Connecticut Postings

If you’re a candidate looking to lock up tea party support, there’s one endorsement that’s the Holy Grail of endorsements.

Ron Paul.

Rick Torres, the Bridgeport businessman hoping to nab the Republican nomination in the 4th Congressional District primary Aug. 10, announced this week that he has Paul’s support.

Like other community colleges in the state, Housatonic Community College is seeing a boom of new students brought on in large part because of the still sour economy.

  So far this summer, class registration among full and part time students at HCC is up 8 percent over last the same time last year. Part time enrollment is up 13 percent, fulltime enrollment up 3 percent. Paul McNamara, acting dean of outreach said students can still get into some popular classes but may be shut out of the most sought-after time slots.

In 2009, Housatonic’s fall enrollment stood at 5,609 students, a 10 percent jump over the previous year. The college is essentially running on the same budget it had in 2008, with a freeze on full time faculty. Adjunct faculty are picking up the slack and now account from 55 to 60 percent of instructors. Meanwhile, there has been no increase in the amount of counselors, registrars or other support staff, according to McNamara.

BRIDGEPORT – Following is information on road closures and information for visiting firefighters for the funeral services for Lt. Steven Velasquez and Firefighter Michel Baik on Friday, July 30.

Road Closures — Following roads will be closed from 8 a.m. to 12 noon on Friday, July 30.
•Washington Avenue from Coleman to James will be closed completely.

Access to the following streets will be for local residents only:
•Washington Avenue from Park Avenue to James Street
•Washington Terrace to Washington Avenue
•West Avenue from Fairfield Avenue to Washington Avenue
•Coleman Street from Vine Street to Washington Avenue
•Calhoun Place from Vine to Washington Avenue
•Pequonnock Street from Vine to Washington Avenue
•Milne Street from Harral Avenue to Washington Avenue

The following roads will be closed from 1 to 4 p.m.:
•Park Avenue from Eckart Street North to Merritt Parkway
•Old Town Road from Park Avenue to Madison Avenue
•Jefferson Street from Merritt Parkway to Park Avenue – the Merritt Parkway entrance and exit will be open at this location
•Park Avenue Exit off the Merritt Parkway will be closed in both directions. Traffic will only be able to enter the parkway at this location.

Information for visiting firefighters:
•Satellite parking lots on Stratford Avenue and Pembroke Street (known as Steelpointe) will open at 7 a.m. Friday, July 30.
•Shuttle buses will take visitors to St. Augustine’s Cathedral where Lt. Velasquez’ funeral will begin at 10 a.m.
•Shuttle buses also will be available from the Bridgeport train station to St. Augustine’s beginning at 7 a.m.
oUse of Metro-North or Amtrak is encouraged
oThe Bridgeport-Port Jefferson Ferry also is available for firefighters coming from Long Island; shuttle to the church can be picked up at the train station
oThe train station, bus station and ferry terminal are all within one block of each other
oThe Cathedral is a short walk away from all transit options

•Uniformed members also will be available at all transit and parking areas to give directions
•At end of Velasquez funeral, shuttle buses will take visiting firefighters to the Sacred Heart University parking lot on Park Avenue, where the American Red Cross will provide light lunch and refreshments.

•FF Michel Baik’s funeral will be held at 2 p.m. at St. Nicholas Antiochan Orthodox Church, 5458 Park Avenue (a short walk away from the Sacred Heart University parking lot).

•At end of Baik funeral, shuttle buses will take visiting firefighters back to the Arena at Harbor Yard where the collation for firefighters will be held.

•Shuttle buses will be available from the Arena to the train station and Steelpointe during the late afternoon to bring firefighters to their cars or back to the train.

Directions to Steelpointe parking lots:
From New Haven and points north: Take Exit 29 off I-95 Southbound; end of ramp take a left at light; take a right at the next light onto Stratford Avenue. Take a right onto Pembroke Street into parking area.

From New York and Points south: Take Exit 28 off I-95 Northbound; go straight down the ramp onto Ann Street; take a right onto Pembroke Street into the parking area.

From Danbury and points west: Take Route 8 to Route 25 Connector; Take I-95 Northbound to Exit 28 off I-95. Follow directions above.

BRIDGEPORT — The Burroughs & Saden Public Library on Broad Street will hold a two day book sale in their garage -on the State Street side of the building – this weekend.

The book sale will be held from 1 to 4 p.m. Friday, July 30 and from noon to 3 p.m. on Saturday, July 31.

The food court at Westfield Trumbull Shopping Mall will partially reopen Wednesday, said Lee Sterling, Westfield Regional Director of Marketing.

The area has been closed since Saturday, July 17, after a 40 to 50 foot section of the facade above Sbarro’s pizza collapsed, injuring two people.  The mall is undergoing a multi-million renovation, which includes construction work taking place in the areas about the food court.

Sterling said the food court common area will reopen to the public on Wednesday. Eateries within the food court will reopen upon approval from the town of Trumbull. Some of the court’s nine eateries were planning to move into the mall’s new dining terrace, and may decided to keep their current locations closed until the terrace’s opening, slated for fall.

 Those who opt to re-open in the existing food court will be permitted to do so once given clearance by the Town of Trumbull building and health inspectors. The food court has been closed while independent certified structural engineers, working in tandem with Westfield and the Town of Trumbull Building officials, reinspect all store front facades.

From the desk of arts writer Phyllis A.S. Boros:

Here are updates from folks at two area nonprofit gems: The Fairfield Museum and History Center and Bridgeport’s Barnum Museum.

This from the Fairfield Museum:

“The temperatures are soaring, the holidays are 5 months away, but The Fairfield Museum and History Center Gift Shop Manager Lee Walther believes that it’s never too early to find the perfect holiday gift.”

Thus Walter and the gift shop are offering a “Christmas in July” sale this week (running through Saturday, July 31) at the shop. According to Walther, everything in the shop has been reduced by 10 to 50 percent.

Currently on view at the museum is ”It’s a Hit!” — about the region’s baseball history.

Fairfield Museum and History Centeris at 370 Beach Road in Fairfield, behind Old Town Hall.  The museum and gift shop are open seven days a week.  Hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday and noon to 4 p.m. on weekends.  To learn more about the museum, visit www.fairfieldhs.org or call 203-259-1598.    

 From the Barnum Museum comes this reminder: The museum, at 820 Main St. in downtown Bridgeport, is indeed open.

Although the 1893 building, on the National Register of Historic Places, is closed to the public because of  damage caused by the June 24 tornado that stuck Bridgeport, the museum is nonetheless  hosting a sculpture exhibition featuring the dynamic works of  North Haven artist (and periodontist) David Millen in the People’s United Bank Gallery (a modern area of the museum which is part of the neighboring People’s Bank headquarters).

Millen says the works were inspired by the dance troupe Pilobolus and the acrobats of Cirque du Soleil. (We attended the opening reception for this exhibition on Sunday afternoon and noted that hundreds upon hundreds of Millen’s fans and museum supporters were on hand for the festivities.)

Museum officials used the reception as a springboard for the kick-off of a major fundraising drive. Museum Executive Director Kathy Maher says the museum continues to operate “in emergency mode” and is appealing to area foundations, corporations and individuals to help underwrite repairs at the museum, which she characterized as one of the state’s treasures.

The building is owned by the city and operated by a nonprofit foundation. Contributions may be made online at www.barnum-museum.org.

The show, which will be on exhibit through Jan. 2,  may be viewed during regular museum hours: Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Sundays noon to 4:30 p.m. Admission is free while the remainder of the museum is closed. For additional information, call the museum at 203-331-1104.

CT is not a finalist in the second go around for the federal Race to the Top jackpot. Finalists, are: Arizona, California, Colorado, DC, Florida, Georga, Hawaii, Illinoise, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and South Carolina. The announcement is being made now in Washington by U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan at the National Press Club.

 Alex Johnson, director of ConnCan, a educational advocacy group, said he is dismayed but not surprised. He said the state took a big step forward this year but has a long way to go.

“There is no question, the bar was set high,” he said.

 Gov. M Jodi Rell, also expressed disappointment.

” We submitted a very strong application that offered a clear blueprint for achieving our goals. Our application was  overwhelmingly backed by an extraordinary collaboration of government, education, businesses and local officials.

 “This decision is an affront to all the dedicated individuals who worked long and hard to make our case. However, it cannot and will not lessen our commitment in providing the best education we can for our children.”

BRIDGEPORT — Gov. M. Jodi Rell visited this morning with firefighters at the 7-ll firehouse that lost two of its own in a blaze Saturday on Elmwood Avenue.
The governor personally thanked the 15 firefighters, either with a handshake or a hug.
“All too often we take for granted all the work that our first responders do for us and the dangers they face each and every day,” said a teary-eyed Rell.
Firefighters were visibly moved by Rell’s visit.
Saturday afternoon, Lt. Steven Velasquez and firefighter Michel Baik died in the house fire.
Smoke inhalation has been determined as the cause of death for the 49-year-old Baik. The state medical examiner’s office also determined he had coronary artery disease that contributed to his death.
A preliminary autopsy on Velasquez, 40, was inconclusive and more tests are being conducted.
The cause of the fire hasn’t been determined.
—-By John Burgeson