2:31pm–#Bridgeport CT– Firefighters on scene with a tractor trailer that was on fire, at at Oak Street and North Avenue. There is currently a small fire in the wheel well, and light smoke throughout.
Month: March 2014
UI Scam Continues
1:41pm–#Bridgeport CT–Taco King at 1147 Madison Avenue has called police that he was the target of an attempt to collect money from someone claiming to be from UI.
GOV. MALLOY: STATE MUST “preserve our agricultural heritage and help it expand and create jobs”
(HARTFORD, CT) – Governor Dannel P. Malloy and state Department of Agriculture Commissioner Steven K. Reviczky today announced that more than 40 farms, agricultural non-profits and municipalities will receive state funding totaling $880,327 as part of an ongoing effort to expand Connecticut’s growing agricultural economy.
“Our diverse and vibrant agriculture sector is an important economic driver for our state with enormous potential for future job creation and economic growth,” said Governor Malloy. “These grants are a clear sign that we can both preserve our agricultural heritage and help it expand and create jobs.”
Funding was made through the Agriculture Department’s Farm Transition Grant and Farm Viability Grant programs, designed to increase farm production, promote Connecticut Grown products and create jobs. The funding – which requires a match from the grantee – will leverage nearly $2.4 million in investments.
Approved projects include:
- Improvement of dairy, mushroom, Christmas tree and fruit farms
- Construction of greenhouses
- Building/modernization of retail farm-product and maple syrup stands
- Expansion of wineries
- Promotion of farmers’ markets
- And construction of an aquaculture eel-raising facility
“Connecticut’s agriculture economy is making many significant advances in the right direction, and these grants will help keep that momentum going,” Cmsr. Reviczky said. “These are important investments that will benefit both producers and consumers.”
Agricultural Viability Grants are made available through Public Act 05-228, An Act Concerning Farmland Preservation, Land Protection, Affordable Housing and Historic Preservation. This landmark legislation serves to protect and preserve Connecticut for future generations by providing funding for municipal open-space grants, farm viability and preservation, historic preservation and new and existing affordable housing programs, along with new infrastructure to support and promote agriculture in the state.
Farm Transition Grants (agricultural producers and cooperatives)
- Grants Allotted: $508,487
- Total Farm Project Dollars : $1,479,899
Miller Tree Farm LLC, Durham – Farm diversification into a maple syrup production facility.
Total project budget: $25,000; Grant: $12,500
Six Paca Farm, LLC, Bozrah – Increase fiber mill efficiency through purchase of compressor for washer and carding machine; hot water heater for faster, efficient heat, and a rug yarn-winder and a tumbler that cleans fibers. Total project budget: $36,200; Grant $18,000
7 Falls Mushroom Farm, Higganum – Creation of a 1,000 log Shiitake mushroom production area for sale at local markets. Total project budget: $15,866; Grant: $7,963
MK Dairy, Lebanon – Construction of a pavilion for educational functions on preserved land site. Total project budget: $40,000; Grant: $20,000.
May Hill Farm, Woodstock – Increase milk production through purchase of a Lely Juno Feed Pusher. Total project budget: $16,500; Grant: $8,250
Shady Maple Farm, Salisbury – Redo milking parlor in order to raise dairy and beef cows. Total project budget: $19,965; Grant: $9,982
Holmberg Orchards, Gales Ferry – Purchase of an orchard work platform and pruning system.
Total project budget: $76,758; Grant: $38,379
Sweet Apple Farm LLC, Easton – For plantings at a new farm-production orchard.
Total project budget: $1,750; Grant: $875
Marine Bait Wholesale, Middletown – Construction of aquaculture production system for the raising of wild eels for sale. Total project budget: $111,186; Grant: $49,999
Fabyan Sugar Shack, LLC, North Grosvenordale – Convert from gas generator to electric power in order to run vacuum pump and add lines and taps to produce more syrup. Total project budget: $34,000; Grant: $17,000
Allen Hill Farm, Brooklyn- Install photovoltaic solar electric generating system for Christmas tree farm. Total project budget: $38,478; Grant: $19,239
Rogers Orchards, Southington – Install a trellis system for a high-density orchard.
Total project budget: $80,000; Grant: $20,000
Jones Family Farms Winery, Shelton – Wine-production facility expansion.
Total project budget: $203,365; Grant $25,000
Taylor Brooke Winery, Woodstock – Expansion of winery through construction of a covered external grape crush pad, wine storage building and automated bottling room.
Total project budget: $321,000; Grant: $49,999
Larson’s Garden Center, LLC, Burlington – Purchase of a green sustainable wood-heating system for their greenhouse facility and an additional Quonset greenhouse to be used for wood and crop residue storage of the fuel. Total project budget: $86,700; Grant: $42,500
Farm Viability Grants (municipalities and agricultural non-profit organizations)
- Grants allotted: $371,840
- Total project values: – $898,744
American Farmland Trust, Windsor – Update and reprint the booklet Conservation Options for CT Farmland. Total project budget: $22,202; Grant: $11,803
Brass City Harvest, Waterbury – Mobile farmers’ market and nutrition program.
Total project budget: $95,576; Grant: $12,000
Community Farm of Simsbury – Construction of greenhouse and equipment flame weeder, scales, heating mats. Total project budget: $10,000; Grant: $5,000
CT NOFA – Educational marketing Campaign. Total project budget: $7,000; Grant: $3,500
CT Agricultural Experiment Station – Two–year low trellis hop trial research for small farmers. Total project budget: $76,600; Grant: $45,960
Harbor Watch, Westport – Help eliminate sources of pollution in support of local commercial and recreational shell fishing industry. Total project budget: $136,840; Grant: $38,815
New Haven Farms, New Haven – Wellness program to improve health outcomes by increasing participants’ consumption of fruits and vegetables. Total project budget: $282,188; Grant: $25,000
North Central Conservation District, Vernon – Installation of seasonal high tunnel and greenhouse at Willard-Cybulski Correctional Institute in Somers. Total project budget: $98,138; Grant: $49,370
North End Action Team, Middletown – Farmers’ market promotions. Total project budget: $3,000; Grant: $1,500
River COG Regional Agriculture Council, Essex – Connect area farms in 17 town region through website, brochures, conference and analysis. Total project budget: $70,000; Grant $42,000
Urban Oaks Organic Farm, New Britain – Energy audit on greenhouses including heaters, insulation, equipment. Total project budget: $97,200; Grant: $48,600
Town of Bozrah – Farmers’ market promotions. Total project budget: $5,073; Grant: $2,536
Town of Essex – Ivoryton Village Farmers’ market promotions and advertising
Total project budget: $6,000; Grant: $2,999
Town of Hamden, Maselli Farm – Farm feasibility study. Total project budget: $30,000; Grant: $18,000
Town of Lebanon – Farmland preservation property appraisals and surveys; market master and farmers’ market promotions. Total project budget: $30,591; Grant: $15,000
City of Milford – Pollution source survey of Wepawaug River for protection of shellfish beds
Total project budget: $14,627; Grant: $6,720
Town of East Lyme, Niantic Farmers’ Market – Market promotions and advertising.
Total project budget: $11,400; Grant: $5,000
Town of Southbury – Farmers’ market promotions and advertising. Total project budget: $6,001; Grant: $2,999
Town of Suffield – Appraisals for farmland preservation program and consultant for farmers’ market website and advertising. Total project budget: $24,750; Grant $11,450
Town of Voluntown – Farmers’ market promotions and advertising. Total project budget: $13,563; Grant: $6,088
Town of Weston – Improvements to Lachat Farm. Total project budget: $35,000; Grant: $17,500
The grants were awarded on a competitive basis and a match must be supplied by the applicant. The Department of Agriculture’s share of the budget is capped at $49,999 in matching funds. Grantees have up to one year to complete their project, according to the terms of their contract.
Funding is not limited to producers. Non-profit organizations and municipalities also are eligible, and may use the grants for town or regional planning purposes provided that agricultural components are involved. The Department of Agriculture plans to open up the grant-application period again in November.
For more information on these grants, please visit the Department’s website at www.ct.gov/doag/
. Click on: “Programs and Services” and then: “Agriculture Viability Grants.”
GOV. MALLOY SEEKS TO ELIMINATE APPROXIMATELY 1,000 PAGES OF STATE REGULATIONS
(HARTFORD, CT) – Governor Dannel P. Malloy today announced that he is seeking to eliminate approximately a thousand pages of state regulations that have been identified as obsolete, duplicative, excessively burdensome, or otherwise ineffective or unnecessary, in a major effort to make Connecticut’s regulations more streamlined, readable and user-friendly for citizens, especially small businesses.
“We’re committed to making state government more efficient, more transparent and more responsive. Streamlining regulations and repealing those that are just too burdensome or no longer needed will help in our efforts to be more user-friendly for both citizens and businesses,” Governor Malloy said.
The Governor has submitted legislation to the General Assembly (House Bill 5049
– An Act Eliminating Unnecessary Government Regulation) on his proposal, which is currently pending before the Government Administration and Elections Committee.
Some examples of regulations Governor Malloy is proposing to eliminate include:
- An outdated and discriminatory Department of Labor regulation of unknown age that prohibits women from working alone between the hours of 1:00 a.m. and 6:00 a.m.
- Several outdated and conflicting regulations contained within the Department of Administrative Services that have been unnecessary since the adoption of the state building code in the late 1980s
- A regulation regarding the grading of Connecticut-grown apples that duplicates USDA regulations and has never been used
- Multiple Department of Economic & Community Development regulations dealing with programs repealed by the legislature many years ago, some as far back as the late 1980s
- A Department of Energy & Environmental Protection regulation setting forth detailed standards on the use of a pesticide that has not been used in Connecticut since the late 1970s and is otherwise regulated by the department’s more up-to-date pesticide regulations
- Housing regulations dealing with programs that have not been funded by the General Assembly in decades
- Dozens of other regulations pertaining to statutes that have long since been repealed
The Governor’s legislation is the result of a public review period
he initiated in October 2013 through Executive Order No. 37, which invited the public to submit to him their comments on state regulations, and also required each state agency to conduct independent reviews of all regulations under their jurisdiction. The resulting comments received from the public and the reports submitted by state agencies can be downloaded online at www.governor.ct.gov/regsreview
Along with seeking to eliminate unnecessary regulations, the bill also streamlines the state’s regulation process to facilitate more frequent updating of state agency rules.
“The public comments and agency reports made clear that eliminating unnecessary government regulation is just the first step,” Governor Malloy said. “Government plays a critical role in regulation. However, we must constantly monitor those regulations to ensure they are up to date and comport with existing programs. Agencies should be provided the tools for making necessary changes in a quick and efficient manner, while maintaining the same level of public input as exists today.”
One of the reasons that unnecessary regulations accumulate in Connecticut is that all regulatory changes must be approved by a committee of the General Assembly before they go into effect. The Governor’s legislation will eliminate the need for lengthy and cumbersome committee review in certain cases by creating an expedited process for making noncontroversial regulatory changes. Legislative regulatory review committees do not exist in many other states, and a similar practice at the federal level was determined to be unconstitutional by the United States Supreme Court in 1983, though it is permitted under the Connecticut constitution.
In 2012, Governor Malloy introduced legislation, which he later signed into law
, ordering all state agency regulations to be made easily available to the public and published on the internet. As a result, all state regulations are now available online at www.ct.gov/eregulations.
Boat Ordered From China, Never Delivered
(Bridgeport, CT – March 19, 2014) – A city man filed a complaint that he paid $1,057 to a Chinese bank for a boat that was never delivered.
Officer Daniel Faroni spoke Tuesday to the 57-year-old city resident, who stated that he sent the money to China in December 2013 but that the boat was never delivered. He stated he transferred the amount to the Bank of China.
Police Investigate Subway Robbery
(Bridgeport, CT – March 19, 2014) – Police responded to a commercial robbery Tuesday on Broadbridge Road.
Officer Stacey Lyons spoke to a Subway employee Tuesday, who stated that the robber entered the store at 535 Broadbridge Road shortly before 9:30 p.m.
When the employee approached the counter, the robber had his hand in the pocket of his hooded sweatshirt as if he had a gun and demanded money. She complied with his demand and he walked out of the store with an undetermined amount of cash.
No weapon was displayed and no one was injured.
Teen Charged With Possession of BB Gun
(Bridgeport, CT – March 19, 2014) – A 14-year-old faces charges after a disturbance on Iranistan Avenue.
Officer Dave Rivera and other officers responded to the location on Tuesday shortly before 6 p.m. on a report of two groups involved in a disturbance. When he arrived, the verbal confrontation continued. Sgt. Jason Amato reported over the radio that a male wearing a blue zip-up jacket kept holding his waistband as he walked and Rivera and Lt. Brett Hyman spotted him.
As additional officers arrived, the juvenile ran away and tried to scale a fence before being apprehended. In custody, the teen denied that the pellet gun was his. When police retraced his steps, officers did in fact recover a pellet gun.
The youth was charged with possession of a facsimile weapon and interfering with police.
Police Seize Two Knives Machete, Suspect Arrested
(Bridgeport, CT – March 19, 2014) – A 50-year-old man faces weapons charges after an incident at a Schofield Avenue rooming house.
On Tuesday at 10 a.m., Officers Antonio Deida, William Brooks and Joseph Horesco responded to the house at 277 Schofield on a report of a man acting erratically while carrying a large machete.
The officers received an account of what happened and knocked on the door of the suspect, Dennis Ellis. When Ellis opened the door he denied carrying a machete, although police could see one on his bed behind him. They subsequently recovered two knives from his pockets.
He was charged with carrying a dangerous weapon and breach of peace.
Bridgeport News: Where there’s smoke there’s not always fire
1:14pm–#Bridgeport CT– Firefighters are on scene at 97 Poplar Street investigating a report of smoke in the building. The incident occurred at 6:00am this morning, and there is no incident at this time. Well, at least you know why the firetrucks are there…
Shelton News: 15 year old shot passes
#Shelton CT– Very sad to report that 15 year old Kristjan Ndoj who was shot on Agawam Trail on Saturday has died from his wounds.
Trumbull News: Cheesecake Factory coming to Trumbull Mall
#Trumbull CT– First selectman Timothy Herbst just posted on his Facebook page that the Cheesecake Factory just approved at Trumbull Mall!
Norwalk News: Homeowner knocks down fire
1:22am–#Norwalk CT–Homeowner knocks down fire with garden hose at 42 Harbor View Avenue. Firefighters on the way to check for extinctions.
Possible Truck on the Merritt Parkway
11:00pm–#cttraffic–UPDATE– The tractor trailer has been stopped by Connecticut State Police by exit 41 northbound. The truck has heavy damage. He hit a number of overpasses in #Westchester County and radio reports say 5 overpasses in Greenwich. State police received a call that New York State Police contacted them for a truck that hit a number of overpasses in their state. Connecticut Sate Police keeping an eye out for it, reports say it is northbound near exit 38.