Connecticut Postings

Another development project for the city’s waterfront is about to be launched.

City officials, a week after announcing a revamped proposal for the much-anticipated, long-delayed Steel Point site, this afternoon will introduce a development team with plans for a retail and office complex that they plan to dub, “Seaview Plaza.”

Not to be confused with Steel Point, part of this property, near the corner of Stratford and Seaview Avenues, was, in fact, at one time the home of a steel factory — Carpenter Technology. The site is next to Derecktor Shipyards.

Mayor Bill Finch plans to preside, and no doubt will herald a new wave of development along the haborfront. We’ll see if the ship really comes in this time.

More updates later on connpost.com and in the Connecticut Post tomorrow.

The 17th annual Juneteenth Festival, cancelled this spring because of inclement weather, has been rescheduled for Saturday on McLevy Green in Bridgeport.

The celebration pays tribute to the date June 19, when according to southern folklore, a group of slaves in Texas  learned in 1865 that President Abraham Lincoln had granted freedom to them and the others held in slavery on Jan. 1, 1863, with the Emancipation Proclamation.

In years past, the festival included a parade, but activities this year will be concentrated on the downtown green at Main and State streets.

The event gets under way at 2 p.m.

Featured act is the Slammin Band, with Ricky Alan Draugn, and the Latin band, Son7 (Son Siete). Also performing are Brooklyn rhythm and blues act Von Sway and others.

There also will be vendors and representatives from local businesses, health organizations and youth groups.

For information, contact Yolanda Ortiz at 203-526-3705 or Jeff Baldwin at 203-243-9826.

We have our Hartford reporter, Ken Dixon, at the H1N1 flu summit today. Gov. M. Jodi Rell was the first to speak to the more than 500 people attending the morning-long event at the Connecticut Convention Center.

Rell said that no one knows how severe the virus will hit the state, but offered some “common sense” ways to prepare and react.

She said simple things such as coughing into your elbow and using hand sanitizer can go a long way toward limiting the spread of the deadly flu pandemic. 

Dr. Matthew Cartter, chief epidemiologist for the DPH, called the nearly 2,000 cases reported in the state are “just the tip of the iceberg,” but those born before 1957 may have some kind of immunity to the H1N1 strain.

We will update the summit throughout the day on our website.

Gertrude Noone, the Ansonia native and resident of Carriage Green in Milford, died Thursday morning, her family members said.

She was the second-oldest person in Connecticut and the oldest veteran in the world, having served with the U.S. Army Women’s Air Corps in World War II.

Funeral arrangements are not complete at this time.

Missed President Obama’s health-reform speech before a joint session of Congress last night?

Here’s a video when Rep. Joe Wilson of South Carolina yelled to Obama “You lie!”

Fairfield fire and police crews to the rescue.

A couple and their pets — a terrier and a cat — were rescued last night from their disabled sailboat that was in danger of capsizing off Penfield Beach last night.

Wind and rough surf were pounding the stricken vessel, causing it to list about 50 feet off shore, fire officials report.

One of the people on board the boat was disabled and needed immediate medical attention, officials said. However, all aboard were removed safely and without incident.

More on the water rescue later on connpost.com and in tomorrow’s Connecticut Post.

As of 3:30 p.m. today, water is beginning to flow through the repaired water main that burst early this morning in downtown Bridgeport.

Repair crews working on the broken 20-inch main, estimated to be about 100 years old, have installed new pipe and expect water service to be fully restored by about 4:30 p.m., according to Lorraine Bukowski, an Aquarion Water Co. spokeswoman.

The water main burst at Fairfield Avenue and Main Street about 12 hours earlier, and disrupted service to about 50 properties downtown.

Temporary paving over the excavated area will take place later today, and permanent resurfacing to the street and sidewalks affected by the repairs will be done tomorrow.

More updates on connpost.com and in the Connecticut Post tomorrow.

In my 20-plus years as a reporter, I’ve written hundreds of feature stories. More times than not, you often lose track of your subject once the story is published.

For example, back in December of 2004, I wrote a story about U.S. Army Spc. Josh Schroder, then just 20 years old. Schroder had surprised his mom with a visit home from Iraq, and his mom had surprised him by drawing a large yellow ribbon in the driveway.

Flash forward to about three weeks ago. I’m talking with my upstairs neighbor, who had just moved in. He introduced himself as Josh, and said he was a West Haven firefighter.  When I said I was a reporter at the Post, he said he was once in the Post. I kept my fingers crossed that it was for something good, and he began to tell the story of surprising his mom with a visit home from Iraq – the story that I had written. It really is a small world.