover can occur.

The Ionization (or ion smoke detector for short) is designed to detect a rapidly moving Flame Stage fire while the Photo-electric detects slow Smoldering Stage fires.

Most home fire fatalities occur due to products of combustion (Smoke inhalation) and asphyxiation which occurs when the fire consumes all the oxygen in the room. The thermal burns are a secondary cause and are either due to incapacitation by products of combustion or by exposure to a flashover. According the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study of fires in 2008 on average, 1 fatality occurred every 151 minutes and injury occurred every 31 minutes. 4 out of 5 of these fatalities occurred in the home.

What this means is that by the time the Ion detector activated, the room was already filled with toxic gases and smoke, the oxygen levels have been depleted and the victim is showing signs of hypoxia (lack of oxygen), carbon monoxide poisoning or both and is incapable of rational though process.

Most stores carry the Ion detector for homeowner installation. They are widely available at any hardware store or home center and are relatively inexpensive. The problem with Ion detectors is they only detect burnt toast and generate what is called nuisance alarms. After the second or third one, most people disconnect them. Underwriters Laboratories actually lowered the sensitivity standard to prevent these false alarms.

By writing this I am not saying that the Ion detector is bad, they do have a purpose. I do not believe though, that it is the right detector for residential use. Any edge you can get to wake you and your family up earlier is worth the money spent.

Professional security contractors such as ADT, Slomin’s, Brinks Home Security etc. use and install the photo-electric detector into integrated home security systems. They are also available from home centers as a “single station detector” but you have to look for them or special order them. The other downside is they are a little more expensive.

A third choice is a combination detector. It employs either Ion/ Photo, Ion/ Carbon Monoxide, or Photo-electric/ Carbon Monoxide detectors.

In�Connecticut, smoke detectors are required in all bedrooms with 1 additional detector being installed on each level of a home. Carbon Monoxide detectors are also required on each level of new construction homes and outside each bedroom area. Detectors should�Never be installed in or within 3’ of a kitchen or bathroom containing a shower. Always follow the manufacturer’s instructions to the letter. If you have questions, contact the manufacturer, your fire department’s bureau of fire prevention or a licensed security professional.

Maintenance should not be forgotten either. According to manufacturer’s instructions, detectors of either technology should be tested monthly. Canned “smoke” can be purchases from hardware stores or home centers to test the device. Follow the detector instructions and the instructions on the can. This can be done in conjunction with a monthly home fire drill. Detectors should also be replaced after 10 years. You don’t keep your TV that long and it won’t save your life. A final word on testing: If you have an integrated home security system, call your monitoring center prior to testing the detectors so that they don’t dispatch the fire department on you.

Full scale smoke detector reaction time test of the differences between Ion and Photo-electric was conducted by the Barre City VT Fire Department. This video can be seen at either�www.barrecityfire.org or�www.smokealarminfo.com

The community was frothing over “out of control crime” and there were calls for the Police Chief to be fired. Sounds like now doesn’t it? But it wasn’t, it was 1987, and the crime areas of Norwalk were well known, so much so that the United Hispanic Action of Norwalk (UHAN) boasted about a 200 person membership and staged a parade against drugs. Here’s the original map, posted in The Hour, on Friday September 4, 1987.

The issue then, as now, was drug dealing. But let’s take the long view here. Whatever policy has been introduced and implemented in the area, it seems that nothing has changed. The same people, keep speaking, and speaking about the issue. But nothing gets resolved.

Here’s some throwback names for ya:

Doug Hempstead

Bobby Burgess

Rick McQuaid

John Tobin

Curtis Law

And the issues? Same ones. Has anyone totaled up how much money we give to anti-poverty, anti-drug, low income housing and all the social issues that seemingly are in crisis year after year? Isn’t time to admit that what we’ve been doing has failed? Isn’t it time to try something new?

Bridgeport managed to make a decision in the 80s and 1990s about crime and housing, they razed a public housing complex called Father Panik Village. The New York Times article explains why:

But by the early 1980′s the once proud village had evolved into a notorious crime-ridden slum and a symbol of failure for the city. One of the focal points for the city’s crack cocaine trade during the last decade, the area became the scene of dozens of homicides and other violent crimes.

Those who lived there routinely barricaded themselves in their apartments for fear of being hit by stray gunfire and some even resorted to wearing bullet-proof vests.

In 1986 the city began leveling the project, leaving 15 of the buildings standing. But last month city officials decided to raze the rest of Father Panik Village, saying the intensity of the crime and deterioration of the buildings made it uninhabitable for the 300 families that remained. The Federal Government has approved a plan to provide rental subsidies for the families, who will be moved to new housing units in other parts of the city within the next four to six months. Chiseling Away an Image

The officials called the decision to demolish Father Panik Village a relief and a major step forward in an attempt to chisel away the image of Bridgeport as a dying urban area. As one of the dinosaurs of public housing, they said, Father Panik Village stood as a vestige of an era of crisis that the city was attempting to move beyond.

“Bridgeport’s past plight has been linked to a big extent to the deterioration of public housing and Father Panik Village was by far the most notable example,” said Joseph P. Ganim, the Mayor of Bridgeport. “Its destruction is a very symbolic move.”

Bridgeport Police Chief Thomas Sweeney said the project averaged four to five homicides a year out of a statewide total of about 150. In the past year, he said, drug dealers have shot at three police officers assigned to the area, and, in a separate incident, dealers fired 76 rounds from a semiautomatic weapon, killing one young woman during a drug deal that had gone sour. He added that Father Panik Village’s proximity to Interstate 95 made it an easy drive for suburban drug users, who are involved in about 70 percent of the city’s drug sales. Scattered Housing and Complexes

“We are delighted to see it go,” Mr. Sweeney said. The Bridgeport Housing Authority is replacing the 1,063 units lost from the demolition of Father Panik with a combination of scattered-housing sites and mixed-income developments, which will include both rental and privately owned properties, said the authority’s executive director, Clarence H. Craig.

Unfortunately for Norwalk, a read through The Hour reveals that the very people who could have made that decision, raze the crime ridden housing and build or subsidize housing in other parts of Norwalk, were against doing either. And so, years later, Norwalk confronts the same issues, with the same cast of characters and nothing gets solved.

from a press release:

BLACKROCK ROCKS PRESENTS � NEW ROOTS FUNDRAISER

In response to the destruction of fifteen sycamores last month at St. Mary’s-by-the-Sea in Bridgeport, BlackRock Rocks, organizers of the famed BlackRock Rocks Mardi Gras events, will present a two day musical fundraiser to support the purchase of replacement trees in the park.

As active participants in the community, the members of BlackRock Rocks decided to take positive action and bring the neighborhood together.��On Saturday, May 1 local musicians John Torres and the Watusi Kings will take the stage at the Acoustic Caf� (additional bands TBA).��Doors will open at 7:30 pm, and the music will go from 8:30 pm until closing.

The following day, Sunday, May 2 will feature the Primate Fiasco, a psychedelic dixieland band from Massachusetts, and other bands, TBA.��This will also take place at the Acoustic Caf�, with doors open at 2:30 pm and music starting at 3:30 pm.

The cost is $7 for one event, and $12 to attend both.��All money raised will go toward the cost of replacing these wounded trees.

More information and upcoming announcements can be found at�www.blackrockrocks.org.��Additional updates will also be made to the group’s event page on Facebook, or join the BlackRock Rocks group on Facebook.��Questions about the event can also be directed to BlackRock Rocks Chairperson, Angel Telesco at�angel@blackrockrocks.org.

BlackRock Rocks is a group of local musicians, artists and avid supporters of both.��BlackRock Rocks Mardi Gras, to date, has donated approximately $14,000 for the revitalization of New Orleans.��Previous years’ beneficiaries include the American Red Cross, the Salvation Army, The Higher Ground Fund, the Tipitina’s Foundation and Swinging with the Cool School.

Someone doesn’t like Sycamore trees in Blackrock. The Black Rock Garden Club reports:

Sycamore Trees Killed at St. Mary’s

March 14, 2010,

In the midst of a rain storm, someone cut and killed 15 Sycamore trees that line the scenic walk at St Mary’s by the Sea. The trees were intentionally cut around the base of the trees with a chainsaw. Unfortunately, there will be no way to save these trees.

Please help us find out who killed these trees and why!!!

We will be offering a reward for information that leads to an arrest. Please email�mdgmsw@optonline.net with information.

Thank you for your help and support,

The Black Rock Garden Club

Two articles in the past few days about earmarks just make me think Norwalk goes about the funding process in a dysfunctional way. The Hour reported on the Norwalk Transit District’s inability to get state matching funds for a federally funded project to upgrade the bus hub on Burnell Blvd.

The contretemps outlined in The Hour via a series of memos, is fascinating. Schulman, via The Hour says he can’t get the federal funds because he doesn’t have the state matching funds of $400k. The DOT commissioner says that the federal funds flowed directly the Transit District, meaning Schulman already has them, and that the DOT never provides matching funds for local transit district projects.

Hrmm, could it be that the because the bus hub doesn’t fit into the the intermodal variety, the DOT wants nothing to do with it?

And then there’s the request of $400k before the State Bonding Commission for the $400k that supposedly is in process too.

Meanwhile the House of Representatives Thursday according to Jim Himes, D-4, passed a bill delivering earmarks for all, but here are the Fairfield County earmarks according to the Advocate:

• $250,000 for Darien to develop new affordable housing

• $175,000 for in-car camera technology upgrades for the State Police,

• $500,000 for the Courage to Speak Foundation, a drug-prevention non-profit in Norwalk.

• $500,000 for demolition of the Congress Street Bridge in Bridgeport

• $1.8 million towards rebuilding it Congress Street Bridge in Bridgeport

• $700,000 for Bridgeport’s Total Learning Program, run by ABCD Inc.

• $2 million for the second phase of the Stamford Urban Transitway, a commuter road linking Atlantic and East Main Street

• $2.4 million for the Bridgeport Intermodal Transportation Center, which links rail, local and interstate buses, ferry service, taxicabs and airport shuttles.

So out of federal dollars, nothing for Norwalk really. Yet there’s some substantial need for an intermodal transit hub in Norwalk, since Norwalk contains the Danbury rail spur that services Wilton. There’s even plans in the work, which is so far under the radar, the only reason I know about it is because we have a zoning commissioner that is assigned to study committee. Check out www.sonorailstudy.org.

This leads to the bigger questions. Why are we building anything at Burnell Blvd. when the smart thing to do is create a real transit hub at the South Norwalk train station that serves our regional mass transit needs and connects our downtown and office park areas efficiently? Why is Congress funding Norwalk earmark dollars to the Courage To Speak Foundation when there’s no evidence that this anti-drug program does anything substantiated to reduce drug use by students. A short review of local news stories of drug ring busts that service New Canaan high school students should stand as evidence numero uno that these types of programs are useless.

In the end, the saga of the Burnell Blvd. will continue. And on this latest spending bill it is right to conclude that� Norwalk got nothing. The larger question will just hang out there.

Hidden Gems of Bridgeport.

By Eileen Walsh

I have been thinking about our city and all its many attractions and how many go under appreciated. I thought I would put together a list of some things that I enjoy that I think a lot of people might pass by without knowing what they are missing. This is not to detract from the many fabulous better-known gems that our crown is rich in. Hope y’all will add to the list. In no particular order:

Gallery 1212
This art gallery and performance space at the innovation center on Connecticut Ave. hosts coffee houses, poetry slams, one man plays interactive art exhibits, and more. I have been their twice and have twice had my mind completely blown. Lyrical Voices poetry groups’ poetry literally seeps from their pores, no awkward silences here, these artists bellow, scream and hurl, their words at you. The one-man play by Iyaba Ibo Mandingo was raw and heartfelt. It gives a glimpse at the baggage carried by so any immigrants and African American men in America today.
Gerald Moore and Robin Jopp have been working on marketing on facebook and by email but It still takes being in the know to know what goes on when here. This place is worth the trip.

Bereket Turkish restaurant
Tucked away behind the Bereket Gas station convinience store and last minute bill paying establishment is a Middle Eastern Mecca. What its outdoor seating lacks in ambience will be more that made up for with the well cooked and nicely presented Turkish delight you will soon have in front of you. In summer months much of the grilled vegetables gracing your plate will be fresh out of the chefs garden.

Seaside Park
The jewel in the crown of Bridgeport may not seem unknown but often under appreciated. A walk through its over two-mile stretch on any half way decent day is an experience in the American dream in action. The park is a masterfully designed stretch providing fabulous views of Long island sound. The ferry passes by, cormorants dive for meals, seagulls drop shellfish on the rocky coast. A walk or run is a stress melting pleasure. On a given day you may pass by a game of cricket being gentiley played in dress whites. Fast pitch softball, baseball, and lots of soccer games. There are two volleyball courts that are often in use. All of the multicultural splendor that Bridgeport boasts is here in its finery, Muslim women and men enjoy fishing by the cannon. The Asian community is heavily represented enjoying the shore. Hispanic families picnic all along your way. I’ve seen baptisms in the sound, teenage boys strutting their stuff in soaped-up Hondas and Toyotas with base systems that will co-opt your very heartbeat. Old cars, new cars, motorcycles of every variety and the odd Vespa too.

One thing I have never encountered at Seaside Park is a sour disposition. In this place all are aware of the gift the city fathers have given us. Smiles are always returned dogs are welcomed (leashed) and fish stories fly. Take a walk one Tuesday night and you will be treated to all the right things we have going for us in this city.

Keith Rodgersons Thursday night festivals
Thursday night on Baldwin Plaza downtown Keith puts together an eclectic mix of music, art, poetry, circus acts, exhibitionists and projected images. Some weeks it’s a small tight nit group others it seems to be the sweet spot in the city, Bring you own beer (it’s Legal) or have a beer at Two Boots listen to some surf music and enjoy two events in one night. There is nothing like this event anywhere else period. This week will host the more well known Bridgeport treasure Saint Bernadette.
The summer is nearing an end but Keith claims he will keep up his fests until October. Keith has become the cities underground PT Barnum. If you are not going you are missing out. Gets going about 7 pm

St Margaret’s Shrine an oasis on Park Avenue, St Margaret’s is a unique peaceful place to say a prayer, appreciate a unique art form, light a candle or have a little picnic. Weather you are catholic or just appreciate a spot designed for quiet reflection its an urban oasis with ponds waterfalls bridges and sweet vignettes.

Artists, hundreds of them
The city is ripe with artistic talent. Our cheap industrial space had made for a bubbling cauldron of creativity, not just locally showing artists we have several nationally showing artists and artisans working here along side us. Keeping up with the art scene here can take some work but you will not be disappointed for the effort.

La Poblanita Restaurant
Main Street by the old Walbaulms supermarket. A clean spot with well presented sophisticated and authentic Mexican food and music. Often music that is louder than my taste but the food, seafood soup, Huaraches more than makes up for it. Saturdays mariachis stroll.

Pantanal restaurant
A Brazilian Mecca on Frank Street in the Hollow is like a trip to Sao Paulo. Served by the pound the grilled meat and amazing hot and cold salad bar are the best Brazilian in the city for my money. Watch Brazilian Soaps, football, and if you are lucky live music.

Brad Durells Arts and local reporting for the Bridgeport News.
The bigger papers have forgone the local stories for stories that have appeal to a much wider market but the Bridgeport news covers the local events that make the city interesting. The weekly paper scoops the post regularly on stories of true local interest. Brad it seems is at every event, old school pad in hand getting the stories that others are seeming not to care about covering.

Beardsley park (outside the Zoo)
Another Fredric Law Olmsted design in our city boasts gently weeping willow trees. bucolic picnic spots and more baseball fields. Route 25/8 connector did not do the park any favors but it still works as a good place to while away an afternoons. Oh, and the stray peacock may pass by.

Housatonic Community College and its amazing permanent art collection and gallery space.
I just discovered this myself, just strolling the halls is like a trip to a top notch museum. Its art where it should be in and among the people of our town everyday.

More than 1,000 motorcyclists met up in Norwalk Sunday morning for the start of the ninth annual “CT United Ride,” memorializing the victims of the 9/11 terrorist attacks in the United States and honoring the rescuers. Starting out at 11:30 a.m. from Norden Park, the bikers rode up Interstate-95 to Seaview Park in Bridgeport.

Norwalk firefighters recover the flag that flew over the start of the event at Norden Park.