Ken Dixon's Blog-O-Rama

Chalk up a victory for Carroll Hughes, the lobbyist for the Connecticut Package Stores Association. The Program Review & Investigations Committee is not taking up legislation recommending the Sunday sale of alcohol in retail establishments like supermarkets and package stores. “It is highly controversial with strong sides on each issue,” Sen. John Kissel, R-Enfield, said. “I know how to count.” Rather than force a vote, Kissel didn’t take up the bill on the committee deadline day, essentially killing the concept. But of course, nothing’s ever dead in the General Assembly. Rep. Kathy Tallarita, D-Enfield, vows that she’ll try to get it into the budget, somehow, under the pretext that it would mean about $8 million a year in additional tax revenue. She’s on the Finance Committee, so she’ll have a venue to persuade lawmakers as the session continues.

Here’s the tear-making testimony of a woman who will appear this afternoon before the Transportation Committee, asking for mandatory training for all motorcyclists, not just young teens. her son was 19 when he died.

Good Morning

My name is Stephanie Pelletier and I reside in East Hartford, CT.  I would like to thank the committee for giving me this opportunity to speak in support of the motorcycle training bill.

On May 30, 2008 around 7:30 am my door bell rang several times….a sound that makes me cringe to this day.  At my door were two East Hartford police officers and a social worker.  They came to tell me my 19 year son Nick Cohen was killed while riding on his motorcycle.  It is a parent’s worst nightmare – to lose my child and then to turn around and have to tell my nine year old twins that their brother was never going to come home. 

Nick was a handsome kid.  He was very personable, happy and a caring person.  He was a role model at East Hartford High School.  The sadness and grief my family and I felt after his death was overwhelming and was shared by the whole community.

Often times we hear of tragic accidents happening on a weekend night, when kids are out partying or fooling around.  I want to stress that motorcycle accidents can happen anytime, even on an ordinary early morning like May the 30th. The night before Nick’s accident, he went to his Grandmother’s house to help her with a project and have dinner and he was home early.  The following morning was a beautiful sunny day. On his way to work, Nick stopped at the bank and then was heading to his friend’s house so they could ride to work together. A few miles from where he was going is where his life ended.  Nick collided with a minivan and he was instantly killed.  Nick was wearing his helmet and what should have been a beautiful ride to work, turned out to be a heartbreaking one.

Nick had a passion for motorcycles.  Nick got his bike a little (less) than a year before his accident.  As you can imagine, letting Nick get a motorcycle at such a young age was a very tough decision for me.

Through this difficult time I immediately knew I had to do something to help protect another parent from going through what I have.  After Nick’s death, I spent time learning about CT motorcycle laws.  I wanted to see if there was anything I could learn from my tragic experience and be able to pass it on to others.   I was amazed to find out how easy it is for someone to get a motorcycle permit and renew the permit with out formal training.   I often wonder if Nick was required to go through formal training, would he be here today.  I asked myself this question everyday which led me to start talking to State Representative Tim Larson.  

Currently the State of CT has a motorcycle training course known as the Connecticut Rider Education Program.  However, this program is only mandated for 16 & 17 year olds.  What this means is anybody over the age of 17 can obtain a motorcycle permit without any formal training.  I ask you to please consider the amendment before you, which would mandate that every driver seeking a motorcycle license be required to complete the Connecticut Rider Education Program.

I now hold Nick close to my heart by wearing locks of his hair in a locket on a chain and a yellow bracelet which says “ Nick, Always loved, forever remembered.  My hopes are that by mandating motorcycle training for everyone, I can save someone else’s son or daughter, and save a parent from the pain I feel everyday. Thank you 

Good Morning

My name is Stephanie Pelletier and I reside in East Hartford, CT.  I would like to thank the committee for giving me this opportunity to speak in support of the motorcycle training bill.

On May 30, 2008 around 7:30 am my door bell rang several times….a sound that makes me cringe to this day.  At my door were two East Hartford police officers and a social worker.  They came to tell me my 19 year son Nick Cohen was killed while riding on his motorcycle.  It is a parent’s worst nightmare – to lose my child and then to turn around and have to tell my nine year old twins that their brother was never going to come home. 

Nick was a handsome kid.  He was very personable, happy and a caring person.  He was a role model at East Hartford High School.  The sadness and grief my family and I felt after his death was overwhelming and was shared by the whole community.

Often times we hear of tragic accidents happening on a weekend night, when kids are out partying or fooling around.  I want to stress that motorcycle accidents can happen anytime, even on an ordinary early morning like May the 30th. The night before Nick’s accident, he went to his Grandmother’s house to help her with a project and have dinner and he was home early.  The following morning was a beautiful sunny day. On his way to work, Nick stopped at the bank and then was heading to his friend’s house so they could ride to work together. A few miles from where he was going is where his life ended.  Nick collided with a minivan and he was instantly killed.  Nick was wearing his helmet and what should have been a beautiful ride to work, turned out to be a heartbreaking one.

Nick had a passion for motorcycles.  Nick got his bike a little (less) than a year before his accident.  As you can imagine, letting Nick get a motorcycle at such a young age was a very tough decision for me.

Through this difficult time I immediately knew I had to do something to help protect another parent from going through what I have.  After Nick’s death, I spent time learning about CT motorcycle laws.  I wanted to see if there was anything I could learn from my tragic experience and be able to pass it on to others.   I was amazed to find out how easy it is for someone to get a motorcycle permit and renew the permit with out formal training.   I often wonder if Nick was required to go through formal training, would he be here today.  I asked myself this question everyday which led me to start talking to State Representative Tim Larson.

Currently the State of CT has a motorcycle training course known as the Connecticut Rider Education Program.  However, this program is only mandated for 16 & 17 year olds.  What this means is anybody over the age of 17 can obtain a motorcycle permit without any formal training.  I ask you to please consider the amendment before you, which would mandate that every driver seeking a motorcycle license be required to complete the Connecticut Rider Education Program.

I now hold Nick close to my heart by wearing locks of his hair in a locket on a chain and a yellow bracelet which says “ Nick, Always loved, forever remembered.  My hopes are that by mandating motorcycle training for everyone, I can save someone else’s son or daughter, and save a parent from the pain I feel everyday. Thank you

Easton First Selectman Thomas A. Herrmann will join the throng tomorrow, when he announces his candidacy in the Stamford Marriott Hotel at 10 a.m.

He’ll join Rob Russo of Bridgeport and state Sen. Dan Debicella of Shelton in the race for the nomination. Also running is Rob Merkle of Norwalk, Will Gregory of New Canaan and Rick Torres of Bridgeport. The winner gets to challenge US Rep. Jim Himes, D-CT.

The Blogster suggests that if you’re a grandparent and get a call from your “grandson” or “granddaughter” stuck somewhere in Canada or someplace and need money wired to them immediately, you first ask “Is that you Lucretia/Homer?” depending on the gender. When they say yes, in the unlikely event they’re actually named Homer or Lucretia, write down their phone number on your caller ID, then immediately hang up and call your local police to provide them with details. Unwitting elderly people are getting robbed to the tune of thousands of dollars because phony relatives are taking advantage of them.

Here’s the news release from the Beter Business Bureau:

“Grandparent Scam Sweeping North America

Connecticut BBB Urges Families to Explain to Grandparents How to Avoid Getting Swindled

Wallingford, CT – March 9, 2010 – Grandparents from Connecticut to British Columbia, Canada are being targeted in another wave of the so-called “Grandparent Scam.”

The scheme, which preys upon grandparents’ love of their grandchildren, has proven to be a lucrative venture for con artists.

The ruse begins with a telephone call from someone posing as a grandchild who urges the grandparents to send money by wire transfer for a variety of phony reasons ranging from medical bills after a car accident to posting bail because the “grandchild” was arrested. 

In some cases, to lend legitimacy, the scammer will put someone else on the telephone posing as either an MD or police officer.  The grandchild then requests that money be sent through wire transfer to cover expenses. 

One Wisconsin couple was bilked out of $19,000 by con artists posing as a grandson and his lawyer.

Connecticut Better Business Bureau President, Paulette Scarpetti, says the grandparents themselves sometimes inadvertently provide information that helps the scammers.

“In many cases, when the grandparents pick up the phone, the scammers will say ‘Hi Grandma.  Guess who’s calling?’ Frequently the grandparent will answer that question feeling comfortable that they know who they are supposedly talking to.” 

The scammers will often plead with the grandparent not to tell their parents about the ‘accident’ or ‘arrest.’

Grandparents are singled out because they may be hard of hearing and because they will likely not know where their grandchildren are.  Connecticut Better Business Bureau urges families to discuss the way the scam works.

If you receive a call from someone claiming to be your grandchild in distress, BBB advises that you don’t disclose any information before you have confirmed it really is your grandchild.  If a caller says “It’s me, grandma,” don’t respond with a name but instead let the caller explain who he or she is. 

One easy way to confirm their identity is to ask a simple question that your grandchild would know such as what school he or she goes to or their middle name.  Another way to potentially stop the scam in its tracks is to contact the parents to verify the grandchild’s whereabouts.

If you have fallen victim to the scam, BBB recommends that you report the incident immediately to local police and the Connecticut Attorney General’s office. If there is a request to wire money to Canada, the Canadian Anti-Fraud Call Centre has established the PhoneBusters hotline and Web site to report such fraud. Reports can be filed easily online through the PhoneBusters site at: www.phonebusters.com, or by phone, toll free at, 1-888-495-8501.

Any discussion of this sort should include a warning about agreeing to any request that requires sending money by wire transfer to an unknown recipient.  Once the transfer is made, it is extremely difficult and usually impossible to recover the money.

More information on how to avoid becoming a victim of this and other scams is available at www.bbb.org”

     Former Stamford Mayor Dan Malloy will file official documents tomorrow noon with the State Elections Enforcement Commission, shifting his campaign from exploratory to candidacy, as we begin the run up to the May 21 Democratic convention.

Mostly because Sen. Tom Colapietro, D-Bristol is co-chairman of the General Law Committee and he opposes an expansion of alcoh(o)l sales and has proven it in recent years by killing this legislation. The Blogster doesn’t have an overall opinion about whether beer and/or booze should be sold on Sunday for off-premises consumption. But I kind of liked what West Hartford Police Chief Jim Strillacci just told the Program Review Committee:

 ”Sunday sales would enable people who are problem drinkers to overindulge their vice. Sober citizens like you and I can plan ahead for that weekend cookout and buy ahead. The people that are going to have trouble with this are the people who can handle a can opener and can’t handle a calendar. They can’t look one day ahead. This will make life easy for them if you change this law, to wake up drunk and early on a Sunday morning and say ‘I have to get some more booze.’ If there’s more drinking we’re going to have more alcohol-related crimes, alcohol-related traffic accidents and especially things like domestic violelnce in which alcohol and other substance abuse is a relative major factor.”

So what’s a can opener? It must be like a bottle opener, before the invention of the pop-top, perhaps. The Blogster’s denying he’s old enough to have opened a beer with a can opener.